A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go

When Ling said that, Pei Yan was utterly dismayed.

’What does she mean, go home?’

’This *is* his home!’

He asked pitifully, "Why are you trying to send me away? Does Lingling hate her daddy?"

He looked so pathetic that Ling didn’t know what to do.

She buried her head in Mei Wanying’s chest, showing Pei Yan only the back of her head and refusing to answer the question.

Pei Yan said, "Daddy and Mommy are husband and wife. Wherever your mommy is, that’s where Daddy’s home is."

Hearing this, Ling immediately hugged Mei Wanying tight, as if afraid someone would snatch her away.

She said anxiously, "Mommy and I..."

The rest of her words were mumbled, but Pei Yan could guess what his daughter meant.

Ling felt that she and Ah Yin were the real family.

And he was an outsider.

That was a knife to the heart for Pei Yan.

But he knew in his heart it was because he spent too little time with his wife and daughter. That was why Ling saw him as an outsider.

He corrected her. "Daddy is family too, he’s just not home very often. We’re a family of three... No, wait, with your grandmother, we’re a family of four. That will never change."

Ling, who only half-understood, pointed a tiny finger at the water caltrops on the table and said tentatively, "Want... eat..."

The usually serious man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’His daughter was testing him.’

’If he gave her some, Ling would forgive him.’

’If he didn’t, she would stay mad.’

’How could someone so small be so shrewd?’

He asked Mei Wanying, "Why is her head always full of food? Who does she take after with this gluttony?"

Mei Wanying didn’t mince her words. "She takes after you."

Ling parroted her, also saying, "Takes after... you..."

Pei Yan: "..."

’When was *he* ever greedy for food?’

’What a false accusation.’

Resigned to his fate, he peeled a water caltrop to feed to Ling.

Mei Wanying reminded him, "Mash it with a spoon before you feed it to her. Be careful she doesn’t choke."

The man’s expression grew taut.

’He had no idea that taking care of a child involved so many details.’

Pei Yan did exactly as Mei Wanying said, at last clumsily feeding it into Ling’s mouth.

He reminded her, "Chew it well."

Ling smacked her little lips and swallowed it down.

She didn’t choke.

Pei Yan let out a huge sigh of relief.

He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand; he looked so nervous he was about to break a sweat.

Mei Wanying laughed at him. "Was all that necessary?"

"It was."

’This was the child Ah Yin had given him, a precious gold lump. There could be no mishaps, not even the slightest.’

Ling didn’t hold a grudge. After eating the water caltrop, she was no longer mad at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan stayed the night. Ling didn’t understand what was happening, but she didn’t try to drive him out this time.

Ling always slept in the same room as Mei Wanying, who planned to think about separate rooms only after her daughter turned three.

Pei Yan also wanted to spend more time with his daughter, but he found it rather inconvenient for the child to be sleeping in the same room with them.

He leaned close to Mei Wanying’s ear and whispered, "Have someone else put Ling to bed."

He earned a glare sharp as a dagger. "If anyone’s leaving, it’s you. Could you be a little more self-aware?"

Pei Yan clamped his mouth shut.

’One more word and Ah Yin would surely kick him out.’

He had to return to the capital in two days, and it would be several months before they saw each other again.

For the rest of his time here, Pei Yan wanted to stick to Mei Wanying’s side and not leave her for a second.

He planted a kiss on Mei Wanying’s cheek. "I’ll be right back."

’This man really treats this place like his own home,’ Mei Wanying thought as she watched Pei Yan walk into her bathing chamber.

A change of clothes for the man had, at some unknown time, been delivered to the old residence and was now arranged neatly in the wardrobe.

They were placed right next to her own clothes, as if they were just an ordinary married couple.

Mei Wanying knew in her heart that her relationship with Pei Yan was far too unconventional. She could only imagine the stories people on the outside would spin about them.

But she was fine with it.

As long as Pei Yan didn’t use his Imperial Power to bully her, she would always have a way out.

She would much rather stay in Jiangnan than enter the palace to become a Noble, revered by all.

Here she had Silver and freedom. What could be better!

She and Pei Yan were apart more than they were together. Mei Wanying didn’t know if this would create new conflicts between them.

Nor did she want to dwell on it.

’It was better to cherish the present moment.’

Mei Wanying got onto the bed and gathered Ling into her arms, gently patting her back to lull her to sleep.

Ling closed her eyes, ready to obediently fall asleep, but they suddenly flew open again. "Daddy kissed Mommy... I saw it..."

The little one’s brow furrowed, her eyes filled with confusion. "Daddy... is a boy..."

Mei Wanying occasionally took Ling with her to banquets, where little boys, seeing how cute Ling was, would sometimes try to hug or kiss her.

Mei Wanying only ever let them hold hands.

Having heard her mother’s admonitions many times, Ling had learned that there were differences between boys and girls.

She also knew not to let strangers get too close.

So, seeing her daddy kiss her mommy, Ling truly couldn’t understand.

’Why wasn’t Mommy scolding Daddy?’

Mei Wanying could only explain to her child, "Daddy is family."

Ling seemed to only half-understand.

She didn’t ask any more questions, simply burrowing into Mei Wanying’s embrace. She lay there like a little frog and fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

Mei Wanying thought to herself, ’It must be nice to be a carefree child. She can fall asleep just like that. It’s truly enviable!’

Once her daughter was sound asleep, Mei Wanying moved her to her own small cot.

Pei Yan returned, enveloped in steam from his bath. He walked over to the small cot and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I’ll do the patting."

Mei Wanying gave up her spot to him without a moment’s hesitation.

’If he was willing to show his fatherly love, she should give him the chance. Only by putting in the effort would Ling come to mean more and more to him.’

’Pei Yan was the Emperor; Mei Wanying never forgot that.’

’A good relationship between father and daughter was a good thing.’

A man’s touch could be heavy, so afraid of waking his daughter, Pei Yan patted her very lightly.

As he patted her, he gazed at his daughter’s little face, growing more fond of it by the second. He said to Mei Wanying, "Ah Yin, you’re truly amazing."

"Hm?"

Mei Wanying was baffled.

Pei Yan continued, "How did you manage to have such an adorable child?"

Mei Wanying: "..."

She pinched Pei Yan’s cheek. ’Is this man really the supreme Emperor?’

’Why does he keep saying such silly things?’

In Pei Yan’s eyes, Ling was the most adorable child in the entire world, second to none.

"I wonder if our second child will be this cute?"

Mei Wanying’s cheeks flushed. "Stop talking nonsense."

Pei Yan said earnestly, "The Imperial Physician said my health has recovered. It won’t affect you or the child."

He had been worried about this and had specifically asked the Imperial Physician before coming to Jiangnan.

Mei Wanying’s cheeks grew even hotter. "Is having children all you think about?"

Pei Yan felt wronged. "You’re the one who used to say you wanted to bear me many children."

"I was young and naive back then."

People say that more children bring more blessings, but Mei Wanying was already perfectly happy with just Ling.

She didn’t care whether or not she had a second child.

She wouldn’t force it.

Mei Wanying shot Pei Yan a sidelong glance. "Are heirs that important?"

For others, they were indeed important.

But Pei Yan had never been like other people.

He shook his head. "I only like children that *you* give birth to."

"And what if I don’t have a second one?"

"Then we won’t," Pei Yan replied without a trace of hesitation. "All I want is to spend my life with you."

’Having children wasn’t the most important thing. As long as Ah Yin was by his side, he was already happy enough.’

’They already had a daughter, which was a gift from the heavens.’

Pei Yan thought, ’I can’t be greedy.’

’Otherwise, the heavens would surely punish him.’

After tucking the blanket around Ling, Pei Yan turned, swept Mei Wanying up into his arms, and carried her toward the canopy bed.

Mei Wanying’s legs inexplicably went weak.

"Can’t you exercise some restraint? Debauchery is bad for your health."

’They only saw each other once every six months. How was he supposed to restrain himself?’

Pei Yan’s expression was dead serious. "To die under the peony blossoms, one’s ghost would still be a romantic."

Mei Wanying: "..."