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

Ling awoke to find herself nestled between her dad and mom.

Her dad’s arm was so long, it could hold both her and her mom in his embrace.

Ling lay there obediently, looking left and then right. It felt a little cramped, and a little hot, so she wriggled out from under the covers, wanting to wake her mom.

"Don’t talk. Your mom isn’t awake yet." The moment Ling stirred, she heard her dad whisper.

She immediately clamped her little mouth shut.

She turned her head to look at her mom’s face. Her eyes were still shut tight—she really wasn’t awake.

Her big eyes were filled with confusion. Usually, when she woke up, her mom was already out of bed.

If she let out a little fake cry, her mom would come hold her and ask if she’d slept well.

And if she’d had any dreams.

And also if she was hungry.

But today, she was awake, and her mom was somehow still asleep.

Ling covered her mouth, giggling, and said in a breathy whisper, "Mom’s a little piggy..."

When she couldn’t wake up, her mom would tease her just like that.

’Now that Mom can’t wake up, doesn’t that make *her* the little piggy?’

Ling didn’t know the reason, but how could Pei Yan not?

Ah Yin was exhausted. She hadn’t fallen asleep until the latter half of the night.

Before falling asleep, she had even told him to move their daughter back, afraid the little one would be unhappy if she woke up and found herself in her own little bed.

Pei Yan, however, was refreshed and invigorated, not looking at all like someone who hadn’t slept a wink.

He couldn’t bear to sleep. He wanted to look at Mei Wanying for as long as he could. Their time together was running out.

He told Ling to get up first. "The kitchen is making breakfast. Go see what delicious things they’re cooking."

Ling asked him, "What about you, Dad?"

Pei Yan said, "Dad’s going to stay here with your mom. You be a good girl. If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat. After you eat, have Ding Xiang take you for a walk in the gardens. Don’t come in here and bother your mom."

Ling gave Pei Yan a knowing look. Her dad was so clingy, just like her. She also wanted to stick to her mom every day.

Like a little adult, she commented, "Dad, you’re a child..."

Pei Yan couldn’t help but laugh.

He ruffled his daughter’s hair, smoothing down a rebellious little cowlick.

Not wanting to wake Mei Wanying, he got up swiftly, picked up Ling, and left the bedchamber.

The tall, imposing man appeared in the outer room, dressed in his sleep robes and holding the child.

Pei Yan’s expression was natural. He was, after all, the son-in-law of the Mei family.

’He and Ah Yin had a wedding!’

The serving maids all lowered their heads, not daring to look up, afraid of offending the Noble.

Ding Xiang hurried over and took Ling from Pei Yan’s arms.

She was still an unmarried girl, but having been with Mei Wanying for so long, she was no longer naive about the affairs between men and women.

Ding Xiang had a good idea of what happened last night.

It was rare for her mistress to wake up so late; she must have been exhausted during the night.

So she knew that the Emperor was bringing Ling out now because he wanted their mistress to sleep a little longer.

She took Ling to wash up and get dressed.

With someone to look after Ling, Pei Yan had nothing to worry about. He turned and went back into the bedchamber.

With the little one gone, he pulled Mei Wanying firmly into his embrace.

He kissed the top of her head again and again, careful not to make any sudden movements, terrified of waking Mei Wanying.

The woman in his arms dazedly glanced at Pei Yan, rolled over, and fell back asleep.

Perhaps because she was so tired, or perhaps because she had finally let go of the burden on her heart, Mei Wanying slept very deeply this time.

When she finally woke, the sky was bright, and sunlight spilled across the bed.

She felt the spot beside her. It was empty, but there was still some warmth left in the bed, proof that he hadn’t been gone for long.

The sound of a child’s running footsteps approached, accompanied by a man’s deliberately lowered voice, "Don’t go in, your mom isn’t awake yet."

His voice was a little distant; he must be in the courtyard.

No sooner had the words been spoken than Ling had already run into the inner room.

"Mom, wake up..."

Ling chanted as she ran, "Wake up, time to eat..."

She was already back from playing in the gardens, and her mom still wasn’t up.

Mei Wanying had never gotten up this late before. Ling suspected she might have fainted from hunger.

The tiny girl stood by the bed, her little hands struggling to pull at the bed curtains. She tried to climb onto the bed to wake Mei Wanying but ended up tangling herself in the gauze.

She was completely wrapped up, with only her small head poking out.

Ling thought this was fun and deliberately wrapped the curtain around herself even more.

A couple of days ago, when her mom was making clothes for her, she had wrapped her in pretty fabrics just like this, saying she wanted to see which color looked best on her.

To Ling, having the gauze curtain wrapped around her body was like wearing a beautiful dress.

She giggled with delight.

Remembering she was here to wake her mom, Ling stopped playing. She tried to pull the curtain off, but only got more tangled.

"Someone, save me!"

Mei Wanying, still in bed, laughed out loud. "Pei Yan, aren’t you going to come rescue your daughter?"

Ling looked out eagerly as her dad lifted the door curtain and walked in.

But, he didn’t come to rescue her.

Pei Yan walked slowly past Ling. "She’s too naughty. Let this be a lesson to her."

The curtain was wrapped loosely around Ling; she only needed to spin around once to easily free herself.

But she was too little. She couldn’t tell which way to turn, and her movements were clumsy, so she only made it worse.

Pei Yan asked Mei Wanying, "Do you want to sleep more?"

If Ah Yin wanted to sleep, he would take Ling away.

Mei Wanying had slept her fill. Her skin was fair with a rosy undertone, and she looked radiant, her complexion incredibly healthy.

Unable to watch Pei Yan tease Ling any longer, Mei Wanying propped herself up and, with a gentle tug, unraveled the curtain binding her daughter.

Freed, Ling shot Pei Yan a fierce glare.

She huffed, "Dad, you’re mean!"

She clambered onto the edge of the bed, her short legs kicking, trying to climb up and snuggle into her mom’s arms.

But instead, her mean dad grabbed her by the back of her clothes, lifted her up, and dropped her into his own arms.

Pei Yan rubbed his chin against his daughter’s cheek. "Fine, I’m a mean dad. I can’t just be called that for nothing."

After a night, stubble had appeared on his chin, and it was so prickly that Ling squirmed to get away.

She cried out to Mei Wanying for help, "Mom, save me..."

Pei Yan: "No calling for backup."

Ling: "I am!"

Pei Yan pretended he was about to rub his chin on Mei Wanying’s forehead, which scared Ling so much she used both hands to push his face away.

"Don’t you dare!"

All this ruckus right after waking up... Mei Wanying rubbed her temples, a headache forming.

The Pei Yan of the past had been taciturn and reserved. Now, he had somehow become like this.

If she didn’t know him so well, she would have suspected he’d been replaced by an imposter.

Mei Wanying wanted no part in this childish game between father and daughter.

She silently slipped out of bed.

As her feet touched the floor, her legs felt weak, and her back was a little sore.

Mei Wanying shot a glare at the culprit.

Seeing him looking so refreshed and full of energy was infuriating.

She mouthed a word at him: "Beast!"

Pei Yan: "..."

’I was already very restrained,’ he thought. ’Why am I still getting cursed at?’

The moment Mei Wanying walked away, Pei Yan and Ling stopped their tussling and followed her in perfect sync.

Mei Wanying walked in front, Ling trotted along behind her, and Pei Yan ambled along at the very back.

Mei Wanying sighed in exasperation. "I’m going to wash up and get dressed. Why are you two following me?"

Ling: "Want to follow!"

Pei Yan nodded.

Just like his daughter, he also wanted to follow Ah Yin.

They didn’t need to be doing anything special. Just being able to see her was enough to fill the empty space in his heart.