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

In her last life, Mei Wanying had truly been hurt by Pei Yan.

They had married and were husband and wife in name and law, but Pei Yan had left her in the Prince Mansion, completely ignoring her.

He gave her the silent treatment for months.

Even when she became pregnant, it failed to soften him in the slightest.

Reborn into this life, Pei Yan merely disliked her; he hadn’t yet done those things that stabbed her in the heart.

"I’ve just come to terms with it. You can’t force matters of the heart. A forced union is never a happy one."

In her last life, she had tasted the bitter fruit of that effort.

It was agonizingly bitter.

In this life, she was letting herself go, and letting Pei Yan go as well.

As for whether Pei Yan would end up with Xue Yunshu, Mei Wanying no longer cared.

They would each have their own lives.

Xue Xingyao looked Mei Wanying over from head to toe, her eyes filled with scrutiny.

She even reached out to touch her face. "I’ve heard there’s something called a Disguise Technique in this world."

Mei Wanying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "It’s not an imposter."

Xue Xingyao then asked, "Could it be a Spirit Monster in disguise?"

Mei Wanying had been reborn, but she really wasn’t a Spirit Monster!

Suddenly, she was pulled into a hug. Xue Xingyao said, her voice full of heartache, "Stop liking Pei Yan. He’s not good at all."

Even when he was her child husband, Pei Yan always had a sour look for Ah Yin.

Now that he’s a Prince, and very likely to ascend to that position in the future, he’ll probably torment Ah Yin even more.

Xue Xingyao absolutely despised Pei Yan.

He was just like Xue Yunshu—doing as he pleased without any regard for others’ feelings.

All he did was cause trouble for people!

Mei Wanying blinked, holding back the stinging in her eyes. "Mm, I don’t like him anymore."

Xue Xingyao patted her on the back, coaxing, "Jiangnan is full of talented men. When you get back home, you can take your pick. Find a fine husband who is superior in talent, looks, and character, and we’ll see if Pei Yan doesn’t regret it!"

The person involved is often confused, while the onlooker sees clearly.

Xue Xingyao felt that Pei Yan did have feelings for Mei Wanying; he just couldn’t tell if it was familial affection, friendship, or romantic love.

After all, they grew up together. Their entanglement ran too deep.

It could also be that the title of "child husband" led to Pei Yan being teased time and again, which made him uncomfortable and caused him to intentionally keep his distance from Ah Yin.

In any case, Ah Yin was special to Pei Yan.

She had known Ah Yin for many years and had seen Pei Yan at the General Mansion before, but Pei Yan had never once glanced her way, let alone deigned to speak to her.

Xue Xingyao thought, ’He probably doesn’t even know who I am.’

Xue Xingyao knew her good sister forbade Pei Yan from looking at other girls.

Not even a single glance!

’I wonder if this counts as Pei Yan following Ah Yin’s orders...’

At this thought, Xue Xingyao gritted her teeth in anger.

’Pei Yan is using this push-and-pull tactic to keep Ah Yin completely wrapped around his finger.’

’If he had just consistently pushed her away, Ah Yin would have given up on him long ago!’

’A slap and then a sweet treat. That man is truly wicked!’

Xue Xingyao’s tone was certain. "Pei Yan will definitely regret this."

’Pei Yan will regret it?’

Mei Wanying thought it was impossible.

’He’s finally free of me, and he can spend the rest of his life with the woman he admires. He’s probably overjoyed. He was acting so strangely today because he’s not used to it. Anyone would feel unsettled if the person who followed them around all day suddenly stopped. He’ll get over it in a little while. He’ll go back to being the old Pei Yan. He’ll marry, have children, and have nothing to do with me ever again.’

Mei Wanying reminded Xue Xingyao, "Don’t tell anyone about me leaving the Capital City for now."

"Why not?"

She had been planning to host a banquet and invite all their friends in the Capital City to see Ah Yin off.

With the mountains high and the waters far, it would be difficult for them to see each other again once she left.

Mei Wanying said, "The Empress doesn’t want Pei Yan to know, for fear of causing unexpected trouble." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Xue Xingyao pursed her lips.

"No wonder my mother doesn’t want me to marry into the Royal Family. They... they really aren’t normal people."

Mei Wanying glanced around and reminded her in a low voice, "Be careful what you say."

Xue Xingyao nodded repeatedly, covering her mouth with her handkerchief and speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I won’t say any more."

Speaking ill of the Royal Family was a grave offense.

Xue Xingyao and Mei Wanying were sworn sisters; they told each other everything.

When she let her guard down, it was easy to say something treasonous.

Unable to speak her mind, Xue Xingyao could only complain internally.

’They say a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. The Mei family’s kindness to Pei Yan was as vast as the heavens. Any ordinary family would have long since found ways to repay the Mei family. Ah Yin likes Pei Yan; issuing an imperial edict for their marriage wouldn’t have been difficult.’

’In the end, the Royal Family only sees benefits. With the Mei family in decline, they now look down on Ah Yin. They don’t care about debts of gratitude at all. If this were to ruin Pei Yan’s prospects, the Royal Family might just turn on them. Repaying kindness with cruelty isn’t out of the question for them. After all, in their eyes, both thunderous rage and gentle rain are the Emperor’s grace, and others can only endure it.’

Xue Xingyao wasn’t unaware of the Crown Prince’s harassment of Mei Wanying.

It wasn’t that she had a dark heart and liked to assume the worst of people; she simply couldn’t help but overthink it.

’The Emperor and the Empress might be doing this on purpose. They neither agreed to the Crown Prince’s request nor rejected it, all to send a warning to the Mei family. They hope the Mei family gets the hint and doesn’t try to use their past kindness to demand repayment. Otherwise, things won’t end well for them!’

’Pei Yan clearly knows how difficult Ah Yin’s situation is, yet he still won’t agree to marry her. That man is rotten to the core. Ah Yin was left with no choice but to let go of this relationship. The Crown Prince alone was enough to crush her. If the Empress were to make a move, would Ah Yin even survive?’

’To be so cold and heartless to the daughter of one’s benefactor... if she really married into a family like that,’ Xue Xingyao thought, ’she wouldn’t have a single day of peace.’

Thankfully, Ah Yin wasn’t hopelessly stubborn, insisting on hanging all her hopes on Pei Yan.

Otherwise, what awaited her would be a violent storm.

Xue Xingyao felt a wave of relief. "It’s good to go back to Jiangnan. The people are good, the scenery is good, and it’s a much better place to live!"

As for Pei Yan, let him wallow in regret.

No one else in this world would ever love him as wholeheartedly as Ah Yin did!

Mei Wanying also felt that returning to her ancestral home was the best choice. As for marriage... she hadn’t thought about it.

’A woman’s purity is very important. After what happened between me and Pei Yan, a respectable family would likely look down on me. I also won’t deceive someone by pretending to be pure. What is gained by deceit will sooner or later be lost. There’s no need for me to bring trouble upon myself.’

’My father left me a substantial fortune. I’ve studied the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as household management and accounting. As long as I don’t squander it and manage my assets well, I can live a life of luxury and comfort. And that would be enough. I don’t have to entrust the rest of my life to someone else. People are the biggest variable of all!’

Speaking of Empress Gu naturally brought the conversation to Xue Yunshu.

"Pei Yan chose her."

Xue Xingyao’s expression became indescribable. "No way. Is he blind?!"

"What’s so great about Xue Yunshu? She can’t even learn basic etiquette. When my mother corrects her, she just cries and complains that my mother is deliberately tormenting her."

"And my father is a complete fool. He feels he wronged Xue Yunshu’s mother, so he indulges Xue Yunshu unconditionally, spoiling her until she’s utterly lawless. It’s a good thing Xue Yunshu doesn’t have her maternal family’s backing, or she’d be running rampant all over the Capital City!"

The more Xue Xingyao spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded. "My mother has suffered so much, too. How can my father not see it?"

"If my maternal grandparents’ family hadn’t run into trouble back then, my mother would never have married into the Duke Mansion to suffer this miserable, suffocating life!"