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

Mei Wanying had an eye affliction, but between her doting parents and protective friends, no one had ever called her a little blind girl.

Perhaps some had said it behind her back, but the Crown Prince was the first to say it to her face.

Mei Wanying had long since accepted her disability, but at this moment, her face turned deathly pale.

Her skin, as white as snow, was completely drained of color.

Provoked again and again, a vein throbbed on Pei Yan’s temple.

’Mei Wanying was who she was.’

’So what if she can’t see well?’

’Aren’t you supposed to sleep when it gets dark anyway?!’

’If she wanted to see at night, she could just light dozens, even hundreds of lamps.’

’Even if she were completely blind, what right did an outsider have to criticize her?’

Seeing Mei Wanying’s devastated expression, what little reason Pei Yan had regained vanished once more.

Rage boiled over, carrying with it the force to destroy everything.

’The bigger picture? To hell with the bigger picture.’

’What’s the worst that could happen? Everyone dies together?’

’No one lives forever anyway!’

Mei Wanying’s distress was becoming more apparent. Her eyelashes fluttered.

"Pei Yan, I want to go home."

Her voice was faint, like a feather brushing against the tip of his heart, and it had the strange effect of calming him.

The man’s expression turned cold and grim, his eyes as still as an ancient well, as if he weren’t the one who had been consumed by rage just moments before.

"Give her back to me."

The Crown Prince laughed. "Return her to you? She’s not yours, Second Brother. You’d best not meddle. An hour of a spring night is worth a thousand gold pieces. Don’t spoil my fun with Miss Mei."

Every word plucked at Pei Yan’s already taut nerves.

He could have used brute force, but with Mei Wanying held hostage, he was afraid... afraid he might hurt her.

She was General Mei’s only child. Pei Yan had been raised by the Mei family. Even if it meant his own death, Mei Wanying had to live.

The Mei family had shown him immense kindness. This was a debt he owed her.

’He could give her anything. Anything except marriage.’

’Even his life!’

Pei Yan’s grip on his sword tightened.

Every muscle in his body tensed as he fought to restrain the reckless impulse to charge forward.

He tried to soothe Mei Wanying. "Don’t be afraid. If you die, I swear I’ll make him join you."

Mei Wanying’s lips moved, but she couldn’t utter a single word.

’But I don’t want to die!’

This was no time to argue with Pei Yan, so Mei Wanying remained silent.

Pei Yan held no romantic feelings for her, but Mei Wanying was certain that he would not abandon her.

With him here, the worst that could happen was some cuts and bruises. She wouldn’t have her dignity utterly crushed.

’Besides, the Empress Dowager is in the villa. She won’t let things get so out of hand that someone dies.’

Mei Wanying’s limbs grew weak. It felt as if insects were gnawing at her from the inside, a torment like a dull knife sawing through flesh.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to suppress the agonizing discomfort.

Pei Yan caught the small movement. ’She’s not well...’

He had no desire to waste time on the Crown Prince to begin with. Now, his patience was completely gone.

Sword in hand, he advanced on the Crown Prince step by step. His robes were stained with blood, a surging tide of crimson.

All the Hidden Guards mobilized, forming a wall in front of the Crown Prince as if facing a formidable foe.

The Crown Prince’s cavalier smile vanished. "You don’t want her to live? Aren’t you afraid General Mei won’t be able to rest in peace in the netherworld?"

Pei Yan scoffed. "Every injustice has a perpetrator, and every debt has a debtor. I’m not the one trying to kill her, so why should I feel guilty?"

The Crown Prince’s lips drew into a thin line. His gaze sharpened, trying to see through to Pei Yan’s true intentions.

’Does he really not care if Mei Wanying lives or dies?’

He yanked Mei Wanying behind him. Already weak-limbed and unable to see, she unsurprisingly stumbled and fell again.

The Crown Prince saw Pei Yan’s jaw clench even tighter, and a muscle seemed to jump at his temple.

As if he had discovered something extraordinary, the Crown Prince began to laugh with abandon.

’So Mei Wanying really is Pei Yan’s weak spot!’

A wave of excitement washed over him.

"Since you don’t care if she lives or dies, Second Brother, then I shall grant your wish and get rid of her for you. You’ve grown tired of her constant pestering, haven’t you?"

’Either way, the goal is to drive Pei Yan mad. Making him watch Mei Wanying die with his own eyes... what a fine way to do it.’

’It was a pity about Mei Wanying, though. A peerless beauty, yet she’d never get to enjoy the advantages that came with it.’

’Perhaps, this is her fate.’

The Crown Prince felt a pang of regret, but compared to the goal of driving Pei Yan mad, a beautiful woman’s life was of little consequence.

After all, his initial reason for targeting Mei Wanying was simply to make Pei Yan miserable.

Pei Yan responded with action, proving he would not be threatened.

’If Mei Wanying dies, he’ll make every last one of them join her in death!’

One by one, the Hidden Guards fell. The small space filled with the smell of blood, so thick and acrid it was nauseating.

Mei Wanying’s brows knitted together. She felt so ill she could die. She dry-heaved twice, but nothing came up.

Pei Yan saw her, but he had no intention of stopping. Some things, once begun, could not be stopped.

’The more he hesitated, the more danger she was in. Better to end this quickly.’

’He’d said it before: if it came to it, they would all die together!’

The Crown Prince was ruthless enough, but he was too accustomed to a life of privilege. His martial skill was no match for Pei Yan’s.

Even with his Hidden Guards for protection, the arm he had used to grab Mei Wanying was severely wounded.

A sharp blade sliced down from his shoulder and across half his back—a ghastly sight!

Pei Yan was striking to kill!

If he hadn’t come prepared with enough men, he might have died by Pei Yan’s sword today.

Pei Yan commanded great prestige in the army. It was said that on the battlefield, he was King Yanluo himself—invincible and unstoppable.

Having now experienced Pei Yan’s terrifying power firsthand, the Crown Prince was horrified.

’The rumors outside weren’t just flattery!’

His opponent was far stronger than he had imagined. How could the Crown Prince possibly remain calm?

’He had to finish Pei Yan off now, before any other complications could arise.’

Pei Yan couldn’t command the men at this villa. He had come in such a rush that he’d brought only a few guards with him.

The Crown Prince was another story. He had allies, and he had brought plenty of his own men.

’A voice in his head screamed frantically: ’Kill Pei Yan! This is the perfect chance!’’

"Kill him!"

"At any cost!"

Pei Yan’s eyes were full of contempt. A cold, thin smile touched his lips. "We’ll just have to wait and see who dies first."

Amid the chaos, a eunuch’s high-pitched voice cried out, "Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, has arrived!"

The Empress Dowager had been notified the moment Pei Yan entered the villa.

The Crown Prince’s presence here was also thanks to her assistance.

’Her beloved grandson wanted Mei Wanying. It wasn’t an outrageous request, so why not let him have his way?’

She had assumed the brothers would have a spat and that would be the end of it. She never expected them to come to blows, to fight to the death.

’The struggle for power has always been perilous.’

’The path to the throne is paved with blood.’

Though she had long been prepared for such a thing, now that the moment was here, the Empress Dowager still found it difficult to accept.

Both of them were her own grandsons. It was like choosing between the palm and the back of her hand.

She would be devastated no matter which one of them died.

But in the Royal Family, some choices were made for you. Pei Yan had his own parents to protect him, whereas the Crown Prince... he only had her.

Seeing Pei Yan’s sword lunge toward the Crown Prince, the Empress Dowager’s heart leaped into her throat.

"Stop this at once!"

"Causing such a scene over a woman! You’ve utterly shamed your ancestors!"

"A femme fatale, turning you brothers against each other. In my opinion, her death would be no great loss!"