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

The Empress Dowager’s arrival forcibly ended the confrontation between Pei Yan and the Crown Prince.

The severely injured Crown Prince was sent to have his wounds dressed. Any further delay, and he might have lost his entire arm.

The Crown Prince of a nation cannot be a cripple.

The Crown Prince was well aware of this. No matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to leave first.

Before leaving, he gave Mei Wanying a deep, meaningful look.

The more unattainable a woman is, the more unforgettable she becomes.

’I will never give up on Mei Wanying!’ the Crown Prince thought.

Pei Yan was in no mood for a lecture from the elder, nor was he willing to let Mei Wanying be wrongly accused and bear all the consequences.

She already looked unwell.

He didn’t trust the Imperial Physicians at the Royal Villa. He had to get back to the mansion as soon as possible.

He sheathed his sharp sword and casually tossed it toward Wei Jue, telling him not to light the lamps just yet.

Pei Yan walked toward Mei Wanying, wiping the blood from his hands with a clean handkerchief as he went.

He took hold of her slender arm. "Get up. I’m taking you home."

Mei Wanying also wanted to leave this place of trouble. She tried to use Pei Yan for support to stand up, but her legs were limp, and her arms had no strength.

The next moment, the man’s strong arm slid under the crook of her knees while his other arm circled her shoulders, lifting her into his arms.

Before Mei Wanying could even react, Pei Yan had already carried her out of the room.

The rain was still falling, and the cool, damp air did much to calm the agitation within Mei Wanying’s body.

The Empress Dowager’s people stood outside, holding lanterns that cast a dim, yellow light.

By this sliver of light, Mei Wanying’s eyes could finally make out blurry figures.

"Don’t look around."

The man’s voice was cold.

He tightened his arms, jostling her slightly and forcing her to bury her head in his chest.

They were so close she could hear his steady heartbeat.

A ripple went through Mei Wanying’s heart.

But the smell of blood quickly washed that ripple away.

Looking up, she could only see the man’s tense jawline.

It radiated a cold indifference that warned strangers to keep their distance.

Mei Wanying bit her lip and asked softly, "Are you hurt?"

As if doused with a bucket of cold water, Pei Yan’s anger slowly subsided, and his reason gradually returned.

’He was actually carrying Mei Wanying!’

’He should have just let her walk on her own. He was already exhausted from saving her, wasn’t he?’

The arms holding Mei Wanying tightened. Pei Yan’s voice was hard. "No."

That wasn’t his blood.

’The smell really is unpleasant...’

’Mei Wanying is a delicate, sheltered young lady. No wonder she was dry-heaving earlier.’

The man extended his arms slightly, not letting Mei Wanying lean against him.

Thinking Pei Yan didn’t want to talk to her, Mei Wanying fell silent. If she weren’t feeling so unwell, she wouldn’t have troubled him to carry her.

’This isn’t the time to act strong,’ Mei Wanying told herself. ’I’ll just rely on Pei Yan this one time.’

She let Pei Yan carry her out of the remote courtyard, then out of the Royal Villa, and finally onto the Prince Chen Mansion’s carriage.

Far from danger, Mei Wanying let out a huge sigh of relief.

It was dark in the carriage, and she couldn’t see clearly again. But she knew Pei Yan was right beside her, and a sense of peace settled in her heart.

They sat facing each other. Mei Wanying couldn’t see Pei Yan clearly, but he could see her every reaction.

Seeing her pink lips slightly parted and her breathing labored, he couldn’t help but offer a word of comfort. "Hang in there. I’ve sent Wei Jue back to the city ahead of us. He’ll arrange for an Imperial Physician."

Her limbs were completely devoid of strength, which didn’t seem like a simple case of fright. Pei Yan suspected the Crown Prince had done something to control Mei Wanying.

He was afraid of scaring her if he said it out loud, so he could only keep his suspicions to himself.

Mei Wanying forced a slight smile. "Could I trouble you to send a message to my mother? She must be worried sick."

’Mrs. Mei was indeed frantic. She had been sending messages to me while also going to the palace for reinforcements.’

’The Empress Dowager hadn’t intervened, so Mrs. Mei had gone directly to the military barracks.’

’The barracks was a restricted military area; outsiders were forbidden.’

’Besides, I had been lured away by the Crown Prince’s men, so Mrs. Mei hadn’t been able to see me right away.’

Pei Yan later noticed something was amiss and returned to the barracks, only to learn that Mei Wanying had been taken away.

Mei Wanying and her mother relied on each other for survival; they were surely worried about one another at this moment.

Pei Yan could understand.

With a grunt of acknowledgment, he dispatched another man to deliver the message to the Mei family.

With one matter settled, Mei Wanying relaxed.

But as she relaxed, the strange feeling in her body surged again. Fortunately, her mind was unaffected. She dug her nails into her palm, trying hard to suppress it.

’Just bear with it a little longer. It should be fine in a moment.’

Rain was still falling outside, yet Mei Wanying felt a little hot.

She asked cautiously, "May I... open the window?"

Pei Yan glanced down at his own robes, his brow furrowed. ’Mei Wanying is so delicate, she can’t even stand a little smell of blood.’

He swore to himself that this would be the last time he let Mei Wanying ride in his carriage.

’She’s so picky. I’m done waiting on her!’

He leaned over, stretched out his long arm, and pushed the window open, leaving a crack that was neither too big nor too small.

Fresh air flowed in smoothly from outside, but the raindrops were kept out.

Leaning against the carriage wall, Mei Wanying finally felt a little better.

Pei Yan leaned back, his gaze never leaving Mei Wanying.

Therefore, when Mei Wanying slumped sideways, Pei Yan’s quick reflexes allowed him to catch her.

His face darkened. "Sit still!"

Mei Wanying wanted to sit still, but she felt sick, the carriage was jolting, and lying down wasn’t an option either...

Seeing her pitiful, aggrieved expression, Pei Yan, his face still dark, untied the silk ribbon holding up Mei Wanying’s hair.

Silky black hair tumbled down, waist-length, with a few strands falling over her chest.

Mei Wanying jumped. "Pei Yan, what are you doing?"

"Binding."

Mei Wanying: "..."

’Binding what?’

’It couldn’t possibly be me...’

The thought had barely formed when she felt the man lean closer.

His arm went around her waist, and in the next moment, she was secured to the spot where she had been leaning.

Then, the man adjusted the window slightly.

Mei Wanying didn’t know how to react. She stared wordlessly in Pei Yan’s direction.

Even though he knew she couldn’t see, Pei Yan felt his hair stand on end from her gaze.

’Am I going too far?’ he began to wonder.

’It’s not her fault she has no strength. Tying her up like this... anyone who didn’t know better would think I was abusing Mei Wanying...’

Pei Yan rubbed the tip of his nose. "Close your eyes."

’If she keeps staring at me, I’ll definitely go soft.’

’But if I let go, she might fall. The mountain road is rough, and the carriage is very shaky.’

Mei Wanying found him baffling, but he had saved her, so she did as he said and closed her eyes.

The night wind blew, causing a lock of her long hair to drift in the breeze. The inky blackness of her hair made her small face seem even paler.

Was it an illusion, or was there a faint blush on her cheeks?

Pei Yan’s gaze swept over her, finally landing on her slender waist.

Cinched by the silk ribbon, it looked even slimmer.

Pei Yan looked at his own hand, then at Mei Wanying’s waist.

’She really is so obedient.’

’Even though she’s clearly unwell and her breathing is ragged, she’s still listening to me obediently, not moving a muscle.’

’I shouldn’t have tied her up.’

’This is a method for dealing with enemies. It shouldn’t be used on Mei Wanying.’

The carriage jolted, and Mei Wanying’s head nearly slammed into the wall. All of Pei Yan’s hesitation vanished.

’I’ll just help her this one last time.’

Suddenly pulled into an embrace, Mei Wanying’s expression turned to terror. "Pei Yan, have you gone mad!"