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

When he woke from the dream, Pei Yan was in a daze.

Mei Wanying’s soft sobs seemed to still echo in his ears. He had apparently said some harsh words, then left the bridal chamber without a second glance.

Mei Wanying called out to him, but he only walked faster.

And when he could no longer hear her voice, he woke completely.

As his consciousness slowly returned, Pei Yan scanned his surroundings. The inn room was spartan. Where was the festively decorated bridal chamber?

There were no exquisite decorations.

None of the myriad things a woman owned, no vanity by the window, no rouge, powder, or jewelry...

And, of course, no Mei Wanying.

’It was just a dream,’ Pei Yan thought.

But everything in the dream had been too vivid. He could even recall his own thought processes.

The details of his intimacy with Mei Wanying also felt incredibly real.

As if it had actually happened.

Pei Yan stared at the canopy of the bed and suddenly laughed. Dreams were the opposite of reality.

Mei Wanying hadn’t climbed into his bed.

They hadn’t fought, and they weren’t married.

It was all fake.

’When that day truly comes, I won’t make Mei Wanying spend her wedding night alone.’

’I’ll see the wedding ceremony through to the end.’

’I want to see what Mei Wanying looks like in her wedding dress, too. A shame my dream self ruined it.’

Pei Yan pressed a hand to his chest. A dull ache tightened within him. He took a deep breath, which eased the pressure slightly.

He told himself again that all the unpleasantness had been fake.

’The second half of the dream... that’s what’s supposed to happen between us.’

’Mei Wanying is going to have my children.’

’Lots of them.’

’She said so herself!’

The mere thought made Pei Yan’s body flush with heat. He glanced down, a flicker of embarrassment in his eyes.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him. Lately, whenever he thought of Mei Wanying, a certain part of him would act on its own.

It wasn’t like this before.

Pei Yan suspected this was happening because he was having too many indecent dreams, all of them starring Mei Wanying.

Fortunately, no one knew but him.

Otherwise, he’d die of shame.

’No one else can find out, and Mei Wanying, least of all. She’s still just a young girl who doesn’t understand anything.’

’If she found out what he’d been dreaming, Mei Wanying would be so mortified and furious that she would surely stay far, far away from him.’

Pei Yan went to the bathing chamber for a cold bath.

The scenes from the dream replayed in his mind, over and over, impossible to shake.

He didn’t want to banish them. He let the images take over his thoughts.

’A child husband is still a husband. Sooner or later, they would truly be husband and wife.’

’What’s the harm in thinking about it for now?’

The man’s muscles bulged, sharply defined. Veins traced paths up his forearms. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

"Ah Yin..."

The two words escaped his thin lips, a soft and tender whisper.

A long while later, Pei Yan emerged from the bathing chamber and hung Mei Wanying’s handkerchief up to dry.

He looked utterly refreshed.

’Thankfully, I saved the handkerchief from the brazier that day. At least I have a memento.’

Spreading a sheet of paper, Pei Yan decided to write a letter to Mei Wanying.

He picked up the brush, but he didn’t know what to say.

He’d never been in the habit of writing to Mei Wanying...

He sat at the desk for a long time before finally writing just a single line: "All is well. Do not worry."

When the letter arrived, Mei Wanying and her party still hadn’t reached their ancestral home in Jiangnan.

Mrs. Mei was in poor health, and Mei Wanying, having been raised in comfort, was equally unsuited for the rigors of a long journey.

Fortunately, they were in no hurry. They traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping to rest in any city they came across and slowly making their way toward their destination.

This way, they could appreciate the scenery, experience different local cultures, and avoid exhaustion.

Upon receiving Pei Yan’s letter, Mei Wanying suspected someone was playing a prank on her.

She glanced at the sun—it hadn’t risen in the west.

’Why would Pei Yan write to me?’

’In the past, he would be away on campaigns for a year or two at a time and never wrote me so much as a single word.’

But the handwriting was definitely his, and below the signature, he had even stamped his personal seal.

The whole thing was too bizarre. Mei Wanying had no idea what Pei Yan was trying to do.

’He told me not to worry.’

’I’ve already let him go. Why would I be worrying about him?’

"So full of himself," Mei Wanying huffed.

Although she hadn’t read the letter, Ding Xiang nodded instinctively.

’Some people are certainly full of themselves,’ she thought. ’Her Ladyship hasn’t mentioned him even once this whole time!’

’In another year or two, Her Ladyship will have forgotten him completely.’

’Let’s see if he regrets it then!’

Mei Wanying tore the letter to shreds and tossed it in the wastebasket. Out of sight, out of mind.

She had just disposed of the letter when someone came to report that the Prince Chen Mansion had sent her gifts.

They asked if she wanted to inspect the items first or have them loaded directly onto the carriage.

Mei Wanying didn’t want anything from Pei Yan. She told them to send it all back.

She was done with Pei Yan. All she wanted now was to return to her ancestral home and live a quiet life.

She didn’t want to get entangled with him again.

Whatever they had sent, she wasn’t curious and she wouldn’t accept it.

"My lady, they said that if you refuse to accept this, they’ll just send something else, and they’ll keep sending things until you’re satisfied."

Mei Wanying’s expression shifted. "To not be bothered again. That’s what I want."

"But these are His Highness’s orders..."

Rage flared in Mei Wanying’s heart.

’What on earth is Pei Yan trying to do?!’

’Why does he always have to do the exact opposite of what I want?’

’When I wanted letters, he was too stingy to give me a single word.’

’When I wanted gifts, he would send them to the Mei family in the name of the Prince Chen Mansion.’

’Never to me, Mei Wanying, personally.’

’In this new life, I’ve seen things clearly and decided not to get entangled with him.’

’But now Pei Yan was shoving things I don’t want in my face. Wasn’t he doing this just to spite me?’

It was like a stone thrown into a placid lake. The initial splash subsided, but the ripples continued to spread, one after another.

Just like Mei Wanying’s heart at that moment.

Her voice was hard. "Either take it back the way you came, or throw it away. From now on, I forbid anything from the Prince Chen Mansion from ever appearing before me again!"

The chests were filled with priceless jewelry and ornaments. How could they just be thrown away?

But Mei Wanying was furious, and the men from the Prince Chen Mansion didn’t dare to get on her bad side.

They could only resort to a roundabout tactic, saying they would leave the items for now. After they sought instructions, if Prince Chen gave the order, they would take them back to the Capital City.

’In other words, her authority meant nothing. Only Pei Yan’s approval mattered.’

Mei Wanying felt a suffocating tightness in her chest.

It was as if she were back in her previous life, where her words were useless and the staff of the mansion refused to obey her.

’She wasn’t the mistress of the Prince Chen Mansion, but a guest!’

’In this life, I haven’t married Pei Yan. Why should I have to suffer this humiliation again?’

Mei Wanying shot to her feet. If she couldn’t command the people from the Prince Chen Mansion, then she would have her own people throw the things out!

She didn’t care what he had sent.

’I just hope we can make a clean break, and that he stops doing these inappropriate things!’

Her emotions were in too much turmoil. After just a few steps, Mei Wanying’s head suddenly swam.

If Ding Xiang hadn’t been there to catch her, she might have fallen.

Mei Wanying had an eye condition. In the past, a quack doctor’s treatment had backfired; the medicine she took had made her dizzy and nauseous for days.

Ding Xiang instantly recalled that incident, and her face went white with fear.

"Quick, fetch a doctor!"