When the door opened, a breeze swept through the room, causing the candle flames to flicker. Shen Youran’s figure froze in the swaying candlelight.
At that moment, one of her hands was still held by Pei Huaian. Shame and embarrassment washed over her, as if she had been caught in an illicit affair.
To make matters worse, Pei Huaian tightened his grip, not only preventing her from pulling away but also blatantly raising their joined hands for the person standing at the door to see.
“Elder Brother, I’ve already asked Youran. She said she doesn’t wish to marry you, so I cannot exchange marriages with you!”
Pei Huaijin walked slowly toward the pair. His gaze swept over their clasped hands before settling on Shen Youran.
She sat with her head bowed, unwilling to look at him.
He stood beside her, close enough to catch a glimpse of the blooming red plum blossom on her fair and elegant neck.
“Since Seventh Brother has spoken with you alone, why not have a few words with me in private as well?” His tone remained calm, betraying no emotion.
Shen Youran hunched her shoulders, burying her head like a quail, and did not respond. The hand held tightly by Pei Huaian subtly exerted force, gradually struggling to free itself from his restraint.
Pei Huaian, thinking she was merely shy, released her hand and stood up, positioning himself in front of her. “I’ve already settled everything with her. Why must you bother asking her again, Elder Brother?”
“If you’ve already reached an agreement, why fear my questions?” Pei Huaijin raised a brow slightly, his tone light yet carrying the authority of an elder brother. “Will you leave, or shall I take her elsewhere to talk?”
Pei Huaian, being much younger, inevitably felt his confidence wane when faced with his elder brother’s imposing demeanor. “Then… I’ll be the one to leave.”
With that, he turned back to Shen Youran and anxiously reminded her, “Everything I said to you just now was sincere. You must take it to heart…”
Then he left reluctantly.
Pei Huaijin then turned to Shen Yunshu. “Don’t worry, I know my limits. I won’t pressure her.”
This was his way of asking her to leave as well.
A pale hand timidly reached out and clutched Shen Yunshu’s sleeve. Shen Youran, who had been pretending to be a quail since they entered, quickly grasped her sister’s clothes and lifted her face, pleading with her eyes as she realized she would be left alone with Pei Huaijin.
Shen Yunshu met her sister’s tear-stained eyes and felt a pang of sympathy. However, this matter needed resolution, and avoiding it would solve nothing.
She held her sister’s hand and gently pulled her sleeve free. “It’s alright. I’ll be right outside.”
Seeing that she couldn’t keep her sister, Shen Youran let her hand fall back to her lap. As she withdrew her gaze from her sister, it inadvertently brushed past the tall, upright figure of the man beside her. Startled as if scalded by fire, she quickly averted her eyes and lowered her head to fiddle with her fingers. “What did you want to say to me?”
The man lightly lifted the hem of his robe and sat on the stool Pei Huaian had just vacated. Being so close, the faint scent of agarwood enveloped her, making Shen Youran feel as though even her breathing had become strained.
“Seventh Brother said you’re unwilling to exchange marriages. Even though we’ve already been intimate, you still wish to marry Seventh Brother?”
Shen Youran silently shifted backward and muttered, “Anyway, I can’t marry you.”
“Why not?”
“Because you and my sister are the most well-matched.”
“Your sister has already agreed to the marriage exchange.”
“What about you? Have you agreed as well?”
“Naturally.”
“Why?”
“Because I touched you, so I must take responsibility.”
“I am also at fault in this matter. There’s no need for you to take responsibility for me.”
“No need for me to take responsibility?” He let out a low chuckle tinged with mockery. “How magnanimous of you. Could it be you actually believe Seventh Brother’s words—that he wouldn’t mind how close you and I came to becoming husband and wife?”
Earlier when he entered, he had overheard his seventh brother saying, “Just consider it as being bitten by a dog.”
Hah. To comfort her, he’d even resort to such crude analogies?
“That’s not…” She wasn’t refusing his responsibility because of Pei Huaian’s words.
But before she could finish speaking, a large, distinctively jointed hand abruptly lifted her chin, forcing her to face upward.
“Even if he truly doesn’t mind, what about you?” Cool fingertips traced her lips before slowly gliding down her neck. “I’ve touched you here, and here. Every time you grow intimate with him hereafter, you’ll remember that I was the first to touch these places. Can you truly remain at ease being his wife then?”
“You…”
Every spot his fingers grazed evoked memories of their earlier intimate contact in bed.
Nausea rose in her throat again, but shame from his provocative actions and words overwhelmed her. Just as she was about to call him a hypocritical scoundrel, his tone abruptly shifted.
“The same goes for me…”
Hm?
The hand beside her face withdrew. Candlelight reflected in his eyes as he resumed his usual dignified composure: “I’ve never been with a woman before. Tonight was my first time, so it’s inevitable I’d remember it vividly. Whether I end up marrying your sister or someone else, I’ll always recall this night with you. That wouldn’t be fair to them…”
His reasoning… almost made sense.
For a moment, Shen Youran nearly found herself persuaded.
“But…” But it was impossible. She’d only read about affairs between brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law in storybooks. To her, such things violated moral principles. The last time she encountered such a situation was when Lu Yi proposed to her.
She never imagined something similar would happen to her again.
He was destined to become her sister’s husband. No matter how compelling his arguments, she couldn’t overcome her own moral reservations.
A sixteen-year-old girl hadn’t yet learned to conceal her emotions—her thoughts were transparent to him.
Seeing her small face filled with panic and her hesitant refusal, Pei Huaijin lost patience for further persuasion. Since gentle methods had failed, he could only resort to sternness.
“You refuse because you’ve already mentally cast me as your sister’s husband. But if not for the chaos at the wedding ceremony today, you wouldn’t have been sent to my bridal chamber. As for why that disruption occurred—do you have anything to explain?”
His voice turned noticeably colder, carrying undertones of unspoken accusation that left Shen Youran bewildered.
“What do you mean?”
Pei Huaijin had already tested Shen Yunshu earlier. Since the wedding disruption targeted both brides, it was highly likely one of the sisters had previously entangled with some outsider.
However, Shen Yunshu had remained composed and unflappable in her responses, revealing no cracks. If she were truly innocent, then the one who’d attracted outside attention must be this seemingly innocent young girl before him.
“Before your marriage, were there any gentlemen who fancied you but failed to win your affection?”
She clearly hadn’t grasped his meaning yet, her damp eyes filled with confusion as she looked at him: “Why are you asking this?”
Pei Huaijin thought, she truly isn’t as clever as her elder sister.
He had to make his words more explicit: “If there was such a person around you, then it’s highly likely that he planned today’s wedding disruption. I’ve asked your sister, and she said there’s no one like that around her. What about you? Has anyone ever expressed their liking for you, only to be rejected?”
Shen Youran sharply inhaled: What a coincidence? She had just recalled how Lu Yi had once coaxed her into marrying him, only to turn hostile when she refused, angrily grabbing her arm and forcing her to say “I will.”
Could it be…
Could it be that today’s wedding disruption was really planned by Lu Yi?
Having failed to win her hand through proper courtship, was he now resorting to desperate measures to take her by force?
Heavens!
Did he love her to such an extent?
Seeing her silent, only gasping repeatedly, Pei Huaijin narrowed his eyes: It seems so. She truly must have attracted some outsider’s attention, leading to today’s wedding disruption and the mistaken bride.
Though she wasn’t at fault, Pei Huaijin intended to frighten her a little, so he deliberately darkened his expression.
“Who is he?”
Shen Youran felt extremely guilty, momentarily unsure how to respond.
Whenever she encountered problems she couldn’t solve, she habitually turned to her father or elder sister for help. Today was no exception. In her panic and confusion, she instinctively stood up to go find her elder sister outside.
But before she could take two steps, a heavy grip on her wrist pulled her back.
Her lower back pressed against the edge of the table, one hand pinned her wrist while the other braced beside her. He loomed over her like a mountain, his brow shadowed, making his expression appear gloomy.
“Where are you going?”
“To find… my sister…”
“What for?”The grip on her wrist tightened, his voice losing its previous gentleness, becoming chillingly low, ‘Does she know about this too?””
“No, no, it has nothing to do with my sister…”
“Then tell me, who is the man who fancies you?”
Shen Youran didn’t dare say, after all, that person was her elder sister’s stepbrother, her mother’s stepson, and there was currently no evidence proving he was behind the wedding disruption.
She could only offer a weak defense: “I don’t know…”
He pressed closer, staring at the trembling moisture in her eyes, mercilessly exposing her: “You’re lying.”
“I’m not!” In her flustered state, she blurted out impatiently, “Many people have fancied me, how would I know which one of them did it?”
“Is that so?” Originally meant to scare her, he hadn’t expected this unexpected revelation. “Many people fancy you? It seems you’re quite popular.”
Shen Youran could clearly detect his sarcastic tone, but the words were already spoken and couldn’t be taken back. She could only weakly add, “Actually, not that many…”
Having achieved his purpose, Pei Huaijin had no intention of delving deeper into her past: “What happened before our marriage, I can let slide. But now that you’ve married me, you must behave properly and maintain your virtue. Starting tomorrow, copy the fourth chapter of ‘Admonitions for Women’ ten times…”
“…Hmm?” Never mind the copying task—what did he say earlier? “When did I agree to marry you?”
“Since the bridal abduction incident was caused by you, you should bear the consequences.”
“You and I are indeed ill-matched, but the spouse swap was a necessary compromise. You’re not the only one suffering—your sister, for the sake of both families’ reputations, has agreed to marry Seventh Brother. I hope you can consider the bigger picture and stop acting like a child…”
The young girl, frightened and scolded by him, fell silent in a daze, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes as she gazed at him timidly.
His heart wavered, and he softened his tone slightly.
“Now, can you accept me as your husband?”