Yun Juan sat obediently beside Xiao Lanting, serving as a rather attractive good-luck charm.
Having nothing else to do, her only amusement was to stare at Xiao Lanting. Because her memory was exceptionally sharp, she soon found herself forced to memorize exactly which dishes he preferred.
At first, her attention had been entirely on the food, but gradually, her gaze was drawn to the hand with which Xiao Lanting held his chopsticks.
His long fingers were elegantly jointed, his nails were neatly trimmed, and there were thin calluses on his fingertips—though she couldn’t tell whether they had been worn down from holding a brush or gripping a spear.
Without realizing it, she had been staring for quite some time, until Xiao Lanting tapped her on the forehead with his chopsticks.
Startled, Yun Juan looked up to meet his teasing eyes. Instantly feeling like a thief caught red-handed, she flushed red from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears.
“I won’t bother asking if you find me handsome. Having stared for so long, I assume you must be quite satisfied.”
Yun Juan stared down at the table.
She wondered if it would be even more embarrassing to bury her head under the table right now.
Xiao Lanting picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and asked in a casual tone, “You’ve heard quite a few stories from Mother Li by now, haven’t you?”
The shift in topic was so abrupt that Yun Juan didn’t react for a moment. Once she snapped out of her daze, she nodded hesitantly.
Xiao Lanting gave a soft, dismissive snort. “Just listen to those stories and leave it at that; do not take them to heart. Do you understand?”
“Why?” Yun Juan blurted out.
Xiao Lanting lifted his eyelids. His pale eyes seemed entirely devoid of emotion as he slowly replied, “Because there is no need.”
“What is in the past remains in the past, and there is no reason to bring it up again. Furthermore, I do not require anyone’s pity. I did not need it back then, and I do not need it now.”
Yun Juan froze, then lowered her head and mumbled, “I didn’t pity you.”
She might have felt a brief pang of sympathy when she heard it, but she had always been a resilient person who let things go quickly. Her own future was still uncertain; how could she possibly have the energy to worry about someone else’s past?
Besides, with Xiao Lanting’s current achievements being far beyond anyone else’s reach, pitying his past struggles seemed far less practical than pitying herself for not being able to rise as high.
A subtle change crossed Xiao Lanting’s expression. He looked at Yun Juan, the corners of his mouth curving into an almost imperceptible smile.
At that moment, Changfeng walked in carrying a lacquered tray and placed a bowl of medicinal soup in front of Yun Juan. The brew emitted the bitter, sharp fragrance of Chinese herbs.
Yun Juan knitted her brows. “What is this?”
Xiao Lanting replied, “A nourishing tonic I had the kitchen brew for you. Drink a bowl of it every day.”
“A tonic? My health is perfectly fine, there is no need to nourish it.”
If anything, you are the one who needs to nourish your body.
“Drink it like a good girl. It won’t poison you to death.” Xiao Lanting smiled warmly. “Could it be that my dear wife, at her age, still needs someone to coax her with sweetmeats just to drink her medicine?”
Unable to withstand his provocation, Yun Juan picked up the bowl and drained it in one gulp. It wasn’t actually that bitter, but she still took a sip of water to wash down the aftertaste.
Only then did Xiao Lanting nod in satisfaction, gesturing for Changfeng to take the empty bowl away.
Changfeng bowed his head and withdrew. As he left, his eyes flickered with a strange, subtle look as he glanced at Yun Juan out of the corner of his eye.
The charcoal fire in the main chamber was burning brightly, making the room warm and cozy. Yun Juan’s nerves had been tightly strung since last night, and now, a wave of sleepiness washed over her.
Yet Xiao Lanting was still taking his time with his meal, forcing her to do her best to stay awake.
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until her head began to nod off involuntarily.
Suddenly, her forehead caught softly in a warm palm. Yun Juan snapped her eyes open and quickly straightened her back.
Xiao Lanting retracted his hand with a chuckle. “If you are tired, go to sleep. If you faceplant into the soup, I won’t be able to finish my meal.”
It’s not like I wanted to keep you company in the first place.
Yun Juan pursed her lips, stood up, and said, “Then I am going to sleep. Once you are finished eating, hurry along to the government office.”
Too exhausted to care, she wobbled into the inner room, shed her outer robe, slid under the heavy brocade quilt, and curled into a ball to drift off into a deep sleep.
A moment later, Xiao Lanting set down his chopsticks. The maids waiting outside quickly stepped in with bowed heads to clear away the leftover food.
Xiao Lanting went to the study to look over some official documents for a while, before casually walking into the bedchamber. He undressed, lifted the brocade quilt, and unceremoniously took up half of the large bed.
The soundly sleeping Yun Juan let out a discontented mumble. Ignoring it, Xiao Lanting lay down and closed his eyes.
A moment later, seeking the warmth beside her, the sleeping girl snuggled into his chest. Xiao Lanting naturally wrapped his arm around her, holding her close as he contentedly drifted off to sleep.
While the couple in the Eastern Yard was enjoying a peaceful afternoon, on the other side of the estate, Yun Xiu had finally managed to pacify Xiao Mingyu.
Xiao Mingyu had loved Yun Xiu, after all. Once Yun Xiu shed a few tears and vowed to prove her innocence even if it meant her death, he stopped pressing her so aggressively on the surface, despite his lingering doubts.
Yun Xiu was consumed by thoughts of consummating their marriage. Their post-wedding return visit to her maiden home was the day after tomorrow, and she could not afford to lose face over this.
Having spent decades entangled with Xiao Mingyu in her past life, she knew exactly how to seduce him. Soon enough, the two of them were rolling together in bed.
In the Western Yard, the servants had all cleared out to the front courtyard, whispering among themselves under the corridors.
“The Second Young Master has finally consummated the marriage with the Young Mistress. But in broad daylight… our new Young Mistress is truly bold and shameless.”
“Hush! Are you tired of living, gossiping about the masters like this?”
“She was the one who cast away her modesty; why should she care if we say a word or two?”
A few maidservants giggled softly. Hearing that the commotion inside had quieted down, they scattered to prepare bathwater.
Inside the disheveled room, Yun Xiu lay draped over Xiao Mingyu’s chest, panting with a thoroughly seductive smile.
She understood Xiao Mingyu too well. She had exhausted all her charms just now, a temptation even the older Xiao Mingyu of her past life couldn’t resist, let alone this twenty-something-year-old version of him.
“Mingyu, do you believe me now? I only have eyes for you. You and I are a match made in heaven.”
Yun Xiu pressed herself against him, listening to his heartbeat, and thus completely failed to notice the dark, unreadable look in Xiao Mingyu’s eyes.
After catching his breath, Xiao Mingyu gently pushed her off him. “Have them bring in the bathwater first. You should wash up properly.”
“Not one more time?” Yun Xiu pressed close to him with a coy smile.
Xiao Mingyu pulled her hand away and looked at her. “Xiuxiu, it is daytime.”
Yun Xiu’s smile stiffened. Having just been reborn, she hadn’t quite adapted yet. In her past life, she had cast aside all her pride to keep a hold on Xiao Mingyu. Reverting back to her pure and bashful maiden persona on such short notice was proving to be incredibly difficult.
She said petulantly, “That is only because you walked away last night, leaving me unable to even hold my head up in front of Yun Juan this morning.”
“She is our Eldest Sister-in-law. Whatever happens in private is one thing, but you must show her proper respect in public from now on.”
“Mingyu, why must you do that?! Even if Xiao Lanting is the eldest son, you are the legitimate son of the first wife! Why must you defer to him at every turn?!”
The mere thought of having to bow her head and play second fiddle to Yun Juan made Yun Xiu feel like coughing up blood.
Xiao Lanting looked at her and said, “Because he has the backing of both the Crown Prince and the Emperor. He is the Commander of the Imperial Secret Police.”
“Besides, what is wrong with our lives now? Although Xiao Lanting isn’t particularly polite to me, he hasn’t done anything to harm me either. He will surely be granted other official titles in the future; he might not even care about inheriting the Marquis title. Perhaps it will fall to me one day.”
Seeing Xiao Mingyu’s complete lack of ambition made Yun Xiu’s vision go dark with frustration.
He muttered, “I don’t know what you and Mother are thinking. Xiao Lanting is a mad dog; one bite from him will cost you half your life.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I have experienced his wrath firsthand…” Xiao Mingyu shuddered slightly at some memory.
He warned her sternly, “You had better behave yourself. He has a particular quirk—even if it is something he doesn’t care for, no one else is allowed to touch what belongs to him. If you offend Yun Juan and he decides to teach you a lesson, I won’t be able to save you.”
Yun Xiu’s eyes welled with tears—purely out of sheer frustration.
Why had she never experienced any of this in her past life?
She remained skeptical; after all, she had been with Xiao Lanting for a year in her previous life, and he was a man who cared for absolutely no one but himself.
His standing up for Yun Juan today had to be nothing more than a coincidence.
Xiao Mingyu put on his clothes and headed toward the door. “I am going to wash up in the study. Clean yourself up quickly, and don’t let the servants see you like this.”
“I know.”
Yun Xiu lazily sat up to dress herself. Just then, a voice called out from the outer room:
“Greetings, Second Young Master.”
“Changfeng?” Xiao Mingyu was highly surprised. “What brings you here?”
“By order of the Eldest Young Master, this servant is here to seek the Second Young Mistress.”