The little girl, full of the air of a bandit, claimed the bed as her own and glared with a pair of round apricot eyes that were both fierce and adorable.
Lin Yi’an stared for a long moment before finally regaining his voice under her feigned ferocious gaze. He said helplessly, “Mei Mei, you should get up first.”
“I won’t!” she refused stubbornly, clutching the blanket tightly and stiffening her neck.
He smiled at her antics, completely at a loss. Although he had no idea what she was up to, he could not allow her to stay in wet clothes on the bed. She might have caught a cold.
“Mei Mei, listen to me. If you sleep here, you should at least change your wet clothes.” He reached to tug gently at the sleeve of hers that peeked from the blanket.
The sleeve was damp and partially translucent in the candlelight. Beneath it, her snow-white skin was faintly visible, adding an unintentional allure to the bedchamber.
Lin Yi’an’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly withdrew his hand and turned his gaze away.
At his words, Mei Mei, who had not felt cold before, began to shiver. She sneezed, but her mind was sharp. She covered her nose and said, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. If I change, it will alert Zikui and the others. You think you can easily trick me? I will not fall for it.”
She was not wrong. He cleared his throat awkwardly, realizing she was difficult to handle. He chose silence, afraid that any words might provoke her into creating an even more embarrassing situation.
Lin Yi’an kept still, but Mei Mei had her own bold plan.
Her hand, which had been resting on the blanket, stealthily crept over and wrapped around his waist like a hunting rope.
She leaned in closer, her small face pressed to him as she said pitifully, “Husband, I am cold.”
Lin Yi’an felt the most unbearable sensation of his life at that moment.
He was not a saint. Facing such warmth and softness, any man would have his weaknesses. But he could not indulge in it. Taking advantage of her was not only morally wrong but would also dishonor her.
He tensed and pulled her hand from his waist. “Listen to me. Go change your clothes,” he said in a low tone of restrained authority.
Mei Mei found his voice deep and captivating. She did not realize how dangerous he was at that moment. She tried to loop her arms around him again.
Before she could, he grasped her wrist quickly, holding it in midair.
She looked at her own hand in surprise, and when she raised her eyes, she met his gaze.
Darkness filled his eyes. Candlelight could not reach it, yet she could feel the fierce energy simmering within, like a coiled beast. It made her inexplicably anxious.
She went silent, and her playful tone vanished. She simply stared at him.
Why did her husband have such a terrifying gaze as if he could devour a person?
Lin Yi’an, seeing her finally calm, allowed himself a moment of respite. He returned her hand to the blanket and wrapped her fully in it.
Outside, the footsteps he had been hoping for appeared. Light from a lantern swayed on the window, and Zikui and Wu Zisen hurriedly pushed the door open.
Mei Mei shivered at the movement, finally returning to herself from Lin Yi’an’s intimidating presence. Lin Yi’an used his elbows to lift himself, shifting carefully to the edge of the bed.
She watched his shoulders move with every breath. It was such a simple movement to an outsider, but it had cost him tremendous effort to avoid her. Her chest felt heavy, as if a stone pressed down on it, making it hard to breathe.
Blinking back tears, she forced herself to calm down. Without a word from Zikui or Wu Zisen, she got out of bed, clumsily put on the embroidery shoes she had kicked off earlier, and left the room silently.
Wu Zisen glanced at Lin Yi’an, who looked unwell, and followed her. Zikui also bowed politely and left with him.
The room instantly became empty. Lin Yi’an remained sitting on the bed, his gaze obscured and drawn to the window. He saw her silhouette passing outside, soon disappearing from sight.
The little world felt empty with her gone. He was alone, his emotions gnawing at him.
After a while, he leaned back on the bed, the faint fragrance lingering around him that did not belong to him, causing further unrest.
Lin Yi’an, in a rare lapse of composure, thought of pursuing her.
Suddenly, a voice spoke. He sat up quickly. Liu Si had quietly entered, leaning on a side table with a teasing expression.
“What nonsense are you saying?” Lin Yi’an straightened his clothes and resumed his usual composure.
“You know, the prince knows about you and that little girl.”
“It is normal for the prince to know. I never intended to hide it.” Lin Yi’an was unashamed and unafraid.
Liu Si smirked and tried to bait him further. “The prince says that if you truly have feelings, he can mediate with Zhongyi Marquis. I wonder how you will react.”
Lin Yi’an showed no response, leaving Liu Si frustrated. He muttered, “Fine. You deal with the prince yourself. But you tricked the Duke and your elder brother. They will figure it out soon. Once they do, your birth mother might truly hate you.”
Lin Yi’an understood. The account had been partially fabricated. Even if it were real, it would not harm the duke. The mixture of truth and fabrication had been designed to confuse and scare them.
“I am their thorn in the side. Whether the accounts are real or false, the outcome is inevitable.” He did not care. Twenty years of challenges had taught him to handle far worse.
Liu Si glanced at his legs and sighed. “You should let a doctor examine your leg. I thought you might participate in the imperial exam next year and become the top scholar.”
“No need. This is fine,” Lin Yi’an replied, unchanged.
Liu Si shook his head, clearly unable to understand him. Normally, he was not someone to give up due to pain. Yet he seemed indifferent to his leg injury.
“Your ideas are extraordinary. I will leave. You should repair the walls of this broken marquisate; I think I stepped on something just now.”
Liu Si left like the wind.
As he predicted, Lin Yi’an, exhausted after a long day, suddenly sat up near midnight, cursing.
Li Shi was startled. “Why does the young master sit up so straight in the middle of the night? It is frightening.”
Lin Yi Zong scolded. “You only know to sleep. We were deceived!”
“How could I know? The young master did not speak clearly,” Li Shi complained.
Lin Yi Zong ignored her, quickly put on shoes and clothing, and went straight to his mother’s courtyard.
Princess Jiaxi had a headache from anger, while Lin Henglǐ remained with her, quietly discussing Mei Mei.
Jiaxi worried that the relationship with the Zhongyi Marquis would be strained. She was anxious, sighing repeatedly, losing her usual composure.
Lin Henglǐ reassured her, “Grandmother, the divorce may not be a bad thing. The Wu family forced it. It is not the fault of our Lin family. The young grandson will make the Marquis reconsider this marriage.”
Jiaxi was startled, about to question him, when the eldest son requested an audience.
Moments later, Princess Jiaxi’s sharp voice rang out in fury. “Who set up this scheme? If I find out, I will skin them alive!”
That night, the upstairs room remained lit as another physician was summoned.
By morning, the spring rain that had lasted through the night finally stopped. Lin Yi’an was awakened by pain in his injured leg.
He had been hurt for over a month, and the fracture still occasionally caused sharp pain.
He broke into a cold sweat. Stone helped him sit up, washed him, and helped him change.
Just as they finished, movement came from the corridor. The footsteps were noisy, like a celebration.
Lin Yi’an lowered his gaze, lost in thought.
A voice carried clearly through the window, “Since my grandfather cares about me, I cannot let him worry. That would be unfilial.”
Su Mei deliberately raised her voice and peeked from the side of her eyes.
She guessed he was awake, or Stone would have come out to ask.
She pressed her lips together, recalling his intimidation last night, and walked out proudly.
He did not come to stop her, so she left.
Her eyes slowly reddened, and she gritted her teeth as Wu Zisen escorted her away.
“Third Master, Third Miss has really left,” Stone reported.
Lin Yi’an sat at the bedside, his fingers tracing his painful leg, pressing down hard.
He felt a sharp pain, but his expression remained calm.
She should not have stayed here. It was better for her to leave.
Su Mei could not wait any longer. On the carriage, tears rolled down her face and fell on her clenched hand.
Her husband truly did not want her.
Zikui noticed her sobbing and tried to soothe her. She wiped her tears and shouted outside the carriage, urging them to go.
At that moment, a letter was urgently delivered to Lin Yi’an.
It came from a spy he had placed outside to gather information, not usually delivered in the daytime. Something serious had happened.
He opened it, reading quickly. Before finishing, anger overtook him, and he smashed his teacup to pieces.
It was truly despicable.