After all, in her previous life as Pei Che’s wife, she had to respect both a legal mother-in-law and a concubine mother-in-law, while also avoiding embarrassing the eldest daughter-in-law.
But now, married to Pei Ruyan, among the women in the manor, aside from Yu Shi, she held the highest status!
Thinking this, Shen Sangning’s smile deepened.
Having not heard a response from behind for a long while, Shen Sangning turned around just as Pei Ruyan averted his gaze, so she couldn’t catch a glimpse of his expression.
Shen Sangning suddenly remembered Pei Ruyan’s injury and asked with concern tinged with guilt, “By the way, does your shoulder wound still hurt?”
A breeze swept by, rustling Pei Ruyan’s dark blue cloud-patterned brocade robe. Reminded of last night’s events, the tenderness he had felt moments ago gradually faded.
He said quietly, “You should return to Qingyun Courtyard first.” Then he took the lead and walked back the way they had come.
Qingyun Courtyard was Pei Ruyan and Shen Sangning’s residence, but clearly, Pei Ruyan was heading to his study again.
Shen Sangning watched his tall, receding figure when suddenly her cheek felt cool, as if raindrops had brushed against her face.
She hurried after Pei Ruyan, “It’s your day off, why not rest in the courtyard? Did you even sleep last night? And you haven’t had breakfast yet!”
Honestly, no body could withstand such treatment.
She earnestly asked several questions, only to receive a single “It’s fine” from Pei Ruyan.
“No,” Shen Sangning firmly grabbed Pei Ruyan’s sleeve, her expression serious and determined. “You must eat breakfast and then rest.”
Being pulled by Shen Sangning displeased Pei Ruyan; few in the manor dared to constrain him with such a firm tone.
His expression darkened slightly, his tone growing heavier, “There’s no need to mind me.”
Even though rejected, Shen Sangning refused to let go.
Not minding him was impossible, because she wanted him to live several more years.
After all, having children was one thing, but waiting for them to become high officials would take decades!
During that time, who would uphold the Guogong Manor lintel? Could they really count on Pei Che?
Shen Sangning strongly suspected that in her previous life, it was precisely because she worried herself to death over Pei Che that she only lived to forty!
Unlike being married to Pei Ruyan – being his wife was much more carefree, and she genuinely hoped he would live longer.
As they stood at an impasse, a tiny raindrop drifted into Shen Sangning’s eye. She blinked uncomfortably.
Her sensitive eye instantly reddened.
“You…” Pei Ruyan looked down and saw small teardrops slipping from the young woman’s eye. The displeasure in his gaze seemed to be replaced by helplessness. His sleeve lifted slightly before settling back down when he realized she was still holding it.
His previously cold and stern voice deliberately softened as he spoke again, “Why are you crying?”
Shen Sangning felt the foreign object in her eye. She released him and wiped her eye with her own sleeve, only making it redder.
“I wasn’t scolding you,” Pei Ruyan’s brow furrowed, his tone slow as if carefully choosing his words. “I can eat in the study.”
After some thought, he compromised: “Never mind, I’ll go back with you.”
Having said this, he saw Shen Sangning shake her head, the teary eye becoming increasingly red and swollen.
Suspiciously, while one eye was red and swollen, the other remained completely normal.
Only then did Pei Ruyan realize something was amiss, mentally chiding himself for speaking unnecessarily earlier.
Shen Sangning used her fingers to hold her eye open, “Something got in, could you help blow it out?”
Then, Shen Sangning heard his response return to its usual coldness, “Mm.”
His expression indifferent, he slowly bent down, stopping half an inch from her face.
A gentle breeze brushed against her eyelids, and Shen Sangning felt even his breathing had softened.
“Are you ready?” he asked in a low voice, so close it felt intimate.
Shen Sangning nodded, her gaze subtly drifting upward to catch a glimpse of his faintly flushed ear.
They had already consummated their marriage last night, yet now, with just a slight closeness, he was shy?
If that were the case, he probably hadn’t been with many women before marriage.
Unaware of her thoughts, Pei Ruyan straightened up and distanced himself from her. “Since you’re ready, let’s go.”
With that, he turned to head toward the study, but Shen Sangning quickly interjected, “You just said you’d accompany me back to Qingyun Courtyard. Are you going back on your word?”
Pei Ruyan did not respond.
In the next moment, a dense curtain of rain began to pour down.
Unwilling to get drenched, Shen Sangning lifted her sleeve to shield herself, revealing two pale wrists that caught Pei Ruyan’s eye.
He reached out, tugged the sleeve to cover her arm completely, and then, gripping her wrist, guided her under the eaves for shelter.
Once safely under the cover, Shen Sangning lowered her hands. The man who had just been touching her abruptly released his hold and strode off alone toward Qingyun Courtyard.
Leaving only a cold, retreating figure in his wake.
Shen Sangning followed silently behind, her mind racing with guesses about the cause of Pei Ruyan’s displeasure.
Could it be that he had relented because he thought she was crying?
For someone who appeared so proper, did he actually fall for such tactics?
But that didn’t seem right. In her past life, Shen Miaoyi had been neglected and must have shed many tears, yet Pei Ruyan had never shown any tenderness or pity.
An itch of curiosity stirred within Shen Sangning. Last night, Pei Che had gone to see Shen Miaoyi with joy in his heart, and though she hadn’t felt jealous, she still wished that somewhere in this world, there might be someone who felt genuine happiness on their wedding night because they had married her.
It was a pity, though, that Shen Sangning hadn’t been reborn before Pei Ruyan lifted her bridal veil—she hadn’t been able to see whether his expression had been one of sorrow, joy, or indifference.
“Pei Ruyan.”
Shen Sangning called his name formally, and under his puzzled gaze, with an indescribable mix of emotions, she asked bluntly—
“Before you entered the bridal chamber yesterday, or before you married me, did you feel any anticipation or joy?”