Pei Yan could not understand why Madam Mei would treat Mei Wanying this way.
She had cried so pitifully.
So wronged…
His steps moved uncontrollably toward the door, but Madam Mei called out to him again.
“A-Yan, that night, you and A-Ying were in the study…”
Before she could finish, Pei Yan interrupted her.
“Madam, if you want me to marry her, you should abandon that thought as soon as possible.”
Pei Yan’s face turned cold.
He had said long ago that he only regarded Mei Wanying as a younger sister.
Did they truly think that forcing marriage again and again would make him compromise?
“No matter what happened, I will not marry Mei Wanying.”
His eyes carried distance.
“I do not like being schemed against. Please know when to stop.”
It seemed today was another carefully arranged performance.
All to make him soften toward Mei Wanying.
Pei Yan found it laughable.
If forced marriage worked on him, he would have married long ago.
Madam Mei’s heart pounded violently.
Pei Yan was warning them.
He was an unrelated man and a junior. Speaking directly of that matter made Madam Mei feel ashamed, so she could only speak very tactfully.
But the colder Pei Yan’s face became.
Over all these years, had he and Mei Wanying rarely been alone together?
If that could become a reason to force marriage and make him compromise, he would have married Mei Wanying long ago.
Standing with his hands behind his back, half his body hidden in shadow, his expression could not be seen clearly.
Madam Mei heard him say,
“Tomorrow, someone will send over a list of names. You may choose from it. No matter whom you choose, I will ask Father to grant the marriage. You don’t need to worry about the Crown Prince forcing her to marry him, nor fear that Mei Wanying will marry beneath herself and suffer.”
“If the young men in the capital are not enough for her to choose from, sons of noble families from other regions may also be considered.”
“I have only one condition. Stop harboring fantasies. I will never marry Mei Wanying.”
Madam Mei was shocked.
Pei Yan actually wanted to marry A-Ying off to another man.
No longer hesitating, Madam Mei hurriedly said,
“You must take responsibility for A-Ying. She is already—”
“Miss has fallen into the water!”
“Someone come!”
“Hurry, someone!”
The panicked shouts of the servant women rang out, drowning out Madam Mei’s voice.
Pei Yan’s mind was in turmoil, and he did not hear clearly what she had said.
His mind only received one message.
Mei Wanying had fallen into the water.
Her illness had not even recovered, yet she was doing this again.
Did she no longer want to live?
Pei Yan clenched his teeth so hard that the muscles along his cheek twitched.
Unable to think about anything else, he strode outside.
“A-Ying!”
Madam Mei’s legs went weak as she stumbled forward to check the situation.
Her husband was gone.
If her daughter also suffered an accident, what meaning would there be in living?
There was a pond in the front courtyard, filled with lotus flowers, only a few steps away from the main hall.
Mei Wanying had jumped in herself.
Her emotions had been too intense, and she had chosen self-destruction as a way to interrupt her mother’s conversation with Pei Yan.
At the same time, she wanted to prove her determination that she would rather die than marry him.
As for the consequences of jumping in, she had been driven by emotion and had not had time to consider them.
She was afraid of marrying Pei Yan.
Afraid of that cold, icy prince’s residence.
Even more afraid of the mocking gazes of others.
She did not want to live within someone else’s disgust.
Walking the wrong path once was enough.
She would not repeat the same mistake.
Spring had only just begun to warm.
The icy lake water wrapped around Mei Wanying’s body, chilling her to the bone.
She did not know how to swim.
She could only struggle instinctively.
Of the two servant women, one shouted for help, while the other went to fetch a bamboo pole to pull her out.
Hearing the commotion, nearby maids and servants all rushed over.
There was only one young mistress in the residence.
If anything happened to her, the sky itself would collapse.
As she struggled, water poured into Mei Wanying’s mouth and nose, stealing her breath.
After flailing a few times, her body began to sink toward the bottom.
With a splash, someone jumped into the pond.
A strong figure cut through the icy water and swam toward her.
Wrapping an arm around Mei Wanying’s slender waist, Pei Yan’s eyes burned with rage.
How dared she!
She had truly jumped into the water!
For the sake of forcing him to marry her, she really would resort to anything, even throwing away her life.
Pei Yan was nearly driven mad with anger.
In this world, only Mei Wanying could so easily provoke his temper.
He should never have come to the Mei residence.
He should never have supported her.
The arm holding Mei Wanying tightened.
Pei Yan almost wanted to crush her.
“If there is a next time, even if you die in front of me, I won’t care!”
The moment they emerged from the water, Pei Yan threatened her through gritted teeth.
Mei Wanying’s eyes were tightly shut.
Her skin was pale enough to seem transparent.
She was still breathing, but she had swallowed water and fainted.
Pei Yan carried her ashore.
Just as he was about to press on her chest to make her cough up the water, Madam Mei stopped him.
“Let Nanny Liu do it.”
Nanny Liu immediately rushed over to help.
Pei Yan’s outstretched hand froze.
After several breaths, he slowly withdrew it.
Mei Wanying wore spring clothing.
The fabric was neither thick nor thin.
Once soaked, it clung tightly to her body, outlining her delicate curves.
Pei Yan abruptly looked away and turned his back to her.
He had saved Mei Wanying from drowning.
They had now had physical contact.
This was the perfect chance to force a marriage.
But Madam Mei was afraid.
This was the second time her daughter had tried to die, all because she did not want to marry Pei Yan.
If there were a third time, and her daughter was truly gone, Madam Mei did not know how she would survive.
Nothing mattered more than A-Ying’s life.
Madam Mei’s limbs felt weak, and waves of pain struck her heart.
If A-Ying refused to marry, then she would not marry.
If they were truly driven into a corner, Madam Mei would risk her own life to fight for a chance of survival for her daughter.
They would no longer rely on Pei Yan.
Madam Mei tightly held her daughter’s hand.
Seeing her cough up water, her breathing gradually smoothing, and her eyelashes trembling as though she was about to wake, Madam Mei said to Pei Yan,
“Your Highness’s lifesaving grace will be remembered by the Mei family. Please rest assured, we will not repay kindness with resentment or force you to do something you do not wish to do. I will make everyone in the residence keep their mouths shut about today’s matter. No rumors will spread. Your Highness can rest easy.”
Pei Yan stared blankly at the surface of the pond.
He had been wondering what choice he would make if the Mei family used this to force him into marriage.
He had not expected Madam Mei to say these words.
His heart felt empty.
A thin fog seemed to cover his mind, leaving him unable to think.
He did not know how to react.
Madam Mei said,
“Your Highness, please change into dry clothes and return. It is inconvenient for us to receive guests today.”
The woman who had warmly called him A-Yan earlier now addressed him as Your Highness with every sentence.
Polite.
Distant.
Even Mei Wanying was the same.
In the past, when she was happy, she called him A-Yan or Brother A-Yan.
When unhappy, she called him by his full name, Pei Yan.
When speaking strangely, she would call him Young General.
But during their last two meetings, she had only called him Your Highness in that distant manner.
Before Pei Yan could react, the barely conscious Mei Wanying had already been carried away.
Only after the footsteps faded did he slowly turn around.
There was nothing.
Mei Wanying had already been taken away.
Pei Yan pressed a hand against his chest.
This was clearly the result he wanted.
Yet for some reason, he could not feel happy.
That pale little face appeared in his mind.
Sickly.
Fragile.
As though she might shatter at the slightest touch.
For the first time, Pei Yan felt regret.
He…
He should not have said those words.
He hoped Mei Wanying had not heard them.