The envelope was made of expensive paper with exquisite patterns, its very appearance conveying the sender’s sincere affection.
Jiang Lan’s attention was completely captured by the envelope on the floor, failing to notice how dreadful Qin Yuehan’s expression had become.
Qin Zhong, standing nearby, also revealed a look of terror in his eyes.
Just as Jiang Lan bent down to pick it up, Qin Zhong, who had been following behind them, swiftly snatched it first.
“Head of the family, let me handle this,” Qin Zhong said, his controlled tone barely masking the panic within.
Jiang Lan hadn’t been particularly curious initially, but a woman’s mysterious sixth sense suddenly kicked in. She stretched out her hand toward Qin Zhong, palm open.
“Give it to me,” Jiang Lan said, her voice unusually low due to some unknown suspicion.
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhong, still clutching the envelope, dropped to his knees with a thud but remained silent and motionless.
Seeing this, Jiang Lan’s beautiful face turned as cold as ice.
She turned sideways to look at Qin Yuehan, her eyes slightly narrowing and growing colder.
Qin Yuehan’s hands were already damp with a thin layer of sweat. Though Jiang Lan hadn’t said a word, he felt utterly terrified.
In just a moment, his heart had plummeted from the warmth of spring to the depths of winter.
“What does this mean?” Jiang Lan asked, staring at Qin Yuehan.
Qin Yuehan, hearing this, bent halfway as if to kneel before Jiang Lan, but she, who had been closely watching his every move, stopped him.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Lan asked, her grip on Qin Yuehan’s hand so tight that veins bulged.
She hadn’t expected that after transmigrating into this matriarchal world, not only her mindset but even her physical strength had become astonishing.
A grown man like Qin Yuehan—she had effortlessly restrained him from kneeling.
Yet, this difference brought her no joy.
Qin Yuehan’s actions alone had already ignited a dark fire within her.
But she kept reminding herself that men in this world needed women’s care and protection.
“Wife,” Qin Yuehan murmured, utterly distressed. The warmth transmitted through Jiang Lan’s hand felt so comforting.
Yet, he felt unworthy, utterly debased.
Jiang Lan was taken aback by Qin Yuehan’s tone. He had always been the epitome of a cold, elegant nobleman.
But those two words—”Wife”—were uttered with such tenderness and pleading, like a lover’s whisper begging for mercy.
Jiang Lan’s hand shifted slightly, pulling Qin Yuehan deeper into her embrace, then she looked down into his eyes.
Qin Yuehan was exceptionally docile at that moment. Even with Qin Zhong kneeling nearby, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse Jiang Lan in the slightest.
He was afraid—terrified that this woman before him would cast him aside after reading the disgraceful words inside that envelope.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of hatred, his gaze toward the envelope tinged with venom.
“Wife, please don’t read it,” Qin Yuehan pleaded in a low voice.
Jiang Lan was at a loss for how to respond to Qin Yuehan.
She couldn’t imagine that someone as proud as Qin Yuehan would resort to such pleading over a mere letter.
In the few seconds of Jiang Lan’s silence, Qin Yuehan’s heart felt as if it were being fried in oil.
He pushed himself out of Jiang Lan’s embrace, then reached out and took the letter from Qin Zhong’s hand.He didn’t know why this letter was here, feeling only intense resentment.
“Wife, have you never truly forgiven me?” Qin Yuehan spoke again, his tone remarkably certain.
Jiang Lan was utterly bewildered by Qin Yuehan’s question, gazing into his pitch-black eyes.
A sharp pain pierced through her head, and then, dark fragments from certain corners of her mind gradually became clear.
“Give it to me,” Jiang Lan said, her tone firm and unyielding.
Qin Yuehan’s peach blossom eyes were filled with refusal, yet his hand slowly rose, offering the slightly crumpled envelope to Jiang Lan.
Jiang Lan reached out and took it.
Standing nearby, Qin Yuehan and the other person both wore expressions of complete despair.
The incense in the room curled upward, its elegant fragrance unable to overpower the herbal scent from the pharmacy.
Holding the envelope, Jiang Lan slowly approached the incense burner, each step feeling like a dance upon Qin Yuehan’s heart.
She lit the envelope in her hand and placed it into the incense burner.
Witnessing this scene, Qin Yuehan’s pupils trembled violently, his tormented heart finally finding redemption.
“Qin Yuehan, I will let bygones be bygones,” Jiang Lan said, watching the burning envelope.
Then she turned slowly and walked up to Qin Yuehan, continuing, “But from now on, your heart must belong to me alone.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Yuehan looked up abruptly, his peach blossom eyes filled with disbelief.
“It has always been only you, Wife, I swear,” Qin Yuehan declared, his voice somewhat vehement.
Jiang Lan remained silent, her gaze drifting lightly toward the burning envelope.
Qin Yuehan fell speechless.
“Wife, Yuehan has truly only ever had you,” Qin Yuehan spoke again, his voice now a soft whisper.
Jiang Lan couldn’t bear to see Qin Yuehan like this, even as the dark memories in her mind grew clearer.
She still couldn’t bear to let this man before her suffer.
So even if the memories were true, she chose to believe Qin Yuehan and was willing to suppress her jealousy for him.
After all, as a modern person, there was no reason for her to be so feudal-minded.
“Yes, I naturally know whether I was your first woman,” Jiang Lan said, taking Qin Yuehan’s hand and pressing it against her own cheek.
Qin Yuehan choked up at her words, the sourness in his heart overflowing from his peach blossom eyes as crystal-clear tears streamed down.
Qin Yuehan’s sudden tears threw Jiang Lan into disarray.
Faced with such a Qin Yuehan, a wave of bitterness washed over her heart.
She suddenly felt that her earlier arrogance had been disrespectful and distrustful toward him.
“I believe you, that it’s only me,” Jiang Lan said, lowering her head to gently place a kiss on Qin Yuehan’s forehead.
[Congratulations, host, for triggering a random task: uncover the truth behind the forced marriage between the original Jiang Lan and Qin Yuehan. Upon success, reward 100 points and unlock the point exchange system.] System 009 announced.
Jiang Lan was taken aback, her sweet voice slightly hoarse as she asked, “So, 009, there really were hidden circumstances behind Qin Yuehan and Jiang Lan’s marriage?”
[Yes, host. As for the truth, please uncover it yourself.] System 009 replied.
Jiang Lan looked at Qin Yuehan, whose emotions had slightly subsided, feeling that the past events had truly caused him immense harm.
After returning from the pharmacy to Jiang Manor, Qin Yuehan followed closely behind Jiang Lan, step by step.
In the quiet study, Jiang Lan sat on the soft couch, flipping through books.
Meanwhile, at the desk originally prepared for her, Qin Yuehan now sat, his every movement a picturesque sight.
He was earnestly working the abacus, occasionally lifting his gaze to glance at her.
Jiang Lan inexplicably felt the illusion that she was truly living off someone else’s wealth.
The points exchange system…
For now, it remains a foreshadowing and may not be extensively used in the first world.