Yun Manxia noticed the old lady’s gaze, but she didn’t mind. She let herself be examined openly, then glanced at Xiao Mei, who was slumped on the ground, and instinctively tugged at Bai Hedu’s sleeve—
“What should we do with Xiao Mei?”
Bai Hedu’s gaze paused on his sleeve. Her fair, slender fingers stood out against his dark shirt, making him feel an urge to grab her hand in return.
His well-defined hand moved slightly, but he forcibly suppressed the impulse.
His voice was low and calm, with a hint of indulgence. “What do you want to do?”
Yun Manxia didn’t notice his brief reaction. Hearing him ask, she immediately complained—
“I already gave her a chance yesterday. I said if there was a next time, it wouldn’t be as simple as kicking her out of Yujing Garden. She didn’t take my words seriously. She even dared to damage something Grandma gave you and deliberately frame me. That’s too much!”
Bai Hedu: “Mm.”
“I think just kicking her out isn’t enough. She should be handed over to the police—then whatever happens next happens!”
If there’s a problem, go to the police—something even elementary school students know!
Bai Hedu: “Alright.”
“Huh?” Yun Manxia turned her head in confusion. “Why did you agree so quickly? Did you even hear what I said, husband?”
It felt like he had been distracted.
Bai Hedu shifted his gaze away from her pale fingers, his expression unchanged. “There’s nothing wrong with what you said. We’ll do as you say.”
“Ninth Master! I know I was wrong—!” Xiao Mei seemed to have all her strength drained. This time, she cried miserably.
That jade Guanyin looked extremely valuable—how could she afford to compensate for it? Was Yun Manxia trying to send her to prison?!
Bai Hedu frowned slightly, displeased.
Lin Shen understood that he was annoyed by the noise and immediately gestured.
Someone quickly dragged Xiao Mei away.
Only then did Bai Hedu look at the old lady and say gently, “Grandma, why did you suddenly come?”
Yun Manxia’s gaze shifted—she also found it strange.
The jade Guanyin had been sent over, which meant the old lady hadn’t originally planned to come. Yet not only did she come, the timing was so coincidental—just in time to witness Xiao Mei accusing her.
The old lady held Wu Xiaoya’s hand and said kindly, “Xiaoya came to see me earlier and mentioned your situation. I was a bit worried, so I came to take a look.”
Wu Xiaoya?
Yun Manxia lifted her eyes, unsurprised.
No wonder Xiao Mei had the nerve to destroy even the jade Guanyin given by the old lady. Without Wu Xiaoya instigating things, she wouldn’t believe it.
As she was thinking this, the old lady’s gaze suddenly fell on her.
“This must be the young lady from the Yun family? Quite pretty.”
There was a hint of surprise in her tone. Back when the verbal marriage agreement with the Yun family was brought up, it had been a desperate measure. She had thought that as Gu Wanyin’s daughter, she shouldn’t be bad.
But not long after, she investigated Yun Manxia’s background—and it was completely different from her mother.
Poor academic performance might be due to lack of talent, but constantly skipping school was an attitude problem. She barely showed up all semester, only appearing during exams. Worse, she wasn’t even subtle—without studying, she still dared to rank first every time, as if she wasn’t afraid others would suspect cheating.
Fortunately, her stepsister was excellent in both character and academics and often pleaded for her, preventing her from being punished by the school.
Later, when she saw photos of Yun Manxia attending banquets, she was so shocked she nearly fainted!
At that time, she had regretted it and intended to contact the Yun family to cancel the engagement. But Yun Hong acted quickly and sent his daughter over before she could.
Yesterday, when she called to probe, her grandson’s tone suggested he had a good impression of the girl, which shocked her. She even wondered if her Little Ninth had unusual taste, since he hadn’t liked the previous ones.
She had already decided to come take a look, so when Wu Xiaoya mentioned it today, she came along to Yujing Garden.
But she hadn’t expected to see a Yun Manxia completely different from what she imagined.
Smart, lively, strikingly beautiful—and she even dared to act coquettish toward Little Ninth!
Yun Manxia didn’t know how complicated the old lady’s thoughts were. She behaved respectfully toward an elder, gentle yet composed. “Yes, Grandma. My name is Yun Manxia. You can just call me Manxia.”
The old lady nodded and, after some thought, said, “Let’s forget about the past. From now on, you are Little Ninth’s wife. You should learn to behave like a proper lady of a great household—be more generous in your actions.”
Yun Manxia was stunned.
Hearing her being lectured, Wu Xiaoya secretly curled her lips in satisfaction.
“For example, Xiao Mei just now. Your final punishment wasn’t wrong, but yesterday, she only took a few of your flowers. If they were fresh, that would be one thing, but she said they had already been left for days and were about to wilt. Even if she hadn’t taken them, you would’ve thrown them away… Docking her bonus for months over that is a bit excessive.”
Yun Manxia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the hand she had resting on the armrest was suddenly held.
It was a large hand that easily enveloped hers, carrying a soothing intent, silently telling her not to speak.
Her skin felt as if it had been scalded. The grievance in her heart instantly vanished.
Instead, she felt a bit disappointed. Staring at the man’s godlike profile, she thought resentfully—why did he only touch her for a moment? Not even a second…
“Those weren’t ordinary flowers,” he explained for her. “I gave them to her. She kept them in her room for days and even made bookmarks out of them to preserve them. Having them stolen is not a small matter.”
Old Lady: “…”
He was just explaining, so why did it feel like she had been force-fed sweetness?
But could her Little Ninth even do such a thing?
The old lady looked both suspicious and astonished.
She couldn’t help but glance at Yun Manxia again.
Or was it that the previous ones simply weren’t pretty enough…?
Yun Manxia felt awkward under the gaze. “Grandma, what is it?”
“…Oh, nothing. If that’s the case, then Little Ninth’s wife, you handled it well.”
Yun Manxia: “…”
“Little Ninth’s wife”—the title sounded strange… and embarrassingly intimate.
Her ears warmed, and she couldn’t help but glance at Bai Hedu.
The man immediately looked up, his deep eyes locking onto her. “What is it?”
“…Nothing!”
The old lady didn’t live in Yujing Garden. Because Bai Hedu cared about his condition and didn’t want his family to see his vulnerable side, she had given him space out of love, only coming occasionally to check on him.
In the past, she always came worried and left worried—but this time, it was a pleasant surprise.
As a result, when she left, her gaze toward Yun Manxia was much kinder.
Wu Xiaoya, however, was gnashing her teeth in hatred. While escorting the old lady out, she couldn’t help but complain softly—
“…She must have instigated Ninth Master. He even dared to contradict you!”