After shouting that, Yan Ting didn’t care how Song Mei’er or Yan Changrou reacted; he kicked his chair aside and stomped out in a rage.
[Marshal, you’re the best! That bandit persona is truly solid! He just tossed out the phrase ‘whoring after men’ without missing a beat.]
Liu Xiyin looked innocently at the pale-faced Yan Changrou and the infuriated Song Mei’er.
Song Mei’er clearly hadn’t known about the man Yan Changrou had outside; her face was contorted with the anger of being deceived, and her meticulously painted eyebrows were practically standing on end.
[I wonder: will Yan Changrou send her own mother to some man beforehand, or will her mother save her life ahead of time? Let’s wait and see!]
[Oh, wait, that’s not right—the male lead’s ‘Uncle Wang’ isn’t in Ancheng yet, so Yan Changrou probably can’t send her off just yet.]
[Oh my, I’m truly a good person—saving two people at once.]
While mentally awarding herself a ‘good person’ badge, Liu Xiyin left her seat at the main table.
Since Yan Ting had already left, they should be leaving too.
The other concubines and children cast meaningful glances at Song Mei’er and Yan Changrou before departing one after another.
Qin Wan said to Liu Xiyin, “A-Yin, come with me for a moment. A-Ye, go check if the return gifts have been loaded into the cars; make sure nothing is left behind.”
Yan Changye: “Understood, Mother.”
Liu Xiyin knew Qin Wan had something to say to her, so she obediently followed her.
Once they were out of the dining room, Qin Wan removed a jade hairpin from her own hair and placed it in Liu Xiyin’s. “The birthday gifts sent to the Liu family in previous years were prepared by me; they had nothing to do with A-Ye.”
She was worried that Liu Xiyin might be bothered by Yan Changrou’s words and mistake Yan Changye’s past actions as being deeply in love with Liu Mingyue.
Liu Xiyin touched the hairpin, her eyelashes lowered, her voice lacking confidence. “It’s fine, Mother. I only just returned, after all, and this marriage was originally my sister’s.”
Liu Mingyue had been the daughter of the Liu family for sixteen years and the prospective daughter-in-law of the Marshal’s mansion for just as long. It was only natural that both Qin Wan and Yan Changye had treated her well.
What kind of decent future in-laws would know they were betrothed to someone’s daughter and then not show them any concern at all?
So, Liu Xiyin could understand why, in the original book, Liu Mingyue’s mental state collapsed when she suddenly learned she was a fake and had to hand over her marriage.
As for Yan Changye… in the original book, the male lead was indeed very jealous of him. After all, the female lead had almost married Yan Changye. For the first sixteen years, and even for a long time after meeting the male lead, the female lead still harbored lingering feelings for Yan Changye.
But Yan Changye had his “aide-de-camp brother” now. Besides, when he was thrown to the front lines at twelve, Liu Mingyue was only four; he had absolutely no romantic feelings for her. Even when he encountered her later, he was only polite.
Except… for helping her twice?
That had only triggered even greater misunderstandings between the male and female leads.
In any case, it was impossible for Liu Xiyin to be jealous. If it weren’t for Yan Ting threatening her and the Liu family with a gun, Liu Xiyin would have been happy to let Liu Mingyue continue with the engagement.
If the great villain fought with the male lead, she wouldn’t have to be the one getting tossed about.
To suspect I’m a spy just because I nearly tripped… hmph, he doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness. He deserves to have his leg blown off.
When Yan Changye returned, he heard his little bride mentally muttering and cursing him again.
Heh.
Now he was even less likely to let her get her wish and divorce him.
Qin Wan gave Yan Changye a few instructions before letting him take Liu Xiyin away.
The carriage house had the cars ready. There were seven or eight cars following to provide escort, along with the return gifts.
Liu Xiyin got into the middle Lincoln with Yan Changye.
A true warlord, indeed. Driving a top-tier luxury car in the Republican era.
Liu Xiyin retreated to the edge of the car door once again.
She didn’t have anything to say to the great villain when they were alone; as long as he didn’t try to throttle her neck or suspect her of being a spy and kill her, she would be fine.
Yan Changye couldn’t be bothered with her, either.
Rationally speaking, he wasn’t familiar with his little bride, and this arrangement suited him perfectly.
But halfway there, Liu Xiyin suddenly said, “If the Young Marshal is busy investigating the explosives, I can return to my parents’ house on my own.”
Yan Changzhuo wasn’t even allowed to return to the Marshal’s mansion to eat because of yesterday’s events. If Yan Changye accompanied her back and it somehow jeopardized his career performance, she didn’t want the blame falling on her.
Yan Changye raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever seen a husband in the countryside who doesn’t accompany his wife when she returns to her parents’ home?”
She hadn’t even seen a husband act normally in the countryside—they had even made the bride embrace a rooster to conduct the wedding ceremony.
But she had read about it in many books.
In the book, Yan Changye hadn’t accompanied the Liu girl home.
Liu Xiyin offered a fawning smile. “You are naturally different from a husband in the countryside; I’m just afraid of delaying your military duties.”
Yan Changye leaned against the seat back and said coldly, “Why should I have to clean up someone else’s mess?”
“…” As expected, the son of a bandit.
“Oh.” Liu Xiyin pulled her head back and fell silent.
The Liu family’s residence was located in a golden area of Ancheng and occupied quite a large area—a special privilege granted because the old Master Liu had taken a bullet for Marshal Yan, and also the expected status for the future in-laws of the Marshal.
Because Liu Xiyin was returning home today, the entire Liu household was waiting at the door early.
Liu father, Liu Youcheng, the Director of the Military Supplies Department, had specifically taken leave to stay home and wait to receive his son-in-law, the Young Marshal.
The motorcade stopped one by one in front of the Liu residence.
Liu mother, Bai Manman, had a complex expression on her face.
It was her biological daughter who had returned, that was true.
But in the month since she had returned to the Liu household, this daughter appeared timid and cowardly on the surface—not even daring to eat with the rest of the family—yet behind their backs, she had done many things directed against Liu Mingyue.
It was true that she was the biological daughter of the Liu family, but Liu Mingyue had been carefully raised by Bai Manman, who had poured so much heart and soul into her. She couldn’t just drive her out now that she knew the truth.
Bai Manman couldn’t bear it, and she wouldn’t do such a thing.
After learning that Liu Mingyue was not her biological daughter, the Liu family had investigated why the children had been switched.
Bai Manman had been giving birth in Suzhou when enemy forces happened to enter the city. The hospital was thrown into chaos, and in the panic, the wet nurse had swapped her child with someone else’s.
Who was to blame for that? Mingyue, too, had suffered the pain of being separated from her biological parents.
The Liu family had also investigated; Liu Mingyue’s biological parents had already passed away in the chaos of war. As for how Liu Xiyin ended up with another farming family?
The locals said the master of that house—Liu Xiyin’s foster father—was a doctor in the countryside and had found her by the river while on his way home from treating a patient.
They couldn’t just send Liu Mingyue to live with that doctor; the doctor had no relation to her, and he wouldn’t want her anyway.
And Liu Mingyue hadn’t done anything wrong back then, either.
Being called a “fake” by the Marshal himself and having her sixteen-year engagement snatched away was already cruel enough for Liu Mingyue.
Bai Manman’s heart ached for her.
Why couldn’t Liu Xiyin understand that? Children raised by country folk simply lack a broad mind.
But with the Marshal himself suppressing them, ignoring the Liu family’s past contributions and Liu Youcheng’s pride, Bai Manman didn’t dare to do anything to Liu Xiyin; in fact, the entire Liu family didn’t dare.
Yet, watching her return with the Young Marshal—the man who was supposed to be Liu Mingyue’s husband—Bai Manman still felt a bitter taste in her heart.
Liu Mingyue hadn’t come out to greet them. She…
Yan Changye stepped out of the Lincoln and walked around the car to open the door for Liu Xiyin.
He was wearing a dark blue military uniform today, his golden medals and aiguillettes sparkling in the aftermath of the snowy day, making his entire aura even more coldly noble and dashing.
This was the man who had once bewitched the female lead into a daze.
Pity he’s gay.
Liu Xiyin’s fair, delicate hand rested in his broad, calloused palm, and he grasped it firmly to lead her from the car.
She was wearing a long, slant-front jacket in pale purple with morning glory patterns, paired with a dark blue satin horse-face skirt, which perfectly complemented the color of Yan Changye’s uniform.
Her pearl-encrusted embroidered shoes stepped onto the meticulously swept, clean ground in front of the Liu residence, looking exquisite and petite.
No one looking could tell that she had actually grown up in the countryside.