“I…”
Bai Qingzhou looked embarrassed.
In the end, wanting to stop Shen Mianmian from overthinking, he reluctantly admitted the truth.
“I… am afraid of Father.”
Understanding immediately dawned on Shen Mianmian.
In the original novel, the Marquis of Anning had been a famous general in his youth.
Claiming he could defeat a hundred enemies alone might be an exaggeration, but taking on ten at once certainly wasn’t.
After being wounded, he left the front lines and instead commanded troops outside the capital.
He was also entrusted by the Emperor with training the Imperial Guards.
The Imperial Guards answered directly to the throne.
Their equipment and combat ability were among the best in the empire.
Selecting and training them was a responsibility of enormous importance.
Anyone entrusted with that duty had to be exceptionally strict.
Given that, it wasn’t surprising that Bai Qingzhou feared his father.
The moment he said it, however, Bai Qingzhou regretted it.
What woman liked a weak coward?
Right now…
He felt very much like one.
Unexpectedly, Shen Mianmian nodded.
“I’m afraid too.”
“…?”
Bai Qingzhou blinked in surprise.
Shen Mianmian smiled.
“Why are you so shocked?”
“Everyone feels fear.”
“Not just people—even animals.”
“Fear is one of the most important survival instincts in nature.”
“If creatures didn’t know fear or how to hide, they would’ve been eaten into extinction long ago.”
“So being afraid isn’t shameful.”
Bai Qingzhou laughed bitterly.
“You’re trying to comfort me.”
Shen Mianmian grinned.
“You misunderstand.”
“The Marquis is a man who has fought wars.”
“Even enemy armies fear him.”
“So how could ordinary people like us not be afraid?”
“If the Marquis couldn’t intimidate people like us, how would he ever command soldiers?”
“Heir, don’t you think that’s true?”
“…”
Bai Qingzhou thought about it for a moment.
Then sighed softly.
“Mianmian.”
“You’re really good at comforting people.”
Shen Mianmian merely smiled.
She didn’t bother arguing.
Because he was right.
She had absolutely been comforting him.
She had simply used a little trick.
Instead of framing it as a son fearing his father, she had quietly reframed it as ordinary people respecting a military hero.
The goal was to make him feel better.
Judging from his reaction, however, she hadn’t completely fooled him.
The little phoenix chick might be timid.
But he wasn’t stupid.
While talking, they arrived at the main courtyard.
Amid the servants’ greetings, Shen Mianmian followed Bai Qingzhou through the courtyard and into the main hall.
The moment she stepped across the threshold, she felt an invisible pressure.
No wonder he’s scared, she thought.
I kind of am too.
Immediately she lowered her head and adopted the humble posture of a concubine who “didn’t belong on such occasions.”
Following Bai Qingzhou’s lead, she paid respects to the Marquis, Madam Ding, and Jiang Yinjin, who had arrived ahead of them.
“Enough.”
“Everyone sit.”
The speaker was Madam Ding.
“This servant thanks Madam.”
Shen Mianmian sat obediently.
Jiang Yinjin occupied a seat above her.
Bai Qingzhou sat diagonally opposite, beneath the Marquis’ position of honor.
The moment she sat down, Jiang Yinjin’s gentle voice drifted over.
“You’re here.”
“Oh… yes.”
“I arrived late.”
Shen Mianmian answered quickly.
Inside, she couldn’t help thinking:
If I hadn’t read the novel and known she hates me to the bone, I might actually believe that warmth.
As expected of the heroine.
Able to bend when necessary.
Excellent acting skills. Ten out of ten.
Jiang Yinjin smiled.
“Not at all.”
“We haven’t started dinner yet.”
As she spoke, the corner of her eye flicked toward Madam Ding.
Sure enough.
She caught the satisfaction hidden in the older woman’s gaze.
Madam Ding’s thinking was simple:
If her son was happy, she was happy.
In other words, as long as Jiang Yinjin didn’t interfere with Bai Qingzhou and Shen Mianmian’s relationship, she was a qualified wife.
Jiang Yinjin’s lips curved into a faintly mocking smile.
The Marquis can’t perform as a husband.
Madam has spent years in a marriage without intimacy.
And yet she assumes every woman would willingly endure the same thing.
How ridiculous.
In her previous life, Jiang Yinjin herself had endured a half-lifetime of loneliness.
All while being repeatedly provoked by Shen Mianmian.
Eventually she died consumed by depression and resentment.
This time, she had no intention of spending her life as a lonely widow.
She wanted to become an actual widow.
She wanted Bai Qingzhou dead.
She wanted Shen Mianmian dead.
And she wanted the entire Marquis of Anning’s household destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Marquis was speaking to Bai Qingzhou.
Or rather…
Scolding him.
He addressed his son exactly the way he would address soldiers under his command.
Bai Qingzhou sat with his head lowered, quietly accepting every rebuke.
Shen Mianmian glanced over.
And immediately froze.
Wait.
That’s the Marquis of Anning?
The man seated at the head of the table wore dark robes.
Because they were summer garments, the material was relatively thin.
Beneath the cloth, the outlines of tightly packed muscles were almost visible.
He was tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Narrow-waisted.
Without an ounce of excess fat.
His skin was a healthy bronze.
Sharp features.
Sword-like brows.
Bright eyes.
A face carved as though by a blade.
Every inch of him radiated masculine strength.
Perhaps due to years of martial training—or perhaps for other reasons—he wore no beard.
As a result, he appeared far younger than his actual age.
He looked barely over thirty.
Yet judging from Bai Qingzhou’s age, the Marquis should have been around thirty-seven or thirty-eight.
The novel never said he was this handsome!
And another thing…
Why did Bai Qingzhou look nothing like him?
The heir was pale and delicate.
He resembled Madam Ding much more.
What a waste.
Such excellent genes.
And they won’t be passed on anymore.
After all…
The Marquis could no longer have children.
Without realizing it, Shen Mianmian stole several more glances.
She was extremely careful.
She avoided the Marquis’ eyes.
Avoided Madam Ding’s.
Avoided Jiang Yinjin’s.
Unfortunately…
She forgot about one person.
At some point, Bai Qingzhou had stopped lowering his head.
Now he was staring directly at her.
Those clear black eyes were sharp enough to see straight through her thoughts.
Shen Mianmian immediately lowered her head.
Oh no!
This is a misunderstanding!
Then again…
Maybe a misunderstanding wasn’t so bad.
Ideally, he’d quietly lose interest in her and banish her to some metaphorical cold palace.
As long as there wasn’t a fight.
Because arguments would upset Madam Ding.
An upset Madam Ding would grow closer to Jiang Yinjin.
Jiang Yinjin would influence her toward Prince Jin.
And everything would spiral toward disaster.
Her wishes had always been simple.
Painfully simple.
For the rest of the gathering, Shen Mianmian kept her head lowered.
Though…
She desperately wanted to look at the Marquis again.
That physique.
Those broad back muscles.
Those massive biceps.
Surely eight-pack abs weren’t even a question.
And that face…
Cold.
Restrained.
Severe.
Who would’ve guessed that the happiest woman in this entire novel was actually Madam Ding?
Then again…
Upon further thought, perhaps Madam Ding was rather pitiful too.
After all, having a husband that handsome but being unable to enjoy the benefits was its own kind of torture.
The Marquis continued lecturing his son for quite some time.
By the end, Bai Qingzhou’s delicate face had gone completely pale.
Only then did Madam Ding intervene and urge everyone to begin dinner.
The family moved to the dining hall.
Throughout the meal, the Marquis stopped criticizing him.
But every glance he directed toward Bai Qingzhou carried unmistakable disappointment.
Naturally, the atmosphere remained unpleasant.
Because Bai Qingzhou was in a poor mood, neither of them visited the training grounds.
Fortunately, neither had eaten much dinner.
Shen Mianmian spent the evening studying regular-script copybooks instead of practicing.
As she read, she occasionally stole glances toward Bai Qingzhou.
The entire evening, he sat alone by the window on a couch.
Not once did he join her at the table.
Moonlight streamed through the open window.
Its silver glow illuminated his pale face.
He resembled a flawless pearl lost in the mortal world.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
And heartbreakingly fragile.
Shen Mianmian remembered seeing him in the main courtyard earlier.
Head lowered.
Face pale.
Enduring his father’s relentless criticism.
For some reason, her chest tightened.
She shook her head.
None of my business.
Then returned to her calligraphy.
Yet the image lingered.
That lonely figure sitting by himself.
Again and again.
After struggling internally for quite a while, she finally sighed.
Setting aside her copybook, she walked over and sat on the other side of the couch.
“Heir.”
“What are you thinking about?”
At first, he didn’t answer.
Several moments passed.
His eyelashes fluttered.
Slowly, he withdrew his gaze from the moonlit night outside.
His eyes were cool as moonlight itself.
Then he asked quietly:
“…Do you like my father?”
Shen Mianmian froze.
Then exploded.
“Are you insane?!”
“He’s my father-in-law!”
“My tastes aren’t that extreme!”