Chapter 72◇

This is his beloved wife; he can't throw her away.

Alright, Duan Jingchuan has come to agree with the fallacy in the lady's mouth.

It was a very interesting feeling. He and Feng Ran had a secret between them, or rather, Feng Ran had something she hadn't told him, but she didn't hide it at all. She even showed it off in front of him. He didn't feel unhappy at all. On the contrary, he watched with great interest, seeing what kind of clumsy acting his wife could put on.

He casually peeled a grape and held it to Feng Ran's lips. Even while Feng Ran was thinking, she didn't forget to take a bite.

Hmm, Feng Ran frowned, suddenly overcome with emotion, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling with sobs, "Husband, I'm so unhappy!"

Duan Jingchuan was calmly watching Feng Ran's performance when a hot tear fell on the back of his hand, making his heart clench and his mind go blank. "Don't cry! I'll agree to whatever you say. Why are you crying? Stop crying."

Duan Jingchuan frantically wiped away Feng Ran's tears, holding her in his arms and gently comforting her.

He now hated himself terribly. Why hadn't he offered to help his wife unconditionally earlier? Now, his wife had cried in distress. He deserved to die.

Feng Ran's tears were wiped away by Duan Jingchuan before she could shed even two drops. She blinked, but the tears seemed to have a mind of their own, refusing to fall a third. She quickly grabbed Duan Jingchuan's hand and said gruffly, "You've wiped away all my little emotions! I managed to squeeze these out with great difficulty! Give me another sour grape!"

Looking at his wife, who was curled up in his arms and acting all high and mighty about sour grapes, Duan Jingchuan had an urge to throw her out. So the culprit he had just felt sorry for was a sour grape? He clenched his fist, which had just been used to wipe away tears, sighed, and resignedly said, "No need for sour grapes. Just keep talking about what you have to say."

He didn't want to see Feng Ran shed tears again, even if those tears were caused by sour grapes.

Feng Ran swallowed hard and didn't ask for more grapes. To be honest, although she was not picky about meat and ate everything, she would avoid things that weren't very tasty if she could.

But she didn't hold back, saying, "Then it's settled. It's not that I wasn't emotional enough, it's that you stopped me. You can pretend I said the rest while I was crying."

Duan Jingchuan thought to himself: I'm the one who should be crying right now!

Even though he had a lot of complaints in his heart, Duan Jingchuan still looked distressed on the surface. "Go ahead and say it, I'm listening."

Feng Ran had intended to step out of Duan Jingchuan's arms so that her act of being wronged would be more genuine, but Duan Jingchuan's embrace was too warm and comfortable, and she couldn't bear to leave. She also thought that since her husband already knew she was faking it, it wouldn't hurt to go a little further.

"My husband, you don't know what a dream I just had. In the dream, I was young, pitiful, and helpless. I was abused since I was a child. Wu Fengqing, in order to seize the title of Miss, actually gave me a lot of medicine that was harmful to my body. In the dream, I died. Do you think I'm heartbroken?"

What? Duan Jingchuan's heart tightened, as if he had been pricked by fine needles, and he pulled Feng Ran out of his arms. He asked anxiously, "How are you feeling? Is anything wrong? No, I need to call a doctor."

Duan Jingchuan wasn't stupid, and neither was his wife. Although it was all in a dream, they both understood that this was what the body had actually experienced. He didn't know if this would affect his wife's current health. Call him selfish or unreasonable, he didn't care how much suffering the original owner had endured, but he worried that those sufferings would be passed on to his wife.

Before Feng Ran could finish her story, Duan Jingchuan interrupted her train of thought, saying that he needed to call a doctor. She quickly replied, "I'm fine. Do I look like I'm in trouble?"

Concern can cloud judgment. Duan Jingchuan knew how lively and energetic Feng Ran used to be, but he was still a little flustered when he suddenly heard the news. He still needed to call a doctor, but he could wait until after he had heard what his wife had to say.

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he thought, "I couldn't distinguish between dream and reality for a moment, and then what?"

Distracted like this, Feng Ran lost all interest in pretending and spoke the rest of her words in one breath with an extremely calm and even tone.

"That drug wasn't fatal; it just made me weaker and weaker. Until the day I married you, in my dream, I couldn't think straight and cried myself to death from depression. Husband, do you think I should take revenge? After all, someone just died like that. Although Wu Fengqing wasn't the mastermind, she is definitely responsible for my death in the dream."

Duan Jingchuan couldn't stand Feng Ran talking about death, so he quickly corrected her, "It was Wu Feng Ran's death in the dream."

Feng Ran's eyelashes trembled. She neither agreed nor denied Duan Jingchuan's words, and continued, "Husband, the most satisfying way I can think of is to slap her twice. But if her status rises, I can't just hit her anymore. What should I do then?"

Duan Jingchuan understood. His wife didn't want Wu Fengqing to die, but she also wanted to teach her a lesson. He pursed his lips and said metaphorically, "Since she made a mistake in her dream, she will definitely learn her lesson. Madam, please don't worry."

Feng Ran bit her lip, unusually showing kindness, and said with some shame, "Husband, have I made things difficult for you?"

"It's just a dream, nothing serious. As long as my wife is by my side, I'm not afraid of any more dreams." Duan Jingchuan smiled again, his familiar and tolerant smile showing no sign of Feng Ran causing him any trouble.

Once she understood the meaning of those words, Feng Ran felt a huge weight lifted from her heart. She had thought about how to resolve this matter countless times, but she couldn't come up with a good solution.

The two residences are far apart, and she couldn't possibly go back to her parents' home to cause trouble, as that might bring trouble to Duan Jingchuan. Since her husband said he would handle this matter, it would surely be resolved satisfactorily. No matter what, her husband is the best.

Feeling relieved, Feng Ran regained her composure and praised Duan Jingchuan in a soft voice, "Husband, you are so smart. I didn't say anything, but you understood."

Duan Jingchuan raised an eyebrow. Even a lie he told was so convincing that anyone would know something was amiss. Combined with what Feng Ran had revealed herself, it wouldn't be difficult to guess seven or eight out of ten things. The real challenge was whether the remaining two or three points would have a devastating impact on him.

Just in case, Duan Jingchuan continued, "Is it that we can't say, or is the time not right yet?"

Feng Ran kept rubbing her feet on the ground, feeling a little guilty, and said in a breathy voice, "It's just that it's hard to say, what if I get struck by lightning?"

She was genuinely afraid. She already felt incredibly guilty for inexplicably taking over someone else's body. She didn't consider herself to have made any contribution to the world, and the unexpected opportunity she had received made her restless. Therefore, she dared not reveal any of her origins and tried her best to do good deeds.

Of course, she didn't quite remember where it came from, so she couldn't say anything. If she didn't even know the truth of the matter and only offered guesses, it would only cause others more trouble and might even bring uncontrollable consequences to herself.

Duan Jingchuan was so frightened by Feng Ran's words that his hair stood on end. He really hadn't expected this outcome. He quickly stopped Feng Ran from saying anything more and hugged her in his arms. "Don't say anything more, and don't say anything more in the future. I won't ask again."

He was more afraid of Feng Ran being hurt than of seeking the so-called truth.

Back in her favorite embrace, Feng Ran took two deep breaths, her heart pounding with nonchalance. "Yes, I feel so wronged. Let me take a few more breaths."

......

This is his beloved wife; he can't throw her away.

Duan Jingchuan was thankful that his heart was still strong, otherwise he would have been frightened into serious injury by his wife's sudden outbursts sooner or later.

The person in his arms nuzzled him more and more vigorously, even complaining that it wasn't enough through their clothes, and tugged at his neck a couple of times with their little hands, feeling a soft, warm sensation.

"Madam, can't you be serious for once?" Duan Jingchuan was so engrossed in the act that he felt utterly hopeless, his neck forced back, and he managed to utter a sound with difficulty.

Feng Ran, her eyes alluring, whispered in Duan Jingchuan's ear, "Do you mean daytime or nighttime?"

When Feng Ran gets unserious, she can always surprise people. Duan Jingchuan is usually harmless during the day, but Feng Ran has become much bolder.

Just as Feng Ran had predicted, Duan Jingchuan's neck turned completely red at an incredible speed, and his breathing became erratic.

She pressed on, "Husband, people say that one should be consistent in word and deed. Do you think I should change that too, hmm~" When she got to the last word, Feng Ran's "hmm" was incredibly hesitant and lingering.

Duan Jingchuan's voice trembled, "No, no need." The perks at night were pretty good, and the daytime seemed alright too?

Completely captivated by Duan Jingchuan's shy face, Feng Ran's eyes sparkled. "Husband, let's let loose during the day!"

It's not noon yet! Duan Jingchuan wanted it but felt it would be inappropriate, so he reluctantly refused, "How about I invite Miss Chunyu over, and also invite a doctor?"

Feng Ran was constantly clinging to him, and he couldn't keep up. Her nighttime antics were one thing, but he really couldn't handle it during the day. Chunyu Lan was also someone she liked, and still a young woman; having her come over to keep the lady company and relieve her boredom wouldn't be bad.

Duan Jingchuan thought so.

It's been a long time since I've seen my adorable Lanlan. Feng Ran made a face at Duan Jingchuan, but don't think she doesn't know what he's thinking. She's just being a hypocrite.

Duan Jingchuan felt as if he were on fire. He kissed Feng Ran's forehead reluctantly and coaxed her softly, "How about we see a doctor first?"

Feng Ran didn't cause any trouble and directly nodded in agreement.

She really needed to understand the original owner's physical condition; she hadn't known this before and had overlooked it.

To be on the safe side, Duan Jingchuan directly invited the old military doctor who had served the Marquis's residence for many years. Not only was the doctor tight-lipped, but his medical skills were also extremely high.

Doctor Li had been supported by the Marquis of Dingbei's household for many years, and the patient he most wanted to see was Duan Jingchuan, but he had never succeeded.

Yes, Dr. Li firmly believed that Duan Jingchuan's previous withdrawal into his room, refusal to see people, and refusal to communicate were a kind of illness, not a drastic change in personality. As for his occasional manic-depressive behavior and occasional self-harm tendencies, they were also caused by some kind of illness. Unfortunately, no one in the Marquis's mansion thought it was an illness. They only said that he had a twisted personality. Even if they wanted to invite a doctor, they would not invite him, for fear that he would use Duan Jingchuan as some kind of experimental subject.

In all honesty, he did want to collect more strange and unusual medical cases, but he wouldn't be so insane as to conduct research on the host family's child.

That's absolutely impossible... well, well, he can't guarantee it either.

When Duan Jingchuan summoned him this time, he thought he would have the chance to meet the patient who had piqued his interest. Although he heard that the patient was now normal, that would only prove that he had been sick before. Doctor Li stroked his three sparse long beards, smiled lewdly, and rubbed his hands together, waiting to verify his guess.

A note from the author:

Duan Jingchuan: You're such a scoundrel.

Feng Ran: Waaah, have you changed your mind? I can't even touch you a couple of times.

Duan Jingchuan laboriously revealed his abs: Okay.