The letter clearly stated that Xiao Jue visited the hot pot restaurant that day and chatted and laughed with Lin Yan.

After that, he would always send opening gifts every few days.

Looking at these letters, Xie Muqing felt a strong sense of threat rising in his heart for no reason.

Because he was young at the time, he didn't have much contact with Xiao Jue.

Since he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Su and left the capital for his fiefdom, they have not seen each other again for many years.

But Xiao Jue had an excellent reputation in the capital back then!

She's worlds apart from Xie Muqing...

Xiao Jue was not only handsome and kind, but also exceptionally talented.

He was once the top choice for husband among the noble ladies of the capital.

Of course, after he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Su, most of these noble ladies' ambitions were put to rest.

After all, the Northwest is too far from the capital.

And they had so many princes to choose from.

But it's different in the Northwest.

Many people may spend their entire lives without ever meeting anyone more noble than Prince Su...

Xie Muqing is now very worried that Lin Yan will take a liking to Xiao Jue!

After all, she came from a peasant family and had never seen much of the world.

If you suddenly meet a prince who is both handsome and gentle, it's quite possible that you might fall in love with him!

He now even suspects that Xiao Jue has taken a liking to Lin Yan...

After all, back in the capital, he had never shown any special care for any woman!

Xie Muqing became increasingly uneasy the more she thought about it.

His biggest worry right now is that he might be abandoned less than a hundred days after he joined the family...

His unease persisted until Lin Yan returned home, and it only intensified!

This time, she brought back many fruits, snacks and treats from the capital city.

These are all fresh goods that are not available in the town or the county seat.

Lin Yan divided the item into three parts.

One portion was given to the family, one to the Xie family, and another was distributed to the women in the workshop.

After not seeing Lin Yan for half a month, the family missed her very much!

Mr. and Mrs. Ye Lan happily went straight to knead the dough, preparing to make dumplings.

Lin Muyan and Lin Yu even stopped eating snacks and stayed by her side every step of the way.

Lin Yan was a little tired from riding horses for a long time, so she brought out a deck chair and sunbathed in the yard with her younger siblings.

It was midday, and the warm winter sun felt very comfortable.

After sunbathing for a while, she began to feel drowsy.

Before closing her eyes, Lin Yan suddenly realized that she had overlooked something!

Since she arrived home, Xie Muqing has been very quiet!

This is very wrong...

After all, he used to call her "wife" all the time.

She took so long to get home today, and he didn't even say a word...

Lin Yan was instantly wide awake. After instructing Yang Jiayi to look after her younger siblings, she went to the main room.

Xie Muqing was indeed in the study.

He was holding a book in his hand, but he was holding it upside down!

Lin Yan had never seen anything like this before!

"Xie Muqing, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

Upon hearing her voice, Xie Muqing's gaze finally began to focus.

He slowly raised his head from the book, his eyes seemingly filled with a sorrowful lament.

When she met his eyes, Lin Yan shuddered; she felt like she was Chen Shimei, the man who abandoned his wife…

"Um, are you alright?"

Xie Muqing didn't answer her question, but instead gave an irrelevant answer, suddenly asking her:

"What does Your Highness Prince Su think of him?"

Although she didn't know why he suddenly asked that question, Lin Yan still answered it truthfully as usual:

"Your Highness Prince Su? He's a good man! He's handsome and righteous. I only helped him twice, and he gave me money and advertised for me. If it weren't for him, my hot pot restaurant in the prefecture would still be barely surviving!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Muqing's aura instantly turned icy!

The temperature around us seemed to drop considerably because of him.

Even though Lin Yan was slow to realize it, she belatedly noticed his rapid change in attitude.

He couldn't help but wonder if Xie Muqing and Xiao Jue had ever been at odds back in the capital...

Thinking of this, she quickly changed her words:

"However, compared to you, his looks are still far inferior!"

Sure enough, after Lin Yan finished speaking, Xie Muqing's ears quickly turned bright red.

There was an unconcealable shyness in those peach blossom eyes!

He lifted his eyelids and looked uncertainly at Lin Yan, his thick, long eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Really?"

Seeing that he had returned to his former self, Lin Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems she guessed right...

"Of course! I never lie! Besides, to me, Prince Su is just a figurehead to attract business!"

Her efforts to distance herself and prove herself pleased Xie Muqing.

A smile finally returned to his lips.

When her stunningly beautiful face broke into a smile, everything around her seemed to pale in comparison.

Meeting those captivating, smiling eyes, Lin Yan felt as if her bones had melted...

"Sister! Are you home?"

A hurried voice suddenly rang out in the courtyard.

It was Xie Sheng.

Lin Yan instantly snapped out of her daze, comforted Xie Muqing, and strode out of the room.

As soon as she came out, she was met with Xie Sheng's anxious little face.

"What's wrong?"

"Sister, could I borrow your carriage? My sister hasn't come home yet. Usually, she and Brother Wende would have returned by now in a donkey cart. I don't know why they haven't come back yet. I want to go to town to check."

Even though Xie Sheng is precocious, he is still just an eleven-year-old child, and he was so anxious when something happened that he almost cried.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!