Only then did Mr. Chi feel relieved. He paid the full consultation fee and personally saw him out the door.

Shen Tangning twisted her leg and had difficulty walking, so Chi Yan took her mother back to the courtyard to sleep before returning.

She was sitting on the embroidery stool when he entered, and she asked, "Is Mother asleep?"

Chi Yan nodded, his shoulders slumped, and a hint of weariness unintentionally showed in his eyes.

Shen Tangning pointed to the stool next to her: "Sit."

He sat down as instructed, his eyes lowered as he was still deep in thought. When he looked up, he saw her looking at him hesitantly, and his lips relaxed: "What are you doing looking like this? Just say what you have to say."

Shen Tangning pursed her lips gently: "I never imagined you were in such dire straits in the past."

Having been mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for so many years, she knew perfectly well how difficult it was to get along with Lady Hou.

I thought only women would face the unpredictable nature of those in the inner quarters, but I never expected that even a man like Chi Yan would not be spared.

Chi Yan's gaze flickered for a moment, then he smiled nonchalantly: "It's all in the past."

"Why didn't you tell your parents before?" Shen Tangning already had the answer in her heart after asking this question.

Even if we knew, so what?

The second branch of the family was weak, and the old lady was biased, but it was just a matter of tearing off the mask of civility in advance.

Besides, without substantial evidence, what can anyone do to Lady Hou?

They might even be falsely accused and labeled.

Chi Yan's eyes darkened slightly, and he forced a smile: "What's the use of saying anything? Mother is on the verge of death, and Father has no backbone..."

He was young, and besides, who would believe that the seemingly amiable Lady Hou would do such a thing behind the scenes?

Marquis Ningyuan is the head of the family and does not participate in matters of the inner quarters, but if things really get out of hand, it goes without saying who he will side with.

As for the old lady, she was extremely biased. Chi Yan did try to beg her, but he ended up kneeling all night in the late autumn weather, and the old lady still wouldn't see him.

He felt it was bad luck because his mother suddenly fell seriously ill.

Shen Tangning lowered her eyes and slowly said, "I can understand how you feel. To outsiders, my father treats my mother and me very well, but some things are like drinking water; only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold."

From a young age, her father was very strict with her and Aci. As the eldest daughter, she had to set an example for her younger siblings and could not make any mistakes.

Even when she was very young, she knew that she had to painstakingly cultivate her reputation so that she could marry into a good family in the future, as if she were a commodity waiting to be sold.

Many people secretly disliked her, thinking she was hypocritical and pretentious, always putting on airs. In fact, Shen Tangning also loathed herself for this.

As a young girl, she inevitably longed for things she didn't have. She did her best in everything, but it was difficult to earn a smile from her father.

Shen Xiwei didn't have to do anything, yet her father doted on her.

Much later, Shen Tangning finally understood a principle: some things are destined to be unattainable, not because she was not good enough, but because the other person was not worthy of her.

She was clumsily trying to comfort him with her own experiences.

Chi Yan stared at her silently for a while, then quietly took the ointment left by the doctor.

Shen Tangning snapped out of her daze and asked, "What are you doing?"

Chi Yan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Applying medicine, isn't it a foot injury?"

She nearly bit her tongue, stammering, "I... I can do it myself."

His eyes revealed a playful expression: "Are you shy or something?"

Shen Tangning pursed her lips, not wanting to show any shyness: "It's just applying medicine, what's there to be shy about?"

When Chi Yan carefully removed her embroidered shoes, Shen Tangning's forced composure almost collapsed.