Chapter 45, can you be serious for once?

Ye Mingzhu turned around to look.

Sheng Yunche, dressed in an indigo robe, stood behind her, his face indifferent, coldly glancing at Sheng Huai'an, his displeasure written all over his face.

Sheng Huai'an stepped forward, bowed anxiously, and said, "Cousin, Zhuzhu and I..."

At this point, he seemed to realize his slip of the tongue and suddenly stopped.

He glanced back at Ye Mingzhu with worry and guilt before turning back to Sheng Yunche and saying cautiously, "Cousin, my sister-in-law and I didn't mean to meet in secret behind your back, really!"

"I needed something from her, which is why I stopped her. I only said a few words to her and didn't do anything inappropriate!"

"We can't possibly do anything out of line in public..."

“If you are angry, I will let you punish me as you please. But please don’t get angry at Zhuzhu… no, I mean, at your sister-in-law, because it will affect your relationship as husband and wife.”

"..."

Sheng Huai'an bowed deeply to Sheng Yunche.

When he made his grand gesture, Baozan and Ruyi were so angry that their faces turned red. They tried to retort several times, but Ye Mingzhu stopped them without making a sound.

She analyzed Sheng Huai'an's intentions and found it all amusing.

Calling her by her childhood name in front of Sheng Yunche was just the most basic tactic. Phrases like "there was no secret meeting," "there was no overstepping of boundaries," and "you can punish her, don't get angry at your sister-in-law" were all aimed at undermining Sheng Yunche's male dignity.

It appears to be clarifying a misunderstanding, but in reality it's sowing discord.

They seem anxious and worried, but in reality, they are adding fuel to the fire.

But he didn't know that she and Sheng Yunche were just business partners, and there was no romantic relationship between them. At most, he just... liked to touch and caress her a little.

Thinking of this, Ye Mingzhu smiled faintly and looked at Sheng Yunche with curiosity.

She wanted to know how he would handle it.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but when she looked at Sheng Yunche expectantly, although he didn't look at her again, the corner of his lips seemed to twitch.

Ye Mingzhu didn't have to wait long. Sheng Yunche casually raised his hand and instructed the person behind him who was neither sad nor happy: "Too noisy, slap him twenty times."

Ye Mingzhu blinked, somewhat surprised.

A disagreement escalates into a physical fight?

Sheng Huai'an's expression changed drastically, and he retreated three steps.

His mind flashed through Sheng Yunche's past actions, and he recalled the private comments people in Yanjing made about him, such as "scheming and ruthless" and "reckless and arrogant." He turned and ran.

They no longer cared about manners or integrity.

There's no point in reasoning with someone like Sheng Yunche; staying would only make things more uncivilized!

But he had only taken one step when Bu Xi twisted his hands behind his back and kicked him hard in the back of the knee. With a "thud," he knelt heavily on the bluestone ground, his knees hurting as if they were splitting open.

The next moment, Bu Bei grabbed his hair forcefully, stuffed a cloth into his mouth, and slapped him hard across the face with a blank expression.

Those who practice martial arts possess extraordinary strength. Sheng Huai'an was beaten so badly that he saw stars and felt dizzy after only a few blows.

Pain! Anger!

His eyes were red with anger, and he was panting heavily.

His heart felt like a pot of hot oil was boiling and churning, causing him immense torment; he wished he could kill Sheng Yunche.

But he could do nothing. He was held captive by Bu Xi and could not move. He could only endure one slap after another in humiliation.

After receiving twenty slaps, he collapsed to the ground like a dead dog, unable to hide his jealousy any longer, and glared fiercely at Sheng Yunche.

He withdrew tactfully, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

Wherever his gaze fell, he saw the tall, handsome man glance at him disdainfully, grab Ye Mingzhu's slender nape with one hand, and amidst her small gasp, lean down and kiss her rosy, full lips.

Grind it little by little, and savor it to your heart's content.

He didn't take him seriously, but he insisted on asserting his dominance in front of him, retaliating against his clownish provocations...

In front of him...

Suddenly, he felt a dull pain in his chest and abdomen, and Sheng Huai'an vomited a mouthful of blood, fainting from anger.

...

Linfeng Hall.

Sheng Yunche leisurely walked to the round table, sat down, poured himself a glass of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

Ye Mingzhu sat down beside him and asked a question that had been on her mind for a while: "Lord Duke, if you find me noisy in the future, will you hit me?"

Sheng Yunche lifted his eyelids and glanced at her lightly: "No."

"Can you guarantee that?" Ye Mingzhu pressed, her dark almond-shaped eyes glancing at the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk. "Can I sign and put my fingerprint on it?"

Given his unpredictable personality, she felt more at ease this way.

Sheng Yunche looked up at her, suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his arms and locked her in place, then lowered his head to seal her incoherent red lips with a kiss.

He'll show her with his actions how he'll shut her up.

It will definitely not be like how Sheng Huai'an was dealt with before.

After the kiss ended, Ye Mingzhu leaned weakly against him, breathing softly. She felt both angry and ashamed, and pinched his strong, thin arm that was wrapped around her slender waist.

Sheng Yunche seemed to feel no pain at all. He lifted her slender hand with one hand, admiring the new color on her nails, and asked casually, "Is this dyed with balsam flowers?"

"Hmm..." Ye Mingzhu asked casually, "Is it pretty?"

“It looks good…” Sheng Yunche chuckled softly, glancing down at her collar and saying meaningfully, “But I prefer peach pink to bright red.”

With a loud "boom," as if lightning had exploded in her mind, Ye Mingzhu's face instantly turned red.

That libertine!

She was extremely embarrassed and stammered, "Can you...can you be serious for once? Don't say that again!"

"You're not going to use 'you' anymore?" Sheng Yunche asked.

Ye Mingzhu: "...?"

Is this the important point?!

Sheng Yunche smiled again and deliberately asked, "I only said I like peach pink, what were you thinking? Could it be..."

Seeing his gaze about to slide down her face and land on her clothes again, Ye Mingzhu panicked and acted before she could think. She grabbed his face with both hands, preventing him from looking down.

The handsome and unrestrained man possessed a dashing appearance and exceptional good looks, but at this moment, his face was distorted by her pulling, making him look somewhat comical.

Ironically, this incident helped to alleviate her embarrassment and anger.

Ye Mingzhu tried to hold back but couldn't help laughing out loud. Her words sounded more like a coquettish remark: "You're such a scoundrel, I think you deserve twenty slaps!"

"You want to hit me?" Sheng Yunche raised an eyebrow, took her hand and patted it on his face. "Come on."

After her initial surprise, Ye Mingzhu became eager to try: "...You really want me to do it?"

"yes."

"It doesn't matter how many times you weigh?"

“Fine.” Sheng Yunche looked at her intently, a half-smile on his face. “But you got what you wanted, and I must get what I want too. One slap, one exchange. The harder the slap, the harder I’ll use on you when we consummate our marriage.”

Ye Mingzhu: "..."

Her little face turned serious.

She wisely restrained her thoughts and changed the subject, asking, "You finished your shift so early today, so we can have dinner together tonight. Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll ask the kitchen to prepare it."

As she spoke, she got up from his embrace and walked quickly outside.

Her response was Sheng Yunche's unrestrained and cheerful laughter, as if he were laughing at her cowardice.

Ye Mingzhu glanced back at him and decided not to argue with him!

After dinner, it got dark before we knew it.

After doing some chores, it's time to go to bed again in the blink of an eye.

The chirping of insects could be heard outside the window, while only a dim lamp was lit inside the room.

Ye Mingzhu helped Sheng Yunche take off his outer garment, walked to the bedside and lifted the quilt. Suddenly remembering something, she turned to look at Sheng Yunche standing behind her.

"My Lord, I have something I'd like to ask you, may I?"

"explain."

Ye Mingzhu asked curiously, "Did you agree to the forced marriage because of the secret medicine I had, hoping I could cure your illness? Or was it for some other reason?"

She had been curious about this for a long time.

Sheng Yunche suddenly stopped being in a hurry to sleep.

Meeting Ye Mingzhu's clear and charming eyes, he looked down and pinched her chin, his slender fingers slowly caressing the delicate, jade-like skin at the corner of her lips, and asked with a hint of a smile, "What do you think?"