Chapter 20: "Yun Sheng, come here."
"You're back," Yun Sheng murmured in surprise.
But to Xiao Xu, this tone only made his expression darken further.
Xiao Xu glanced coldly at Yang Qinhuai, then spoke to Yun Sheng: "When I returned and found you weren't in the house, I asked around and then came to Yi'an Hall to pick you up."
As he spoke, he naturally reached for her hand, but not just held it; he also pulled her half a step back to his side, awkwardly placing himself between her and Yang Qinhuai.
Yang Qinhuai remained unchanged, bowing respectfully as he had done from a distance that day, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Xiao Xu ignored him, and the atmosphere seemed to freeze again.
Yun Sheng explained, "I just came out of Yi'an Hall and happened to run into Brother Yang here, so we exchanged a few pleasantries."
"You two know each other?"
Xiao Xu increased the pressure on Yun Sheng's hand, his fingers pinching the soft flesh at the base of Yun Sheng's thumb. In this atmosphere, the ordinary act of holding hands between husband and wife inexplicably gave rise to a sense of shame for being too intimate in front of others.
Yang Qinhuai calmly replied, "Your Highness knows that I was classmates with the Crown Princess's elder brother at the academy."
"I never expected that we would get to know each other despite our distant relationship."
Yang Qinhuai smiled and said, "Indeed, this acquaintance is more due to fate."
Xiao Xu glanced at him.
"Although we are acquaintances, I still need to formally introduce you to Yun Sheng, your cousin-in-law."
"You were still recovering from a cold a couple of days ago, so I only saw you from afar. Now that we've met, let's make up for it by showing proper courtesy."
Yang Qinhuai lowered his eyes, remained silent for a while, and then said in a low voice, "It should be so."
He then turned to bow to Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng suddenly made a noise behind Xiao Xu. She turned to the side and beckoned Cui Zhu over.
Yang Qinhuai paused, and Xiao Xu turned to look at her.
Yun Sheng called Cui Zhu over and whispered, "Go back to the east courtyard and tell the servants to prepare the meal."
"Yes, Princess Consort."
Cuizhu turned and walked away quickly.
After Yun Sheng looked away, she saw Xiao Xu's gaze and explained in a low voice, "I'm hungry, and I was thinking that I could eat as soon as I got back to my room."
Didn't you have breakfast?
Yun Sheng shook her head, her mind working quickly, and she found an excuse.
She lowered her voice so that only Xiao Xu could hear: "After you went out, I was bored by myself, and I didn't feel hungry at the time."
In fact, after Xiao Xu left, she hurriedly washed up and then immersed herself in the storybook, so she didn't have time to eat.
However, it was true that she was hungry.
Xiao Xu's voice remained unchanged as he said, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, "It was my fault. I should have had breakfast with you this morning before leaving."
Yang Qinhuai overheard this, and Yun Sheng blushed. She quickly said, "It's almost time. Brother Yang, don't you have things to do? Changyu and I will head back first."
Xiao Xu didn't give Yang Qinhuai a chance to speak, or perhaps Yang Qinhuai didn't intend to say anything.
After Yun Sheng politely said goodbye, Xiao Xu took her hand and turned to head towards the east courtyard.
Yang Qinhuai stood there, watching the two figures disappear for a long time.
He only turned and walked in the opposite direction of Yi'an Hall after they disappeared around the corner.
As noon approached, the sun shone brightly.
The footsteps on the bluestone path under the shade of the trees mingled and echoed.
Yun Sheng took some steps with difficulty, as she couldn't keep up with Xiao Xu's stride due to the difference in their heights.
"Changyu, slow down. Why are you walking so fast today?"
Xiao Xu wasn't actually walking very fast, not nearly as fast as when he arrived, but he was definitely taking bigger steps than when he was walking alongside Yun Sheng.
After Yun Sheng finished speaking, he slowed down: "Weren't you hungry? I was thinking of taking you back for a meal as soon as possible."
Yun Sheng didn't dwell on it too much, and could only laugh at her, saying that no matter how hungry she was, she didn't need to walk in such a hurry.
Yun Sheng said, "Why did you decide to come to Yi'an Hall to pick me up? The servants in the courtyard must have said that I would be back in a while. You've made an extra trip."
"If Mother invites you to stay for a meal, wouldn't I be left alone in my room?"
Seeing that he was still in the mood to joke, the strange feeling that Yun Sheng had just sensed disappeared.
She smiled and said, "I also told my mother that you would be back before noon. Since my mother already knows, why would she ask me to stay for lunch?"
Xiao Xu said calmly, "Well, if I hadn't come to pick you up, and you were having such a pleasant conversation with Yang Qinhuai, you probably wouldn't have been back so soon."
Yun Sheng was taken aback and looked at Xiao Xu suspiciously, only to see that he was expressionless, as if he had just said something unimportant.
She paused for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Changyu, don't you and Brother Yang get along well?"
"No."
"Although he is my cousin, we rarely interact and are not familiar with each other."
"I see."
Xiao Xu returned the question to her: "And you, what's your relationship like?"
Yun Sheng said frankly, "Didn't you just say that you were just my brother's classmate in the past, but we are not close?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xu's dark expression softened slightly.
However, Yun Sheng then said, "But when I was a child, about ten years ago, I often saw Brother Yang. He was on good terms with my brother and often came to our house as a guest."
"Back then, I always wanted to play with my older brothers, but they were already teenagers, while I was just a little child. They would talk about poetry, literature, and geography, but I couldn't understand a word. My older brothers didn't know how to say sweet words to cheer me up, but Brother Yang would always..."
"Sheng Sheng," Xiao Xu suddenly interrupted her.
"ah?"
"Since our relationship has become distant, we should keep some distance if we happen to meet at his residence in the future."
Yun Sheng opened her mouth: "...Why?"
Xiao Xu stopped in his tracks, his usually calm expression slightly furrowing his brow.
Yun Sheng looked at Xiao Xu quietly, and an absurd idea suddenly popped into her mind.
Is Xiao Xu jealous?
The idea had barely surfaced when Yun Sheng dismissed it with amusement.
Regardless of whether she and Yang Qinhuai are truly estranged, they haven't seen each other since their brief encounter behind the artificial hill two years ago, and they only exchanged a few simple pleasantries just now.
How could Xiao Xu be such a petty and narrow-minded person?
At this moment, Xiao Xu said, "We are married now, and you are the heir apparent of the Prince's mansion. You should keep your distance from him."
"Also, you shouldn't call him that anymore. He should call you 'cousin-in-law'."
Yun Sheng: "..."
Hearing similar words again, Yun Sheng no longer cared about whether Xiao Xu was jealous or not.
In just a few days after marrying Xiao Xu, her identity changed drastically; even her brother's friend suddenly became her cousin.
She was no longer surrounded by her older brothers and sisters. Because of Xiao Xu's advanced age, she inexplicably became the sister-in-law of many people and also gained several younger brothers.
Xiao Xu seemed particularly concerned about correcting his identity.
Although it should be this way, she still felt a little awkward.
Looking at his cold and rigid appearance, Yun Sheng felt as if he was about to say that the rules could not be broken.
She could only reluctantly say "oh" and move on from the topic: "Let's hurry up, we're almost at the East Courtyard, I'm starving."
Back in the East Courtyard, lunch was just being served.
The aroma of the food instantly banished all other emotions from Yun Sheng's mind, leaving only craving and joy.
Xiao Xu noticed that Yun Sheng's appetite today was completely different from last night.
She ate with great relish, even putting pumpkin, which she herself had said she didn't like, into her mouth without hesitation.
The pumpkin pieces were large, so she took a bite and put half of it in her bowl.
Xiao Xu paused slightly with his chopsticks, turned them around, and took the half-piece of pumpkin from her bowl.
“My… pumpkin.”
Xiao Xu said, "It was my oversight. You said yesterday that you don't like pumpkin. From now on, I will tell the kitchen to stop making this dish. You don't have to force yourself to eat it."
Yun Sheng stared blankly, speechless for a moment, watching helplessly as Xiao Xu ate her pumpkin.
She felt annoyed; how could he have taken her casual excuse from last night so seriously?
She doesn't dislike pumpkin at all; in fact, she quite likes it. If this dish isn't on the table anymore...
Suddenly, a soft laugh escaped.
Xiao Xu used his chopsticks to pick up a small piece of pumpkin for her.
"Here's one back," he said softly. "If you like it, why did you say you didn't like it yesterday?"
Yun Sheng hesitated for a moment, but finally told the truth: "It was too late yesterday. I was already a bit chubby, and if I didn't control myself, I would get fatter and fatter. That's why I said that in order to eat less."
As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer.
But as soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Xu said, "Being flexible doesn't mean you're fat. It's bad if you don't eat or drink and ruin your health."
Xiao Xu looked straight at her and said seriously, "I've hugged you. You're very light and very beautiful."
Yun Sheng's face flushed instantly. She didn't know why, despite hearing countless compliments from others, she couldn't resist Xiao Xu's advances several times.
She could only grip her chopsticks tightly and say, "Alright, stop talking. I don't usually skip meals or drinks."
During the meal, despite Ren Yunsheng clarifying twice that she was not refusing to eat or drink, Xiao Xu still kept putting food on her plate.
After lunch, the maids came in to clear away the dishes and chopsticks. Xiao Xu called to the last maid and whispered a few instructions to her.
Not long after, the maid returned to the room carrying a tray with several plates of pastries on it.
Upon seeing this, Yun Sheng's eyes lit up: "It's almond shortbread from Wuweipu, as well as jujube paste cake and rose sugar cake!"
“Yesterday, when I accompanied you on your homecoming, my mother-in-law mentioned that you particularly like the pastries from Wuweipu. Today, I happened to be passing by and bought some.”
Xiao Xu said calmly, "It seems I managed to buy the flavor you like."
Yun Sheng smiled, her eyes crinkling, looking delighted and wagging her tail: "I love every kind of pastry at Wuwei Shop. Everything I buy suits my taste. It's precisely because I eat these pastries so often that..."
Yun Sheng paused for a moment, her desire to hear more praise and a brief struggle between embarrassment and her desire to hear more. In the end, she didn't continue, but instead smiled and said to Xiao Xu, "Chang Yu, thank you."
Yun Sheng excitedly lowered her head to select pastries from the plate, unaware that Xiao Xu's gaze suddenly froze upon hearing this.
The person in front of me had their neck slightly lowered, and their fingers picked up a piece of almond shortbread. The dimples on their cheeks looked even sweeter and warmer than the fleeting glimpse they had at the Lotus Banquet that year.
It seems that the radiant smile that he once gazed at from afar across the waterside pavilions is now blooming right before his eyes, and is revealed only for him.
Xiao Xu unconsciously tucked his knuckles into his sleeve.
"Changyu, aren't you going to eat?" Yun Sheng suddenly looked up and met his burning gaze.
The words had already been spoken when, a beat later, I was stunned by that look.
Xiao Xu continued to stare at her blatantly: "You eat, I don't like sweets."
"Oh." Yun Sheng lowered her eyelashes, letting him look at her with an indescribable gaze, and continued eating on her own.
Yun Sheng had just eaten, and no matter how much she liked these pastries, she couldn't eat as much as when she was craving them.
Seeing that she was chewing more slowly, Xiao Xu figured she was about to run out of food, so he went to the bathroom to rinse his mouth and prepare to take a nap with her.
In fact, Xiao Xu did not have the habit of taking a midday rest, and sometimes he was so busy that he did not have a chance to rest until night.
But being with Yun Sheng is neither something he's used to nor something he can't do.
When Xiao Xu came out of the bathhouse, he saw that Yun Sheng was already wiping her fingers with a silk handkerchief.
He didn't call her, but went straight to the bed.
As Xiao Xu sat down to take off his shoes, he braced his right hand on the headboard.
Before I could even bend over, my fingers touched something hard on the pillow.
He glanced to the side and pulled out a book that had been flipped through from under his pillow.
Yun Sheng wiped her hands and was about to get up when she seemed to catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye.
Before she could even see clearly, her mind went blank, her back stiffened, and she heard a man's deep, cold voice coming from the other side of the bed.
"Yun Sheng, come here."
The atmosphere was tense, and the room was completely silent.
Everything seemed to stand still, except for Yun Sheng's eyelashes, which trembled nervously.
Xiao Xu didn't urge her any further, but Yun Sheng could feel a very strong gaze fixed on her.
She finally set off, moving slowly. When she turned her head, she met Xiao Xu's gaze and saw the book in his hand.
He had already opened the book, his slender fingers gripping the cover, where the vertically arranged title was prominently displayed.
"Brother steals brother's wife, childhood sweetheart ex-husband willingly becomes mistress."
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Arranged marriage to fall in love | A bittersweet experience | Pursuing your wife during marriage | Lighthearted and sweet romance
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A storm is brewing in the court. The Duke of Yan's family has become too powerful and is the target of everyone's criticism. The Yun family is guilty of possessing a valuable treasure and also needs strong support.
Yun Jincan accepted the marriage arranged by her family and will marry Yan Sui, the heir of the Duke of Yan's mansion, on a chosen date.
This marriage is clearly a transaction of interests, but they still have to put on a good show.
Yun Jincan had already planned this out and had even prepared the contract in advance, just waiting to present it to that person for review.
Who knew that on the wedding day...
The veil was lifted, revealing a refined and aloof face that seemed very familiar.
Their eyes met.
Yun Jincan's face froze, her heart pounding.
The man she is about to marry is none other than the noble young man she had previously humiliated in the countryside when she was infatuated with him.
*
Yan Sui also never expected that the woman who had taken liberties with him in the countryside and then disappeared would now be sitting on the wedding bed as his wife.
She was frivolous and absurd, disregarding conventions, openly admiring him, shamelessly seducing him, and even taking advantage of his injury and inability to resist to force herself on him, which was utterly despicable.
As he watched her forcefully produce the detailed contract, he felt a chill of disgust.
At first, Yan Sui thought this forced marriage would be unbearable.
But later he took the initiative to tear up the contract they signed on their wedding night.
Just when he thought they would continue to be entangled like this.
But then she saw her standing shyly opposite the newly appointed third-ranked scholar.
She accepted the peach blossoms he gave her, her eyes crinkling with a smile he had never seen before.
He had only recently learned that the newly appointed third-ranked scholar bore a striking resemblance to him, had studied in Xixiang for several years, and had finally made a name for himself.
Xixiang is the place where Yun Jincan found him back then.
*
Yan Sui never imagined that one day he would willingly submit to her.
Just like those lonely, resentful men he once looked down upon, he tossed and turned, feeling jealous and envious.
He confined her within the curtained curtains and accused her through gritted teeth.
"Yun Jincan, you still dare to think about that pretty boy?"
"Is he as strong as me, as powerful as me, or as pleasing to you as I am?"
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