Chapter 5
Chapter 5
I walked out of the study, soul-crushed.
My mother-in-law was crouching by the door, nearly frozen into an icicle.
“Did you tell him?”
“No…”
She sighed. “Sigh…”
“Try again tomorrow. Keep up the good work!”
We shared a high-five.
What exactly are we getting so fired up about?!
On the sixteenth of December, my mother-in-law and I still couldn’t bring ourselves to say it.
On the seventeenth, it was the same.
Fortunately, Wei Yanzhi had just returned and was still busy, so he didn’t have time to worry about what kind of sneaky schemes we were cooking up every day.
By New Year’s Eve, we finally couldn’t stall any longer.
At the New Year’s Eve dinner, Wei Yanzhi drank some wine as was his custom.
Thinking I could use some liquid courage, I also drank a lot, until I was swaying on my feet.
My mother-in-law was frantic, shouting in my ear.
“Get it together!”
I pressed a finger to her lips and gave a mysterious smile. “I know, I’ll bring you back the ‘aloof and cool’ type of local specialty.”
My mother-in-law’s old face wrinkled up like a ball of pickled greens.
“I’m an honest widow!”
Wei Yanzhi carried me back to the room, fed me some sobering soup, and wiped my face with a warm, damp towel.
His movements weren’t very practiced, but they were gentle.
He even remembered to remove my hairpins and smooth out my messy hair.
Today, he wore his hair in a high ponytail.
The dim candlelight made me dazed.
Is this-
A father with the aura of a youth?
I was being looked after so well I was almost asleep.
Wei Yanzhi leaned over, kissed my forehead, tucked in the corners of my quilt, and prepared to leave.
I tugged at his sleeve.
“I have something to tell you.”
He said, “Alright, I’m listening.”
I took a deep breath, feeling my sleepiness vanish instantly.
“I really thought you were dead before.”
Wei Yanzhi said, “I hid it well; you can’t be blamed.”
“So, I got together with someone else.”
The shorter the sentence, the bigger the bombshell.
Wei Yanzhi: “…”
He stood by the bed, his back rigid, his face cast in a shadow where the light didn’t reach.
I didn’t dare look. I pulled the quilt over my head and rolled toward the inner side of the bed.
Wei Yanzhi picked me up-quilt and all-and gave me a shake.
I was forced to face him.
He took one deep breath after another.
His expression was as cold as the wind and snow outside.
“Who is he?”
I couldn’t say.
Wei Yanzhi was a military commander; I was afraid he’d actually go hack someone to pieces.
I bit my lip hard.
“Let’s just get a divorce.”
“It’s not like we’re a real couple anyway-it’s just a marriage in name only.”
Wei Yanzhi let out a cold laugh.
“No divorce. Wouldn’t a divorce be exactly what he wants?”
“While I was away, you guarded the Marquis Estate well. As soon as I return, you mention divorce. Am I really that bad?”
“My lady is young and was seduced by him. You are not to blame.”
But that person is a year younger than me and four years younger than Wei Yanzhi…
Wei Yanzhi pushed me back onto the bed. He gripped my shoulders, his voice agitated.
“Who is he?”
“If you won’t say, I’ll find out for myself.”
My mother-in-law really did have foresight.
She wanted me to go to Jiangnan to find someone.
If we were in the Capital, I’m afraid something would have happened already.
My voice was very quiet, my heart filled with guilt. “Forget it… it’s the New Year, after all.”
His eyelid twitched, and he spoke almost through gritted teeth. “Then you must break it off with him.”
I gave a vague mumble of agreement, not daring to move an inch.
Wei Yanzhi suddenly stripped off his outer robe and threw it on the floor.
I jumped in fright, clutching my collar tight.
He pushed me back down, acting extremely dominant.
“I’m staying with you tonight to see if he still dares to come looking for you.”
Me: “…”
Of course, I didn’t dare speak or refuse. I could only yield half the bed to let the man sleep soundly.
Wei Yanzhi slept on the outer side, and I slept on the inner side.
The tipsiness returned.
I actually fell asleep, and in my dreams, I even kicked him a few times.