When the door opened, a breeze swept through, making the candle flames flicker and freezing Shen Youran’s silhouette in the wavering light.
At that moment, one of her hands was still being held by Pei Huai’an. Embarrassment, shame, it was as if they had been caught committing an affair.
But Pei Huai’an only tightened his grip, refusing to let her pull away. Instead, he brazenly raised their clasped hands for the person standing at the doorway to see.
“Big Brother, I just asked Youran. She said she doesn’t want to marry you, so I don’t have to exchange this marriage with you!”
Pei Huaijin walked slowly over to them, his gaze sweeping over their interlocked hands before landing on Shen Youran.
She sat with her head bowed, unwilling to look at him.
Standing beside her, he could just see the blooming red plum blossom on her fair, elegant neck.
“Seventh Brother has already spoken with you alone. Why not say a few words to me, too?” His tone was calm as ever, revealing nothing of his mood.
Shen Youran shrank her shoulders, burying her head like a quail, refusing to answer. The hand being held kept struggling, trying little by little to escape Pei Huai’an’s grasp.
Pei Huai’an thought she was just shy, so he released her hand and stood up, blocking her from view. “We’ve already discussed it, Big Brother, so why do you have to go and ask her again?”
“If the two of you have already made an agreement, then why be afraid of me asking a few more questions?” Pei Huaijin arched a brow at him, his tone light but carrying the authority of an elder brother. “Will you leave, or shall I take her elsewhere to talk?”
Pei Huai’an, being much younger, felt his own momentum falter in the face of his elder brother’s bearing. “Then I’ll go out.”
He turned back and instructed Shen Youran anxiously, “Everything I just said to you was true. You must keep it in mind…”
Then he left, looking somewhat disgruntled.
Pei Huaijin immediately turned to Shen Yunshu. “Don’t worry, I know what’s appropriate. I won’t force her.”
This was clearly his way of asking her to step outside first.
A fair hand timidly reached out and pinched Shen Yunshu’s sleeve. Shen Youran, who had been acting like a quail since they entered, was now about to be left alone with Pei Huaijin and hastily clung to her elder sister, lifting her face and looking up at her pleadingly.
Meeting her younger sister’s tear-stained eyes, Shen Yunshu’s heart softened, but she knew this matter had to be resolved eventually—endless avoidance was not a solution.
She squeezed her sister’s hand, gently pulled her sleeve free, and said, “It’s all right, I’ll be just outside.”
Seeing she couldn’t keep her sister with her, Shen Youran let her hand fall back to her knees. As her gaze left her sister, it inadvertently landed on the upright man nearby. Startled as if burned, she quickly looked away, lowering her head to fiddle with her fingers. “What do you want to say to me?”
He sat down on the same stool Pei Huai’an had used, his robes swishing gently. Because they were sitting close, his faint agarwood scent enveloped her, making Shen Youran feel she could barely breathe.
“Seventh Brother just said you don’t want to swap marriages. Even after what happened between us, you still wish to marry him?”
Shen Youran silently scooted a little farther back and muttered, “Either way, I can’t marry you.”
“Why not?”
“Because you and my sister are the best match.”
“As for the marriage exchange, your sister has already agreed.”
“And you? Have you agreed too?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because I touched you. I must take responsibility.”
“This was partly my fault, too. You don’t have to take responsibility for me.”
“You don’t need me to take responsibility?” He chuckled, his tone laced with sarcasm. “You’re quite open-minded. Or do you truly believe what Seventh Brother said, that he doesn’t mind you and me almost becoming husband and wife?”
When he entered earlier, he’d heard his seventh brother say, “Just treat it as being bitten by a dog.”
Heh, to coax her, he would say anything.
“No…” It wasn’t because of what Pei Huai’an said that she refused his responsibility.
But before she could finish, a slender, well-defined hand suddenly lifted her chin, forcing her to look up.
“Even if he really doesn’t care, what about you?” Cool fingertips brushed her lips, then slowly slid down her neck. “I’ve touched you here and here. From now on, whenever you’re intimate with him, you’ll remember it was I who touched these places first. Can you truly live peacefully as his wife?”
“You…”
Every spot his fingers traced reminded her of the intimate contact they’d just shared in bed.
A wave of nausea surged in her throat; she almost wanted to retch. But his teasing actions and words made shame overpower her discomfort. She was just about to curse him for being a sanctimonious hypocrite when he suddenly changed tack.
“I feel the same way…”
Huh?
His hand left her face. Candlelight danced in his eyes, and he was still that refined gentleman bathed in gentle radiance. “I’ve never had a woman before. Tonight was my first time, and it left a deep impression. No matter if I later become your sister’s husband or marry another, I’ll always remember this night with you. It’s not fair to them…”
Somehow… what he said made sense.
For a moment, Shen Youran was almost swayed.
“But…” But no, stories of brother-in-law and sister-in-law were things she’d only seen in storybooks. To her, it was a violation of proper conduct. The last time she faced something like this was when Lu Yi proposed to marry her.
She never imagined such a thing would happen to her again.
He was supposed to become her brother-in-law. No matter how grand his arguments, she couldn’t get past her own conscience.
At sixteen, she hadn’t yet learned to hide her feelings; everything in her heart was written plainly on her face.
Seeing her face twisted in panic, mumbling and unwilling to agree, Pei Huaijin lost patience. Since gentle persuasion didn’t work, it was time for something firmer.
“You refuse to accept me because in your heart, you already see me as your sister’s husband. If not for the commotion earlier, you wouldn’t have been sent to my bridal chamber. As for why there was an attempted abduction today, do you have anything to say?”
His tone suddenly turned cold, carrying a veiled interrogation that left Shen Youran confused.
“What do you mean?”
Pei Huaijin had already probed Shen Yunshu in the hall. Since the abduction targeted the two brides, it was highly likely that one of the sisters had drawn the attention of some outsider man.
But Shen Yunshu had answered calmly and flawlessly; he could see nothing amiss. If she was truly innocent, then the likely cause was this seemingly naïve and harmless young girl before him.
“Before you left home, was there a young man who fancied you but was refused?”
She hadn’t caught on yet, her teary eyes full of confusion as she looked at him. “Why are you asking that?”
Pei Huaijin thought, she’s truly not as clever as her sister.
He had to be more direct. “If someone like that existed, then today’s abduction was likely his doing. I’ve asked your sister; she has no such person around her. What about you? Has anyone confessed their feelings and been rejected by you?”
Shen Youran sucked in a sharp breath. Wasn’t this too much of a coincidence? She’d just remembered how Lu Yi had coaxed her into agreeing to marry him, and when she refused, he suddenly turned hostile, grabbing her arm and forcing her to say “yes.”
Could it be…
Could the abduction today really have been orchestrated by Lu Yi?
If he couldn’t win her by proposal, he’d try to seize her by force?
Gasp!
Did he love her to that extent?
Pei Huaijin, seeing her silent and repeatedly gasping, narrowed his eyes. So, it really was her who had attracted an outside man, causing the absurd scene today and the mix-up of his bride.
Though it wasn’t entirely her fault, Pei Huaijin decided to scare her a bit, deliberately darkening his expression.
“Who is he?”
Shen Youran was consumed by guilt, not knowing how to respond.
Usually, when she encountered problems she couldn’t solve, she’d seek help from her father or eldest sister. Today was no different—panicking, she instinctively got up to find her elder sister.
But before she’d taken two steps, her wrist was seized and she was pulled back by Pei Huaijin.
Her lower back bumped against the table. One hand locked her wrist, the other braced beside her. He loomed over her like a mountain, his brow shadowed, his expression dark.
“Where are you going?”
“T-to find my sister…”
“What for?” The grip on her wrist tightened, his tone no longer gentle but deep and chilling. “Or is it… she knows, too?”
“No, no, it has nothing to do with her…”
“Then tell me, who is the man who’s interested in you?”
Shen Youran didn’t dare speak. After all, that man was her elder sister’s stepbrother, her mother’s stepson, and there was no proof that he was responsible for the abduction.
She could only feebly defend herself, “I don’t know…”
He drew even closer, staring into her trembling, tear-filled eyes and mercilessly exposing her, “You’re lying.”
“I am not!” In her panic, she blurted out, “Lots of men are interested in me, how would I know which one did it?”
“Oh?” He’d meant only to scare her, but was rewarded with a surprise. “Lots of men are interested in you? It seems you’re quite popular.”
Of course Shen Youran could hear his sarcasm, but what was said couldn’t be taken back. She could only weakly add, “Actually, not that many…”
His goal achieved, Pei Huaijin had no interest in probing her past further. “I won’t hold your past against you, but now that you’re married to me, you must behave properly and remain virtuous. Starting tomorrow, you will copy the fourth section of the ‘Admonitions for Women’ ten times…”
“…Huh?” Never mind copying texts—what did he say before that? “When did I ever agree to marry you?”
“Since the whole incident was caused by you, you must bear the consequences.”
“You and I truly don’t suit each other, but this marriage swap was forced by circumstances. You’re not the only one wronged. Your sister, for the sake of both families’ reputation, has agreed to marry Seventh Brother. I hope you can also see the bigger picture and not act like a child…”
Frightened and scolded, the young girl stared at him silently, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes, looking timidly at him.
His heart softened, and his tone eased a little.
“Now, can you accept me as your husband?”