Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Ah Yin, You Are Too Tired

Mei Wanying waited and waited in Jiangnan.

She waited until news of Xue Xingyao’s injury arrived. By saving the Empress, she had performed a great service, atoning for past faults and winning her family’s freedom in return.

Mei Wanying knew Xue Xingyao’s temperament. She might save someone, but she would never turn back just to retrieve some peace charm.

Even if it was one sought for the Emperor.

A moment’s thought was all it took to know the Empress had a hand in this.

Fortunately, Ah Yao had gotten her wish and rescued her family.

Mei Wanying had her steward in the Capital City get the Xue Family settled in, adding a special instruction: Xue Xingyao was not to be allowed out of the house until her injuries were fully healed.

A few days later, Mei Wanying received news of Xue Xingyao and Chen Shujing’s divorce.

Staring at the letter, she couldn’t help but scoff. "He acted so sincere and heartfelt that day. I actually thought that once he returned to the Capital City, he would do something to make it up to Ah Yao. But in the end, all he could do was relentlessly harass and disgust her. And not only was he disgusting, the moment that Miss Shen was mentioned, he agreed to any and all conditions..."

Mei Wanying said, "He’s a real piece of scum!"

After her tirade, she added, "Just like Pei Yan. They’re cut from the same cloth, a pack of hyenas!"

In the adjacent parlor, Pei Yan, who was looking after their child, felt terribly wronged.

He wasn’t like Chen Shujing. He only loved Ah Yin; he didn’t have any of those so-called ’female confidantes’.

But he didn’t dare argue back.

He could only swallow his grievances in silence.

Cradling his little girl, he whispered, "Lingling, be a good girl. How about you start talking soon, hm? You can put in a good word for Daddy, tell Mommy not to scold me anymore."

The little girl paid him no mind, clutching a small cloth tiger and playing with gusto.

She sat on Pei Yan’s lap, leaving him with nothing but the sight of her tiny back.

Pei Yan gently poked his daughter’s shoulder. "I’m talking to you. Why are you ignoring me?"

Ling blew a spit bubble, still ignoring him.

Drool dripped from the corner of her mouth like a jeweled pendant. The little one turned her head and smeared it on Pei Yan’s clothes.

He was dressed in dark brocade, so the drool stain wasn’t very obvious, but the milky scent of a baby was impossible to hide.

After spending so much time with Ling, Pei Yan himself had started to carry that milky scent.

Whenever he was away from the mother-daughter pair, he reverted to his aloof, unapproachable self. That cold, hard temperament mixed with the scent of baby milk—it was beyond bizarre.

Right now, Ling was completely absorbed in playing with her cloth tiger. Aside from using Pei Yan’s robes to wipe her drool, she paid him no mind whatsoever.

Pei Yan felt even more aggrieved. He gently pinched his daughter’s little ear. "Mei Ling, it’s not right to ignore people."

Mei Wanying finished the letter and returned to the parlor, just in time to see what Pei Yan was doing.

A wave of fury washed over her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

Pei Yan cupped his large hands over his daughter’s little ears and stammered, "I... I wanted to see if there was anything inside Lingling’s ears..."

’Otherwise, why can’t she hear me talking?’

’She wasn’t like this before.’

’Could it be that Ah Yin was bad-mouthing me again, and Lingling took it to heart?’

"Liar!"

"Scum!"

Mei Wanying cursed, "Bullying a little child, you son of a bitch!"

Pei Yan was speechless.

He felt so incredibly wronged.

’Ah Yin is taking out all her anger at Chen Shujing on me!’

Being scolded on someone else’s behalf, Pei Yan made a mental note to settle the score with Chen Shujing.

’That damned scum, ruining my image in Ah Yin’s eyes.’

’Even if I beat Chen Shujing to a pulp, he’d have it coming!’

Pei Yan tried to defend himself. "I was talking to Lingling, and she completely ignored me. I was worried her ears were blocked..."

"You’re the one whose ears are blocked!" Mei Wanying shot him a fierce glare.

She was already annoyed with Pei Yan to begin with. The fact that he was friends with someone like Chen Shujing, who had broken Ah Yao’s heart, only made it worse.

The very sight of Pei Yan made her angry.

Suddenly, she thought of something. "Did you know before that Chen Shujing had someone else in his heart?"

When Mei Wanying asked a question, Pei Yan naturally told her everything he knew, holding nothing back.

He recounted the story, adding his own embellishments, and finally concluded, "He really is a piece of scum."

Then he added, "I’m not like him. Besides, I cut ties with him before I even came to Jiangnan."

Mei Wanying’s gaze grew even colder. "You knew perfectly well that Chen Shujing was deceiving Ah Yao, yet you helped him hide it. That makes you a piece of scum, too!"

Under Mei Wanying’s icy glare, Pei Yan quietly argued, "I told him to come clean. He just didn’t do it."

’I’m truly innocent.’

’This disaster is completely undeserved.’

Mei Wanying was still fuming and didn’t want to hear the sound of his voice, so she told him to leave.

This time, Pei Yan didn’t act like a rogue. He, too, wanted to write a letter and curse Chen Shujing out.

Handing Ling to Mei Wanying, the man left without a moment’s hesitation.

His tall, broad-shouldered figure quickly vanished from sight.

Mei Wanying’s anger hadn’t subsided. She wanted to curse at him some more. "Why’d he run off so fast? Does he have a guilty conscience?"

Ling let out a soft, babyish "Mmm."

She couldn’t understand what her mother was saying, but that didn’t stop her from responding.

Looking at that small, round face, Mei Wanying’s heart couldn’t help but soften. No matter how immense her anger, it instantly dissipated.

’Fine.’

’At least Ah Yao is divorced. She’s a free woman now.’

’Chen Shujing can never bully Ah Yao again!’

...

Mei Wanying waited for Xue Xingyao to return to Jiangnan, while also keeping an eye on the progress of another matter.

Pei Yan’s men had discovered scattered traces of the Useless Crown Prince. All signs indicated that he was, in fact, heading toward Jiangnan.

The Useless Crown Prince and Pei Yan were mortal enemies. Worse, he coveted Mei Wanying.

Knowing of Ling’s existence, it wouldn’t be long before the Useless Crown Prince, with his temperament, made a move.

The man was a lunatic. He wasn’t afraid of injury, wasn’t afraid of death, and was even less afraid of harming the innocent.

As long as he could hurt Pei Yan, he would be happy.

The tension coiled in Mei Wanying’s body once more. Her mind was consumed by the matter, and at night, she didn’t dare to sleep too deeply.

She broke her own rule and let Ling sleep in the same bed, tucking her daughter safely on the side against the wall. Only then could she feel at ease.

After several days of this, faint dark circles appeared under Mei Wanying’s eyes—a clear sign she hadn’t been sleeping well.

Pei Yan’s heart ached for Mei Wanying. He didn’t want her to live in fear any longer.

He dispatched more men, turning the Mei Family’s old house into an iron fortress.

But Mei Wanying’s anxiety did not subside.

Having a child meant having a weakness.

As long as the Useless Crown Prince lived, she could never truly relax.

Seeing her grow more exhausted by the day, Pei Yan’s heart ached with both pity and self-reproach.

’I should have dealt with the Useless Crown Prince before coming to Jiangnan to find Ah Yin.’

’So what if she married Gu Xun?’

’It’s not as if I couldn’t have stolen her back.’

’Of all the mistakes I could have made, bringing danger to Ah Yin and Lingling was the worst.’

「That evening」

Pei Yan came to spend time with Ling, as was his custom.

He had grown into his role as a father. No matter how busy he was, he carved out time each day to be with his daughter.

As dusk fell, he showed no signs of leaving.

Mei Wanying didn’t know what he was up to this time. She held her tongue for as long as she could, but finally couldn’t take it anymore.

"Aren’t you leaving yet?"

Pei Yan shook his head. "No. I’m going to watch over you and Lingling. You two can sleep soundly."

That stifling feeling of anger rose in her chest again. "Have you no shame?"

This time, Pei Yan was serious; he wasn’t deliberately acting like a rogue.

He said, "Ah Yin, you’re too tired."