In his youth, Pei Yan had followed General Mei onto the battlefield. He was a man who had clawed his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and his aura was not to be underestimated.
Combined with his aloof personality, a single, expressionless glance from him was enough to make one's skin crawl.
Mei Wanying was no match for him.
Pei Yan had clearly come to call her to account, and if she met his gaze, she might give herself away.
Mei Wanying averted her gaze, her tone faint. "What could I have done to you? Pei Yan, don't look for trouble."
'Looking for trouble?'
Pei Yan froze for a moment, his gaze darkening.
That strange feeling washed over him again. The way Mei Wanying was acting today was completely out of character.
And the scene in the study...
Pei Yan didn't want to dwell on it, but he couldn't help himself.
'This is Mei Wanying!'
General Mei was his great benefactor. If he had truly crossed a line, he would have to take responsibility for Mei Wanying.
A wave of irritation washed over him. He hated being forced into things.
'But of all people, it had to be Mei Wanying!'
Pei Yan's tone grew even colder. "Mei Wanying, stop playing games. Come clean."
For years, Mei Wanying had chased after him, stopping at nothing to seduce him.
One moment she would sprain her ankle and fall into his arms, the next she would feign illness. Sometimes she would even hang around his study, pretending to read, when in reality her eyes were glued to him.
She was supposed to be a high-born lady, yet she acted with such brazen audacity. She didn't have a single ounce of a proper lady's decorum.
She had only toned it down a little in the past two years. Before that, she was utterly spoiled and headstrong!
Mei Wanying didn't want to bring up that matter, but she understood Pei Yan's temper. If she didn't give him a reasonable explanation, he wouldn't let it go.
She wasn't delusional enough to think Pei Yan actually cared about her.
All he wanted was a clear conscience.
Fingering the earring in her hand, Mei Wanying's red lips parted slightly. "You were drunk, so I brought you some sobering soup. Seeing you were passed out, I helped you onto the couch. It must have fallen off around that time."
Pei Yan's expression was odd. "My clothes… You took them off?"
The word was far too suggestive.
Even though his tone was perfectly level, it made the atmosphere incredibly awkward.
This was something he could easily investigate, so Mei Wanying couldn't tell a complete lie. Only a half-truth could dispel his suspicion.
She just hummed in agreement, saying nothing more.
Pei Yan stared intently at her profile.
Lovely and demure.
'She looked like herself, and yet… she didn't.'
"My body…"
Before he could finish, Mei Wanying cut him off. "My eyesight is poor. I might have scratched you."
"Did you throw the books too?"
Mei Wanying's eyelashes fluttered.
'No.'
'He knocked them over himself.'
She had coaxed him into drinking the sobering soup, and Pei Yan had stared at her blankly before caressing her cheek with the pad of his finger.
She'd been so giddy with joy that she'd grown impossibly bold and planted a kiss on his lips.
She had told him it was a mark she was leaving on him.
After that, things had spiraled out of control. He had lifted her up and placed her on the desk…
Mei Wanying blinked, forcing the risqué memories from her mind.
She said calmly, "You threw them yourself. You also shattered the bowl of sobering soup."
Pei Yan's gaze was one of blatant scrutiny, as if he were weighing how much of her story was true and how much was a lie.
His stare made Mei Wanying's hair stand on end.
'Doesn't he see me as a sister? What kind of brother interrogates his sister like a criminal?'
She snapped, "Believe it or not!"
To Pei Yan, this was a clear sign of a guilty conscience.
He closed the distance by half a step. "You should know the consequences of trying to plot against me, Mei Wanying."
'Of course I do.'
'Pei Yan already proved that with his actions in my last life.'
Mei Wanying gave a soft, derisive laugh. "I have no intention of pestering you, and I wasn't plotting anything. I was immature before, but I won't harbor those kinds of feelings anymore. Brother! Your Highness! You can relax now."
As if he'd heard a ridiculous joke, the man's lips twisted into a cold smirk. "I don't believe a single word you're saying."
In the past, she would throw inexplicable tantrums, declaring that she was going to find someone else to love.
She'd even claim she would marry another man just to make him regret it.
But not even a day would pass before she'd be back, all dolled up and smiling, looking for him again.
She'd bring him snacks she made herself.
She'd also make a point of showing him some scrape or cut, insisting that he blow on it to make it better…
Pei Yan remembered all of it with perfect clarity.
She was just a spoiled young lady who was completely clueless at taking a hint.
Her sheer, dogged persistence was second to none.
As far as Pei Yan was concerned, Mei Wanying had zero credibility.
"Are you really not hiding anything else from me?"
Mei Wanying met the man's deep-set eyes directly. "If you don't believe me, what's the point in saying anything more?"
Pei Yan stared back at her.
He said nothing, his thoughts impossible to read.
This time, Mei Wanying didn't look away, calmly enduring his scrutiny.
After a long moment, the man spoke again. "This is your only chance. If you choose to hide the truth now, then I will never believe anything you say about tonight ever again. Even if you threaten to kill yourself over it, I won't care."
"Mei Wanying, you will have to bear all the consequences yourself."
A frigid aura washed over her, carrying an oppressive weight.
Mei Wanying's breath hitched, her chest rising and falling erratically.
She wore a jade-green gauze robe, her long, silky black hair cascading down her back. With no powder on her face and no jewels in her hair, she stood as elegant and pure as a lotus emerging from the water.
The candlelight made her slender figure faintly visible. Her legs were long and straight, her waist as supple as a willow branch—narrow enough to be encircled in a single grasp.
Pei Yan snapped his gaze away and took half a step back, instantly resuming his aloof, untouchable demeanor.
His thin lips were pressed into a tight line, his gaze indifferent. His dark robes were immaculate, exuding an air of cold detachment.
It was a silent standoff. Neither of them backed down.
'For the first time in his life, Pei Yan felt lost. What answer did he even want?'
'He didn't even like Mei Wanying, anyway.'
'Since she claimed nothing happened, why was he so hung up on it?'
'She was spoiled and reckless, brazen in her actions. She was always chattering in his ear, unable to take a hint or listen to reason.'
'And she was so stubborn in her love for him that he could never seem to drive her away.'
'Perhaps the wine had been too strong. Pei Yan had been so drunk he couldn't remember anything that happened in the study.'
'Drinking really does cause trouble!'
'Mei Wanying already had designs on him; he couldn't give her another opening in the future.'
'This time she was taking off his clothes. Next time… who knows what she'll try to do!'
Ding Xiang entered with a bowl of medicine, breaking the silent standoff.
"Miss, it's time for your medicine."
The dark, murky medicinal brew gave off a foul odor.
Mei Wanying took the bowl and downed it without a moment's hesitation, her expression impassive. She didn't even furrow her brow.
Pei Yan watched from the side, finding her behavior more and more unusual.
'Knowing her, she should be playing weak right now, staring at me with those pleading eyes, refusing to take her medicine obediently until I said a few nice words to coax her.'
'She was always that headstrong.'
'She'd toned it down these past two years, but her core nature hadn't changed.'
Handing the bowl to Ding Xiang, Mei Wanying looked up at Pei Yan. "Is Your Highness not leaving?"
That title made Pei Yan uncomfortable.
He felt like she was being deliberately sarcastic.
Remembering that she had just taken her medicine and was likely enduring abdominal pain, Pei Yan suddenly lost the desire to bicker with her.
His imposing aura softened somewhat. "I will not forget my debt to General Mei. I will handle the matter with the Crown Prince; I won't let you be sent to the Eastern Palace."
'She's beautiful, but naive. If she entered the Eastern Palace, she probably wouldn't even survive until the new year.'
Pei Yan sighed.
'It was pointless to argue with her. No matter what she did, for General Mei's sake, wouldn't he have to clean up her messes anyway?'
Pei Yan said, "I see you as a sister…"
Mei Wanying nodded. "Brother, can you go now?"
Pei Yan's jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened as if he were suppressing something.
He gave Mei Wanying one last, heavy look before turning and walking out.
As his cold presence faded, Mei Wanying let out a huge sigh of relief.
Then, she gave a self-deprecating laugh.
'This was the outcome Pei Yan wanted. Just as he said, he would only press the issue this once.'
'Without me as a stumbling block, Pei Yan can finally marry the one his heart desires. He must be pleased.'