Chapter 253: Sick in the Head
Leaving the Gu estate, Pei Yan climbed into Mei Wanying’s carriage as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
His movements were smooth, without a trace of awkwardness.
Mei Wanying asked, "Aren’t you going back to the palace to deal with government matters?"
Pei Yan replied, "I’m only mortal. I need a break."
The implication was that nothing was urgent.
Mei Wanying didn’t ask what he and Mr. Gu had discussed in the study, nor did she have any desire to find out.
She let him take a seat beside her.
The carriage slowly departed from the Gu Mansion.
Pei Yan feigned ignorance. "So, is that Gu Xun’s intended bride?"
’As if I don’t know what kind of temper he has.’
He wouldn’t waste a moment’s thought on people and matters that didn’t concern him.
"Just say what’s on your mind. Don’t beat around the bush."
A smile played on Pei Yan’s lips as he said with great earnestness, "The woman chosen by the elders is naturally a good one, a fine match for my cousin. Once he’s married, I, as his older cousin, can finally rest easy."
The smile on his face wouldn’t fade; he looked to be in an excellent mood.
Mei Wanying shot him a sidelong glance. "You’re always trying to one-up him. Is it because you don’t trust me?"
"No," Pei Yan replied in a flash.
He’d always trusted Ah Yin, never once doubting the sincerity of her heart.
He was just worried about shameless men deliberately throwing themselves at Ah Yin.
Just now... Gu Xun had done exactly that.
If he hadn’t arrived in time, there was no telling what Gu Xun might have said to Ah Yin.
Mei Wanying asked again, "Then do you have no confidence in yourself?"
And it was true, Pei Yan had no confidence.
He was plagued by insecurity, terrified of losing the woman he loved again.
Only by clinging to her, watching over her, holding her close, could he breathe a little easier.
Their life now was so perfect that Pei Yan was terrified it was all just a dream.
He couldn’t bear the consequences of that beautiful dream being shattered.
Ling couldn’t understand what her father and mother were saying, so she parroted, "Father has no confidence?"
How could Pei Yan possibly reveal his vulnerable side in front of their child?
He lifted his chin, his expression haughty. "I’m the one by your side. What do people like him even matter?"
He was subtly taking another jab at Gu Xun, and it gave Mei Wanying a headache.
She pressed her temples and said, "You don’t need to compete with him. I chose you, and my feelings won’t be easily swayed."
"No one can destroy what we have. If the day ever comes that we fall apart, it will only be because something went wrong between us."
The future of their relationship was in their hands, and their hands alone.
No outsider could interfere.
Unless they themselves gave someone an opening.
Mei Wanying looked at Pei Yan, her tone serious. "I don’t like you targeting Gu Xun. It puts me in an awkward position."
She had been the one to approach Gu Xun, using him to get out of the predicament she was in at the time.
Gu Xun had never forced her hand or harmed her. On the contrary, he had looked out for her in countless ways after she returned to Jiangnan.
If not for him, her relatives alone would have been enough to give her endless headaches.
Gu Xun had done nothing to wrong her.
He didn’t deserve to be the target of Pei Yan’s resentment.
Mei Wanying said, "If you feel you can’t get past this, then we..."
He gave her a butterfly kiss, a light touch on her lips. "It’s my fault for being so petty. I won’t target him anymore. From now on, he’s just an ordinary person, my cousin, and a court official—nothing more."
’If Ah Yin loved Gu Xun, then he might be worthy of the title ’rival.’’
’But the truth was, Ah Yin didn’t love him.’
’So why was I elevating Gu Xun’s status by acting so childishly?’
Pei Yan and Mei Wanying had grown up together; they knew each other’s temperaments inside and out.
He knew what Ah Yin was about to say.
If he let Gu Xun become a festering issue, constantly bringing up what had happened in Jiangnan, Ah Yin would eventually grow weary and might even want to leave him.
That was not an outcome he wanted.
Having made his stance clear, Pei Yan planted a few more pecks on Mei Wanying’s face.
"I mean what I say." His tone was earnest; he didn’t seem to be lying.
Mei Wanying decided not to press the issue.
Nurturing a relationship required a bit of give and take; getting bogged down in minutiae would only do more harm than good.
If he made the same mistake again, she wouldn’t let him off so easily next time.
She shot Pei Yan a look. "Can you please be a little more composed in front of our child?"
Pei Yan looked down at Ling.
The little girl, sitting in his lap, covered her eyes and declared loudly, "I didn’t see anything! I don’t know that Father kissed Mother!"
Ding Xiang had said you couldn’t watch when Father kissed Mother, or you’d get a stye in your eye.
Though she didn’t know what a stye was, the thought still scared Ling.
She did not want to get a stye.
Her chubby little hands weren’t enough; she squeezed her eyes shut, terrified of seeing Father kissing Mother again.
She was both scared and curious.
After a few moments, she peeked through her fingers and let out a little "Huh?" "Why did you stop kissing Mother?"
’Father loves kissing Mother. I’ve seen it lots of times.’
’How embarrassing!’
Seeing his daughter’s impish expression, Pei Yan let out a low chuckle, his chest vibrating with the sound.
’He and Ah Yin had a daughter together. Who was Gu Xun to deserve even a moment of his thought?’
’As long as I don’t mess up, Ah Yin will never leave me.’
’Those men who covet Ah Yin are nothing but sewer rats. They could wait a lifetime, and she would never give them a second glance!’
Pei Yan lowered his head again and kissed Mei Wanying’s forehead. "Don’t you ever leave me."
Mei Wanying was still feeling flustered when she suddenly heard him say this.
Her almond-shaped eyes glared at him. "You really have issues, serious ones!"
She had never met anyone more insecure than Pei Yan. Even though she and Ling were right there before him, he was never at ease.
He was terrified that if he blinked, they would disappear.
Sometimes, he still woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in a cold sweat, only able to calm down after holding her tight.
Mei Wanying thought of it as an illness.
Pei Yan seized the opportunity, leaning on Mei Wanying’s shoulder. "I’m sick, so you have to be extra nice to me."
Mei Wanying was speechless.
’I’ve never met anyone more shameless than Pei Yan!’
Ling stretched out her short arms, struggling to reach Pei Yan’s forehead as if to check if he had a fever.
Children are great mimics; she was copying what she had seen the adults in the family do.
Pei Yan played along and lowered his head, allowing his daughter’s small hand to rest on his forehead.
Her tiny hand was soft and warm as it rested between his eyebrows.
Her expression was grave, as if this were a serious examination.
Mei Wanying asked with a smile, "Well, little doctor, have you diagnosed his illness?"
Ling’s little face was tense. She delivered her conclusion: "His head is sick."
Ling figured that her father’s head must hurt, which was why he needed to lean on her mother.
Mei Wanying was laughing so hard she could barely sit up straight. "It seems our family has produced a Divine Doctor..."
Pei Yan’s face flushed red.
He gently pinched Ling’s cheek. "Don’t be rude."
"Huh?"
Ling was baffled. When had she been rude?
’Father must be really muddled from his sickness!’
She patted Pei Yan’s shoulder. "Father, you have to take your medicine and get better. Be good now."
Pei Yan was speechless.
The woman beside him laughed even harder, her body trembling as she leaned weakly against him.
Worried she might hurt herself, Pei Yan wrapped an arm around Mei Wanying’s slender waist to steady her.
’Making Ah Yin happy is a good thing, after all.’
Mei Wanying was laughing, but then, suddenly, she stopped.
A wave of nausea washed over her, and she gagged.