"It's just that the one I love in my heart is not Miss Qiu, and there's nothing I can do about it... But we can try to get along like family. I will do my best to make it up to you and give you what you deserve!"
Ning Xian stared in astonishment as he made his decision with utmost seriousness and responsibility. She... she just wanted to tell him that she had absolutely no interest in marrying him. Since neither of them was willing, they might as well go their separate ways... How did things turn out like this?
"I said...Young Master Bai..."
"Ning Xian! From now on, I'll call you Ning Xian, okay?"
"It doesn't matter, you can call me whatever you want, but..."
"Ning Xian, I will be good to you."
"..."
Ning Xian choked on his words, goosebumps trembling all over his body, unable to utter a sound for a long time—what, what's going on? Can this man not be so serious?! How chilling!
When Mu Yuan and Yu Lin arrived for dinner, they were surprised to find Bai Mo sitting at the table with a stern expression, right next to Ning Xian. Ning Xian gave an awkward smile, and Mu Yuan deliberately gave up the "convenient" seat next to Bai Mo and sat on Ning Xian's other side, lowering her voice to ask in her ear, "So, you 'slept with' him last night?"
Ning Xian glanced at him—is that all you think about!
—Didn't he "do" it? Did he suddenly change his personality without "doing" it?
Ning Xian looked up at the sky... The things that serious people think about are things she can never understand.
But then she occasionally recalled those words, "Ning Xian, I will be good to you." — How refreshing! No one had ever said something like that to her so earnestly before. Even serious people can be endearingly serious sometimes.
"Bai Mo, my 'brothers' from my maternal family are all here. You said you would compensate me, how will you compensate me?"
Bai Mo was taken aback when she suddenly asked that question in front of everyone. He choked on his own saliva and coughed until his face turned red.
Seeing his face flushed red from holding back his anger, Ning Xian finally smiled slightly, revealing a satisfied expression. Why does he always act like such a proper young master? This kind of behavior is much more endearing.
Mu Yuan glanced at her indifferently—bullying can become a habit. Liking to bully others is one thing, but liking to bully a specific person… well, Duan Xian'er should be careful.
Seeing this, Yu Lin grabbed Mu Yuan's arm. "I suddenly crave the food from Zhanjianglou, the famous restaurant in Zhancheng. Mu Yuan, come with me!"—It was rare to see any easing between Ning Xian and Bai Mo, and he couldn't leave Mu Yuan here as a third wheel! (Nai Su was thinking of her as a third wheel?)
Unfortunately, Mu Yuan seemed more interested in "installing lights".
"The food is all ready, and we're here. Why go to Zhanjiang Tower now? Let's do it another day. Don't be so impulsive." Mu Yuan smiled wickedly, but her tone was like that of an older brother lecturing a willful younger brother.
"No! I must go now!" Yu Lin clung to Mu Yuan's sleeve, insisting on going. Bai Mo stood up and said, "Since Young Master Yu Lin is so eager to go, how about I treat you, and we can all go together..."
"No, I only want Mu Yuan to come with me!" Yu Lin stared intently at Mu Yuan, her beautiful eyes pure and unwavering, so clean and innocent that it was impossible to refuse. Ning Xian was speechless with astonishment. This silly girl, didn't she know that Mu Yuan had been eyeing him for a long time? How could she sacrifice herself to bring her and Bai Mo together, this hopeless relationship? Just as she was about to speak to stop her, Mu Yuan smiled sweetly and replied, "Okay."
It's rare for Yu Lin to be so proactive, wanting "only him to accompany her," how could he refuse?
“My younger brother is being willful, I apologize for making Young Master Bai laugh. But since he has made the request… as his loving older brother, I will naturally oblige. I won’t disturb you two any longer.” Mu Yuan put her arm around Yu Lin’s shoulder and was about to leave when Ning Xian suddenly stood up and shouted, “Wait! Yu Lin, you’re not allowed to go!” He hurriedly stopped the silly child from sacrificing himself to feed the fox—if a rabbit goes into a fox’s mouth, does it expect to come back unscathed?
Bai Mo, completely unaware of the situation, stood up, pulled Ning Xian aside, and whispered, "What are you doing? Young Master Yu Lin is a guest here. If he wants to go, we should respect his wishes. How can we stop him..."
"Mind your own business!" Ning Xian shook off his hand, but Bai Mo grabbed her again. "Ning Xian, although they are your cousins, no matter how close you were in the past, you are now a member of the Bai family, a wife of the Bai family. How can you treat guests like this, so lacking in manners?" He had indeed neglected Ning Xian in the past, making her unaware that she was a member of the Bai family. But now that he had decided to treat her well and consider her family, he wanted to correct her mindset and make her understand her position, what was permissible and unacceptable.
Ning Xian felt like she was going crazy. Who had she offended to mess with such a jinx? He ignored her the day before and now suddenly acted like he was in charge of her?! Was she blind to think he was "cute"?! Serious people are just incomprehensible!
"You don't understand anything, why are you meddling in other people's business!"
Ning Xian suddenly blurted out, and Mu Yuan and Yu Lin immediately realized something was wrong—this girl was usually very reserved in the Bai family, but suddenly she even let out a "fart"...
Bai Mo frowned slightly, rubbed his forehead, and said seriously, "Ning Xian, although I don't know how you lived or how you got used to life in the Qiu family, now that you've married into the Bai family, how can you speak such foul language as a member of the Bai family? I've been too negligent towards you, and I will make you correct your ways in the future."
Good heavens! Who does he really think he is?!
What I do is none of your business!
"Ning Xian! In name only, I am still your husband!"
"I'm still your wife in name only! You adulterous woman, how dare you tell me what to do!"
Bai Mo's face darkened. "Ning Xian! I think you need to calm down!" He turned coldly and stormed off. Ning Xian took a long breath—"You coward, you dare to do it but not let anyone talk about it! I'll wipe you out and bring peace to the world!"
—A broken string!
"Ning Xian! Ning Xian! Calm down!!" Yu Lin hurriedly hugged her from behind, stopping her from raising the stool high to smash it down—he had no doubt that if Ning Xian was allowed to continue, she would really kill Bai Mo! He could only be thankful that Bai Mo had already left and would not see this scene.
"Ning Xian! If you kill him, you'll become a widow!"
Chapter 12 Husband's Affair
"Ning Xian! You'll become a widow if you kill him! Are you going to spend your whole life with the Bai family?!"
"Hey~ how can you say you're parting ways with the Bai family? You can even be a flirtatious young widow~" Mu Yuan chimed in from the side, fanning the flames.
"You're the one who's a womanizing widow!!" Ning Xian spun the stool in his hand and it flew straight at Mu Yuan—Mu Yuan easily dodged, and the stool shattered into pieces against the wall behind him. He shook his head and clicked his tongue twice, "Sure enough, women with unhappy marriages become more and more violent..."
Ning Xian paused, and suddenly lightning flashed and thunder roared overhead. His eyes blazed with fire, and he pounced on Mu Yuan, biting and biting at her head amidst her screams...
Yu Lin really wanted to stop them... but the bloody and horrific scene before him made him feel utterly powerless, so he decided to let them go. After all, no one could stop Ning Xian until he returned to normal.
Yu Lin sat on the steps in front of the door, resting his chin on his hand and quietly watching the clouds drift by, occasionally dismissing the maids who wanted to bring more wine and food. Ning Xian came out at some point and sat next to him, also resting his chin on his hand and watching the clouds, sighing occasionally.
"I don't know how much longer I'll have to stay here... I'm really fed up with respectable people and respectable men..."
The third person came out from inside the door, sat down in a row, and encouraged them with great interest: "Since you're not happy here anyway, why don't you burn down the Bai mansion and wipe out his whole family? Then you can openly 'go back to your parents' home' and see who can keep you here."
Yu Lin looked up when she heard his voice and her eyes widened immediately—she saw Mu Yuan with disheveled hair, bloodstains visible at his hairline, and two large, bloody teeth marks on his face… What was terrifying was that he seemed completely oblivious to his appearance, still holding his tattered folding fan, swaying it leisurely with endless allure…
Even more terrifying, Ning Xian glared at him and retorted nonchalantly, "How could you even think of that? Wiping out the whole family? I just got married here! If people say that the Qiu family's daughter is a jinx, bringing bad luck to her husband and the whole family, ruining the Qiu family's reputation, how will my business-obsessed parents ever live?" It was as if she couldn't see Mu Yuan's current state, and that Mu Yuan's behavior wasn't her doing.