Very well, what was that person's name again? — Bai Mo, right? If you don't come, I'll keep waiting. Do you think I'm stupid?
It seems she won't stay in the Bai family for long.
She lifted the veil, and the maid panicked, hurriedly saying, "Young Madam...?"
Beneath the veil, a face as pure and beautiful as a lotus flower was revealed. Under Madam Qiu's skillful touch, the alluring and wicked air in her eyes was concealed, making her look like a carefully cultivated and blooming flower—Madam Qiu was naturally willing to put in the effort for her daughter who was to be sold.
Such a beautiful bride was neglected in the bridal chamber, and even the two maids felt sorry for her.
What are your names?
"This servant is Dong Qing."
"Xia Hui".
Ning Xian nodded. "Come and help me take off the phoenix crown."
"This...Young Madam..."
"What's wrong? It's already this late, do you think the groom will still come?" Ning Xian pretended to look at the sky outside the window. The two maids were flustered. Although this was against the rules, the Bai family was in the wrong after all, so they also felt guilty and naturally dared not disobey the new young mistress. The two of them began to remove the phoenix coronet and wedding veil.
Although Ning Xian hadn't taken the marriage seriously to begin with, that didn't mean she could just sit there in the bridal chamber and swallow her anger—she was the one who could leave others hanging, not the other way around! She was already unhappy enough about the marriage; did the groom really want to be even less willing than her?
Just then, the door was pushed open, and a smell of alcohol blew in on the night breeze.
Ning Xian turned her head and saw a figure in a bright red python robe. She slowly blinked—She's here? Should she put her veil back on?
The groom was clearly taken aback to see a bride with her veil already lifted as soon as he entered the room. They stared at each other, speechless for a moment, unable to process what was happening.
Since the veil had already been lifted, Ning Xian took the opportunity to look her new husband up and down. He was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, so it was impossible to tell what his taste was like. All that could be seen was that he had a pretty good figure, tall and slender with a good figure. As for his appearance, he was indeed worthy of being nominated on the list of beauties. He was like a stunning swan in a landscape painting, both quiet and elegant, as if he could smell the ink on the painting.
Ning Xian blinked. He really was a young master from a good family. She felt that he would faint after being whipped a couple of times, which didn't seem to suit her at all...
Bai Mo, seemingly emboldened by alcohol, made a decision and entered with great fanfare, only to be taken aback by his bride's composed demeanor and speechless. Finally recovering from his astonishment, he frowned slightly at his "bride," clearly disapproving of this unconventional behavior but refraining from reprimanding her for some reason. Even without speaking, Ning Xian, looking at her new husband whose face was etched with seriousness, was once again certain that they were definitely not compatible.
People say that those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.
However, not wanting the Bai family to say that the Qiu family didn't know the rules, she put on a seemingly sweet smile and said, "It's already very late. I've been traveling all day and I'm a little tired. I'd like to rest early. I hope my husband won't mind?" She glanced at the sky outside, then glanced again—excuse me, young man, could you please check what time it is? This isn't my fault.
Bai Mo frowned again and said to Dong Qing and Xia Hui, "You two go out first."
"Yes." The two maids quickly bowed and withdrew, leaving only Bai Mo and Ning Xian in the room. He was somewhat surprised to see the bride, who had been left out in the bridal chamber for most of the night, remaining completely calm. His life had always been rigorous and structured; he disliked anything that went off track.
“Miss Qiu, there are some things I must make clear to you in person.” — Huh, Miss Qiu? As soon as he said that, Ning Xian knew it wasn’t anything nice, but his voice was really pleasant, like a clear spring flowing by, neither too high nor too low. She adjusted her posture, comfortably leaning against the headboard, as if she was just waiting to appreciate his voice, and smiled nonchalantly, “Please speak.”
The woman's reaction was indeed quite unexpected. Bai Mo's furrowed brows remained unchanged. "Since our marriage was arranged by our parents, I should naturally marry you and have no right to refuse. Once you enter the family, you will be a member of the Bai family. However—you are not the one I want to marry. I promised another person that I would never marry another woman in this life. Although I am now forced to obey my parents' arrangement, the wife in my heart is only one person. I am the one who made the mistake, and I will not mistreat you. I will try my best to meet any requests you may have. You can make any requests you may have. I only hope that Miss Qiu will be a couple in public and not cause my parents any heartache."
Ning Xian listened to him finish speaking in astonishment. At first, she was leisurely appreciating his voice, but by the second half, she was completely confused by this long string of high-sounding words—why can a person use so many reasons to justify what they are doing?
She painstakingly peeled back the layers of his seemingly plausible reasons to see what he ultimately wanted—
With a "crack," a white jade ring on Ning Xian's finger shattered into two pieces.
—Damn it, he's cheating on me!
Chapter 4 The Enchantress's Wedding
"Huh... how could a white jade ring break so easily? Could it be a mistake by the carver, resulting in a crack..." She casually placed the broken jade on the table, looked up at him, and smiled, "Oh, what did you just say, my husband?"
"..."
"..."
Seeing that Bai Mo's eyebrows were about to furrow, Ning Xian decided not to push him too far and that it was better to resolve the issue sooner rather than later, so he said, "Okay, I understand."
—That means he wanted to be both an adulterer and a dutiful son, which is exactly the same as a prostitute trying to maintain a virtuous image.
"Since that's the case, I've been traveling all day, shouldn't my husband find a place to rest so I can rest too?" Ning Xian was still smiling at him, but in her heart she was already thinking—what a bastard! I haven't even cheated on you yet, and you've already started flirting!
"Marry you? Marry you my foot! You'd better stay with that woman and don't bother me, or I'll cut off your manhood!"
With a sudden push from the palm, Bai Mo felt a gust of air sway him, and he found himself inexplicably outside the door, which closed behind him without any wind.
Ning Xian took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. This was the Bai family home, not a place to cause trouble.
She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep. Bai Mo, however, stood outside the door, stunned, for a long time—was it... resolved like that? There was no expected grievance, resentment, or accusation...this bride seemed even more eager to clear her name than he was?
...
As dawn broke, Ning Xian was still fast asleep in bed when her two maids, Dong Qing and Xia Hui, peeked in from the doorway. Today was the bride's first day in the Bai family, and according to custom, she had to greet her parents-in-law and serve tea early, so the new bride had to get up early to wash and get ready. However, the groom was not in the bridal chamber and had not yet shown up, so they didn't know whether they should go and wake the young mistress.
Just as he was carrying water into the room to prepare it, he saw a white shadow flash outside the door, and Bai Mo had already walked in.
That night, Bai Mo couldn't sleep at all in his study. He felt guilty towards this bride, who was completely unexpected from his life; it was an arranged marriage, and she was innocent. But her reaction the night before was entirely unpredictable. He couldn't tell if she was feigning strength or simply being cold-hearted. He hated this unpredictability. In his life, everything was regular and meticulous; deviations had only happened twice—once when he met the woman of his dreams and pledged his life to her. And now, this time.
"Ah, young master..."
"Where is she?" he asked, already heading into the house. Dong Qing and Xia Hui were startled and hurriedly said, "Wait, wait a minute, young master! The young mistress hasn't arrived yet..."
Clearly, it was too late for them to stop it.
When Bai Mo entered the bedroom, he immediately saw a woman on the bed, her clothes half-open, curled up like a cat, fast asleep, her white calves exposed as she slept soundly.
"Young Master! The Young Madam hasn't gotten up yet..."
He's already seen it!
Bai Mo quickly turned around, ignoring the person sleeping in bed disheveled, and asked, "What's going on? It's already this late, why haven't you woken her up yet?"