On the other hand, Mr. and Mrs. Bai were also deeply troubled by the relationship between Bai Mo and Ning Xian. They knew their son had someone in his heart, but that kind of woman was simply not fit to enter the Bai family. He had married a young lady from the Qiu family, whom he had met in business, through an arranged marriage. Their son hadn't refused, and they knew he wouldn't—because it was the proper etiquette, the rule.
But the current situation is not optimistic. With their son neglecting his wife so much, they have no other options but to keep him at home and prevent him from managing the accounts, so that he can stay home and spend time with his wife.
However, a few days later, the servants reported that the eldest young master was still sleeping in his study, his relationship with his wife was quite strained, and he only showed up when the two young masters of the Qiu family visited; otherwise, he kept himself locked up in his study. Fortunately, perhaps sensing the awkward situation, the two young masters of the Qiu family would often go over to visit, creating some opportunities for them.
Such a report is simple and seemingly calm, yet unbeknownst to those in the small courtyard, a turbulent undercurrent is brewing.
Mu Yuan's arrival wasn't creating opportunities for Ning Xian at all; it was clearly creating opportunities for herself!
There was a table and four chairs in the courtyard. Bai Mo, as the host, naturally had to keep her company. Ning Xian didn't like sitting next to him, but she could sit opposite him. As a result, she looked up and saw him face to face. She turned her body to the side unhappily, and when she saw it was Mu Yuan, she turned back to Yu Lin, which made her feel more comfortable.
Yu Lin and Mu Yuan sat on opposite sides. Yu Lin was truly loyal to his employer. Every time Mu Yuan tried to make an "accidental" contact with Bai Mo while he was getting tea or fruit, Yu Lin would quickly step in and block between his hands, then smile apologetically at Bai Mo's questioning gaze.
Faced with Yu Lin's sincere smile, no one could possibly have any ulterior motives or blame her.
Bai Mo was speechless to discover that no matter what he reached for, it would become a hot commodity, always being grabbed by three hands almost simultaneously. In the end, he could only hold his teacup and not touch anything.
Mu Yuan hadn't gained any advantage all day, and giving up so easily wasn't his style.
So he decided—might as well go all the way and launch a night raid!
On a dark and windy night, a wolf howled.
A white shadow flashed like a ghost in the night and disappeared into the open window of the study.
A pair of amber eyes reflected the moonlight, seemingly shining brightly. Beside the soft couch in the study, the gauze curtains swayed, faintly revealing the figure on the couch…
Mu Yuan moved toward the soft couch, when suddenly another figure leaped in through the window and blocked his way—
The two exchanged blows silently, like butterflies fluttering in the moonlight, light and still. Mu Yuan saw Ning Xian standing before him, wearing only his undergarments, clearly having rushed out of the bedroom—
She glared fiercely at Mu Yuan—I knew you wouldn't give up so easily!
—Tch, staying up all night staring at this spot, aren't you tired?
—With a shameless monster like you eyeing me like a hawk, how can I sleep?
The two glared at each other fiercely for a few moments, continuing their back-and-forth in the room. Suddenly, Ning Xian made a careless move and was knocked away by Mu Yuan, crashing into the bookshelf behind him. The sound of the collision woke Bai Mo, and Mu Yuan, who was near the window, leaped out like a white shadow in an instant. Bai Mo opened his eyes and got up, only to see his "new wife" wearing her undergarments, equally astonished at being caught red-handed...
"..."
"..."
"...Why are you here?"
Should he refrain from looking at what is improper and avoid any impropriety between men and women, or should he face the fact that the two have already gone through the wedding ceremony and act as if nothing has happened?
—But even if they've gone through the wedding ceremony, they both probably know the true nature of their relationship, right? So why is she here?
—Night raid?
Ning Xian looked around, thinking... In her current state, she probably couldn't explain herself no matter what. Since she couldn't explain, she'd just make up an excuse; who cared whether he believed her or not? Why did she come to save someone, only to take the blame for Mu Yuan and be misunderstood?
Suddenly, she flashed a nonchalant, harmless smile. "I was sleepwalking, sorry to disturb your sleep, please continue." With that, she climbed out the window and "floated" barefoot back to her room. Under the moonlight, her fair feet gleamed, causing Bai Mo to frown slightly—didn't it hurt to walk barefoot like that? Even if it was a night raid, shouldn't she have worn shoes? And—couldn't she have just gone out the door instead of climbing through the window, "going back to where she came from"?
(Very good, congratulations to Bai Momo, you didn't consider the key points of any of your questions, you went off on a completely different track.)
...
The next day, Bai Mo didn't see Ning Xian again in the courtyard until the afternoon. Ning Xian was a natural bed-slacker, and after tossing and turning all night, she didn't get up until almost noon. Dong Qing and Xia Hui helped her wash up, and after lunch, they came out to enjoy the cool air.
Actually, life isn't bad for the wealthy. They have everyone to wait on them, living a leisurely and carefree life, which can be described as quite enjoyable. However, this kind of life of just eating and waiting to die is comfortable for a couple of days, but it can really be suffocating if it goes on for too long.
Ning Xian watched Bai Mo walk out of the study. She knew that Master Bai had ordered him not to go out or manage accounts, but to stay home and keep his wife company. So Bai Mo was stuck in the courtyard, either in the study or in the garden. She casually waved her fan and said lazily, "Sit down with me."
Judging from her nonchalant demeanor, it was as if nothing had happened last night. However, she was secretly plotting how to leave the Bai family legitimately—she glanced at Bai Mo; the key lay with him. If she could reach an agreement with him… well, their relationship wasn't exactly good right now, so reaching an agreement carried some risk. So, was the only option to have him kick her out?
Bai Mo felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze. Seeing her so different from her usual languid, alluring, and somewhat wicked demeanor, he thought of that phrase—
A delicate lotus lies reclining, drunk on the night; I cannot share this beautiful evening with you, filled with deep regret.
How could she possibly seem "full of resentment"?
This woman, no matter how you look at it, is deliberately trying to mess with him! Indeed, they don't get along well, or rather, they don't get along very well at all. But he still sat down. Given their past interactions and this "wife's" behavior, it was really strange that she would take the initiative to invite him to sit down, and the fact that she appeared in his room last night was even more puzzling.
After much thought, he could only come to one conclusion—although her behavior was unconventional, she was still his lawfully wedded wife… Was it because he had neglected her too much? In this secluded courtyard, no matter how indifferent she appeared, she must ultimately feel hurt and lonely, right? That's why she did those things to deliberately provoke him and hide her true feelings. And now, was this her way of trying to get closer to him? —The guilt he had forgotten because of Ning Xian's actions resurfaced. In the end, marrying her but not being able to treat her well was what he had wronged her.
Ning Xian had no idea what Bai Mo was thinking. She invited him to sit down simply because she thought keeping him under her watchful eye would make it easier to guard against Mu Yuan, who might suddenly appear out of nowhere. Although Yu Lin was watching over him, the straightforward Yu Lin was no match for that cunning fox. Incidentally, she could also try to find out what Bai Mo was thinking... As for the fact that she had appeared in Bai Mo's room last night in that state, she had long forgotten about it.
Chapter 11 Killing Husband and Wiping Out the Whole Family
"Young Master Bai..."
"You don't need to call me that. Although we have no marital affection, now that we've gone through this wedding ceremony, we're family—"
"I understand what Young Master Bai means, but if I don't call you that, how should I address you?"
This question stumped Bai Mo. Their incompatibility was like their inability to address each other—how was she supposed to address him? Calling him by his full name was out of the question; since she was his wife, that would be impolite. Was she supposed to call him "husband"? Ning Xian felt a chill run down her spine—given their relationship, such a form of address was far too ironic.
Bai Mo seemed to finally realize this as well, and fell silent.
After a long pause, seeing that he couldn't say anything more, Ning Xian spoke again: "Young Master Bai..."
"Miss Qiu!" he interrupted her again—did this man have a quirk? Why did he always choose to interrupt her when she was speaking?
"My attitude towards you on our wedding night was truly my fault, and I'm sorry, Miss..." — Oh, so you knew it was your fault?