The manor of the General’s Mansion was very large, and the courtyard where Xin Yi resided was some distance from the eastern courtyard.
By the time they arrived unhurriedly, the banquet table was already laden with a dazzling array of fruits, vegetables, and dishes, their aromas assailing the nose.
Xiao Cheng Ce and Chu Chu had already taken their seats, with Xiao Cheng Ce, as the master of the General’s Mansion, naturally occupying the seat of honor. Chu Chu sat at his right hand.
The seat to the man’s left was empty, as if deliberately reserved for her.
Xin Yi did not stand on ceremony and walked straight over to take her seat.
From the moment she appeared, she had noticed the surprised gazes of the two opposite her, as if they had not expected her to arrive together with Xie Shuo.
Thus, she smiled at Xiao Cheng Ce and said softly and slowly, “It was quite a coincidence when we left earlier; I happened to run into Young Master Xie, so we came together.”
Xiao Cheng Ce nodded upon hearing this and indeed asked no further.
He had been deliberately ignoring Bai Xinyi during this period, thinking that she would not hold out for long and would come to him begging forgiveness. Who would have thought this woman was doing just fine, having cast him completely to the nine heavens beyond? She truly had no heart.
But no matter what, today could be considered as giving her a way to save face.
Using the evening meal as an opportunity, they could draw a little closer and ease their relations somewhat.
Lamplight blazed, moonlight flooded the ground, and each dish on the table was served in glazed porcelain bowls fired in official kilns.
There was not only powdered steamed perch and deep-fried spring goose and stewed eggplant, but also crystal zongzi, bamboo shoot and pork noodle soup, small lotus leaf and lotus seed soup, and four-color sugar crisps.
Xiao Cheng Ce lowered his eyes to look at the stewed eggplant before him and personally scooped some with a ladle. He first served a small portion into Chu Chu’s bowl and saw her smile shyly and contentedly.
Only then did he scoop another portion and serve it to Xin Yi, thoughtfully reminding her on his lips, “No need to be reserved; eat more. You’ve looked thinner lately.”
“Wasn’t it General who instructed the steward matron to cut my courtyard’s food, clothing, and daily necessities by half?”
Xin Yi feigned innocent ignorance and curved her lips in a smile. “I thought General found me too plump and specially wanted me to slim down a bit.”
Xiao Cheng Ce did not want to argue with her and merely snorted coldly. “Sharp-tongued.”
Xin Yi knew when to stop and said no more.
She merely lowered a section of her snow-white neck and focused on eating the powdered steamed perch before her. As for the stewed eggplant he had deliberately served her, she ignored it on the side, as if not interested.
Seeing her so nonchalant, Xiao Cheng Ce inexplicably recalled the scene he had glimpsed in the covered walkway yesterday.
The woman wore a rouge-red padded jacket and skirt, standing in the walkway. A evening breeze blew past, and she tilted her head up, squinting her eyes as she spoke to the parrot in the cage, like a gorgeous celestial fairy draped in feathered robes. “Hey, are you bored locked up here? Why do you call out every time I pass by?”
The parrot seemed to understand her words and flapped about, spouting random nonsense, mostly auspicious platitudes—probably taught by the maids in their idle moments.
The woman listened but was not very satisfied and poked its head with her finger. “While I’m still here, let me teach you a few high-level insults. Be smarter from now on; only curse when you see Xiao Cheng Ce.”
Xiao Cheng Ce: “…”
For some reason, he always felt that the Bai Xinyi he had seen last night seemed somewhat different from her usual self.
But he also vaguely sensed that was her most authentic appearance. As if she had no attachment to him or even the General’s Mansion and could abandon everything and leave at any time.
He had thought what he hated most was seeing that jealous, twisted, and mean face of hers.
But when he truly heard words of leaving from her mouth, in such a light and airy tone, he instinctively felt resistant and wanted to grasp her firmly in his hand.
Perhaps he had been too lost in thought, staring at Bai Xinyi’s neck for too long.
This made Chu Chu at his side somewhat dissatisfied. She endured her irritation and gently tugged his sleeve. “Shi Bi?”
Only then did Xiao Cheng Ce snap back to his senses, and he felt strangely uneasy. When he had been dazed earlier, his gaze had seemed fixed on Bai Xinyi’s shoulder and neck—an action easily misunderstood.
But he quickly thought that since Bai Xinyi had not left the General’s Mansion, she was still his woman in some sense.
Thus, the expression on his face only flickered with conflict for a moment before returning to normal.
He paid no attention to the pitch-black eyes of the youth not far away gazing at him, filled with such sinister coldness and unspeakable disgust.
Xin Yi just focused on eating with her head down, indifferent to the undercurrents around her.
It had to be said that the chefs of the General’s Mansion were indeed skilled; they were no worse than those in the Capital City’s restaurants. Since she had not left yet, she could savor the delicacies in peace.
Suddenly, a large piece of perch appeared in the dish before her.
She looked up in surprise and found that Xie Shuo had served it to her, probably noticing her fondness for the dish.
“Thank you.”
Xin Yi squinted her eyes and smiled at him, her delicate face taking on a touch of pure charm. Then, at an angle Xiao Cheng Ce could not see, she quickly pouted her pink lips: a kiss for you.
Xiang Lan saw it all and felt her heart nearly leap out.
This was fatal—how could her young miss be so indiscriminate about occasions? She
seemed truly unafraid of death!
The others could not see what Xin Yi had done, but they could see Xie Shuo curve his lips in a gentle smile.
He was already born with a gloomy yet refined beauty; this smile made him utterly bewitching, like a plum blossom growing on a snowy ridge, touched by the finger of a passing girl.
Xiao Cheng Ce could not help but feel some surprise, for he had no impression of ever seeing the youth smile.
Chu Chu was much the same. She had never been close to this half-brother of hers but prided herself on understanding his aloof temperament. This seemed… like only the second time she had seen him smile.
After an eerie silence, it was Xiao Cheng Ce who spoke first.
There was a faint note of relief in his tone as his gaze swept over them, and he said gravely, “I was originally worried you might have some rift and not get along well, but it seems I worried unnecessarily. Compared to Chu Chu, you two seem more like close siblings.”
Xiang Lan broke out in cold sweat upon hearing this.
What rift? This man was linked with her young miss every night, and he was practically deranged, even jealous of her, the personal maid.
Xin Yi felt not the slightest guilt.
She looked up and saw the unmasked kiss mark on Chu Chu’s neck, then at Xiao Cheng Ce’s handsome and steady face. “Yes, anyway, no one’s idle. General is busy every day accompanying the new wife. This concubine can only work a bit harder and look after her little brother.”
“Fortunately, A Shuo is very obedient and picks up everything quickly.”
She spoke lightly and casually, unaware that her words unintentionally pierced Chu Chu’s heart.
Her disgust for Bai Xinyi deepened, and it extended to that little monster as well. Though the two siblings had never been close, at this moment she still felt a sense of betrayal—a deep betrayal.
The banquet was more than halfway done, and everyone had drunk some osmanthus wine.
The others might not show it on their faces, but Xin Yi had a low tolerance and felt a bit tipsy. Fortunately, she had drunk little, so at most her cheeks were flushed red.
Anyone familiar with her would know she was not very drunk at this point, but Xiao Cheng Ce clearly was not among them.
Thus, when she leaned over with effort to pick up a piece of cloud cake from the side, he thought she was so drunk she was about to face-plant into the food. He reached out and yanked her forcefully into his embrace.
Xin Yi not only failed to get the cloud cake she wanted but also dropped her chopsticks on the ground. She let out a soft startled cry and fell into the stranger yet firm embrace of the man beside her.
The momentum was too great, leaving her dazed for a few seconds without immediately pushing away, as if she did not mind being close to him.
Xiao Cheng Ce was also stunned. He felt as if he had embraced a cloud of fragrant softness. She looked slender, yet her frame was petite.
Held in his arms, she was boneless, nothing but a sensation of warm, soft, and fragrant yielding. Even the arm he had across her chest felt a certain heavy weight.
Xiao Cheng Ce: “…”
Before he could savor it, the woman in his arms was yanked away—pulled even farther than their original seated positions.
He instinctively glanced at Bai Xinyi’s profile. She lowered her head somewhat annoyed and reached to straighten the skirt hem that he had rumpled. Though the youth’s movement to block was quick as he rose, he still caught sight of that dazzling expanse of heaving white.
Xie Shuo’s complexion could no longer be described as merely cold.
The look in his eyes was not like that of a brother-in-law but rather as if facing some unforgivable enemy.
Xiao Cheng Ce was taken aback for a moment, then understood.
—Could it be that A Shuo was angry on behalf of A Jie, afraid that he would be too intimate with Bai Xinyi tonight and hurt Chu Chu’s feelings?
He turned his head and indeed saw Chu Chu’s aggrieved expression, as if she wanted to speak but held back.
Only then did he steady his mind again and deliberately gripped her hand reassuringly.
On the other side, Xin Yi had already straightened her skirt and tugged at the youth’s sleeve to make him sit.
She could feel that Xie Shuo’s mood was terribly bad, but she chose to pretend not to know and continued to lower her head to eat her sugar crisps. From time to time, she used her handkerchief to catch the crumbs at her lips.
After a moment, the Melodramatic Transmigration System asked, “Host, Xie Shuo seems about to die of anger. Why don’t you coax him?”
Xin Yi scoffed. “Jealousy is also a catalyst for emotions. Letting him get jealous occasionally isn’t bad.”
The more he liked her, the more he would hate seeing Xiao Cheng Ce get close to her, so being angry was normal. If he wasn’t angry, that would be the end.
The moon and stars were sparse, and a breeze carrying a hint of sultriness blew past.
In her ears were the sound of flowing water from the pond and the red silk cord with silver bells tangled at the youth’s hair’s end by her side.
Suddenly, Xiao Cheng Ce called out, “A Shuo.”
He seemed somewhat puzzled, frowning as he pointed at the youth’s jaw. “What’s this? Were you injured?”
As Xin Yi looked up and saw the scratch on his jaw, she also met the youth’s pitch-black eyes, cold as water.
Tsk…
He was really angry.
On the other side, Xiao Cheng Ce only thought after asking that the other could not reply.
And even if he could, he would not understand sign language. Realizing he might have touched on the youth’s sore spot, he smiled somewhat guiltily. “Probably scratched by a wild cat; no harm done. Just be more careful in the future.”
What he had actually wanted to ask was: Had A Shuo secretly taken a liking to some girl? After all, the mark was long and thin, like one left in the heat of passion.
But Xie Shuo was still young and appeared handsome yet harmless, seeming uninterested in anything besides gu insects. Probably no one had taught him about matters between men and women.
Moreover, the youth rarely left even his own courtyard, let alone the General’s Mansion—where would he meet an admired girl?
It must be him overthinking; it was not necessarily as he imagined.
Chu Chu also saw the scratch but did not think in any other direction.
She still remembered a few years ago in the Miao Frontier, when a maid who admired his looks tried to climb into his bed, only to be bitten to death by the gu insects he released. When discovered, she was in an undressed, disgraceful state. How could such an icy monster like any woman?
Xin Yi did not care much about their thought processes.
She only knew that by the time the evening meal ended and they returned to their respective courtyards, Xie Shuo was still angry.
Under the moonlight, she tilted her head to look at him for a while, then burst out laughing.
She walked over and hugged his arm, tilting her head back happily to ask, “Hey, you seem really annoyed with me right now. How about… we sleep separately tonight?”
Seeing that he still ignored her, she made as if to leave.
But as soon as she took a step, the youth dragged her back into his embrace with a taut handsome face, holding her tighter than an iron tree.
Xin Yi did not struggle and raised her lotus-root arm to smilingly loop around his neck.
Only when he scooped her up horizontally as usual did she lean to his ear and say, “Little husband being so fierce means no wife will want to sleep with you.”
“So, be gentle with me later.”
General’s Mansion, eastern courtyard.
After serving their master to wash and prepare for bed, the maids blushed and tactfully withdrew.
With the side room door closed, only Xiao Cheng Ce and Chu Chu remained inside.
The candles in the lamp shades were also extinguished. After the rustle of clothing, the woman’s fragrant body pressed over, her curves exquisite and graceful.
Xiao Cheng Ce deftly undid her inner garments, but even as he caressed that snowy mound, his mind was on another woman.
As a result, it took two more incense sticks’ worth of time than usual before he fully entered the mood.
The body’s reactions could not deceive.
In the midst of their entanglement, Xiao Cheng Ce thought somewhat distractedly: So people’s hearts do change, and even the deepest love will gradually fade.
He had once thought that Chu Chu alone was enough for this lifetime.
Even after returning triumphant to the capital without divorcing Bai Xinyi and letting her remain the principal wife of the General’s Mansion, as long as he did not set foot in her bedchamber, it would count as keeping his vow to Chu Chu.
Yet after all his calculations, he still could not control his own heart.
The shaking of the bed curtains continued. Xiao Cheng Ce thought of another woman in his mind, yet his body pressed down on the trembling beloved concubine. “The legitimate eldest son of the General’s Mansion—I hope you will bear him.”
Once Chu Chu became pregnant, he would elevate her to principal wife.
At that time, even if he went on to favor other women, he would no longer feel so guilty.