[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let":3,"chapter-a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-143":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1326644,1761,"Chapter 143: Promise Me One Condition","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-143",143,"\u003Cp>Mei Wanying was no longer unmoved. Pei Yan felt he had done the right thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’She really does like this face of mine.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a flush of embarrassment, and the tips of his ears grew red-hot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brought a fist to his lips and gave a fake cough. \"Why didn’t Lingling come?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’All the better that she didn’t!’ he thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was easy for him to see his daughter, but for Ah Yin to seek him out of her own accord was as rare as the sun rising in the west.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It’s rare for me to be alone with Ah Yin. I can’t let a child ruin the moment.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying didn’t beat around the bush with Pei Yan. \"Where did you hide Gu Xun?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s expression froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The upward curve of his lips slowly flattened. Jealousy churned in his eyes, and though he did his utmost to restrain it, traces still leaked through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You came to find me just for Gu Xun?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying had other matters to discuss, but she wanted to resolve them one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, the most pressing issue was to find out Gu Xun’s whereabouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been injured that day and taken away by Pei Yan’s men. She had later sent someone to Gu Xun’s residence, but he had not returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people at the Government Office, on the other hand, said he had been transferred back to the Capital City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Mei Wanying sent people to inquire, they couldn’t find a single trace of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left with no other choice, she could only come and ask Pei Yan where on earth he had hidden the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xun was Pei Yan’s own cousin. In the past, Mei Wanying would have thought that no matter how ruthless Pei Yan was, he would never move against Gu Xun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After what happened last time, Mei Wanying was no longer so naive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Pei Yan is a madman. He would show Gu Xun no mercy at all!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I was the one who proposed the marriage, so I share the responsibility. I can’t let Gu Xun face the consequences alone.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let Gu Xun go. Our affairs shouldn’t involve innocent people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Innocent?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan mulled over the word, then suddenly laughed. \"He dared to swoop in when he saw an opening. How is he innocent?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who in the entire Capital City didn’t know about his relationship with Ah Yin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I refuse to believe Gu Xun didn’t know.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’He’s probably been coveting Ah Yin for a long time. That’s why he so shamelessly stuck his nose in our business.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’He’d even become a live-in husband, just to cling to Ah Yin’s side.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Gu Xun was trying to steal my wife, steal my daughter. The nerve of him!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’And I’m not allowed to strike back?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying was a great beauty, and back in the Capital City, many Noble Children had wanted to ask for her hand in marriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan thought to himself that if he hadn’t kept such a tight leash on her, forbidding her from interacting with other men, she might have been deceived and whisked away long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’After taking every possible precaution, I never thought a single trip back to Jiangnan would get her tangled up with Gu Xun.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’She even thought about marrying him.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan couldn’t bring himself to blame Mei Wanying, so he could only make Gu Xun suffer the consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying was Pei Yan’s Achilles’ heel. No one was allowed to touch her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Mei Wanying remained untouched, there was room for negotiation on even the gravest of matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’But if anyone touches Mei Wanying, I’ll never let them off easy!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xun was lucky. He hadn’t actually married Ah Yin. Otherwise...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan’s gaze darkened. He wasn’t sure what he might have done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not wanting to frighten Mei Wanying, Pei Yan softened his tone. \"He’s not innocent. Sending him back to the Capital City was already an act of mercy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying refused to listen to his twisted logic. She repeated her demand, \"Let Gu Xun go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xun...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Xun!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time she mentioned the name, the gloom in Pei Yan’s eyes deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat there with a dark expression, looking for all the world as if he were the one who had been wronged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This look on his face reminded Mei Wanying of the Pei Yan from before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever he wore that expression, someone was about to suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afraid that Pei Yan might suddenly fly into a rage, Mei Wanying could only try to explain things gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t want to drag Gu Xun into this. I don’t want to have to feel guilty toward him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan remained unmoved, ignoring Mei Wanying’s explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mei Wanying of the past would have been driven to tears of frustration by his heart of stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After so many years of entanglement with Pei Yan, Mei Wanying knew exactly what to do to appease him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out an imperceptible sigh. \"I don’t like causing trouble for an outsider.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying enunciated the word \"outsider\" with particular clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s tense body abruptly relaxed, and the gloom in his eyes dissipated with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned back, feigning nonchalance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A ghost of a smile played on his lips. \"Since he’s an outsider, why care about his whereabouts?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying knew Pei Yan was difficult, but she also knew he was wavering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not wanting to see her efforts go to waste, she suppressed her anger and decided to appeal to both his heart and his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When I first returned to Jiangnan, I found out I was pregnant midway through the journey...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan’s body, which had just relaxed, tensed up once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Ah Yin had no choice but to leave the Capital City. Giving birth to our child must have put her under immense pressure.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I wasn’t by Ah Yin’s side. She had to bear all that pressure alone.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I came to Jiangnan once during that time, but I’d arrogantly assumed Ah Yin was faking the pregnancy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I even bullied her until she cried...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If Gu Xun hadn’t helped me, I would have been an unwed mother. The world’s judgment would have driven me to my death!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gu Xun helped me, and he helped Ling. He is a benefactor of the Mei family. And you want me to just stand by and watch what you’re doing to him? Pei Yan, are you even human?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Never mind that the marriage was my idea. Gu Xun helped me. I can’t just ignore this.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’If I acted so heartlessly, I would be a disgrace to everything my parents taught me!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan’s breath quickened. He had to admit that Mei Wanying was telling the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I was too far away back then. Even if I’d known Ah Yin was carrying my child, I couldn’t have reached her side in time.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’With no one to protect her, she would have suffered so many hardships.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Vicious rumors can be deadly!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan already felt guilty toward Mei Wanying, and now that guilt intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew an apology was useless, but he offered one anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah Yin, I’ve wronged you and Lingling.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Whether in my past life or this one, I’ve wronged them both.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I’m just grateful they’re still alive, giving me a chance to atone.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan cast aside his pride and composure. He squatted before Mei Wanying and reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a distant expression, Mei Wanying moved to stand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man gripped the armrests of her chair, trapping her within his reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was the one looking up at her, he had Mei Wanying pinned in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying kicked him angrily. \"Get lost!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan didn’t want to anger Mei Wanying, but he didn’t want to let her leave either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It took so much for me to see her just this once.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’If I weren’t worried about her feelings, I would have pulled Ah Yin into my arms the moment I saw her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I miss her so much.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Yet I have to force myself to stay away from her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I’m going to lose my mind!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was gripping so tightly that the veins on his arm bulged, snaking their way up until they disappeared beneath his sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying couldn’t leave, but staying felt unbearable. All she could do was tell Pei Yan to keep his distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Men and women should maintain a proper distance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan said, \"We performed the wedding ceremony.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Mei Wanying acknowledged it or not, as far as Pei Yan was concerned, they were married.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze fell to the armrests, and he added confidently, \"Besides, I’m not touching you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was being shameless again. A vein throbbed in Mei Wanying’s temple out of sheer anger at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pressed her slender fingertips to her temple. \"What, exactly, do I have to do for you to let Gu Xun go?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had mentioned Gu Xun’s name countless times since walking in the door. Pei Yan didn’t want to hear it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Not from her lips.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze fell upon her lovely lips, and his throat tightened. ’Ah Yin should only be saying my name.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can let him go,\" the man said. \"But you have to agree to my condition.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying’s heart leaped into her throat. She instinctively felt that Pei Yan was about to make an outrageous demand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dug her nails into her palm and asked, \"What condition?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the guarded look on her face, as if she were facing a mortal enemy, a bitter taste filled Pei Yan’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I’ve truly brought this upon myself.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if all his strength had abandoned him, the man sank to one knee. \"Ah Yin, don’t drive me away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1637,"2026-06-05T19:26:55.507Z",1,"novelbin.me","8081e24d3ad50f7e0fa3c9b7ec24344eacfa6b842fb841b265e11345c7ce3127","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-144","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-142",175,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-cover.jpg"]