[{"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-154":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},1326530,1761,"Chapter 154: Ah Yao, Why Must You Be Like This?","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-154",154,"\u003Cp>Pei Yan was utterly shameless. Cradling Ling, he sidled up to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat on the edge of the soft couch, lifted his daughter with both hands, and placed her on Mei Wanying’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quick, soothe your mother. If you can make her happy, Daddy will buy you candy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For him to be so shameless, a woman with Mei Wanying’s temper was sure to fly into a rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with her daughter lying on her back, she didn’t dare to move, terrified she might hurt Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Pei Yan must be doing this on purpose,’ Mei Wanying thought. ’He’s trying to use our daughter to restrain me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grew even more furious, wanting nothing more than to claw his face to ribbons!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan didn’t know what Mei Wanying was thinking. He just wanted to use Ling to cheer her up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’A child is so adorable. Who wouldn’t have their heart melt at the touch of her soft little body?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Ah Yin would be no exception.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the baby was very light, Pei Yan was still afraid she would be too heavy for Mei Wanying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He subtly tensed his arms, making sure none of Ling’s weight actually rested on Mei Wanying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s broad shoulders enveloped both Mei Wanying and the little one, circling them within his protective embrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a rare moment for their little family of three, and Pei Yan’s heart quivered with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’How wonderful would it be if we could always be together?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying reached back, securely supporting her daughter, and finally managed to sit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan’s wonderful fantasy was shattered. She coldly dismissed him, \"Your Highness, men and women must maintain their distance. Please refrain from coming to places you shouldn’t be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If this happens again, please see yourself out of the Mei Mansion. We cannot afford to entertain a guest who knows no boundaries.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan stared at his palm. Just moments ago, he had been able to touch Ah Yin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their family of three had been so close, like an ordinary couple playing with their child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the blink of an eye, she had carried their child into the inner chamber, her delicate figure vanishing behind the beaded curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whiplash was too much. An unbearable ache spread through Pei Yan’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he didn’t dare to step past that beaded curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t dare... to press his luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Ding Xiang returned from her errand, she found the door to the room shut tight and the serving maids nowhere in sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyelids twitched nervously. ’Did that Useless Crown Prince find his way here so soon?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face turned deathly pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a second thought, Ding Xiang pushed the door open, only to see someone completely unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan was standing outside the curtain, and from the inner chamber came the sound of her mistress soothing the child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could also hear Ling’s soft suckling sounds as she drank her milk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiang jumped in fright. ’What was someone of his stature doing in her mistress’s room?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’What happened between them?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless thoughts raced through her mind, but Ding Xiang didn’t dare to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know whether she should leave or force herself to stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ding Xiang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying called to her from inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, milady,\" Ding Xiang answered, hurrying past Pei Yan into the inner chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little one still had tear tracks on her face. Worried the tears would irritate her skin, Mei Wanying had Ding Xiang fetch some water to wipe Ling’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Ding Xiang emerged from the inner chamber again, the man was no longer standing outside the beaded curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After fetching the water and wringing out a cloth, Ding Xiang re-entered the room and whispered, \"Mistress, he’s gone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying murmured in acknowledgement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took the cloth and wiped her daughter’s face herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I’m sorry,’ she silently apologized to her daughter. ’I lost control of my emotions again today and scared you.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It seems I need to resolve this matter as quickly as possible, then make Pei Yan return to the Capital and never show his face again.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’With him hovering around, it’s impossible for me to be at peace.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’There’s no telling when I might take my anger out on my daughter again.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It was our transgression that brought Ling into this world.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’The child is innocent.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’She shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of the adults’ emotions.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, Pei Yan ended up staying at the Mei Family’s old house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because he had witnessed that scene during the day, he had a dream that night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dreamed of a scene from his past life, an intimate moment with Ah Yin before he left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bridal chamber was a sea of fiery red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bed curtains billowed gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Yin didn’t want him to leave. Though her ears were completely red, she boldly rolled over and pinned him beneath her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky had already brightened. Faint light filtered through the bed curtains, enveloping Ah Yin in a hazy glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her skin was fairer than snow, like the finest, warm mutton-fat jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From head to toe, she was flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lay on his back, watching that exquisitely beautiful face move above him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze drifted downward, merging with the sight he had glimpsed during the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah Yin...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan subconsciously reached out to embrace her, but his hands met only empty air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden feeling of falling, as if he had missed a step, surged through him. His body jolted, and the sleeping man’s eyes shot open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes met a cold, silent room, devoid of any fiery red bed curtains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head; the person he longed for day and night was not beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’This isn’t our bridal chamber.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was Pei Yan’s first thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then reality hit him. Ah Yin didn’t want him anymore. She had run a thousand miles back to Jiangnan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had borne their child, and she still didn’t want him...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dream and reality were worlds apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overcome with dejection, Pei Yan hugged Mei Wanying’s pillow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the very pillow she had thrown at him the last time he came to Jiangnan, when he’d sought out Ah Yin at the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it had become his comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hugged the pillow, pretending it was Mei Wanying in his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her scent had long since faded from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan tried to comfort himself. ’Besides me, who else gets to touch Ah Yin’s things?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I’m already very lucky.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the more he tried to console himself, the more miserable he felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he hadn’t said things he didn’t mean, if he hadn’t done those hurtful things, Ah Yin would be lying beside him right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would only need to reach out to hold her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan hugged the pillow tighter, cursing himself for being so useless, so unable to win Mei Wanying’s affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The desire in his body was still stirring. Pei Yan cursed under his breath and miserably made his way to the bathhouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’This is what you get for not cherishing her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Serves you right!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the Useless Crown Prince was too severely injured to take immediate revenge on Pei Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps his subordinates had dissuaded him, or maybe he’d even had a change of heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as rumors about Mei Wanying and Pei Yan spread like wildfire, the Useless Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Yan was in no hurry to return to the Capital and settled into the Mei family home as if he had every right to be there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Wanying, on the other hand, grew increasingly agitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She desperately wanted to drive Pei Yan away, but she was afraid that once he left, she, Ling, and her mother would be in danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could only tolerate Pei Yan, letting him linger in her sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She secretly swore that as soon as the Useless Crown Prince was dealt with, she would send Pei Yan packing without a moment’s delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he dared refuse to leave, she would make him regret it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While dark undercurrents surged in Jiangnan, the Capital City was anything but calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor’s health had always been poor, and after everything that had happened, he became so ill he was confined to his bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To pray for the Emperor’s recovery, the Empress personally went to the National Temple to ask for blessings of peace for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noblewomen of the Capital, including Xue Xingyao, the Heir’s wife of the Chen Family, accompanied her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, there was an assassination attempt at the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assailants set fire to the wing, trapping the Empress inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Xue Xingyao who rushed into the fire and rescued the Empress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she went back to retrieve the peace charm the Empress had obtained, she was struck by a falling roof beam and gravely injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By risking her life to save the Empress, she performed a great service.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this, and because the Duke Mansion’s ancestors had made a Contribution from the Dragon, the Emperor rewarded her by pardoning her mother and younger brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their lives were spared, but they were barred from holding any official post for the rest of their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the rest of the Xue Family, Duke Xue and Xue Yunshu, the main culprits in the treason plot, were sentenced to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others were all exiled Outside The Border.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Xue Xingyao, as long as the people she cared about were safe, she wanted for nothing else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It’s fine if they can’t serve as officials. A life of freedom—isn’t that a kind of happiness in itself?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Xingyao’s injuries were too severe. Her back was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, and she could only recuperate in bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Shujing kept vigil by her sickbed, his face ghastly pale and drained of all color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah Yao, why did you have to do that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you I would help you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1665,"2026-06-05T19:26:55.507Z",1,"novelbin.me","565d33fe664ce5fd18846720f15144970864a6a48b5863f564a0751def36f678","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-155","a-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-chapter-153",175,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-marriage-in-name-only-my-stepbrother-won-t-let-cover.jpg"]