Volume One, Chapter 16: The Eldest Young Master Begins to Suspect

“Mother…”

Madam Zhou had still been somewhat hesitant, but when she heard her son wheedling, she simply could not withstand his pestering and agreed.

Very well. She would go to the Yun residence tomorrow and propose the marriage. She had never heard much about the Yun family’s Third Miss while the girl was still unmarried, so she was probably not valued by her family. Perhaps this could actually work.

“Then you must promise me that once you take this wife, you’ll settle down. Don’t go looking for those disreputable women outside,” Madam Zhou said, opening her eyes and tapping the tip of her fingernail against Zhou Yu’s temple again.

“Yes, yes.”

Zhou Yu nodded obediently. He did not look quite so vicious and ferocious now.

He only acted obediently in front of his mother, merely to placate her.

Settle down? That was impossible.

It was just that this little girl had truly left him itching with desire. Once he had her in his grasp… Heh heh.

Zhou Yu was brimming with excitement, his mind once again conjuring up the graceful figure of the Third Miss Yun he had seen that day.

When Yun Xiang returned to the banquet, she was once more surrounded by a large group of noblewomen and young ladies, who showered her with praise.

Back when she had been the eldest daughter of the Yun family, she had never lacked admirers. Now that she was the wife of the Ji family’s young master, she had become even more of the banquet’s center of attention.

Flattered into high spirits, Yun Xiang promptly cast the unpleasant business concerning Yun Xi aside and indulged in the sensation of being surrounded by adoring admirers.

When she returned to the residence, her face was radiant. Seeing this, Yun Xi knew that she must be in an excellent mood.

From the corner of her eye, Yun Xi glanced at Ji Yu, who was seated behind the writing desk, then lowered her long, thick lashes.

Half an hour earlier, Ji Yu had come to the main room and ordered Yun Xi to pour him a cup of tea before sitting down there to review official documents. Since dusk was fast approaching, the meaning behind his arrival at this hour was self-evident.

“Husband.” Yun Xiang had seen Mo Shu outside and known that Ji Yu had come. For some reason, her heart had filled with joy.

“Mm. Have you eaten?”

Ji Yu had actually shown concern for her, something that almost never happened. Yun Xiang’s cheeks flushed with excitement. “Not yet. Husband, will you stay and eat with me?”

“Mm.”

He had not come over for several days.

Yun Xiang immediately instructed the maids to bustle about and prepare the meal. Her bright red fingernails, stained with clove dye, moved gracefully as she attended to one thing after another, making for a lovely sight.

“I remember that you have a younger sister.”

She was just about to serve food into her husband’s bowl when Ji Yu spoke in an offhand manner, as though the subject were of no importance.

The smile froze on Yun Xiang’s face, and her hands stopped moving. “Yes. Why does Husband ask?”

“Why have I never heard you mention her?” Ji Yu’s gaze casually swept over the maid standing behind Yun Xiang. He watched as the girl hid her trembling hands within her sleeves, then turned back to catch the faintly flustered expression on Yun Xiang’s face.

Something was wrong.

He did not alert the other party, merely observing Yun Xiang as she “performed.”

“My sister’s mother died when she was very young, and I have never been particularly close to her.” Yun Xiang studied Ji Yu’s expression and chose her words carefully. “Besides, to be honest, my younger half-sister has a rather peculiar temperament. She was quiet at home and often caused our parents a great deal of worry.”

After she finished speaking, Ji Yu said nothing, as though he were uninterested in the matter. He simply picked up his chopsticks and began eating.

Yun Xiang watched as her husband lifted his arm, revealing the smooth, defined muscles of his forearm, and her heart grew bitter once more.

Yun Xi… Yun Xi… It was that wretched woman again. It was bad enough that she stole her husband away at night, but why could Yun Xi never be absent whenever she and her husband were together?

She was reminded of Madam Zhou’s questions during the day.

Yun Xiang tightened her grip on her chopsticks, the bright red tips of her nails digging into her palm.

Her husband had mentioned that wretched woman. Could it be that they had already met? If so, Li Mama watched Yun Xi all day long—why had she never heard anything about it from her?

Thinking of Yun Xi’s face, Yun Xiang became even more restless.

“Have you met my younger half-sister, Husband?” In her anxiety, she let the question slip out.

“Ah, Eldest Young Madam.” Li Mama reminded her when she saw Yun Xiang speaking while eating.

In wealthy households, particularly those that placed great importance on decorum, one observed the rule of not speaking while eating or in bed. Yun Xiang had been taught the same thing growing up in her family.

Upon hearing Li Mama’s reminder, Yun Xiang immediately fell silent. But after the meal, Ji Yu went to wash, and she felt too embarrassed to ask again.

All Yun Xiang could do was grit her teeth, avert her gaze, and shoot Yun Xi a vicious glare from the corner of her eye.

Just wait until tomorrow. She would see how she interrogated that wretched woman.

The light in the room dimmed once more.

Ji Yu sat at the edge of the bed, watching the slender figure approaching from the distance. He was reminded of Yun Xi’s appearance in the carriage that day.

The collar of his sleeping robe hung slightly open, revealing his firm chest. His eyes were as dark as ink, and the smile at the corners of his lips was faint.

His idle fingers came to a halt.

Truly…

He was beginning to wonder what secret Yun Xiang was concealing.

The figure approached him, then sat bonelessly in his embrace. A pair of jade-white arms wound around him, while the lingering moisture in her hair brushed against his neck, leaving behind an intimate trace of water.

The little figure in his arms deliberately leaned closer and breathed softly beside his ear. Ji Yu’s gaze deepened, and the arm around her tightened.

Although the room was dark, he could feel their gazes entangled. Ji Yu turned her by the shoulders, then parted her legs and had her straddle him.

Tonight’s spring rain fell in a furious torrent, pattering melodiously against the blue-gray roof tiles. The pleasant sound of rain drowned out the intimacy within the room.

After an unknown length of time, the sounds inside finally ceased. Droplets trickled down from the eaves, forming a crystalline curtain of water.

“Husband…” Yun Xi lay on the bed, breathing faintly and unevenly. When she turned her head, she discovered that Ji Yu was still there.

In the darkness, he had propped himself halfway up. Yun Xi could clearly feel his sharp gaze fixed upon her face.

“Wife, why do you… always put out the lamps at night?”

His warm breath brushed across Yun Xi’s face, and her heart began to pound.

“Husband… I-I’m shy.” As she spoke, she pulled the quilt over her head as if embarrassed, covering half her face.

“Heh.”

Yun Xi heard the soft chuckle of the person beside her.

In the room, filled with the lingering scent of intimacy between a man and a woman, the couple embraced on the bed like mandarin ducks entwining their necks. Yet each harbored entirely different thoughts.

Yun Xi heard no words from Ji Yu for a long while and began to feel uneasy. But the large, rough hand continued to wander over her body, making her tremble faintly.

Ji Yu lowered his lashes and stroked his young wife’s rigid body, listening as she refused him in a quavering voice. “Husband… I’m a little tired.”

One of his brows rose.

Whenever they shared a bed at night, she always extinguished the lamps, only lighting them afterward…

Interesting. What was she afraid he might see?

Remembering Yun Xiang’s strange reaction when she mentioned her younger half-sister at the banquet, the things Yun Xi had said to her wet nurse, and the stark difference between his wife’s behavior during the day and at night, a thought flashed through his mind.

In the darkness, Ji Yu’s lips curved faintly upward, lending a trace of wickedness to his handsome features.