Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

The rising intonation at the end of the "hmm" sound, combined with Pei Yaojun's surprised expression, suggested that he probably disagreed.

Liu Wenying timidly looked up at him and muttered softly.

"Third Master used to pull me along and make me hum tunes."

Pei Yaojun choked for a moment, then retorted confidently, "But I spent money before."

Liu Wenying blinked, her cunning glint dimming.

"Never mind then, I don't have any money."

It looked so pitiful, like a kitten that had been soaked by the rain.

Pei Yaojun's heart softened; he couldn't bear to see her sad any longer.

Just when Liu Wenying thought she wouldn't have a chance to hear it, she heard him humming from above.

He didn't sing any lyrics, but the tune he hummed was the one she had sung, "The Moon is Bright and the Wind is Quiet."

At first, it was a bit awkward, and the rhythm was a bit choppy, clearly indicating that the singer wasn't used to humming funny tunes.

But as she hummed, it gradually became natural and fluent.

His voice was naturally pleasant and had a unique magnetism.

Humming a soft, melodious tune, as gentle as moonlight, it drifts past the ears and warms the heart.

Pei Yaojun hummed it a second time, then looked down at the person in his arms.

She had already closed her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and a faint smile still lingered on her lips.

He stopped humming the tune, afraid of disturbing her sweet dreams.

The cuffs had somehow been rolled up, revealing a section of fair arm.

There were several red marks on his arm, not finger marks.

Pei Yaojun's smile froze. He gently laid her down and instructed Ah Cai to buy a box of the best bruise-reducing ointment.

Before long, the ointment arrived, and Pei Yaojun lifted her arm and applied it little by little.

The ointment was precious, and he applied it carefully and thickly; presumably, the marks would disappear completely by tomorrow.

After applying the medicine, Pei Yaojun sat quietly by the couch, watching her.

For the first time, Zhaolin Courtyard was so quiet.

There was no chirping of crickets, no sound of wind, only the soft breathing of him and her.

In the dead of night, the candlelight in the east wing was fading, casting a dim glow inside the room.

Pei Zeyu woke up groggily with a splitting headache, as if countless tiny needles were piercing his skull.

He only vaguely remembered attending a birthday banquet, drinking alcohol, and then feeling hot all over. And then…

My memories are fragmented, like a shattered mirror; I can't recall a single detail.

Pei Zeyu propped himself up, but the movement aggravated a certain area, causing him to frown in pain.

Lin Zhiyao also woke up with a start and quickly sat up to help him.

"Second Master..."

Pei Zeyu subconsciously pushed her hand away, resisting instinctively.

Upon seeing the two people clearly, he froze, his mind blank.

Both of them were dressed in disheveled clothes, with their own clothes half-open, revealing their firm chests and waistlines.

Lin Zhiyao blushed, her cheeks flushed with shyness.

"Why are you so cold to me, Second Master? We didn't repay you before..."

The words were unfinished, but the meaning was already clear.

Anyone who saw her would think she had received the warmth of rain and dew.

Pei Zeyu was incredulous.

He and...the Lin family?

"At the Second Master's birthday banquet, he drank some wine and felt unwell, so he left the table to rest in a side room. When I came looking for him, he took me..."

A perfectly timed pause, and her ears turning bright red.

"Bai Riben shouldn't have done that, but I don't blame Second Master."

Pei Zeyu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He didn't want to admit it.

But the lingering sensations in his body clearly reminded him of what had happened.

A faint ache in my lower back and abdomen, a lingering heat on my skin, and...

The thought of his affair with the Lin family sent waves of nausea through his stomach.

Seeing his pale face, Lin Zhiyao reached out to touch his forehead. "Second Master, are you still feeling unwell?"

Before his fingers could even touch her, Pei Zeyu suddenly turned to the side and began to dry heave beside the bed.

He couldn't vomit anything, only experienced spasms in his stomach, and cold sweat soaked his forehead.

The feeling of nausea comes not only from the body, but also from the heart.

Lin Zhiyao was stunned.

I never imagined he would avoid her to this extent.

In the past... even when we consummated our marriage, it never happened.

Why is this time different?

What she didn't know was that all those consummated marriages were just illusions she had after taking drugs; he had never actually touched her.

Lin Zhiyao was unwilling to give up, so she moved closer again and reached out to help him.

Pei Zeyu finally recovered from the nausea, straightened up, didn't even glance at her, pushed open the door and rushed out.

His back view looked panicked, as if he were fleeing some kind of flood or ferocious beast.

The door creaked and rattled in the night wind.

Lin Zhiyao stared blankly at the empty doorway for a long time before slowly withdrawing her hand, her heart sinking as well.

Xiao Xing, who was guarding outside the door, saw her sitting on the edge of the tatami mat with her clothes disheveled, and quickly went inside.

"lady……"

Lin Zhiyao let her help her up and stiffly put on her clothes.

Xiao Xing whispered comfortingly, "Second Master is probably still drunk; he'll be fine tomorrow..."

Lin Zhiyao shook her head.

No, it's not the same.

Although the process was not entirely satisfactory, as long as the Second Master believed it was her, then the goal was achieved.

Once the ice is broken the first time, there will be a second time.

Thinking this way, her fear subsided a little.

But another thought surfaced.

Before her, who had an affair with the Second Master?

If she were a servant in the household, it would be an excellent opportunity to climb the social ladder; if the other party were interested, they would have already made a scene.

If it were other officials' wives attending the banquet, that would be troublesome...

In any case, the fact that the other party fled silently without making a fuss indicates that they had some reservations.

Then she pretended it never happened.

"Xiao Xing, tidy up the house carefully, don't leave any traces."

The night was deep and dark, the lanterns under the eaves were half-extinguished, reflecting the cold, crescent-shaped moon.

A staggering figure rushed from the front yard into the back yard, stumbling and running forward.

Pei Zeyu's steps were hurried and disordered. He tripped over something and fell forward.

He braced himself on the ground, got up, and kept running.

His robes, stained with mud, fluttered in the night like a crane with broken wings.

Dirty, very dirty.

Disgusting, so disgusting.

Lin Zhiyao's actions triggered terrible memories of his childhood.

Suffocation from being forced into sewage, the humiliation of being forced to swallow, the despair of being unable to escape...

The nightmare-like feeling is back.

He felt very dirty.

He was filthy from head to toe, inside and out.

Stumbling and falling all the way back to Chenshuang Courtyard, Ah Jin was terrified when he saw him in this state.

"Second Master—"

He couldn't wait for someone to boil water, so he rushed into the bathroom and plunged into the cold water.

The well water was bone-chillingly cold on this autumn night, and he desperately scrubbed his body.

The force is immense, extending from the neck to the chest, and from the waist and abdomen to the arms.

The body can be washed clean, but what about the memories in the mind?

Those fragmented images are flashing in my mind.

Someone was restrained by him, their dark hair scattered on the pillow.

He couldn't see the woman's face clearly, but he remembered the feel of her skin, as soft as water.

She must have resisted, which is why she left fingernail scratches on his chest.

However, when he covered her eyes with his scarred left hand, her struggles ceased.

Who is she?

As I tried to delve deeper into the matter, Lin Zhiyao's face suddenly appeared in my mind.

No! I can't think about it anymore!

"Bang--!"

A punch slammed into the water, creating a thousand waves.

Cold water splashed out, wetting the ground and the screen.

He leaned back against the edge of the bathtub, closed his eyes, and gasped for breath.

His usually composed eyes were now vacant and blank like never before.

…………