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

Zhao pleaded desperately, her voice hoarse and strained.

Pei Yaojun was filled with murderous intent, wanting to stomp on him, leaving him either dead or crippled.

It's all over! Despair filled Zhao's eyes; she wanted nothing more than to run away with her tail between her legs, but...

"Third Master!"

Liu Wenying grabbed his hand in time to stop him, saying, "It's not worth getting your blood stained for someone like that."

She looked at Zhao, who was trembling on the ground, and said, "Send her to the authorities, and also Boss Sun. Punish him however you should."

Pei Yaojun's hostility subsided slightly. "Okay, I'll listen to you."

The monk may run away, but the temple cannot. Besides the Zhao family who were left behind, Boss Sun and his hired thugs were also taken away by the government officials.

They were found guilty and imprisoned, awaiting severe punishment under the law.

On the way back to the manor from the government office, Pei Yaojun's face was as black as could be.

He had just rushed to save someone, and the pastries he bought were stuffed into his pocket, only to be crushed to pieces during the fight.

If those people hadn't already been detained by the authorities and the law hadn't been in place, their fate would probably have been the same as the pastry in his arms.

Despite having changed into clean clothes after a day of wandering in the dark alleys, Liu Wenying's body and hair were still stained with dust and grime.

As soon as I got off the car, the gatekeeper of the village came up to greet me with a lantern.

Liu Wenying urged, "Go and prepare water quickly."

She felt terribly uncomfortable and wanted to take a bath as soon as possible.

Without saying a word, Pei Yaojun picked her up and carried her horizontally.

Liu Wenying struggled slightly as he held her in his arms, "Third Master, let me go, I can walk by myself."

"Why do we need to prepare water? There's hot water right here. I'll take you there."

Yinian Manor has a quiet private room reserved specifically for the manor owner.

When Liu Wenying had free time, she would go there to stay overnight. She even moved some of her personal belongings in when she stayed there for a while recently.

The pool water is drawn from a natural hot spring on the back mountain, and steam rises from the surface, with flower petals floating on it.

Liu Wenying was placed on a soft couch by the pool, and Pei Yaojun knelt on one knee to untie the sash around her waist.

"I can do it myself." Her face flushed, and she pressed his hand down.

He looked up at her, his eyes devoid of their usual frivolous smile, replaced only by a dull stubbornness.

"Your wrist is injured, don't move it."

As the clothes were undone one by one, when only the last one remained, Liu Wenying grabbed the collar and wouldn't let him touch it.

Knowing she was sensitive about her appearance, Pei Yaojun stood up. "I won't make things difficult for you. Go inside and soak in the water."

After saying that, he stepped back behind the screen.

Liu Wenying finally stepped into the pool. The water temperature was just right, slightly hot yet soothing. As it soaked her shoulders and neck, her muscles, which had been tense for half a day, finally relaxed.

She sank completely into the water, with only her head above the surface, leaned against the pool wall, and let out a long sigh of relief.

The candlelight shattered into gold foil on the water's surface, and the petals gently drifted away with the ripples.

Soon after, the sound of rushing water could be heard.

Liu Wenying stiffened slightly and turned her head to look at the screen.

On the silk surface, a figure unfastened its outer robe and then removed its inner garment.

Her broad shoulders and narrow waist were on full display.

Then, the figure walked around the screen and stepped barefoot onto the stone steps by the pool.

Pei Yaojun stepped into the hot spring pool, and the water rippled outwards, with flower petals flowing towards her along with the ripples.

He walked over step by step, his abdominal muscles clenched, and water droplets still clinging to his collarbone.

Liu Wenying stepped back, her back pressed tightly against the pool wall.

"Third Master, what brings you here?"

"Let me rub your back, turn around."

Rub, rub...back?

"I don't need it..."

"use."

He leaned closer, grabbed her shoulders, and turned her around without saying a word.

He scooped up a handful of water and poured it on her shoulders and back. The water flowed from her shoulder blades to the back of her neck and then slid down her spine.

Liu Wenying turned her head slightly, but Pei Yaojun pressed her down, saying, "It's not ready yet, don't move."

He brushed the stray strands of hair from her shoulder to one side, revealing her slender and graceful nape.

The comfortably warm spring water was truly relaxing, and Liu Wenying's tense body gradually relaxed.

Just then, a chill ran down the back of my neck as his lips pressed against mine.

His thin lips traced the protrusion of her neck bone, his breath brushing against the most vulnerable part of her neck.

Seemingly still not enough, he reached out and turned her around, pulling her face to face into his arms.

"Yingying," he called her in a hoarse voice.

He kissed the tip of her nose again between her breaths.

"Um?"

"I promise you, I will never let you out of my sight again when we're out together."

Liu Wenying was speechless. She wanted to bury her face in his neck, but her lips accidentally brushed against the side of his neck.

Pei Yaojun took a soft breath and tightened his grip on her waist. "Don't move."

Sensing a change, Liu Wenying blushed and nestled obediently in his arms, not daring to move.

After a while, "Third Master."

"What's wrong?"

"Don't be angry. If we can't have the pastries today, I can buy them myself tomorrow."

"No, I promised to buy it for you, so I have to buy it for you."

"What if there are too many people tomorrow and we can't get in line?"

"Then let's buy the shop."

She couldn't help but lightly punch him, "That's too expensive."

He took her fist, kissed it, and said, "It's for you, it didn't cost any money."

Since one shouldn't soak in hot springs for too long, Pei Yaojun got up first, took a large cotton towel, wrapped it around her, and carried her out of the pool.

He placed her on the soft couch, carefully dried her hair, and then took some ointment to apply to the marks on her wrists.

After a long day, Liu Wenying yawned, exhausted.

"Tired?"

She nodded.

"I still have things to do, I'll finish them before I sleep."

Liu Wenying asked in confusion, "What is it?"

Pei Yaojun remained silent. After applying the medicine and putting down the ointment, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her.

Breathless from his kisses, Liu Wenying placed her hand on his chest, but it was grasped and pressed against the couch with their fingers intertwined.

As they continued kissing, they moved to a different place, no longer on the soft couch by the hot spring pool.

The light blue curtains were fluttered by the night breeze, and Liu Wenying and he fell into that small world enclosed by light blue curtains.

The brocade quilt was soft and scented; she lay there, her black hair spread across the pillow.

Liu Wenying propped herself up and, by the candlelight, saw clearly once again every scar on his body.

Knife marks and arrow wounds, large and small, were scattered on his waist, arms, and back, crisscrossing each other.

Liu Wenying stared blankly, her nose starting to sting again.

"Don't look at it, it's ugly."

Liu Wenying shook her head, touching a scar on his chest, "Did it hurt a lot back then...?"

Pei Yaojun choked up. In fact, he had forgotten how painful the fatal wound was. His eyelids were heavy and he could barely keep going. It was the image of her in his mind that made him wake up from the brink of death.

Liu Wenying couldn't hold back her tears.

Pei Yaojun was startled, then panicked. He tried to wipe away her tears, but the more he wiped, the more tears she shed.

"Yingying, don't cry. It's all old injury, it really doesn't hurt. Look at me, I'm perfectly fine now. I can run, jump, and even fight."

The more casually he spoke, the less he seemed to care, the harder Liu Wenying cried.

"Pei Yaojun, you... you're not allowed to get hurt again."

She spoke haltingly, her voice choked with emotion.

"Okay, I promise you, but..."

Pei Yaojun pulled her into his arms, "I am a wounded traveler, you should pity me."

He is a man who has endured half a lifetime of hardship and is covered in scars; he has long been accustomed to bearing everything alone.

The person before you is his beloved; feel sorry for him.

Liu Wenying stopped crying and started laughing. What kind of time is this to be acting all high and mighty, begging for pity and comfort?

But that's exactly what she fell for.

Liu Wenying tilted her head up and kissed the corner of his lips, which was her answer.

Pei Yaojun's remaining rationality completely collapsed during this kiss.

The gauze curtains hung down, enveloping the two in a hazy world.

In the latter half of the night, the candlelight flickered and the curtains trembled slightly.

Liu Wenying lay in his arms, her whole body weak and sore, not wanting to move a single finger.

Pei Yaojun turned to the side and put his arm around her, supporting his head with one hand and using the other to brush away the strands of hair that were damp with sweat and stuck to her cheeks.

"Yingying," he called her, his voice carrying a languid satisfaction.

"Um?"

"I'll make sure you get to eat the pastries tomorrow."

Unexpectedly, he was still thinking about the shortbread. Liu Wenying chuckled.

"Third Master is still thinking about it."

"Otherwise what? There are two great regrets in life: if the Northern Barbarians are not destroyed, Yingying will never be able to eat Li's pastries."

She hit him again, the force so light it was like tickling him.

Pei Yaojun held her tightly, making it impossible for her to hit him.

After playing around for a while, Liu Wenying was so tired that she fell asleep without realizing it. Pei Yaojun lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Go to sleep, I'll watch over you."

…………