Young widow in her boudoir

A cold wind blew by, and Xie Rutang was instantly jolted awake, her mind clearing.

She hurriedly looked up and saw that the usually stern Second Master Pei had a gloomy expression, his brows and eyes were so cold that it was hard to breathe.

Xie Rutang bit her tongue hard. How could she have lost her temper? How could she have dared to say such things to Pei Zhiheng? She was filled with remorse. "I drank some wine just now and was delirious. I said a lot of nonsense. I hope you won't take it to heart, Second Master..."

Her eyes were slightly lowered, and her voice was soft yet timid.

These words did not quell Pei Zhiheng's anger. "Drunk? That's probably what you really think."

He took two slow steps forward, his tall figure instantly casting her into his shadow, and the faint sense of oppression emanating from him once again washed over her.

When he arrived, he saw the woman crying sadly as she burned paper money for her deceased husband. Pei Zhiheng felt a rare pity for her and wanted to tell her that he would protect her in the Shen family from now on.

Now, filled with resentment, he couldn't bring himself to say it, and Pei Zhiheng's eyes turned cold.

Xie Rutang froze, surprised by his keen perception.

A few days ago, she went to Su Xue Ju with the intention of ending things with him and severing all ties. Pei Zhiheng had only stirred her heart in the past, without any intention of taking responsibility for her. This feeling of not being able to understand him, of harboring expectations… she never wanted to experience it again.

As a widow, she always felt an unspeakable sense of inferiority in front of him, a powerful and privileged man. This disparity was what she least wanted to face.

If she hadn't married Shen Yuan, she would never have had the chance to meet Pei Zhiheng in her entire life.

Moreover, he was the second master of the mansion, and he had grown up with Shen Yuan since childhood. Xie Rutang had indeed considered severing all ties with him and becoming strangers.

Who would have thought that Pei Zhiheng's outer robe would be found in the Cuiwu Courtyard?

Pei Zhiheng came over and looked at her downcast eyes and pale, timid face. He hadn't expected her to be so heartless, which made him want to get close to her, torment and bully her, and make her pay the price.

He looked down at her.

Originally, he only intended to take care of Shen Yuan's widow for a while and give her an heir to rely on in the Shen family. However, this gentle and timid woman in front of him unknowingly stirred his emotions, which annoyed him greatly.

He disliked this feeling; his emotions had always been calm and undisturbed.

Xie Rutang gritted her teeth. Since they had already broken off all pretense, she might as well reveal all her innermost thoughts. Besides, they would be sharing a bed soon, so what was there that she couldn't tell him?

She doesn't need to keep suppressing her feelings.

"And that purple-haired brush I gave you, it was worth a whole year's expenses for Cuiwu Courtyard. I gave it to you with all my heart, but you treated it with such disdain!"

Xie Rutang was still sobbing softly, her complexion pale yet radiant, a kind of gaudy beauty that her elders would not appreciate.

Seeing her delicate face, like a newly blossoming begonia, Pei Zhiheng vaguely realized that this was the most beautiful time of her life, when she was fully displaying her charming allure.

Although she was widowed, she was only eighteen years old.

But she had to entrust her most beautiful years to his care and give herself to him.

Pei Zhiheng suddenly felt a dryness in his throat, his fingertips curled slightly, but his face remained indifferent and aloof.

Xie Rutang felt her sincere heart had been belittled, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She wanted to tear the handkerchief in her hand to shreds. "Since you don't like it, Second Master, then return that brush to me!"

Pei Zhiheng frowned. "What, a purple-haired Huzhou brush?"

How come he didn't know?

Xie Rutang's anger froze, her tears welled up, and her long eyelashes continued to tremble, like a small fan tickling his heart. "You don't know?"

The man was burdened with numerous official duties at the Dali Temple, and with his paperwork piled high, he couldn't even remember the details of many gifts he casually gave away. Besides, the list of gifts was always handled by his maid, Zhulan.

Little did she expect that a Huzhou brush would linger in her heart for so long, and even lead to such a deep misunderstanding.

Pei Zhiheng's expression gradually turned cold. He was always perceptive and thoughtful, so he naturally thought that the problem might have occurred with Zhu Lan, and that Zhu Lan was the one who relayed the message between the two.

Pei Zhiheng's tense expression gradually relaxed, but his voice remained extremely cold, "I've never even seen this purple-haired Huzhou brush before, so when have I ever said I disliked it?"

"What are you thinking all day long?"

Xie Rutang felt embarrassed and had no way to refute her.

Pei Zhiheng stroked the jade thumb ring on his hand. "As for you, that box of jade skin cream I gave you earlier, I heard from the maids that you casually tossed it on the table in Su Xue Ju, and even gave me, the Second Master, a cold shoulder, saying you didn't care about it. Do you know that box of jade skin cream was a gift from the Empress Dowager, something ordinary people would go to great lengths to obtain..."

Upon hearing that it was an imperial gift, something that only the Empress Dowager and Empress in the palace could use, something that countless noble ladies coveted but could not obtain, Xie Rutang was so frightened by her treating it so lightly.

"I didn't mean it..."

How could she have known that the Jade Skin Cream had such a background?

He just casually gave her such a valuable item.

It turned out that it was all a misunderstanding... and she had been thinking that he was treating her coldly.

Looking at Pei Zhiheng's face under the moonlight, so indifferent yet handsome, Xie Rutang felt her heart race and pound wildly with nervousness as he looked down upon her.

She didn't know why she was nervous.

Was she surprised by his lavish spending on her, a widow whom no one in the Shen family cared about? Or was she tempted that, after her husband's death, there was another man willing to protect her, and one of such illustrious and noble birth...?

Xie Rutang, unable to speak, wiped away her tears and looked ashamed. "Please forgive me, Second Master. I misunderstood. I didn't know the details and had a misunderstanding, which offended you."

Pei Zhiheng noticed the pink blush on her ear tips and looked at her teary-eyed, anxious appearance. His anger gradually subsided, but he remained silent, his hands behind his back.

Xie Rutang's skin, under his gaze, was gradually heating up.

The misunderstanding has been cleared up.

The man remained silent, standing under the moonlight, showing no intention of returning to Su Xue Ju.

Xie Rutang realized something and her body tensed slightly.

They have already completed the witnessing ceremony at the Shen Family Ancestral Hall, and the matter of sperm donation must not be delayed any longer.

Xie Rutang then made up her mind and mustered her courage to ask, "When will Second Master arrive... to stay at Cuiwu Courtyard?"

So that she can go back and prepare.

Pei Zhiheng noticed a blush on her cheeks, a shy and timid blush. He paused for a moment, realizing that she was even more eager for sex than he had imagined.

The man's gaze above them was cold and deep, carrying a hidden meaning.

Xie Rutang's face turned even redder, making her features appear even more delicate and charming.