Chapter 2: To Stay or To Leave

He was still dressed in a bright red wedding robe, a faint scent of alcohol lingering around him, as if he had just come from the wedding banquet.

They say joyous occasions lift the spirit, yet when their eyes met, Song Qiao found no trace of happiness on his face.

The man’s handsome countenance was so cold it seemed to freeze the air.

Clearly, he was not pleased to see her awake.

“Madam, on my way to see the matriarch, I met the Marquis. Upon hearing you had regained consciousness, he came personally to visit you,” Pei’er said excitedly. Mu Yi’s arrival was like a ray of light piercing through a dark courtyard, giving her hope as she eagerly signaled to Song Qiao.

Song Qiao originally thought she had forgotten Mu Yi’s appearance, but with just one glance, everything came rushing back to her.

On their wedding night, it was in this very room that he lifted her bridal veil and they drank the nuptial wine together.

Mu Yi had spoken little throughout, leaving an impression of arrogance yet undeniable charm.

There was no denying he was more handsome than any man Song Qiao had ever seen.

Broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. Having practiced martial arts for years, he was lean but far from weak. In the entire capital, few could rival him in appearance.

Yet Song Qiao was somewhat afraid of him.

When he married Song Yuan, Mu Yi had shown clear reluctance. Just standing there, he exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure.

She tried to struggle to sit up, but her legs, unused to movement for so long, would not obey.

Mu Yi stood silently to one side, watching her futile efforts without offering help or interference, as if deliberately testing her condition.

After a long pause, he said in an indifferent tone, “You’re really lucky.”

Song Qiao pretended not to catch the mockery in his voice and lowered her eyes respectfully to greet him.

After all, this man was still her savior.

When she fell from the carriage, it was Mu Yi who arrived just in time and took her for treatment. Otherwise, given the severity of her injuries, she might not have survived.

Yet the man showed no intention of acknowledging her, unwilling even to approach. His gaze swept over her briefly before he turned and sat down on a nearby couch.

He then ordered his attendants to bring the doctor inside.

As the doctor took her pulse, the large room fell silent, the ticking of the clock audible.

No one could quite read Mu Yi’s attitude. Song Qiao noticed him frequently massaging his brow, as if fatigued.

This wedding was far grander than the one two years ago when he married Song Yuan, likely to prevent anyone from underestimating his little childhood sweetheart, hence the grand spectacle.

Suddenly, Mu Yi raised his head without warning, catching Song Qiao sneaking glances at him. He keenly sensed someone paying special attention to him.

Their eyes met, and his icy gaze made Song Qiao’s heart tighten. She quickly looked away.

After a moment, she heard Mu Yi ask in a low voice, “How is she?”

“Replying to the Marquis,” the doctor bowed, “The young madam’s pulse is weak but there is no serious issue. I will prescribe some medicine for recuperation. As for her legs, acupuncture combined with exercise will surely improve her condition.”

Mu Yi narrowed his eyes. “What are the chances of a full recovery?”

“Ninety percent!” the doctor replied resolutely.

Upon hearing this, Song Qiao discreetly breathed a sigh of relief. She had no desire to spend the rest of her life bedridden.

Mu Yi’s long fingers tapped absentmindedly on the wooden table, as if contemplating something, then waved for his attendants to escort the doctor out.

Pei’er, sensing the couple needed privacy, wisely followed them out.

Left alone, the faint scent of wine in the air made Song Qiao increasingly nervous.

In truth, the accident that put her into a coma for two years had not been a coincidence but a deliberate act.

Madam Song had promised that once the wedding rites were completed, she would regain her freedom.

But on the day of the formal visit, the terms suddenly changed. They insisted she remain in the Marquis’s residence, waiting to find Song Yuan and serve Mu Yi as a concubine.

Song Qiao utterly refused to allow the Song family to treat her so degradingly.

So on the way back, she staged a fake death to escape.

Everything had gone according to plan, until Mu Yi, who had not appeared for the formal visit, suddenly showed up.

When he pursued the ‘out-of-control’ carriage, desperate to avoid him, she had the accident.

She still remembered the sharp look in his eyes when he lifted her before she slipped into unconsciousness. Even now, the memory sent chills down her spine.

Had he discovered something?

“Why so silent? Lost your voice?” he sneered.

His attitude toward her was harsh, but Song Qiao understood. Her awakening was bound to unsettle the household.

A living corpse could be ignored, but this was an entirely different matter.

“…I heard the Marquis has a new wife. If I trouble you, then perhaps you should give me a divorce and let me leave the residence,” Song Qiao took the initiative to make her request.

Perhaps surprised, the man stared at her unblinking for a long moment. “Did I say you troubled me? Since when did you have the right to decide for me?”

His expression was darker than the pitch-black room. Though he did not explode in anger, it was clear he was displeased by her overstepping.

Who divorces the legitimate wife immediately after marrying a new one?

If that rumor spread, the Marquis’s residence would be disgraced.

In any noble family, gossip was the greatest fear. A single misstep could even affect one’s official career if it reached the emperor's ears.

“I was out of line,” Song Qiao said, startled, immediately bowing in apology.

Mu Yi narrowed his eyes, watching her for a moment before rising casually and stepping forward.

“Whether you stay or go, that’s my decision.”

He lightly grasped her chin. In his pupils reflected Song Qiao’s pale face as he warned her word by word, “Behave yourself here. If you cause trouble, I will not go easy on you.”

Outside, countless guests still needed entertaining, and a beautiful bride awaited her veil to be lifted. Mu Yi had neither the energy nor the time to waste on her. After a long, deep look, he soon left.

Two servants remained outside the courtyard to guard her, leaving no chance for any schemes.

But no wall is completely soundproof. News of Song Qiao’s awakening quickly spread throughout the Marquis’s residence.

Hearing this, many maids and elderly servants tried to find excuses to enter the exquisite pavilion to see for themselves but were all turned away by Mu Yi’s men—except one.

Mu Yi’s childhood sweetheart, Shen Ruoxi.