Chapter 9: Jealousy
In that instant, Song Qiao seized the opportunity, using both hands and feet to push the man off her and swiftly break free from his grasp.
Mu Yi remained silent, and Shen Ruoxi was at a loss for words. After a long, awkward silence, she finally snapped out of her shock and hurriedly bowed.
Realizing that she had been outwitted by Song Qiao without meaning to, Mu Yi’s anger twisted into a bitter laugh as he pressed his tongue against his cheek. “So you were scheming against me?”
“You’ve misunderstood, Marquis. How could I possibly foresee Lady Shen’s arrival?” Song Qiao replied calmly.
If he had used force, Song Qiao wouldn’t have been surprised, given the dark storm brewing in Mu Yi’s expression.
“Marquis asked me to find you,” Shen Ruoxi, who also sensed Song Qiao’s intentions, took the initiative to ease the tension. “Everything is ready. We can depart now.”
She maintained the grace and poise of a lady from a noble family, her flawless smile evoking genuine admiration from Song Qiao.
With the return visit imminent, there was no time to waste. Mu Yi suppressed his fury, casting Song Qiao a glare that silently said, “Just you wait.”
“Let’s go,” he said to Shen Ruoxi, rising as a cool breeze swept past Song Qiao’s side.
Seeing this, Shen Ruoxi bent forward, preparing to bow and take her leave, but Mu Yi stopped her before she could.
“When I welcomed you into the mansion, I said you are equals,” he stated bluntly, revealing his favoritism toward Shen Ruoxi and his disdain for Song Qiao without reservation. “From now on, you needn’t regard her as important.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Marquis,” Shen Ruoxi said, somewhat taken aback. “But I’m afraid this isn’t proper etiquette.”
Mu Yi’s three-word response was casual but final: “In this mansion, I am the rule.”
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He left with a stern expression. Shen Ruoxi followed closely behind. Just before stepping out, she paused, looked Song Qiao over for a moment, and asked, “Are you alright?”
Song Qiao’s hair was tousled, her cheeks flushed a deep red. To claim nothing had happened moments ago would be a lie.
“You can see for yourself whether I’m alright or not,” Song Qiao replied hoarsely, laughing softly, too tired to pretend otherwise.
Shen Ruoxi laughed at her lack of self-awareness, shaking her head with a tone laced with irony, “You really aren’t worth pitying.”
Song Qiao found it amusing. “If you have time to pity me, you’d be better off worrying about yourself.”
They couldn’t even keep an eye on people on the day of the return visit. Who did she think she was?
—
The carriage for the return visit set off after a single incense stick had burned.
Yet the atmosphere inside was far from pleasant.
Glancing at the man beside her, Shen Ruoxi couldn’t help but recall the scene in the Linglong Pavilion, where he held Song Qiao in his arms.
She held back her feelings for a long time but eventually spoke up, “You ran off from my courtyard without a word just to find her?”
The journey to the Shen residence was not short. Tea and snacks were prepared inside the carriage.
Mu Yi picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Shen Ruoxi first. “Jealous?”
Seated upright, Shen Ruoxi replied, “What on earth would I be jealous of? She’s your wife. It’s only right that you visit her.”
Mu Yi smiled, unwilling to let her misunderstand. “I have no romantic feelings for her.”
He only grew concerned because the girl was full of lies; his anxiety was driven by a need for answers once he sensed something was wrong.
To Mu Yi, Shen Ruoxi was always the one and only. If it had been someone else, he wouldn’t waste his breath.
Satisfied, Shen Ruoxi descended the steps and took a sip of tea. “She’s pretty. I almost thought you were genuinely moved just now.”
Mu Yi thought of Song Qiao’s face—she was somewhat attractive at best—and his Adam’s apple twitched imperceptibly. “Do I look like someone who’d grasp at straws?”
Shen Ruoxi’s worries vanished completely.
In Mu Yi’s heart, she was naturally the most important. All his military achievements were won to secure his place in the mansion. How could an outsider compare?
That night, the two stayed at the Shen residence and did not return. For the next half month, Song Qiao had no chance to see Mu Yi again.
Pei’er overheard the gatekeeper mention that Mu Yi had taken Shen Ruoxi to the most famous temple in the capital to pray and relax. The two were inseparable—there was no hiding their affection.
Meanwhile, Song Qiao suffered, enduring daily medicine and acupuncture treatments prescribed by the doctors. She endured much hardship in hopes of recovery, but no one cared.
Just as she had recovered seventy to eighty percent, barely able to get out of bed without assistance, the matriarch sent someone to ‘invite’ her to visit Shou’an Hall as a guest.