The Bully Flower? A Night Attacker?

I climbed up with a swift movement and grabbed the quilt to conceal the man. After a long time of thinking, I tremblingly lifted a corner of the quilt and timidly asked him, “That… that… Did I bully you again?”

Pei Yanzhen looked at me with his clear, distant eyes, and the side of his pearl-like delicate, clean neck flushed a hint of imperceptible pink.

I stared at the pale pink lotus-like flower; my mind buzzing with anxious thoughts, what should I do? Forget it once, but now how could I put it off a second time? How could I forget the pain after the first time? Although I had always known since I was a child that I was not a good drinker, I had no idea that it was my drinking that was really scary…

That year, I woke up naked on top of Pei Yanzhen after being drunk and watched with bewilderment as Pei Yanzhen, who was also naked, hugged me affectionately, and said with a generous look, “Miao’er, no matter what you did to me, I have no regrets.”

When he said that, it was like a bunch of rats buzzing around my fragile heart and starting to punch holes in it. However, I couldn’t help but believe it. Pei Yanzhen’s resentful eyes, the marks on his body, and the dark red bloodstains left in my fingers were all indictments of my heinous crime. 

I had to swallow in shock the fact that I had drunkenly molested a good man! And this man was my maternal uncle! The beasts of prey, the beasts of prey! There is indeed a dark demon in everyone’s heart that will jump out and bite you if you are uncareful.

At that time, I felt a thousand things wrong with Pei Yanzhen and was terrified, but my little maternal uncle took it upon himself to say, “Miao’er, since you can’t let go of me, I will naturally let you come back to me later.” 

I was even more shocked when he said this. Could it be that after being picked on by me, my little maternal uncle had seen through it and wanted to disobey the imperial edict and had to carry out this relationship to the end?

After that, I avoided Pei Yanzhen everywhere, and when I saw him, I felt like a rat was burrowing a hole in my heart, sinning and feeling guilty. But Pei Yanzhen was laughing and joking as usual, as if the incident had never happened, so I slowly forgot about it.

But I didn’t expect history to repeat itself today.

I was biting my lip and frowning, but Pei Yanzhen lifted the quilt and gently put it over me, tucking in the corner of the quilt and said to me, “You’ve just woken up after drinking and you’re not wearing much, don’t catch a cold.” 

After saying that, he got up and put on his clothes and tied his hair, naturally and smoothly as a matter of course. It was as if every morning for two years, as if what lay between us was a mere illusion, and we were just a newlywed couple waiting to become an old married couple.

I looked at the silver hooks on the tent for a moment, moving uncomfortably, pursing my lips and frowning in wonder.

Pei Yanzhen, who had his back to me, was standing in a poised manner, the ebony hairpin on his head as hazy as a distant mountain, and suddenly spoke, “Don’t worry. Last night was not as you thought, but you were drunk, so I helped you back and saw you were not sleeping soundly before I sat on the edge of the bed and hugged you, I wanted to wait for you to fall asleep properly and then leave, but unexpectedly, I fall asleep, and it was almost dawn when I woke up.” 

The tone of his voice was soft but faintly distant.

“Oh.” 

I was stunned, a little embarrassed that he had read my mind, and I didn’t know how to continue. I watched in amazement as he took the teapot from the elegant round table and poured a small cup of tea and returned to the bed and sat down again, then reached out to help me, “Have some tea.”

“The wine last night was fine, it didn’t go to my head, I don’t have a headache now, I don’t need to drink tea to relieve the wine.” 

I suddenly realized I had not yet put on my outer clothes and that I was not as decently clad as my maternal uncle, so I hurriedly avoided his hand and found an excuse to refuse.

Pei Yanzhen’s hand withdrew and placed the tea on the low table beside me. His face became more gentle and quiet, pulling out a smile that curved the water and said lightly, “It’s not for you to relieve the wine, but just to moisten your throat, you must have had a dry mouth after shouting Mr. Song’s name all night last night.”

Song Xiyuan?

Yes, I was drinking with him last night, but why did I end up with a little maternal uncle?

I was puzzled, but I smiled and reached for the tea, “I’m really thirsty after you said that.”

At these words, Pei Yanzhen’s watery eyes swept over my face, and for some reason, I felt like my face was being cut by a wind knife. I suddenly remembered something. If it is like what he said last night, he was only holding me to let me sleep peacefully, why did he take off his outer robe and only wear an inner garment? 

This…was a bit weird.

I couldn’t help but look at him a couple of more times, but I saw some light bruises scattered around his forehead and chin. I put down my cup of tea and reached out to touch the bruises, “How did you get hurt?”

Unexpectedly, Pei Yanzhen stepped back a little and then got up, avoiding my hand completely, and slowly said, “It’s nothing. You can sleep a little longer. I’m leaving.”

I found my hand hanging in mid-air, so I just withdrew it stiffly. Watching him step out the door, I said, “Be careful on your way.”

Pei Yanzhen turned back to me and smiled gently, raising an eyebrow, before saying, “Don’t worry, I will be careful not to let anyone see you, and this will not get out, let alone to anyone’s ears.” 

I didn’t really mean what I said, but his answer created a few ambiguities and stopped me in my tracks.

The sound of water droplets pounding on the porch eaves made me sleepless, so I got up and got dressed.

As I was walking along the veranda, I bumped into Lu Ying, who had been missing all night, yawning and carrying a copper basin of water, and nearly splashing it on me.

“Miss, you’re up. Something has happened to the Young Master Song!”

“Yes?” 

I was shocked. I heard Lu Ying continue, “Last night, when the opera was being sung in the front garden, Young Master Song was drinking alone in the begonia grove in the back garden and was beaten up. The master called for a doctor and sent his family to look for the perpetrator, and the house was in turmoil all night.”

“Where is he now?” I interrupted her sharply.

“He is resting in the guest room in the west wing, so go and see.”

I crossed the hallway and pushed the door open, and saw Song Xiyuan lying on the mahogany couch with his eyes closed, half of his face shrouded in the shadow of the curtain, so I couldn’t really see him. Uncle Chen who was sitting on a round stool against him poured some medicinal wine on his hands and directly clapped on his wound fiercely. I was shocked by Uncle Chen’s reckless treatment and hurriedly walked over and said, “Uncle Chen, leave it to me.”

Uncle Chen turned around and saw it was me, and immediately handed over the medicinal wine, saying, “Well, it’s better for the Third Mistress to apply for the medicine.” 

I was dumbfounded by his words ‘Third Mistress.’ I tried to correct him many times to stop calling me that, but to no avail, so I had to let him have his will.

When I looked at Song Xiyuan’s face again, I was so shocked that I let out a breath. His had been a beautiful, flamboyant white jade face, but now the corners of his eyes were half swollen, his cheekbones were blue and purple, and the corners of his mouth were still red and swollen, so it wasn’t as if half of his face was covered by the shadow of the veil, it was simply half of his face that was blue. I couldn’t even bear administering the medicine, so I turned my head and asked Uncle Chen in a soft voice, “Who did this? Did he offend someone in his business?”

Before Uncle Chen could answer, Lu Ying, stepped aside and said, “It must be because someone was jealous of the prosperity of the Third Young Master’s business in recent years and took advantage of the fact that the Master’s birthday party was full of people to come in and take revenge.”

Uncle Chen sighed and retreated, and Lu Ying went out to prepare some medicine.

I poured the oil on my hand and was about to rub it on him bit by bit, but just as my fingertips touched it, Song Xiyuan gave a painful “hiss!” and opened his eyes. 

When he saw it was me, he immediately reached out and grabbed my leaning shoulders and pressed me against his chest, saying urgently, “Miao Miao, are you alright? Did he do anything to you?”

“Huh? Me?” I was a bit confused by his question. “Of course I’m fine.” 

I was about to ask him who he was referring to when I suddenly remembered the faint bruise on Pei Yanzhen’s forehead and chin.

“I’m glad you’re okay~” 

Song Xiyuan stroked my back up and down like he was smoothing a cat’s fur, grinding his white teeth together, as if I had touched the wounded area, “Ouch!” 

I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do that.

I thought he had never suffered a bit of flesh and blood wounds since he was a child. 

I said to him, “Let go of me, I’ll give you medicine.” 

But he held me tighter, grunting and grumbling as he said, “I won’t let go, not even if it hurts.”

“Let go of my mother!” At that moment, a pair of white lotus root arms burst in, and a small hand was about to poke Song Xiyuan in the eye with precision.

A cold sweat broke out on my back, and I grabbed TangYuan’s hand, taking advantage of Song Xiyuan’s daze to break free from his arms.

When TangYuan saw me getting up, he immediately came up and blocked me, his dark eyes glaring round, his mouth puffing out, his cheeks puffing like a fish spitting bubbles in protest, a slingshot in his hand already tensed and pulled a full string, fiercely shielding me behind him and ready to confront Song Xiyuan.

As I watched the barely stool-tall TangYuan covering me, I had mixed feelings, realizing my doll had a great future ahead of him.

“Don’t touch my mother. Or I’ll shoot this little rat into your mouth.” 

TangYuan said in a milky voice, threateningly. Only then did I see the slingshot was not a small stone, but a tiny grey-haired rat, squeaking and squirming.

Song Xiyuan laughed till tears came out. His face was swollen and bruised, and for a moment his expression was even better than that of a face with makeup on the stage. All things in this world were indeed mutually exclusive, and Song Xiyuan, an unruly demon at cards, had now met a nemesis.

“Good! You are worthy of being my son!” Song Xiyuan patted the edge of the bed and sat up to exclaim, “You really have the style of your father.”