Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Does It Count as Intimate Contact?

"I’m impatient?" Pei Yan asked in return.

To Mei Wanying, he was just playing dumb.

"Why can’t you just mind your own business?"

Her tone was sharp, and her chest heaved with obvious fury. "You are so infuriating!"

Pei Yan frowned. "Where are your manners?"

She might be delicate and prone to throwing tantrums, but she had been raised as a proper noble lady.

’Isn’t she being a little too fierce right now?’

’He’d only asked offhandedly. If she hadn’t looked at the list of names, it’s not like he would have yelled at her.’

’He certainly wouldn’t have held her down and forced her to marry someone.’

’So what was she so mad about?’

Perhaps because he was so used to seeing Mei Wanying’s smiling face, Pei Yan found it genuinely jarring when she suddenly turned on him.

He just felt a deep sense of discomfort.

’He felt ill at ease, inside and out!’

’He gritted his teeth. If he already felt this awful, why should he keep indulging her?’

He said in a sardonic tone, "I’ll take you back to the Mei Mansion. Wouldn’t want *certain people* running off to complain again!"

His large hand clamped around her slender, pale wrist, pulling Mei Wanying forward.

It was so sudden that she stumbled, crashing unexpectedly into the man’s broad back.

Pei Yan wasn’t as burly as other Military Generals. In his brocade robes, he looked noble and aloof, exuding a restrained, scholarly elegance.

But beneath the thin fabric lay the well-honed muscles from years of fighting on the battlefield.

Rock-hard.

When Mei Wanying slammed into him, a sharp pain shot through her nose.

Her nose began to itch as if something were trickling out. With no time to grab a handkerchief, Mei Wanying immediately clamped her free hand over her nose.

’She was already frustrated with Pei Yan picking a fight with her, and now this had to happen.’

Mei Wanying felt wronged and hurt, and large, fat tears began to spill from her eyes.

’What on earth is Pei Yan trying to do?’

’Why does he always have to make things so difficult for me?’

When she bumped into him, a tingling sensation shot through Pei Yan’s body, and his muscles instinctively tensed.

His heart began to pound.

A strange excitement coursed through him.

The sensation of losing control swept over him, and Pei Yan did not like it one bit.

He turned, about to scold Mei Wanying and tell her to watch where she was going instead of acting like a child.

But then he saw fresh blood seeping from between her snow-white fingers.

The red of the blood was jarring.

Pei Yan froze. He couldn’t understand how a simple bump could make her bleed.

After his initial shock, he was at a complete loss.

There was also a pang of guilt.

’If he’d known she was this delicate, he should have let her walk in front of him.’

’He could have kept an eye on her and made sure she didn’t trip or fall.’

Mei Wanying had an eye condition that made it difficult for her to see at night, making her prone to falls.

Pei Yan may not have had romantic feelings for Mei Wanying, but after so many years, protecting her had become a habit.

He would do his best to protect Wanying and prevent her from falling.

He had just been so angered by Mei Wanying’s attitude that he had lost his senses and acted so crudely.

Regret filled Pei Yan’s heart. His thin lips moved, but the apology wouldn’t come.

Mei Wanying’s tears fell like pearls from a broken string. Her silence pushed Pei Yan’s guilt to its absolute peak.

He said stiffly, "Don’t cry."

He took out a brocade handkerchief to press against her nose, but she kept backing away, refusing his help.

Pei Yan’s lips thinned into a firm line, giving Mei Wanying no chance to refuse.

The scent of cedarwood filled her senses as her bleeding nose was covered.

Pei Yan cupped the back of her head, pressing the handkerchief gently, terrified of hurting her again.

His heart was pounding with anxiety, but his words remained sharp. "Mei Wanying, you’re hopelessly clumsy."

"How can you get a bloody nose just from walking?"

He truly didn’t know how she had managed to grow up.

"Leave!"

Mei Wanying’s almond eyes were wide, filled with both tears and disgust.

The hand holding the handkerchief froze as her gaze made him deeply uncomfortable.

A prickling sensation spread from his heart. It wasn’t pain, exactly, but he couldn’t ignore it.

In his brief stupor, the pressure from his hand slackened.

Mei Wanying seized the opportunity to push him away, quickly taking out her own handkerchief to press against her nose and mouth.

She turned to leave, but Pei Yan’s voice came from behind her. "Where are you going?"

Mei Wanying remained silent.

’She just kept walking. Anywhere was fine, as long as she could get away from Pei Yan.’

This time, he didn’t even get that one word in response.

He tightened his grip on the blood-stained handkerchief, watching her retreating back.

Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, Pei Yan ground his teeth. ’Mei Wanying is still the same as ever—runs off at the slightest disagreement!’

His body reacted before his mind could catch up.

The man strode forward, grabbing Wanying’s arm with one hand to stop her, while his other arm slid under the crook of her knees. He lifted her up as if she were a child.

The motion was fluid, without a hint of hesitation.

Seated in the crook of his strong arm, Mei Wanying was startled by Pei Yan’s sudden move.

Afraid of being dropped or hurt again, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

A memory from her childhood suddenly surfaced. Back then, she was little and had only seen Pei Yan as a big brother.

Many times, Pei Yan had carried her onto the carriage in this exact way...

A pang of sorrow struck Mei Wanying’s heart, and the angry rebuke on the tip of her tongue died before it could be spoken.

Pei Yan tilted his head, taking in the sight of her small face.

Her soft arms were wrapped around his neck, and Mei Wanying’s unique, faint fragrance enveloped him.

Her hand rested on his shoulder, separated only by a few thin layers of fabric.

And on his arm... sat something soft.

The details from his dreams suddenly became tangible.

A restless heat surged through Pei Yan’s body. His face grew hot, and he felt as if a beast were about to break loose from within him.

’So this is what it feels like...’

The moment that thought occurred to him, Pei Yan snapped back to his senses.

Afraid Mei Wanying would notice something was wrong with him, he crossed to the carriage in a few quick strides and placed her inside.

Then, he climbed in after her.

The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage, bearing the emblem of the Prince Chen Mansion, headed toward the Mei Mansion.

The Palace Attendants left behind were stunned.

They exchanged bewildered glances.

"His Highness... What was that all about?"

"Does that count as inappropriate intimacy? No brother carries his grown sister like that."

"You dare to gossip about the affairs of a Noble? Have you all got a death wish?"

"..."

「Inside the carriage.」

Pei Yan wet a handkerchief with tea and moved to wipe the blood from Mei Wanying’s face.

Mei Wanying, having collected herself, turned her head and avoided his touch.

"Stop throwing a tantrum!" The man’s face darkened once more. "You’re not a child anymore."

Mei Wanying was heart-weary, without even the strength to argue.

’She couldn’t be bothered to guess what was on Pei Yan’s mind. She was leaving the capital soon anyway; whatever he was thinking had nothing to do with her.’

Taking the damp handkerchief, Mei Wanying said distantly, "My thanks, Your Highness."

She had reverted to her cold, detached demeanor, and once again, Pei Yan felt a knot of discomfort in his chest.

He would rather have her yell at him.

At least then she was vibrant, not like this—looking at him as if he were a complete stranger.

He sat across from Mei Wanying, watching as she slowly wiped away the blood.

Pei Yan’s gaze deepened.

The man didn’t speak, and Mei Wanying certainly wasn’t about to start a conversation for the sake of it. She wasn’t the same person she used to be. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She would no longer delude herself into thinking that talking more with Pei Yan could bridge the distance between them.

An absolute silence fell over the carriage.

It was so quiet that Pei Yan grew restless—a feeling he had never experienced before.

After a long moment, he took a fresh, clean handkerchief, took hold of Mei Wanying’s chin, and prevented her from turning away.

His deep gaze fell upon her lush, cherry-red lips. Closer now, he could see the small, plump curve of her upper lip.

Pei Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "Don’t move," he said, his voice thick. "You missed a spot."