Chapter 64: The Other Man

Meng Fan saw what was happening and knew he had been set up. Without daring to stay another moment, he quietly slipped away.

“What… what’s going on?” Nanny Liu rushed over, sensing the tense atmosphere between Bao Ning and Pei Yuan. She waved her hands anxiously. “Fourth Prince, please speak calmly. Don’t get angry, don’t fight.”

Pei Yuan brushed her aside and stepped forward, lowering his head to meet Bao Ning’s eyes.

His gaze was cold, like it had been tempered with icy blades. Bao Ning was afraid he had misunderstood.

She had been eager to explain, full of warmth and carrying a confidence from who knows where—convinced that after living together for so long, Pei Yuan knew what kind of person she was. She believed that once she spoke, everything would be fine.

But looking at Pei Yuan’s cold expression now, it was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her. Her throat tightened, and she couldn’t utter a single word.

Pei Yuan ground out each word through clenched teeth: “You lied to me.”

Bao Ning struggled to find her voice. “I didn’t.”

Pei Yuan gave a cold laugh, then suddenly raised his hand and gripped Bao Ning’s chin. “Do you think I’m blind?”

“Pei Yuan, can’t you calm down?”

Beneath her sleeves, Bao Ning dug her nails into her palm, trying her best to hold back the overwhelming bitterness. She said calmly, “What you should do now is listen to my explanation. What you saw might not be what you think. If you have doubts, you should ask me and let me explain, not just jump to conclusions.”

But Pei Yuan’s reason had already been clouded by jealousy. His hand slid down to her pale neck, rage surging inside him.

The image from earlier played over and over in his mind, and he wanted nothing more than to strangle her. He thought it might be better if they both just died together.

Pei Yuan growled, “What is there to explain? Do you want me to listen to your lies, hear how you hide your betrayal, how you sneak off to meet your wild man in secret?!”

Looking into his bloodshot eyes, Bao Ning shook her head and muttered, “Are you insane?”

“Yes, I’ve gone insane—driven mad by you two shameless lovers!” Pei Yuan leaned closer, his tone low and venomous. The anger in his chest needed an outlet. Though he couldn’t bear to actually hurt Bao Ning, he removed his hand from her neck and gripped her shoulder, fists clenched, and repeated through gritted teeth: “Shameless. Filthy. Lovers.”

Those three words hit Bao Ning like a blow to the heart. Her limbs went cold, her hair seemed to stand on end.

She stared at him like he was a stranger. “…Do you even realize what you’re saying?”

Pei Yuan’s breathing was heavy, and his fierce gaze was locked onto her. Every muscle in his face seemed stiff, unable to form an expression.

Bao Ning suddenly felt that her earlier eagerness to explain had been ridiculous.

Those who trust you don’t need explanations. Those who don’t will think you’re lying no matter what you say.

Her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Her nose stung, and her eyes burned. She had so much to say, but didn’t know where to begin—and now, there was no point in saying anything.

She couldn’t believe Pei Yuan could utter such vile words to her.

The atmosphere turned terrifyingly quiet.

Pei Yuan looked into Bao Ning’s eyes, watching them change—from urgency and panic to shock and hurt, and now to cold indifference. His heart felt like it had been pierced. A faint sense of panic crept in. He didn’t know why he was afraid—he hadn’t done anything wrong. And yet, seeing Bao Ning so indifferent now… he was scared.

“You—”

Bao Ning glared at him and threw off his hand. “Get out!”

She was angry. But why was she the one angry?

Pei Yuan gasped, watching her turn and leave. He reached out to grab her wrist, but Bao Ning flung his hand off coldly and stormed toward the courtyard.

Pei Yuan punched a nearby tree, sending leaves fluttering down. Clenching his teeth, he hurried after her.

He needed answers—now!

In the courtyard, Ah Huang and Ah Mian were playing happily, but they froze when they saw Bao Ning enter, her face streaked with tears.

Pei Yuan followed closely, his face dark. Bao Ning stepped inside, and Pei Yuan followed, slamming the door behind them with a loud bang. Furious, he shouted, “Why are you running?!”

Bao Ning stopped. She wiped her face, her earlier agitation now settled. She was calm—her tone was calm too—as she turned to look at him. “I’m just tired of looking at your disgusting face.”

Pei Yuan let out a mocking laugh. “Ha, disgusting? And you think you’re in a position to—”

Bao Ning cut him off. “I want a divorce. Or you can cast me aside. Either works.”

A loud buzzing filled Pei Yuan’s head.

He had never once thought of divorcing her.

Even after seeing Bao Ning with Meng Fan, even through all his heartbreak, pain, and rage—even though he wanted to castrate the man and feed him to the dogs—even though he wanted to lock Bao Ning away—he had never thought of divorcing her. He didn’t want to leave her.

Even after everything, he hadn’t laid a finger on her. And now she wanted to leave?

“Don’t even think about it!”

Pei Yuan spun in place, disoriented, then kicked a stool. It flew into the wall and shattered with a loud crash.

His voice was low and hoarse, like a beast: “Unless I die, or you die, we’re tied together—no matter what!”

“You already believe I betrayed you, don’t you?” Bao Ning looked up at him, her nose red. “We’re shameless lovers, remember? Don’t you feel sick just looking at me? Why torture yourself like this?”

Pei Yuan’s chest rose and fell. Veins bulged in his arms, his temples throbbed.

He stared at her lips—red, opening and closing—but none of her words were what he wanted to hear.

He stepped forward, cornering her against the wall, bracing one arm beside her face. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything cruel—only to threaten her: “You’d better behave. Don’t push me!”

“What are you going to do—hit me?” Bao Ning shouted back, unafraid.

“Don’t make me lock you up!”

“Pei Yuan, what’s the point of this?”

Bao Ning’s eyes widened. “You don’t trust me. What’s the point of staying together? This is the first time you’ve doubted me—who knows how many more there’ll be? What relationship can survive that kind of suspicion? We’re husband and wife, a family. If we can’t even be honest with each other, how can we live together? You’ll only grow more paranoid. If someone tries to stir up trouble next time, you might even draw your sword on me!”

Pei Yuan was suddenly overwhelmed with panic. He couldn’t read Bao Ning anymore. She was still standing before him—but she felt out of reach.

Wasn’t he the one who had started this argument? How had it spiraled so far out of his control?

He swallowed hard. “What do you want to say?”

Bao Ning said, “I want a divorce.”

“I’ll say this one last time—you can forget it!” Pei Yuan suddenly released her from his grip. He stood there staring at her for a moment, then shouted and turned to leave as if fleeing in panic.

Pei Yuan slammed the door behind him. The door crashed into the wall with a loud bang, bounced back, and hit the wall again—BANG, BANG.

Bao Ning’s heart trembled. Her long-suppressed emotions finally found a release.

She crouched down, hugging her knees, burying her head in her arms. Tears fell silently.

Nanny Liu carefully walked in. She looked at Bao Ning with heartache, then glanced toward the direction Pei Yuan had gone. She sighed, “Madam, why must it come to such a fierce argument? The Fourth Prince had clearly softened just now. If you’d taken the opportunity to explain things clearly, wouldn’t that have solved everything? It was just a misunderstanding—there was no need for it to escalate into talk of divorce.”

“It was necessary,” Bao Ning wiped her eyes. “If he can’t even give me the most basic trust, then this life isn’t worth living—and I don’t want to live it with him anymore.”

Nanny Liu said, “But this is really just a misunderstanding…”

“If not for this misunderstanding, I would’ve still naively believed that our relationship was unbreakable.”

Bao Ning stood up. “He’s too guarded, keeps everything bottled up. If he doesn’t fix this flaw, we’ll never have peace for the rest of our lives. If he’s willing to change, then let this serve as a lesson. But if he isn’t…”

She didn’t finish. Instead, she said to Nanny Liu, “Bring some water—I want to wash my face.”

Nanny Liu answered with a quiet “Yes” and didn’t dare ask further. She hurried off to fetch the water.

The rest of the afternoon passed like any other day for Bao Ning. She ate, drank tea, looked at flowers—nothing out of place. If not for the complete absence of a smile on her face, it would have seemed as though nothing had happened at all.

Pei Yuan hadn’t come back since he left.

Bao Ning didn’t sleep. She sat at the table waiting for him. In her heart, she still held a faint hope—that Pei Yuan had only lost his temper for a moment. Once he cooled down, things would be better. She still wanted to give him one more chance—to sit down and talk things through.

She waited until just before midnight. When the moon hung highest in the sky, Pei Yuan finally stumbled in, reeking of alcohol.

From far away, Bao Ning could already smell the strong stench of liquor. Her heart sank.

“You’re still up?” Pei Yuan swayed into the room. Seeing the light still on and Bao Ning sitting at the table watching him, he cracked a smile.

He flopped down on the edge of the table, acting like a street thug—legs crossed, chin tilted, and reached out a finger to hook Bao Ning’s chin. She slapped it away.

Pei Yuan let out a mocking “Oh?” “Still dare to hit me?”

Bao Ning looked at him coldly.

Pei Yuan straightened his neck and said, “Don’t think you can scare me with a few harsh words—I’m not afraid of you!”

Bao Ning said nothing.

Fueled by liquor, Pei Yuan grew bolder. He scratched his forehead with a finger, then suddenly swept his arm across the table, sending teacups crashing to the ground. Amid the clatter, he sprawled out across the table, looking at Bao Ning with defiant eyes.

Bao Ning asked, “Did you come back just to act like a drunken fool?”

“I’m telling you something!” Pei Yuan jabbed a finger toward her nose. He didn’t know how much he’d drunk. His eyes were bloodshot, and his words were slurred.

“I’m telling you—divorce? I’m not afraid of that! Do you know who I am? Go ask around, go find out! You think I’m scared of a divorce? Think I lack women? Ha! Funniest joke I’ve heard all year! Let me tell you—don’t think too highly of yourself. What, I can’t live without you or something? You—just a little girl—don’t flatter yourself!”

Bao Ning’s heart ached with rage. She closed her eyes and let out a breath, pressing a hand to her chest to calm herself.

Pei Yuan chuckled darkly and slammed the table. “If you want to leave, then get out. Don’t stay here getting in my way—blocking me from taking a concubine.”

Bao Ning froze. Her fingers clenched tightly around the edge of the table. After a pause, she asked, “Say that again?”

“I’ll say it twice if you want!” Pei Yuan’s drunken brain had completely lost control. He was still upset about what happened during the day—feeling humiliated and miserable—and now he just wanted to lash out and hurt her with words.

“If you want to leave, then go! Don’t stand in the way when I take a concubine! Oh, it’s fine for you to shamelessly sneak around with a wild man, but I can’t take a concubine? Ha! You think I’m scared of you…”

Bao Ning said coldly, “Pei Yuan, sit up.”

“What, I’m sitting up—so what?” Pei Yuan braced himself on the table and wobbled into a sitting position, his eyelids half-closed, face impatient. “I…”

Before he could finish, Bao Ning stood, pressed her lips together, looked at him for a moment—and slapped him across the face.

Smack! The sound echoed in the room. Pei Yuan was stunned.

“You hit me?”

“I did hit you!” Bao Ning snapped.

The slap sobered Pei Yuan up considerably. His face twisted with humiliation and disbelief as he clutched his cheek. “You hit me?”

Bao Ning grabbed his arm and yanked him off the table, throwing him to the floor. “Get out! I don’t want to see you again—get out!”

“You’re the one telling me to leave.” Pei Yuan clenched his fists. His eyes darted around until they landed on the table, and he stormed over and flipped it in fury.

Then he turned and stormed out without looking back. “Ji Bao Ning, if I ever come back to find you again—then I’m a damn dog!”

Pei Yuan left, seething with rage.

Nanny Liu was startled awake. She looked at Pei Yuan’s fading figure disappearing into the night, then wobbled over to find Bao Ning—only to see her packing her things.

“Madam, where are you going?” she asked in alarm.

Bao Ning replied, “I’m not living with him anymore!”

Sansukini: That’s why you shouldn’t let your anger get the best out of you and say such mean things because you can’t take back the hurt it will cause. Let’s just remember, they’re still both children.

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