A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go Chapter 223: Wishing Mei Wanying Peace Year After Year

Pei Yan had tid his trip to Jiangnan for a specific reason: he wanted to celebrate i Wanying’s birthday with her.

He had originally thought this wish would go unfulfilled, but he never expected to be so lucky.

Not only could he spend Ah Yin’s birthday with her, but he had also received her forgiveness.

Struck by this wonderful surprise, Pei Yan wanted to throw a grand birthday banquet for i Wanying.

’He wanted everyone to know that it was Ah Yin who didn’t want the title of Empress, not that she was unworthy of it!’

i Wanying didn’t want all the fuss.

She just wanted her family to be together for a quiet al.

When i Wanying ca of age, Pei Yan still hadn’t recognized his own feelings. He avoided her, spending all his days in the army barracks, and failed to discuss marriage with her family at the earliest opportunity.

Later, General i passed away, and i Wanying observed three years of mourning.

After she left the Capital City, ti flew by. Now, their child could already run and jump.

i Wanying’s perspective had changed; she no longer felt her own birthday was such an important event.

She didn’t want to host a big celebration, either. It would be too tiring.

She asked Pei Yan, "You ca all this way just for this?"

The man humd in affirmation. "I’ve always regretted not being with you for your birthdays in the past."

The year Ah Yin ca of age, he just gave her a gift and left. He wasn’t there for her birthdays in the years that followed, either.

In the blink of an eye, several years had passed.

Ti was passing too quickly, so fast that a sense of panic began to grow in Pei Yan’s heart.

He and Ah Yin had truly missed so much.

If he didn’t do certain things now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

"Ah Yin, what do you want?" Pei Yan asked earnestly. "Whatever you desire, I will give it to you."

Pei Yan had brought chests of gold, silver, and jewels from the Capital City, along with the latest fashions in jewelry and clothing...

i Wanying loved beautiful things, and Pei Yan was catering to her tastes.

’But he felt it wasn’t enough.’

’Ah Yin didn’t particularly cherish these kinds of things. What he was doing still wasn’t good enough.’

Pei Yan always felt he was indebted to i Wanying. As long as she asked, he would grant her wish, even if she asked for the moon and the stars.

The birthday gifts had already been moved to i Wanying’s storerooms, and she quite liked them.

She was long past the age of innocent romance; ’these gifts were very practical,’ she thought.

eting the man’s focused gaze, i Wanying didn’t have the heart to refuse his kind intentions.

After a mont’s thought, she said, "Then give another peace charm."

Pei Yan had given both i Wanying and Ling peace charms that he had personally prayed for at a temple.

Ling’s was still intact and had been well-preserved.

As for i Wanying’s... she had burned it to ashes.

Pei Yan was no fool; it only took him a mont to understand what had happened.

’Given how things were before, Ah Yin must have burned everything he’d ever given her.’

Pei Yan wasn’t angry.

He had angered Ah Yin, and it was better for her to vent her frustration than to bottle it up inside.

He said, "In the future, if I make you angry, you can hit or yell at . Just don’t take it out on yourself or the peace charm."

"It’s ant to keep you safe, Ah Yin. You have to take good care of it."

i Wanying’s beautiful eyes widened as she glared at him. "You’re already planning on making angry again?"

The man rubbed the tip of his nose. "I don’t."

He was just worried he might do sothing wrong and inadvertently anger Ah Yin again.

They had known each other for so long that so things didn’t need to be said aloud for i Wanying to understand what Pei Yan ant.

Her gaze turned dangerous. "Are you implying... that I’m so kind of petty person?"

Pei Yan was taken aback.

He quickly wrapped his arms around i Wanying. "I didn’t say that, and I wasn’t thinking it. You can’t falsely accuse ."

i Wanying lifted her chin. "Well, I am petty. So you’d better not do anything to hurt my feelings."

Pei Yan nodded repeatedly. "I’m petty, too. When I go back to the Capital City, you’re not allowed to look at any other n."

He had Gu Xun trapped in the Capital City, unable to co to Jiangnan in search of Ah Yin.

But Pei Yan still wasn’t at ease.

He was afraid that a man more considerate than him would appear and catch i Wanying’s eye.

He was confident that he was the one Ah Yin loved.

But if Ah Yin so much as glanced at another man, he would get jealous. ’It would feel like the sky was falling!’

’This man was incredibly petty.’ For once, i Wanying didn’t argue with him.

She humd in agreent. "I won’t."

The corners of Pei Yan’s mouth lifted uncontrollably. "Ah Yin, does this an you love very much?"

Just saying the word "love" made Pei Yan’s earlobes flush bright red.

It was a good thing his complexion wasn’t fair, or his entire face would have been beet red.

When he didn’t get a response, Pei Yan’s hand tightened on her slender waist. "Say it, or I’ll kiss you."

’In broad daylight, he was actually saying such indecent things.’

A crimson blush quickly spread across i Wanying’s face. "You’ll say anything, won’t you? Have you no sha!"

But Pei Yan wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted.

"Are you going to say it or not?"

i Wanying covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes crinkling with amusent.

’She was clearly toying with him!’

Pei Yan clicked his tongue and lowered his head to kiss i Wanying.

Suddenly, a gasp ca from the doorway.

It was Xue Xingyao.

She had stopped by to give her dear friend a birthday gift before heading to the Xu Family’s residence.

She knew Pei Yan was staying in the old residence, and she figured that for Ah Yin’s birthday, it was best to let the family of three celebrate on their own. She hadn’t intended to disturb them.

Xue Xingyao had been in a hurry and never expected to walk in on such a scene. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into and disappear.

i Wanying shoved Pei Yan away, shot him a glare, and hurried over to Xue Xingyao.

She said laly, "A bug flew into my eye."

Xue Xingyao gave her a knowing, ambiguous smile.

’Does she think I’m a child she can fool so easily?’

She said nothing, but her expression said everything. i Wanying’s cheeks burned with embarrassnt.

Not long ago, she had told Ah Yao that she never wanted to see Pei Yan again.

And yet...

’Am I not eating my own words right now?’

Xue Xingyao had been through it all before; she knew how tangled the affairs of the heart could be.

It was normal to think one thing today and sothing completely different tomorrow.

After all, hadn’t she herself almost forgiven Chen Shujing?

If he hadn’t actively tried to suppress her, she would have eventually compromised, no matter how much his deception had bothered her.

It was Chen Shujing himself who had "woken her up," forcing her to see his callousness and indifference. Only then was she able to walk away without a second thought.

Ah Yin’s situation was different.

Pei Yan would only ever protect Ah Yin; he would never deliberately suppress her or force her to beg for rcy.

Xue Xingyao could understand why Ah Yin chose to forgive him.

They had Ling to consider, after all. Ah Yin was making the right choice.

Now, she had her freedom, as well as Pei Yan’s adoration and protection. On top of that, Ling had been officially nad a Princess.

Wasn’t that much better than being a widow with a fatherless child?

Most importantly, Ah Yin was beautiful and wealthy, but she had no father or brothers to protect her. It was the equivalent of a child carrying a bar of gold through a crowded market.

The ones who would sche against her weren’t limited to her own i family relatives.

Her household was full of the old and the young. If she were truly targeted by ravenous wolves, how could Ah Yin possibly fend for herself?

’Yes, this was for the best.’

So thought Xue Xingyao.

Feeling Pei Yan’s stare, she didn’t dare tease i Wanying. Instead, she quickly shoved the birthday gift into her hands.

"I have urgent business to attend to, so I won’t disturb you. Please, continue..."

With that, she beat a hasty retreat.

i Wanying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "She ran off so fast, you’d think a dog was chasing her."

Pei Yan said, "At least she knows when to make herself scarce."

In the end, he got his way, pulling i Wanying into a deep kiss.

The pad of his thumb brushed against her lips. Pressing his forehead to i Wanying’s, Pei Yan whispered, "Ah Yin, wait for ."

’He would kneel before heaven and earth, pray to all the gods and buddhas, and bring back the most potent peace charm for Ah Yin.’

’He wanted Ah Yin to be safe and well, year after year, for all the years to co.’