Chapter 55

Late at night, faint starlight fell on the window frame like the pale glow of melting snow. 

Ning Zhen lay quietly. 

The quilt was soft and fluffy, with a freshly laundered scent, and the room was silent. 

She had taken the medicine, and her lower abdomen was warm. The pain gradually eased and disappeared. 

Ning Zhen thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She always had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places, tossing and turning all night. 

Perhaps because she had been tormented by pain the previous night and hadn’t slept deeply, or maybe she was mentally exhausted from the tense dinner with Sheng Changyu, but soon after laying her head down, she fell into a deep sleep. 

Sheng Changyu, however, was still awake. 

He had drunk a bit too much and felt uncomfortable, unable to vomit but not able to rest either. 

It had been a long time since he’d drunk this much. 

Cheng Baisheng, having thrown up once, looked pale. He saw Sheng Changyu sitting on the sofa in the small sitting room and asked, “How are you feeling?” 

Sheng Changyu put on a calm front. “I’m perfectly clear-headed.” 

He then teased Cheng Baisheng, “You can’t hold your liquor. Next time, don’t even think about trying to outdrink me—you’ve got a long way to go.” 

Cheng Baisheng had always been a lightweight. 

Tonight, he had risked it all to keep up with his superior. Slumping down, he grabbed the hangover soup from the nearby table and drank it. “Who was trying to outdrink you? If you hadn’t tried to show off, we could’ve both drunk less.” 

He grumbled, “There was no one else around, couldn’t you have stopped when you had enough?” 

Yet Sheng Changyu had insisted on finishing the jug. 

Reeking of alcohol, Sheng Changyu bragged, “I finished it, and I still feel like I could drink more. Just because you can’t handle it doesn’t mean I can’t.” 

Cheng Baisheng sighed, “What a load of nonsense! If you can stand up right now without swaying, I’ll call you my ancestor!” 

“Whether I stand or not, I’m still your ancestor, so don’t even think about disrespecting me,” Sheng Changyu retorted. 

Cheng Baisheng smirked. “I see—you care about saving face in front of Ning Zhen.” 

He pointed toward the guest room. “Aren’t you going in?” 

Sheng Changyu shot him a glare. 

Cheng Baisheng wasn’t afraid of him and lit a cigarette, handing one to Sheng Changyu. His hands trembled so much from the alcohol that he struggled to strike a match. 

Sheng Changyu took the match and lit it in one swift motion, the small orange flame flickering. 

“Changyu, are you really not interested in her?” Cheng Baisheng couldn’t resist asking again. 

Sheng Changyu took a drag from the cigarette and said, “She’s well-suited to be the Governor’s wife. The old estate needs someone like her, and my dealings with Ning Zhoutong need someone like her too. I don’t want to disrupt the status quo.” 

“But she’s your wife now; she could also be your woman,” Cheng Baisheng said. “She’s so beautiful—are you telling me you don’t have any thoughts about her?” 

“Are you constantly thinking about how beautiful the Governor’s wife is? Do you want to get shot?” Sheng Changyu asked coldly. 

Cheng Baisheng fell silent. You only act tough with me. Why are you so stubborn? 

Ning Zhen had been married into the old estate, the daughter of Ning Zhoutong, offending two of Sheng Changyu’s biggest taboos. Yet she had turned out to be a pleasant surprise. 

Cheng Baisheng admired her personality and had already matched her with Sheng Changyu in his mind. 

“You’re wasting time,” Cheng Baisheng said. “Just don’t regret it later.” 

“What would I regret?” Sheng Changyu leaned back on the sofa, smoking. 

“You’ll regret wasting time. Divorce is trendy now, and Ning Zhen studied abroad. Once everything is settled, she might divorce you and leave. Then you’ll realize how foolish you were,” Cheng Baisheng warned. 

Sheng Changyu scoffed. “There are no other young women in this city besides her?” 

He added, “It’s easy for me to find a wife, and even easier to find a woman.” 

“Someone like her isn’t easy to find, and you’re not appreciating her.” 

Sheng Changyu replied, “I am appreciating her—I’m slowly building up the prestige of the title ‘Governor’s wife’ for her.” 

Cheng Baisheng was left speechless. 

The two of them never seemed to agree on anything. Drunk and swaying, Cheng Baisheng stood up and staggered back to his room to sleep. 

He collapsed onto the bed, still complaining that it was too hard. 

Later in the night, Sheng Changyu threw up once, but he didn’t let Cheng Baisheng know. 

The next morning, Ning Zhen woke up feeling refreshed. 

A maid brought her another bowl of herbal medicine. 

After drinking it, Ning Zhen thought about asking Sheng Changyu for the prescription, but before she could, the maid handed her a box. “This is the prescription for Danggui Sini Tang. Please keep it safe. The Governor said that this is a prescription from an old master doctor. If you brew it and drink it every month for three months, the pain won’t return.” 

Ning Zhen thanked her. 

The sandalwood box felt heavy in her hands, and she couldn’t help but think to herself, Why such a big box for a prescription? 

She had taken Danggui Sini Tang before, but it hadn’t been very effective. 

Ning Zhen asked the maid, “Has the Governor gotten up yet?” 

She wanted to say goodbye before leaving. 

The maid replied, “Not yet. The chief of staff isn’t up either. Shall I bring your breakfast?” 

Ning Zhen declined, “No need.” 

The superiors hadn’t eaten yet. If they found out she had eaten first, they’d be displeased. 

That Governor was not an easygoing man and was quite particular. 

Ning Zhen didn’t want to upset him. 

After freshening up with nothing else to do, she opened the box the maid had given her. 

At the top of the box was a prescription, and below it were some pre-made medicines. 

The label on the medicine read: Shixiao Powder. 

It seemed to be a secret formula, specially made by the old doctor. 

The ‘Danggui Sini Tang’ Ning Zhen had taken before didn’t have ‘Shixiao San’. 

‘This must be the secret ingredient that makes it so effective, she thought. 

“This medicine seems really good. If it can cure my problem, life will be much easier,” Ning Zhen murmured, lightly brushing the edge of the box. 

At eight in the morning, Cheng Baisheng and Sheng Changyu finally woke up. 

Both had headaches from their hangovers. 

Ning Zhen could tell that Sheng Changyu’s headache was worse—his brows were furrowed tightly the entire time. 

She felt a twinge of fear, hoping not to get caught in the crossfire. 

“Let’s have some rice porridge. I don’t have much of an appetite,” Cheng Baisheng said, then turned to Ning Zhen, “Ning Zhen, do you want chicken wonton soup or noodles?” 

“I’ll have rice porridge too. Something light in the morning,” Ning Zhen replied. 

Sheng Changyu added, “Same for me.” 

Soon, the adjutant brought in seven or eight small dishes and served each of them a bowl of white rice porridge. 

The table was quiet. 

Sheng Changyu didn’t touch the side dishes, quickly finishing his bowl of porridge before sitting there, lost in thought. 

His headache hadn’t gone away. 

The adjutant came in to report, “Governor, the special commissioner is here. He’s come in person.” 

Ning Zhen continued drinking her porridge. 

She knew the adjutant was talking about Wen Weinian. 

She didn’t want to see Wen Weinian. 

Not only did his features strongly resemble those of her late fiancé, Wen Liangyu, which made her sad every time she saw him, but he also constantly blamed Ning Zhen for Wen Liangyu’s death. 

“Don’t stop him. If a reporter sees it, they’ll criticize the Governor again,” Cheng Baisheng remarked. “Take him to the small sitting room and serve him the best tea.” 

Then he said to Sheng Changyu, “You don’t need to deal with him. I’ll take care of it.” 

Sheng Changyu muttered, “Why is he causing a fuss this early in the morning?” 

“It’s about Director Tang from the Treasury Office. His third concubine eloped, and the whole city knows. Didn’t I mention it to you last night? 

I used that as an excuse to search the Special Commissioner’s Office, and the police department brought back several confidential documents. The young master only found out now, and he’s here to vent his anger.” 

Ning Zhen was taken aback. 

She hadn’t expected the refined and gentlemanly Cheng Baisheng to be so sneaky. 

But then again, people tend to resemble those around them. How could anyone close to Sheng Changyu be kind and gentle?