Chapter 1

“The Young Marshal is Back!”

The servants joyfully shouted.

Xu Jinye’s hand trembled, and the mahjong tile she had just touched slipped and fell onto the table.

“Oh, Kong!” Madam Zhang across the table beamed. “Xiao Jin is the best! I was just waiting for this tile.”

Madam Zhang drew a tile and completed a “Kong on the draw” to win with a grand combination.

Jinye: “…”

Before Madam Wei could tease her, she saw her beloved son stride in. Dressed in a deep blue military uniform, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and a handsome face carrying a touch of a roguish smile, he exuded confidence.

Madam Wei instantly forgot her frustration at losing the game and smiled. “Back victorious?”

“Young Marshal.”
“Young Marshal.”

The servants greeted him in a chorus.

“So this is why no one came to greet me—you were all playing mahjong.”

Wei Liangchen’s deep, magnetic voice rang out as his gaze swept over the slender figure sitting with her back to him.

Jinye’s back stiffened, and she didn’t dare turn around. Although the remark seemed directed at Madam Wei, she had the distinct feeling it was aimed at her. Before he left last month, he had gripped her waist and said that when he returned victorious, she must greet him on the streets.

And she had to wear a cheongsam.

She wore the cheongsam but didn’t go to greet him.

Just as she was about to leave the house, Madam Wei insisted they were one short for mahjong and dragged her into the game.

A hand rested on the back of her chair. Wei Liangchen leaned slightly forward, his voice casual, “Who won?”

His familiar scent approached, and Jinye’s entire body tensed, unable to move.

Madam Zhang laughed. “Thanks to the Young Marshal’s luck, Jinye gave me the tile I needed, and I won big.”

Madam Zhang’s husband, Mr. Zhang, was the deputy director of the American Banking Corporation.

Today’s mahjong game was important for Madam Wei.

Wei Liangchen chuckled. “It seems I came back just in time. Who’s going to borrow money from me? How much did you lose?”

This question was directed at Jinye.

She could almost feel his warm breath on her neck. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly blamed him in a half-joking tone, afraid Madam Wei might notice anything. “It’s all because Second Brother stomped so heavily that he made me drop my tile. You owe me compensation.”

Madam Wei, Madam Zhang, and another lady all burst into laughter.

“Fine, how much do you want? Come to my room later to get it.” Wei Liangchen straightened up, his tone seeming a bit more cheerful as he turned to Madam Wei. “Mom, I’m heading upstairs for a shower. Call me when dinner’s ready.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Madam Wei replied.

Jinye let out a sigh of relief but immediately regretted her words, feeling like she had just offered herself on a silver platter.

Xu Jinye was a time traveler. She had been a sophomore in college, out traveling with her classmates when a car accident sent her to the Republican era. She woke up to find herself in an awkward position within the household of Wei, the Military Governor.

The original owner of the body had been raised by her aunt, Xu Xiaoyun, who was the third concubine of the Military Governor.

The original Xu Jinye had lost her parents early and was brought up by Xu Xiaoyun. When Xu Xiaoyun became the Governor’s third concubine, Jinye was fifteen. It was at this age that modern-day Xu Jinye took over the body.

The Military Governor doted on Xu Xiaoyun and treated her niece generously, providing her with luxurious clothes and the best education alongside his own daughters.

However, Xu Xiaoyun had a tragic fate. Two years ago, she was shot in the head during an assassination attempt while traveling. Although she survived, she became comatose and remained a vegetative patient at the military hospital, costing hundreds of silver dollars monthly.

While the Governor still treated Jinye kindly, supporting her through college, and Madam Wei took great care to cultivate her elegance, Jinye knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

After her 19th birthday last year, Madam Wei started arranging blind dates for her. One of the candidates was Secretary Wang, a returning overseas scholar sent by the Inspector-General.

He seemed gentlemanly but turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, attempting to assault her that very night.

Terrified, Jinye escaped and stumbled into Wei Liangchen’s room, not knowing he had just returned, reeking of alcohol and perfume. Thinking she couldn’t escape such situations forever, she sought his protection.

Wei Liangchen mistook her for someone else, and one thing led to another…

The next morning, she couldn’t move a muscle.

At nearly 1.9 meters tall, with the build of a soldier—eight-pack abs, a chiseled Adonis belt, a firm waist, and powerful thighs—Wei Liangchen was a force of nature. Each time left her bedridden.

This time, he’d been gone for over a month. Not only had she failed to greet him as promised, but she feared what torment awaited her.

While Jinye was frantically thinking of a way to deal with him, Madam Wei called out, “Xiao Jin, dinner is ready. Go upstairs and call your Second Brother down.”

The Governor had one wife, three concubines, and nine children.

Wei Liangchen, at 24, was the second son.

Above him was his elder brother, Wei Yanting, three years older and born of the Governor’s first wife.

Jinye internally groaned but dared not refuse for fear Madam Wei might suspect something. If Madam Wei ever found out she had seduced her beloved son, Jinye might not see another sunrise.

Summoning her courage, she headed up to the third floor.

As the Governor of Jiangzhe, Wei’s residence was grand, the main villa designed in French neoclassical style—elegant, opulent, and radiant.

Wei Liangchen occupied an entire floor, which included not only his bedroom but also a private armory. Jinye had entered it once, finding an assortment of pistols, rifles, swords, whips, and even grenades.

That time, he placed her on the display stand, surrounded by grenades. In the end, she either fainted from exhaustion or sheer terror.

Thinking back on it now, it still makes her shudder.

How did she dare provoke this man in the first place?

Jin Ye walked up to his bedroom door, took a deep breath, and knocked. “Second Brother, Madam asked you to come down for dinner.”

“The door’s unlocked. Come in.”

There was no movement for a few seconds, and he said impatiently, “I’m not going to say it a third time!”

Terrified he’d lose his temper, Jin Ye had no choice but to open the door. The next second, she was met with a pair of dark, deep, and penetrating eyes.

Wei Liangchen was undeniably handsome. His features were sculpted, with sharp brows and starry eyes. His gaze carried a natural allure, with long almond-shaped eyes, pupils that were jet-black and profound, and a tiny mole at the end of his slightly upturned eye. Just one glance could steal someone’s soul. No wonder half the debutantes in Su City wanted to marry him.

The other half wanted to marry his brother.

He seemed to have just come out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist, revealing a perfectly toned upper body with golden proportions and solid, defined muscles—simply flawless.

Jin Ye quickly averted her gaze. “Madam asked me to call you for dinner.”

She hadn’t closed the door when she came in, and after speaking, she turned to leave.

But a strong hand pressed against the door.

With a bang, the door slammed shut.