Chapter Three: The Warmth on Her Lips

“No need to test me. I’ve never thought of leaving. I didn’t before, and I certainly won’t in the future.”

Pei Zhouwu’s answer was unshakably firm.

If he said he wouldn’t leave, then he absolutely wouldn’t.

“Why?” Liu Fuying truly didn’t understand. To be imprisoned in such a place alone for so long—one might go mad. “You clearly can. Don’t you want to leave?”

Pei Zhouwu didn’t answer. He simply set down the walking stick in his hand.

Then, he stepped back into the water once more.

“If you want to report me, feel free to have this lake filled in.”

Leaving just those words behind, he plunged into the water with a splash and quickly disappeared.

“I…” Liu Fuying didn’t even have time to respond.

Why would she report him?

If the lake were filled in, how would she ever find him again?

After pondering for a long while—and with no movement from beneath the surface—Liu Fuying picked up the walking stick and slowly stood up, her mind drifting back to the moment of shared breath underwater.

She gently touched her lips. There still seemed to be a lingering warmth there.

She didn’t descend the mountain.

Instead, she left the forest, found a familiar path, and returned up the mountain to the Changming Temple. There, she borrowed clothes from a female Daoist in the East Wing and had someone go down the mountain to send word for others to come fetch her.

Her clothes were in tatters—hardly suitable for returning to the city without attracting attention and rumors.

By noon, people had arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Her childhood maid, Jinli, came with clean clothes, eyes red as she helped dress and groom Liu Fuying. She asked anxiously where she had gone. The previous day, they had only just left Changming Temple when it started to rain. Because they hadn’t brought umbrellas, Jinli had turned back to borrow one. But by the time she returned, Liu Fuying had already fallen off the cliff.

After freshening up and resting a while, Liu Fuying descended the mountain by carriage in the afternoon.

By the time she returned to the Shen household, several hours had passed.

A physician came to examine her and prescribed medicine before leaving. By then, night had fallen.

“Has the General eaten?” Liu Fuying asked during dinner, referring to her husband, Shen Xiunian.

Normally, she and Shen Xiunian lived separate lives. They wouldn’t even think of each other unless something came up.

She asked about him today only because her thoughts had turned to Pei Zhouwu.

“That… I’m not sure, my lady. I heard he’s been in the study all afternoon. I don’t know if he’s eaten yet. But why should you care? When I returned to the manor yesterday to report that you had gone missing, he didn’t even bat an eye—didn’t utter a single word of concern. It was Old Madam who sent people into the mountains to search for you.”

Liu Fuying didn’t care at all about Shen Xiunian’s indifference.

She continued eating calmly and replied lightly, “I’ll go to the study to see him later. By the way, how’s Mother-in-law? Hasn’t woken yet?”

“No, Madam. Old Madam was already ill. Yesterday, upon hearing of your disappearance, she was so anxious she didn’t sleep all night. If we hadn’t stopped her, she would’ve gone up the mountain herself to look for you. She finally collapsed by afternoon and has been unconscious since.”

Liu Fuying nodded.

If there was one person in the Shen family she genuinely cared for, it was Shen Xiunian’s mother.

Her right hand was injured, so Jinli had to feed her.

After dinner, when the table was cleared, Jinli brought out a single shoe from the inner room.

“What are you doing?” Liu Fuying stopped her.

It was the only shoe she had left after falling off the cliff.

“My lady, this shoe has no pair now. I thought we could just throw it away.”

“Don’t.” Liu Fuying beckoned her back. “Just wash it and store it away. No need to throw it out.”

Since she insisted, Jinli didn’t argue.

Lounging lazily in her armchair, Liu Fuying found her thoughts drifting to Pei Zhouwu again. Since returning from Xiang Mountain, she’d been unable to stop thinking about him—and the more she thought, the more viable her plan seemed.

After resting a bit, she had Jinli help her over to Shen Xiunian’s study.

She knocked, but no response came from inside.

He probably knew it was her and just couldn’t be bothered to answer.

Liu Fuying remained calm and simply pushed the door open.

Shen Xiunian, seated behind his desk, didn’t even look up when she entered. He continued writing as if she weren’t there.

She didn’t go any closer, just sat down at a distance.

To be fair, Shen Xiunian was quite accomplished. A young man already promoted to a second-rank general—he was undeniably capable. His looks couldn’t compare to Pei Zhouwu’s, but he was still considered handsome. On paper, he was a good match.

Unfortunately, not a good match for her.

“The proposal from Second Uncle’s branch—has the General given it any thought? Do you truly intend to hand over the family estate?”

Shen Xiunian said nothing, continuing to write without looking up.

“Has the General forgotten the promise made to me before our marriage?”

Still no reply.

But this was just like him—Liu Fuying was used to it by now.

“In our country, the law forbids women from inheriting family property. Even if I am your wife in name, once you’re gone, I have no legal right to inherit the Shen estate. Your father died early, and you have no brothers. When the time comes, everything will go to your Second Uncle’s family by default. I didn’t consider this before our marriage, but now that I have, it’s not too late.”

The world had always been unfair to women.

But so what? What was rightfully hers, she wouldn’t let go of. Shen Xiunian had promised it to her.

Otherwise, she would never have married into the Shen family to live like a widow.

The trouble now was that even if Shen Xiunian put it in writing that she was to inherit the family wealth, the court wouldn’t recognize it.

So she needed a child of her own—even if she had to get one by any means necessary.

“I suppose the General has no intention of having children with me. Then I’ll just have to do as you once said—go find a man outside.”

What he’d said before was that she could have a kept man, as long as it didn’t make waves. But he hadn’t meant she could bear another man’s child.

Raising another man’s child was a whole different matter.

“Does the General understand what I mean?”

Of course he did. Shen Xiunian wasn’t stupid. But he still said nothing, head lowered, writing silently.

“But I don’t think you have a choice. Surely you’d prefer that to handing everything over to your Second Uncle.”

Shen Xiunian had once been full of life. Years ago, he’d fallen hopelessly in love with a woman he met on the battlefield. He even brought her home.

Back then, while he was away at war and his mother’s health was declining, the family’s businesses and assets had been temporarily managed by his Second Uncle’s branch. When they saw him bring a woman home, perhaps afraid of losing control over the estate, they schemed and drove her away.

She was never seen again.

She died—and so did Shen Xiunian’s spirit.

Ever since, he’d acted recklessly in everything he did. Just half a month ago, he nearly died in battle and was carried back half-dead.

His Second Uncle’s branch used this incident to bring up the inheritance again, saying if anything were to happen to him, it’d be too late to make arrangements—he should prepare ahead of time.

Given that his uncle had caused the death of the woman he loved, Shen Xiunian naturally didn’t want to give him a single coin.

“If the General has any objections, you’d best raise them now.”

Her meaning was clear: if he didn’t protest, she would go ahead and proceed with the matter of having a child.

She had said a lot. Yet Shen Xiunian didn’t even lift an eyelid.

“Don’t worry,” Liu Fuying said as she stood up and walked out lightly, “as promised, I’ll take good care of your mother.”

Once outside, Liu Fuying unconsciously glanced toward the direction of Xiang Mountain.

Shen Xiunian’s lifeless demeanor only made her think of Pei Zhouwu more.

She wondered what Pei Zhouwu was doing right now.

“Ah-Yin!”

A voice called out to her loudly from outside the courtyard.