May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

Madam Wen scoffed, "Come on, stop making a big deal out of your age! People are different from birth. Some are born good, some are born evil. This nature has nothing to do with age!"

Madam Wen's words were extremely harsh.

Madam Wen glanced at her helplessly, then looked at Pei Zhicheng, whose face had changed: "Zhicheng, your second aunt's words were a bit harsh, don't take them to heart. It's just that our Wen family's clan school already has quite a few people, and it's really not appropriate to add more."

Pei Zhicheng's smile was barely perceptible.

The others didn't care about him anymore. Seeing that he was no longer talking, they resumed their conversation and laughter, praising Pei Xi endlessly.

Pei Zhicheng stood up with a sullen face and sat back down next to Pei Xi, but he couldn't bring himself to smile no matter what.

-

Wen Yuanshu took the two children to lunch before returning home.

Pei Zeyu had received the news in advance and was waiting at the door. He personally helped Wen Yuanshu down from the carriage, saying, "Yuanshu, you've had a hard time."

Wen Yuanshu smiled faintly: "Going back to my own home, what's so hard about it?"

If she could, she would like to work this "hard" every day.

What did your father-in-law say?

Meeting Pei Zeyu's expectant gaze, Wen Yuanshu nodded: "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, Father has already agreed, but he said it will have to wait until next month."

Upon hearing this, Pei Zeyu breathed a heavy sigh of relief: "Great, great! It's good that my father-in-law agreed. Next month it is!"

Anyway, what they're planning can't be accomplished overnight, so there's no rush.

Pei Zhicheng watched Pei Zeyu and Wen Yuanshu leave together, not even paying attention to himself. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

Why... is everything different now?

He had already lived once, after all, and he understood himself, as well as Pei Zeyu and Xie Qianjiao. According to the trajectory of his previous life, the current situation should not have occurred.

Lost in thought, Pei Zhicheng walked back to the main courtyard without even noticing Xie Qianjiao waving to him, simply ignoring her.

Xie Qianjiao was stunned to see that Pei Zhicheng had ignored her and walked straight ahead.

For a moment, his neglect of her now overlapped with his words from a few days ago that he wanted to leave her.

Xie Qianjiao felt a sudden darkness before her eyes.

Pei Zhicheng, however, was completely unaware of Xie Qianjiao's inner thoughts. He himself had not come up with an answer to his own questions even as night fell.

-

After dinner, Wen Yuanshu took a walk in the courtyard. As soon as she returned to her room, she saw a figure standing by the window.

The man was tall and seemed to be casually leaning against the window. His gaze had been fixed on Wen Yuanshu ever since she entered the room.

Wen Yuanshu was immediately startled.

She only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the ferocious beast mask that the man had casually placed aside.

She took a few steps inside, and Chunhua followed her in, closing the door behind her.

"Couldn't you at least give us a heads-up next time you come?"

It was a dark and windy night, and there was a dark figure standing in the house. At first glance, it was quite frightening.

Lu Chengyuan didn't speak, his gaze fixed on her, seemingly containing some kind of dark emotion.

To avoid attracting unwanted attention, Chunhua didn't even dare to light candles. Seeing that Lu Chengyuan seemed to have something to say, she suddenly felt a bit awkward.

Wen Yuanshu also noticed Lu Chengyuan's unusual behavior and said, "Chunhua, go and tidy up first."

Chunhua glanced at Lu Chengyuan again before letting out a soft "Hey," and turned to leave.

The door to the main hall was closed again, and Wen Yuanshu looked at Lu Chengyuan: "Is there something you need?"

Lu Chengyuan hummed in agreement, casually placed the long sword in his arms on the table, and sat down in the chair.

He didn't say anything, but simply poured himself a cup of tea.

Wen Yuanshu also went over and sat down, waiting for him to speak.

After finishing a cup of tea, Lu Chengyuan finally spoke: "So, the reason you want to stay here is because of this."