My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

Wei Nanxun hadn't initially planned to drink that much; she just stayed in her room for half a day, brooding over the silence outside.

When the food was served and everyone took their seats, they realized that Pei Ji was not there at all; he had been out all afternoon.

"Where did he go?"

The two brothers, Ji Feng and Ji Shi, could not possibly reveal their lord's whereabouts, and they also had to pretend to be mentally impaired youths, so they dared not utter a single word. They both shook their heads with simple smiles and said, "Go out, go out."

Wei Nanxun had been depressed for a long time, and when she suddenly learned that she had cared about him for so long, and had been so worried about him that she couldn't eat or sleep, it turned out that he didn't care at all.

The sense of disparity almost overwhelmed her.

She had never even felt this way about Pei Yuyan before. When she learned that Pei Yuyan did not love or respect her, she was in pain, but she quickly came to terms with it.

He was the crown prince; she should have looked up to him. His love was too extravagant, as if she herself had never felt she possessed it.

Since it's all just a mirage, something we never possessed, how can we talk about losing it?

This is why, after her rebirth, she didn't hate Pei Yuyan from her previous life as much. Ultimately, her feelings for Pei Yuyan were more of respect and fear, a habitual admiration, and less of the most primal impulses and love between men and women.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to so decisively let go of her naive feelings after learning that he was Wei Mingzhao's fiancé.

In her heart, even this older sister was more important than her feelings for Pei Yuyan.

All her choices stemmed from compromise and being deceived by his feigned love.

But today was different. When she heard Ji Shouzhou say he was leaving, and realized that he didn't care about her at all, she felt a bitterness and pain she had never felt before. It was an indescribable sense of loss.

Is she really that bad? That unworthy of being loved?

The dishes were served, and the wine was warmed.

Zhixia bought aged wine this time. She likes to drink, and she can tell it's good wine just by smelling it. She doesn't care whether women can drink it or not. She opened the seal and poured herself a full glass, and then poured some for everyone else as well.

"Come on, I'm in a good mood today, everyone, don't be shy, let's drink to our hearts' content."

Ji Feng wanted to drink but dared not, after all, the prince's rule was strictly disciplined and drinking was the most taboo subject.

But this Miss Guan was clearly someone the prince valued highly, even going so far as to have the two brothers pretend to be fools.

While he was still hesitating, Ji Yun chuckled, raised his wine glass, poured it into a large bowl, tilted his head back, and downed the entire bowl of wine in one gulp.

"Drink, it's delicious!"

Drinking alone only makes you feel more and more bored, but as long as someone is drinking with you, the atmosphere will immediately liven things up.

Wei Nanxun had a good alcohol tolerance, but he was feeling down today and had the urge to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Without eating anything to tide him over, he drank without restraint, one cup after another, and soon became drunk.

She felt hot all over after drinking, and her head was a little foggy. At first, she was very happy because there were people around her who were all wishing her a happy birthday, but the more she drank, the more uncomfortable she felt.

The person she most wanted to see wasn't there.

She had drunk an unknown amount when she suddenly heard the door being pushed open from the outside. Looking up, she saw the tall figure walking in.

"Ji Shouzhou, let's... let's have a drink."

Pei Ji didn't realize she was drunk at first, since apart from her face being a little red, her speech and demeanor were still normal.

They would even get him a bowl and chopsticks and make room for him.

Only when he got closer did he realize something was wrong.

"Ji Shouzhou, where have you been?"

Pei Ji had never seen her wear this color before; it looked newly made, probably specially made for her birthday.

It has to be said that Wei Nanxun looks good in any clothes. Even such vibrant colors, when worn by her, not only make her skin look as white as snow, but also add a touch of bewitching beauty.

Every smile and frown exudes captivating charm; this beauty is truly mesmerizing.

She smelled faintly of alcohol, her hands were unsteady as she held things, and even her tone of voice was a little off.

Her voice was so sweet and soft, it even had a hint of coquetry. Her bright almond-shaped eyes were veiled in a thin mist, and the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose were tinged with a touch of rosy red. Most notably, her bright red lips were slightly pouting.

It was as if his absence had caused her immense suffering.

The Wei Nanxun that he usually showed in front of him was occasionally shy and decisive, and even cried and acted spoiled, but she never acted coquettishly or aggrieved.

Like a child who can't get what they love, innocent and naive.

Yes, she's only sixteen, seven years younger than him, so what if she's being coquettish?

He didn't speak, which seemed to make Wei Nanxun even more unhappy. But her head was spinning, so she had to cup her burning face in her hands, shake her dizzy head, and mutter, "He won't say anything again, so annoying."

I'm ignoring you.

As she was talking, she suddenly stretched out her arm and buried her face in it, as if she really didn't want to see him.

This childish and immature action almost made Pei Ji laugh in exasperation.

After drinking so much and getting completely drunk, how dare you ignore him?

Pei Ji glanced at Zhi Xia, who was also drunk and slumped on the table, and the two subordinates who were pretending to be drunk, and coughed lightly twice.

The two men immediately sprang to their feet: "Master, it was... it was Miss Guan who wanted to drink and insisted that we servants accompany her. We deserve to die..."

Pei Ji wanted to get angry, but the person next to him was restless, twisting and turning, unable to sit still, and actually leaning limply to the side.

Just as her pretty little face was about to hit the ground, he reached out and his large hand caught her cheek perfectly.

He gently pulled the person upright and nestled them in his arms.

He raised his hand, signaling them to take Zhixia away to rest. He then sighed softly, swept the drunken girl up by the waist, and carried her back to the inner room.

Wei Nanxun hadn't completely lost consciousness, but her reactions had slowed down considerably. After being picked up and taken a few steps, she realized something was wrong and exclaimed in surprise, "Flying! How did we fly? It's so high!"

"I am afraid."

As she spoke, she naturally wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheeks tightly against his chest, looking genuinely terrified.

Her voice was more delicate than ever before. In the past, he wouldn't even bother to look at such affected women, and would have had them chased away long ago.

But Wei Nanxun's behavior didn't bother him. In his helplessness, he even found her somewhat innocently adorable.

He carried the person all the way to the bed, and even after just a few steps, his back was soaked with sweat.

Pei Ji didn't dare look at her any longer. He put her down and prepared to leave.

But before he could turn around, a hand grabbed his sleeve.

She was distracted for only a moment and missed her chance to leave. Instead, she grabbed his sleeve, slowly sat up, and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

The hot, moist breath sprayed onto his back, instantly numbing his entire spine from tailbone to neck.

"Ji Shouzhou, please don't go."