My best friends both transmigrated into a book and married powerful officials; she left me and I lef

Cang Hei paused, a troubled look crossing his face. "Your Highness, the Prince just instructed you to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qi Ran interrupted him, his tone tinged with impatience, "You keep calling me 'Your Highness,' whose person are you really?"

Cang Hei fell silent.

Yunyan Pavilion.

"Where's Meng Youning?" Qi Ran raised an eyebrow and stood there like a gatekeeper.

He craned his neck and peered casually into the inner room.

The maids lowered their eyes and respectfully replied, "The Crown Princess has already retired for the night."

Several maids stood in a row in front of Qi Ran.

Qi Ran: "Get out of the way."

You guys look at me, I look at you.

Qi Ran snorted coldly and pushed the person in front of him away, "Think carefully about who your master is."

"Young Master." Cang Hei looked at Qi Ran's imposing manner, a hint of worry between his brows. He paused slightly, "The Princess Consort has already retired for the night, so why don't we..."

Qi Ran's eyes widened, one hand on his waist, and he casually smacked Cang Hei's head. "Why not what? Why not?"

He waved his hand and glanced at Cang Hei with disdain. "Wait outside."

"Meng Youning, come out here and explain yourself! What have I done to you?" Qi Ran stormed in, shouting, "You got my father to call in the family for discipline after just a few words! Let me tell you, I'm not done with you yet!"

A pleasant, refreshing fragrance suddenly wafted into my nostrils, followed by a subtle hint of sandalwood. The two blended together to create a rich and delightful aroma.

Qi Ran took a deep breath and unconsciously rubbed his nose.

Suddenly, he stopped.

My gaze fell on a spot in front of me without warning.

The woman on the bed had her eyes tightly closed, and her small face seemed to hold a thousand thoughts, with her brows furrowing from time to time.

He looked like he wasn't sleeping very well.

She was only half-covered by the blankets, her cascading hair hanging down in front of her and on both sides.

Her hands rested quietly on her abdomen.

At this moment, she was no longer the sharp-tongued woman she had been in the sedan chair during the day, nor was she the tearful woman she had been in the front hall; all that remained was a woman's quiet demeanor.

From his angle, for some reason, one could even discern a hint of innocence in his face.

Her quiet demeanor gave people a strange feeling.

The closer you get, the more you can smell a faint medicinal scent.

Qi Ran suddenly came to her senses, looking somewhat suspicious. How could he still not wake up?

"Don't pretend you can't hear me." He slowly stepped forward, grabbed Meng Youning's arm, and pulled her up. "I told you to get up!"

Meng Youning murmured softly, her half-asleep murmur carrying a hint of languor, so soft that one couldn't bear to disturb her.

Qi Ran blinked, then suddenly let go, and Meng Youning's arm instantly fell back to its original position.

He then noticed that Meng Youning's cheeks were faintly flushed.

He muttered to himself, "Could I have really coughed myself to death?"

Qi Ran held his breath, took a step forward, and tentatively reached out his hand towards Meng Youning's nose.

As she was pondering, Meng Youning coughed heavily a few times, looking uncomfortable, and suddenly opened her eyes, just in time to meet Qi Ran's gaze.

Qi Ran's hand paused in mid-air, then he withdrew it in the next instant.

"Young Master?" Meng Youning was still a little dazed, her eyes full of doubt. "What are you doing here?"

Before Qi Ran could answer, Meng Youning frowned and coughed a few times, covering her mouth.

In an instant, her cheeks turned even redder.

It took Meng Youning quite a while to finally catch her breath.

Seeing her like this, he didn't want to continue arguing. Then, Qi Ran shook his head. No, what did her poor health have to do with him?

He came here to cause trouble for Meng Youning. Thinking of this, Qi Ran put on a fierce expression again.

"Tell me, why did you falsely accuse me in front of my parents?" Qi Ran said coldly. "If you don't explain yourself clearly today, you won't be able to sleep. People who don't know the situation will think that I often bully you."

Meng Youning looked bewildered. "What?"

Qi Ran snorted coldly, moved closer to Meng Youning, sat down next to her, grabbed her arm, and said fiercely, "There's no one else here, stop pretending."

Meng Youning looked up, her doe-like eyes blinking, clear and innocent.

Then she pursed her lips, and her eyes quickly filled with glistening tears.

The next instant, the tear fell without warning onto Qi Ran's hand, scalding hot.

"Young Master has wronged You Ning." Meng You Ning's left hand was half-clenched into a fist, pressed against her chest, her shoulders trembling. "You Ning wasn't referring to the Young Master, but rather..."

Qi Ran subconsciously pressed for an answer, "And what?"

"It's because after You Ning's family failed to find a doctor for her," Meng You Ning glanced at him with difficulty, then quickly looked away, "they just let me fend for myself. With no one to take care of me, it's inevitable that I'll get hurt."

"I see." Qi Ran slowly released Meng You Ning's arm, then mimicked Meng You Ning's earlier actions, "Then what did you mean by covering your mouth and running away just now?"

Meng Youning looked even more heartbroken. "That's because I suddenly thought of my family, and I couldn't help myself..."

Her voice was choked with sobs, and she couldn't help but sob softly a few times.

"Alright, you...you stop crying." Qi Ran quickly stood up and hastily pulled the blanket over Meng You Ning's face to wipe away her tears. "Are you made of water? Why do you cry so easily?"

His gaze fell elsewhere. Meng Youning lowered her eyes slightly. If Qi Ran had turned his head at this moment, he would have seen the cunning glint in Meng Youning's eyes.

Qi Ran looked suspicious. "That's not what you said in the sedan chair."

"Doesn't Your Highness understand?" Meng Youning exclaimed, adopting a girlish demeanor. "Youning has just married into the household and is unfamiliar with most things. Women are like duckweed, and having settled in this household, I can only rely on Your Highness."

“But the young master has already made his stance clear.” She paused, her face filled with sorrow, “You Ning, a weak woman, naturally has no choice but to go along with what the young master says…”

After saying that, she turned her head to the side and covered her mouth, trying her best not to cry out.

Qi Ran understood. Meng Youning was all alone and had wanted to rely on him, but he hadn't expected that he would say such things to her.

As a woman, she had no power to resist and could only express her dissatisfaction with herself through a few words.

Thinking about it this way, it's not unreasonable.

As a man, all he had to do was endure a beating from his family; why should he bother arguing with a weak woman like Meng Youning?

"Don't worry." Although there was still a hint of doubt on Qi Ran's face, his tone was much better. "Although I won't like you, now that you've married into the Prince's Mansion, it will be your support from now on."

Meng Youning smiled slightly; this was exactly what she had been waiting for.