After the delicate and soft-spoken wife gave up, the aloof and powerful minister embraced her and sh

Although the old lady came from a peasant background, she was extremely particular about rules and regulations.

Except for the first three days of her marriage, Wen Jiayue had been following the custom of paying her respects to her husband morning and evening—

After breakfast, he would greet the old lady and after dinner, he would help her to bed.

She lived like this for four years. At the time, she didn't think anything of it. Serving the old lady was the duty of a granddaughter-in-law. She was fulfilling her filial duty on behalf of Shen Fuhan.

Only after living life again did she realize how ridiculous she was in her previous life.

No matter how much she tried to please the entire Marquis's family, they would never treat her as family; they would only treat her as a servant to be summoned and dismissed at will.

After her postpartum confinement period, Wen Jiayue would find an excuse to stop visiting him morning and evening, or at the very least, to change it to once every few days.

But now, she's going to teach Wen Ruohuan a lesson.

Harboring thoughts of her brother-in-law and plotting against her sister—it's never too late to pay back the debts from her past life!

"Sister, I..."

Wen Ruohuan hesitated, wanting to refuse.

Wen Jiayue interrupted her in time: "Are you afraid you won't be able to serve her well? I'll have Ruyi teach you."

She gave Ruyi a wink, and Ruyi immediately stepped forward.

"Third Miss, let me demonstrate for you."

Wen Ruohuan stared blankly, secretly annoyed.

She thought Wen Jiayue wanted her to serve her brother-in-law, but who would have guessed that she would actually serve the old lady!

But she had already said it, and if she went back on her word, she would definitely become estranged from her sister.

But in a flash, she had another good idea.

If she could persuade her brother-in-law to refuse on her behalf, she wouldn't have to pay her respects to her brother-in-law morning and evening!

I can use this as an excuse to talk to my brother-in-law a little more.

Thinking of this, Wen Ruohuan eagerly awaited her brother-in-law's return.

As dusk fell, Shen Fuhan returned to his residence.

With Wen Ruohuan present today, Wen Jiayue could no longer eat alone beforehand and could only wait for Shen Fuhan to return so they could eat together.

Seeing him enter the room, Wen Jiayue smiled gently: "My husband is back. You're back very early today."

Shen Fuhan replied, "There's not much to do today."

Wen Ruohuan was secretly observing her brother-in-law's tall and handsome figure when she heard this, and her heart was filled with joy.

Maybe it's because she was there that my brother-in-law came back so early.

Wen Jiayue glanced at her and coughed lightly: "Huan'er, go check out the small kitchen and have someone serve the meal while you're at it."

A flash of anger crossed Wen Ruohuan's face. What did this mean? Was she being treated like a maid?

Upon seeing Shen Fuhan dressed in a blue official robe, Wen Ruohuan realized that her brother-in-law needed to change clothes and she had to leave.

Wen Ruohuan awkwardly retreated.

After she left, Wen Jiayue immediately stopped smiling and stopped pretending.

A rustling sound came from behind the screen, followed by Shen Fuhan's voice.

"Was Zhaozhao well-behaved today?"

Wen Jiayue said calmly, "She's quite well-behaved; she didn't cry even when there were many people in the room."

She didn't look in that direction at all, but even without looking, her mind could picture his figure.

He looked like a frail scholar, but once he took off his clothes, he was actually a strong man with well-defined muscles, broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

She used to love helping him change his clothes, her arms loosely wrapped around his waist, his chest so close to hers, like an embrace.

When he wasn't in a hurry to go out, he would occasionally tease her.

He wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace, his usually cool eyes seeming to melt into water as he gazed at her with deep affection.

He would immediately let go of her when she shyly lowered her eyes.

When she looked up, he reverted to his aloof, ethereal demeanor, and that fleeting tenderness seemed like her illusion.

...It was just an illusion.

She could count the number of times this illusion occurred on one hand, yet she remembered it perfectly.

In every late night when she felt that Shen Fuhan didn't like her, she would repeatedly savor and rethink, telling herself that he loved her, he was just not good at expressing himself.

A sudden stinging sensation appeared on the tip of her nose, and Wen Jiayue tilted her head back, forcing back the tears.

Who came today?

Shen Fuhan suddenly spoke up, and Wen Jiayue quickly replied, "Nanny."

Noticing that her voice sounded a bit nasal, she sniffed and gave a brief explanation.

Shen Fuhan seemed oblivious to her momentary lapse in composure, and without responding, he changed into casual clothes and walked out calmly.

Wen Jiayue had already recovered completely and smiled, "Please wait a moment, Lord Marquis. I'll have Ruyi come and serve you. You can go to the side room first."

She tried to pull the bell by the bed, but Shen Fuhan grabbed her wrist.

His hands were warm, his palms were slightly rough, and a tingling sensation shot through his pulse straight to his internal organs.

Wen Jiayue was momentarily stunned, then withdrew her fingertips, trying to break free from his hand.

Shen Fuhan gripped her tighter, leaned closer to her, and spoke almost into her ear.

"Your sister is outside."

The hot air blowing on my ears made them feel wet and hot, and my earlobes felt burning hot.

Wen Jiayue was too slow to react, and when she came to her senses, Shen Fuhan had already helped her sit up.

His care was so skillful that he neither hurt her nor made her feel uncomfortable, as if he had done it a thousand times.

Wen Jiayue couldn't help but wonder if she had experienced this in her past life.

No.

If she did, she would remember it for the rest of her life.

Wen Jiayue stared in a daze at his handsome profile so close to hers. After the initial flutter of excitement, only sorrow remained in her heart.

He was just putting on an act, but she, having been given a second chance at life, still took it seriously.

Standing up, Wen Jiayue immediately let go of his hand.

"Thank you, my husband. I can walk by myself."

Shen Fuhan paused for a moment, then calmly stood with his hands behind his back and followed her slowly toward the side room.

"Sister, brother-in-law, shall we serve the meal now?"

Outside the door, Wen Ruohuan spoke up in time.

Wen Jiayue didn't speak. Shen Fuhan glanced at her and went to open the door himself.

Looking up, she saw a cold and handsome face. Wen Ruohuan was stunned for a moment, and almost couldn't stop smiling. She managed to restrain herself after sitting down.

Before long, a table was set with dinner.

As usual, Shen Fuhan served food to Wen Jiayue, and promptly refilled her bowl when it was empty, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Wen Ruohuan watched with envy.

Why is it that her sister, who comes from the same background as her, can marry the young and handsome Marquis Jing'an, who is also the top scholar in the imperial examination and highly regarded by the emperor, who dotes on her excessively!

Each of her qualities alone would be enviable, but her brother-in-law possessed them all, how could she not be jealous!

No matter what, she could never find a better husband than her brother-in-law in this lifetime, so she had no choice but to snatch him away and make him her husband.

She concealed the dark glint in her eyes, pouted, and asked, "Sister, do I really have to start the daily morning and evening greetings tonight?"

She secretly went to look at Shen Fuhan, thinking he would be curious, but he just ate quietly without even raising his head.

Wen Jiayue nodded and said, "Since you've agreed, it's better to do it sooner rather than later."

"But I don't want to go tonight," Wen Ruohuan said coquettishly. "How about we start tomorrow? Please, sister."

Wen Jiayue used to be completely swayed by her charms, agreeing with everything she said, but now she feels no pity for her whatsoever.

“But I’ve already spoken to the old lady,” Wen Jiayue said, feigning difficulty. “If you had told her half an hour earlier, it would have been fine.”

She knew all along that Wen Ruohuan would try every means to get away with it, so she sent someone to tell the old lady about it in advance.

Wen Ruohuan's expression froze. How could it be so fast!

However, this made it easier for her to plead with her brother-in-law. After a moment of preparation, she spoke in a sweet voice.

"Brother-in-law, please help me persuade my sister. I really don't want to go tonight."

As she spoke, she boldly tugged at Shen Fuhan's sleeve, her expression innocent, like a junior playing with an elder.

Wen Jiayue saw this, pursed her lips slightly, but did not say anything to stop it.

In the next instant, Shen Fuhan dodged in time, preventing her from touching even a corner of his clothes.

He said calmly, "I always listen to your sister. It's more effective to ask your sister than to ask me."