Chapter 41: She Knows – Wen Zhaoyin Knows What She Should Know

Wen Zhaoyin raised her head and took a piece of candied fruit from the box in front of him, smiling and saying, “What person? Of course it’s the servant who takes care of the cranes. Otherwise, who do you think you encountered?”

Meng Huan instantly stiffened and then relaxed. He was scared to death.

He didn’t know if Wen Zhaoyin truly had no suspicions or if she was deceiving him. However, since she didn’t explicitly say anything now, it meant she couldn’t be completely certain.

He knew this woman well. If she truly believed he did something wrong, would she hold back and not react? She would definitely confront him on the spot.

Now she must only be in the suspicion stage, which is why she didn’t voice it. He should find an opportunity to dispel her doubts.

“I see that Madam has been quite busy lately. Previously, you would read books in the study room next door during the day. Now, you’re not even in the residence during the day. I’m really bored alone.”

As he said this, he moved over to the opposite side and held her arm, showing a hint of coquettishness.

Wen Zhaoyin naturally let him hold her arm, the corners of her lips curving into a faint, indiscernible smile. “Indeed, there have been more matters to attend to recently.”

Meng Huan continued along with her words, “You had promised me before that after three months, you would let me go out for a stroll. But now, my belly is already over four months, and I haven’t even stepped out of the Wen family’s main gate.”

He tugged on her hand and gently placed it on his belly, then continued, “Look, the child also wants to go out for a walk.”

Wen Zhaoyin didn’t know if the child wanted to go out, but she was certain he wanted to leave.

She gently rubbed his slightly protruding belly a couple of times, feeling the not-so-obvious bulge, and her mood greatly improved.

During this pregnancy, he had been well-behaved. Although he had concealed some things from her, he hadn’t committed any fundamental mistakes. She didn’t mind letting him go out for a walk.

“I don’t have much time recently. Why don’t I take you out after some time?”

Meng Huan was a bit displeased. “Every time you say next time, you keep delaying and delaying. If you say it like this, I’m afraid I won’t be able to step out of the Wen family’s door even when the child is about to be born.”

“I just want to go out now. If you can’t accompany me and are worried about me running away, then let Pei Lan and the guards watch over me. Can’t a group of women keep an eye on one man?”

“This…” She hesitated a bit, honestly still feeling somewhat uneasy.

He stopped talking, but his hands didn’t stop. He kept tugging and shaking her arm. That light shaking, which didn’t use much force, made it difficult for one to completely harden their heart and refuse.

After much deliberation and considering some other matters, Wen Zhaoyin finally relented, “Alright then.”

“First, think about which day you want to go out and where you want to go. Tell me clearly, and I’ll have Pei Lan make the arrangements.”

Meng Huan was overjoyed that she agreed so readily. He immediately mentioned a few places he had heard about from Wen Xi and wanted to visit.

However, the places he wanted to go were quite far apart, with almost no adjacent ones. Wen Zhaoyin vetoed them all, not agreeing to let him go to a single place.

In the end, with no other choice, the two discussed for a long time and finally decided to let him ride in a sedan chair and stroll along the most prosperous streets. When she had time, she would accompany him to more distant places.

Being able to go out was already very good. Meng Huan pretended to bargain for a while and finally agreed to the arrangement of strolling the streets with great delight.

During their conversation, his hands had already quietly climbed up to her collar, advancing towards that soft and white area.

Wen Zhaoyin extended her hand to stop him halfway, slightly leaning closer to his face and whispering in his ear, “Huan Huan, what are you trying to do?”

Meng Huan wasn’t flustered at all when caught. He poked that soft spot with his finger, his voice somewhat resentful, “It’s been over four months. It’s very safe.”

Usually, when he didn’t see her, he wouldn’t think about it so much. But now that he saw her and was so close to her, he suddenly had some feelings and thoughts.

Intimacy was indeed something that adults couldn’t lack. How could one eat meat every day and suddenly abstain for several months without any desire at all?

He didn’t know how Wen Zhaoyin felt, but he really wanted it more and more.

In the first two months, he had to lie in bed all day due to morning sickness, unable to move. Apart from vomiting, his back and waist ached. He had naturally lost interest in that aspect.

However, in the past month, his energy had begun to flourish. With nothing to do during the day and no way to divert his attention, he truly desired it more with each passing day.

“No.” Wen Zhaoyin shook her head and forcefully pulled his wrist away from her.

This time, Meng Huan didn’t give up so easily. He used his other hand to tug at her sash. His movements were swift. Before she could react, he had already untied it.

The two servants standing in the room saw the situation and tactfully walked out. They not only closed the windows from the outside but also considerately closed the door.

“Don’t you want it at all?” He kissed her on the cheek with a smack and then slowly moved towards the center, gently and softly, with a hint of probing, yet also with some irresistibility.

He was quite skilled at flirting. It was just that he had been unwilling to flirt with her before.

But now it was different. He wanted it, he was willing, and he knew a lot.

At this moment, Wen Zhaoyin acted as a practical person. She no longer stopped his actions and only nodded, saying, “I do want it.”

She was a normal woman and naturally needed these things as well. However, these were not everything to her. She wouldn’t lose her rationality because of them.

She reached out and caressed his belly, her eyes filled with affection and anticipation. “But for the sake of the child, wanting can also mean not wanting.”

“Don’t dwell on these things. I promise it’s really fine. I feel it bouncing around energetically now, healthy!” He tugged at her inner garment.

Wen Zhaoyin was really helpless. Where in the world was there such a man? He was so enthusiastic about it and even took the initiative. It was truly difficult to refuse.

“Forget it, let’s go.” She picked him up by the waist and walked towards the bed.

Before there was a child, they could come as they pleased, freely maneuvering on the bed, and even on tables, chairs, carpets, and other places.

But now with a child, they couldn’t play so wildly anymore. First and foremost, they had to ensure the child’s safety.

Meng Huan felt quite happy being carried by her, without the initial strange stuffiness. He swung his legs and was placed on the bed, actively starting to make the bed.

—

In the evening, when dinner was served, Wen Xi saw that the young master’s face was flushed red, as if he had applied rouge, looking extremely beautiful.

Even while eating, he was humming an unknown tune, clearly in a delightful mood that anyone with eyes could see.

The Madam just sat quietly to the side without saying a word, but it could also be seen that she was in a good mood.

Hey, these two were quite strange. Who knows what good thing they encountered?

With the day’s events on his mind, Wen Xi hurriedly asked Meng Huan in a low voice after the Madam left, “Young Master, why is your mood suddenly so good?”

Meng Huan sat in front of the dressing table, looking in the mirror, his tone light and joyful. “When you’re full, your mood is good.”

Huh?

Wen Xi was stunned, his face filled with confusion. He thought that the young master was always well-fed, so how come he wasn’t as happy as today?

“Ah, you usually have so many wild thoughts, but this time you can’t even think of it?” Meng Huan raised his hand and knocked on his head, not understanding what was going on, and continued rummaging through bracelets and hairpins on the dressing table.

Wen Xi became even more puzzled by his words. He didn’t want to dwell on it anymore. In any case, his inquiry about the mood was just an opening remark. His main purpose was still to ask about the matter from the day.

“This servant meant to say, with your mood being so good, the matter from the day must have been resolved, right?”

Meng Huan’s hand paused, hovering above the hidden compartment. He glanced at the door with a guilty conscience, then turned around and whispered in his ear, “It’s almost resolved, but not completely.”

After doing that today, his mind was very clear, and his thoughts were much more coherent. He realized something.

Wen Zhibai and the people behind her wanted to use his hand to harm Wen Zhaoyin. That token seemed to be used for framing and incriminating.

However, during the day, he was blinded by the opportunity to go out, thinking that it didn’t matter if Wen Zhaoyin was harmed a little. He considered it as taking revenge for being imprisoned by her for a year.

But now, upon reconsideration, ancient people were so ruthless. When framing the opposing family, they would definitely take drastic measures to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

At that time, could he, a man with such a lowly status in the female-dominated society, truly escape? Obviously not.

Although he was very reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge that he and Wen Zhaoyin were definitely in the same boat, like two grasshoppers. If she didn’t fare well, he would only have a more difficult life.

Moreover, there was the child. When he left, he definitely couldn’t take the child and would have to leave them in the Wen family. Although he couldn’t accept his own pregnancy, the child was still his after all. He couldn’t possibly be so heartless as to watch the child suffer.

Therefore, he couldn’t frame Wen Zhaoyin. If something were to happen to her, there would be no one to take care of the child.

“Your Madam agreed to let me go out to play. She said to have Pei Lan accompany me to take a look at the main street. I chose tomorrow, so prepare early.”

Wen Xi didn’t understand how the topic suddenly shifted to going out to play, but he still instinctively agreed, “Yes.”

“Young Master, about that matter…”

Meng Huan turned his head and rolled his eyes at him. After staying in the Wen family’s backyard for a long time, he had also observed and understood some of the little schemes of men.

Previously, Wen Xi had been very opinionated and would even kneel and cry, begging him to take him in. What was going on with Wen Xi now? Was it because he had been by his side for too long? He had started to not use his brain to think about things.

He had already changed the topic, yet this kid still wanted to bring it up again…

“Won’t we know when we go out tomorrow? Don’t be silly day after day.”

Wen Xi felt quite resentful being despised by his gaze, thinking that it was because of the kind of master one had that determined the kind of servant. He was becoming more and more foolish because the young master wasn’t smart…

On this side, after confirming that it was truly safe, Meng Huan quickly took out that token from the hidden compartment and concealed it in the small pocket of the inner garment he would wear tomorrow.

This item couldn’t be kept, but he couldn’t deal with it in the residence either, so he could only take advantage of the opportunity to go out and dispose of it outside.

After putting it away, he sat on the bed to rest, thinking in his heart, Wen Zhaoyin, oh Wen Zhaoyin, he had secretly helped her avoid one frame-up. In the future, when he ran away, she shouldn’t try too hard to find him.

—

In the study room separated by two walls on the other side, Wen Zhaoyin was instructing Pei Lan about tomorrow’s outing.

“Don’t follow too closely, but also don’t let him out of sight. The most important thing is safety…”

Pei Lan nodded repeatedly, noting down all these precautions one by one. After Wen Zhaoyin finished speaking, she repeated them once more before considering the matter settled.

Then she began to report other matters, “Madam, after leaving the examination hall, Wen Zhibai went directly to East Alley. From there, she entered the residence of Prince An after some twists and turns, and then she disappeared. Currently, our people still haven’t found her.”

Wen Zhaoyin organized the documents on the table and said, “It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s confirmed that she went in, there’s no need to bother about anything else.”