Chapter 52: Xie Yunjin, Xie Yunhuan’s Biological Father Often Mistook Xie Yunjin For…

This was even more embarrassing for Meng Huan than directly saying it.

However, after this incident, he started to stop caring. He no longer hid feeding the child from her, he just avoided her a bit in daily life. He wanted to preserve the last bit of his dignity.

Later, after he finished reading all the storybooks and had nothing left to read, he started reading the medical books in Wen Zhaoyin’s study. Reading them was fine, but he regretted it after finishing!

Originally, he wouldn’t have become engorged, but he was eating rich meats and fish every day. Those foods were too nutritious, so his body automatically converted them into Wen You’s nourishment!

Meng Huan truly regretted not having read the medical books earlier. He had been reading storybooks and novels every day. It seemed that wherever he went, if he didn’t study, in the end, he would be the one to suffer!

It was both hateful and infuriating. The doctors also never mentioned this to him. He didn’t know about these things before, so he indulged in eating rich meats and fish every day. He said he wouldn’t breastfeed, but in reality, he was vigorously supplementing nutrition.

No, he had to watch his diet! He wouldn’t eat if he could avoid it. Then when there wasn’t enough nutrition, he wouldn’t become engorged and in pain.

Meng Huan was thinking too simplistically. He thought that just eating two vegetarian meals could alleviate it. However, the foundation laid before wasn’t so easy to dissolve. Before he could return to normal levels, he couldn’t resist meat and broke his abstinence.

The engorgement and pain actually didn’t last very long, about two weeks or so before basically ending.

However, Wen You had gotten used to his milk and had adapted to being fed by him once or twice a day. By the third day of not getting fed as usual, he directly started to fuss nonstop. No matter how the wet nurse coaxed him, it was useless.

There was really no other way. After all, it was Meng Huan’s own child. Even if he didn’t like him much, he couldn’t be so heartless as to refuse to feed him. He could only pick up breastfeeding again according to the previous frequency.

The days passed by like this. From beginning to end, Grandfather never came to see the child even once.

Meng Huan gave birth to a boy. For him who valued carrying on the ancestral line, it was too disappointing. Even though Wen Zhaoyin had someone send the child’s name to him initially, he only gave it a cursory glance before ignoring it.

After the previous incident of Wen Zhaoyin being stripped of her position, Grandfather felt even more that the matter of a female heir could not be neglected. If something else happened to the family, how could Wen Shu as the only legitimate daughter support the entire family?

One day, just as the two were about to eat, Wang Gui came to invite Wen Zhaoyin over, saying that Grandfather had something to discuss.

The latter was inexplicably called over. Only after talking with him for a while did she find out that someone from the Xie family was coming to the imperial capital on business and wanted to visit while they were at it, hoping to stay at their home for a bit.

Wen Zhaoyin naturally had no objections to this small matter. After all, Father also said that the person coming had some ties with her late husband Xie Yunhuan.

With this relationship, she would naturally receive them well.

After returning, she simply mentioned this matter to Meng Huan, only saying that guests would be coming in a few days and might want to see Wen You, have a meal together, and such. She told him to mentally prepare.

After all, he was about to finish his confinement soon and could go out for a walk. In the back courtyard of the Wen family’s Wen Zhaoyin, he was the only man and also a concubine of no small status. Naturally, he had to go out and meet people.

Meng Huan never had much feeling about these things. Whoever wanted to come could come. If they were willing to talk to him, he’d say a few words. He wasn’t afraid of anything.

He just didn’t know if the people coming this time were also those sissy men whose topics always revolved around women. If they were like that, he would just meet them briefly. There was no way to converse with them.

He originally thought this was just a small matter. However, when the group from the Xie family truly arrived, it became another situation.

——

On this day, Wen Zhaoyin returned from court. As soon as she arrived at the main gate, the guard informed her that a group of people had come today to visit relatives and had all been received by Grandfather.

With one thought, she knew it was the few from the Xie family who had come on business. She didn’t say anything and just walked in the direction of Qingzhu Courtyard.

She assumed that the Xie family members should all be in Father’s courtyard at this time. After she returned to Qingzhu Courtyard to change out of her court attire, it wouldn’t be too late to visit them.

However, after entering the courtyard, she discovered something amiss. The door to the small study that was always tightly closed on normal days was half open today.

What was going on? Could it be that Meng Huan was bored and went to her study to read?

Upon further thought, it seemed quite unlikely. Although Meng Huan had finished his confinement, he was very lazy. He also disliked that the chairs in her small study were too hard. He definitely wouldn’t go in to read.

If not him, then who could it be?

You should know, Pei Lan was still out handling matters for her. Logically, there shouldn’t be anyone in the study.

With this suspicion, Wen Zhaoyin walked in quietly step by step. But she saw a familiar back browsing books at her bookshelf.

She stood at the doorway and called out uncertainly, “Huan Huan?”

That back turned around, holding a book that had just been opened, and smiled with curved brows, “Cousin, you’ve mistaken me for someone else! I’m not Cousin Huan oh.”

After saying this, he casually placed the book in his hand on the desk. Then, he circled around the desk with graceful steps and walked towards Wen Zhaoyin.

Afterwards, he very properly performed the greeting between peers before standing up and continuing to speak with affection in his eyes, “But it doesn’t matter. When at home, Uncle often mistakes me too. When I came today, even Grandfather was startled!”

Wen Zhaoyin looked at this face that was familiar to the point it couldn’t be any more familiar. She hesitated a bit, “You are…”

Xie Yunjin lowered his voice and answered, “I am Yunjin ah. Cousin still saw me when we were little! It’s only been a few years, and you’ve forgotten me?”

Yunjin? She frowned and thought for a moment before remembering. The Xie family seemed to have a boy called Xie Yunjin.

At that time, her late husband Xie Yunhuan was still around. His mother and father had also come to the imperial capital on business like this time, using the Wen family’s connections. They had also brought their whole family, among whom was a child of the same generation as Yunhuan called Yunjin.

He was only a little over ten years old at the time, right? She couldn’t remember what he looked like, only knowing there was such a person. She didn’t expect that he had grown to this age now and looked ninety percent similar to Xie Yunhuan.

Even she thought it was Meng Huan when she first saw him. Only after he spoke did she realize it wasn’t him.

“It’s you… Why have you come here?” There was no joy or deep thought that Xie Yunjin anticipated appearing on her face. Instead, she frowned a bit in displeasure.

The latter was someone who could observe words and expressions. Seeing her expression like this, he quickly explained, “Grandfather is reminiscing with Uncle right now. Seeing that I was a bit restless, he asked me what I liked. I said I usually read books to pass the time. Grandfather then had the old servant Wang Gui beside him bring me here, saying I could take a look if there was anything I liked.”

Actually, the truth wasn’t like this at all.

Long before Uncle had even come, Grandfather had someone exchange letters with him to make preparations, saying that after he arrived, he should develop some rapport with Cousin. If he gained her favor, Grandfather would personally take charge to welcome him as Cousin’s second husband.

After he arrived at the Wen residence, Grandfather put aside even reminiscing with Uncle and spoke with him for a long time. He even had someone give him a book organized with information on Cousin’s preferences for him to quickly memorize.

In the end, Grandfather even encouraged him to work hard, saying that he thought highly of him and really hoped he could seize this opportunity to help the Xie family stabilize their current position.

Of course, Xie Yunjin definitely wouldn’t mention a single word of this in front of Wen Zhaoyin. He would only quietly wait on the side after explaining his identity, because the book wrote that Cousin liked refined men.

Wen Zhaoyin examined Xie Yunjin who was pretending to be calm but hiding deep intentions, pondering how much truth and how much falsehood were in his words.

As she thought, she suddenly found it a bit amusing. Even though Meng Huan and he both looked very similar to the late husband Xie Yunhuan, she liked Meng Huan as soon as she saw him. But upon seeing this person, she strangely felt some disgust in her heart.

What was the reason for this? A preconceived notion?

No, perhaps it was because she disliked men with complex thoughts? Yunhuan went without saying. As for Meng Huan, although his personality was a bit lively, he was adorably silly and didn’t have any heavy motives. He even saw status and reputation very lightly.

“Cousin?”

Seeing her lost in thought for a long time without speaking, Xie Yunjin couldn’t help but call out to her.

At this point, Wen Zhaoyin came back to her senses. The expression on her face didn’t change in the slightest as she said, “I have some daily official documents here. Next time if you want to read any books, just tell Pei Lan and have her get them and send them over to you.”

The implication was telling him not to appear in the study again.

“Yes Cousin.” He blinked his eyes and answered a bit disappointedly, sensing the rejection in her words.

Xie Yunjin pondered. Perhaps Cousin didn’t have deep feelings for Cousin Huan like Grandfather said? Otherwise, why was there no reaction at all upon seeing his appearance?

Hearing him call her Cousin, Wen Zhaoyin felt a bit uncomfortable. She spoke again to correct him, “The Xie family and I are distant cousins that can’t be any more distant. Yunhuan calling me cousin was just in jest. You don’t need to address me that way anymore.”

Wow, now Cousin wouldn’t even let him call her that. Xie Yunjin felt a burning pain on his face. It was just a form of address, yet he was corrected like this. She probably had no interest in him at all.

But… didn’t Grandfather say that she still kept a concubine in her courtyard whose appearance was extremely similar to his…

Before he could figure it out, he heard Wen Zhaoyin ask, “You haven’t gone to the main house next door yet, right?”

“No, when I arrived, I was directly brought to the study by the old servant. I didn’t dare go out, so I haven’t seen it.”

The expression on Wen Zhaoyin’s face imperceptibly softened a bit. She continued, “Then you should go back first. While at home these days, don’t come to this courtyard. Wen You is still young, I’m afraid of disturbances.”

She didn’t even want him to come to this courtyard at all! Xie Yunjin almost couldn’t suppress his anger for a moment. If she didn’t like him then so be it, but there was no need to make him lose this much face!

However, being under someone else’s roof, he naturally couldn’t throw a tantrum. He could only sullenly agree, “Alright, Yunjin won’t come then.”

Wen Zhaoyin was quite satisfied with his compliance. She lifted her hand in a gesture of invitation, intending to send him out of the study.

However, as luck would have it, Meng Huan happened to go to the west wing to hold the child. Just as he was being supported out the door by Wen Xi, he ran into them.

Meng Huan saw that face that was almost exactly the same as his own. He turned his head and asked Wen Xi, “That, is that me?”

After asking, he felt something was off. If the one standing at the study doorway beside Wen Zhaoyin was him, then who was he himself?

“Hahaha, I saw on the news before that two completely unrelated people could look the same. I thought it was fake, but I never expected it to actually be true!”

He was no longer in a hurry to hold Wen You. Instead, he walked towards the two of them, slightly raising his head to look up at Xie Yunjin from his lower position. “How amazing…”

Xie Yunjin was also surprised for a moment when he saw him. If he wasn’t especially certain that Father was an only child, he would have thought the man in front of him was his twin brother. There really could be two people in the world who looked this similar.