Chapter 53: Not knowing would have been better. Now that he knew, he couldn’t even…

“Xie Jiayunjin, greetings to Young Lord.”

He still had the necessary manners, standing at the steps of the study and bowing to Meng Huan with sincerity, then placing his hands together in front of his body and smiling at him.

Meng Huan nodded and replied, “Just call me Meng Huan.”

“Wait… you said your name is Xie Yunjin? What is your relationship with Xie Yunhuan?”

Wen Zhaoyin had already walked from the door to his side, a glance stopping Xie Yunjin’s impulse to speak, and said softly, “He is just Yunhuan’s cousin.”

“Weren’t you going to see Wen You? I’ll accompany you. Wen Xi, arrange for someone to send Young Master Xie to his father’s courtyard, so Aunt doesn’t worry.”

Wen Xi hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Meng Huan did not object, he also agreed and asked Xie Yunjin to go out and arrange for servants to lead the way.

On this side, Meng Huan raised his head to look at Wen Zhaoyin, not avoiding her arm, being hugged by her as they walked towards the west chamber.

“How similar are Former Prime Minister and this Young Master Xie? And how similar are they to me?”

Although he was a good-for-nothing, he was not a fool. He could think these things through clearly. Now he asked questions while sorting out his thoughts.

Why in the two years at the Wen family, did the old and new servants never mention Former Prime Minister Xie Yunhuan?

Why at that family banquet, did those concubines want to say that, hesitating when it came to him and that person?

All the small things that he couldn’t understand seemed to suddenly make sense at this moment, which was truly amazing.

The arm around his waist stiffened for a moment, then quickly returned to its previous state.

Her voice came from above his head, almost unchanged, “Lingyi does indeed bear some resemblance to Yunhuan.”

“Then how similar exactly? Is it the kind of similarity where you could mistake them at first glance?” Meng Huan stopped walking and looked at her.

Seeing her not answer, Meng Huan continued, “I know you never deign to lie, so I hope you can answer my question.”

Now he thought back to when they first met, when they did things together, their interaction patterns, and some inexplicable moments when Wen Zhaoyin seemed lost in thought.

Thinking of those things, he couldn’t help but tremble, tremble with anger for some reason.

After all this, he was just a substitute? What kind of cliched plot was happening to him!

Except for the matter of swapping female-repelling soup for nutritional medicine, Wen Zhaoyin had indeed never lied to him.

She pondered for a moment, feeling that this matter could no longer be hidden anyway. Even if she didn’t say it today, he would ask about it in the future. Even if she didn’t say it, he would investigate it clearly.

So, when he asked her, she answered, “Yes, I did mistake you two once, but only once. After that, I could distinguish clearly. You are you, he is he.”

These words were not false, but had some embellishment. However, Wen Zhaoyin would probably never say that she occasionally misjudged them before.

“Lingyi.”

“Don’t call me by my courtesy name. Now that I know the truth, you’ve only started not calling me Huan. Could it be that the Huan you called before was all for Xie Yunhuan?”

Wen Zhaoyin didn’t know what to say. She had indeed called the wrong name before, but at some point, she stopped making that mistake. The one she called had always been Meng Huan’s Huan.

As for why she suddenly switched to Lingyi, it was for fear that he would misunderstand something. But now it seemed he misunderstood even more deeply.

Meng Huan himself was not clear what mood he was in. Was it the anger of being treated as a substitute? Or some other emotion? Anyway, he just didn’t want to see her right now.

“Don’t say anything. Just let me go, let me leave the Wen family.”

“I originally thought that even if you weren’t very good, at least your feelings for me were sincere. Now I know I was just a substitute. You found another replacement, so can’t you show some kindness and let me go?”

He suddenly didn’t want to waste time with this woman anymore.

He was too naive, thinking that since they even had a child together, thinking that it was difficult for men to survive outside, he could just live an idle life in the Wen family like this.

He never doubted the authenticity of her feelings.

It’s true that if you walk by the river often enough, your shoes will get wet eventually. He never thought that after he hurt countless people, there would come a time when he himself would get hurt.

Wasn’t this all retribution for him!

Wen Zhaoyin closed her eyes and opened them again, concealing the hint of guilt, and said solemnly, “No, from the day you entered the Wen family, you can no longer leave.”

“Lingyi, we even have a child together. What is there that we can’t talk through?”

“Promise me, go back and sleep first, then think it over carefully. You don’t need to figure it out immediately. I’ll give you time. Whenever you sort out your thoughts is fine. I’ll wait for you.”

Although she was originally with him because of his appearance, in the end her feelings were real. Wasn’t that enough?

She knew he had a fierce temper and was the jealous type who couldn’t tolerate other men. She had secretly made the decision before to only keep him in the rear courtyard, not taking additional spouses or concubines, just to avoid making him unhappy…

Meng Huan kept shaking his head, “No need. No need for you to wait for me with false sincerity. If you won’t let me go then forget it. Just don’t come see me. Seeing you makes me feel sick.”

He never dared to directly oppose her, because it wouldn’t benefit him at all. She would never let him leave.

So if he had any ideas, he could only plan them on the premise of keeping her pacified.

“Slap!” A crisp sound echoed through the courtyard.

The surrounding servants, although unable to hear what they were saying, could see the master slapping the young lord. They glanced over in shock and confusion, then quickly lowered their heads, not daring to breathe too loudly for fear of incurring wrath.

Wen Zhaoyin’s hand trembled slightly. Hearing him say “sick” made her so angry that she couldn’t help but strike out. Actually, she had controlled her strength and didn’t use much force.

However, his face was fair and delicate. Just a light touch left a red mark.

That slap made Meng Huan cry.

To be honest, his face didn’t hurt that much. It was his heart that ached unbearably.

Being controlled by this obsessive woman, being forced to love her, even having a child together… All of that was nothing. But why did he have to find out the truth of being a substitute only after his heart started to waver?

Maybe if he never knew, things could have just continued like that. He could have happily lived out the rest of his life. But what was he to do now?

Without even wiping the tears from his face, Meng Huan walked around Wen Zhaoyin and returned to the main house.