Chapter 372 – The Sweet Princess Was Here – A Shift (17)
After leaving the Prefect’s residence, Bai Tang glanced nervously at Wu Chenyi, who was wearing an expressionless face. He hadn’t listened to A-Yi’s instructions and had run out of the house on his own. Would A-Yi be angry with him?
Thinking of this, Bai Tang tugged gently at Wu Chenyi’s sleeve.
“A-Yi~”
“What is it?” Wu Chenyi lowered his gaze to look at Bai Tang, who seemed lost in his own thoughts.
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have disobeyed you~”
The little squirrel hung his head, hiding his expression. Naturally, he couldn’t see the relaxed look on Wu Chenyi’s face either.
“Silly little squirrel.”
“Eh~?”
Wu Chenyi tapped Bai Tang lightly on the nose. Bai Tang lifted his head and met Wu Chenyi’s eyes, which were tinged with a smile.
Pulling him into his arms, Wu Chenyi said, “I should be thanking you, Tang Tang. Now that I’ve ‘fallen out’ with them, I can finally take it easy. You have no idea how exhausting it is dealing with that group every single day—each one is constantly scheming. Even so-called allies don’t fully trust each other…”
Li Xiuming’s group had gathered purely out of self-interest.
Every person wanted to maximize their own gain, yet they were secretly working together and had to split whatever profits they obtained. After a long time, dissatisfaction was inevitable. Why should I contribute more and still share equally?
On the surface, they acted as though they were all in the same boat, harmonious and cooperative. But beneath that façade, undercurrents surged. One careless mistake and someone might seize the opportunity to catch a weakness and push you out of their little “business circle.”
As the one running operations, Wu Chenyi was stuck between them. Their opinions never aligned, yet he had to consider everyone’s feelings and keep all of them satisfied. It was truly burdensome. Taking advantage of this opportunity to rest was simply the best possible outcome.
Hearing Wu Chenyi’s explanation, Bai Tang finally felt relieved. At least he hadn’t ruined A-Yi’s plans.
Life back at the guest courtyard returned to peace. The two were affectionate as ever, undisturbed by outsiders.
During this time, Li Xiuming did send people to invite Wu Chenyi, but Xiao Duzi rejected them all. His Highness the Crown Prince had said it himself: those men had little real ability. They had merely bought their positions, colluding with each other to use power for personal gain—veritable parasites feeding on the Wu Dynasty. Now that the Crown Prince was no longer helping them run operations, they who were used to making huge profits naturally could not be satisfied with measly scraps. They would definitely come begging.
Xiao Duzi’s mission was to reject them and keep them hanging, letting them understand just how important the Crown Prince truly was.
Everything unfolded exactly as Wu Chenyi had predicted. Because Zhu Lanxiao had offended Bai Tang—and indirectly angered Wu Chenyi—Li Xiuming’s messengers failed to see him. His colleagues pressed him for answers, leaving him with no choice but to swallow his pride and personally bring gifts to apologize.
Xiao Duzi stood at the gate, looking troubled as he faced Li Xiuming.
“Prefect Li, it’s not that this humble servant wants to make things difficult for you, but my young master hasn’t been feeling well lately and is resting in bed. It’s really inconvenient for him to receive guests.”
This wasn’t an excuse—Wu Chenyi really was “on vacation” for once, finally able to enjoy some private time alone with Bai Tang. As the saying goes, a short separation is better than a new wedding, and with no trivial matters disturbing them, of course they were extremely affectionate.
There were indeed two “young masters” in the guest courtyard, but the one who was bedridden and “unwell” was actually Xiao Duzi’s little young master—the Crown Princess Consort, Bai Tang.
The little squirrel lay whining and huffing under the blanket, turning his back to the man beside him. No matter how much the man coaxed him, Bai Tang refused to show even a hint of a good expression.
“You only know how to bully me~”
Bai Tang’s voice was hoarse, that soft, raspy tone carrying an indescribable allure—like someone brushing a feather across Wu Chenyi’s heart, ticklish but never quite touching the sensitive spot.
“It’s my fault. I was too impulsive. Tang Tang, forgive me just this once, please?” Wu Chenyi pleaded with endless patience.
Su Wen knocked on the door and entered with a plate of freshly roasted pine nuts. “Young Master.”
“Put it on the table,” Wu Chenyi said.
“Yes,” Su Wen replied before withdrawing.
The pine nuts released a sweet, fragrant aroma that drifted into Bai Tang’s nose bit by bit, making his craving stir uncontrollably.
But Bai Tang held himself back. He had to endure. He must not give in so easily. If he forgave A-Yi just like that, A-Yi would only push his limits even further next time. And then his poor waist would suffer again.
The little squirrel remained firm. Seeing that tempting food hadn’t worked, Wu Chenyi came up with another idea.
He cracked open a pine nut shell; the crisp sound was sharp and clear.
Bai Tang’s ears twitched. His heart felt itchy, and he was almost unable to keep resisting.
Why was the husband in this world so impatient? Couldn’t he coax him a little more? If he just coaxed him properly, Bai Tang would forgive him… and then eat the pine nuts!
He suddenly remembered what Qiu’er had said about the seven-year itch. Bai Tang counted on his fingers—how many worlds had he and A-Yi lived through together?
One, two, three, four… counting up to now, this was already their twentieth world.
Could it be that they had finally reached the stage where feelings start to fade?
But that made no sense—A-Yi had been so energetic last night…
Bai Tang, troubled by the thought, wriggled even deeper into the blanket.
Wu Chenyi peeled all the pine nuts, scooped the soft kernels into his hand, and walked to the bedside.
“Tang Tang, I’ve already peeled the pine nuts for you. Please forgive me…?”
As he spoke, he popped one pine nut into Bai Tang’s mouth.
Bai Tang sat up, snatched the plate of pine nuts away, and puffed out his cheeks.
“Seeing how sincere you’re being, I’ll forgive you just this once. But tonight you have to sleep in the guest room.”
“Husband, no, please don’t send me to the guest room! The weather is getting cold—no one will be there to warm your bed. Would you really bear that…?”
“Then you can warm the bed first, and go to the guest room after.”
In the end, Bai Tang still lost to a plate of pine nuts. Wu Chenyi whispered something to him, and before long the two were laughing together again, completely reconciled.
…
Li Xiuming returned to the Prefect’s residence and threw the gifts onto the floor, exploding in anger.
Hearing the commotion, Zhu Lanxiao hurried out and supported him.
“Xiuming, what happened?”
On the way back, Li Xiuming had run into a colleague—someone he worked with but never fully agreed with. They only cooperated because of Zhu Lanxiao’s father’s influence. That man mocked him mercilessly. In front of Zhu Lanxiao’s father, the man had even more authority than he did, so Li Xiuming didn’t dare talk back. He held his anger the entire way home.
Seeing Zhu Lanxiao now reminded him that all of this mess had started because of her. If not for her, things would never have turned out like this.
Li Xiuming shifted the blame onto her. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became—until he finally slapped Zhu Lanxiao across the face.
“Ah—Li Xiuming! How dare you hit me?!” Zhu Lanxiao stared at him in disbelief, but the stinging pain on her cheek told her this wasn’t a dream. The man who had always treated her with such affection had actually struck her.
“If it weren’t for you, would I have to humble myself and beg like this? Bai Chenyi still won’t see me! Do you know how much money we’re losing? And if your father finds out, do you think he’ll stand on your side or mine?”
Zhu Lanxiao knew he was telling the truth. If her father learned of this mess, with his obsession for money, he definitely wouldn’t take her side.
Zhu Lanxiao panicked. She crawled forward a few steps and clung to Li Xiuming’s leg.
“Xiuming, I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me just this once.”
Seeing the once–arrogant Zhu Lanxiao kneeling on the ground and hugging his leg, Li Xiuming felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. But he hadn’t forgotten that the real problem was still unresolved.
He helped Zhu Lanxiao up and sighed.
“Right now Bai Chenyi refuses to see me at all. I really have no solution.”
It would be one thing if he could at least meet the man—then they might still negotiate. But now he couldn’t even get close to him, let alone discuss anything.
At that moment, Fang Xianglian came in carrying a tea tray. With lowered eyes and a submissive posture, she placed the cup on the table and silently turned to leave.
“Fang Xianglian, stop.”
Xianglian froze mid-step, her body trembling uncontrollably. Zhu Lanxiao’s cruel methods had left deep psychological shadows on her. She had thought that once Li Xiuming was home, Zhu Lanxiao would restrain herself. But instead, Li Xiuming didn’t bother with her at all—he simply handed her back to Zhu Lanxiao, saying that men handled outside affairs while women managed the inner household. He wouldn’t interfere.
Zhu Lanxiao recalled how Bai Tang had stood up for Xianglian earlier and said to Li Xiuming, “Why don’t we let Fang Xianglian go talk to them? That Bai young master… he embarrassed me because of her.” Zhu Lanxiao spoke through gritted teeth. It was the greatest humiliation of her life. And now she had to rely on this woman to help her husband? Didn’t that mean Fang Xianglian was more capable than her?
But for Li Xiuming’s sake, Zhu Lanxiao could only swallow her resentment.
Li Xiuming examined his timid first wife and asked uncertainly, “Do you really think she can do it?”
Zhu Lanxiao said, “Have you forgotten? Fang Xianglian was brought here by Young Master Bai himself. Their relationship isn’t shallow. He even defended her publicly. If she goes to the Bai residence, Bai Chenyi will definitely meet her.”
Li Xiuming thought for a moment and found the proposal viable. Any solution was worth trying. If it succeeded, everything would be resolved.
He had someone take Fang Xianglian to bathe and change into clean, tidy clothing. Then he spoke to her earnestly, appealing to emotion and reason: if the business failed, it wouldn’t just affect him. Hundreds of workers below him would lose their jobs. They had wives, children, and elderly parents to support. Altogether, that would be hundreds of lives at stake.
Li Xiuming knew better than anyone that Fang Xianglian was kind-hearted to a fault—she couldn’t bear to see innocent people suffer. It was precisely this trait that had allowed him to approach her years ago, win her trust, and eventually marry her.
Fang Xianglian was persuaded. She agreed to go to the Bai residence to plead on his behalf, though whether Wu Chenyi would listen to her was something she could not control.
Li Xiuming was overjoyed.
“No matter—so long as you can say a few good words for me and get Young Master Bai to see me, that’s enough.”
He ordered a carriage prepared for her. Fang Xianglian went alone toward the rear courtyard, but as she passed one of the side rooms, she overheard something that shocked her to the core.
She froze outside the door, hand covering her mouth to keep from making a sound as she listened to Zhu Lanxiao speaking with her maid inside.
How could they…?
How could they do this?
If they no longer liked her, giving her a divorce paper would have been enough. Yet only now, hearing Zhu Lanxiao’s words, did Fang Xianglian’s last illusions completely shatter.
When the voices inside fell silent, Fang Xianglian clenched the corner of her sleeve, then slowly released it. Her gaze was no longer timid—determination had replaced fear.
Zhu Lanxiao…
I will never let your scheme succeed. Never!