Chapter 118 Extra 15 – Wen Qiyan’s Rebirth Arc

Chapter 118 Extra 15: Wen Qiyan's Rebirth Side Story

Although Mrs. Wen had an inkling, she still couldn't quite believe it. To be precise, she didn't dare to bring it out into the open.

After all, for two brothers to be rivals for a young lady's hand and have it come to light was truly shameful.

But she never expected that Wen Yunqin wasn't just competing with Wen Qiyan; he was vying to be the one to marry into the Ji family.

Had he gone mad?

Mrs. Wen, who had just barely recovered, was so shocked by these words that she reeled backward, her vision even going dark for a moment. If Mr. Wen hadn't caught her, she would have fallen to the ground in an undignified heap.

"You unfilial son, what nonsense are you spouting?" Mr. Wen rebuked him.

Yet Wen Yunqin showed no fear whatsoever. His face was tense, unwilling to yield. He didn't speak, but his stubborn expression made it clear he wouldn't back down.

Wen Qiyan's gaze shifted to him, the chill and scorn on his face were palpable. This made Wen Yunqin's blood boil.

Mr. Wen could see the tension between the two of them. Even the most patient person would be provoked to anger. "Your mother is already in such a state. Are you two going to come to blows again?"

Even after he said this, neither of them looked away. They continued to stare coldly at each other.

Mrs. Wen was furious. Mr. Wen, very concerned, summoned a doctor and ordered the servants to separate the two, making each kneel in a different spot.

Before leaving, Mr. Wen also left many people there to keep watch, to keep them from brawling again.

Although he knew it was the sacred ancestral hall, under the gaze of their forebears, and they probably wouldn't dare, one could never be sure. After all, the two had already fought in broad daylight, in public, at the back gate of the Ji residence.

In the end, Mrs. Wen couldn't hold on and fainted outright.

The doctor came to take her pulse and said she was overly shocked, her heart agitated by intense anger, which caused her blood and qi to surge. This led to a momentary blackout, resulting in her fainting.

Mr. Wen stayed by her side the whole time. Mrs. Wen didn't regain consciousness until nightfall. Mr. Wen urged her to eat something, but she said she had no appetite.

"Madam, you must try to see things more positively," he said. "Things haven't reached the worst possible point."

But Mrs. Wen's face remained stern. "Not the worst point? Isn't this already the worst? Would it only be the worst if the two brothers fought to the death, with one actually dying?"

Mr. Wen quickly clarified that was absolutely not what he meant. He just wanted her to be more open-minded, as children and grandchildren have their own fortunes.

Mrs. Wen began to cry. "What sin have I committed? Qiyan and Yunqin have both set their hearts on the same girl, and they even want to compete to marry into the Ji family."

"Have they forsaken our Wen family?"

Setting aside the treasonous, ugly talk, if they really did marry into another family, what kind of chaos would that bring? What would happen to the Wen family's estate?!

"Madam, don't worry. I will resolve this matter."

"How will you resolve it, Master?" Mrs. Wen stopped crying.

"Just rest assured..." Mr. Wen didn't give specifics.

The news that Wen Qiyan and Wen Yunqin had been punished and were still kneeling in the ancestral hall soon reached Ji Wanyuan's ears; Mrs. Ji was the one who told her.

"I heard they were beaten until their skin split and flesh tore, half-dead," Mrs. Ji said with feigned sympathy, while secretly observing Ji Wanyuan's expression.

"Ah?"

She was indeed terribly frightened. She had been eating peach gum and bird's nest soup but was so startled that she put down her spoon and stood up. "What?!"

Mrs. Ji told her to sit down. "Why so anxious?"

Ji Wanyuan blinked, belatedly realizing Mrs. Ji was teasing her.

"Mother!" Once she understood, she felt somewhat embarrassed. "What are you up to?"

"What can I do?" Mrs. Ji sat down, and Feicui poured her a cup of tea.

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"What are your thoughts?" Mrs. Ji asked her.

"What thoughts could I have?" Ji Wanyuan lowered her head, fiddling with the spoon handle, her gaze somewhat evasive.

Mrs. Ji asked her which one she preferred more. "I heard from Feicui that the Wen family's second son also wants to marry into our family."

Ji Wanyuan's brow furrowed slightly. Before she could reply, Mrs. Ji asked her again how she truly viewed this matter? Between Wen Qiyan and Wen Yunqin, whom did she prefer more? Whom was she more worried about?

"Mother, don't you already know my thoughts?" Why ask her like this?

She would definitely choose Wen Qiyan first, because she had liked him for many years. It was precisely because she liked him too much that she took such a drastic, unconventional approach and did what she did.

Actually, she hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. After that night at Wangyue Tower, when she and Wen Qiyan shared intimacy, Wen Qiyan seemed to become a different person. Importantly, Wen Qiyan loved her now.

There was no more of the previous coldness. He even began to be considerate in every detail, knowing many of her preferences.

"Then how did Wen Yunqin get involved?" Mrs. Ji asked again. "Don't you have any feelings for him at all?"

Ji Wanyuan frowned. "I don't know why he suddenly came back and said such things. But I only see him as a close friend, definitely not with romantic feelings."

"Really?" Mrs. Ji asked once more.

Ji Wanyuan nodded. "Yes."

"Alright..." Mrs. Ji's gaze inadvertently drifted toward the screen beside them.

"Did you hear clearly?" Outside the window obscured by the screen, Mr. Wen and Chancellor Ji looked at Wen Yunqin, whose face was ashen with defeat, his hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides.

After a long while, without saying a word, he simply strode away.

Mr. Wen and Chancellor Ji exchanged a look. "..."

Ji Wanyuan only learned the news that Wen Yunqin had left the capital, injured, several days later.

By then, Mr. and Mrs. Wen had come to the Ji residence to discuss the marriage arrangements for the two. She finally got to see Wen Qiyan again.

He was wearing a robe of deep azure, his hair tied with a white jade crown. His beautiful, handsome face bore a trace of pallor. Ji Wanyuan asked and found out his injuries hadn't fully healed yet.

"Why didn't you rest and recover more?"

The elders were in the front hall discussing the arrangements for the Ji family to formally propose to the Wen family in the coming days. Mrs. Ji had Ji Wanyuan take Wen Qiyan to the flower hall to talk.

"I want to settle the matter between you and me as soon as possible, to avoid complications."

Ji Wanyuan detected the worry in his tone and couldn't help saying, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Unexpectedly, he scoffed at her. "I am indeed very anxious. Not like you."

"Not like me what?" Ji Wanyuan frowned.

"You keep saying you love me, yet you don’t hurry to marry me and take me home."

Ji Wanyuan had no idea how he managed to say such things with that handsome, aloof face of his.

"I’ve already been discussing it with Father and Mother recently. I'll be going to the Wen household this month."

Suppressing a smile, Ji Wanyuan explained to him, adding that the family had already prepared a lot of betrothal gifts, and the pair of beautiful betrothal geese were even chosen by her personally.

She grinned playfully, "With all that, are you still not satisfied?"

He didn’t say whether he was satisfied or not, but from his expression, Ji Wanyuan could already tell he wasn’t.

"What’s wrong?" she asked.

The man kept a stern face and still refused to speak. Ji Wanyuan tried to coax him for a while but was truly at a loss. Her eyes darting, she feigned seriousness and stood up, "If you won’t say it, I’m leaving."

With that, she pretended to get up and leave.

Even though he saw through her act, he couldn’t help but grab her hand, and he grew tense.

He held her without saying a word, his handsome face taut.

When she met his gaze, Ji Wanyuan finally sat back down. Even after sitting for a long while, he still hadn’t let go of her hand.

Unable to resist, Ji Wanyuan tilted her head and asked, "Come on, tell me."

How could he say it? He had known earlier that Younger Brother Qin’s return was about her and his own marriage, and he knew she had no romantic feelings for him. But whenever he thought of that day—how she turned her head and smiled at Qin, how Qin grabbed her wrist—he wanted to chop off Qin's hand then and there.

Father was right; he had truly lost his mind. For a woman, he could even lay a hand on his own brother without mercy. That day, he hadn’t held back at all.

Now, Qin had been deemed the loser and left the capital, bearing numerous injuries, yet he felt no concern. Instead, he wanted to drive him far away, preferably never to return for a lifetime.

Jealousy had consumed him; he had completely turned into a twisted, jealous monster of a husband. He was disgusted with himself. How could he tell Ji Wanyuan about this?

If she knew what he was thinking, would she find him ugly? Would the appearance she liked about him truly be just a perfect facade, because his heart was already filled with jealousy?

"N-nothing," he said, drawing her onto his lap.

It had been a long time since they were this intimate. The moment she pressed against his chest, her entire face flushed uncontrollably.

"Put me down, quick," she urged in a low voice.

Her maid, Feicui, and the others noticed their actions and instinctively lowered their heads.

Wen Qiyan buried his handsome face in her fragrant, slender neck, his tall nose nuzzling against her.

Ji Wanyuan felt it tickled and couldn’t help but turn her face away, but he held her firmly, not allowing her to escape.

Ji Wanyuan’s face grew redder and redder. She struggled to jump down, but Wen Qiyan became even bolder—not only did he hold her tightly, but he also hoisted her by the waist, turned her around, and then lowered his head to kiss her lips.

Ji Wanyuan had just noticed his gaze fixed on her lips and originally wanted to escape, but how could she be faster than Wen Qiyan? Just like that, he kissed her.

At first, his kiss was relatively gentle, but gradually it grew fiercer. She couldn’t handle it anymore, yet he pressed on even more deeply, exploring her mouth. Before long, he had kissed her until she was breathless.

Afraid she would go limp like noodles, Ji Wanyuan clutched his lapel, clinging to him.

Wen Qiyan kissed her more and more intensely. Ji Wanyuan’s head began to tilt back as he took control.

After a while, Feicui softly called out, "Miss."

Ji Wanyuan snapped back to reality and immediately pushed Wen Qiyan away. Her face was already as red as a steamed crab, her lips swollen and glistening with moisture.

"Miss… Madam has sent word, asking you and the Eldest Young Master to go to the main hall."

Ji Wanyuan felt too embarrassed to face anyone and buried her face in Wen Qiyan’s chest, murmuring an "Mm."

Feicui and the others had all turned their backs. Wen Qiyan was straightening Ji Wanyuan's clothes, but just as he finished, he started kissing her again. Even if they were just pecks, she still felt shy.

"Enough!" she scolded him in flustered anger. "No more kissing!"

"Alright," he obediently nodded in agreement.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he stole another kiss when she wasn’t paying attention.

Ji Wanyuan, "…"