Chapter 64

 Meng Fan saw the situation, realized he had been set up, and didn't dare to stay a moment longer. He quietly slipped away.

"What... what's going on?" Liu Mama ran over. She sensed the tense atmosphere between Bao Ning and Pei Yuan and waved her hands anxiously, "Fourth Prince, let's talk calmly. Don't get angry, don't fight."

Pei Yuan pushed her aside and took a step forward, looking down into Bao Ning's eyes.

His gaze was as cold as a blade of ice. Bao Ning, afraid of being misunderstood, was eager to explain. She was filled with passion and had an inexplicable confidence in her heart. She thought that after living with Pei Yuan for so long, he knew what kind of person she was. She believed that if she explained, everything would be fine.

But seeing Pei Yuan's current expression of indifference, Bao Ning felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. Her throat tightened, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Pei Yuan gritted his teeth and said slowly, "You deceived me."

Bao Ning struggled to find her voice. "I didn't."

Pei Yuan let out a cold laugh and suddenly raised his hand to clamp Bao Ning's chin. "Do you think I'm blind?"

"Pei Yuan, can you calm down a bit?"

Under her sleeve, Bao Ning's fingers dug into her palm. She tried her best to suppress the bitterness welling up inside her and said calmly, "What you should do now is listen to my explanation. What you saw might not be the truth. If you have doubts, you should ask me, let me explain, rather than making baseless assumptions."

Pei Yuan's rationality was already clouded by jealousy. His hand moved down to Bao Ning's white neck, and a raging fire surged within him.

Just thinking about the scene he had witnessed made him want to strangle her. He thought they might as well die together.

Pei Yuan said bitterly, "What is there to explain? How you lie, how you secretly meet with a lover behind my back?"

Bao Ning looked into his bloodshot eyes, shook her head, and muttered, "Are you mad?"

"Yes, I am mad! Driven mad by you two traitors!" Pei Yuan brought his face close to Bao Ning's. His tone was low and vicious, and he spoke recklessly, full of anger he desperately wanted to vent. In the end, he couldn't bear to hurt Bao Ning. He removed his hand from her neck, placed it on her shoulder, clenched his fist, and spat out, gritting his teeth, "Traitors."

Those three words sent Bao Ning's heart plummeting. She looked at Pei Yuan's face, feeling cold from head to toe, even her hair seemed icy.

Bao Ning's eyes reflected disbelief, as if she were looking at a stranger. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

Pei Yuan's breathing was heavy. He stared at Bao Ning with a fierce glare, his facial muscles stiff, unable to make any expression.

Bao Ning suddenly felt that her eagerness to explain earlier was laughable.

Those who believe in her wouldn't need an explanation; those who don't would think she was lying no matter what she said.

Her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, her nose stung, and her eyes were teary. She had many things to say but didn't know where to start, and there seemed to be no point in saying them.

Bao Ning couldn't imagine how Pei Yuan could utter such harsh words to her.

The atmosphere became terrifyingly quiet.

Pei Yuan looked into Bao Ning's eyes, witnessing her transition from initial urgency and anxiety to astonishment and hurt, and now to a numb coldness. His heart felt like it had been stabbed, a faint sense of panic creeping in. Pei Yuan didn't understand why he was feeling panicked; he wasn't the one who had done something wrong, yet looking at Bao Ning's current indifferent expression made him afraid.

"You..."

Bao Ning glared fiercely at him, pushing his hand away. "Get lost!"

She was angry. But why was she angry?

Pei Yuan took a sharp breath. Seeing Bao Ning turn to leave, he reached out to grab her wrist, but she shook him off coldly. She walked quickly, heading straight for the courtyard. Pei Yuan punched the nearby tree trunk, leaves rustling down. Gritting his teeth, he hurried to catch up with Bao Ning.

He needed to get some answers from her!

In the courtyard, Ah Huang and Ah Mian were playing joyfully. Seeing Bao Ning come in with tear-streaked cheeks, they stopped in their tracks.

Pei Yuan's face was icy as he followed behind her. Bao Ning stepped into the house, and Pei Yuan slammed the door shut behind him, frustration evident in his voice. "Why did you run away?!"

Bao Ning stood still, wiped her face, and her previously restless emotions had now calmed. She felt calm now, her tone steady as she turned to Pei Yuan. "I don't want to see your hateful face."

Pei Yuan smirked sarcastically. "Oh, you find me hateful, and yet..."

Bao Ning cut him off. "I want a divorce. Or you can divorce me, either way."

Pei Yuan's mind buzzed.

He had never thought about divorcing her.

Even though he had seen Bao Ning with Meng Fan, he had felt heartbroken, resentful, and angry. He wanted to castrate that man and feed him to the dogs. He wanted to lock Bao Ning away in the house. But he had never thought about divorcing her. He didn't want to divorce her; he still wanted to be with her. He didn't want to leave her.

After such a big incident, he hadn't even been willing to move a finger against her, but now she wanted a divorce.

"Don't even think about it!"

Pei Yuan turned around in a daze, spun in place twice, and kicked a chair. The chair flew and hit the wall with a loud bang, shattering into pieces.

His voice lowered to a hoarse growl, like a wild beast. "Unless I die, or you die, we're bound together whether you like it or not!"

"You accused me of betraying you, didn't you?" Bao Ning looked up at him, her nose reddened. "We're a pair of traitors in your eyes. Doesn't that disgust you? Why torture yourself like this?"

Pei Yuan's chest heaved. His hands were clenched behind his back, veins bulging on his arms, temples throbbing.

He stared at Bao Ning's lips, painted red, moving as she spoke words he didn't want to hear. Pei Yuan took a few steps forward, backing Bao Ning into a corner, his arm against the wall beside her. He couldn't bring himself to say cruel things now; all he could do was threaten her. "You better behave, or else!"

"What do you want? Do you want to hit me again?" Bao Ning was no longer afraid of him, raising her voice in defiance.

"Don't force me to lock you up!"

"Pei Yuan, is this how it's going to be?"

Bao Ning stared at him wide-eyed. "If you don't trust me, what's the point of us being together? If you doubt me now, who knows how many more times you'll doubt me in the future? We're husband and wife, a family. If we can't even be open and honest with each other, what's the point of living together? Your suspicions will only get worse with time. If someone provokes you in the future, you might even draw your sword against me!"

Suddenly, Pei Yuan felt confused and lost. He couldn't read Bao Ning's thoughts anymore; she was standing right in front of him, yet he couldn't grasp her.

She was being stubborn, really fierce. Wasn't he the one questioning her at the beginning? How did it turn out like this, step by step in retreat?

He swallowed hard. "What do you want to say?"

"I want a divorce," Bao Ning said firmly.

"I'll say it one last time, don't even think about it!" Pei Yuan suddenly released her from his grip, stood still for a moment, yelled at her, then turned and left abruptly.

Pei Yuan slammed into the door, the door panel hitting the wall with a loud bang, rebounding and hitting the wall again. Bang, bang.

Bao Ning's heart trembled, and the emotions she had suppressed for so long seemed to find a breakthrough.

She crouched on the ground, hugging her knees, burying her head in her arms as tears silently streamed down.

Liu Mama cautiously entered the room, looking at Bao Ning with sympathy, then glancing in the direction Pei Yuan had left, sighing softly. "Madam, why escalate things so harshly? Prince Si had softened just now. You could have taken the opportunity to explain things clearly. It's just a misunderstanding; there's no need to talk about divorce."

"It's necessary," Bao Ning wiped her eyes. "If he can't even give me basic trust, there's no way this marriage can continue. I don't want to live like this with him anymore."

Liu Mama said, "But this is just a misunderstanding."

"If not for this misunderstanding, I would still naively believe in the strength of our relationship," Bao Ning stood up. "He holds grudges, keeps things bottled up inside. If he doesn't change this habit, we'll never have peace. If he's willing to change, I'll consider this a lesson for him. If not..."

Bao Ning didn't finish her sentence. She turned to Liu Mama and said, "Please bring me some water, I want to wash my face."

Liu Mama uttered a sound of acknowledgment, refraining from further questions, and hurried off.

The rest of the afternoon passed for Bao Ning much like any other day. She ate her meals, drank water, looked at flowers, and drank tea, though there was no hint of a smile on her face as if the incident from noon had never happened.

Pei Yuan had not returned since he left.

Bao Ning hadn't slept, sitting at the table waiting for him. She still held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking Pei Yuan had acted impulsively and would calm down once he did. She was still willing to give him another chance, to talk things through properly.

As the night deepened and the moon hung high in the sky, Pei Yuan stumbled drunkenly through the door.

From a distance, Bao Ning could smell the strong scent of alcohol, and her heart sank.

"You're still awake," Pei Yuan staggered into the room, seeing the lights on. Bao Ning sat at the table, watching him, a faint smile playing at her lips.

He sat on the edge of the table with an insolent air, legs crossed, trying to hook his finger under Bao Ning's chin, only to have it slapped away.

"Hey," Pei Yuan exclaimed, "daring to strike at me?"

Bao Ning stared at him coldly.

Pei Yuan straightened his neck. "Don't think a few threats scare me. Who's afraid of whom!"

Bao Ning remained silent.

Buoyed by alcohol, Pei Yuan grew bolder. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers, then suddenly swept his hand across the table, knocking over the teacups with a crash. He sprawled arrogantly on the table, provokingly looking at Bao Ning.

Bao Ning asked, "Are you back to play drunk with me?"

"I'll tell you!" Pei Yuan pointed a finger at her nose. He didn't know how much he had drunk; his eyes were bloodshot, and his speech was slurred.

"I'll tell you, divorce, I'm not afraid at all! Who am I? Go ask around, go find out! Am I afraid of divorce? Am I lacking women? Haha, this is the funniest joke I've heard all year! Let me tell you, don't take yourself so seriously. Am I indispensable to you? You, a young girl, really amusing."

Bao Ning's heart ached with anger. She closed her eyes, exhaled deeply, and calmed herself down.

Pei Yuan chuckled, slamming the table hard. "If you want to leave, then leave quickly. Don't block my sight or hinder me from taking a concubine."

Bao Ning froze. She gripped the edge of the table tightly, paused, and asked him, "Say that again?"

"I'll say it again, okay?" Pei Yuan's mind was in no mood to be obedient. He felt embarrassed, aggrieved, and uncomfortable after losing face during the day. He wanted to provoke her with his words, to find some way to restore his pride.

"If you want to leave, then leave quickly. Don't block my sight or hinder me from taking a concubine! I allow you to shamelessly hook up with other men, but I'm not allowed to take concubines? Hah, do you really think I'm afraid of you..."

"Pei Yuan," she interrupted, "get up."

"If I get up, what will happen?" Pei Yuan propped himself up on the table, swaying slightly, impatient and annoyed. "I..."

Bao Ning stood up, pursed her lips, and looked at him for a moment. Before Pei Yuan could finish his sentence, she slapped him across the face.

A crisp sound echoed in the room, leaving Pei Yuan stunned.

"You hit me?" he exclaimed.

"I hit you!" Bao Ning said firmly.

Pei Yuan was now mostly sober. He looked humiliated, incredulous, covering half of his face. "You hit me?"

Bao Ning grabbed his arm and pulled him down to the ground forcefully, saying bitterly, "Get out! I don't want to see you again, get out!"

"It's you who wants me to leave," Pei Yuan clenched his fist, his eyes scanning around, focusing on the table. With a burst of frustration, he overturned it.

Then without looking back, he stormed out of the room. "Ji Bao Ning, if I come back to find you again, I'm just a dog!"

Pei Yuan left in anger.

Liu Mama, awakened by the commotion, watched Pei Yuan's figure disappear into the night. Shaking, she went to find Bao Ning, surprised to see her packing her things.

"Madam, what are you doing?" Liu Mama asked.

"I'm not staying with him anymore!" Bao Ning declared.

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