"Knock, knock—" A knocking sound came from outside the door.
Bai Liuyue abruptly opened her eyes, sat up from the soft bed, and clutched the blanket tightly, breathing heavily.
Cold sweat had soaked through the clothes on her back.
This time, entering the world had been too immersive, as if she had just been dodging stray bullets a second ago.
Bai Liuyue adjusted her breathing, maintaining the original gentle and elegant demeanor of a young lady from a good family, before softly calling out to the door:
"What is it?"
"Miss Liuyue, it's... the Young Marshal has brought the Young Marshal's wife back to the residence. He asks you to come down and meet her."
Bai Liuyue gave a faint 'mm' in acknowledgment and said, "I'll be right there."
She rolled out of bed, pulled open the light-colored gauze curtains in the room. The sky outside the window was gradually darkening; looking into the distance, the sunset was sinking, with pale pink and golden yellow hues intermingling.
That afternoon nap had really been quite long.
It had already been a week since she arrived at the Northwestern Marshal's residence.
In this whole week, she hadn't encountered her brother-in-law, her future husband—Young Marshal Xie Chengxiao—even once.
Last night, a major fire broke out at the suburban villa where her cousin Bai Baozhu lived. The servants hurriedly notified the Third Young Miss of the residence, Xie Manyu.
Xie Manyu then quickly sent someone to find her elder brother Xie Chengxiao, and the two rushed to the scene to rescue people.
Now, Bai Baozhu should be safe and sound. With the suburban villa burned down and uninhabitable, she would move back to the Marshal's residence until the formal letter of divorce is issued.
Although everyone in the Xie family, including the servants, knew that Bai Liuyue was the next Young Marshal's wife and also knew the reason she came from central Shanxi to the northwest.
After all, Bai Baozhu hadn't received the divorce papers yet.
To the outside world, she was still addressed as the Young Marshal's wife.
Bai Liuyue walked to the wardrobe. In the full-length Western-style glass mirror, she wore a light pink ruqun dress, her jet-black hair cascading from her neck down to her waist, soft as a waterfall.
Her skin was fair and delicate, her round, oval face extremely delicate and pretty.
A pair of almond-shaped eyes, clear and gentle, made her seem like a simple, harmless little rabbit.
Too docile.
Bai Liuyue tugged at the corner of her lips, practicing a gentle, harmless smile in the mirror.
...
Walking slowly down the Western-style spiral staircase, Bai Liuyue placed her hand on the banister, descending step by step, her movements very slow.
Just like her temperament, soft and unhurried.
Conversation drifted up from downstairs.
"Brother, sister-in-law really knows she was wrong this time. Please don't send her away again, let her stay." A crisp female voice pleaded.
"This is a matter between us. Nanny Wu, escort the Third Young Miss upstairs."
A sharp, steady, and brooking-no-argument male voice rang out.
It was at this moment that Bai Liuyue reached the bottom of the stairs. Looking over, her gaze met the man's hawk-like, sharp, and penetrating eyes.
Xie Chengxiao was tall and imposing, his very presence commanding an aura of authority.
A thin, black military uniform wrapped around his muscular frame, the epaulettes clean and sharp, with gold thread of the same color at the cuffs and chest.
Meeting the man's gaze, Bai Liuyue seemed somewhat shy and lowered her head.
She didn't speak.
Instead, she looked towards Bai Baozhu on the other side.
She called out:
"Cousin."
Bai Baozhu wore a blue Western-style dress, her hair cut short to her earlobes, permed into a fashionable curl, and dyed a chestnut color that made her skin appear even fairer.
Her features were gorgeous, even possessing a certain sharpness.
Her eyes were large, darting about, looking very lively.
Following the voice, this was their first meeting since the last family banquet when she returned from studying abroad.
But for Bai Baozhu, it felt like a lifetime ago. Seeing her cousin still dressed in the old-style ruqun as always, with her head bowed and shoulders hunched, the sense of crisis in her heart faded slightly.
She knew her time was tight. She had to first stop Xie Chengxiao from writing the divorce papers and repair their relationship, then persuade her grandfather to send her cousin back.
"Xiaoyue."
A warm smile spread across Bai Baozhu's face.
Nanny Zhang was about to take the Third Young Miss, Xie Manyu, upstairs. This Third Young Miss's attitude towards her wasn't exactly friendly.
As the two passed each other, Xie Manyu said discontentedly,
"Can't you see my brother and sister-in-law are talking? What are you doing coming down now?"
Bai Liuyue pursed her lips, looking back and forth nervously.
Her almond eyes held a trace of panic and bewilderment.
Seeing this, Bai Baozhu gave a gentle glance, slightly shook her head, and softly called out.
"Manyu, Xiaoyue is my cousin. She's still young, just following the elders' arrangements."
Xie Manyu frowned, her face willful and spoiled as she said,
"No matter what! I only recognize Baozhu as my sister-in-law. No other cats or dogs should even think about becoming the Young Madam of our Xie family."
"Outrageous—!"
A steady male voice rang out.
It was Xie Chengxiao.
Seeing his displeased expression, Xie Manyu pouted, about to call out 'Brother'.
But she was interrupted:
"Miss Bai was the one I asked to come down."
Xie Manyu still wanted to say something but was already pulled away by Nanny Zhang.
Only the three of them remained in the spacious living room.
Bai Baozhu smiled gently, beckoned with her hand, and said, "Xiaoyue, you seem to have grown a bit taller, but you're still just as well-behaved and adorable."
Hearing this, Bai Liuyue looked up, a shy smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
She called out again, "Cousin."
Then, she subtly shifted her feet, taking half a step towards Xie Chengxiao's direction. She tilted her head up, revealing her porcelain-white face.
Her tone soft and sweet, she called out:
"Brother-in-law."
"Mhm."
Xie Chengxiao's expression remained cool.
But he still nodded in acknowledgment.
He knew the young woman before him, like the previous Bai Baozhu, was the next wife arranged by their fathers under the system of arranged marriage.
It wasn't a matter of liking or disliking.
For Bai Baozhu, his previous requirement was simply for the two of them to live a stable life together.
He didn't seek a deep emotional connection, just that she wouldn't stab him in the back.
But he never expected Bai Baozhu to detest him so intensely, locking him out on their wedding night.
Later, she even ran away once and eloped once.
Although these matters were suppressed, those in the know still secretly mocked him, this Xie family Young Marshal, for not even being able to control his own wife.
To be honest, it wasn't until Bai Wenshan proactively suggested the Xie family divorce her that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Baozhu looked down on him, and he wasn't one to insist on pressing a warm face against a cold backside.
A week ago, the Bai family's Second Young Miss was delivered to the Marshal's residence.
He had been away on official business and hadn't been able to meet her. Just as he was preparing to send the divorce papers to Bai Baozhu, news came from the suburban villa that she was running a high fever, her life hanging by a thread.
Regardless, she was nominally still his wife.
Xie Chengxiao went to check and found that the awakened Bai Baozhu lay with wide open eyes, silently shedding tears, like a soulless puppet.
Until the moment he appeared, Bai Baozhu tumbled down from the bed, tightly grasping his hand,
Crying as she said:
"Chengxiao, I was wrong..."
