5 The Refined Sister-in-Law × The Beautiful, Delicate Invalid 5

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Aying’s expression was one of disbelief—she never thought in her life she would hear the young lady apologize to someone! It was well known that Xianqian had always been fearless within the Hou residence; aside from the marquis himself, no one dared to make her feel even the slightest displeasure. Even the maids and servants who entered her courtyard would timidly lower their voices in fear.

And yet, she actually apologized? It was as if the sun had risen in the west.

Aying’s worry for the young lady instantly shifted into a mixture of concern and faint admiration. However, her brows remained furrowed because, in her heart, the young lady was like a delicate porcelain vase—just the slightest touch could send her into a panic. “Madam, are you really all right?”

Xin Yi shook her head again. “Really, I’m fine.” She lifted her dark, shining eyes slowly toward the sullen Xianqian and sighed, “Sister-in-law didn’t mean to pick faults with you, but the Second Young Master is still your elder brother. No matter the reason, you shouldn’t have spoken to him that way.”

Xianqian felt irritated and wanted to leave. She seldom interacted with Wu Xin Yi and was unaware she possessed such a talent for stifling someone’s anger. Xin Yi, of course, noticed her strong displeasure.

As a modern office worker who had watched countless dramas, Xin Yi’s favorite pastime during work was scrolling through videos—she had seen plenty of family dramas: wives sending cheating husbands and mistresses to jail, long-suffering female leads battling their wicked mothers-in-law. These small scenes didn’t faze her in the slightest.

Especially when she noticed the boy beside her casting a subtle, probing glance, she grew even more righteous. “Xianqian, you said many harsh words today. You should apologize to the Second Young Master.”

Xianqian’s eyes widened: Apologize to Shen Rujie? Impossible! That lowly little brat! But considering potential complications, she could only mutter discontentedly in a low voice to protest, “What harsh words? When we were kids, I even fed him ants. He was so furious his eyes turned red, giving me that eerie, sinister look, but I ran crying to Father to complain, and Father tied him to a tree and beat him. Afterward, he had to apologize to me.”

She spoke with an air of righteousness, as if this were not something shameful, but a favor granted, and everyone in the Hou residence tacitly accepted this rule.

Xin Yi was speechless. This was courting death—Shen Rujie never forgot a grudge.

Then she turned and indeed saw the boy’s indifferent expression. Alarm bells rang in her mind: This was bad. She had inadvertently overheard the sickly villain’s childhood woes—would she also be held against her?

The system mockingly reminded her, “Yes. Shen Rujie’s current favorability toward the host has dropped to minus 120%.”

“…”

“…………”

Gaining his favor was like squeezing toothpaste; losing it was like riding a roller coaster. She really felt short of breath…

The system comforted her: “Don’t lose heart, host. Look on the bright side—you at least caused him some emotional fluctuation. At least you’re no longer invisible.”

Really? She didn’t believe it.

Perhaps Xin Yi’s pale, fragile appearance with reddened eyes scared even the stubborn Xianqian. In the end, she chose to admit her fault, muttering an apology to Shen Rujie before hastily finding an excuse to leave.

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Only the two of them remained in the room, along with Shen Rujie.

It grew quiet for a long time, so long that Xin Yi’s barely suppressed sobs could be heard.

The boy frowned and asked, “What is Sister-in-law crying about?”

It wasn’t as if she had been publicly humiliated. If it were only from sympathy, wasn’t that a bit excessive?

Xin Yi’s large apricot-colored eyes brimmed with tears. She seemed to be trying hard not to cry, but the crystal-clear tears slipped down her cheeks like broken strings.

With a soft, hoarse voice choked with emotion, she said, “I never thought we were the same—we were both unloved by our families as children…”

Shen Rujie kept watching her.

Xin Yi seemed unwilling to recall the memory and turned her face away, leaving only a silk flower trembling by her temple with each sob. “You don’t know, but actually… I was fed ants too.”

*

After returning from Shen Rujie’s separate residence, Aying felt deeply distressed.

Especially since Xin Yi had overacted, slipping into fake tears; her eyes were still red, as if holding back heartbreaking tears.

Aying could no longer hold back. “W-w-w Madam, please don’t cry. When you cry, this servant… this servant wants to cry too.”

Xin Yi, who had already calmed down, was speechless.

She hadn’t wanted to cry—she only wanted to raise Shen Rujie’s suddenly plummeting favorability a little.

Aying continued sobbing, “Madam… why were you so miserable before? W-w-w…”

Xin Yi, feeling rare guilt, to prevent her from crying more, changed the subject, “So I need to think about how to regain the Marquis’s favor.”

In fact, she truly planned to do so.

Besides the main mission, the side mission involving Shen Gui also had to proceed simultaneously. Though the importance varied, she couldn’t neglect either.

Most importantly, she must prepare for the divorce in advance.

According to the original plot timeline, before long, Zheng Wu would be discovered to be over two months pregnant.

At that time, Shen Gui would definitely bring Zheng Wu into the Hou residence, granting her the status and life she deserved—after all, she was the woman he loved deeply, the one he would rather die in flames than write a divorce letter to part from.

The reason he had kept this secret so far was that he hadn’t decided what status to give Zheng Wu.

To make her a concubine would be too humiliating; making her the principal wife would embarrass Wu Xin Yi. Though Shen Gui did not care about the original wife’s feelings, he had to consider the family's reputation.

Zheng Wu was destined to bear the legitimate heir to the Hou family.

This already insulted the principal wife, not to mention that Shen Gui would pamper Zheng Wu limitlessly, wanting to give her all the good things to make up for the grievances she endured in this hidden relationship.

When Zheng Wu’s status as a concubine was openly discussed, that would be Xin Yi’s best opportunity to propose the divorce.

Before then, she must do everything possible to win Shen Gui’s favor, create opportunities to be alone with him, and cultivate their relationship.

She needed to make him clearly aware that Wu Xin Yi was the wife he married—not some woman picked up off the street.

At the very least, she wanted Shen Gui to have a place for her in his heart, even if it was only curiosity.

That way, after leaving the Hou residence, she could lay the groundwork for the scoundrel’s downfall.

Upon hearing this, Aying stopped crying and wiped her eyes, asking, “Then… Madam, how do you plan to regain the Marquis’s favor?”

Xin Yi smiled gently and made a thoughtful expression. “Let me think about it.”

*

After the Cold Clothes Festival, the weather gradually turned cooler, and the night winds through the corridors grew stronger.

Shen Rujie had not been assigned any duties these past two days, staying at the residence to recuperate.

The servants and maidservants loved to gossip idly—talking about what amusing things had happened around their master.

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He normally disliked listening to such chatter but stopped instinctively when he heard Xin Yi mentioned.

“Have you noticed? Madam seems different recently.”

“Seems so. Her complexion isn’t as pale.”

“Not just that! Madam used to dislike going out and would always get so nervous she couldn’t speak around the Marquis. But these past couple of days, I saw her go to the study to find the Marquis and wait for him to dine.”

“I saw that too, and Madam’s smile is so gentle. Whatever she wears looks especially lovely on her.”

“Yesterday, Madam wore a light blue gauze skirt and applied rouge; she looked like a small Guanyin statue, and it made my heart flutter. The Marquis glanced at her several times during dinner.”

Two young maids whispering together didn’t notice Shen Rujie hiding behind the rockery.

Nor did they see the faint sarcasm in his eyes.

This sister-in-law of his wasn’t as foolish as he had imagined.

She knew the most urgent task now was to win Shen Gui’s heart and prevent other women from taking advantage.

Perhaps if she was a little more competent, she might even whet Shen Gui’s appetite before Zheng Wu’s arrival.

Then there would be fire on both sides.

The boy narrowed his eyes beneath the shade: He was quite eager to watch the spectacle.

*

After dinner, in the side wing’s chamber, a single blue-green lamp flickered.

Xin Yi yawned and sat before the bronze mirror, asking Aying to help untangle her hair—her bun was too complicated to dismantle alone.

After some futile attempts, she gave up.

These past days, she had been reading and dining with Shen Gui, trying every means to keep him from leaving, nearly exhausting herself.

Rubbing her sore neck, she asked the system, “How is Shen Rujie now? Has his injury improved? Has his favorability changed? Should I send him some warmth again?”

The system checked and then remained silent: “Yes, the favorability dropped another 10 points.”

Xin Yi’s hand froze as she rubbed her shoulder, eyes wide with disbelief. “Why? I haven’t seen him these past few days—how could I have upset him?”

Why would he lower her favorability? She hadn’t done anything wrong at all.

This was just bullying!

The system was puzzled too: “Maybe he’s in a bad mood lately and is taking it out on you.”

Xin Yi refused to accept this explanation.

If some jerk angered him, he should hate that person, not take it out on her!

This biting, grinding frustration lasted until she fell asleep.

In her dreams, she clutched the boy’s sleeve, shouting, “Bastard! Give me back my favorability!” Unfortunately, before he could surrender, an anxious voice woke her.

The system urged, “Host, wake up quickly! Someone’s going to get hurt. Shen Rujie sneaked out of the residence to run errands for the Seventh Prince.”

Xin Yi was stunned for a long moment but still didn’t want to open her eyes. “Ah… but his injury isn’t healed yet?”

Running around in the middle of the night instead of resting—wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

The system’s tone grew frantic: “Yes, so he will be more seriously injured. Also, this should be the original plot’s scene where he encounters Zheng Wu!”

Xin Yi: “!”

Suddenly fully awake, she immediately got out of bed.