Chapter 13 The Explanation
“Wen Xueyi…”
Behind me, Pei Du caught up.
I quickened my steps, entered the room first, and closed the door.
“Wen Xueyi.”
His voice outside the door was low.
“Will you give me a chance to explain?”
I stayed silent.
Pei Du continued, “Back then, Pei Zhao didn’t want to fulfill the marriage. To avoid you, he left the capital. Before he went, he even asked me to handle the betrothal for him.”
So that was why Pei Du was the one who met me at the dock that day.
“But from the first moment I saw you, I knew it had to be you. Letting you stay in my residence was already selfish on my part.”
“During that time, you were so forward with me. I thought that since things with Pei Zhao hadn’t worked out, you wanted to be with me instead—the same as what I wanted.”
I leaned against the door and asked, “I had just arrived. You told me nothing. How was I supposed to know about Second Young Master’s situation?”
Pei Du sighed softly. “I was too presumptuous. I heard you asked the maids about Jiang Qinghan, so I assumed you already knew.”
I was speechless.
That really had just been a coincidence.
Still…
“You even had someone watching me?”
Pei Du was quiet for a moment. “That was my mistake.”
“Later I learned you had mistaken me for your fiancé. I simply went along with it and claimed the role.”
That was the part I still couldn’t understand.
“Why did you claim it?”
I asked in a muffled voice, “If you hadn’t claimed it, we could have simply dissolved the engagement. Couldn’t you have courted me properly afterward?”
“That was possible, but it would have taken too long and carried too much risk.”
Pei Du explained quietly, “If I had helped Pei Zhao break the engagement with you, you might have lumped me together with him—seen me as someone on his side, held prejudice against me, and never given me a chance.”
I fell silent.
Pei Du continued, “If the engagement was dissolved, you would have needed somewhere else to stay in the capital. You probably would have found work at a medical hall to support yourself. Who knows how many admirers would have surrounded you then? I had no confidence you would choose me.”
He was right. That really had been my plan.
“Moreover, my parents would never have agreed to me marrying their grandson’s former fiancée right after breaking the betrothal.
But if it was framed as fulfilling the family’s promise on behalf of the main branch—stepping in to honor the agreement—they would be far more likely to accept it once they saw I remained unmarried for so long. ”
“And as you saw, Pei Zhao regrets it now. If I had waited and he returned early, there would have been another round of trouble. That’s why I acted first.”
His planning had been thorough.
I asked somewhat irritably, “Then why didn’t you just tell me directly?”
“For the same reason—I had no confidence.”
He paused. “You and Pei Zhao had a childhood connection, and you came to the capital for him. If I told you the truth beforehand, you might not have agreed. After we married, I was afraid you would be angry, so I kept delaying.”
Angrily, I yanked the door open.
“You’re Assistant Minister of Dali Temple—don’t you know this counted as marriage by deception?”
“I was wrong.”
His hand that reached for mine was cool. Those beautiful eyes lowered.
“I resorted to any means necessary. You can curse me all you want, but one thing…”
“Please—don’t leave me.”