Chapter 25: Chapter
Xi Wenzhe rarely overslept.
Years of discipline had made waking early a habit so deeply ingrained that even after a restless night, his body still stirred shortly after dawn.
The moment he opened his eyes, however, he felt a familiar headache pressing against his temples.
The events of the previous night immediately surfaced in his mind.
The fire.
Li Mei.
Su Yueqing’s strange thoughts.
The evidence Dong Li had found.
And his mother’s inevitable reaction once she learned the truth.
Xi Wenzhe sat up slowly and rubbed his forehead.
He had barely finished dressing when a servant hurried into the courtyard outside.
"Young Master, the Duchess has arrived."
His hand paused.
For a brief moment, he closed his eyes.
As expected.
Nothing escaped his mother’s eyes for long.
"Let her enter."
A moment later, the doors opened.
Lin Meiyun walked inside with several maids following behind her.
Unlike her usual elegant and gentle appearance, there was a coldness in her expression today that immediately made the atmosphere inside the room become heavy.
Xi Wenzhe stood and greeted her respectfully.
"Mother."
Lin Meiyun nodded once before taking a seat.
She did not immediately speak.
Instead, she calmly accepted the tea a servant offered her before finally raising her eyes toward her son.
The silence stretched.
Xi Wenzhe knew that look.
It was the look she always wore whenever she was waiting for someone to confess before she exposed everything herself.
"Is there something you would like to tell me?" she asked finally.
Her voice was calm.
Xi Wenzhe remained silent for a moment before replying.
"No, Mother."
Lin Meiyun stared at him.
Then she suddenly laughed.
It was not a pleasant laugh.
It was the laugh of someone who had just lost patience.
"Is that so?"
The room instantly became colder.
Xi Wenzhe lowered his gaze slightly.
Without another word, Lin Meiyun turned toward one of the maids behind her.
"Bring it."
The maid immediately stepped forward carrying a cloth bundle.
Before anyone could react, Lin Meiyun grabbed it and threw it onto the floor.
The bundle rolled across the ground and stopped near Xi Wenzhe’s feet.
The moment he saw it, his expression changed.
He recognized it immediately.
It was the very same bundle Dong Li had recovered from Li Mei’s quarters.
The room fell silent.
Lin Meiyun’s eyes narrowed.
"Do you think I do not know what happens inside my own household?"
Her voice was no longer calm.
Anger had finally begun to show.
"You discovered the evidence."
"You learned the truth."
"And instead of reporting it, you chose to hide it."
Each sentence struck harder than the last.
Xi Wenzhe remained silent.
For the first time since becoming the family’s pride, he found himself unable to defend his actions.
Lin Meiyun suddenly stood.
"Have you lost your mind?"
Her voice echoed throughout the room.
The servants immediately lowered their heads.
Nobody dared to breathe loudly.
"Do you even understand what almost happened last night?"
Her eyes were blazing now.
"That fire could have killed someone."
"No."
"It almost did kill someone."
She pointed toward the bundle on the floor.
"Your precious Li Mei nearly burned your wife alive."
The words struck like a hammer.
Xi Wenzhe’s fingers tightened slightly.
Lin Meiyun was not finished.
"Even if you dislike Su Yueqing."
"Even if you never wanted this marriage."
"She is still your lawful wife."
"She entered this household through the front gates."
"She carries the name of the Su family."
The more she spoke, the angrier she became.
"Have you considered what would have happened if she had died during her first night in her husband’s household?"
Xi Wenzhe remained silent.
Because he had considered it.
And the answer was terrifying.
Lin Meiyun’s expression darkened further.
"Her father would have turned this capital upside down."
"And her brothers?"
She almost laughed.
"Those madmen would have marched straight into our manor looking for blood."
"Do you think the matter would have ended with a simple apology?"
The room became deathly silent.
Even the servants looked pale.
Everyone knew how protective the Su family was toward their only daughter.
Lin Meiyun took a deep breath before continuing.
"I raised you to be rational."
"I raised you to know right from wrong."
"But last night you disappointed me greatly."
Xi Wenzhe lowered his head.
For the first time, shame appeared on his usually indifferent face.
"Mother."
His voice was low.
"I was wrong."
Lin Meiyun looked at him.
After a long moment, she finally sat down again.
The anger in her expression softened slightly, though disappointment still remained.
"I know."
Xi Wenzhe clenched his fists.
"I apologize."
Lin Meiyun sighed.
She had come here furious.
But seeing her son admit his mistake honestly made some of her anger fade.
Still.
A mistake was a mistake.
And punishment was necessary.
"You will listen carefully."
Xi Wenzhe straightened immediately.
"From this day onward, Li Mei will no longer remain idle within this residence."
His eyes lifted slightly.
Lin Meiyun ignored his reaction.
"She will be assigned work like every other servant."
"If she has energy to scheme and start fires, then she certainly has energy to work."
Xi Wenzhe remained silent.
Then Lin Meiyun delivered the second part of the punishment.
"And Su Yueqing."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Will remain here."
Xi Wenzhe froze.
Lin Meiyun folded her sleeves calmly.
"She is your wife."
"Therefore she will live in your residence."
"Not somewhere else."
The meaning behind those words was unmistakable.
Xi Wenzhe immediately frowned.
"Mother—"
"No."
Lin Meiyun cut him off immediately.
"This decision has already been made."
Her tone left no room for negotiation.
"From now on, the two of you will live under the same roof."
"You will learn how to manage your household properly."
"And you will stop allowing personal feelings to interfere with your judgment."
Xi Wenzhe fell silent.
The room became quiet once more.
Outside, the morning sun continued rising over the Xi Manor.
Inside, however, Xi Wenzhe suddenly had a feeling that his peaceful days had officially come to an end.
Because sharing a residence with Su Yueqing...
Might prove far more troublesome than anything else that had happened so far.
