Chapter 522
Chapter 522
The moment Mulan stepped into the Marquis of Changping’s estate, she was filled with joy and excitement. It was Wu Lie’s first time seeing Mulan, and he was completely taken aback by her beauty.
*So this is why they call her and Zhong Sisi the treasures of the East and West.*
In terms of sheer beauty alone, no woman could surpass Zhong Sisi and Jin Mulan; they were truly peerless. But where Zhong Sisi’s beauty was overly arrogant and unrestrained, Jin Mulan’s was proud and pure.
Upon arriving in the capital, Mulan had heard that her husband had defeated Zhong Sisi and even disfigured her. The news brought her both worry and joy. He had once promised to avenge her, and now he had. In that instant, her heart swelled with love, and she longed to see him desperately.
“Where is my husband?”
At Mulan’s question, Bing’er and Jin Mucong fell silent. After a long moment, Bing’er finally spoke.
“My lady, the young master is resting in his room. Why don’t you rest here first, and I’ll go call him?”
“No, I want to surprise him. None of you are to tell him I’m here. Which room is he in?”
Bing’er’s hair stood on end at Mulan’s words, but she raised a hand and pointed in a certain direction. Mulan quieted her footsteps and crept toward Shen Lang’s room, her heart overflowing with love for him. Her face was flushed and shy, her mind filled with thoughts of her husband and having a baby. Just as she entered the courtyard where Shen Lang’s room was located, she heard a woman’s voice from within.
“Shen Lang, I’m going to have your baby!”
In that moment, Mulan’s body trembled. She froze in place, unable to move, as tears instantly streamed down her face. Then, she heard Shen Lang’s voice from inside.
“Ying Yan, even though we’re fooling around, I have to tell you. The one I love most is my wife. My body may stray, but my spirit never will. She’s the one and only person I love.”
Hearing those words, Mulan gritted her teeth.
*Scumbag! You’re in bed with another woman and still have the nerve to say you’re not cheating?*
She turned in a huff, ready to leave and return to the distant Xuanwu City. But she had only taken a few steps when she suddenly heard Shen Lang’s voice from inside again.
“My love, is that you?”
Mulan was startled. She hadn’t made a sound.
“My love, I caught your scent. I miss you to death. I was going crazy wanting to see you.”
Shen Lang’s heart was breaking.
*Heavens, are you toying with me? She didn’t come yesterday or the day before when I wasn’t cheating. But the one day I do, my beloved Mulan shows up right on time?*
It was like a part-timer who works diligently when the boss isn’t looking, only to be caught the one time they take a break. Instinctively, Shen Lang wanted to say:
*My love, this has nothing to do with me. Ying Yan climbed into my bed; I was forced.*
But on second thought, that was too scummy. Even a scumbag had to have some standards. Besides, when he looked down at Ying Yan, her face had turned deathly pale, her large eyes brimming with tears. She was likely stunned by the situation, her conscience pricked by her role as the other woman. Shen Lang now understood perfectly. Princess Ying Yan’s fierce and formidable demeanor was just an act; inside, she was fragile and insecure. A classic case of someone who acted tough but was soft on the inside. Shen Lang gently stroked her pale lips and called out to the person outside.
“My love, listen to me. I’ve been faithful for the past few months. Today was a complete accident!”
Outside, Mulan asked, “You didn’t expect me to come suddenly today, did you?”
Shen Lang replied instinctively, “No!”
The moment the word left his lips, he wanted to slap himself for his thoughtless answer.
“I’ll be right back.”
Shen Lang mouthed the words to Ying Yan without making a sound. He then walked outside, stark naked, his voice trembling with unshed tears.
“Wife, I was wrong. I was so wrong. I’m scum. Scum that deserves to die a thousand times over. I married a rare woman like you and still fooled around outside. I’m worse than an animal. Wife, please, kill me! Strike me dead in one blow! Hit me, curse me, just don’t get so angry you harm your health. That would break my heart.”
Mulan was trembling with rage when the scumbag suddenly appeared before her, seemingly out of nowhere. The next moment, the scumbag had his arms around her, and then he was kissing her.
“My love, let me carry you inside.”
Shen Lang said tenderly, but Mulan was furious, glaring at him without moving from her spot. Shen Lang took a deep breath, lifted Mulan in a princess carry, and started toward the room. But before he had gone five meters, he was panting, his steps faltering. He looked as if he was about to stumble and fall. In response, Mulan lightly lifted Shen Lang, setting him steadily on his feet.
*You scumbag, you don’t even have the strength to carry me, but you have the energy to cheat?*
Shen Lang wanted to cry, but no tears came.
*I could normally carry you, but my back and legs are just too weak today.*
When they entered the room, Ying Yan was already gone. The suite had many interconnected rooms. Not having the courage to face Mulan, Ying Yan had fled. Mulan caught a familiar scent, her brow furrowing, and she sighed.
“My love…”
Shen Lang hugged Mulan, losing himself in the fragrance of her body. But Mulan ignored him.
“My love, I swear, I’ve been faithful for months. I missed you so much that I even spent several nights…” (He was about to say wandering the brothels, but caught himself.)
*No, I can’t say that. It would only make things worse.*
“My love, I swear, this is only the second time with Ying Yan. Other than that, I haven’t touched any other woman. There aren’t many faithful men like me in the world these days.”
“Scumbag, are you asking me to praise you?”
Shen Lang genuinely thought his faithfulness was quite remarkable, but there was clearly a disconnect with Mulan’s perception.
“My love, you’re so heartless. I’ve missed you every single day for the past few months, yet you never came to see me. Every time I ate, I wondered if my love had eaten, hoping you would never go hungry. Every time the weather got hot, I worried if my love was suffering from the heat, if the ice stored at home was clean. Every time I went to the privy, I wondered if my love… no, my love is a fairy, she would never go to such a place.”
Mulan couldn’t help it; she let out a small laugh. In that moment, she inexplicably found herself wearing only her chemise.
*This scumbag’s moves are so fast. How did I not even notice?*
Shen Lang hugged Mulan’s fragrant body, indulging in kissing her. After a moment, Mulan said, “No.”
“My love, are you disgusted with me? Because I was just with Ying Yan? I’ll go take a bath, then.”
Mulan gritted her teeth.
*Scumbag, can you please stop talking about Ying Yan? I may have caught you in the act, but it’s been a quarter of an hour, and I’m trying to forget. Must you keep bringing it up?*
Mulan said gently, “With your stamina, do you have any strength left after rolling around with that wild woman? Don’t hurt yourself. We still have two days, anyway.”
“What two days?”
Of course, she meant she had two days left in her fertile window, but she wanted to tell Shen Lang only after she was certain she was pregnant. So the two of them just held each other and talked. An audacious thought flickered through Shen Lang’s mind.
*Wife, I have a bold idea. Why don’t we just let Ying Yan…*
Of course, Shen Lang only thought it; he would never say it out loud.
“Husband, Zhang Yuyin asked me to pass on a message.”
At that, Shen Lang grew incredibly tense and quickly said, “Wife, I swear I never slept with her. I’ll admit she has a secret crush on me, but I’ve already rejected her harshly. I’m not an easy man. The number of women I’ve rejected this year alone is countless. What happened with Ying Yan today was a complete accident.”
Mulan instinctively cut the scumbag off and said directly, “Zhang Yuyin said that from now on, you two are strangers.”
Shen Lang’s mind conjured an image of Zhang Yuyin’s face and figure—a woman of mysterious age, mature and elegant.
*Ugh! Is it that serious? Strangers? If I’d known it would come to this, I should have just slept with her at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion that day. What a waste, what a waste…*
But on second thought, if Zhang Yuyin was saying they should cut ties, it could lead to truly serious consequences. A slight shift in Ying Han’s attitude had been enough to make the entire Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion turn against him.
Mulan asked in a gentle voice, “Husband, what happened?”
“Some idiot tried to get me to withdraw from the succession battle by offering me a position as some old idiot’s honorary disciple, acting like it was a great favor. I refused, so the idiot brought it up, and now the entire Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion has completely rejected us.”
Mulan’s heart ached, and she hugged Shen Lang tightly. Though he spoke of it lightly, she could feel the disregard and humiliation he must have suffered at the time. She decided then and there that from this day forward, her greatest enemy was not Qiu Yao’er, but Ying Han.
“Husband, that wicked person was Ying Han, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s the idiot.”
Mulan’s voice was slightly choked with tears as she said, “Husband, I’m sorry. It’s because I’m useless that you were bullied.”
Hearing that, Shen Lang held Mulan in his arms as if she were a precious treasure. Mulan made a silent vow to herself, over and over.
*I will become the strongest in the world. I will become the strongest in the world. I will kill Ying Han.*
“You beat Zhong Sisi to a pulp for me, didn’t you? I heard when I arrived in the capital. Thank you for avenging me. Even though you’re a scumbag, you’re still the best husband. I… I’m very happy.”