Your Highness, your wife has had her virginity mark applied and married someone else.

Wei Yuan's expression remained unchanged, but upon seeing Lu Yanzhi, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "What are you doing here, Headmaster? Did you come looking for me?"

Shen Mingshu felt guilty and was about to explain when Lu Yanzhi stood up and gently denied it: "No, I came to find A-Shu."

"..."

Shen Mingshu glanced at the provocation in Lu Yanzhi's eyes in surprise, and quickly shooed him away: "Uh, Headmaster, I won't be going to the academy these days. There's nothing there, so I won't keep you today—"

"Didn't Wei Yuan already buy some?" Lu Yanzhi looked at the shopping basket in Wei Yuan's hand and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Would you mind having breakfast together?"

"..."

In that quiet moment in the courtyard, Shen Mingshu seemed to see swords clashing and dancing. In the end, perhaps out of respect for the Lu family, Wei Yuan did not refuse.

But he also pulled Shen Mingshu into the kitchen with him.

They euphemistically call it "helping out".

Lu Yanzhi was even more shameless than Shen Mingshu had imagined. In the cramped kitchen, once Lu Yanzhi entered, Shen Mingshu was sandwiched between the two of them and instantly felt like she had no room to move.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore: "Then I'll trouble the headmaster to help A-Yuan. I'll go out first."

As they passed each other, Shen Mingshu's wrist was grabbed.

She turned around and saw Lu Yanzhi.

"Ah Shu, can you just call me Yan Zhi?"

"..."

With a "clang," the blade slammed into the cutting board. Lu Yanzhi's provocation left Wei Yuan no longer able to pretend he knew nothing.

With a stern face, he reminded Lu Yanzhi, "Headmaster, Ming Shu is my person. What you're doing isn't appropriate."

Seeing that he was no longer trying to cover up the truth, Lu Yanzhi smiled and said, "Wei Yuan, if you become the top scholar in the imperial examination, I can recommend you to the emperor to be appointed as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is a third-rank official! Two ranks higher than Wei Ziye!

Shen Mingshu was shocked by Lu Yanzhi's extravagant gesture.

Wei Yuan frowned: "What do you mean?"

Lu Yanzhi said in a gentle tone: "Give up A-Shu. After the marriage, I will give you two concubines."

"Oh--"

This laughter was neither a cold laugh nor a sneer, but a mocking laugh.

He just watched quietly as Lu Yanzhi recklessly treated Shen Mingshu like an object, making deals with her.

Wei Yuan looked at Shen Mingshu, the coldness in his eyes instantly turning into grievance, as if accusing Lu Yanzhi of provoking him and disrespecting Shen Mingshu.

But Shen Mingshu disappointed him.

The greatest tragedy for a scholar is to be talented but not appreciated. Shen Mingshu was willing to accept a third-rank official position, and she couldn't bear to refuse it, so she didn't think Wei Yuan should refuse it either.

She stayed quietly in Lu Yanzhi's arms, without anger or dissatisfaction. She just quietly looked at him with Lu Yanzhi.

We await his reply together.

Wei Yuan's smile froze for a moment. Realizing something, his face darkened, and he immediately pulled Shen Mingshu over.

"You jest, Headmaster. Ming Shu isn't an object that you can exchange for at will."

Lu Yan paused, then frowned and denied, "That's not what I meant."

"No matter what you mean, Ming Shu will always be mine." Wei Yuan's voice was icy, directly tearing off the pretense: "If you dare to steal from the Lu family because of their connections, the Wei family isn't going to be trifled with!"

Lu Yanzhi's eyes hardened: "Wei Yuan, don't forget what you promised the Lu family! Is this how you treat Youyou?"

"Heh—" Wei Yuan held Shen Mingshu in his arms, his eyes indifferent: "If Young Master Lu has any dissatisfaction, he may terminate the marriage alliance."

"Wei Yuan!"

This side of Wei Yuan was unfamiliar to Lu Yanzhi. Realizing that all his affection was an act, Lu Yanzhi gripped Wei Yuan's collar tightly.

Just as she was about to say something, her gaze fixed on the mark on Wei Yuan's collarbone, and she suddenly froze.

A surge of fire exploded in my chest!

"You, you—you bastard!"

Lu Yanzhi, whose eyes were always bathed in the gentle moonlight, now had bloodshot eyes, and all his gentleness had vanished, leaving only a chilling and murderous aura.

One punch!

"what!"

Shen Mingshu was startled. She had never seen Lu Yanzhi like this before and didn't know what had happened.

Wei Yuan took the punch head-on, shielding Shen Mingshu behind him, and warned through gritted teeth, "This was her own choice. If you lay a hand on her again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"You bastard! You beast!"

Lu Yanzhi lost his mind, couldn't hear anything, and kept punching Wei Yuan!

Wei Yuan frowned, dodged with Shen Mingshu, summoned his guards, and immediately subdued him.

Lu Yanzhi was forced to his feet in a disheveled state, but his eyes were still red as he cursed, veins bulging on his neck, "I was blind to believe you, you beast!"

Realizing something was wrong, Shen Mingshu immediately stepped forward, pushed aside the guards, and helped Lu Yanzhi up: "What happened?!"

"..."

Lu Yanzhi was panting heavily, staring intently at Wei Yuan, but still managed to retain a sliver of rationality and did not reveal that his sister had lost her innocence.

Wei Yuan just looked at him coldly, blood trickling from the corner of his lips, which he casually wiped away.

"Lu Yanzhi, things didn't have to develop to this point. You were the one who first imagined someone you shouldn't have thought about."

"I can pretend nothing happened today, but if there's a next time, I'll take the blame. At worst, we'll all perish!"

"you--!"

"Alright!" Shen Mingshu stopped Lu Yanzhi, who was about to make a move. She wasn't stupid; she understood the meaning behind Wei Yuan's words.

Shen Mingshu's gaze swept over Wei Yuan's collarbone, and she looked at Lu Yanzhi with a complicated expression: "Miss Lu needs you, go back first."

"Ming Shu—" Wei Yuan's heart tightened, and he reached out to pull Shen Ming Shu to explain, but she gently refused.

"Please don't touch me, let's both calm down, okay?"

……

After seeing Lu Yanzhi off, Shen Mingshu and Wei Yuan sat at the dining table, looking at the vegetarian noodles and crab roe pastries in front of them, but neither of them had any desire to eat.

Finally, Wei Yuan was the first to speak and explain.

"Last night I went back to look for you, and Lu Youyou blocked my car, lying to me that you might be in the suite."

"I went in but didn't see you. I had a headache, so I drank some water and rested for a bit. I told Anqi to keep looking in the other rooms, but I accidentally fell asleep."

"In a daze, she helped me to bed, and I..."

Wei Yuan lowered his head, paused, and said in a voice full of remorse, "I thought it was you."

"I wanted to apologize to you, but she kept kissing me. I thought you had forgiven me and wanted to make it up to you about the child, so I didn't refuse anymore—"

Wei Yuan covered his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "Ming Shu, I really know I was wrong. I'll never touch alcohol again, and I'll never dare to do it again."

"...You don't like drinking."

After a moment of silence, Shen Mingshu spoke in a hoarse voice: "I advised you to drink less, but you wouldn't listen. Clearly, you didn't need to drink with them, so why...?"

Shen Mingshu's eyes still reddened.

Three years of relationship were completely destroyed by a single drinking session. It was shattered, and there were no winners; everyone was a complete loser.

Wei Yuan's eyes also reddened, but he dared not say the reason—because the reason had already been given last night.

Shen Mingshu covered her face in anguish, soft sobs escaping from her palms, choked with sobs, unable to utter a complete sentence.

"I'm a man, I've only just started making friends, and you're already accusing me of being a womanizer—"

"I was wrong, Ming Shu."

Unable to bear Shen Mingshu's grief, Wei Yuan knelt down and hugged her tightly.

"I can't stand people coveting you. You didn't flirt with anyone; it's them who are despicable, and it's Lu Yanzhi who's disgusting!"

"He's a reptile in the shadows, he's constantly provoking my nerves, I... I really know I was wrong."

"Don't cry, hit me, Ming Shu can hit me to vent her anger, okay?"

Wei Yuan grabbed Shen Mingshu's hand and slapped himself across the face, frantically trying to salvage the situation.

But Shen Mingshu just quietly shed tears, looking at him helplessly, and gradually, she completely accepted this fate.

"Wei Yuan, I regret it. I don't want to be your concubine."

"Let's break up."