Yu Mei froze at the sight of him. Not because she was nervous but because she was mad. She didn't even know why she was mad. It's not like she likes him or anything. Why should she be mad? Who cares if Pei Nan was with Fei Ning. The more Yu Mei thought about it, the more relaxed and calm she became. Or at least that's what she convinced herself.
Pei Nan didn't say anything as he stared at her with his hawk like eyes. At first his stare made Yu Mei feel uncomfortable but the more she thought about the situation, the less she cared about his stare. Each step taken, she became more curious. Why was he here so late at night? Surely he didn't want to pick a fight with her, right?
Yu Mei had never been so thankful for the round table in front of her. It was the only thing keeping Pei Nan away from her. "Your highness is here because…" she tried her best to keep her composure. The sooner she found out what he wanted, the sooner she could kick him out. If she could literally kick him out with her foot she would have. Sadly the circumstances did not allow for such a thought.
Yu Mei could only describe Pei Nan with one word at the moment. Tyrant! He was sitting with his back straight, both hands on his knees as he emotionlessly kept his eyes on her. Thankfully she had caught herself before she actually rolled her eyes at him. [Must you always look like you are meeting your worst enemy when you come over? Shoo fly, shoo~] Yu Mei secretly pictured him as a pestering fly. As if he could read her thoughts, he finally spoke. "Sit." He pointed to the chair.
That intimidating voice. Even the brave Yu Mei couldn't object. She quickly plopped herself to the seat across him. Pei Nan let out a loud sigh of disapproval. He was pointing to the chair next to him yet she took the seat furthest away from him. One look and Yu Mei could tell what he was thinking. She laughed sarcastically in her heart. [Are you crazy? Why would I sit next to you? I don't even know what you are here for. I'm not stupid to walk into a tiger's den.]
Normally Pei Nan would scold her but he had much more important matters he needed to speak to her about.
"How close are you and Prince Shao?" he wasted no time getting to the point. This time, Yu Mei didn't catch herself in time. An obvious eye roll was given. [Why do you have to sound like an interrogator. I'm not a prisoner you fool.]
A few seconds had passed and yet she hadn't answer his question yet. Yu Mei still couldn't believe what she was hearing. How close was she and Gu Shao? She couldn't help but carefully examine Pei Nan and try to read him. [Are you an empty nut?]
"Your highness shouldn't worry about such a trivial matter. Prince Shao is my brother-in-law, it's only natural we get along." She casually spoke.
"Oh? I am not worried about Shao. He wouldn't take interest in a girl like you. But I am worried about you…" he gave her a suspicious look. "And your intentions."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Now Yu Mei was getting offended. Surely he didn't mean that she was trying to get cozy with Prince Shao for personal reasons.
Pei Nan slammed both his hands on the table and stood up. Just now, the flashback of Yu Mei laughing with his brother had gotten him all worked up. "What do I mean? You should be asking yourself that. You clearly know what you have done." He blamed her.
"Your highness should tell me what I have done wrong." Yu Mei raised her voice. She too got on her feet. The two of them were now having a heated war. Neither of them willing to back down.
The silent minutes quickly went by. Pei Nan finally nodded his head as he chose to speak first. "Pan Yu Mei…you sure are bold." He took a few slow strides toward her. "You dare to flirt with Shao in front of me?" Another heavy step was taken. "I am your husband yet the only time I see you sincerely smile and laugh is with someone else." He finally stopped when he was standing in front of her. Yu Mei turned towards him. What was this feeling she felt. She's never seen Pei Nan act this scary before. She clenched her fist together tightly and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Sincere smile? Sincere laughter?" she sarcastically asked him. "Your highness should give me one reason as to why I should be sincere?"
Her question was like a needle to his heart. He suddenly grabbed both her arms and pulled her closer to him, closing the distance between them. This sudden pull surprised Yu Mei who held her breath. "What other reason is there to smile than that I am your husband. Yet you…you shamelessly flirt with my own brother?"
Yu Mei tilted her head up to face him as she daringly threatened him. "If your highness thinks I am a sore to your eye, divorce me then."
*Hahaha* Pei Nan laughed loudly as he released his grip. "Divorce you? So you can be with Shao? No way am I letting you put a green hat on me. I would rather have you banished from the palace than to give you what you want." He leaned forward. "I would rather throw you in the cold palace than to see you with Shao. Leave!" he pointed to the door. "I don't ever want to see you here again." His anger got the best of him. Before he could stop Yu Mei from leaving, she started to make a move already.
"Fine! If your highness wants me to leave, I will leave."
Only when Yu Mei was out of his sight did he finally let out a silent sigh. [Give me one reason I should sincerely smile at you.] That line kept repeating in his head. When he first heard her question, it pricked him deep. Not because he felt offended but because she was right. His eyes never left the empty door way. Thoughts filled with her words. [What right do I have to demand her to give me sincerity. I can't even come up with one reason. Nan…you are foolish. Too foolish to think she was sincere towards you.] Pei Nan chuckled lightly as he kept thinking to himself.
He shouted at her because he didn't know what else to do. No one has ever caught him off guard before. Only her. He was the future emperor yet he couldn't even give his wife any happiness. He felt more depressed the more he thought of it. Even when he got to his palace, he was thinking about her words.
Not long after Pei Nan returned to his place, a frantic Chu'mei was running around looking for her lady. Chu'mei had been searching for her lady for a while. The last place she came to look was Pei Nan's palace. Only because she knew her lady would never come here unless she had to.
Feng Ju who was watching over the palace caught sight of Chu'mei and went over. "What are you doing here?" he asked sternly as he held his sword near her, blocking her from getting any closer to Pei Nan's room. When he saw how panicky Chu'mei looked, he let his guard down. He put his sword away and held both her arms softly. "Little monkey, I didn't mean to yell at you. Don't cry." When that didn't work, he continued to ask her. "What's wrong? I said I didn't mean to." Feng Ju asked trying to coax her. The teary eyed Chu'mei held in her tears. "You fool! I'm looking for my lady. Is she here?" Chu'mei asked hopefully.
"Consort Pan? I didn't see her enter with his highness. Let me report this to his highness in case Consort Pan is missing."
When Feng Ju reported to Pei Nan, his heart pounded with fear and worry. Not even a second had passed before he dashed out. "Feng Ju, stay behind in case Yu Mei returns. I'm going to go look for Yu Mei." He commanded as he was dashing out.
Or course Chu'mei wanted to follow along but was instructed to stay and wait. The unlucky Feng Ju was left behind to comfort the crying Chu'mei. He was just like his master…newbies at love. The two of them did not know how to coax a woman. The moment Chu'mei crouched on the ground and balled her eyes out, Feng Ju was standing there like a fool. He was a body guard, comforting a woman was out of the question. Minutes passed and Chu'mei's crying didn't stop like Feng Ju had hoped. Finally he couldn't stand her crying anymore. He walked over to her and sat next to her. "Cry on my shoulder." Chu'mei lifted her head and looked at him. Feng Ju rolled his eyes at her like she was a dummy. "I'm not going to repeat myself. Cry on my shoulder." He pointed at his shoulder.
Chu'mei nodded her head and leaned her forehead on his shoulder and kept crying. Thinking back, Feng Ju remembered seeing a man calming a girl down by patting her back. So that's what he did. The awkward Feng Ju and crying Chu'mei sat there as they waited.