I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Chapter 328: My Little Aunt

Pei Yan sighed helplessly and begged for mercy.

"Alright, alright, my little auntie, stop teasing me."

Fang Xiaoxiao then slightly suppressed her smile and said.

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook for now. Let's get down to business."

Pei Yan finally calmed down completely. With a serious expression and focused gaze, he began to tell Fang Xiaoxiao in detail about his discoveries over the past few days.

"Xiao Xiao, listen to me. I've been secretly keeping an eye on that old steward for the past few days, and it's really taken a lot of effort. Every day at midnight, when all is quiet and the entire Hua mansion is immersed in a deep sleep."

The old steward, however, slipped out of his room like a ghost, then stealthily left through the side gate of the Hua residence.

Pei Yan spoke while gesturing, as if he had returned to the tense situation at that time.

"I followed him cautiously, not daring to make a sound, for fear of being discovered."

He looked left and right as he walked, deliberately choosing to go through the dark alleys, and finally arrived at a brothel called Hua Man Lou.

Pei Yan paused, swallowed hard, and continued speaking.

"After entering the brothel, he immediately chose a woman named Xiao Cui, as if he knew her well."

Then the two of them went into the room, and I stood guard outside, feeling incredibly nervous, afraid of being discovered.

They only stayed in the room for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—not a long time—but I felt something strange about that short period.

"After that, the old steward hurriedly came out of his room, went downstairs, got into the carriage that had been prepared, and rushed back to the Hua residence. After returning to the Hua residence, he went straight to his room, fell asleep as if nothing had happened."

After Pei Yan finished speaking, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Fang Xiaoxiao frowned and asked in confusion.

"That's all? What does that prove?"

Pei Yan said anxiously.

"I can't really say for sure, but I feel like there's something more to it than I've figured it out yet."

After listening to Pei Yan's story, Fang Xiaoxiao fell into deep thought. Her delicate eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her mind seemed to be a rapidly spinning machine, with various thoughts colliding and intertwining.

Suddenly, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, she abruptly raised her head and looked intently at Pei Yan.

“Pei Yan, I’m convinced that this Xiao Cui is definitely a problem!”

She might actually be a spy planted by bandits in Dounan County, and I suspect those bandits' intentions go beyond just coveting the Hua family's wealth!

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he stared in shock for a long time before recovering.

Over the next two days, Pei Yan continued with his previous tasks, carefully monitoring the old butler's every move while delivering medicine to Hua Ruyan on time.

That day, Pei Yan ended his surveillance of the old housekeeper and, as usual, carried the medicine into Hua Ruyan's room.

he said softly.

"Miss Hua, I've come to bring you your medicine."

Hua Ruyan was leaning against the bed, gazing out the window with a somewhat dazed look in her eyes. Upon hearing Pei Yan's voice, she immediately turned her head, and a bright smile, as radiant as the warm spring sun, instantly bloomed on her face.

Pei Yan walked to the bedside, about to hand the medicine to Hua Ruyan.

In that instant, Hua Ruyan seemed to have mustered all her courage and suddenly reached out and hugged Pei Yan tightly.

Pei Yan was startled by this sudden action and froze. He instinctively tried to break free, but he was afraid of hurting Hua Ruyan if he used too much force, so he could only stand there helplessly.

Hua Ruyan pressed her face tightly against Pei Yan's chest, her voice trembling slightly, and spoke with endless affection.

“Pei Yan, I know I’m being too rash, but these days my heart is filled with your image, and every smile and frown of yours is etched in my heart.”

I simply can't suppress my feelings any longer. I truly love you, I'm hopelessly in love, I'm going crazy with love!

Pei Yan was completely stunned. He could clearly feel Hua Ruyan's rapid heartbeat and her burning emotions.

For a moment, his mind went blank, and he had no idea how to deal with the overwhelming affection.

Faced with Hua Ruyan's sudden and unreserved confession, Pei Yan panicked instantly and hurriedly waved his hands in rejection.

"Miss Hua, you mustn't, you mustn't!"

However, Hua Ruyan was already caught up in the fervor of her emotions, completely disregarding Pei Yan's rejection. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes revealed a stubbornness that defied all odds, as she spoke urgently.

"Pei Yan, I know you and Fang Xiaoxiao are close, but so what? I don't care at all!"

I only hope that you can abandon her and choose to stay with me.

You should know that the Hua family is incredibly wealthy. If you agree, I will definitely persuade my father to hand over the entire family business to you.

Pei Yan's expression instantly darkened, becoming extremely serious. He stared firmly at Hua Ruyan and spoke resolutely.

"Miss Hua, please have some self-respect! I, Pei Yan, will never be separated from Fang Xiaoxiao in this lifetime, not even in death!"

Just as the two were struggling and at an impasse, a commotion suddenly came from outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, there was a loud bang as the door was violently kicked open.

It turned out that the old steward was leading the way, leading Master Hua and a group of servants into the room in a menacing manner.

The old butler had a hint of smugness on his face, and his eyes revealed a cunning that he had expected this all along, as if he had known all along that Pei Yan would be in the young lady's room and was just waiting for this moment to bring people to catch him red-handed.

Master Hua was so angry that he glared and shouted angrily.

"This is outrageous! It's a disgrace to the family!"

The old butler fanned the flames from the sidelines, speaking in a sarcastic tone.

"Sir, look at this mess!"

The old butler, his face plastered with a sinister smile, happily led Master Hua, running all the way to the young lady's room.

He was overjoyed, as if he could already see Pei Yan being beaten to a pulp by Master Hua. He was just waiting for this moment to completely destroy Pei Yan and ensure that he would never be able to recover.

As the old butler ran, he kept muttering to Master Hua.

"My lord, you have no idea, this time we'll definitely catch him red-handed and make that arrogant brat regret it!"

But when they pushed open the door with great force, like tigers descending a mountain, the scene inside made the two of them freeze in place as if they had been frozen in place.

There wasn't a single hair on Pei Yan's head!

On the contrary, Hua Ruyan was standing there with her hand on her clothes, about to take them off, her snow-white shoulder was exposed so clearly.

Master Hua's face changed from red to green, then from green to black in an instant; his expression was as fascinating as a color palette.

His eyes widened, his mouth agape, and it took him a long time to finally utter a sentence.

"This... this is outrageous!"

The old butler was dumbfounded. His smug expression instantly vanished, replaced by a bitter look. He stammered.

"Master... this... this humble servant doesn't understand either, it should have been there... it should have been there!" He looked just like a weasel that had tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing its own.

Hua Ruyan was so frightened by the sudden intrusion that she turned pale and screamed like a startled rabbit. She quickly covered herself up with her clothes, tears streaming down her face like broken beads, and cried out in a sobbing voice.

"Dad, what are you doing? You're going to scare your daughter to death!"