Originally, it was a private conversation between husband and wife, yet this Third Prince just had to barge in. Although their dynasty doesn’t have many taboos regarding interactions between men and women, he clearly crossed the line.

Liang Jue frowned slightly, a hint of fierceness flashing in his eyes. Though it was only for a moment, Shen Meng, who was facing him, still noticed the change in his expression. She grabbed Liang Jue’s hand, silently indicating that she was on his side and ready to act according to his wishes.

Liang Jue’s brows relaxed a bit. Well, no matter how improper his thoughts might be towards Shen Meng, she was still his wife. Even if Xue Ning was favored, the current Empress wouldn’t allow him to act recklessly.

With this in mind, he turned his face back with a friendly smile, “Of course not, Your Highness. It’s a great honor for our Shen family to have Your Highness visit our humble abode, making our home even more radiant.”

He then added, “However, my wife does have some pressing matters to attend to, and given the difference in status between you and her, Your Highness is yet to be married. I fear it might affect Your Highness’s reputation…”

His words were tactful and suggestive. When he mentioned “our Shen family,” he deliberately emphasized the words and enunciated heavily, indicating that Shen Meng was already married to him, her legitimate husband.

Xue Ning, being unmarried, should still maintain a certain distance, no matter how much he admired Shen Meng. If rumors were to spread, it wouldn’t benefit anyone.

As he said this, Liang Jue stood at the boundary of light and shadow in the room, with the window open. The warm winter sun cast its rays on his face, even casting a golden shadow on his long, curled eyelashes. The sunlight made his fair complexion even more translucent, like fine white jade, warm and inviting.

The stark contrast made the other half of his face, not bathed in sunlight, appear somewhat gloomy. Though it was the same person, it seemed like there were two completely different faces, possessing a strange beauty.

Shen Meng couldn’t take her eyes off Liang Jue’s face, not because she suddenly found her husband’s appearance particularly beautiful, but because she remembered that Liang Jue’s tendency to be jealous hadn’t changed.

Even in the previous life when she treated him coldly, he still displayed this trait. In this life, although she treated him better, his jealousy was even more apparent.

With only three people in the room, both men’s thoughts were focused on the same woman. Perhaps because she had been accustomed to the scrutiny of these two men in her previous life, Shen Meng didn’t feel much pressure.

However, it was obvious that the presence of these two men made her uncomfortable. After Liang Jue finished speaking, Xue Ning didn’t respond immediately but stared at Shen Meng, softly asking, “Is that how Lady Shen thinks as well?”

Liang Jue’s words he could ignore, but Shen Meng’s words he had to listen to. Despite being a prince, he should be aloof, but when he spoke to Shen Meng, he was unusually gentle and careful.

Liang Jue, on the sidelines, felt extremely uncomfortable. During the time Xue Ning had been inviting him to his residence, everyone said that the Third Prince treated him exceptionally well. Although Liang Jue didn’t find it strange, given the lofty status of the royal family, his attitude was always formal. However, now that he heard how Xue Ning spoke to Shen Meng, he realized that Shen Meng was treated differently. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy and gave Shen Meng a glare.

Shen Meng, warned by his glare, hesitated to continue her words.

Actually, Shen Meng didn’t find Xue Ning’s attitude too bad. After all, in the previous life, they were husband and wife, and although Xue Ning’s feelings towards her weren’t as strong as Liang Jue’s, they could still be considered good.

But in this life, they had no relationship, and according to the development pattern of the previous life, she shouldn’t have much contact with him. Therefore, under Xue Ning’s expectant gaze, she naturally turned her face away, choosing to uphold her position as Liang Jue’s legitimate wife, “What Lady Shen said is right. It’s indeed an honor for Lady Shen to be favored by Your Highness and become good friends. However, as a married woman, I should maintain some distance from Your Highness to avoid gossip. If I tarnish Your Highness’s reputation, I would find it hard to apologize.”

Her attitude and stance were clear. Liang Jue’s lips curled slightly upwards, suddenly feeling that Shen Meng’s return today wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Xue Ning, however, felt the opposite, his expression darkening. The same words sounded different coming from different people. If Liang Jue had said them, Xue Ning would have thought he was showing off, but coming from Shen Meng, it felt different.

Just looking at Shen Meng’s familiar face made him unable to feel any anger, let alone the thoughts he harbored.

He forced a smile, trying to suppress the subtle discomfort in his heart, and showed his caring side as much as possible, “You’re right. It’s my oversight. Blame it on me for being too preoccupied with Ah Jue, neglecting to consider other aspects.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Liang Jue couldn’t help but shudder, not for any other reason, but because of that disgusting nickname. He suppressed the feeling of disgust and put on a fake smile.

With this forced smile, he stepped out of the boundary between light and shadow, and walked briskly towards Xue Ning, pulling him along, “Your Highness, thanks for your kindness. I’ve kept you waiting for quite some time. This isn’t a suitable place for conversation. Let’s talk outside for the sake of your reputation.”

Xue Ning subconsciously wanted to resist, but since Liang Jue had already spoken, he came to the mansion for Liang Jue’s sake. He hesitated for a moment and was then directly pulled out by Liang Jue. As he was being dragged out of the room, he turned his head to look at Shen Meng.

Impulsively, he asked her, “Do you still remember… the blue-tiled house on Bronze Sparrow Street?”

Originally, he wanted to ask her if she still remembered the little beggar, Ah Ning, but halfway through his sentence, he unconsciously changed his wording.

As he asked, Liang Jue’s grip on him suddenly tightened, although he immediately controlled the force of the tug, Xue Ning still felt the pain for a moment.

But at this point, he didn’t intend to dwell on the pain. He grabbed onto the door frame with the hand that was free, preventing Liang Jue from dragging him out forcefully. At the same time, he stared at Shen Meng without blinking, not willing to miss even the slightest change in her expression.

But to his extreme disappointment, Shen Meng’s expression was quite blank, and she asked him in return, “Your Highness, what did you just ask me?”

One moment of boldness, one moment of decline, and then exhaustion. Xue Ning regretted asking the question as soon as it left his mouth. When Shen Meng indicated she hadn’t heard clearly, he wasn’t sure if he felt more disappointment or a faint sense of relief.

He shook his head, temporarily shelving the topic, “It’s nothing. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he released his grip on the door frame, and Liang Jue forcefully dragged him out.

Liang Jue strode forward with big steps, pulling Xue Ning along until they reached a secluded corner of the courtyard, where he finally stopped and pushed Xue Ning into the corner, “Let’s have a frank discussion. What exactly did you mean by coming here today?”