It was October now. When she returned, the moon had already climbed from the willow branches to the roof of the high building, scattering a few stars on the deep blue night sky.

Although the moon was bright, its light was too faint. Without lighting a lamp, it was difficult to see clearly inside the house. Because the study was too dark, Shen Meng pushed open the door where the lights were on in the courtyard.

But as soon as she pushed it open, a strong scent of powder filled the room. The smell made her nose itch, and when she looked closely, she saw a room full of charming young men.

It was a cool night in autumn, and these young men, who were as fresh as green onions, were still wearing thin clothes. Their curves were highlighted, and they looked good, but they seemed cold in the wind.

When they saw Shen Meng coming in, all the young men turned their heads to look at her. These young men were all young and tender, each with their own beauty. Some looked innocent and naive, some were charming like fire, and some had a noble and cold demeanor, like fairies in the mortal world.

Although they were not top-tier beauties, they were still attractive and young. If these beauties were sent to others casually, they would surely be thrilled. Even Shen Meng’s mother would probably only say a few words but eventually accept several of them.

But Shen Meng was not someone who could enjoy such beauty. She only glanced around the room and finally found her husband sitting in the corner.

Normally, Liang Jue was always happy to see her. Even when he was unhappy, he rarely showed it in front of her. But at this moment, he looked gloomy, with a dark aura emanating from him.

Today, Liang Jue was wearing a dark blue shirt, which stood out among the young men who were wearing red, yellow, or white. He was not very old, but unlike these tender young men who dressed brightly, he chose a simple and elegant color. One reason was that he didn’t like flashy colors, and the other was to appear mature and stable, to quickly suppress those below him.

This was similar to how the main wife could wear bright red, while the concubines could only wear pink.

Shen Meng looked at him somewhat dazed. In this world, Liang Jue seemed too lively. Most of the time, his eyebrows and corners of his eyes were filled with a faint smile. Unlike in her previous life, although he often smiled at her, the smile seemed forced.

The smile didn’t reach his eyes, but he still forced a smile, making it seem like he didn’t like her as his wife, but rather disliked her.

Now Liang Jue looked like that again, and for a moment, she felt like she was back in her previous life. But she calmed herself down. Obviously, time had not gone back yet, and Liang Jue was still the same in this life. It’s just that he seemed angry now, and he couldn’t control it.

Shen Meng took a few steps around, bypassing the group of charming young men, and finally walked to Liang Jue’s side. She casually placed the book on the side and asked him softly, “What’s wrong? Are you not happy?”

Liang Jue knew he shouldn’t vent his anger on her. These people were here to annoy him on Shen Li’s behalf, but if he didn’t show his attitude, Shen Meng might really accept them.

No matter how much he liked Shen Meng, he couldn’t accept sharing her emotionally. The more he liked her, the harder it was for him to tolerate her being touched by other men.

He pulled the corners of his mouth, smiling but not really, and said, “What’s wrong? Can’t people be unhappy? If you don’t like my gloomy face, there, those people can make you happy.”

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. He should have been nicer to Shen Meng at this moment. Women like to be coaxed, and she would naturally follow your lead. Being moody would only push her away further. Women liked generous and wise husbands, not jealous ones.

When Shen Meng heard this, she turned to the group of charming young men. Although there weren’t many people, they were definitely not as many as the emperor’s selection of concubines, but the quality was excellent. Each of them had charming eyes and a flirtatious look, making it tempting.

Indeed, women were fickle. Even though Shen Meng was a virtuous lady, facing the various charms here, she couldn’t help but be tempted.

One thing leads to another. Taking in one little attendant was no different from taking in ten thousand for him. Thinking like this, Liang Jue gritted his teeth, and his lips, already red, were almost bitten through. His fingertips slowly curled up, and his smooth, round nails dug into his palm.

Although they were not sharp enough to hurt, Liang Jue still felt the pain. It felt like a hole had been opened in his heart, letting in the cold wind, which was both cold and painful.

Shen Meng’s gaze quickly returned from the charming young men, and speaking with Liang Jue didn’t require too many outsiders present. She spoke up, “Let’s go outside.”

Liang Jue raised his head incredulously, looking at her. Apparently, he didn’t expect her to be so heartless. He was still her rightful husband. Even if he hadn’t truly entered yet, even if there were really others in the courtyard, he could still control the situation. But she, unexpectedly, just said a few words and wanted to drive him out.

Shen Meng saw his expression and knew that he had misunderstood. Liang Jue was good, but his mind was too sensitive, making it easy for him to be confused in dealing with her.

But that was not a bad thing. She reached out her hand, “It’s not what you think. Let’s go out for a walk if you don’t like this room.”

With so many people in the house and the strong scent of powder, her nose was itching. Walking in the garden might help clear her mind.

She reached out and grabbed Liang Jue’s sleeve, forcefully opening his clenched hand with her fingers, interlocking their fingers tightly, and pulling Liang Jue out of the chair.

Although Liang Jue was angry, he didn’t resist unexpectedly and was pulled up very well. Perhaps he had been sitting for too long, his legs were numb, and when he stood up, his steps were a bit unsteady, almost falling into Shen Meng’s arms.

But in front of these servants, he quickly stood up straight. No matter what, he couldn’t afford to make a fool of himself in front of others and let outsiders laugh at him.

Shen Meng pulled him out, leaving behind the group of charming young men with longing gazes. When the mistress didn’t speak, the servants didn’t dare to move around casually, and the two of them could have a moment of peace outside.

Liang Jue exuded a gloomy atmosphere, like dark clouds covering his face, as if it could rain at any moment. Shen Meng used her fingertips to gently wipe away the tears that appeared in his eyes because of his inability to control his sadness, “What’s wrong? Why are you so unhappy?”

Liang Jue held his breath, trying to make his breath normal, “Those people inside are the fathers of your future children. If you want me to leave, why don’t you stay with them?”

After saying this, he tried to break free from Shen Meng’s hand with force. Shen Meng didn’t use much strength, she was just holding it lightly, and he didn’t need to exert any force. But when he really tried to break free, Shen Meng used a little force, making it even tighter than before.

“Let go.”

Shen Meng said, “Why should I let go of the hand I grabbed with my own ability?” Why should she let go of her own husband?

Liang Jue’s heart was still soaking in vinegar, “With so many hands to hold you, you can hold them.”

This sentence was said, and there were signs of him pulling his hand away: “Then I’ll really leave.”

He hurriedly grabbed the slightly dry but warm hand, “I said you can leave if you want to leave, but why don’t you listen to me when I ask you to do something else.”

He was already very sad, and she was still bullying him. Indeed, all women were bad.

Shen Meng lowered her head slightly, with a gentle ripple in her eyes, “Look at you, clearly you don’t want me to leave, so why are you so unforgiving?”

Liang Jue snorted, “Who’s unforgiving? Your cheap father today is not forgiving me nicely. He even kindly found so many charming beauties for you. Each one is so lovely. I feel very happy just looking at them.”

“Don’t blame me, what use do I have for so many people? We don’t lack kitchen servants or other servants in our courtyard. If you find them annoying, just send them back where they came from.”

Although there were no lack of servants to do chores, there was a shortage of warm bed companions. But since Shen Meng had said so, he naturally wouldn’t make himself uncomfortable.

But knowing people’s bad tendencies, he asked Shen Meng, “What do you really think? Do you find their looks mediocre?”

Having seen many beautiful people, Liang Jue had seen all kinds of beautiful women. The ones Shen Li brought were indeed not bad, but they were far from being compared to real beauties.

Shen Meng said impatiently, “Do you see me as such a person in your heart?”

Liang Jue shook his head blankly, “I don’t know.”

He really didn’t know. Although after marrying her, Shen Meng had always been nice to him, so nice that he always wanted more. But he also felt that he wasn’t as important to Shen Meng as her other official duties.

It was because Shen Meng’s attitude towards him felt so unreal that he always had doubts.

Shen Meng’s expression changed subtly, but Liang Jue had his head down at this moment and couldn’t see her expression change.

After a moment of silence, she placed her hand on Liang Jue’s soft hair, “I promise you, there will only be one person by my side from beginning to end.”

Although she might be a little moved, for now, she couldn’t give Liang Jue more of what he wanted. But she could promise him this. After all, in the last life, there was only one person by her side from beginning to end, just that the person changed later on.

Liang Jue raised his head again to look at her. He liked Shen Meng’s eyes the most, black and deep, seemingly bottomless, with a hint of illusionary affection.

His eyes sparkled as he asked her, “Really just me? Forever?”

He deliberately emphasized the “just me,” as if grasping at the loophole in her words. Shen Meng fell silent for a moment, seeming to be seriously considering it. Under Liang Jue’s anxious and uneasy gaze, she finally said the first sentence after the silence, “Forever is too long, I can’t afford it.”

An extremely disappointed expression immediately appeared on Liang Jue’s face, without any attempt to conceal it. He knew it would be like this, and the other party’s words just now were just to comfort him.

Shen Meng lowered her head slightly, wiping away the tears that appeared in Liang Jue’s eyes due to his inability to control his sadness, “But… the time in this life is not that long. This, I can promise you.”