Everyone turned their gaze toward the little figures at the door.
Zhou Shiye remained expressionless, as immovable as a mountain. We're adopted. Got a problem with that?
Zhou Sesong: Big Brother, what's with those looks? They're begging for a beating!
Zhou Luming raised a hand to tuck back a stray lock of hair, masking the awkwardness. What are you staring at? Is it so strange that we aren't related by blood? Keep staring and I'll gouge your eyes out!
They had long known they were orphans their father had adopted, but they had never imagined he was still a virgin.
No wonder their father had never touched a woman in the army camp. He had no experience!
Zhou Yunshen's face flushed scarlet with embarrassment.
Twenty-four years old and still untouched-would anyone believe it if word got out?
Zhou Yunshen's face darkened with exasperation.
His father was always teasing him, too. "If you don't find yourself a woman soon, people will laugh at you!"
Zhou Yunshen had planned to let this secret rot in his belly. Once he consummated his marriage, the problem would solve itself. He had never imagined the day would come when someone exposed him.
And in this fashion, no less!
If a crack had opened in the ground, he would have crawled straight into it!
[Who would've thought the archvillain was such a decent man?]
Zhou Yunshen froze, then looked curiously at Jiang Shuyue.
Jiang Shuyue swayed her head, giving him another mental thumbs-up. [Men uglier than him are bigger womanizers, men poorer than him put on bigger airs, and men more spineless than him are more... Looking at it that way, he really is a one-in-a-million catch.]
The unexpected praise left Zhou Yunshen feeling a little buoyant.
That was true. A man as good as him really could be called one in a million.
It seemed his new bride wasn't the uncouth country girl the rumors made her out to be. She had some discernment after all.
Jiang Shuyue was still discussing the qualities of a one-in-a-million man with the system.
Handsome-he was naturally blessed with good looks.
Gold had inherited the title of Marquis of Southern Pacification and was Great Zhou's youngest military commander, with half the empire's troops under his command. He stood below one man and above ten thousand, so naturally, he had plenty of money.
As for faithfulness...
After his previous wedding, he had departed for the battlefield before consummating the marriage. Over all these years, he hadn't touched any women-not even his late wife.
He hadn't even had a chance to stray beyond the garden wall, much less climb over it to steal a taste of forbidden fruit. That counted as faithful enough, right?
Zhou Yunshen nodded in wholehearted agreement.
Exactly. That was him!
Zhou Yunshen's gaze on Jiang Shuyue grew warmer as he considered how generous a red envelope he should give her at their first meeting to do justice to her high opinion of him.
Just then, Li Qiner suddenly dropped to her knees and began crying pitifully.
"I know you don't welcome me, Sister, but I have nowhere left to go. If you cannot tolerate me here, then I can only follow my father into death."
The system cried out noisily, [Here it comes! The first thing she'll do to drive you mad: ruin your reputation on your wedding day and brand you a jealous woman.]
Jiang Shuyue: [Ha! This little green-tea bitch is no good. She thinks she can hurt me with that measly level of cultivation? Today, this grand ancestor will teach her what a real green-tea bitch looks like.]
Li Qiner made a show of preparing to dash her head against the wall.
Jiang Shuyue stepped back a few paces to clear a runway for her, almost gesturing for her to go right ahead.
Li Qiner was stunned.
She had been certain Jiang Shuyue was a country bumpkin who would have to keep her tail tucked between her legs after marrying into the Marquisate of Southern Pacification. That was why she had dared cause such a scene at the wedding-she wanted to put Jiang Shuyue in her place.
But why wasn't this woman following the script?
If she didn't stop her, how was Li Qiner supposed to act out the rest of the scene?
Jiang Shuyue: [Look, System. I haven't even said anything, and the little green-tea bitch is already dumbstruck. Youngsters really are youngsters.]
The system was speechless. [Yes, yes, the grand ancestor of green-tea bitches is the best! But, Grand Ancestor, if you don't play along, your Green Tea Points won't go up.]
Jiang Shuyue: [Almost forgot! Fine, I'll put on a little show with her.]
Jiang Shuyue immediately squeezed out two tears and stepped forward, looking soft and fragile as she took Li Qiner's hand.
"You truly have wronged me, Sister. It's just that you arrived in mourning clothes and suddenly announced you wanted to move in. I hadn't prepared anything. If I failed to look after you properly, wouldn't I be the one at fault?"
Li Qiner pulled her hand away as though it hurt. Without saying a word, she gave Jiang Shuyue a pitiful glance, then looked at Zhou Yunshen as if she were on the verge of tears.
Jiang Shuyue ranted furiously inside her head. [Oh, you little green-tea bitch! Trying to make everyone think I secretly pinched you? I haven't even complained about your ratty clothes chafing my hand!]
Zhou Yunshen walked over to Jiang Shuyue and took her hand to inspect it. "Are you all right?"
Jiang Shuyue blinked. [System, what's going on? The villain isn't following the script. Now I can't use any of my next lines!]
The system sounded helpless. [A man's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea. How would I know? Maybe he was captivated by your beauty-]
Jiang Shuyue wholeheartedly agreed. [Credit where it's due, the archvillain has excellent taste.]
Zhou Yunshen: ...
Never mind. He would take that as a compliment.
Jiang Shuyue took the opportunity to lean against Zhou Yunshen's side, pitifully wiping away two tears. "It's all my fault for being so clumsy. Sister is such a precious young lady. What would I do if I hurt her?"
A precious young lady? An adjutant's entire annual salary couldn't match half a month's income for the Marquisate of Southern Pacification.
At best, Li Qiner barely qualified as a young lady. She was a far cry from a precious daughter of wealth.
As everyone compared Jiang Shuyue with Li Qiner, they increasingly felt that Jiang Shuyue was not only distinctive, but also dignified and beautiful.
The general truly would have to be blind to choose Li Qiner.
Li Qiner began to panic. Her plan had been to saddle Jiang Shuyue with infamy and destroy her reputation, leaving her easy to manipulate and torment from then on.
But why wasn't this woman crying or making a scene? Why was she taking veiled jabs at her instead?
And the general, too-he usually showed her some concern. Why had he changed today?
Li Qiner ground her teeth audibly, glaring fixedly at Jiang Shuyue.
"General, look! I've frightened Sister senseless! It's all my fault. To show my remorse, I'm willing to vacate my courtyard and let her live there."
"I'm also willing to offer up my dowry. Sister may take anything she likes as my apology."
Suppressing the urge to curse, Zhou Yunshen said coldly, "There's no need. She was the one making a fuss about killing herself. You shouldn't have stopped her."
"You're right, General, but she is the orphaned daughter of your benefactor, after all. Wouldn't that be improper?"
"I treated her sincerely as a younger sister, yet she insists on seeking death. Such behavior truly disgraces Adjutant Li."
Frightened, Li Qiner sobbed. "You're right, General. I was foolish and nearly made a terrible mistake. Please punish me."
"You're worrying too much, Sister. The general isn't petty. He won't be angry over something so small. Besides, the Marquis’s Residence has plenty of rooms. It makes no difference where I stay..."
Jiang Shuyue gently looped her arm through Zhou Yunshen's. "If nothing else works, I could even move into the general's room."
The system said helplessly, [A friendly reminder: the archvillain's cherished moonlight is your family's adopted daughter. Getting too close to him won't do you any good.]
Jiang Shuyue scoffed. [I don't care who his cherished moonlight is. I only want his bed!]
[Back at my parents' house, my father gets the best of everything. It must be the same in the Marquisate of Southern Pacification, right? Just imagine waking up every day in a bed that's ten square meters! Pure bliss!]
After considering it, the system found that quite reasonable. [Dreams are beautiful, but what if the villain refuses to leave and insists on sharing your bed?]
Jiang Shuyue stole a look at Zhou Yunshen, a warm, humid itch stirring in her heart.
[That old geezer Heavenly Dao might have lousy character, but his taste is pretty good. I wouldn't exactly be losing out.]
Zhou Yunshen's face remained completely expressionless, but his neck and the tips of his ears had turned red.
In full view of everyone, she was actually thinking about how to devour him down to the last morsel. She was simply... well, straightforward. Extremely straightforward!
The corners of Zhou Yunshen's mouth lifted slightly, but the thought of this supposed cherished moonlight gave him a headache.
Since when had he had a cherished moonlight? Why didn't he know about it?
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