A Public Humiliation

"Thump... thump, thump..."

Xiao Muzhi felt his heart skip half a beat, then race wildly. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead, and his mind seemed to stop working. He was at a loss, as motionless as a figure made of clay or carved from wood!!

Xiao Yiliu's face darkened in an instant. She could hardly believe her eyes and drew a sharp breath...

"All right, Qing'er? We won't part."

"I'll do anything you ask of me, all right?"

Bai Mo coaxed him softly, cupping Xiao Muzhi's face and pressing her body a little closer before giving him another fierce kiss.

Xiao Yiliu immediately came to her senses and moved forward to stop Bai Mo.

To her utter astonishment, her little brother held out a hand and stopped her two paces away.

"Little brother, you... you two..."

Just then, they arrived at the Residence of the Earl Who Protects the State. Xiao Yiliu's carriage had only just stopped, before any of them could react.

"Oh? Isn't that the Xiao family's carriage? Did they hear Elder Xiao was dining at the residence and come to snatch her away?"

"Haha, Uncle Fu, go and welcome them."

Bai Jingyao and Bai Peilan were waiting at the residence gates for Tang Xin and Elder Xiao. They were just about to send Lichun and Lixia to find Bai Mo and bring her home for the meal when they saw two carriages pull up one after the other, one of them Tang Xin's. Recognizing the other as the Xiao family's carriage, they called out a greeting.

When Xiao Yiliu's maid saw Elder Xiao arrive, she hurriedly lifted the carriage curtain to tell her mistress.

The moment she lifted the curtain...

⊙∀⊙!

The maid was stunned. Bai Jingyao was stunned. Tang Xin was stunned. Elder Xiao was stunned. Bai Peilan was stunned. Uncle Fu was stunned...

Inside the carriage, Xiao Yiliu was completely dumbstruck!

Xiao Muzhi hurriedly turned his face aside and tried to push Bai Mo away, but she held him tightly, and he couldn't break free. He was so ashamed he wished the ground would swallow him up.

The maid hurriedly lowered the curtain, thinking, It's over...

The masters were doing that in the carriage... and didn't give me any warning. Wh-what am I supposed to do now???

Xiao Muzhi was both angry and embarrassed. "Eldest sister, aren't you going to help her off me?"

After Bai Mo's kiss just now, he hadn't known how to react. Hearing her call Shen Qing's name over and over had left his heart heavy and bitter. Xiao Muzhi knew he was done for.

Love: one knew not where it began, what it cherished, how it came together, or how it could be undone.

Xiao Yiliu hurriedly pulled Bai Mo away and settled her on the seat. She knew things were bad too, and had no idea how she would explain this to Grandmother in a moment.

Xiao Muzhi turned sideways and straightened the front of his clothes. He touched his lips and could only steady himself.

Outside the carriage, everyone looked at one another.

Elder Xiao's face was grim. She was about to lose her temper when she saw her granddaughter help the thoroughly drunk Bai Mo out of the carriage.

Seeing the state her niece was in, Bai Jingyao knew there would be serious trouble. He hurriedly instructed the two maids, "Lichun, Lixia, hurry and help your young mistress back to her room."

"Yes."

Seeing that her teacher's expression was growing worse by the moment, Tang Xin hurried to soothe her. "Teacher, please don't be angry yet. Let's go inside and talk."

"Yes, Elder Xiao, please don't be angry. My unfilial daughter has behaved outrageously. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Let's go inside and talk."

After a flurry of commotion, everyone finally entered the courtyard.

Bai Mo kept muttering under her breath, but no one except the two maids could hear her.

"Hurry and help your young mistress back to her room. Go make some sobering soup."

Bai Peilan glared fiercely at her daughter, then glanced up at Elder Xiao and Xiao Muzhi, feeling deeply ashamed.

Bai Mo was so drunk that she could only let Lichun carry her back to her courtyard on her back.

Everyone followed Bai Jingyao into the main hall.

After they sat down, silence fell. No one spoke first.

Elder Xiao's face was full of anger. With a trembling hand, she pointed at Xiao Muzhi. "Muzhi, tell us yourself. What is going on between you and Bai Mo?"

Everyone looked at Xiao Muzhi. His lips were unusually red, and there was a bite mark on his lower lip.

"Grandmother, eldest miss Bai was drunk, so..."

At that moment, Xiao Muzhi wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Seeing how mortified her little brother was, Xiao Yiliu had no choice but to rise and stand in front of him. Hesitantly, she recounted everything she had learned that day.

"What did you say? This is utterly outrageous! That young gentleman from the Grand Preceptor's Residence threatened his own life rather than marry my daughter?"

Bai Peilan slapped the table and rose to her feet, her face blazing with anger.

"Why are you shouting? What good will shouting do? Sit down."

Looking at his foolish younger sister, who doted on her daughter yet was so stupid, Bai Jingyao felt helpless.

"Younger sister Bai was both upset and worried, so she drank too much. She felt terribly conflicted. For one thing, my grandmother is advanced in years and traveled such a long way to come here.

"For another, she felt she had let you and uncle down, auntie. She thought the marriage proposal was hopeless, and after all your running around, your joy would come to nothing. She felt very guilty."

A pained look crossed Bai Peilan's face. "That silly child."

Bai Jingyao thought the young master of the Shen family had handled things very badly. To change his mind at the last moment, at such a crucial juncture?

Momo had insisted again and again that their feelings were mutual, and he had never doubted her. He had been careless.

Seeing the oppressive mood in the hall, Tang Xin hurriedly spoke up to comfort them. "Teacher, Peilan, A-Yao, don't look so troubled. Marriage has always been a matter of the parents' command and the matchmaker's word. Since the Shen family looks down on our Bai family, let's simply consider this proposal unsuccessful."

Tang Xin turned and gave Bai Jingyao's hand a reassuring tug, her eyes full of comfort.

"Since the young man is unwilling, A-Yao, talk Momo around. Why should a great woman worry about having no husband? We haven't even visited them yet, so at least we've saved face. I think we should let the matter drop now."

Bai Peilan looked utterly dejected. "What else can we do? I can only say that I've failed as a mother, letting my daughter be rejected like this. Eldest sister-in-law, I can't accept it."

Bai Jingyao had always been strong-willed and clearheaded, unlike his younger sister, who wallowed in self-pity.

"What good does blaming yourself do? Put away that pitiful act. Let's talk about Momo and young master Xiao now."

Hearing her elder brother scold her again, Bai Peilan hadn't quite caught up and blurted out, "Huh? What about Momo and young master Xiao?"

Elder Xiao sat at the head of the hall, her face icy.

Bai Jingyao was truly furious at her for being so hopeless. Idiot.

"Momo and young master Xiao have been physically intimate in full view of everyone. Elder Xiao, how do you think this should be handled?"

It suddenly dawned on Bai Peilan. This...

Not only had they made Elder Xiao travel all the way from Ru'an Commandery, but Bai Mo had also taken advantage of young master Xiao. This...

Elder Xiao looked at Xiao Muzhi, her heart aching for him. She had never married. Of all her younger sister's grandchildren, this precious grandson was the closest to her. She had raised him herself, and he was an exceptionally good-natured child. She did not want him to suffer.

She had thought Bai Mo was a good match too, but anyone with eyes could see that this had only happened because Bai Mo was drunk.

She sighed and asked, "Muzhi, what do you think?"

Xiao Muzhi gently bit his lower lip. He didn't know how to answer. He knew very well that Bai Mo had no romantic feelings for him and had taken him for someone else just now. But he didn't want to refuse. He was now certain of his own feelings, and he wanted to fight for a chance.

Xiao Muzhi slowly rose, his eyes sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Elder Xiao. "Grandmother," he said firmly, "I don't consider myself any worse than young master Shen. If eldest miss Bai is willing, I'm willing to marry her."