38: Chapter 38 Absence Makes the Heart Blossom

More than ten days later, Meng Li rushed back to Meng Family Village as quickly as he could.

Jiang Yuyan received the news and hurried out to welcome him: "Young Master, you're back."

Meng Li returned a smile: "I'm back."

Seeing him travel-worn and weary, Jiang Yuyan smiled and said, "I just sent someone to boil water. Young Master can bathe and change after a short rest."

"Good."

Meng Li gave a soft response and walked inside with her.

After he finished bathing, Jiang Yuyan brought over clean and comfortable casual clothes and personally helped him put them on.

Once dressed, Meng Li reached out, picked her up, and gave her a gentle bounce, laughing, "Your body is a bit heavier than before I left."

Next, he reached out to carefully measure the two places where she should be plump, then raised an eyebrow and said, "The size hasn't changed though."

Jiang Yuyan's pretty face flushed slightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face against his, and whispered breathily, "Because I didn't have Young Master's help. Even if I obediently eat more, it's hard for them to grow in the right places."

"And didn't Young Master say that as long as the top is a bit larger than a handful, it's enough?"

As she spoke, she took Meng Li's hand to measure again, looking down to compare: "I think it looks about the same."

Meng Li inwardly called her a little vixen, then raised his hand to tilt her chin up and gave her a deep, passionate kiss.

Jiang Yuyan's eyes curved into crescents as she responded enthusiastically.

She had long since given her heart to Meng Li, and after more than two years together, her feelings had grown even deeper. Although their bodies hadn't broken through the final line of defense, only that last stronghold remained. Now, after being apart for nearly two months, absence truly made the heart grow fonder. They missed each other dearly, and once sparked, it was like heavenly thunder meeting a raging fire.

Just as the two were about to take it a step further, they were interrupted by a maid reporting through the door.

"Young Master, Miss Tie is here and is waiting in the front hall."

Meng Li snapped back to his senses, his movements pausing.

Jiang Yuyan felt as if she had been doused with cold water and stopped as well.

"Understood, I'll be there right away," Meng Li replied, sending the maid away. Seeing Jiang Yuyan pouting, he couldn't help but lean down to kiss her, then looked into her sparkling eyes and smiled, "Don't be angry. I'm not happy about being interrupted either, but it's broad daylight; the timing really isn't right."

"We'll continue tonight."

"I'm going to see Xinlan. Tidy up your clothes."

"Okay," Jiang Yuyan agreed softly.

She was indeed angry at first, but what Meng Li said made sense. They had been too impatient; it wasn't even nightfall yet.

As for Tie Xinlan...

After more than two years of interaction, Jiang Yuyan knew the other woman was a good person, and because of Meng Li, the two had a decent relationship. They weren't exactly like sisters—after all, to some extent, they were still romantic rivals—but Jiang Yuyan wouldn't harbor the jealousy and malice toward Tie Xinlan that she did in the original story.

First, she hadn't turned villainous.

In fact, because her mother Xiao Baiyan was still around and due to Meng Li's influence, she was actually quite pure-hearted.

Second, she didn't suffer from unrequited love for Meng Li.

Third, Tie Xinlan treated her very well.

Seeing Meng Li go to meet her now, Jiang Yuyan felt a bit jealous, but when she saw her own disheveled clothes, that bit of jealousy quickly dissipated. She thought to herself that while Tie Xinlan might be the future Primary Wife, she herself had already gotten far ahead in terms of physical intimacy with Meng Li.

In this regard, she was bound to be more favored by him.

Thus, she could be considered to have won this round.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuyan's mood turned from cloudy to sunny, and she began to carefully tidy her clothes.

...

On the other side, Meng Li arrived at the front hall and saw Tie Xinlan.

She was wearing a blue dress, her hair braided and tied in a bundle that draped over her left side, adorned with several feathers with gradient colors.

Overall, it was a bit of a mix between ancient and modern styles, looking slightly flashy.

But on Tie Xinlan, it gave off a unique kind of beauty.

Meng Li couldn't help but marvel that her face, which was gradually maturing and showing hints of a fox-like charm, was truly stunning.

At the same time, he thought of the Costumes and Props in the original drama, where the styles were very inconsistent.

Especially when comparing the villains to the protagonist group, the sense of disconnect was even heavier.

Liu Xi, Jiang Biehe, and the others were normal, wearing proper ancient robes that made it clear they lived in ancient times.

But when it came to the protagonist group...

To look cool and handsome, Hua Wuchuan wore white clothes and pants, and even had his hair dyed white.

Xiao Yuer's hairstyle was a direct cosplay of Ultraseven, and his early outfits were far too modern.

Most of the time, Tie Xinlan's clothes featured a large V-neck that exposed her shoulders.

Every single one of them was just... incredible!

In this life, after Tie Xinlan grew up, whether out of habit or some other reason, she also wanted to dress like that.

When Meng Li saw this, he immediately nipped that tendency in the bud.

What kind of joke was that? How could he let his woman show her shoulders to others? Not to mention that due to his influence, Tie Xinlan's growth in certain areas had changed, and she was no longer as plain as in the original story.

At this moment, Tie Xinlan saw him and hurried over to look him over.

After confirming he wasn't injured, she relaxed, then asked with an angry face, "Didn't you go after my father?"

"Why did you come back so much later than him? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

As she spoke, a layer of mist appeared in her sparkling fox-like eyes, making her look pitiable and lovely.

Seeing this, Meng Li's heart softened instantly. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, saying gently, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have made you worry. It won't happen again."

Tie Xinlan raised her hand and gave his chest a light thump: "There better not be a next time, or else..."

Mid-sentence, she seemed to sense something. She buried her head in his chest and sniffed carefully, then said suspiciously, "You have the scent of another woman on you. Yu Yan's?"

"What did you do with her?"

Meng Li: "..."

Is a woman's nose really that sharp?

He had specifically stood in the wind for a while before coming in, and she could still smell it?

Feeling helpless inside, he said, "Nothing much. Like you, she was very worried about me. So, I also held her to comfort her for a bit."

"Really?"

Meng Li nodded: "Really."

Tie Xinlan stared at him for a few seconds. Seeing no flaws, she withdrew her gaze and leaned into his embrace, whispering, "Actually, even if you did something with her, I wouldn't blame you. After all, she is your Personal Maid; it's her duty to serve you."

"Really?"

"You really did do something else with her!" Tie Xinlan's face changed in a second, and she began to use her innate talent.

"Hiss, it hurts! Pinch lighter."

"I won't!"

"Stop it!"

"I won't stop!"

"If you don't stop, I'm running away!"

"Don't you run!"

...

After a bout of playful chasing, the two arrived at Meng Li's study.

Meng Li brushed his sleeve to close the door and instantly subdued the "fierce" Tie Xinlan.

"Mmm..."

After a long time, their lips parted.

Tie Xinlan pinched the flesh at Meng Li's waist and complained, "I knew you were up to no good."

Meng Li smiled and said, "How can this be 'up to no good'? This is clearly 'the husband leads and the wife follows.'"

Tie Xinlan rolled her eyes at him but didn't refute it.

Because she had entered the situation willingly, and not only did they love each other, but they were also about to be married. It wasn't wrong to say the husband leads and the wife follows.

Then, Tie Xinlan set aside her playful thoughts and got down to business: "Tell me, what exactly happened? Weren't you going to catch up with my father? Why did you come back so much later than him? And as soon as my father returned, he said he wanted to take us into seclusion for a while."

"Take us into seclusion for a while?"

"What did my father-in-law say?"

...