From CEO to Concubine

Yan Zheyun placed the wooden tub down on the table in his hut and reached into the folds of his tunic to retrieve Young Master Huang's handkerchief. He'd washed it multiple times but he could still see the dark splotches on the silk fabric that were his bloodstains. He wished Young Master Huang hadn't used it to bandage his wound, so he could have an unblemished version.

But then again, if Young Master Huang hadn't, then Yan Zheyun wouldn't have the handkerchief in the first place. He still remembered their first meeting in Meiyue Tower. Young Master Huang had been about to offer Yan Zheyun a handkerchief for his unfortunate nosebleed but then changed his mind and asked his servant to do so instead…

Young Master Huang.

Yan Zheyun pinched his nose bridge and sighed. Ever since that fateful carriage ride, he'd caught his thoughts wandering back to the man on more than one occasion. This was a bad sign because Yan Zheyun knew he couldn't afford to get distracted when he was still in a precarious position. But he seemed unable to control his mind.

This was ridiculous. He was mooning over a handkerchief like a teenage girl. No, it was worse. He was behaving like an ancient teenage girl. Because modern teenage girls like his little sister didn't cling to dirty handkerchiefs, of all things, for remembrance.

He debated throwing it away but ended up putting it in the wooden tub anyway, for another round of cleaning. This time, he didn't use water. He'd gone to Matron Wang to ask her for advice about removing stains in clothes. And the curious long look she'd given him had been excruciating but worth it in the end. She'd handed him a vial of plant ash and crushed seashells, telling him to try this instead.

Yan Zheyun was sceptical but he didn't have a better idea. But it probably wasn't pure gibberish, right? Like, if Matron Wang swore by it, then there had to be some sort of chemical reaction responsible for it, Yan Zheyun was just too many years past high school science classes to be able to figure it out.

He was just about to pour the powder out when he heard a commotion outside in the stable yard. It sounded like a woman, her voice getting louder and more agitated as she shouted.

Yan Zheyun's mouth flattened into a thin line. It was rare for the women of the household to leave the main compound and when they did, it certainly wasn't to visit the smelly horses. He headed over to the window, careful to remain silent as he tilted it open and to peer out through a crack.

A group of maids surrounded Xiao Ma, who knelt on the dirt in front of an elegantly dressed young lady. Yan Zheyun had never seen her before so he could only assume that she was General Guo's daughter, the newest addition to the household. A handmaid supported her by an arm but it didn't look like this new young madam required her assistance. She stared down at Xiao Ma in an imperious manner, while stroking the nose of the beautiful mare next to her.

Even from this distance, Yan Zheyun could see the livid red mark on Xiao Ma's face, in the shape of a hand-print. He contemplated letting Xiao Ma handle it alone, not so much for retribution as for self-preservation. But after guessing the girl's identity, Yan Zheyun had the feeling that she wouldn't drop this matter until he showed up.

…how come the protagonist halo that other main characters had were all benefits but the one Yan Zheyun inherited from this host body was so…troublesome? The only halo he seemed to have was useless in that all it could do was attract creeps and jealousy.

[Yan Yun ah, you've made life difficult for Big Brother…]

The yelling in the yard was even more furious now. Yan Zheyun stepped out of the hut.

"This servant pays his respects to the Young Madam," he murmured. "May this servant know what the problem is?"

Xiao Ma's head whipped up in disbelief, but Yan Zheyun didn't manage to catch more than a glimpse of his face before the handmaid delivered another harsh slap to his cheek, forcing him to stay still and keep his gaze down.

Yan Zheyun walked up to Xiao Ma before standing by his side. He kept his head bowed low but didn't get on his knees.

"You're the other stable boy?" Young Madam Guo asked. Her voice was cold and she fiddled with the whip in her hands contemplatively.

"In response to Young Madam, this servant is."

"Yan Yun?" she asked again.

"Yes, Young Madam."

There was nothing to fault with Yan Zheyun's mannerisms but he knew that she would find something to nitpick on anyway. Sure enough, Young Madam Guo let out a scornful laugh.

"This young madam thought that the Wu Household's standing as one of the 6 old noble clans meant that their servants would be trained to impeccable standards." She stepped forward, the delicate embroidery of her silk shoes coming into Yan Zheyun's line of sight. "But what's this I've discovered? I left my lovely Red Dream in your hands, trusting that she would be well cared for. Do you know what breed she is?! She's a precious blood sweat horse, a Ferghana! She was gifted to my father by the emperor himself! Do you know what will happen to you if I tell my father that you've ill-treated the emperor's present?!"

Till now, Yan Zheyun still didn't know what sort of horrendous torture Xiao Ma must have put this poor Red Dream through for her owner to be kicking up such a fuss. But he knew that defending himself would be futile.

"This humble servant begs for forgiveness," he said perfunctorily, already so used to apologising when it wasn't his fault that it didn't even appal him anymore. "If it pleases Young Madam, this servant would be able to cater to the needs of your…noble steed better if you allowed this servant to consult with Red Dream's old caretaker."

Like whenever he'd come across a difficult deal, Yan Zheyun had tried to cater to the issue and rationally solve the problem. But this Young Madam Guo wasn't a fussy business client, unfortunately. Instead of ameliorating her anger, Yan Zheyun's words riled her up even further.

"You want me to let my father's stable boy teach you how to do your job?!"

[No, I want you to fuck off.]

Yan Zheyun forced his annoyed retort back down and quietly let her vent her rage.

Her handmaid let out a cold laugh. "Young Madam," she said, in a falsely sweet voice. "We can't blame him for not knowing how to properly carry out the duties of a stable boy, this servant heard that he used to be Young Master's manservant. I bet he doesn't even know how to ride horses."

Young Madam Guo sneered. "Not horses maybe, but this young madam has heard that he's excellent at riding men."

Ah, he'd guessed right. This was what all this nonsense was about.

"Get on your knees."

Yan Zheyun obeyed. He could see Xiao Ma trembling in his periphery but he didn't know whether it was from fear or anger. He just hoped that kid didn't suddenly lose control over his emotions and get them both into a worse mess. This was the kind of trouble that even the stable master wouldn't be able to bail them out of. Young Madam Guo's horse was just an excuse, her real intention today was to make Yan Zheyun's life hell and Xiao Ma was collateral damage. Again.

The helplessness made Yan Zheyun want to throw his hands up and surrender. Sure, he refused to forgive Xiao Ma for his betrayal but at the end of the day, he should be the one asking Xiao Ma for forgiveness. If it weren't for Yan Zheyun, the old stable master and this foster son of his would have had an uneventful life. But now they were both targets of Yan Zheyun's enemies, just because Yan Zheyun had gotten close to them.

The problem was, how could Yan Zheyun extricate himself? How could he leave the Wu Estate?

"I see you still don't know what you've done wrong," Young Madam Guo said.

"This servant humbly begs his mistress to explain."

"Explain? Did you crawl into your master's bed with this very same shamelessness?" Scoffing, she gestured for her maids to take over. "Slap him until this lesson is ingrained into his thick skin."

The closest girl reached out and seized Yan Zheyun by the jaw, forcing him to tilt his chin up. He saw the moment Young Madam Guo's gaze landed on his face, her eyes widening in incredulity before filling with ugly envy.

"Fox demon," she spat, hot fury coursing like lava through her body, robbing her of what was left of her good senses, when she saw Yan Zheyun's lips curve up mockingly. "Hit him harder! Today this young madam will make him regret being born."

Despite the pain of the blows on his cheeks, Yan Zheyun could only feel a sense of victory. This silly young madam was too spoiled by her general father. She might have the decorum of a noble lady but she was lacking in the wiles because she had been too protected.

She thought Yan Zheyun was mocking her? No, he was smiling because he'd caught sight of Wu Bin, standing a distance away, observing them.

Two days into the marriage and already this new wife of the big young master was acting up in broad daylight. The stables might not be the most public venue in the estate but there were servants from supplies shops and other messengers coming by. Young Madam Guo's infuriated tantrum wasn't just dishonouring the Wu Family's name, it was also a complete disregard for her husband's authority. If she'd been smarter, she would have reported the incident to Liang Hui. But lucky for Yan Zheyun, she wasn't smarter.

[So sorry, little girl. But you're too easy to goad.]

Yan Zheyun was also betting. He was counting on Wu Bin not being able to let go of his superficial attraction towards Yan Yun's face. He might have been angry at Yan Zheyun for refusing to succumb and also disappointed that Yan Zheyun was avoiding his advances. But he wouldn't let anyone touch or harm Yan Zheyun without his permission and that included his convenient wife.

Yan Zheyun had known a long time ago that Wu Bin was a control freak. This wouldn't be the first time he exploited it and he suspected it wouldn't be the last either.

His smile widened. Wu Bin was too far to see it clearly but Young Madam Guo caught the full force of his pleased, unrepentant grin.

"Young Madam, this servant thinks you're mistaken," he drawled, purposely keeping his voice low so Wu Bin wouldn't hear his exact words. "You really ought to go back to your husband and ask him why he's shameless enough to crawl into this servant's bed."

Something snapped in Young Madam Guo's brain. All she knew was that she wanted to tear that smug look off this wretched slave's face. Ruin the flawless visage that even made her, a woman, feel ashamed. Maybe once she scarred him for good, her husband would stop thinking about this Yan Yun—

She lifted her whip.

"Stop!" A strong hand snatched at her wrist, yanking her so violently away from Yan Zheyun that she stumbled and sprawled to the ground. With a panicked cry of, "Young Mistress!", Young Madam Guo's maids scrambled to help her up but faltered when Wu Bin shot them a look so murderous they didn't dare to move.

"The daughter of General Guo, behaving like a haggling fishmonger's wife! Are you trying to embarrass the entire Wu Household in front of the capital?!"

Frustrated tears welled up in Young Madam Guo's eyes. Yan Zheyun met her vicious glare and lowered his gaze, eyelashes fluttering as he frowned with unease. He knew Wu Bin's heart would melt at this blatant display of weakness, just as he knew it would rankle Wu Bin's wife. But was it his fault that they wanted to drag him into their argument? He wasn't the homewrecker everyone accused him of being but no one believed that.

"You're scolding me for that slut?!" Young Madam Guo wailed, a far cry from the elegant lady she'd been just mere minutes ago. "Husband, have you confused us for each other?! I'm the one that's your wife!"

Husband. She bit out the words like she wanted to chew Wu Bin's head off for the insult that he'd dealt her today. Just like that, Yan Zheyun knew that there would be no future marital bliss in Wu Bin's residences.

Wu Bin brushed her off impatiently. "It's because you're my wife that I must lecture you," he said sternly. "Your behaviour is unseemly—"

"Why is it unseemly for a mistress to punish a slave?!"

"What young madam would carry out the punishment herself? And with such viciousness too—"

"Young Master, Young Madam." Yan Zheyun's voice washed over them like spring water from the mountains. It was as pleasant to the ears as always, much like the trickling song of a stream, but with an undeniable coldness.

All eyes landed on him.

"If there is nothing else, could this servant and Xiao Ma be excused? We have afternoon duties to attend to."