302: Knowledgeable Older Brother

There was a saying in China that went, ‘a married daughter is like water that has been spilled’. However, this sentence was not applicable in every country or to every family.

Mary was Duke Auston’s only daughter and had been doted on since childhood. Although she was being married to another family, in his heart, Duke Auston was very reluctant to actually let his daughter go. So, before Mary and Fitch got married, Duke Auston bought them a villa near his own mansion.

The Chu Yifeng trio were led by the servants to the living room of Duke Auston’s mansion. As soon as they entered, they could see Fitch and Mary already sitting on the sofa in the living room, though yesterday should have been their wedding night and today, their honeymoon. When they saw guests coming, they both politely stood. Fitch seemed a little surprised, and glanced at his wife.

Duke Auston quickly came downstairs. As long as Emily was there, he would never leave people waiting for over five minutes.

The two didn't mention last night’s display of irresistible affection. Emily hadn’t really been that drunk. In terms of alcohol intake, she was afraid that even Duke Auston couldn’t compare to her. Even Duke Auston had known this since long ago.

"No wonder you shouted for me to get out of bed early this morning. You said you wanted to go and visit your father, but this is the real reason," Fitch said lowly in Mary's ear.

Mary ignored Fitch, her expression remaining the same. However, she continued to look towards Chu Yifeng, who was opposite her, and occasionally glanced at Wang Cheng beside him. It was unknown what she was thinking.

When he saw this, Fitch angrily laughed. "Mary, have you forgotten that you’re married? Your eyes shouldn't be on anyone other than your husband. And I want to remind you, not only was this man never yours, but he already has a partner."

The last sentence caused Mary to react a little. Her deep eyes finally fell on the man who had just become her legal husband, and a mocking smile appeared on the corner of her lips.

“We can still get divorced now that we’re married. Not to mention, those two are just lovers.”

The two of them might have thought that no one could hear their conversation, but Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng, who were sitting opposite them, could understand the gist of what they were saying. Fitch’s reaction was quite normal. Mary, on the other hand, was acting rather strange. First of all, Fitch was the heir of the Rohr family, and secondly, he was her husband. She didn't seem to be considering these two points as she spoke. Wang Cheng was not surprised when Fitch’s expression worsened and Fitch began to glare at the innocent Chu Yifeng.

Nearby, Mama Emily and Duke Auston had begun to embrace each other and kiss, completely ignoring their situation. After a while, Duke Auston invited them to stay for lunch, and Emily agreed for the three of them.

British food has always been known as ‘dark cuisine’, even Wang Cheng knew this. However, there was obviously no dark cuisine present on Duke Auston’s table. Apparently, the chef that was specially invited by the mansion was the brother-in-law of Chef Rein, who was at the Eimer house. He was also quite powerful when it came to culinary arts.

The group of people sat at the table. All kinds of rich dishes were already placed on the table, prepared for the six of them to eat.

"I heard that some Brits don't consider lunch a proper meal." Wang Cheng sat with Chu Yifeng to his left and Mama Emily to his right. Mary and Fitch sat opposite them. After checking that no one was looking over in their direction, he whispered this to Chu Yifeng.

"It should’ve been prepared by Duke Auston in consideration of my mother."

"Duke Auston is so kind to Mama Emily," Wang Cheng said while enjoying the food. It tasted completely different from Chef Rein’s food, but it was quite delicious. "Pour me some of that sauce."

"No matter how good he is, they can't be together." Chu Yifeng glanced at the two elders who were chatting happily, picked up the sauce that Wang Cheng wanted, and poured a little on his plate. "Is this enough?"

Wang Cheng looked down, "Pour a little more."

Chu Yifeng poured some more.

The only married couple at the table seemed to be separated by a ravine, quite unlike the warm atmosphere between the other two couples. They each minded their own business, not even speaking a word to each other. They made this lunch, which was supposed to be a particularly happy one, seem particularly cold and hard.

Duke Auston didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with this. Perhaps that was because he himself had a similar business-minded marriage. The husband and wife were respectful to each other from the very beginning, but without feelings, there was naturally no passion.

After lunch, Duke Auston accompanied Emily for a walk in the garden.

When Wang Cheng realized that only the four of them were left in the living room, with Fitch and Mary sharing a sofa but sitting completely separately, he asked Chu Yifeng to also accompany him for a walk.

Duke Auston's backyard was very large, and featured a walkway formed by lines of trees behind it, creating a maze-like formation. In the hottest times of the summer, walking in the garden allowed one to relish the cool of the greenery. Duke Auston and Mama Emily were nowhere to be seen.

"It's nice, but it’s a little too big."

If Wang Cheng was alone, he would definitely get lost.

Chu Yifeng was walking right behind him, and suddenly asked, "Would you like to see what the scenery is like from above?"

Wang Cheng wondered, "How can I see it from above?" The trees surrounding them were over two meters high. Unless someone climbed up the trees, they wouldn’t be able to see over them.

Chu Yifeng didn't say anything, but directly expressed his meaning with action. Chu Yifeng bent down and picked Wang Cheng up, startling him into kicking his legs and hugging Chu Yifeng’s head. When Wang Cheng looked from above, all he could see was endless green. The trees were neatly trimmed and maintained by gardeners, for several thousand square meters. If he was able to see from a little higher, the scene might be more spectacular.

"Okay, okay, let me down." Wang Cheng considered how much he weighed and figured Chu Yifeng wouldn’t be able to hold on for too long.

Chu Yifeng complied and put him down.

"Have you walked through the whole maze?" Wang Cheng asked.

"No. The first time I came, I was in my teens and left soon after coming. I didn't stay for too long." As a child, Chu Yifeng hadn’t liked Mary, so when Emily wanted to bring him along with her, he refused.

Wang Cheng put his arm around Chu Yifeng’s shoulders and said with a smile: "Then how about we have a competition to see who makes it out of this maze first?"

Chu Yifeng pulled his hand down from his shoulders, and put his own arm around Wang Cheng’s waist instead. He looked at the road that had an end in front of him, and laughed: "You cheater, you just saw the scenery so you know more about the directions of the maze.”

Wang Cheng tsked and and poked Chu Yifeng’s face with his finger. "At just that height, how much could I see? I was barely able to see the neighbor’s property. The tops of the trees almost looked like a flat lawn from my line of sight. It's your first time, and it’s also my first time. Do you still not dare to play?”

"Is this how you plan on provoking me? Come at me then." Chu Yifeng suddenly became arrogant.

Wang Cheng patted his shoulder, laughed, and said, "Then I'll go first."

After a moment, he disappeared without a trace. Since it was a maze, there was only one right exit. However, there were many forks. As long as the two chose different directions on the first fork, things would get much more complicated later on. The chances weren’t high that they would run into each other again.

After walking for a while, Wang Cheng found that he was lost. He jumped up, but he wasn’t able to see much from his line of sight. He could only continue to wander around. Unexpectedly, he came across Mary, the one person he didn't want to see right now. However, the mansion was her home, so she was probably able to walk out of the maze with her eyes closed.

Wang Cheng greeted Mary and was about to pass by her, when she suddenly spoke up.

"Keep an eye on Leon, many people want to snatch him up."

Wang Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Even if I don't keep an eye on him, he's still mine. Miss Mary, you just got married yesterday. Isn’t it a little inappropriate for you to tell me this? Does the ‘many people’ include you, who are married?"

Mary didn't seem to expect that he would be a difficult person. When she heard this, she could not help but frown. "Marriage doesn't hold any meaning."

"It means a lot to your two families." Marrying a man who loved her was actually a rare happiness. If she didn’t cherish it, she’d regret it.

Wang Cheng's words seemed to poke at Mary’s sore spot, and her always-calm expression finally changed. She stared straight at Wang Cheng: "I have liked him for over ten years, while you’ve only known him for a year or two. Why are you the one to receive his love?"

Wang Cheng helplessly spread his hands. "I can't tell you why, I can only tell you that you aren’t destined to be with him, you and he will never be husband and wife in this life. You are a smart person. If you are able to enjoy a better life and a better future, is it worth it to obsess yourself with a person that does not belong to you?"

"I am the judge of whether it is worth it or not." Mary's face darkened.

As Wang Cheng walked past her, he said, "Then you judge, but I’ll give you a piece of advice. Instead of chasing someone who doesn't like you, it's better to keep your eyes on the other people around you. Maybe you will discover something surprising.”

Mary suddenly sneered. "You mean Fitch, right?"

Wang Cheng was slightly stunned.

Mary ruthlessly said: "Of course I know that he likes me. But what does that have to do with me? How can such a despicable person deserve my love?"

"Your current thoughts actually apply to the situation between you and Leo. It's your own business that you like him. What did he do wrong? Who are you to complain about how Leon doesn't like you? I advise you to cherish those around you. It’s not always that you’ll have someone willing to stand there and wait for you." Wang Cheng left after saying this. He didn't want to be the knowledgeable older brother, but if it helped Mary understand her situation, he could at least rid himself of a love rival.

Since he was delayed by Mary for a little bit, by the time Wang Cheng finally found the exit, Chu Yifeng was already standing there waiting for him, the bright sun enveloping his figure. That was his man.

***

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