Chapter 30: Just a Contract

“I can’t restrain my hands you know… I feel like reaching out and pinching her cheeks!” Yun Qi said as he couldn’t restrain his laughter.

“Ahem! We can’t. Since it’s a matter of… her prestige!” Yun Chu pretended to cough as he looked at his brothers with a dignified and serious face, imitating Yun Shu.

“Yea- pfft!” Yun Ming burst into laughter since he couldn’t hold back anymore after seeing how his brothers were imitating Yun Shu.

After laughing for more than ten minutes, the laughter finally calmed down as they exchanged glances with each other before bursting into laughter again.

Yun Chu wiped fake tears from his eyes as he said, “Off you go, brothers. We still have a lot of preparations to make…”

“Besides, we need to let mother and father know about what happened here as well.”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”

Finally, the brothers left the place holding their stomach in pain.

At the same time,

Yunxin Villa, North Yan.

“Ahh! Y-yunxian, w-what happened to you? Why do you look like this? Are you really my Yunxian?” Mother Bai’s scream could be heard from outside, which made Zhuge Jie run inside in a hurry.

“Mother, what-” Bai Yunxian was confused as he furrowed his brow when he saw his mother couldn’t recognise him.

Did something happen to my face? Why can’t Mother recognise me?

Before he could figure anything out, another busybody barged inside without further notice.

Bang!

“What happened? Did you get hurt, mother?” He was panicking as he barged in while shouting, but the situation inside was not as dire as he thought.

?

Confused, Zhuge Jie looked at Mother Bai, as if asking what happened.

“I-it’s nothing, you can leave.” Mother Bai was sweating as she tried to calm down, but Zhuge Jie’s line of sight was over something else before he understood the situation and bowed before leaving.

“Check if everything is alright if any unexpected event occurs- was an order from master, My lady. Please call me if you need anything.”

“Certainly.”

Zhuge Jie closed the door behind him and left respectfully, leaving the mother and son duo in a daze.

“What happened mother? Why do you look so shocked?” Bai Yunxian was the first to break off the daze as he asked Mother Bai.

“Why? Why did your appearance look so different? Did you apply some kind of sorcery on your face?” Mother Bai touched Bai Yunxian’s face with both hands affectionately as she stared at him softly.

However, Bai Yunxian didn’t have any idea about the change in his appearance, so he took up the hand mirror to see himself.

!

’This! How did this happen? I look completely like a woman?!’

Only his voice was recognizable completely. Aside from that, people who didn’t interact with him much won’t be able to recognize him as a man.

As he was inspecting his appearance, his eyes fell on the earring as he touched it slightly which flashed in the light.

’Sorcery?’

Don’t tell me… is this an artifact?

Did he give that thing to disguise myself?

Doesn’t that mean… he knows my secret?

Seeing Bai Yunxian not giving any reaction, Mother Bai hesitated to call him.

“Yunxian?”

“…I’m here, mother.”

.

.

.

Bai Yunxian was sitting by the bedside holding his mother’s hand, who seemed to be more normal and nourished than before after getting proper treatment in just a day.

“How are you living, is the lord merciful? Did he try to torture you? Did he try something shameful with you? If you want, we can run away from here, I don’t need such fancy treatment if it means your demise!”

His mother, ever since he was little, has been a strict person with utmost honesty. She also brought him up with this kind of upbringing, and Bai Yunxian has always been grateful to her for that.

Bai Yunxian smiled faintly as he held her hand with both hands, “You don’t need to worry about me, mother. The lord treats me with respect as he should, I don’t have to worry about food or clothing, no one bullies me either. They are all good people.”

As he said, he thought of the houseful people in the Yun household.

They all were in harmony with each other, no jealousy, no envy, no fighting. To tell the truth, Bai Yunxian wouldn’t have been able to picture such a harmonious noble family if he didn’t see them.

That aside, it seems that Yun Shu already knew his identity. But not only did he play along, he also helped to disguise Bai Yunxian properly.

“Anyway, it’s just a contractual marraige for five years. After that, we will part and walk our ways, nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure about this?”

’I’m sure, aren’t I…’

Bai Yunxian thought, but suddenly the scene from the morning flashed across his eyes which startled him enough to jump up.

’W-what am I thinking about?!’

Bai Yunxian subconsciously touched his lips as he stared at the ground blankly.

’Did they… touch? I don’t know… ’

“Yunxian? Are you alright, son?” Mother Bai was worried as she called him cautiously.

“Ye-yes! I-I’m fine! Mother! I just thought of something all of a sudden…!” Bai Yunxian was startled by the call as his face flushed, he felt awkward at the grim silence within the room.

“I suppose I won’t be able to rest assured till I do something for you on my own.” Mother Bai sighed as she took out something hidden from her sleeves.

“Take this jade and keep it with you. This is… your uncle’s token. With this, you can command over shadow guards to assist you.”

“This is…!” Bai Yunxian stared at the jade insignia with wide eyes as he recognised it very well.

’I got this every time after my mother died.’

’Does it mean… that something is indeed changing?’

Can I… get a little hope up?

“But, mother… what about you—” Bai Yunxian hesitated, but Mother Bai handed the insignia in his hand as she looked at him with firm eyes.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep