“Bastard!” Upon hearing those words, Shen Mengting slammed the table and stood up in fury.
The young girl who had come to deliver the news had just risen to her feet, but immediately collapsed again, trembling all over like a frightened rabbit in front of a tiger.
“How could that little brat do something so disgraceful? Looks like I have to teach him a proper lesson today.” Without another word, Shen Mengting rushed toward Ye Ping’an’s residence, intent on stopping him from committing an unforgivable act.
After Shen Mengting left, the girl finally managed to get up, patted her still-heaving chest, and slipped away quietly.
Inside the room, Ye Ningyue had stepped forward to examine the unconscious young girl after Ye Ping’an left. Seeing there was no serious harm, she chose not to interfere further.
If the girl woke up and left right away, that would be ideal. But what if she decided to stay? What then?
Ye Ningyue couldn’t help but feel anxious about her future position.
While Ye Ningyue was lost in such thoughts, the door was suddenly kicked open with great force.
Shen Mengting burst in, looking frantic, and shouted, “Ping’an, don’t do anything foolish!”
But when she entered and found no sign of Ye Ping’an—only Ye Ningyue and the unconscious girl on the bed—she was momentarily stunned.
Could it be… Ping’an left the room intentionally for the two girls, hoping they’d become lovers? But that didn’t seem right!
“Madam, why are you here?” Ye Ningyue quickly stepped forward to greet her.
“Ah! Cough… I heard Ping’an brought back a little girl, and I was worried he might do something bad, so I came to stop him.”
“Something bad? But… Young Master is only eight years old! Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t do it!” Ye Ningyue said, looking confused.
“Eight… eight years old!”
Right! Shen Mengting suddenly remembered—her child was only eight. While he technically had the tools for the act, whether he could use them was another matter.
At this age, how could that be possible?
Even if he were to “sharpen the blade,” it would still take a few more years. Shen Mengting couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed.
It was that brat’s unusually mature demeanor that made her misunderstand.
But just then, Shen Mengting sensed something off. Her expression turned serious as she asked the girl before her, “Wait… how do you know about this?”
Although she hadn’t interacted much with Ye Ningyue, she still knew her fairly well.
She remembered that this girl had been taken in by her son two years ago. An orphan with no family.
Since she was just one more mouth to feed, they hadn’t paid her much mind.
Over time, the girl had proven sensible and pleasing to look at. And now, even at her young age, her body was beginning to blossom like a flower bud.
Shen Mengting believed that once she matured, she would surely develop into someone very fit to bear children.
The only pity was that her looks were too plain. Otherwise, Shen Mengting might have even considered making her the daughter-in-law.
Even if she couldn’t be a wife, being a concubine wouldn’t be too bad. As long as both agreed, Shen Mengting wouldn’t object.
Now, though, a dreadful thought crossed her mind—had this girl and her son already tried something?! Otherwise, how could she say such things?
Ye Ningyue blushed deeply—not because they had done anything together, but because she had tried something by herself.
It had been a quiet night. The young master, exhausted after a full day of seeking opportunities, had returned tired. Ningyue took out some incense she had prepared in advance and wafted it into the room.
Half an hour later, the young master was sprawled on the bed like a dead dog, motionless.
Then she climbed into his bed… and slipped under his covers…
“Madam, I… I was just guessing, really just guessing,” Ye Ningyue hastily explained.
“Oh, I see.”
Looking at Ningyue’s slightly flushed cheeks, Shen Mengting thought she didn’t seem like someone caught red-handed.
After all, the girl was still a child—how could she possibly do anything filthy like what she’d imagined?
She shifted her attention to the young girl lying on the bed. Upon closer look, she became delighted.
The girl had fair skin, a beautiful face, and lovely features. She was clearly going to grow into a great beauty.
If she were willing, she could become a perfect Dao companion for her son one day.
After all, as long as they didn’t use any underhanded means, it was acceptable behavior for a prestigious sect.
“Mm!”
At that moment, the young girl on the bed finally woke up. She slowly opened her moist eyes, looking around in a daze.
“Little sister, you’re awake! You don’t know how dangerous it was back there. Luckily, my son Ping’an saved you and brought you back. Oh, Ping’an is my son—your savior! From now on…”
As the madam rambled on endlessly, Ye Ningyue was left speechless. She knew all too well what Shen Mengting was planning—she wanted to prepare a fiancée for the young master in advance!
That thought made Ningyue a little jealous.
But after all her talking, Shen Mengting suddenly felt something was off. She carefully observed the girl and noticed the blank look in her eyes.
Wait… could it be that she had lost her memory?
Shen Mengting immediately asked, “By the way, little sister, what’s your name?”
“Name?”
The girl thought for a moment but couldn’t remember anything. She shook her head.
Seeing that the girl truly had amnesia, Shen Mengting grew even more excited. This was the perfect opportunity to raise her from scratch!
As long as nothing went wrong, this girl would be her daughter-in-law for sure.
With a serious face, Shen Mengting said, “Since you can’t remember anything, why don’t you consider this your home from now on?”
From behind, Ningyue grew anxious. This was heading in a bad direction.
She quickly tried to dissuade her: “But… Madam, we don’t know her background.”
“That’s not important. She’s a poor child who must have suffered greatly—just like you. If we don’t help her now, what will happen to her in the future?”
Brushing aside Ye Ningyue’s objections, Shen Mengting turned back to the girl.
“How about calling me ‘Master’ from now on? Would you like to become my disciple?”
“Master?” the girl repeated with a confused expression.
Ye Ningyue wanted to object again, but Shen Mengting waved her off repeatedly, so she stayed silent in the end.
“Ah! In that case, you’ll also take the surname ‘Ye.’ From today on, you’ll be called Ye Mengyao!”
Shen Mengting beamed like a flower. That name was originally prepared in case she ever had a daughter—now it was being put to use.
“Mengyao? Okay.” The girl thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
And just like that, Ye Mengyao became Shen Mengting’s disciple—and Ye Ping’an’s junior sister.
As for why she wasn’t adopted as a daughter? Of course, it was because if she were, she and Ping’an might only end up with sibling-like affection… and that just wouldn’t do.