When Xi Ying reached Plum courtyard, he frowned on hearing the sound of loud laughter and cheering.

Li Rui had twisted her foot just yesterday. She was supposed to rest inside her room. But now, he didn't think that she was resting amidst all this noise.

He was sure that it must be his naughty son who was not letting his mother sleep.

With an emotionless face, Xi Ying stepped inside the Plum Courtyard. The maids who were passing by greeted him but he didn't acknowledge them.

He instead followed the direction of the cheerful and loud laughter and he soon reached the huge hall that was just behind the Plum Courtyard.

He had decided to scold Xi Ling as soon as he saw the brat. However, Xi Ying froze amidst his steps when he saw the person, Xi Ling was playing with.

It was Yi Junjie.

"Uncle Yi...Uncle Yi..here"

Xi Ying saw Xi Ling running around the large hall as Yi Junjie whose eyes were blinded with the cloth waved his arms here and there.

There was a small smile on Yi Junjie's lips and Xi Ling's eyes were bright.

Xi Ying was sure that Yi Junjie should be able to catch Xi Ling very easily even though he couldn't see. However, he was just pretending and never caught Xi Ling to make the game a fun for his son.

In a corner, he saw Li Rui sitting on a chair as she watched their son with a smile on her lips.

He stood there until Yi Junjie finally decided to catch Xi Ling.

The he hall again rang with loud laughter as Yi Junjie picked Xi Ling in his arms and raised him high.

Li Rui smiled more seeing that Xi Ling was happy.

It was a very cheerful and eye-catching scene but Xi Ying didn't like it even a bit.

A same kind of feeling from yesterday started to raise its head inside his heart.

What was Yi Junjie doing here again?

Xi Ying thought inside his mind as he stepped inside the large hall with an emotionless face.

He scowled when he noticed that even after he was inside the large hall, no one really seemed to notice him. Li Rui's eyes were fixed on Yi Junjie and Xi Ling who were doing silly actions with each other.

He didn't like it.

"Rui"

He called out his wife's name impatiently. His heart was slightly relieved when Li Rui finally turned her head to look towards him.

The hall seemed to silence down but Xi Ying didn't care. He walked towards Li Rui.

However, when he was standing in front of her, Xi Ying saw that her eyes again went to look behind him as if she was trying to indicate to him that they were alone.

Xi Ying pretended very well as if he didn't understand the indication and held her chin to make her look at himself.

He leaned down to plant a kiss on Li Rui's forehead and whispered huskily in her ear

"Did you miss me?"

Li Rui froze and tried to push him away. However, Xi Ying held the hand that was on his chest and whispered

"What? You didn't miss me."

Li Rui swallowed when she saw Xi Ying's beautiful and innocent face. It was as if he was almost pleading her to answer his question.

In the end, she nodded her head and whispered in a low voice

"I did."

Xi Ying smiled happily and finally leaned back.

When he suddenly turned around and looked at Yi Junjie, Li Rui came to know that he always knew that Yi Junjie was here in the hall.

She frowned lightly wondering why he still did so.

historical

However, the memory of those few words made her frown vanish and she looked at Xi Ying's back thoughtfully.

'I don't like Yi Junjie.'

He had told her.

A moment later she sighed when she remembered how Xi Ling had been the same in the beginning. Her son was not ready to leave her alone in front of Xi Ying because he thought that Yi Junjie was going to take her away from Xi Manor.

Li Rui felt confused as well as funny seeing Xi Ling's behavior. However, she was happy on seeing that Xi Ling slowly warmed up to Yi Junjie and she hoped that Xi Ying and Yi Junjie would do the same.

Both the men were very important to her in her life and she wished that they could at least stay polite to each other.

But this politeness should not be the one they had now between them. In this politeness, she could see that somewhere both of them were trying to make the other person feel low.

Like what Xi Ying did just now. She wished that they could at least help each other at the time of any trouble.

But Li Rui never knew, if that was ever possible.

"Lord Yi"

Xi Ying called out to Yi Junjie politely. Yi Junjie on the other hand stared at Xi Ying silently. Somehow he knew that whatever Xi Ying did right now was intentionally.

Yi Junjie would be lying if he said that seeing some other man so closer to Li Rui when she was willing for this closeness made him happy.

He didn't like it at all. However, what could he do except watching this silently?

He didn't blame Xi Ying at all. He didn't blame Li Rui.

He blamed his heart who couldn't listen to anything else. If only he had been just a brother in Li Rui's heart then he would have done everything to take away Li Rui from Xi Ying. However, he didn't fight for her because he knew that what he wanted in them can never happen.

Four years ago, when he had put the proposal of marrying Li Rui in front of General Li, he was sincere. However, a part of his heart also knew that Li Rui would never agree to the proposal.

However, he still wanted to hear her 'no' once but the fate didn't even give him that chance.

Li Rui was someone else's wife now but he still loved her the same way. However, she couldn't see that. She was never able to see it.

Because in Li Rui's eyes, he was nothing but her brother.