When a Green Tea Meets a Love Brain - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

On my grandfather’s birthday feast, I brought Shen Yue back to my maiden home.

From a distance, I saw my father and Prince Ying happily brewing tea together.

Prince Ying was my mother’s childhood sweetheart and the greatest enemy in my father’s life. After all, one was a Green Tea, the other a White Lotus. The two had fought for so many years, and Prince Ying had lost love by just one misstep.

Prince Ying was still unmarried, and every year he spent a lot of time and effort on skincare, so his skin was even better than that of the young Shen Yue. That was why my father guarded against him as if he were a thief.

My father coughed for a while, his eyes glistening with moisture. His voice was weak, but his words were sharp: “Prince Ying, what does my father-in-law’s birthday have to do with you?”

My father had married into the family.

Prince Ying had lived in the household for a while when he was young.

Seeing my father like this infuriated Prince Ying. Back then, he had never pitied my father. His face twisted, and he said, “You’ve been coughing for decades; how are you not dead yet?”

My father smiled warmly and said, “It seems I must disappoint Your Highness. Although I suffer from a chronic illness, it just so happens that my life is long.”

In other words: So what if I’m sick? I just won’t die. Are you mad?

Of course Prince Ying was angry. But just as he extended his leg, he caught sight of my mother’s figure from the corner of his eye and immediately turned his kick into a fall. My father was even quicker. He grabbed Prince Ying and pulled him up, then fell to the ground himself-utterly unlike someone who might drop dead at any moment.

Prince Ying gnashed his teeth: “Yan Huai’an, you old rascal, you’re truly vicious.”

But soon, his expression turned innocent. He looked at my mother and said, “Sister, Yan Huai’an seemed to have had a nightmare. He was calling your name, and suddenly he fell.”

I turned to Shen Yue beside me and saw him looking confused. He murmured, “Why does this scene feel so familiar?”

Clearly, he was about to start overthinking.

I quickly pulled Shen Yue to the front hall to pay respects to my grandfather.

Lin Yubai was also there. He had once been my grandfather’s student and was now chatting happily with him in the main hall.

After some conversation, we learned that Lin Yubai, knowing my grandfather’s fondness for collecting calligraphy and paintings, had gifted him an authentic masterpiece by a grandmaster that my grandfather adored.

In comparison, the expensive gift Shen Yue had brought appeared utterly vulgar.

Halfway through the feast, my father suddenly called me to a room. He sighed and asked, “Shan Shan, do you resent me for making the decision back then to choose Shen Yue as your husband?”

I was puzzled: “Father, what’s wrong?”

“Tonight, seeing Shen Yue and Lin Yubai standing together, I was suddenly overcome with emotion.” My father shook his head with a smile. “Back then, your grandfather favored Lin Yubai. A seventeen-year-old top scholar in the imperial exam-how glorious. And now he is highly valued by the Emperor, with boundless prospects.”

“It wasn’t that we didn’t consider him at the time. But the Marquis Yongxin’s household is turmoil, full of open strife and veiled struggles. How could a child who grew up in such an environment be as harmless as he appears?”

I looked at my father in horror. Marrying Lin Yubai-that was truly terrifying.

But my father worried too much. That guy Lin Yubai had never pretended in front of me; he always showed me his ugly face.

My father sighed again, with a hint of frustration at my failings. He said, “If you had learned even half of my skills, or were as capable as your sister, there would be no person or matter in this world you couldn’t handle.”

…

When I left the study and passed a small garden, I saw a familiar figure-Lin Yubai.

The stone path was narrow, and he stood at the exit.

There was no one around. Just as I was about to detour, Lin Yubai suddenly spoke.

“Chu Shanshan, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

I asked, “Waiting for me to do what?”

“Yeah, what are you waiting for me to do?” His tone grew confused.

“Crazy.”

I turned to go around him, but the next second, Lin Yubai grabbed my hand. With one hard tug, I stumbled straight into his arms, and the sharp smell of liquor hit my nose.

Lin Yubai lowered his head, his hot breath fanning across my face.

“Let go.” I pushed at him, only to find I couldn’t move him at all. Alarm bells instantly went off in my head. This guy was probably setting me up.

Sure enough, footsteps sounded nearby.

Lin Yubai pulled me into the rose bushes. The thorns scratched his face, and then he leaned against the wall behind him, tilted his head, and fell asleep.

How did he know my house better than I did?

After hiding for a while and hearing no sound outside, I kicked Lin Yubai before crawling out.

A hand thoughtfully lifted the thorny rose branches aside for me. I looked up and saw Shen Yue’s face, and I shuddered on instinct.

He looked at me quietly, the curve of his lips utterly devoid of warmth, and asked, “Was that fun?”

Flowers before us, moonlight above us, one man and one woman alone together. No matter how I tried to explain, I would only make myself look guiltier.

For the first time, I took off my fragile mask, looked Shen Yue straight in the eye, and said, “Seeing you here disappoints me.”

Shen Yue’s eyes widened slightly, as if he had just seen a line of pigs marching into a river one by one. He could not understand how his gentle, obedient wife could say something so outrageous.

“You lied to me. You’ve been lying to me from the very beginning.” He closed in on me and demanded, “What exactly is better about him? Why can you never forget him? Even after getting married, you still risk being discovered just to keep things going with him?”

I was wronged! At this moment, I felt even more wronged than Meng Yun.

“If I told you I was framed, would you believe me?”

Shen Yue fell silent for a moment and was just about to speak when a woman’s voice rang out.

Zhao Ning hurried out from the pavilion outside and said, “Cousin, she’s lying to you! I clearly saw her and Lord Lin hugging just now. Lord Lin is still lying in there. Cousin, you saw it too, didn’t you?”

As if to prove Zhao Ning right, Lin Yubai mumbled behind me.

“Shan Shan…”

Zhao Ning said delightedly, “Cousin, you heard that!”

Me: …

Did I dig up Lin Yubai’s ancestral grave in my last life? Is that why he has to treat me like this in this one?

I sighed and suddenly lost all desire to explain.

Being a Green Tea was exhausting. And for a man I barely had feelings for, no less. Was there really any point?

At that thought, everything suddenly became clear.

I said, “Shen Yue, divorce me.”

I wanted to go home and freeload off my parents.

Shen Yue visibly panicked. “What nonsense are you talking about? It’s normal for husband and wife to argue. Who asks for a divorce the moment they fight? Besides, Lin Yubai seduced you first. What does that have to do with you? This is all Lin Yubai’s fault.”

I looked up at the sky and said weakly, “But I…”

Shen Yue glared at Zhao Ning. “Apologize to your sister-in-law. Otherwise, you’ll learn the consequences.”

“Cousin! Chu Shanshan doesn’t love you at all! I’m the only one who truly loves you with all my heart, Cousin.” Zhao Ning tugged at his sleeve, stomping her foot in desperation. “Look at me, Cousin.”

Shen Yue looked surprised at first, then said solemnly, “I’m sorry, but I can’t fall for someone who liked eating boogers at two and was still wetting her pants at six…”

That one sentence forced Zhao Ning’s tears right back.

She held up a hand to stop Shen Yue from continuing, her little face wooden, and apologized in a steady, emotionless tone. “Sister-in-law, I’m sorry. It was my fault. I was delusional for wanting to marry Cousin. I won’t do it again.”

Me: …