The moment Lin He finished speaking, a mist rose in Wen Ningxuan’s eyes. He instantly pulled Lin He into a fierce embrace, as if trying to meld her into his own body. Though Lin He’s body ached from the tightness of the hold, she didn't utter a sound, simply returning his hug gently with her hands.

For so many years, he must have been incredibly lonely being by himself. Due to his naturally aloof disposition, he never allowed anyone to penetrate his inner sanctum; perhaps not even Ling Xiao and the others had ever truly succeeded. But Lin He knew that the colder and less approachable a person seemed outwardly, the more fragile they were at their deepest core.

Usually, this fellow acted like an omnipotent figure in front of outsiders, capable of handling everything himself. Even in front of her, he never exposed any weakness. It was unexpected that in his drunken state, he finally revealed his truest self. Well, it was good; occasionally letting it out was a healthy thing.

Wen Ningxuan held Lin He tightly until he felt the person beside him was close to suffocating, only then did he slowly come to his senses. He immediately loosened his grip, changing it to a light hold, and whispered with heartache, "Silly girl, why didn't you say it hurt?"

Lin He shook her head, indicating she was fine. After her breathing stabilized, regardless of whether the man was drunk and could hear her, she lifted his head and said firmly, "No matter what happens from now on, I will be by your side. I won’t let you be alone again. What happened in childhood will never recur, do you understand?"

"Mm, I know. He'er told me long ago. The person I trust most in this world is my He'er," Wen Ningxuan murmured with his eyes closed.

"Good, then that’s settled. You rest for a while. I’ll wake you when we arrive. You aren't going to the shop today," Lin He said, preparing to get down from him.

After speaking, Wen Ningxuan seemed to have drifted off, yet he held Lin He firmly secured in his arms. When Lin He moved, his grip tightened, continuing to hold her close. Lin He couldn't do anything but remain perfectly still, letting him embrace her.

Whether in her past life or this one, Lin He never touched alcohol and had never taken care of a drunk person before. She had no idea what a drunk individual was like or how to tend to one. Initially, she was a little afraid he might become violent, but fortunately, when this fellow Wen Ningxuan was drunk, aside from being clingy, he wasn't hard to manage—he just held onto her and refused to let go, keeping his eyes closed without speaking.

When they arrived home, Lin He woke him up. She had Shun Zhu help support him down. Once inside the room, she told him to lie down and planned to go to the kitchen to make him some hangover soup to drink when he woke up.

Upon reaching the courtyard, she saw Ling Xiao, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, had returned. Ling Xiao saw Lin He, bowed to her, and called out, "Young Mistress."

Lin He nodded. "Mm, the Master is drunk and resting in the room now. Tell him whatever it is after he wakes up. You should go rest first; you must be tired from traveling so far."

"This servant is not tired. This servant must first complete what the Second Young Master assigned," Ling Xiao replied, his face still impassive.

Just as Lin He was about to ask what the task was, she saw Ling Xiao grab the Ziyu, who was standing beside her, and pull her outside. Ziyu didn't react at first, curious to know what task the Second Young Master had assigned. She was staring inquisitively at the ice-block face when she saw him approaching. Ziyu jumped, finally realizing that this so-called task was to teach her martial arts.

Ziyu was dragged along unwillingly by Ling Xiao, but her strength couldn't match his. She had no choice but to follow, muttering and chattering the whole way—likely cursing. Lin He and Ziqing watched, smiling and shaking their heads.

Ziqing laughed and said, "Now someone will finally help me tame this girl."

Lin He also smiled and replied, "Yes, Ziyu will have something to occupy her time now, and she won't complain about being bored anymore." With that, Lin He headed towards the kitchen.

Wen Ningxuan slept until nearly dusk before waking. When he awoke, he saw the room was lit by lamps. His little wife was sitting by the bed quietly embroidering. The soft lamplight illuminated Lin He's face, filling Wen Ningxuan's heart with warmth.

He sat up from ** and pulled the person by the bed into his arms, softly saying, "It's dark. Stop doing embroidery; you'll ruin your eyes."

Lin He was startled by Wen Ningxuan's sudden embrace. Snapping back to attention, she chuckled lightly, "You're awake? Does your head still hurt? I brewed you some hangover soup; shall I have Ziyu bring it over?"

"No need. I’ll drink it when I go out later. Why did you come back with me today? Didn't you say you were staying at your maternal home for a few days?" Wen Ningxuan asked softly, resting his chin on Lin He's shoulder.

"Mother said it was proper custom; she insisted I return today. She mentioned they will be staying at the town residence for a while in a few days, and I can visit then for a couple of days. It's not far from home anyway," Lin He replied quietly.

Lin He realized now that she was fortunate to have returned today. If she had returned later, there would likely have been more trouble. Shortly after she returned today, several groups of people came to the courtyard—people from the Old Madam's side, Madam Wen’s side, Qing Mo’s side, and even Uncle Wen sent someone to inquire. Only Uncle Wen's messenger directly asked if they had returned; everyone else had an excuse, though Lin He knew they were really just checking if she had come back.

Lin He could discern which of these people were looking for an opportunity to cause trouble and which truly cared, but she preferred not to let Wen Ningxuan know about these matters. Otherwise, who knew what this fellow might do, causing them to be criticized by the elders for the younger generation not observing propriety.

"Mm, that's fine. I’ll accompany you for those two days then. It gets quite lonely here when my wife is away," Wen Ningxuan mumbled softly after hearing Lin He's words.

Lin He turned her head to look behind her, wondering if the man was still drunk, as he was speaking such saccharine words so fluently. Seeing Lin He turn her head, Wen Ningxuan lightly pecked her lips and asked in a teasing tone, "What is it? Can't I say these things to my wife?"

Lin He looked at him, recalling his appearance when drunk, and laughed. "You can, but you still need to go drink the hangover soup, or you'll have a headache tomorrow morning. Besides, it’s almost dark now; we'll need dinner soon. I’ll go out first and ask Ziyu and the others to bring water for you to wash up. Oh, and Ling Xiao returned today, I told him to leave first and come find you tomorrow." As Lin He spoke, she got off the bed and put on her shoes.

Wen Ningxuan nodded. "Mm, alright. Nothing important today anyway."

The next day, Wen Ningxuan went to the shop as usual early in the morning. Lin He took Ziyu to pay respects to the Old Madam. When they arrived, the room was noticeably livelier than usual. The women of the household were not sitting rigidly in chairs as they normally did; instead, they were gathered around the Old Madam, chattering while looking at jewelry and fabrics.

Seeing Lin He enter, the Old Madam smiled and said, "Xuan'er’s wife, hurry here. Come look at these jewels and see if there's anything you like. If there is, buy a few pieces to take back."