Gu Beichen repeatedly admonished himself, thinking it undignified to argue with a woman.
"You can't win, can you? Always finding excuses for yourself." Feng Jin ruthlessly stripped away his pretense, making it clear he wouldn't easily find an excuse.
Gu Beichen was so enraged he bristled. "You ugly woman, your heart is wicked, you are utterly heartless!"
Ling Mohan's eyes flashed with a cold glint. With a forceful kick, the bench beside him flew towards Gu Beichen.
If Gu Beichen hadn't possessed some martial arts foundation and reacted swiftly to dodge, the bench would have landed squarely on him, surely causing him serious injury.
"Are you crazy? Such a heavy blow, do you really want me dead?"
The bench had smashed a hole in the door; it was evident Ling Mohan had used his full strength. If that bench had hit him, he would have been gravely injured, if not killed.
Gu Beichen's heart still pounded with lingering fear as he recalled how fortunate he was to have dodged in time, saving his life.
"Next time you dare to speak out of turn, what lands on you won't be just a bench."
Ling Mohan's chilling warning echoed in Gu Beichen's ears.
"You... you've truly lost your mind, bewitched by her."
Gu Beichen could never have imagined that Ling Mohan would one day be so infatuated with a woman. He used to shy away from women whenever he encountered them. Now, he was practically throwing himself at her, his fawning expression irritating to behold.
Gu Beichen sat opposite the couple, shamelessly watching their affectionate display. It was a scene too embarrassing to witness even once, yet Gu Beichen endured it all.
Feng Jin couldn't stand it any longer and directly asked, "You don't feel embarrassed watching this? Do you think you're shining?"
Such thick skin, to dare to linger like a third wheel.
This time, Gu Beichen learned from his previous lesson and adopted an indifferent demeanor. "If you two aren't embarrassed, why should I be afraid?"
This defiant attitude, like a pig unafraid of boiling water, stunned Feng Jin. The man's transformation was too rapid.
Taking a deep breath to suppress her rising temper, Feng Jin said sternly, "Fine, then sit here. Don't you dare leave."
"Sit, I will. I've never lost a contest of patience."
Gu Beichen leaned back, crossed his legs, clearly intending to confront Feng Jin to the bitter end.
A smile played on Feng Jin's lips. She stood up and walked to the window, shouting outside, "The Crown Prince of Zhennan, Gu Beichen, is holding a marriage audition here. Don't miss out!"
Feng Jin poured all her energy into that shout, her voice carrying throughout the entire street. Gu Beichen was already renowned, and many women admired him. With this announcement, the news spread like wildfire, and women from all over the street rushed to the wine house.
In a mere moment, Gu Beichen was surrounded by these women, all eagerly flocking around him. The wine house instantly became a scene of overwhelming crowds.
"Crown Prince Gu, I have long admired you..."
"Crown Prince Gu, the moment I saw you, I fell in love."
"I love you the most, Crown Prince Gu."
The young ladies chattered incessantly, filling the wine house with the scent of cosmetics.
Feng Jin couldn't help but cover her nose with a handkerchief, choking on the overwhelming fragrance. She hadn't expected Gu Beichen to be so popular. While not comparable to Ling Mohan, he could certainly enjoy this attention. Not everyone gets the chance to be mobbed by so many beauties.
Ling Mohan was also stunned by the scene, his mouth slightly agape, involuntarily swallowing. This was truly terrifying. The young ladies were like a mob, completely surrounding Gu Beichen, as if they wanted to skin him alive and devour him.
It had to be said, Feng Jin's tactic was devastating. Gu Beichen would likely suffer psychological trauma.
"Let's go buy some food to take home. This place smells awful," Feng Jin said, covering her nose. It wasn't an exaggeration; the mixture of perfume and sweat from the girls was truly revolting.
"Whatever my wife wishes," Ling Mohan said with a smile. It seemed impossible to leave through the main entrance, so they would have to exit through the window.
Ling Mohan put his arm around her slender waist. "Hold on tight."
As he spoke, he leaped out. Before Feng Jin could react, they were both standing safely on the ground.
"Feng Jin, I'm not done with you!" Gu Beichen's hoarse roar echoed from the wine house.
Feng Jin's lips twitched, then she burst into laughter. She could imagine how disheveled Gu Beichen must be at that very moment.
"Gu Beichen has truly fallen into your hands today. If he dares to cause trouble for you, just tell me, and I'll handle him."
Ling Mohan's words of protection sent a tremor through Feng Jin's heart. A faint smile touched her lips.
"Don't worry, if he dares to come, I'll make sure he's worse off than this."
Feng Jin had a thousand ways to deal with Gu Beichen. If he dared to come, she'd ensure he couldn't handle the consequences.
"I will protect you from everything," Ling Mohan said earnestly, taking Feng Jin's hand. He would stand in front of her, no matter how much trouble she caused, and he would clean up the mess.
"There's a candied chestnut stall over there. I'll buy some to take back," Feng Jin said, knowing Ling Mohan's feelings but unsure how to respond to his affection, she quickly found an excuse to change the subject.
Pushing her way to the stall, Feng Jin waved her hand and bought all the best chestnuts. With so many people, sharing them would mean they'd be gone.
"Why did you buy so many?" Ling Mohan took the chestnuts from Feng Jin's hand. Had she bought out the entire stall?
"If we share them among everyone, they'll be gone."
Feng Jin was peeling the hot chestnuts, then placed a peeled one into Ling Mohan's mouth. "Does it taste good?"
"Whatever my wife peels tastes good," Ling Mohan replied without hesitation.
Feng Jin felt a bit flustered. Why had this man become so glib now? Who had he learned such things from?
They continued to stroll for a while before returning to Ling Manor.
The next morning, Feng Jin re-inspected all the surgical instruments, and upon confirming they were in order, she began the surgery for Yun Niang.
Feng Jin handed Yun Niang the prepared anesthetic. "Drink this medicine and get a good night's sleep."
"Thank you, Madam."
Yun Niang took the medicine and drank it down in one gulp. Within moments, she began to feel drowsy.
Once Yun Niang was fast asleep, Feng Jin prepared for the surgery. Arranging all the instruments neatly, Feng Jin approached Yun Niang's scarred face with a scalpel in one hand and tweezers in the other.