Married with the Silent Wolf

Chapter 11: The Secrets He Keeps Hidden

Muxia Tian blushed, her expression tinged with embarrassment.

Faced with the painfully awkward expressions all around her, she opened her mouth to say something—then thought better of it. Her mother’s warning echoed in her ears: “The more you say, the more likely you are to say something wrong.” Perhaps silence was the better choice.

“Heh… heh heh…”

Just as the atmosphere in the room teetered on the edge of unbearable discomfort, a quiet, almost melodic chuckle broke the stillness.

It came from the man who had been silent in his wheelchair all that time—Ling Lie was laughing.

His laughter was low, subtle, yet impossibly pleasant to the ears.

Facing him directly, Zeng Qian and Fang Minzhi found themselves momentarily stunned, drowning in that rare smile of his.

It had been nearly twenty years since anyone had heard a sound from Ling Lie.

The eeriness of the moment, paired with everyone’s lingering unease about Muxia Tian’s morbid field of study, sent a chill through the air.

Fang Minzhi instinctively clutched her husband’s arm, while Zeng Qian leaned rigidly against the back of the sofa. Even the other young masters couldn’t help but darken their gazes, all of them fixated on Ling Lie.

“Xiao Si, did your new sister-in-law’s choice of profession scare you?” Second, Young Master Ling Rui finally broke the silence, his tone laced with forced ease—an indirect surrender.

A beauty like this might be captivating, but knowing her expertise was forensic pathology… that required courage few men possessed.

Taking her out to meet friends and being asked what she did—answering “forensic pathologist,” someone who performs autopsies on corpses—would certainly be a conversation killer. Pure bad luck.

Despite her youth, Muxia Tian was remarkably sensitive.

Hearing the subtle condescension in his tone, she leaned down and whispered into Ling Lie’s ear, her voice delicate and unsure:

“Did I embarrass you?”

His eyes, dark and unreadable, met hers. Under the weight of that gaze, she quickly looked away, flustered.

Then, unexpectedly, a warm hand took hers.

Lowering her eyes, she saw him gently guiding her palm open, and in the center of it, he traced a single character: “An”—Peace.

“Heh… it seems our Fourth is quite content with this marriage,” Zeng Qian chuckled, glancing at the clock. There’s still a little time before lunch, and it’s Xia Tian’s first time here. " Why don’t Minzhi and I accompany you for a walk through the garden? ”

Muxia Tian glanced at her hand still interlaced with Ling Lie’s and smiled sweetly.

“A villa atop a mountain, an independent estate—the view must be magnificent. There’s no need to trouble you, Aunt Qian, Sister-in-law. I’ll take a stroll with Fourth Young Master.”

Ling Yuan nodded in agreement. With Muxia Tian gone, he and his son had nothing more to say to one another anyway.

“A good idea. " Walk with Xiao Si, get to know each other better,” he encouraged.

Soon after—

Among the lush greenery, with fragrant flowers in bloom and butterflies dancing in the breeze, the mountaintop air felt fresh and invigorating.

Despite the season’s heat, the cool wind swept through the courtyard, carrying away the oppressive warmth.

The cobblestone path beneath her feet proved a challenge for Muxia Tian’s small high-heeled sandals, especially as she pushed the wheelchair with some effort.

From a short distance away, Zhuo Xi noticed her struggle. He finally stepped forward and offered gently, “Miss Mu, please, allow me.”

Embarrassed, she offered a sheepish smile and moved to Ling Lie’s side. “I’m sorry." I don’t usually wear heels.”

He was crippled—if she were to marry him, she’d push this wheelchair often.

“I won’t wear them again,” she added softly. “I’ll get steadier each time.”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Zhuo Xi’s lips.

This Miss Mu truly was… adorable.

Just a few days ago, the Fourth Young Master ordered a thorough investigation into her.

Everything—from her high school years in K City, to her habit of sneaking out to eat breakfast, to her major in forensic pathology at medical school—he already knew.

Even the incident six months ago in Qingcheng, when she had saved his life, was pure coincidence.

Back then, Mu Tianxing didn’t even know the other young masters of the Ling family. It would’ve been impossible for her to collude with them in advance to stage such a rescue. Besides, under the circumstances at that time, both the eldest and second sons were genuinely waiting for the fourth young master to die. There was no way they would’ve allowed someone to intervene and save him midway.

But now, thinking back to her escape from the arranged marriage on the highway two days ago—whether that moment was staged or real—it was indeed a mystery worth pondering.

Earlier in the hall, Zhuo Xi had stood quietly at a distance from Ling Lie, never fully at ease. He had observed all of Mu Tianxing’s actions, silently taking them in. A thought bloomed in his heart: if Fourth Young Master and Miss Mu could truly fall in love, they would undoubtedly make a wonderful couple.

“Miss Mu, thank you,” Zhuo Xi said earnestly. “Fourth Young Master has no real rapport with the other brothers or even with the old master. They rarely speak or share common interests. " If you had agreed to go for a walk with Madam and the others just now, Fourth Young Master would’ve been left alone there—awkward and isolated.”

Mu Tianxing glanced at Ling Lie and caught a fleeting trace of discomfort on his face, vanishing as quickly as it appeared.

With a fresh, unbothered smile, she replied, “If I had gone walking with Aunt Qian and my sister-in-law, I’d have been just as uneasy. Staying there, chatting about family matters, they were already spooked by my profession—things would’ve gotten even more awkward. So, since he can’t fit in with them, and I can’t fit in with the others, we might as well get some air together.”

Zhuo Xi’s eyes lit up, admiration in his tone: “Miss Mu, you’re truly clever—smarter than any heiress I’ve ever met.”

“Of course!” she beamed with pride. “I’m one of a kind!”

Zhuo Xi chuckled. “My fourth young master is amazing, too. My brother and I have admired him more than anyone since we were children.”

But there was one thing Zhuo Xi didn’t dare to say aloud: If you Miss Mu could stay by his side through this darkest chapter, one day, the Fourth Young Master would surely lead her into the light beyond the shadows.

“Cough, cough.”

Ling Lie gave a soft cough.

Zhuo Xi immediately fell silent—clearly, Fourth Young Master thought he’d said too much.

Mu Tianxing, however, began to regard Ling Lie with thoughtful curiosity.

A discarded son, exiled from the family at seventeen… crippled legs, ignored and unloved by his brothers, never once allowed into the family’s inner business affairs… a man confined to his home day after day, with neither ambition nor talent, no power, no career—and yet, he was the one Zhuo Xi and Zhuo Ran admired most?

Could it be…

Ling Lie was hiding something?

She had no desire to entangle herself with a man who ought not be provoked—especially one she did not truly love.

Their marriage was arranged because he agreed to it. She had assumed, perhaps too naively, that the nature of their relationship—empty in name, short-lived in reality—would be a mutual understanding neither of them needed to voice.

But… they’d never actually discussed it.

What if he didn’t think the same?

“Um… after lunch, could we find somewhere more private to talk?” she asked softly, turning her head toward him. Her voice was careful, her expression serious—like a young doe, wide-eyed and uncertain, seeking a silent answer.