Today was a double celebration for the Wei family. The mansion was decorated with red lanterns and festive ornaments, filled with honored guests and lively laughter.
Li Zhenchun sat obediently on the edge of the bed, waiting for Wei Xinian to lift her bridal veil.
Although they had already agreed that after marriage they would not interfere in each other’s lives and would simply act as husband and wife in public, they still had to keep up appearances in front of everyone.
By the time her legs had gone numb from sitting, the door finally opened.
Soft footsteps echoed through the room. Through the veil, she could only see a pair of black boots stop in front of her.
The man calmly picked up the red wedding rod and lifted her veil.
She was just about to think that although Wei Xinian was usually carefree, he was surprisingly direct when it came to important matters. But when she looked up, she froze.
She saw a pair of sharp, handsome eyes.
A stranger’s eyes.
A stranger’s nose.
A stranger’s lips.
Yet when they came together, she recognized him. She had only seen him once from a distance before.
Li Zhenchun thought she must be seeing things from hunger.
Otherwise, how could Wei Xinian suddenly become Wei Nancheng?
She blinked hard, convinced she had made a mistake.
Wei Nancheng silently watched her exaggerated blinking for a long moment before speaking.
“You went into the wrong room.”
The woman who should have been sitting in his bridal chamber was the eldest daughter of the Yue family.
Li Zhenchun stared at him blankly. Like a fool, she hurried to her feet and said with a trembling voice,
“I… I’ll leave right now.”
Although she said she was leaving, her body refused to cooperate. Her knees suddenly gave out, and she crashed onto the floor.
She no longer cared about embarrassing herself.
The only thing in her mind was the terror of marrying Wei Nancheng.
This was a man who worked in the Shuntian Prefecture!
The man rumored to be able to peel layers of skin off criminals with his bare hands!
Li Zhenchun considered herself an ordinary person.
She didn’t have enough skin to survive someone like him.
“I-I’m leaving. You don’t have to see me out. I’ll leave by myself.”
She backed away from Wei Nancheng as he stepped toward her, scrambling toward the door with shaky legs.
She had barely taken two steps before—
Bang!
She stepped on her own dress and fell flat on her face.
Hairpins and tassels scattered all over the floor.
Wei Nancheng: “…”
He slightly parted his lips, about to speak.
But Li Zhenchun had already scrambled up, quickly gathered the fallen hairpins, and didn’t dare look at him.
“I’m fine! No need to escort me—or help me. I’m okay. I can walk. I know the way.”
Wei Nancheng silently watched as she lifted her skirt and fled like a frightened monkey.
She ran incredibly fast.
It was obvious she was terrified of him.
…
Meanwhile, in another bridal chamber…
Wei Xinian narrowed his eyes as he looked at the bride sitting on the bed.
The next moment, he stretched his neck forward until he was almost face-to-face with her.
“Li Zhenchun… We haven’t seen each other for just a few days. How come you look different?”
He leaned back, rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and said,
“You actually look prettier.”
The woman replied coldly,
“They say the Second Young Master of the Wei family is an idle fool. Seeing you today, the rumors are completely true.”
Her calm voice and icy gaze made a chill run down his back.
The moment Wei Xinian heard her voice, he froze.
He immediately jumped backward like a startled rabbit.
“You’re not Li Zhenchun! Who are you?”
The woman looked at him calmly.
“We haven’t met in several years. Have you already forgotten me?”
“Yue Jingque!!”
Wei Xinian shouted.
“Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to marry my older brother? What are you doing in my room?”
The next second he ran toward the door.
“Someone! Jiu’an! Qingniao! Hurry up! Throw this woman out!”
Before he could escape, someone blocked his way.
The maid standing at the entrance pushed him back inside and stood there like a wall.
The maids who served Yue Jingque were all trained fighters.
He was no match for them.
Looking at the strong female guard, Wei Xinian swallowed nervously.
He hopped backward like a rabbit and shouted,
“Move! I’m going out!”
Yue Jingque remained seated on the bed.
“It’s our wedding night. Where are you going?”
To Wei Xinian, her voice sounded no different from the King of Hell calling his name.
“What wedding night? Bah! You’re not the woman I married! I married Li Zhenchun! Let me out! I’m going to find my own bride!”
He turned toward Yue Jingque again.
“You’re from a respectable scholarly family. Aren’t you afraid people will misunderstand you if you trap your brother-in-law in a room with you? Let me leave, and we’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”
Despite all his shouting, Yue Jingque didn’t move an inch.
…
Just then, Li Zhenchun arrived, clutching her skirt.
She saw two broad-shouldered maids guarding the bridal chamber. They looked difficult to mess with.
She quietly sneaked behind them and peeked inside.
There she saw Wei Xinian kneeling beside the bed, desperately begging the woman sitting there to leave.
“…I’m begging you. Please go. We’re not meant to be together. Staying in the same room will only make people misunderstand.”
“You’re my sister-in-law, and I’m your younger brother-in-law! What kind of wedding night is this?”
“I know you look down on me, and I know I’m not worthy of you. This is all a misunderstanding. Just have your people step aside, and I’ll personally send you back to my brother’s room.”
“I’m begging you! If you don’t leave now, my brother is going to lose his innocence!”
Suddenly Wei Xinian thought of something.
“You may not know this, but the girl I married is the daughter of a merchant. If she gets into my brother’s room, she’ll refuse to leave! What if she’s so desperate that she sleeps with my brother? Then you’ll be the one who loses out! Hurry and go check!”
Outside the door, Li Zhenchun heard every single word.
“…”
That jerk!
He had already started ruining her reputation!
She pinched her own thigh hard until tears sprang to her eyes, then immediately cried out,
“Second Young Master! I’m here! I’m here!”
Wei Xinian turned toward the doorway. After seeing Li Zhenchun being blocked by the female guards, he quickly caught on.
He cried back dramatically,
“Chunchun! You’ve come to find me!”
Li Zhenchun blinked.
Chunchun? Or did he just call me ‘Dummy’?
Forget it.
She would settle the score later.
“Second Young Master! The moment I saw that the man lifting my veil wasn’t you, I ran out to find you!”
She reached her hand toward him.
Wei Xinian stepped forward, intending to hold her hand as part of the act.
But when he noticed the fake gold hairpin in her hand, he paused.
He immediately recognized it as fake gold.
And he happened to be allergic to fake gold.
So, right before everyone’s eyes—
Smack!
He slapped the back of her hand, knocking the fake hairpin onto the floor before grabbing her hand dramatically.
He wailed,
“Chunchun! I’ve missed you so much!”
Li Zhenchun stared blankly at the fallen hairpin.
Wei Xinian secretly squeezed her hand.
Idiot! Forget the hairpin and keep acting!
She immediately understood.
“Second Young Master! I’ve missed you too! I don’t even know why I ended up in your brother’s room! You have to believe me!”
“I believe you! And you have to believe me too! I’m still innocent!”
Wei Xinian truly lived up to his reputation as someone who spent his days in brothels and gambling houses.
He had no shame at all shouting that he was “innocent.”
“So am I! Your brother didn’t even touch one finger!”
Separated by the female guards, the two looked like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl divided by the Milky Way, tearfully declaring their love across the distance.
Yue Jingque watched Wei Xinian’s terrible acting, then looked at Li Zhenchun’s exaggerated expressions.
She asked calmly,
“Wei Xinian just said you’re desperately eager for a man. Have the two of you already been intimate?”
Li Zhenchun’s mournful expression instantly froze.
She had only met Wei Xinian once.
How could they possibly have been intimate?
Wei Xinian squeezed her hand harder.
The pain twisted Li Zhenchun’s face.
He signaled frantically with his eyes.
Just say yes! Don’t stand there like an idiot!
Li Zhenchun wanted to.
But she was already looked down upon because she came from a merchant family and had married into an official’s household.
If people believed she had lost her virginity before marriage, her reputation would be destroyed.
That was one thing.
But if it damaged the Li family’s reputation, how would her younger sisters ever find good husbands?
“No.”
She pinched the flesh in Wei Xinian’s palm in return.
Stop squeezing! You’re going to tear the skin off my hand!
His grip hurt so much that tears filled her voice.
“Although the Second Young Master and I truly love each other, we have always behaved properly and respectfully. We have never been physically intimate.”
Wei Xinian was also in great pain from her pinching. Tears appeared in the corners of his eyes as he choked out,
“What did you say?”
The two stared at each other with tear-filled eyes.
Neither knew what to say.
Li Zhenchun thought, Then let go of my hand!
Wei Xinian thought, You let go first!
The two glared at each other so hard they nearly ground their teeth apart.
To everyone else, however, they simply looked like a deeply affectionate couple gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes.
Yue Jingque found the scene amusing.
“As far as I know, Miss Li’s family only moved to the capital recently. When exactly did the two of you fall in love?”
“Half a year ago.”
“One month ago.”
Li Zhenchun answered “half a year.”
Wei Xinian answered “one month.”
The two stared at each other.
Li Zhenchun hurriedly corrected herself.
“Second Young Master, although we only met one month ago, we’ve exchanged letters for more than half a year. Surely those letters still count?”
“They count.”
She pinched him even harder.
His face twitched as he corrected himself.
“You’re right. It was half a year ago.”
He finally released her hand and looked at her with a warning in his eyes.
I let go. Now you let go too.
Li Zhenchun withdrew her hand and pretended to wipe away her tears.
“Miss Yue, we’d better switch back as soon as possible. If this goes on any longer, people will start gossiping.”
“What gossip?”
A dignified voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
Li Zhenchun and Wei Xinian turned toward the sound.
Wei Nancheng had returned, following an elderly madam.
Behind them was a large group of people.