Night fell, and only a few stars could be seen in the sky.
After eating and drinking their fill, the guests returned home. The noisy celebration gradually quieted down.
Zhu Mingyue had been sleepy and struggling to stay awake. But when he heard several vulgar men outside shouting about disturbing the bridal chamber, he instantly became alert.
The thing he feared most was finally about to happen.
Although he liked men, that did not mean he could accept sleeping with a complete stranger the very first time they met.
Seeing death approaching, panic appeared on his face. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest.
The ropes binding him destroyed his last hope of escape. Staring at the wooden door, he imagined the man entering at any moment. Helpless, he closed his eyes.
He kept comforting himself:
“At least this is better than staying in the Nanfeng House…”
With a loud bang, the door was kicked open.
The candlelight flickered wildly in the wind. A huge shadow appeared on the window paper and slowly moved closer, like a monster opening its mouth to swallow someone whole.
A strong smell of alcohol filled the room.
Under the red bridal veil, Zhu Mingyue frowned nervously.
Finally, the veil was lifted, revealing a face as beautiful as a peach blossom. Dressed in red, he looked breathtaking.
Xie Hong swallowed hard. In the silent room, the sound was unusually clear.
He grabbed a cup of water from the table and drank it all at once, trying to ease the dryness in his throat.
Suddenly, Zhu Mingyue was pushed onto the bed.
One rough hand eagerly rubbed his face while the other moved over his waist like a snake.
In panic, Zhu Mingyue opened his eyes and saw his husband clearly for the first time.
The man had a square face, thick eyebrows, and round eyes. If not for the lust in his gaze, he could have passed as an honest farmer.
However, under the candlelight, Zhu Mingyue also noticed that the man’s face looked pale and weak. His lips were bloodless, and despite his strong build, he looked sickly.
Something felt strange.
But he had no time to think because the man’s lips were already moving toward his neck.
His clothes were being pulled apart. Fortunately, the ropes on his hands and feet had not been removed, so the clothes remained hanging on him.
Zhu Mingyue quickly turned his head and avoided the kiss.
“Wait…”
He had only spoken half a sentence when he suddenly stopped.
Xie Hong’s expression changed instantly.
His face became dark and frightening.
The hand on Zhu Mingyue’s face slowly moved to his neck.
Then it tightened.
His slender neck was firmly gripped.
As the pressure increased, breathing became harder and harder.
Just before losing consciousness, Zhu Mingyue heard a cold voice.
“You don’t want to sleep with me. Do you find me disgusting?”
Driven by survival instinct, Zhu Mingyue desperately pleaded.
“No! No!”
The grip finally loosened.
Gasping for fresh air, Zhu Mingyue felt terrible pain in his throat. He tried to speak but found he had temporarily lost his voice.
It was terrifying.
He curled himself into a ball, hiding the fear in his eyes.
There was no doubt in his mind.
This man was deeply insecure, emotionally unstable, and violent.
The look in Xie Hong’s eyes convinced him that if he had not begged for mercy, he might have been strangled to death.
Several men’s voices came from outside the window.
They had gathered there to secretly watch.
“Old Xie, why is it taking so long? Don’t tell me you can’t do it!”
“Yeah! We thought we’d hear something interesting!”
“How boring!”
Their teasing entered the room.
Before Zhu Mingyue could react, Xie Hong’s anger rose once again.
Most village men were strong and energetic, whether working in the fields or in bed.
A few years ago, Xie Hong had been no different.
When he visited brothels with his friends, he was always the loudest. The women would cry out under his enthusiasm.
But at some point, his body began to change.
Dark circles appeared under his eyes.
Sometimes he walked unsteadily.
He looked as if all his strength had been drained away.
Even during intimate moments, women complained that he lacked energy.
Deep down, he knew the truth.
His abilities as a man were failing.
The one thing he had always been proud of was disappearing.
He felt as though the whole world was laughing at him.
Whenever other men looked at him or asked harmless questions, he believed they were mocking him.
His sensitive and irritable nature grew stronger and stronger.
Now, looking at the beautiful young man before him—his very own spouse—his desire burned intensely.
Yet his body refused to respond.
Zhu Mingyue’s rejection angered him.
His friends’ teasing outside shattered his remaining pride.
Xie Hong glared murderously toward the window and then turned back to Zhu Mingyue.
The bed shook violently.
Outside, the men cheered and shouted.
Embarrassed, Zhu Mingyue’s face turned red.
Suddenly—
Pfft!
A warm liquid splashed across his face.
The smell of alcohol was quickly replaced by the smell of blood.
Blood?
Feeling the thick liquid running down his face, Zhu Mingyue realized what it was.
His face turned pale.
“What happened?”
He pushed Xie Hong aside and asked nervously.
“What happened to you?”
The only response was violent coughing.
Blood continued to spray from Xie Hong’s mouth.
At that moment, Zhu Mingyue had only one thought:
Xie Hong must not die.
At least, he could not die on their wedding night.
If he died in this bed, Zhu Mingyue would be finished.
He had once been interested in ancient customs and had read many related books.
One passage had left a deep impression on him.
A woman whose husband died shortly after marriage was often labeled as bringing bad luck to her husband.
The husband’s family might punish her brutally, even with private torture.
At the time, Zhu Mingyue had thought such beliefs were ridiculous.
Blaming a spouse for someone’s death was simply oppression of the weak.
But judging by Xie Hong’s grandmother’s personality, he feared he might be thrown into a bamboo cage and drowned.
He had already suffered so much just to survive.
He could not die now.
“Help! Someone is coughing up blood! Hurry!”
He shouted toward the door.
He knew people were still outside.
“What happened?”
“He coughed up blood during his wedding night?”
“Stop standing around! Let’s go inside!”
The men rushed into the room carrying candles.
When they saw Xie Hong covered in blood, they were shocked.
Blood stained much of his chest.
Zhu Mingyue was not much better.
Although he wore red clothing, blood stains covered his pale face.
The contrast between white skin and red blood made him look strangely beautiful and almost supernatural.
For a moment, the men were stunned by his appearance.
Then they felt a chill.
Zhu Mingyue raised his bound hands to show his innocence.
“This has nothing to do with me.”
He looked toward Xie Hong, who was barely breathing.
“He suddenly started coughing blood. I don’t know why. Please take him to a doctor immediately.”
“Okay! Okay!”
The men quickly agreed.
After a moment, Zhu Mingyue said carefully,
“It’s dark outside. If something delays treatment, that would be terrible. Why not untie me? I’ll carry a torch and come with you.”
The men immediately shook their heads.
“You should stay home.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get Old Xie safely to the town clinic.”
Pretending to be upset, Zhu Mingyue said,
“He’s my husband. How can I not worry?”
“Don’t make things difficult for us. Old Xie told us clearly that we must not release you without his permission.”
If they let him escape and Xie Hong survived, they would be in serious trouble.
Besides, none of them could repay the bride price used to buy such a beautiful person.
Seeing that the plan had failed, Zhu Mingyue gave up.
After Xie Hong was carried away, he stayed awake all night.
The candles burned out.
The men had left so quickly that they forgot to close the door.
Cold wind blew into the room, making the door creak repeatedly.
The dark night and howling wind slowly wore down Zhu Mingyue’s sanity.
He was afraid of the dark.
Whenever night came, he remembered the ghost movies he had watched as a child.
His imagination convinced him that ghosts were standing behind him, staring at him, or scratching the bottoms of his feet.
Because of this, whenever he lived alone, he always kept the lights on at night.
Now he desperately wished for dawn.
Filled with fear, he waited for the first rays of sunlight.
At last, morning arrived.
Xie Hong’s friends returned.
And Xie Hong was brought back home as well.
The town doctor had been awakened in the middle of the night.
After examining him, the doctor said that emotional stress and stagnant liver energy had caused him to cough up blood.
The men finally understood.
They had wondered why a healthy man suddenly started vomiting blood.
Thinking back, they realized Xie Hong’s temper had indeed become worse recently.
He argued with people over the smallest things.
Now it all made sense.
The doctor had treated him with acupuncture and prescribed several medicines before sending him home to rest.
Hearing this, Zhu Mingyue finally relaxed.
He did not care what illness Xie Hong had.
As long as nobody blamed him.
After the men finished explaining, they prepared to leave.
But the weak-looking Xie Hong stopped them.
His face was gray and exhausted, as if he had lost all his blood.
With difficulty, he said:
“Untie him…”