As they drew closer, the crowd could finally make out the vehicle: a horse-drawn carriage lavishly decorated in bright, gaudy silks and ribbons.
Sitting on the carriage were several young women dressed in flamboyant, eye-catching finery.
Everyone was taken aback.
“That looks like a wedding carriage, but the Huo family’s bridal cars are still parked right out front. When did they switch to a carriage?”
Just then, a steward hurried over, breathless and anxious. “We’re the bridal escort from the Gu family. We’ve brought the new bride over for you!”
Realization dawned on the onlookers. It seemed the bride’s family had grown impatient and decided to deliver the bride themselves.
The local steward quickly signaled the waiting traditional band, and the festive melodies of A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix rang out.
In an instant, the area in front of the Huo estate erupted into a cacophony of gongs, drums, and wind instruments, bursting into a lively, jubilant celebration.
Four bridesmaids dressed in red stepped down from the carriage, all wearing veils over their faces.
Gu Qianqian, disguised as one of the bridesmaids, joined another bridesmaid in supporting Gu Niannian—who wore a traditional red bridal veil—and led her straight into the house.
The guests exchanged bewildered glances. “What’s going on? They haven’t even performed the wedding ceremony yet. Why are they taking her straight inside?”
“Do these bridesmaids not know the rules? Why are they in such a rush to hustle the bride into the bridal chamber?”
“Maybe it’s a custom on the bride’s side!”
Just as the Huo family and their guests murmured among themselves, someone piped up with the inside scoop:
“No wonder they rushed the new bride straight to the bridal chamber—word is, the groom suddenly vanished!”
“If the groom isn’t even here, how are they supposed to hold the ceremony? The poor bride must be beside herself, having the groom run off the second she arrives.”
“Does anyone know what’s actually going on? Weren’t the two families betrothed since childhood? Did Huo Sheng’an get cold feet?”
Speculation ran wild, with everyone whispering different versions of the story.
Chaos erupted within the Huo household, leaving Huo’s parents completely at a loss.
Huo Qianqiu was so furious he nearly lost his breath, pressing a hand to his chest as he cursed, “Why is that brat so impossible? If it weren’t for all these guests watching, I’d drag him back here and beat some sense into him!”
Huo’s mother quickly stepped in to calm him. “Old Huo, what’s done is done, so try to keep your temper down. Sheng’an must be overwhelmed right now—he probably just went off to hide somewhere. Let’s give him a little time to cool his head.”
Fuming with rage, Qianqiu snapped, “What are we supposed to do without him? The new bride is already here—are we just skipping the ceremony?”
Sighing heavily, his wife replied, “Oh, at this point, whether we have the ceremony or not doesn’t matter much. The bride has already been delivered; the most important thing now is to look after our wedding guests!”
Coming to his senses, Qianqiu immediately ordered the kitchen staff, “Start serving the banquet right away.”
The guests, whose stomachs had been growling for ages, wasted no time diving into the wedding feast.
Famished and exhausted, they completely forgot about the awkward drama unfolding in the Huo household. Like a pack of starving wolves, they grabbed their chopsticks and piled food into their mouths.
The Huo family had set up a table in the room next to the bridal chamber specifically to host the bridesmaids.
However, the bride herself was nowhere near the table, fast asleep with her head covered.
When people came by to toast the table, assuming the bride was just throwing a tantrum, they received no response after offering a few words of comfort.
The bridesmaids smoothly covered for her. “Don’t mind her. She didn’t sleep a wink last night, and with all this commotion today, she’s completely exhausted. Just let her sleep a little longer!”
Hearing this, the two female guests hosting the table dropped the subject. Halfway through the meal, the bridesmaids gently nudged them away.
“You two ladies go tend to your other duties; you don’t need to look after us. Us girls want to catch up and chat properly. Once the bride wakes up, we’ll take care of her.”
Realizing they were being politely and unmistakably shown the door, the two women exchanged knowing looks and sensibly excused themselves.
The moment they left, Qianqian leaned in and whispered instructions to the rest of the group.
The bridesmaids were all hired hands paid by the Gu family to help pull off the deception, so they naturally followed Qianqian’s lead.
After a quick huddle, seeing that the time was right, they prepared to clear out.
Before leaving, Qianqian slipped quietly into the bridal chamber to check on Niannian, who was still sound asleep on the bed. A smug, triumphant smile curved her lips.
“Looks like this drug packs quite a punch,” she murmured to herself. “Sleep tight, Gu Niannian.”
With that, she pulled out two sticks of aphrodisiac incense, lit them secretly in the corner of the room, and slipped back out.
After the guests finally dispersed, Huo’s parents—completely worn out from days of mounting stress—gave a few final instructions to the steward and retired early.
During her rounds, Huo’s mother checked on the bridal room. Pushing the door open, she saw Niannian fast asleep with her head covered, so she quietly pulled the door shut and walked away.
She then summoned two of the younger relatives. “Xiaoman, Xiaojiang, go find Huo Sheng’an and bring him back immediately. Once you’ve got him, lock him straight inside the bridal room.”
The two younger cousins nodded briskly. “Don’t worry, Auntie. We’ll scour every inch of the city if we have to, but we’ll drag Sheng’an back.”
After hunting through the streets for hours, they finally tracked down a thoroughly drunken Sheng’an at a local tavern and hauled him back.
Strictly following their aunt’s orders, the cousins dragged Sheng’an home, shoved him straight into the bridal chamber, and bolted the door from the outside.
Niannian felt as though she had been asleep for ages, trapped in a terrifying nightmare. In her dream, a heavy-bodied man was lying right beside her, holding her in a suffocating embrace.
No matter how hard she fought or twisted away, she couldn’t break free, and a wave of panic made her want to scream.
Yet try as she might, she couldn’t push a single sound past her throat.
Through the heavy fog of sleep, she felt a crushing weight pressing down on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
Instinctively, her hands clawed blindly at whatever was in front of her, her fingers brushing against a man’s hard, muscular back.
A jolt of pure shock pierced through her, breaking out into a cold sweat.
The moment Niannian’s eyes flickered open to see a strange man sleeping right next to her, stark terror paralyzed her, freezing the breath in her lungs.
Her mind went completely blank, and tears streamed down her face like a broken dam.
She shoved against the man with all her might. But despite her absolute best efforts, the body pressing down on her remained as immovable as a mountain.
Breaking down, Niannian let out a muffled, tearful cry:
“Who are you? Get off me…”
Her plea was met only by the man’s heavy breathing and a series of relentless, heated kisses pressed fiercely against her face and neck.
Radiating searing heat, his breath washed over her skin in waves, plunging her into a suffocating panic that felt like drowning.
She parted her lips to scream for help, but her throat felt locked tight, refusing to yield a single sound.