“Wait!”
Hearing Lu Lin say the wedding would be held tomorrow, Jiang Xiaosi’s jaw nearly dropped. She couldn’t tell if she was more frustrated or excited. While she did want to be with Shen Mo, she didn’t like being forced into it.
“What’s the matter? Regretting it now? Don’t want to marry Shen Mo and would rather marry me?” Lu Lin whispered teasingly in her ear, sending chills down her spine.
Clearing her throat, Jiang Xiaosi spoke in a refined tone, “My parents are still alive. Marrying without their consent would be terribly unfilial. And no matter what, something as important as a wedding shouldn’t happen without the presence of our elders.”
Lu Lin tapped his fan lightly against his palm, pausing for a moment before nodding. “Naturally, such an important life event should be celebrated with family and friends. Don’t worry, I’m not unreasonable. You can invite whoever you want to attend.”
Jiang Xiaosi, having gradually learned how to handle Lu Lin, decided to follow Xiao Tang’s lead and call for reinforcements. If her father Jiang Liu and Miao Yan came, things would be easier. Even if they didn’t show up, at least she could buy them a few days’ time.
“But my father went to Yunnan, and it’ll take a few days for him to return. Can we delay the wedding? After all, you’ve waited this long—what’s the rush?”
Seeing Lu Lin hesitate, Jiang Xiaosi quickly added, “My mother passed away many years ago, and my father has been thinking about remarrying. If he comes and agrees to take a wife, wouldn’t that be double the joy? You’d be doing another good deed.”
Lu Lin thought for a moment and agreed to delay the wedding by three days, allowing Jiang Xiaosi time to contact Jiang Liu and get him back as soon as possible.
Inwardly, Jiang Xiaosi couldn’t help but smile bitterly. ‘Dad, I had no choice but to sell you out. Please don’t be mad at me.’
Lu Lin had each of them write down the names of the people they wanted to invite. Since this ghostly place was no place to involve others, Lin Qiang and Yixiu decided not to drag anyone else into the mess. Jiang Xiaosi wrote down Jiang Liu and Miao Yan, while Shen Mo only wrote down Shen Koudan.
Miao Yan could be easily contacted with a text message, but Jiang Xiaosi wasn’t sure of Jiang Liu and Shen Koudan’s exact whereabouts. Since the souls in Lu Lin’s village were trapped at the bottom of the lake and couldn’t leave unless they possessed someone, they usually sent messages through dreams. Jiang Xiaosi, however, insisted that it wasn’t necessary and that Miao Yan could notify the others.
Shen Mo had always had a deep disdain for non-human beings, and now this Lianli tree demon was using any means necessary to achieve immortality. Who knew how many people he had forced into marriage over the years? Shen Mo’s heart harbored murderous intent.
Lu Lin apologized to Lu Xiaowan for disrupting her wedding night, then locked her and Xiao Tang in their room from the outside. He also separated Jiang Xiaosi and Shen Mo, as well as Lin Qiang and Yixiu, each with a village ghost girl, under the pretense of “building affection.”
Xiao Tang had initially felt some fondness for Lu Xiaowan, thinking she was different from other girls, special even. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have run around doing her bidding. But now that he knew the truth, all he felt was fear.
Lu Xiaowan still called him Xingzhi. Xiao Tang knew that she was still hung up on her former lover, and despite his best efforts to explain, she just kept smiling.
“Xingzhi, no matter what you become, I’ll always love you.”
“If you love me, why are you keeping me here, forcing me to do things I don’t want to do? We’re from different worlds—stop clinging to me!” Xiao Tang slumped into a corner, feeling awful. He had drunk so much wine earlier, and there had been an aphrodisiac in it. Sweat was pouring down his body like a rushing stream.
Jiang Xiaosi had sensed something was wrong and had tried to sneak him some medicine, only to get caught by Lu Lin. Now, what had originally been a situation where only one person was forced into marriage had turned into a nightmare where everyone had to get married. At least Jiang Xiaosi and Shen Mo had feelings for each other, even if they weren’t a perfect match. But Lin Qiang and Yixiu’s marriages were absurd—Lin Qiang was definitely going to tear him apart when they got back.
“Xingzhi…” Lu Xiaowan slowly approached him.
“Don’t come any closer!”
“Why not?” Lu Xiaowan dropped her facade of elegance, ripping off her phoenix crown and throwing it to the ground. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him angrily.
“I… I’m afraid of ghosts…”
“You despise me! You used to say that even if I grew old and lost all my teeth, you’d still love me!” Lu Xiaowan lunged at him, but Xiao Tang darted around the table, his legs trembling from the effects of the aphrodisiac.
“Miss! That wasn’t me—Tang Xingzhi is long gone. I may die of hunger, but I won’t compromise my virtue. You may be able to force me into marriage, but I refuse to consummate it!”
Xiao Tang grabbed a teapot from the table and downed its contents, trying to clear his head. Then, with a loud smash, he shattered the teapot on the table and held a shard to his throat.
“I’d rather die a martyr than live in disgrace!”
Lu Xiaowan, fuming, grabbed a teacup and knocked the shard out of his hand. Then she hurled several more teacups at him, making Xiao Tang groan in pain.
“You think I want you to see me like this? Do you know how hard it was to find you after waiting for hundreds of years? I didn’t force you to marry me as soon as I saw you because I knew you didn’t remember anything. I tried so hard to fit into the modern world, to stay close to you, to keep up with you. I even tried to rebuild our relationship. I knew you were a police officer, so I did everything with you—rock climbing, bungee jumping, skydiving. I thought men these days liked independent women, so I tried to be strong. If it weren’t for Lu Lin insisting that time was running out and forcing me to bring you back to get married, threatening me with the safety of the Lu family, I wouldn’t have pressured you like this! What did I do wrong for you to treat me this way, again and again?”
Lu Xiaowan broke down into tears, covering her face.
Xiao Tang’s heart softened, and after a moment of hesitation, he slowly walked over to her.
“I don’t blame you. I’m just angry at myself for being useless and for dragging my friends into this. I’m scared, but it’s not because I despise you.”
Lu Xiaowan reached out and clutched his wrist tightly. “You were gone for five years without a word. I searched everywhere for news of you, only to find out that the top scholar that year was a man named Tang who had married the daughter of a high-ranking official. You used to love taking me to the theater, and I never imagined I’d end up in such a tragic play myself. I couldn’t believe it, but I was too afraid to find out the truth, so I stayed home, hoping that one day you’d remember me and come back…”
“I’m sorry.”
Xiao Tang felt a pang of guilt as he looked at Lu Xiaowan, even though he had no reason to feel responsible or apologize for things he hadn’t done.
Lu Xiaowan raised her head and pulled out a small packet from her sleeve, handing it to him.
“Here’s an antidote. Please believe me, I love you. I would never harm you or force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
Xiao Tang was overjoyed and quickly swallowed the antidote. “Is this the antidote to the poison that tree demon fed to me and Xiaosi earlier?”
“No, I don’t know what he gave you. This is just an antidote to the aphrodisiac in the wine. The aphrodisiac was made from the Lianli tree’s sap and only works on those who’ve formally married under the tree. There’s no way to resist it.”
Xiao Tang was horrified. “Then won’t Lin Qiang and Yixiu be in trouble when they get married?”
Lu Xiaowan nodded.
“Is there more antidote?”
“I only managed to steal one dose. But tomorrow, you need to act like we consummated the marriage and that we’re a happy couple. Lu Lin isn’t very detail-oriented, but he’s extremely stubborn. Once he’s set on something, he won’t let it go.”
Xiao Tang was deeply worried. Exhausted from the day’s events, he sat down at the table, intending to warn the others. But before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
Lu Xiaowan helped him onto the bed and lay down beside him. She gently traced the outline of his nose, lips, and chin with her fingers.
“Xingzhi, this time, no matter what, I won’t let you leave me again.”
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