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Chapter 1 — His… Bride?

It was autumn in the year 2015 when Xia Micheng took the train to Haicheng City from the countryside.
She had been abandoned in the countryside when she was a nine year-old. It was only on this day that she was finally being taken back to the city. There was only a single reason for this—the Xia family intended to marry her into the Orchid Garden in order to counteract their son’s bad luck. This was a practise that was supposed to save an ailing one’s life.
She had heard that the groom from the Orchid Garden was already terminally ill. Neither of the Xia family’s two daughters were willing to marry him, so the people of the Xia Family took her back from the countryside—where she had lived all this while—so that she could take their place instead.
Xia Micheng sat on her bunk with a book in her hand. Just then, the door suddenly opened. The bitingly frigid wind invaded the space along with a sickening, sweet metallic scent of blood.
Xia Micheng looked up, only to see a tall and handsome man suddenly topple over into the room.
He was unconscious.
A few people dressed in black swiftly charged in. “Boss, there’s no one around now. Let’s immediately dispatch him.”
“Who said that there’s no one here?”
The leader of this group—a man with a scar seemingly caused by the slash from a blade—glanced at Xia Micheng.
Xia Micheng hadn’t imagined that misfortune after misfortune would pile up this quickly, nor did she expect that this man who suddenly collapsed in her carriage would end up jeopardizing her life. Heavy murderous intent swirled in the scarred man’s eyes; it was apparent that he wanted to silence her by killing her.
Xia Micheng attempted to keep her composure as she glanced at the weapons in their hands before frantically begging for her life. “Please don’t hurt me. I didn’t see anything!”
The scarred man walked closer to her to take a look at Xia Micheng’s face. She had a veil on, which obscured her face, but her clear eyes were exposed to the outside world.
Those clear eyes were unbelievably crystalline. Even when they were darting around, they still managed to be so gentle and beautiful.
The scarred man had never seen such a pair of stunning, alluring eyes before; he was taken by them in an instant. Adding on the fact that he hadn’t touched a single woman in recent days, it wasn’t surprising that less than savory intentions arose within him.
“My pretty little thing, we can leave you unharmed, but you’ll have to service me and my comrades here.”
Xia Micheng’s long, feathery lashes trembled as she said in a pitiful tone, “I don’t want to die. I’m scared. As long as you don’t hurt me, I’ll serve you well.”
The scarred man could no longer restrain himself at the sound of the girl’s wobbly and feeble pleas as he straightaway leaped onto her, pinning her under his body.
“Boss, you go first. We’ll go ahead and send this guy on his merry way before we enjoy ourselves.”
With the ringing of vulgar laughter in his ears and the feeling of the warm feminine body under his own, the scarred man put down his weapon and reached out to tear at the buttons of Xia Micheng’s shirt.
However, an alabaster little hand suddenly grabbed at him.
The scarred man looked up and instantly saw the girl’s clear, crystalline eyes. Right now, her eyes had lost the weak and panicked look to them; a cold glint shone in them instead.
“You!”
The scarred man was about to continue, but Xia Micheng raised her hand and drove the silver needle she held in it into his head with an unbelievably smooth motion.
The scarred man’s eyes closed as he fell straight to the ground, unconscious.
“Boss!”
The other men in black were taken aback. They tried to surge forward, but then the man who had collapsed earlier abruptly opened his eyes. With a sweep of his arm, he snatched away the weapon that one of the men in black was holding.
One by one, the men dressed in black collapsed to the ground.
It was so sudden that they didn’t even have the time to process what was happening.
Xia Micheng sat up. She had already known that this man was pretending to be unconscious; the blood on him was not his own.
Xia Micheng raised her head to look at the man. He too looked back at her. He had a pair of narrowed eyes that had a universe of meanings behind them. They were as sharp as an eagle’s talons, and there were even abysses hiding at the bottom of his eyes; whoever looked into them would feel like they were being sucked in.
“Young Master, I apologize for our late arrival.”
Their saviors had arrived and began to clean up the aftermath in an orderly fashion. A trusted subordinate handed a clean handkerchief to the man.
The man wiped his hands in a most graceful way, before striding over to Xia Micheng with steady and composed steps. His knuckles popped out as his fingers closed around her delicate jaw.
He narrowed his eyes, sizing her up with a somewhat amused look. His voice was low and charismatic as he spoke. “How do you think I will handle you?”
His calloused fingers gripped her jaw tightly. Xia Micheng was forced to look up at him. The man towered over her, and his handsomeness was beyond this world. His aura was like the night—strong and powerful, yet chilly as well.
He had already cleaned his hands earlier, but she could still smell that sickly sweet and metallic tang of blood on him.
She had seen something she wasn’t supposed to, but it wasn’t easy for her to just turn around and run; this man was rather dangerous.
Smack!
Xia Micheng straightaway slapped the man’s hand away. “Let go of me! I am the one who will be marrying into the Orchid Garden!” she said with a stern face.
The one who will be marrying into the Orchid Garden? The man raised an eyebrow. How interesting. His… bride?
“You’re from Haicheng City? Then you should know that one of the Xia family’s daughters is going to marry into the Orchid Garden. This wedding is going to rock the entire city, and I am that bride that they speak of. Do you think that you wouldn’t run into even bigger problems if anything were to happen to me? Release me, and it will be as if I haven’t seen anything. I will not speak about this as well!”
Xia Micheng really had to thank her stepmother Li Qianhui now. Li Qianhui had only given her an economy class train ticket for her trip back to Haicheng City. However, she was the one who organized the wedding—a grandiose, extravagant affair that was supposed to boost her reputation.
The Xia Family’s daughter’s marriage into the Orchid Garden was the biggest scoop in Haicheng City, so Xia Micheng was gambling on the chance that the man didn’t want any extra trouble.
The man looked at her with interest. He had been on the receiving end of an assassination attempt from some contract killers hired by his competitors on this day; meeting this girl was a complete accident.
He saw that she was no older than twenty. Even though her face was drained of blood and her clothes were in disarray, her clear eyes were still bright, with a cleverness hiding within and a blinding brilliance that shone in them.
Most importantly, she was his bride.
The man averted his gaze and left with his men.
Xia Micheng slowly unclenched her fists; her nails had been digging into her palm.
The man turned his head, amused. He looked at her and said to her slowly so that she could read his lips, “We will meet again, soon.”
……
The Xias’ wedding was held at Magnifica Manor.
Xia Erxiang peered at her older half-sister Xia Micheng as they waited in the bride’s lounge. “Xia Micheng, your mother died when you were nine. Later on, you pushed Grandpa down the stairs with your own two hands. Even the astrologer said that you’re a walking harbinger of bad luck; that was why dad sent you away to the countryside. If it wasn’t for this wedding that’s supposed to counteract the Orchid Garden’s bad luck, you would have to spend the rest of your days in the boonies. So, you should recognize your place. You’re not a daughter of the Xia Family; you’re just a dog to us!”
“Who are you calling, dog?” Xia Micheng said blandly as she sat in front of the dressing counter.
Xia Erxiang put her hands on her hips. “You of course!”
Xia Micheng’s lips quirked up into a smile. “I know already, so you don’t need to continue yapping.”
It was only then that Xia Erxiang realized that she had played into Xia Micheng’s hands. She peered at Xia Micheng’s clear, sharp eyes. She had had a veil on her face the entire time—ever since her journey from the countryside—but the eyes that peeked out above the veil were so very attractive; just those eyes alone would make anyone think that she was a gorgeous woman whose beauty could fell entire cities.
Xia Erxiang was jealous beyond belief. How she wished she could scoop out Xia Micheng’s eyes. How could this country bumpkin be beautiful? She was just hoodwinking everyone. She was clearly a hideous thing!
“Micheng, the time has come. You may leave now!” Right at that moment, Xia Chunyang and Li Qianhui entered along with an entourage of important guests.

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Chapter 2 — The Night of the Wedding

Li Qianhui was Xia Micheng’s stepmother. She had been a renowned actress in the entertainment industry back in her heyday. Even though she had given birth to two daughters, she had maintained her appearance well; she looked like a beautiful young mother with an elegant grace to her.
Li Qianhui had originally been a mistress. However, she was rather crafty. Not only did she successfully hide her past as a mistress, she had even used smart tactics in order to cause waves among the circle of upper crust ladies as the matriarch of the Xia Family.
Li Qianhui had organized the wedding on this day most beautifully—even the wedding gown that Xia Micheng wore had been a special customized order from Milan that cost a pretty penny to make. Everyone praised Li Qianhui for a job well done.
Xia Micheng pretended not to know anything, only revealing the shyness of a girl who was about to be married. She looked at the door of the car in anticipation. “It’s already time, but why has the groom… not come to pick me up yet?”
Li Qianhui’s expression changed when she heard that.
Everyone glanced at each other. What was going on? Did the bride not know that she was going to marry a terminally ill man, one who was about to die?
She was here to wash away the other family’s bad luck. There was no groom for this wedding.
Xia Chunyang stepped forward, guilt and avoidance in his eyes. “Micheng, the groom… The groom is not feeling well today, so he won’t be coming. You should go right ahead.”
Xia Micheng stiffened, but just as quickly, she giggled obediently. “Okay, then I shall take my leave.”
Xia Micheng got into the car alone.
The guests watched as Xiao Micheng’s gorgeous figure disappeared into the car. While she may be a country bumpkin girl, her figure was willowy and stunning with that beautiful wedding gown on her. There was an indescribable grace and allure to the aura that she emanated.
Moreover, her clueless, obedient demeanor evoked overwhelming pity from the guests. Everyone glanced at Li Qianhui and began to gesticulate and whisper among themselves.
“She’s so pretty on the outside, but she’s still just a stepmother in the end, especially with how she’s trying to get someone else’s daughter to tie the knot in this sham marriage instead of her own.”
Li Qianhui’s face darkened. This wedding had originally been within her control, but Xia Micheng had managed to skillfully twist everyone’s opinion in her favor to make her look bad. It seemed like she had underestimated Xia Micheng.
However, there was still time in the coming days. She had ways to put her in her place!
……
Xia Micheng entered the newlyweds’ bedroom upon her arrival at the Orchid Garden.
The lights were switched off. It was dark, and the atmosphere was a little eerie.
Xia Micheng’s black, shiny eyes shone in the dark, looking lustrous and alert. She came to the bed and vaguely saw a man lying on the soft and large mattress.
This was her groom.
Xia Micheng reached out, intending to check his pulse.
However, the next second, her slender arm was suddenly caught by slender fingers in a tight hold. The world spun, and then she found herself pinned under him.
Xia Micheng was startled. They had said that her new husband was a terminally ill man on the verge of death, but the fingers holding her arm in a vice grip were powerful. He was clearly a man who was very much in the pink of health.
Who was he?
Xia Micheng swiftly crooked her knee and aimed it right at his nether regions.
However, the man was even faster than her. He easily evaded her attack and with a press of his knee, he restrained her completely.
His movements were quick, precise, and brutal.
“Who are you? Let go of me!”
Xia Micheng struggled with all her might. Their bodies rubbed against each other through the thin fabric of their clothes.
A low and charismatic voice soon rang by her ear. “You’re being rather enthusiastic. Are you that eager in sealing the deal?”
“…”
She was speechless.
How obscene!
Xia Micheng suddenly realized that the man in this room was probably her new husband. However, her new husband was not at all sickly; quite on the contrary, he was a healthy young man.
By then, the man’s slender fingers had already moved away from her arm to rest on the buttons of her bodice, undoing them one by one.
Xia Micheng quickly grabbed his large hands. “I’m already being still. What are you doing?”
“Noise. Can you make some noise?”
Make some noise?
Right then, Xia Micheng heard the sneaky whisperings from outside the bedroom; a maid had stopped Madam Lu. “Madam, this isn’t exactly good. We should go back…”
“Shh.” The old lady angrily made a shushing motion. “I listen with my ears, not my eyes!”
Madam Lu was listening in, her entire body pressed against the window frame.
Xia Micheng wanted to get up to take a closer look, but Lu Yuzhen grabbed her by the shoulder and pressed her back onto the bed. “Hurry up and scream.”
Xia Micheng guessed that he needed her cooperation in order to put on an act for the old woman outside. However...
“I can’t.”
Lu Yuzhen’s intelligent narrow eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s talon in the dark. He looked at the girl under him; she wasn’t older than twenty. Her brows were currently knitted together and there was reservation in her eyes; yet, there was the fury of humiliation in them.
Lu Yuzhen’s large hands came to her top and then he tore it away with a hard yank.
“Ah!”
Xia Micheng felt the cold air on her skin and she brought her slender arms up to cover her chest. She was still a young girl after all; she was so startled that she ended up giving a soft cry of shock.
A smile tugged on Lu Yuzhen’s lips. “And you know how to cry out now?”
“…”
She could find no retort to that.
Xia Micheng looked up. How shameless!
Lu Yuzhen’s hands were placed right next to each side of her body. He trapped her within his sturdy embrace from his position above her, and then he began to imitate certain actions.
The bed creaked and groaned in the dark room. Just as before, she was still a young girl in the end. Her snow-white ear lobes reddened considerably.
“Just continue to make some noise, or else I’m going to do the real thing.” Right then, he threatened her.
Xia Micheng’s lashes fluttered. She didn’t doubt his words at all, so she closed her eyes and cried out to play along with his act.
Outside, Madam Lu placed her hands together in thankfulness. “Oh, this is wonderful. My grandson isn’t gay. He isn’t impotent. He has finally done the deed! Oh, blessed ancestors! I’m going to be able to hold my great-grandchildren soon!”
Madam Lu jigged in happiness before quickly walking away to light some joss sticks for the family ancestors at the temple.
Xia Micheng swiftly reached out to shove the man above her. This time, Lu Yuzhen cooperated and released her.
Clack. He switched on the light.
A dim yellow light bathed the room. Xia Micheng sat up. She quickly re-buttoned her top, covering up her gleaming shoulder and soft milky skin.
She raised her head to look at the man.
The man had already gotten off the bed. The light revealed a handsome face; he was good-looking, the lines of his face seemingly sculpted by the gods. Even his movements revealed an inherent distantness and cold, noble elegance.
However, Xia Micheng was in no mood to drink in the man’s dashing good looks. On the contrary, her pupils shrank.
Because this man...
“It’s you!”
He was the man on the train!
He was her new husband!
Xia Micheng had known that she was about to marry a terminally ill man, so she had made her preparations. Still, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that it would be him.
She had even loudly laid it on him that day on the train, proclaiming herself as the Orchid Garden’s new bride. He had probably been laughing at her in secret as he watched her.
Lu Yuzhen’s lips formed a smile that didn’t quite look like one. “You finally recognized me. I’ve said before that we’ll meet again soon.”
His eyes reflected his contemplation. His butler had told him that the Xia Family members had sent a country bumpkin to marry him.
So be it then, as long as his grandmother was happy.
Moreover, she was the country bumpkin that they spoke of.
Still, were country bumpkins supposed to be like her?
He had witnessed how she had gotten that scarred man to fall all over her on the train.

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Chapter 3 — Falling Asleep in Her Arms

Right then, the sound of knocking came. The butler, Mr. Fu, called out from outside the door, “Young Master.”
Lu Yuzhen opened his mouth to speak in a bland tone. “Enter.”
Mr. Fu pushed open the door and stepped in. “Young Master, how should the… Young Mistress be handled?”
Lu Yuzhen stood still by the bed for quite a while. He was 187 cm tall, clad in only the simplest possible outfit—a white shirt and a pair of black pants—but the expensive fabric was handwoven, showcasing his slim build and his distinguished aura.
Lu Yuzhen lowered his gaze. His fingers tapped away at one of the gleaming silver buttons on his shirt in a practiced manner. He glanced at Xia Micheng indifferently. “I’m sure that you still don’t know that there are two wolves in the Orchid Garden’s backyard. Why not… toss you to them?”
Xia Micheng’s heart clenched. The people from the older generation had been the ones to arrange this marriage. Specifically, those from Haicheng City’s four most distinguished families—the Lu, Gu, Huo, and Su families.
The young master of the Lu family was the one who held absolute power over them. It was said that he was the youngest and most dashing mogul in the business world. However, no one had ever seen his face; he was quite the mysterious one.
The Orchid Garden was quite secluded. One could tell that it was no grandiose residence with one glance. The Xias had sent people to investigate the Orchid Garden, but all they were able to garner was that a grandmother and her grandson lived there, and this grandson was also the half-dead, terminally ill groom that people spoke of.
Li Qianhui’s greatest wish was to marry her two daughters into Haicheng City’s most influential families. The results of the Orchid Garden investigation made her itch to rip up the Xia family’s ancestors’ graves so that she could demand the reason for this sham marriage.
Li Qianhui didn’t want her daughters to marry this man, but Xia Chunyang was a conservative man who valued filial piety. He was reluctant to breach the wedding agreement that the older generations had made.
Her daughters couldn’t marry this man, but then Li Qianhui thought of Xia Micheng, and so she fetched the girl back to marry in her daughters’ place.
To Xia Micheng’s knowledge, the man before her was certainly not any kind of dignified noble. However, she was confused.
The man standing in front of her radiated an aloof and disdainful air even with just his movements. A cold elegance oozed from his very being, as though he was a king commanding his people, making people unable to do anything but worship at his feet.
He even had wolves in his backyard. Raising wolves was not something that regular people could just indulge in.
Xia Micheng wanted to speak, but then the man suddenly placed his hands on the desk. His majestic eyes revealed a pained expression.
The butler’s expression shifted. He quickly exclaimed, “Young Master, I’m going to call for the doctor now!”
Xia Micheng’s gaze moved lower. The veins in his hands were already pulsing madly, like they were a sign of an illness flaring up.
He’s sick? And it’s a terrifying illness as well.
Xia Micheng’s gaze met with the man’s blood-red eyes; Lu Yuzhen had twisted his head around to look at her, but the one he was addressing was the butler instead when he barked, “Get her out!”
“Young Mistress, you should hurry up and leave,” the butler said quickly.
Xia Micheng knew that she couldn’t leave. She had returned to the Xia Family with a goal in mind, but she needed the position as the Orchid Garden’s bride.
Xia Micheng gazed at Lu Yuzhen with her clear eyes; she had no intention of avoiding his gaze. “You’re sick. What is it that ails you? I have some medical knowledge, and I’m skilled in acupuncture. I can treat you.”
Lu Yuzhen pressed his lips together into a harsh line. “Get out!” Those words seemingly burst out from his throat.
However, Xia Micheng didn’t leave. She even approached him. “I can smell lily, wolfiporia extensa, gastrodia elata and other rare herbs on you. These are all traditional Chinese remedies for… insomnia. If my guess is right, you have a sleep disorder. You’re unable to sleep at night.”
The butler looked at Xia Micheng, stunned. “Young Mistress, you…”
Xia Micheng’s clear gaze landed on Lu Yuzhen’s handsome face. “What is the extent of your somnipathy? Once it’s gotten to a certain level, your mental state will be severely affected. When your body is exhausted yet unable to receive rest, another self within you will manifest, and that other self is cheerless, irritable, and terrifying. It’s almost like a sickness in itself.”
The corners of Lu Yuzhen’s narrow eyes were becoming even redder; a dark cloud was already hanging by his forehead. He reached out and grabbed hold of Xia Micheng’s neck in one motion.
The girl’s neck was incredibly smooth and soft. If he so much as squeezed it gently, her life would be no more.
“Young Mistress, please don’t agitate the Young Master anymore! Young Master, please let go of the Young Mistress at once!” The butler was frantic to the point that he was about to charge over.
The air she could breathe in was lessening; her tiny face was beginning to turn red. Still, her little hand moved and quickly jabbed a needle into a pressure point on Lu Yuzhen.
Lu Yuzhen’s grip loosened, and he plopped onto the sofa.
Xia Micheng gasped and panted heavily. She hadn’t wanted to die when she came back here. She had been terrified just then.
This man before her was too dangerous. Never mind the mystery of his identity; just a mere sleep disorder could turn him from an elegant and noble man into a monster at the drop of a hat.
However, she couldn’t retreat anymore. All she could do was soldier on.
Xia Micheng readjusted her breathing and approached him from behind. Then, she lifted her slender fingers and placed them on his temples, massaging him.
Lu Yuzhen covered his majestic eyes, obscuring their redness. “Your idea of treatment is a massage?”
“You must be pleased. You’re the first man I’ve ever done this for.”
“You’re talking as if you’re not the first woman who’s ever had the pleasure of massaging me.”
“…”
She was speechless.
Looks like I can’t have a chat with him.
“Let me live. Let us get along with each other. So long as you don’t ask me about my private matters, I’ll help play pretend in front of your grandmother. I can even treat your insomnia to boot. What do you say?”
Lu Yuzhen did not reply.
When Xia Micheng pushed a long needle into an acupuncture point in Lu Yuzhen’s head, he closed his eyes, then his head lolled onto the sofa.
Xia Micheng quickly reached out to gently and tenderly catch him.
He had fallen asleep.
The butler had already broken into a cold sweat. No one knew about his master’s identity, but he knew about it very well. His master was the young master of the Lu Family, who was an unusually blessed person. In his teens, he dabbled in the world of business and single-handedly forged the legend that was the Lu Family.
No one had ever dared to… bargain… with his master like this. Moreover, it was a girl who did so.
The girls who had the fortune to meet with his master had been head over heels for him. They loved him, were infatuated with him, fervently wishing that they could leap into his arms.
The young mistress before his eyes was special. Even when his young master’s condition flared up, she managed to keep her composure, her frankness, and her wits.
Most shockingly, the Young Master had fallen asleep!
The Young Master hadn’t slept in a long while already!
The doctors and masters who treated the Young Master for his insomnia were among the world’s best, but their efforts had been futile. And yet, the Young Master had fallen asleep in the Young Mistress’s hands!
The butler spoke up. “Young Mistress…”
Xia Micheng placed a finger to her lips in a shushing motion. “You can leave. I am here.”
He wasn’t sure why, but the butler felt that this lady had a soothing aura to her. He obediently retreated and left the room.
……
The room was utterly silent.
Xia Micheng allowed him to rest in her arms for a while. She only shifted him completely onto the sofa and placed a blanket on him once he had entered a deep slumber.
Once she had done this, Xia Micheng got into bed and drifted off to sleep, still dressed in her wedding gown.
Right then, Lu Yuzhen slowly opened his eyes. He had woken.
Lu Yuzhen got up and walked toward the bed. He reached out his slim fingers to peel away the veil on Xia Micheng’s face.

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