Chapter 3131: My Wife and I Role-Play Daily Life 16

The Chu family manor was brightly lit at night, red silk and lanterns everywhere, the guests' clamor coming from the front courtyard—so festive that, had Jin Chen not known this was an illusion crafted by a thousand-year-old corpse ghost, he would have thought he was attending a mortal wedding.

A maid supported him as they bypassed the rockery, passed through the corridor, and were about to reach the front courtyard when a young man suddenly darted out from the tree shadows nearby, blocking their path.

He wore a half-worn long robe, his face gaunt, his eye sockets slightly red, looking as if he hadn't slept well for days; seeing this wedding dress made his eye sockets redden even more.

"Huan Niang!" he choked out, unable to hold back his grief, "You can't marry him! We've known each other since childhood, we're childhood sweethearts, I—"

Jin Chen rolled his eyes beneath the veil.

Tsk, a bit annoying.

The young man grew more excited as he spoke, pouring out his feelings nonstop; when he got emotional, he reached out, wanting to touch Jin Chen's clasped hands in front of him.

Jin Chen stepped back without changing his expression, seriously considering whether it would be better to shove this man into the nearby pond or simply send him to the bed to keep the already cold Huan Niang company. Both options had pros and cons, and he found it hard to choose.

Just as he hesitated, a cold voice from the side of the corridor cut in.

"Sir, please conduct yourself properly."

Chenshu changed into the groom's attire, a gold crown binding his hair, lending him a few extra touches of heroic vigor, though his expression was not pleasant.

He stepped in front of the young man, blocking his gaze toward Jin Chen, "Huan Niang is my fiancée; today is our wedding day—don't blame me for being blunt."

The young man, aware he was in the wrong and intimidated by Chenshu's presence, stammered a few words before slinking away.

Jin Chen stood beneath the veil, muttering complexly, furious, "You're protecting Huan Niang so much."

Jin Chen felt jealousy welling up, so he stayed silent, standing there in silence.

Chenshu drove the young man away, turned around, and saw the bride standing silently, her fingers tightening imperceptibly as if enduring something. He hesitated a moment, then reached out and lightly took Jin Chen's fingertip.

"Let's go." His voice softened, a stark contrast to the coldness with which he had warned the young man earlier.

Behind them, behind the rockery, seven heads popped up one after another.

Six pairs of eyes fixed on the topmost head, which looked very steady. Ye Xiaoman lowered his voice and asked, "Senior Brother, if Chenshu regains his memory and discovers he just held Jin Chen's hand, bowed, and entered the bridal chamber, and they start fighting again, what should we do?"

Shen Guiyan exclaimed innocently, "I'm about to go down the mountain for training with Master; whatever happens afterward is up to you."

The six of them: "!!!"

Senior Brother! You can't do this!

——

The flow of time inside the illusion differs from the outside world, entirely controlled by its master.

Jin Chen felt the wedding rites fly by in a daze, being led through all the procedures—stepping over the fire basin, bowing to heaven and earth, the couple's mutual bow—before he could even savor it, he was already ushered into the bridal chamber.

But once inside the bridal chamber, the flow of time noticeably slowed.

Jin Chen sat on the edge of the bed, veil over his head, listening as the outside clamor faded. The door was pushed open then closed, footsteps approached, paused at the table, then walked toward him.

Through a gap in the veil, he saw the feet in wedding shoes stop before him.

Chenshu carried a faint scent of alcohol, and through the veil's gap Jin Chen glanced at the wine pot on the table, suddenly forming an idea.

He recalled that Indestructible Peak had a rule: body cultivators must never touch alcohol; although he didn't know why the rule existed, in this little world Chenshu truly could not drink. He might have already had a few cups while socializing outside, and if he drank more…

Jin Chen had a scheme in mind.

He picked up the wedlock wine on the table, poured two cups, and as Chenshu was about to lift his veil, he passed one over.

Chenshu took the cup, drank it down without a second thought, set it down, and reached to lift Jin Chen's red veil.

The candlelight flickered, casting the room's red in richer hues; Jin Chen lifted his gaze to him—his features were already exquisite, now heightened by rouge and lip color into a breathtaking beauty.

Chenshu's alcohol seemed to rise, he swayed his head trying to clear it, then fixed his gaze on Jin Chen, his eyes carrying a dazed, bewitching look.

After several breaths, he seemed to come to his senses.

"... Are you… that sir?" he hesitated, voice uncertain, "The sir I met in the courtyard earlier… how are you here? Where is Huan Niang?"

The rouge at the corner of Jin Chen's lips glowed in the candlelight, richly drawn, his gaze flowing toward him, his voice taking on a bewitching tone: "I am Huan Niang."

"... Huan Niang?" Chenshu asked, "But… how can Huan Niang be a man?"

Jin Chen leaned in slightly, took Chenshu's hand, and pressed it against his own chest so Chenshu could feel his heartbeat.

"We've already bowed," Jin Chen's voice tinged with grievance, a hint of moisture on his lashes, "Do you intend to abandon me after taking me?"

Chenshu was struck by those words, looking at those eyes glistening with tears.

"But… but…"

He stammered for a while, but couldn't get anything out.

Finally Chenshu reached out and gently wiped away that tear at the corner of Jin Chen's eye with his fingertip.

The red candle crackled, bursting into a flower-shaped flame. The candlelight flickered, the red curtains draping low.

Jin Chen, clad in that wedding dress, sat amid the room's red, becoming even more luxuriant; though male, he could be called the world's sole bewitching beauty.

He reached out and grabbed Chenshu's belt, pulling him forward, then brushed his lips lightly against Chenshu's, voice low: "You won't abandon me and leave, will you, husband?"

Chenshu seemed utterly lost in some bewitching intoxication, responding softly, letting Jin Chen pick up the table's wine cup, take another sip, then lean in for a kiss.

The wine passed into his mouth, carrying a spicy sweetness; Chenshu swallowed instinctively, his lips and tongue passively responding to that overly intimate kiss, candlelight casting their overlapped shadows on the wall, trembling faintly with the flame's flicker—too intimate, too decadent.

After the final sip, Jin Chen's lips curled in a light smile as he pulled Chenshu onto the bed; the bed curtains swayed slightly, the vast red brocade embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in water.