Wen Zhaoyan covered Yichen's lips with his hand.
Zhaoyan (calmly): "Don't scream. You'll ruin the wedding night."
Yichen (startled): "What wedding night? I'm not married!"
Zhaoyan: "You accepted the envelope and agreed to marry. Now we're a couple."
Yichen's eyes widened in disbelief.
Yichen: "That means… you're a ghost?!"
Zhaoyan (smirking): "Nope."
Yichen stared at him in horror.
Zhaoyan: "I'm your groom ghost."
Panicking, Yichen jumped up from the bed and threw the red wedding cloth off him. He stumbled around, frantically searching for the door.
Zhaoyan: "This room doesn't have a door."
Yichen froze, his breath catching. Then everything went black as he fainted.
---
Morning light seeped through the curtains. Yichen slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them groggily. He sat up in bed and looked around. Everything looked familiar.
Yichen (muttering): "So… it was a dream? What a weird dream..."
He rubbed his head with a sigh.
Yichen: "Lu Nian, it's all your fault with your creepy ghost stories. I had a terrible dream because of you."
Just as he stretched, his eyes drifted to the side—and landed on someone lying under the blanket next to him.
Yichen (confused): "Ahh? Why is Lu Nian sleeping on my bed?"
He kicked the person and shouted,
Yichen: "Nian! Why are you in my room?!"
But then, the blanket was pulled back.
Wen Zhaoyan sat up—still dressed in the same red wedding robes from the dream.
Zhaoyan (pouting): "What happened, hubby?"
Yichen's heart skipped a beat.
Yichen (whispering): "It's a dream again..."
Zhaoyan (getting up): "It's not a dream. And you already ruined our first wedding night. Such bad luck. I planned so much..."
Yichen (screaming): "Ahhh! What the hell?!"
Lu Nian suddenly pushed open the door.
Lu Nian: "What the hell are you doing so early in the morning?!"
Yichen ran over to him and grabbed his arm.
Yichen (pointing): "Look! Look!"
Lu Nian stepped inside, confused. Wen Zhaoyan stood silently at the side, visibly annoyed.
Lu Nian (looking around): "Who's in the room?"
He walked around and even passed right by Zhaoyan—but didn't seem to notice him.
Lu Nian: "I thought you saw a lizard or something."
He shook his head and sighed.
Lu Nian (grumbling): "After getting so much money, you really lost your mind..."
He left the room without another word.
Yichen stood frozen in place, slowly turning to look at Zhaoyan—who stared right back at him.
Now, Yichen fully understood the truth.
Wen Zhaoyan wasn't a dream.
He wasn't a hallucination.
He was real.
He was a ghost.
No.
He was his ghost groom.
Zhaoyan (smiling, walking closer): "Now you understand."
Yichen (stammering): "I... I… I'll give you all your money back. I—"
Zhaoyan's eyes darkened as he stared at Yichen without blinking. He grabbed Yichen's waist firmly.
Zhaoyan (softly, yet chilling): "You can't refuse now. If you do... I'll kill you and take your soul with me."
Yichen trembled, frozen in fear.
Zhaoyan: "We're married and didn't even kiss once last night. You fainted. But now... I won't leave you again."
Leaning in, Zhaoyan kissed Yichen softly. Yichen shivered under the touch and quickly shoved him away, bolting out of the room.
Zhaoyan watched him run, a smirk curling on his lips.
Zhaoyan (murmuring): "Let's see who wins, my dear husband."
Yichen collapsed onto the sofa, his face pale as a sheet. In the kitchen, Lu Nian was making breakfast. He glanced over, concerned.
Lu Nian: "Yichen? What happened?"
Yichen didn't respond. Zhaoyan suddenly appeared beside him on the couch.
Zhaoyan: "Hubby~"
Yichen (whispering, panicked): "Why are you following me?"
Lu Nian (confused): "Yichen, who's following you?"
Lu Nian walked over to the table and set down the breakfast.
Yichen (rushing to change the subject): "Nothing."
He quickly stood up and walked to the table, sitting down for breakfast—trying to pretend everything was normal... even though nothing was.
Yichen quietly ate his breakfast.
Lu Nian (casually, while eating): "Yichen, today's the weekend. What's your plan?"
Zhaoyan sat beside Yichen, staring at him with a soft smile that instantly annoyed him.
Yichen (irritated): "I already told you—I'm taking Tian Tian to a movie."
Lu Nian: "Oh? So she said yes?"
Yichen (nodding): "Yep."
Zhaoyan's smile slowly faded.
Yichen glanced at Zhaoyan, expressionless. Without a word, he stood up from the table and walked to his room. Once inside, he quickly grabbed a towel and stepped into the bathroom, trying his best to ignore the man who kept following him like a shadow.
He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off, sighing—but his eyes suddenly landed on the corner of the bathroom.
Zhaoyan was standing there, watching him.
Yichen (startled): "H-Hey! Why are you here?"
Zhaoyan stepped closer, voice low and calm.
Zhaoyan: "I go wherever I want."
Yichen (frowning): "Then go. Just don't invade someone's privacy!"
Zhaoyan (smirking): "I'm not invading anything. I'm your husband. We're married, remember? Why be shy in front of me?"
Yichen's face flushed a deep red.
Yichen: "Wen Zhaoyan, I told you—I never agreed to marry you!"
Zhaoyan's gaze darkened, his usual charm twisting into something dangerous and possessive. He grabbed Yichen by the waist, pulling him close.
Zhaoyan (darkly): "You can't cheat your husband. If you try, I'll eat you alive."
Yichen (nervously): "I-I'm not! Tian Tian is just a friend!"
Zhaoyan: "Don't try to fool me."
Yichen tried to push him away, but Zhaoyan held him tightly. Suddenly, the shower turned on, soaking them both. Water poured down over their bodies, clothes clinging to skin.
Zhaoyan looked breathtaking under the water—his sharp features glistening, eyes locked on Yichen with burning desire.
Without warning, he leaned in and kissed Yichen passionately, his strong hands sliding over Yichen's soft, trembling skin.
Zhaoyan (whispering against his lips): "I've waited too long for this."