Chapter 3: Sudden Thunderclap on a Sunny Day

Before Xue'er could say a word, Zu'an blurted out, "I just accidentally fell into the pond, and sister Xue'er came to save me. She slipped and fell in too, but luckily I know a little bit about water, so I managed to pull her out."

Who knew who wanted to kill him? He decided to avoid an open conflict for now, waiting until he had more information.

Xue'er's expression changed several times, but in the end, she didn't refute him.

"Is that true?" Chu Chuyan glanced at Xue'er. "You're both soaked. Go bathe and change first, then come eat."

With that, she drifted away again, leaving Zu'an to grumble. Dressed in white, seemingly floating without her feet touching the ground, he thought he was seeing a ghost in the middle of the night.

However, he immediately realized a problem: "Xue'er, where do we go to bathe and change? Or perhaps we could go together?"

"Get lost!" Xue'er thought, *If I weren't so disheveled right now, I'd beat you within an inch of your life!*

She glanced regretfully at the melon seeds scattered on the ground, stamped her foot, and scurried away.

Fortunately, Chu Chuyan sent a servant to show him the way. After bathing and changing in his room, Zu'an looked at his reflection in the mirror. He resembled his past life's self by about seventy to eighty percent, though he was much leaner. Still, he was quite satisfied: "As expected, I'm still so handsome. While not as good as Pan An, I'm certainly a little bit better than Ximen Qing."

He had been looking forward to dining with his nominal wife later, but to his surprise, Chu Chuyan didn't show up at all; someone merely brought him some food.

"Damn it, do they think I'm a prisoner?" Zu'an suddenly realized he had somewhat overestimated the status of a live-in son-in-law in this world. By the looks of it, he wasn't even allowed to sit at the main table for meals.

"I won't eat scraps!" Zu'an couldn't understand why his current self would endure such humiliation. He picked up the food and threw it aside. Yet, not long after, his stomach rumbled, and the aroma of the food kept wafting towards him.

Zu'an frowned, but ultimately decided that a true man could bend and adapt. He quickly picked up the food again and devoured it. And to his surprise, the chef's cooking was quite delicious.

After finishing his meal, Zu'an felt much more comfortable and began to consider how to survive in this world.

He found paper and a brush in the room and wrote down a title: "Survival Guide to Another World."

Then he began to recall information he had seen online in his previous life, and involuntarily started to miss his old computer, reminisce about games on his phone, and long for the thrill of debating on forums...

He didn't know how much time had passed until he suddenly noticed that it was already dark outside.

*Wait, what was I trying to do just now?*

He looked at the draft with only a title, his eyelid twitched, and he crumpled it into a ball and threw it away. He decided to go out for a walk to see if he could gather more information.

His current self, as a live-in son-in-law, had endured so much indignity. Given his own naturally helpful disposition, he naturally had to stick up for him and assert his patriarchal authority.

Although he wasn't yet familiar with the mansion, his eloquent tongue made it easy to inquire about Chu Chuyan's residence from the servants. Before he even entered, he heard Xue'er's voice from inside: "Miss, would you like some melon seeds?"

"No, and you should eat less too. I hear too many melon seeds can ruin your front teeth."

"Miss, you're scaring me again... Oh, by the way, that guy is getting more and more obnoxious. I used to find him more tolerable, but today, I don't know what's gotten into him."

"I also think he's different today than usual." Chu Chuyan hummed in agreement. Zu'an's heart had just lifted when he heard her add, "Perhaps he was struck by lightning today and it made him a bit foolish."

Zu'an was speechless.

Xue'er giggled uncontrollably. After a moment, she hummed, "Miss, that fellow did such a thing last night, why aren't you blaming him?"

Chu Chuyan said indifferently, "What happened last night was very peculiar. I'll discuss it with Father and Mother tomorrow before deciding what to do."

Zu'an's heart swelled with delight upon hearing this. He hadn't expected his nominal wife to be so intelligent. It seemed they wouldn't have to go through the cliché melodramas often seen on TV.

"He really got off easy," Xue'er mumbled. "Why didn't that lightning strike him dead? Then Miss wouldn't have to be stuck with this good-for-nothing."

"Don't say such things again," Chu Chuyan admonished.

Seeing that they hadn't mentioned the incident by the pond, Zu'an wondered if it had nothing to do with his nominal wife. *No, that's not right,* he thought. *The prettier the woman, the more deceitful she can be. I mustn't let my guard down.*

Hearing Xue'er inside still relentlessly badmouthing him, Zu'an instantly grew furious.

This was beyond endurance! He kicked the door open.

Chu Chuyan was also startled by his sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"It's dark, and there's nothing else to do, so of course, I came to sleep," Zu'an said, glaring fiercely at Xue'er. He thought to himself, *I'll find an opportunity to get some mute potion for you, then let's see how arrogant you can be.*

Chu Chuyan's expression darkened. "Then why are you here, in my room?"

"Isn't it only natural for a husband and wife to sleep together?" Zu'an walked towards the inner room, his face betraying an air of complete nonchalance.

"Ah!"

With a yelp, Zu'an was, as expected, kicked out.

Xue'er gloated, "You, Zu, why don't you take a look in the mirror? What sort of person are you, dreaming of getting close to our Miss?"

But to her surprise, there was no expression of shame or anger on his face. Instead, he smiled and said, "Just as I thought."

From various details before, Zu'an had deduced that the two had no physical intimacy. This time was merely a confirmation. Now, not only was he not angry, he was actually delighted. He could "conquer" this nominal wife from scratch!

"Has your brain really been fried?" Xue'er hadn't seen the reaction she expected and felt that something was missing, so she didn't get as much satisfaction.

Zu'an also felt his reaction was a bit off. He quickly dropped his smile and put on a look of sorrow and indignation: "Is there no justice in this world? What wife doesn't sleep with her husband?"

"Shut up!" Chu Chuyan's face finally flushed slightly. With a wave of her sleeve, she closed the door to prevent his wailing from being heard throughout the entire mansion.

Zu'an continued to be shameless and carry on: "If you don't want to sleep with me, then why did we get married? Tomorrow, I'll go into town, beat a drum, and expose our true situation. Then we'll see whether it's your Chu family that loses face or me."

"You wouldn't dare!" Chu Chuyan stood up, an inexplicable aura spreading from her.

Zu'an snorted, "What's there to be afraid of? My reputation is already in tatters, so I'm not afraid of it getting worse. In fact, isn't this exactly what you want? It'll show all the other noble young masters that you're pure and unblemished..."

Chu Chuyan took a deep breath, her face frosty as she looked at Zu'an. "Are you really eager to sleep with me?"

"Yes, yes!" Zu'an said excitedly. *This silly girl couldn't possibly be so easily provoked, could she?* He wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. Hadn't Eileen Chang said that the quickest way to a woman's heart was through... well, that? Better to just make the raw rice cooked.

Chu Chuyan said calmly, "Then let Xue'er accompany you tonight."

Xue'er, who had been eating melon seeds and watching the show from the side, looked bewildered.

"Miss!"

The melon seeds in her hand suddenly lost all their flavor!

Chu Chuyan glanced at her, her gaze quite playful: "Anyway, he touched you and held you when he saved you today. What's more, as a concubine's maid, you already have this duty. What, are you unwilling?"

Meeting her gaze, and recalling her usual unyielding nature, Xue'er shivered. She dared not say another word, only biting her lip tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Zu'an was momentarily stunned. *What kind of situation is this? Sending another woman to her own husband's bed?* But remembering that Xue'er had tried to kill him earlier, he also wanted to see what was truly going on between these two. So, he sat down brazenly:

"Xue'er, oh Xue'er, come quickly and serve your master with his changing clothes."

From a distance, Chu Chuyan frowned slightly. This fellow's shamelessness seemed to exceed her imagination.

Xue'er pitifully looked at Chu Chuyan, but her Miss merely picked up a scroll to read. If Zu'an had been standing behind Chu Chuyan, he would have surely noticed that the small book tucked between the larger ones was the very one she had been reading earlier in the day.

Seeing that her Miss didn't even spare her a glance, Xue'er finally despaired. She reluctantly walked over, glaring fiercely at Zu'an with an air of sacrificial bravery: "Come on then, I'll just consider it a dog bite!" At the same time, a hint of murderous intent lurked deep in her eyes. Her small hand touched the thin needle hidden in her braid, and her gaze was filled with inner conflict.

Meanwhile, Chu Chuyan, who had just been reading, now raised her head and looked thoughtfully at Xue'er's retreating figure.

Zu'an also felt a chill run down his spine. He had merely intended to test what trick these two were up to, but now, in this situation, should he act like a beast, or something even worse than a beast?

Finally, he steeled himself. *If you two women aren't afraid, why should I, a man, be? If we're going to play a game, I'll play along! Let's see who breaks first.*

Having made up his mind, he let out a sinister laugh and lunged at Xue'er...

A moment later, a sharp scream suddenly echoed from the room: "No way!"

Zu'an was seen staring in disbelief at his lower abdomen, his entire body seemingly turned to stone. Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly as she averted her gaze, a hint of surprise and pity in her eyes.

Xue'er, having narrowly escaped, was far less polite. As she picked up her clothes to cover her chest and retrieved her hidden weapon, she unleashed her mockery to express her revenge: "I used to think you were just a good-for-nothing loser, but now I realize I overestimated you. Turns out you're not even a man, hahaha, you're killing me!"

Zu'an didn't even have the heart to retort. His eyes brimming with tears, he left the room with incredibly heavy steps. This blow was too immense. He was confident he could overcome any other difficulty, but if his body couldn't naturally *rise*, what was the point of anything? Not everyone could be Sima Qian.

He hadn't walked far when he came across a crooked-necked tree. Mechanically, he took off his belt, wrapped it around a branch, and decided to hang himself to end it all. Perhaps if he died, he would transmigrate back again.

Just then, an aged voice suddenly echoed in his ear: "That part of you merely has a special restriction placed upon it; it's not without a solution."

Zu'an turned his head and saw a hunched old man standing nearby. His aged face was incredibly wrinkled, like dried orange peel, and a small hoe was tucked into his waist. The old man trembled all over, as if he might fall with a single gust of wind.

Memories slowly surfaced in Zu'an's mind. He vaguely remembered this old man as a servant in the manor, responsible for the garden's upkeep. He was usually silent, had a reclusive personality, barely had any presence in the manor, and was often bullied. Everyone called him Old Man Mi.

The previous owner of this body had felt sympathy for him, having secretly given him some snacks, which was why he had some impression of the old man.

However, Zu'an was now more concerned about another question: "A restriction? Who put this restriction on me?" He wondered, *Could it be that woman, Chu Chuyan? But her tone didn't sound like it.*

Old Man Mi shook his head. "I don't know either. I imagine this restriction was placed on you when you were very young."

"Elder, do you know how to remove it?" Zu'an grabbed his arm, his face full of anticipation. Having read so many novels and watched so many TV shows, he knew at a glance that this old man was no ordinary person. In that instant, he imagined many possibilities: *Perhaps he was once a top-tier expert who, for various reasons, had to go into hiding and live as a common flower farmer in the Chu family...*

Of course, he had to cling tightly to such an influential figure!