Chapter 722: You don’t want to marry my sister, I still want to marry your sister

Noticing Chu Chuyan's faint smile, Xie Daoyun's small face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly moved away from Zu An. Her younger brother then became the target for her awkwardness. She went straight to him, grabbed his ear, and pulled him aside. "The capital isn't like Brightmoon City; don't cause any trouble here." In Brightmoon City, their father held the highest official position, so if he flirted with any young lady, people would overlook it out of respect for their father. But the capital was different. If you casually threw a brick, you might hit someone whose rank was higher than their father's, and if true trouble arose, there'd be no way to save him.

"Ow, ow, ow, Sis, let go! I didn't cause any trouble!" Xie Xiu was on the verge of tears. Having his ear pulled in front of so many people—didn't he have any dignity?

As Zu An was laughing at him, Chu Chuyan came to his side and subtly pinched his waist. Zu An gasped. He recalled how, in the past, when Chu Chuyan wasn't jealous, he felt a little strange, as if she didn't care about him much. But now that she was jealous, he realized he preferred her not being jealous. *Sigh*, what a contradictory thought.

The group returned to his residence, chatting and laughing. Both Xie Xiu and Xie Daoyun looked around his house curiously, and even Jiang Luofu cast a few extra glances.

"Haha, now we have a base in the capital. We'll come find you when we're free," Xie Xiu said with a smile. This time, their father had deliberately not bought any property in the capital for them, instead making them stay in academy dorms to focus on their studies and research. Although the academy dorms weren't bad, they couldn't compare to a private residence.

Zu An smiled faintly. "You're always welcome."

As he spoke, he looked directly at Xie Daoyun. Her heart skipped a beat. *Why is he looking at me? Is he saying that specifically to me? This fellow is truly a rogue.* Despite her internal grumbling, she wasn't angry at all. Instead, her cheeks flushed, making her appear even more charming than usual.

Chu Chuyan was busy directing the maids and servants to set up a brazier at the entrance, oblivious to these interactions.

"Come, step over the brazier to burn away bad luck," Chu Chuyan urged. Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. He never thought there would be so many customs in this alternate world.

He stepped over the brazier. Just as he was about to enter the house, Chu Chuyan stopped him again. "Take off all your clothes and throw them into the brazier to burn," she instructed. "You can't bring the bad luck from the Heavenly Prison home."

Zu An's face darkened. "Do we really need to go this far?"

"No, it has to be this way," Chu Chuyan insisted firmly. Jiang Luofu, standing nearby, pursed her lips in a faint smile. "While talk of fate and fortune might seem intangible, they do exist in some unseen way. It's always safest to be cautious."

Left with no choice, Zu An sighed and took off his clothes, tossing them into the brazier.

"Oh!" Murong Qinghe's small face turned red, and she quickly covered her eyes with her hands, though a tiny gap remained between her fingers.

Chu Youzhao, remembering her current male appearance, didn't display such girlish behavior in front of so many people. However, if anyone had observed her from behind, they would have noticed a faint blush coloring her pale neck.

Jiang Luofu, on the other hand, was the most natural. As a mature woman, she certainly wasn't as timid as the younger girls. She openly admired every inch of his skin.

Xie Daoyun, being the most prim, immediately turned away and didn't look back at him. However, the image of his masculine, robust upper body from that brief moment had already become ingrained in her mind.

Xie Xiu, meanwhile, looked at Zu An's muscles with envy. "Brother Zu, how did you get such a physique? I didn't realize you were so strong!" Not only was he strong, but his muscles weren't as bulky as those of typical bodybuilders. His physique was smoothly contoured, and even from a distance, one could sense the immense explosive power and impact contained within. As a pretty boy, Xie Xiu considered his face to be unparalleled, but he always felt his physique was lacking. For instance, his abdominal muscles had reached peak condition. While he usually scoffed at muscular men, encountering someone like Zu An, who was both handsome and well-built, made him quite envious.

Zu An said proudly, "You can't learn this; it's natural talent." He couldn't very well say he'd tempered his body by getting beaten up, could he? It would be too embarrassing.

Just then, Chu Chuyan said, "Take off your pants."

Zu An: "???"

Even Jiang Luofu's expression became a little unnatural now. She instinctively turned slightly, pretending to look elsewhere. Xie Xiu's face, meanwhile, was filled with self-pity and anguish. After finally recovering from that scene in the secret realm, was he going to witness it again? "No!"

Xie Daoyun secretly sighed. Rumors circulated that Miss Chu and Zu An were only husband and wife in name, but from the looks of it, they clearly had a marital relationship.

Chu Youzhao turned Murong Qinghe by the shoulders. "Little Qinghe, you mustn't look at such things." Yet, the image she had seen back then flashed in her own mind, and her heart rate immediately accelerated.

Zu An gave an awkward smile. "This might not be appropriate."

"I'm not asking you to take them off in front of them." Chu Chuyan rolled her eyes. Soon, a servant pulled a long piece of fabric and wrapped it around him, creating a makeshift changing room.

Zu An silently praised his wife for her meticulousness. To ease the awkwardness, he asked while changing, "Oh, why are there so many more maids and servants in the residence?"

Chu Chuyan replied, "Did you forget I said I'd arrange things for you? Since you don't trust the people here, I specifically brought some household servants from Brightmoon City. They arrived just these past few days. This way, you'll have people to look after you daily."

Zu An's heart warmed. "I knew several of them looked familiar! By the way, why don't I see that kid, Cheng Shoubing?"

Chu Chuyan replied, "I don't know either. My mother's reply said that the 'Reader Masters' dislike him and find him the most annoying and hated person, so she didn't send him. By the way, what are 'Reader Masters'?"

Zu An looked bewildered. "I don't know. I actually thought that kid, despite being a bit silly, was a lucky star." However, he didn't dwell on it. After changing, he invited Jiang Luofu and the others inside for a chat. A banquet was already prepared to welcome him. A group of old acquaintances from Brightmoon City raised their cups, finding each other increasingly cordial.

Zu An took the opportunity to raise a toast to Jiang Luofu. "Principal Sister, I truly must thank you this time. It's entirely thanks to your actions that your esteemed father was so helpful to me."

Jiang Luofu thought, *This guy is too embarrassed to call me "Beautiful Principal" in front of his wife.* She replied, "My father has always been upright and impartial. He wouldn't show favoritism because of me. Clearly, he helped you because he believed you were innocent."

Zu An chuckled, "Your esteemed father's character is indeed admirable, but I still want to thank you. When I was arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Emissaries and brought to the capital, you tried all sorts of ways to save me."

Jiang Luofu's cheeks flushed slightly. "I wouldn't dare take credit for that. Although I busied myself for a while, it didn't really accomplish anything."

Zu An shook his head. "Regardless of anything else, your intention alone is something to be grateful for."

Chu Chuyan was also greatly surprised and joined in the toast. "I didn't realize Principal Jiang helped so much. I'll also toast you."

Facing Chu Chuyan's cool yet smiling eyes at such close proximity, Jiang Luofu felt an indescribable meaning within them. Her expression became a little unnatural. "What intention? It was mainly Liu Yu who wanted to save you. I only went to my father because she annoyed me to no end." She decisively sold out her best friend. After all, Liu Yu wasn't there, so she could help carry the blame.

"Teacher Shang..." The image of the woman from the pavilion, like a figure from a painting, appeared in Zu An's mind, and he was momentarily lost in thought.

Chu Chuyan's half-smile returned. "Ah Zu, I didn't realize your social circle was so wide. Even the academy's most mysterious Teacher Shang holds you in such high regard?" When they chose him as a son-in-law, they valued his ordinary and dull demeanor. Yet, he turned out to be a heartbreaker; she had been deceived by him.

Zu An immediately became alert. "Teacher Shang is kind-hearted and can't stand to see academy colleagues wrongly accused. Please ask your father-in-law and mother-in-law to send her a gift to repay this favor."

"Alright." The smile on Chu Chuyan's face softened considerably.

At this moment, a tipsy Xie Xiu leaned over. "Ah Zu, do you have any sisters or anything?"

Zu An looked confused. "No, why do you ask?"

Xie Xiu immediately looked disappointed. He glanced at his sister, who was not far away, and said with a crestfallen face, "I feel like I've lost out big time."