Chapter 5: Xie Chuchen’s Forced Marriage

[Translator/Editor: otwentyfirst]

[Host: justreads . net]

[August 14th, 2018]

The young man at the doorway dressed in a crimson festive robe had a beautiful countenance with ruby lips and pearly white teeth . His inky black hair fluttered around him, toyed by the cool breeze . Although it was tied back with a red ribbon several strands still managed to float in front to caress his rosy cheeks, bringing attention to his sharp eyes and enticingly kissable lips .

Xiao Wan gazed at him in a daze . She tried to reconcile the image of the him in front of her with the image of the crazed emaciated him she remembered at the execution grounds . She was shocked at the difference a year made . The Xie Chuchen in front of her now would make anyone’s heart speed up . The orange light of the setting sun reflected off his smooth hair giving it a l.u.s.trous sheen . The warm light gave his cheeks a becoming rosy glow and accentuated his smooth ivory and jade like complexion . He looked like a flower in full bloom, an incomparable beauty .

The Xie Chuchen in her memory was sickly, with dry short hair and a pale haggard appearance . His eyes were deep pools of melancholy and the air around him always seemed stagnant .

My goodness! What did I do to him to make such a fine man turn into such a ghost?! Xiao Wan silently cursed herself out in her heart: Weren’t you the Young Miss who encouraged everyone to treat him poorly, to deliberately make things hard for him, to humiliate him at every turn, to annoy him so much he would be forced to leave? Who else do I have to blame but myself?

She glanced at the guards by the back door with savage eyes, scaring them s.h.i.+tless . In a panic they went to remove the fire pan .

Before the guards could do so, a flicker of red flashed across Xiao Wan’s field of vision . Xie Chuchen had leapt like a b.u.t.terfly over the pan despite the roaring fire . He was like a moth to a flame, knowing full well the danger but refusing to let it stop him . He wanted to start off on the right foot even if it meant putting himself in harm’s way . The image of Xie Chuchen’s fluttering sleeves pa.s.sing over the fire would engrave itself in Xiao Wan’s mind forever . It was a beautiful gesture and it showed his dedication .

Just then Xie Chuchen fell down and the hem of his robe smouldered catching on fire . Xiao Wan was shocked . She rushed forward and stamped desperately on the hem trying to put out the fire . After extinguis.h.i.+ng it Xiao Wan gave Xie Chuchen a once over, checking to make sure he was OK .

She became angry when she saw the calmness that was reflected on his face . After taking a deep breath to unsuccessfully sooth her anger she yelled at him . “Why did you jump over the fire?! The guards were about to move it out of your way . Fortunately the flame that caught on your robe was tiny, had it been bigger…”

Xiao Wan fell back several steps at the realization of what could have happened . It had truly caused her heart to panic . The memories came back to her and she remembered .

It was the day before her marriage to Ji Shumo and she had been over the moon making final preparations . Xie Chuchen had shown up that day wearing the Xiao House’s jade pendant . This was problematic for Xiao Wan as the Xiao House would not recognize Ji Shumo’s status as her main husband without it .

The pendant was an heirloom piece pa.s.sed on to the first born daughter of the main wife . The daughter would hold on to it until the day she found the man she wanted to take as her main husband, at which time she would have the jade piece delivered to him . He would then return the jade when he formally entered the House .

The heirloom served to represent a promise: that she would take him and him alone as her main husband . It was a custom a previous Head of House set up ages ago in order to guard against a future Xiao House female from being careless and breaking faith .

Xiao Wan had actually dropped the jade somewhere and lost it some time ago . She looked everywhere but couldn’t find it . In the end she gave up and secretly had a duplicate of it made hoping that when the time came it would fool everyone .

But unfortunately for her right before she was to marry Ji Shumo, Xie Chuchen appeared with the jade! He used it to claim his rights to marry her . Xiao Wan was determined to marry Ji Shumo first so she refused . Xie Chuchen compromised and was willing to marry Xiao Wan on the same day instead . He promised to return the jade and not to tell anyone of the marriage between them . He only hoped that he could stay by her side and accompany her, to live their lives like a genuine husband and wife .

If Xiao Wan refused then he would appeal the matter to Grandfather Chen and ask him to mediate . The jade pendant was a representative symbol carried by the main husband, if her Grandfather found out that Xie Chuchen had it then he would never accept Ji Shumo as her main husband . How could she allow her sweetheart to be wronged like that?

She was shocked he would threaten Ji Shumo in that way . Left with no other choice Xiao Wan agreed to his plan, but not without making some excessive demands of her own . First, he was not allowed to tell anyone that he had the jade pendant as it would threaten Ji Shumo’s position . Second, he could not do anything to cause alarm on her wedding day with Ji Shumo . If Xie Chuchen wanted to get married he had to find his own way through the back door . Third, after marrying into the Xiao House he had to abide by her arrangements without objections .

Firmly believing that Xie Chuchen wanted to get into the Xiao House for the sake of privilege and fortune she ordered everyone to humiliate and hara.s.s him whenever they could . She thought he was despicable and she despised him for it .

Xie Chuchen agreed despite the unfair compromise . He dressed up carefully in a festive wedding robe on the day of Xiao Wan’s wedding to Ji Shumo . Using his own small sedan he brought an attendant with him and headed over to the Xiao House for marriage .

At the doorway he tried to cross over the roaring fire pan but his robe got caught and the fire that lit up travelled all the way up his body and burned his hair . Xiao Wan had pa.s.sed by the back doorway at that time and upon witnessing the scene had screamed out in disgust, “Ugly people sure are strange!” then promptly grabbed Ji Shumo’s hand and went to the front hall to perform the customary baitang .

At that time Xie Chuchen had been seriously injured by the fire . Aside from his hair his leg was also severely burned . The event had naturally shocked Xiao Yurong and Grandfather Chen . Ultimately the two elders found out the truth about the jade pendant and gave Xiao Wan a severe scolding . They also chose to recognize Xie Chuchen as her main husband .

That was the beginning of the grudge Xiao Wan bore against Xie Chuchen . In her eyes he became an extremely shrewd scheming man . She decided it would be best to never touch him . Even if the elders didn’t acknowledge it, in her heart Ji Shumo would always be her main husband and that was all that mattered . She would take care to always pamper and spoil him!

Because she had hesitated so long in kicking the door of the sedan open and carrying Ji Shumo through the front gates, the timeline s.h.i.+fted a little . Her tardiness allowed her to meet Xie Chuchen before he leapt over the fire pan, thereby avoiding disaster . At the same time her voice had attracted the attention of the crowd and they all walked over to her . Their gazes first locked on her noting her tense expression before swiveling to Xie Chuchen in his festive red robe . Those in the crowd began whispering .

Ji Shumo looked on with a dark and gloomy expression . He’d been so abruptly released by Xiao Wan a moment ago he barely managed to right his balance and avoid falling down . He had to admit he was disturbed at the turn of events . He felt like something had quietly changed without his knowing .

“Yes . I’m sorry . ” Xie Chuchen panicked and was unable to face Xiao Wan’s anger directly . He could only quietly apologize with his head down . He kept biting his lip and fidgeting with the fabric of his robe in nervousness . He knew that she really disliked him and didn’t want to marry him .

Would she drive him away because he broke the agreement and made a scene? So many people were alarmed by him . The more he thought about it the more apprehensive he became and the courage he gathered to cross the fire vanished like smoke . Tears filled his eyes making his vision hazy . He slowly raised his head and tried to appease her by apologizing again .

“I’m sorry for disturbing so many people . ”

Despite Xiao Wan’s quick reaction earlier, the fire still burned away part of Xie Chuchen’s robe exposing a pair of deliciously smooth creamy legs . Afraid he would suffer injuries like in the previous life she called out to Zhao-er . “Zhao-er carry your Young Master back home . ”

Zhao-er was so surprised to be called out by name that he could only stare blankly, not sure how to react .  How does this good for nothing woman know my name?

Xie Chuchen looked at Xiao Wan with a stubborn defiance in his eyes . His eyes brimmed with tears but he refused to let them fall, instead he spoke up in a clear voice interrupting Xiao Wan . “I already crossed over the fire pan… so… that means . . . I am your official husband now… I will not go back! Xiao Wan, you promised to marry me!”

Xie Chuchen looked at Xiao Wan with a stubborn defiance in his eyes . His eyes brimmed with tears but he refused to let them fall, instead he spoke up in a clear voice interrupting Xiao Wan . “I already crossed over the fire pan… so… that means . . . I am your official husband now… I will not go back! Xiao Wan, you promised to marry me!”

Xie Chuchen’s loud declaration startled the crowd and they couldn’t help but speculate amongst themselves . Xiao Wan felt a blunt ache in her heart at his stubborn desire to be married . Her brow wrinkled in consternation .

This young man in front of her had been the last rays of warmth in her previous life . Even now, if she closed her eyes she could clearly remember being led to the execution grounds after the Xiao House fell . She remembered how despite being discarded and neglected, despite his poor health, he still appeared in front of everyone and declared he was her husband . His words at the time had etched themselves into her memory: “My wife! My Lord!” She also remembered his heartbreaking sobs as he cradled her body, how he completely ignored her stench and his own obvious panic to be near her .

She had kept him a secret in her previous life, not telling anyone about him or the position he held in the Xiao House . To the outside world she made sure to always a.s.sert that Ji Shumo was her main husband . The only ones who knew the truth were Xiao Yurong and Grandfather Chen .

She had hated Xie Chuchen to her very bones, had treated him like the plague and isolated him in a desolate and dilapidated tiny courtyard . She ruthlessly ridiculed him every time they met . Everything about him was fair game, from his poor understanding of etiquette, his lack of skills in the four arts, his clumsiness[notes] to his slow wit and stupid expression .

She would curse him out and remind him he was only able to marry her because he had the fortune of finding the jade pendant . He was only worth anything because he had the jade . She found it hard to breathe remembering how viciously she had spoken to him in her previous life .

She owed him a debt . How could she repay it by letting him into the Xiao House?[notes]

Someone in the crowd finally recognized Xie Chuchen . “Isn’t that the Young Master of the Xie House?”

Even though the Xie House had gone into decline recently, it was still an incredibly rich House and he was a well known figure . In fact as the great-grandchild of the Xie House and the only direct heir, Xie Chuchen was pretty much the richest man in the capital . Someone had jokingly said that marrying Xie Chuchen was like the equivalent of getting half the national treasury .

Ever since he was twelve people had been knocking down his door asking his parents for his hand in marriage . Everyone near and far knew of his unruly behavior and his lack of accomplishments . He was an arrogant and prideful, constantly rude and unreasonable Young Master . However he suffered no repercussions and always got away with it because his parents heavily doted on him .

His whole world changed when he turned fourteen . That year his mother was running some errands when she met with an accident and pa.s.sed away, leaving behind an orphan and a widowed husband . The once large business empire broke up as the concubines fought to get a piece of the wealth left behind . Today the Xie business was comprised of many small and disjointed enterprises, owned by many differnt individuals .

Without his mother’s protection Xie Chuchen went from being a highly sought after beauty coveted by many to just an unruly youth who no one bothered with . These past few years the only ones to propose marriage were those older ladies who desired his sweet sweet flesh .

Rumors had it that Xie Chuchen’s maternal aunt was in the process of selecting a recently widowed middle-aged woman for Xie Chuchen to marry . Even though he’d only be the second husband the dowry would be substantial .

Rumors had it that Xie Chuchen’s maternal aunt was in the process of selecting a recently widowed middle-aged woman for Xie Chuchen to marry . Even though he’d only be the second husband the dowry would be substantial .

Another rumor said Xie Chuchen was promised to a high official, to serve her as an attendant .

Although Xiao Wan’s reputation was no better than Xie Chuchen, she was still the first born daughter of the main wife . Everyone was shocked that Xie Chuchen would crash her grand wedding by walking in through the side door dressed the way he was dressed .

People began whispering ferociously .

“He actually demanded she marry him!”

“Wait! Does Xiao Wan intend to take Xie Chuchen as a concubine?!”

“Even his fantastic looks can’t make up for that reputation of his . ”

“Xiao Wan must be really greedy to accept even Xie Chuchen as a husband . ”

“To pick today of all days… isn’t that just slapping Ji Shumo in the face?”

“Maybe Xie Chuchen came here on purpose to cause trouble, acting this way to deliberately force Xiao Wan to marry him?”

In an instant everyone’s gossipy heart ignited with desire . Their hungry gazes kept switching between Xiao Wan, Xie Chuchen, and Ji Shumo . The one husband was still in the process of formally entering the House, yet another husband already appeared through the side door! This was the biggest scandal of the year!