Aerin looked at Cedric lying on the bed. Although the man was unconscious, he had been very well taken care of. Aside from his excessively pale complexion, he looked as if he were merely asleep.

Cedrian, standing beside the bed, let out a soft sigh. “Has there been any change in Cedric?”

Aerin knew he was asking whether Cedric had woken up, but unfortunately, there had been no change at all. Compared to three days ago, when she had married into the family, the man remained the same—without the slightest response.

Seeing Aerin shake her head, Cedrian nodded, his face betraying neither joy nor sorrow. “Take good care of him. If he wakes up, the Ced family will not treat you unfairly.”

With that, Cedrian turned and walked out. The butler, who had been waiting outside the door, lowered his voice and said, “Second Young Master is here. He says he has come to visit Young Master Cedric.”

Hearing the words “Second Young Master,” Cedrian frowned, a trace of displeasure appearing on his face. However, he did not say much. He casually shut the door, and the room once again returned to silence.

Aerin let out a sigh of relief. He sat down by the bed and turned his head to look at the unconscious man.

Three days ago, for reasons unknown, he had transmigrated into a book titled The Lucky Male Bride of a Rich Old Tycoon!, becoming the male wife in the story — Aerin.

The character who shares his name, however, possesses a special body—he is intersex. In this world, there exists a third gender: intersex people. They are few in number. Although legally recognized, they still face significant discrimination. Logically speaking, the Ced family in the southern city holds considerable influence, and Cedric, as the sole heir of the family, should not be able to marry an intersex person.

However, not long ago, he was involved in a car accident and fell into a deep coma. It is said that Cedrian tried countless methods, all without success. In the end, he invited a highly respected fortune-teller in the southern city. The man claimed that only by finding an intersex person to perform a “joyous marriage” ritual for Cedric could the misfortune be resolved. Determined to wake his grandson, Cedrian naturally no longer concerned himself with whether it was appropriate for an intersex person to marry into their family. As long as his grandson could regain consciousness, he was willing to do anything—he would agree to any condition.

Aerin’s understanding of the entire book stopped there. After all, when the novel was recommended to him on his phone, he had only been drawn in by the protagonist sharing his name. He had read merely three chapters before somehow transmigrating into this world. At present, Aerin was truly at a loss and could only take things one step at a time.

The wall clock ticked steadily, its sound echoing through the quiet room.

The man lying asleep had large eyes, now peacefully shut without the slightest sign of opening. His nose was high and straight, his thin lips slightly pressed together. Because he had not eaten or drunk anything for so long—sustained only by nutrient fluids—his lips had long since lost their color.

Sunlight streamed through the windowpane, spilling across his pale face, giving Aerin the strange feeling that in the next second, Cedric might simply ascend like an immortal.

It had to be admitted: even unconscious, the man was strikingly handsome.

Marrying a man or living with one was something he could accept—after all, his sexual orientation was gay. The only thing he found difficult to accept was this body. The moment he thought about it, he could not help but feel a little embarrassed.

Retracting his gaze, Aerin stood and walked out of the room. The medicine in the kitchen had already finished decocting, and he would fetch it himself. According to the high monk’s instructions, from the day of their marriage onward, everything related to Cedric had to be done personally by him.

The Ced villa had three floors in total. Aerin and Cedric stayed in a room on the top floor. As he went downstairs, he passed by the study. It was unclear whether someone had forgotten to close the door or had deliberately left it open, but from inside came the Old

Master Ced’s stern, icy voice:

“In the Ced family, everything is to be left to Cedric. You shouldn’t say anymore.”

“Dad, I really don’t understand you. That monk is obviously a fraud. He said that if Cedric married that intersex boy, he would wake up. But it’s already been days, and he’s still lying in bed without moving. I just want to tell you, so you can stop hoping in time. Besides me, who else can you leave the Ced family to now? I may not be outstanding, but I’m still your son. I still bear the Ced surname!”

A trace of bitter pain flashed through Cedrian’s eyes, but he quickly concealed it. He looked at Cedrial and said, “The time hasn’t come yet. It’s too early for you to be talking about this.”

Cedrial seemed not to have expected Cedrian to be so stubborn. The expression on his face shifted repeatedly, but in the end he suppressed his unwillingness.

“Then we’ll wait until after seven days to talk,” Cedrial said, leaving those words behind before turning, opening the door, and striding away.

Aerin hid in the corner, blinking as he watched the furious man leave. He thought that if Cedric still did not wake up after seven days, as the high monk had claimed, then Cedrian would likely leave the Ced family to his only remaining son. No matter how much he disliked Cedrial, he was afraid there would be no other choice.

But in the end, such matters were not for him to decide. Regardless of whether Cedric woke up or not, he would find a way to leave this place.

As he came downstairs, he heard two housemaids sitting by the kitchen door whispering softly: “What’s the use of the Fu family having money? Money can’t save a life. Even if the old master doesn’t want to, I think in the end he’ll still have to hand the family estate over to the second young master.”

“I have to say, I think Aerin is the most pitiful one. Look at him—he’s just a young intersex boy. All because of a single sentence from that monk, he was dragged into a wealthy family. Who knows what will happen to him in the future?”

“Don’t worry too much. If Young Master Cedric really can wake up, then with Aerin’s face and the care he’s given, it might even turn out to be a good thing. I’m just afraid… Ah—Aerin, you’ve come downstairs?”

When they saw Aerin, the two women hurriedly stopped their gossip and smiled.

“I’ve been watching the medicine for you. I was just about to go upstairs to call you.”

Pretending not to have heard their earlier conversation, Aerin smiled and walked in. He put out the stove fire and used a dry towel to lift the lid of the medicine pot. A cloud of steam immediately rose.

“Auntie Ava, about the medicinal wine I mentioned last time—have you made it?”

“Yes, yes! Not only did I make it, my husband even tried rubbing it on once. It really worked—surprisingly well!”

Hearing this, Aerin paused and turned his head. “That medicinal wine needs to soak for at least a week before it’s effective. Why did he use it so soon?”

“I said the same thing,” Auntie Ava replied, “but his back pain was unbearable. As soon as he heard that soaking notoginseng root in alcohol could help, he prepared it that very day. After soaking it overnight, he took it out and rubbed it on. The next day he could actually stand up straight. He even called here specially and told me to thank you.”

“And me too,” Auntie Mia added from beside her. “I used egg mixed with gardenia like you said, applied it morning and night. It’s only been two days, and it’s already much better.”

Auntie Ava and Auntie Mia had both worked for the Ced family for many years. Logically, Aerin had only arrived three days ago and shouldn’t have been close to them yet. But ever since he entered the Ced household, he had been responsible for tending the medicine pot for Cedric, which meant he often went back and forth to the kitchen and gradually grew familiar with them.

He would listen to the two women chatting about everything under the sun. When he heard that Auntie Ava’s husband had such severe lower back pain that he dared not move, and that Auntie Mia had bruises she couldn’t press on, he offered a few folk remedies.

These were things his grandfather had taught him in his spare time. Thinking of how his grandfather might have been heartbroken for a long time after he left, Aerin couldn’t help but feel a little downcast.

“Aerin, don’t blame Auntie Ava for talking too much,” Auntie Mia lowered her voice. “The second young master has come again. Young Master Cedric still hasn’t woken up. You should start planning ahead. If the Ced family really falls into the second young master’s hands in the future, you…”

“Auntie Ava, I understand. Thank you.”

Aerin smiled at her. He had always been obedient; when he smiled, his eyes curved into crescents, his sweetness striking straight into the hearts of the two middle-aged women.

No matter what their intentions were, the fact that they could say such things to him at this moment made him genuinely grateful.

He had never been good with honeyed words, so he could only express his gratitude through actions.

Aerin poured the medicine from the pot into a bowl. Auntie Liu quickly placed it onto a tray and handed it to him. “Take it upstairs. We’ll clean up the rest for you. Go on, go on.”

Unable to refuse, Aerin carried the tray upstairs after thanking them.

Back in the room, he set the tray on the table. The medicine was still a little hot, so he did not rush to feed Cedric. Instead, he took a towel from the table and tucked it beneath the man’s neck, to keep the medicine from spilling and staining his clothes.

His movements were gentle and practiced, as though he had done this many times before.

Only after preparing everything did Aerin turn to pick up the bowl—but suddenly his hand was seized by an external force. Before he could react, his whole body was pulled forward, crashing into the man’s chest, and he found himself staring in shock into a pair of dark eyes.

“So fragrant…”

Aerin was startled out of her wits by the sudden movement, panicking as she struggled—when the man suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her.

“Y-You’re awake?”

Cedric’s eyes were wide open, yet unfocused. Noticing this, Aerin hurriedly stood up and ran outside.

“Sir, Sir Ced—”