Madam Zhi’s laughter floated warmly through the phone.

“Yes, he is on his way back,” she said, unable to hide the satisfaction in her voice.

“It’s about time,” Old Man Yu huffed from the other end. “I have been waiting for weeks.”

“Oh, calm down, old man.” Madam Zhi frowned, though amusement still danced in her tone. “I already told you he would be here soon.”

“Yes, yes, you did,” Old Man Yu replied, then gave a low chuckle. “Well, what are a few more hours? I suppose I can still wait.”

Madam Zhi smiled.

“Do not worry. He will be here,” she said confidently. “He can never refuse his dear old mother’s request.”

At that, they both burst into laughter, the kind shared between two people who already believed their plan had succeeded.

“Alright then,” Old Man Yu finally said, coughing lightly. “We will talk later.”

“Yes. See you soon,” Madam Zhi replied before ending the call. For a moment, she remained by the window, gazing outside with a bright smile spreading across her face.

“Wedding bells,” she murmured softly. “I can finally hear them.”

Just then, a maid stepped into the room and bowed slightly. “Madam Zhi, it is time to go.”

Madam Zhi turned, her smile growing even wider.

“Yes,” she said, gathering herself with visible excitement. “Let us go welcome my son.”

A young man in his early twenties stepped out of China International Airport, dressed in black baggy trousers and a black shirt that sat effortlessly on his tall, well-built frame. His hair was dyed pink and black, and a pair of sunglasses rested over his eyes, giving him the kind of effortless charm that made people look twice.

In one hand, he held a fashionable bag. With the other, he dragged his luggage behind him.

He was handsome, too handsome to pass by unnoticed.

Several passersby slowed down to admire him, and he returned their stares with a polite smile. When a young girl waved shyly at him, he waved back, making her squeal in excitement.

“Oh, that young man is fine.”

“I’m telling you, I’ve never seen a man that handsome before.”

“He looks familiar.”

“Does he? Wait… you’re right.”

“Isn’t he Actor Xuan from Yearning for Love?”

“Eh? He is Actor Xuan!”

The murmurs around him grew louder. Soon, people were no longer just stopping to admire him. Phones began to rise. Pictures were taken. More heads turned.

Zhi Xuan smiled to himself. He had not expected people to still recognise him so easily back home.

I guess I’m famous everywhere I go.

But the smile did not last long. More people began gathering, and the attention quickly shifted from flattering to uncomfortable.

He loved his fans, truly. But if this continued for another five minutes, the entire place might turn into a small riot. Worse, he had come without bodyguards.

Fuck. Mother, where are you? he cried inwardly.

Just then, a black BMW pulled up near the curb. A man stepped out first and opened the rear door. A middle-aged woman emerged gracefully from the car.

“A’Xuan!” Madam Zhi called.

Zhi Xuan’s face brightened immediately. He hurried toward her and stopped just in front of her.

Madam Zhi wasted no time pulling him into a tight hug.

“Oh, my son. My dear son,” she said, holding him, she had not seen him in years. Then she pulled back, still gripping his arms, and looked him over with a frown. “Look how lean you have become. Are they not feeding you over there?”

“Mother, it is nice to see you too,” Zhi Xuan replied, carefully ignoring her question.

But Madam Zhi was not done. She touched his face and frowned even harder. “Your cheeks have gone inside.”

She turned him around once, inspecting him from every angle, before facing him again. “Tsk.” She clicked her tongue in irritation.

“Mother,” Zhi Xuan said quietly, glancing behind him at the growing crowd, “can we do this later?”

Madam Zhi followed his gaze and immediately understood. “Fine then,” she said, regaining her composure. “Let us go. Everyone is waiting.”

The driver opened the car door for them. Madam Zhi entered first, and Zhi Xuan followed after her.

Within seconds, the black BMW pulled away from the airport, leaving the growing crowd and flashing phones behind.

Settled inside the car, Zhi Xuan turned to his mother with narrowed eyes.

“Everyone?” he repeated.

What did she mean by everyone was waiting?

Madam Zhi nodded as though it was the most natural thing in the world. “Yes, everyone. You have been away for a long time.” Her gaze swept over him again, and her expression tightened. “And look at you. You look like a shrimp. You could easily vanish. Do you not eat?”

Zhi Xuan felt the beginning of a headache.

His mother had not changed at all. “I eat well, Mother,” he said with a sigh.

Madam Zhi scoffed. “Hmph. I doubt that. Look at how visible your collarbones are. What will I tell my friends when they see you? They will think my son was starved abroad and not properly taken care of.”

“No one will think that,” Zhi Xuan replied helplessly. “Besides, this is a standard actor’s body.”

“Standard actor’s body, my foot,” Madam Zhi snapped. “It is disgusting, I tell you. All pale skin and bones.” She lifted his arm as if presenting evidence in court. “Is that not right, Mr Han?”

The driver, Mr Han, inhaled quietly and glanced at Zhi Xuan through the rear-view mirror. Their eyes met for a brief second.

Then Mr Han smiled faintly and wisely chose silence.

Madam Zhi waved her hand in dismissal.

“Whatever. It does not matter. You are back now, and you will put that career on hold. You are a married man now.”

Zhi Xuan’s expression immediately darkened. About that, he still had very serious objections. “Mother.... ”

“I know what you want to say,” Madam Zhi cut in, turning her face away from him, “and my answer is no. You will marry him, and that is final.”

Zhi Xuan leaned back against the seat, all strength had left his body.

His mother, Madam Zhi, had interrupted his acting career and dragged him back to China by force, all so he could be married off to someone he barely knew.

He had refused, of course.

But Madam Zhi had threatened him.

Over the years he had spent abroad, she had arranged countless meetings between him and women from prominent families. He had turned down every single one.

His reason? He simply wanted to focus on his acting career. He wanted to climb higher, become better, and reach the very top of the entertainment world.

For a while, Madam Zhi had stopped arranging those meetings, and Zhi Xuan had foolishly believed she had given up.

He had been very wrong.

Instead of giving up, his mother had drawn the worst possible conclusion.

She had assumed he was gay.

One day, she called him and calmly told him to pack up his life abroad and return home for marriage.

In her exact words:

“Over the years, you have refused to date anyone or bring home a girl. It can only mean one thing. You are gay. And it is fine. I love you no matter what. Since you cannot stand women, then marry your fellow man.”

Naturally, Zhi Xuan had laughed.

Who would not laugh if their mother suddenly called to announce they were being married off to another man?

Unfortunately, Madam Zhi had not been joking.

She cancelled most of his movie gigs. She even went as far as calling directors personally and warning them not to cast him.

Then came her ultimatum.

“Marry him for three years and do your best. If it does not work, I will let you go back abroad and do whatever you want.”

His mother was a terrifying woman.

Nice, yes. Loving, yes.

But terrifying all the same.

And Zhi Xuan knew she was serious this time. So, in the end, he had agreed.

But agreeing did not mean surrendering. Zhi Xuan looked out the window, his lips slowly curling into a dangerous smile.

If they thought he would quietly accept this marriage, they were all dreaming.

He was not going down without a fight.

Never.

“What are you still doing here?” Wang Yase asked, leaning lazily against the doorframe. “Isn’t your bride-to-be coming home today?”

Yu Yuchen did not look up.

He sat behind his desk, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that made his already cold aura feel even more untouchable.

His wavy black hair fell neatly around his sharp features, framing a handsome face that looked as though it had never once been moved by joy, fear, or surprise. His expression remained unreadable as he flipped through the file in front of him and adjusted his tie with calm precision.

“How should that concern me?” he asked flatly.

Yase chuckled and walked into the office

Unlike Yuchen’s cold, polished elegance, Wang Yase carried a more reckless kind of charm.

He was tall, handsome, and effortlessly striking, with long dark hair tied loosely into a short ponytail at the back. A few strands framed his face, giving him a careless, playful look that matched the shameless smile he wore.

“Eh? What do you mean, how should it concern you?” Yase dropped into the chair opposite him. “You should be there receiving your bride.”

Only then did Yuchen raise his eyes.

His gaze was cold enough to freeze blood. “Do you not have better things to do?”

“I do,” Yase replied with a smile.

“Then go do them. Putting your nose in other people’s business is a trashy attitude, Yase.”

“I know,” Yase said brightly. “I love trashy things.”

Yuchen returned his attention to the file, refusing to waste more energy on him. When Yase was done entertaining himself, he would leave.

Probably. Hopefully.

“Do you even know what your bride is like?” Yase asked.

“No.”

“You don’t care?”

“I don’t.”

Yase rested his chin on his hand, clearly enjoying himself. “What if it is an ugly bride?”

“I don't care.”

“What if it is pretty?”

“Still do not care.”

“What if... ”

Yuchen slammed the file shut. The sharp sound cut through the office, and Yase immediately stopped talking.

For one rare second, silence fell.

Then Yase swallowed, leaned back in his chair, and raised both hands slightly. “Fine, fine. I will stop. I was only curious about who will be wedding the great and broody icy prince of the Yu clan.”

Yuchen rubbed his temple. A headache.

If Yase had not been his childhood friend, he would have shot him dead already.

No, scratch that.

Today marked the six thousand, seven hundred and eighty-ninth time he had considered not shooting Wang Yase simply because they were friends.

Yase tilted his head. “Are you thinking about killing me?”

“Yes,” Yuchen answered without hesitation.

“Why? I did not even do anything this time.”

Yuchen looked at him, and Yase smiled.

“Why are you even still here?” Yuchen asked coldly.

“To pick you up.” Yase clicked his tongue and pulled out his phone. He turned the screen toward Yuchen, showing him a message from Old Man Yu. Yuchen’s grandfather.

Old Man Yu: Get that mangy rat to the mansion. Now!!!

Yase sighed dramatically and lowered his head in a mournful manner. “Old Man Yu is persistent. If I do not leave with you, I am afraid my head will be off.”

Yuchen stared at the message.

Then he sighed.

Again. Perhaps for the seventieth time that week.

“Fuck me,” he muttered.

Yase stood, walked around the desk, and stretched out his hand with a grin.

“I would, but let us leave that to your new bride.”

Yuchen slowly lifted his eyes.

Yase’s grin widened. “Come on. Let’s go.”

For a moment, Yuchen simply stared at the hand stretched toward him, as if considering whether to take it or break it.

In the end, he took it.

Yase pulled him up with exaggerated cheerfulness, while Yuchen looked very much like a man being dragged toward his own execution.

✦ ✦ ✦

The black BMW pulled up in front of the Yu family mansion.

The moment the car stopped, the driver stepped out and opened the door. Madam Zhi emerged first, elegant and composed, while Zhi Xuan followed behind her, already regretting every decision that had led him there.

“Mother,” he said quietly as a maid came forward to receive them, “can’t we do this later?” he asked as a maid hurried forward to receive them and guide them toward the mansion.

Madam Zhi shot him a warning look.

“Stop talking nonsense. The old man will nag me to death if he does not see you today.”

Zhi Xuan wanted to vanish on the spot.

“Now,” Madam Zhi continued as they followed the maid toward the mansion, “be on your best behaviour. And for heaven’s sake, be polite when you meet the old man.”

Before Zhi Xuan could respond, the mansion doors were pulled open by two guards.

A middle-aged man in a dark suit stood between them. He wore glasses and carried himself with quiet authority. He adjusted the frame over his nose before bowing respectfully.

“Welcome, Madam Zhi. The old patriarch has been waiting.”

His name was Felix. He oversaw the Yu family mansion and served as the right hand of the old patriarch of the Yu family.

“Oh, has he?” Madam Zhi laughed lightly. “Lead the way.”

Felix bowed once more before turning to guide them inside.

They walked through the mansion toward the grand hall, where the old patriarch was waiting.

The moment they entered the Yu family living room, every pair of eyes turned toward them.

They had all been waiting.

“Old Man Yu!” Madam Zhi called cheerfully the moment she saw him.

Old Man Yu rose from the sofa and walked toward them with a frown. “You’re late.”

Madam Zhi rolled her eyes. “Is that any way to welcome an old friend?”

Old Man Yu scoffed. “Hmph.”

Then his gaze moved to Zhi Xuan, who had been standing quietly beside Madam Zhi, trying his best to ignore the many eyes fixed on him.

They are not going to eat me, right? he thought, forcing himself to remain calm. I mean, I understand that I am handsome and a lot to take in, but still… calm down, strangers.

“This must be Boy Xuan,” Old Man Yu said.

Before Zhi Xuan could react, the old man stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulders.

Zhi Xuan immediately gave a polite bow. “Hello, sir. How do you do?”

He made his voice as respectful as possible. His mother was standing beside him, and even without looking, he could feel her glare burning into the side of his face. If he messed this up, it would be the gallows for him.

Old Man Yu stared at him for a moment.

Then, finally, he smiled. “Well, well. Not bad. Not bad at all.”

He looked Zhi Xuan over from head to toe, then turned him around in a full circle as though inspecting a rare antique.

What is it with old people and turning me around like roasted chicken? Zhi Xuan screamed inwardly.

“Of course he does not look bad,” Madam Zhi said, smacking Old Man Yu’s hand away from her son. “He is my son.”

Old Man Yu cleared his throat, then turned to the rest of the people behind him, who were still staring.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” he barked. “Come and meet the bride of the Yu clan!”

At once, the room came alive.

The Yu family members hurried toward Zhi Xuan, surrounding him with excited voices.

“Hello!”

“You are Zhi Xuan? We have been waiting for you.”

“Eh, he is really pretty.”

“He will be good for our Yu.”

“Welcome to the family, A’Xuan. We can call you that, right?”

They spoke over one another, smiling, greeting, asking questions, and studying him with open curiosity.

Zhi Xuan was instantly overwhelmed. But only for a second.

He was an actor, after all. Crowds, attention, questions, flashing smiles, this was nothing new. If anything, it was just another fan meeting.

So he straightened, lifted his most charming smile, and greeted them one after another with practiced grace.

Exactly the kind of bride the Yu family did not yet know they should fear.

“Your son is really handsome,” Lady Siliang said with a warm smile. “So graceful.”

“Oh, you praise me too much,” Madam Zhi replied, laughing softly as she looked toward Zhi Xuan, who stood a short distance away speaking to some members of the Yu family.

“He is so polite,” Madam Fu added with a sigh. She was a prominent lady and an in-law of the Yu family. “Young people these days barely know how to show proper manners. You really trained him well.”

Madam Zhi’s head nearly floated from all the compliments.

She laughed again, pleased beyond reason. Her son was indeed handsome. He could also look graceful when he wanted to.

Then Zhi Xuan’s gaze suddenly met hers from across the room.

Madam Zhi’s laugh caught in her throat.

Graceful? Polite? Fuck that.

Her son was walking trouble dressed in expensive clothes. The only reason he was behaving so well was because she had threatened him with everything she had, and thankfully, it had worked.

She inhaled quietly and turned back to the women with a smile.

Still, she could admit one thing.

Her son was a handsome drink of water.

Across the room, Zhi Xuan was getting tired of talking to people he barely knew. If not for his mother, he would have dragged himself out of this godforsaken gathering of fools already.

Marry him?

Who the hell was he even marrying?

“Um, please excuse me,” Zhi Xuan said, cutting off the man who had been talking to him.

Without waiting for a response, he walked away quickly.

I do not care where I go. I just need a few minutes away from these mad people.

He moved farther from the living room, desperate for fresh air or an escape route.

This entire thing was a mistake. Why had he not fought his mother harder? And why was everyone here so calm about it? They were greeting him, smiling at him, welcoming him like a bride.

Had everyone suddenly gone insane? Could they not see the madness?

He was supposed to marry a man.

A man.

A fellow man with the same dingly dangly as him.

Fuck my life.

He wanted to scream but forced it down.

What made it worse was how normal everyone acted, as if this entire arrangement made perfect sense. Was there something in the air here in China? Should he be worried? And who was this man he was supposed to marry anyway?

Why the fuck would a man even want to marry him?

Damn him. Damn this family. Damn his own family.

Damn everything to hell.

Lost in his thoughts, Zhi Xuan wandered down one of the long halls of the mansion until his legs carried him to a small room. Without thinking much of it, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was dim, dusty, and strangely quiet.

Zhi Xuan pulled out his phone and switched on the torch. Light cut through the darkness, revealing scattered objects, old furniture, and several things that looked like picture frames covered with large cloths.

“What is this?” he muttered.

Before he could move farther in, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen.

Kaito.