Chapter 2: Thunderbolt on a Sunny Day

Volume One: First Steps in Another World

Just as Xue'er was about to speak, Zu'an rapidly fired off his words: "I just clumsily fell into the pond, and Sister Xue'er came to rescue me. She accidentally slipped and fell in too. Fortunately, I knew a little bit about water, so I managed to save her."

God knows who was trying to kill him. He decided to avoid an open confrontation for now, waiting until he had more information.

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

"Is that really how it happened?" Chu Chuyan glanced at Xue'er. "You're both soaked. Go bathe and change first. We'll eat after you're done."

With that, she floated away again, leaving Zu'an speechless. Dressed in white, her feet barely 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? How about we go together?"

"Get lost!" Xue'er thought, *If I weren't disheveled right now, I'd beat you so badly your own mother wouldn't recognize you. Then I'd take your last name!*

She looked at the melon seeds scattered on the ground with a pang of pity, stomped her foot, and scurried away.

Fortunately, Chu Chuyan sent a young servant to lead the way. After bathing and changing in the room, Zu'an looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was seventy to eighty percent similar to his previous self, just much thinner. But he was quite satisfied: "Still as handsome as ever. Though not as good as Pan An, I'm still a tiny bit better than someone like Ximen Qing."

He had been somewhat looking forward to dining with his "cheap wife" later, but Chu Chuyan didn't show up at all. Someone merely sent some food over.

"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. It seemed he wasn't even qualified to sit at the table for a meal.

"I won't eat food given begrudgingly!" Zu'an didn't understand why his current self would endure such humiliation. He picked up the food and tossed it aside. Who knew, shortly after, his stomach rumbled, and the aroma of the dishes kept wafting over.

Zu'an frowned, but ultimately decided that a true man knows when to bend and when to stand firm. He quickly picked up the dishes again and devoured them all. Honestly, the cook's food was quite fragrant.

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

He found paper and a brush in the room and wrote the title: *Guide to Surviving in Another World*.

Then, his mind started recalling information he had seen online, and he couldn't help but miss his computer from his previous life, reminiscing about mobile games and the thrill of debating with people on forums...

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but suddenly he noticed it was dark outside.

Wait, what was I just trying to do?

Looking at the draft with only a title, his eyelids twitched. He crumpled it up and threw it away, deciding to go out for a stroll to see if he could gather more information.

His current self, as a live-in son-in-law, had endured so much humiliation. With his naturally helpful personality, he certainly had to vent some of that anger for him and reassert the husband's authority.

Although he wasn't very familiar with the estate, his eloquent speech 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, want some melon seeds?"

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

"Miss, you're scaring me again... By the way, that guy is getting more and more out of line. I feel like he was more tolerable before. I don't know what's wrong with him today."

"I also think he's different from usual today." Chu Chuyan hummed in agreement. Just as Zu'an's heart lifted, he heard her add, "Perhaps he got struck by lightning today and it made him a bit silly."

Zu'an: "..."

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

Chu Chuyan calmly replied, "What happened last night was very strange. We'll discuss it with Father and Mother tomorrow before making a decision."

Zu'an's heart swelled with delight. He hadn't expected his "cheap wife" to be so sharp. It seemed he wouldn't have to deal with the melodramatic tropes from TV shows.

"That guy got off easy," Xue'er grumbled. "Why didn't the 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.

Noticing that they hadn't mentioned the incident by the pond, Zu'an wondered if it had nothing to do with his "cheap wife." *No, that's not right. The prettier a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive. I can't let my guard down.*

Hearing Xue'er still continuously badmouthing him inside the room, Zu'an immediately got angry.

An uncle might tolerate it, but an aunt won't! He kicked open the door.

Chu Chuyan was somewhat taken aback by his arrival: "What are you doing here?"

"It's dark, and I have nothing else to do, so of course, I've come to sleep." Zu'an glared fiercely at Xue'er, thinking, *I'll find a chance to get some silencing medicine for you; let's see how arrogant you can be then.*

Chu Chuyan's expression darkened: "Then why are you coming to my room?"

"Isn't it only natural for a husband and wife to sleep together?" Zu'an said with a matter-of-fact expression, walking towards the inner room.

"Ah!"

With a miserable cry, Zu'an was predictably kicked out.

Xue'er gloated, "Zu, why don't you take a good look at yourself? How dare you even dream of getting close to our Miss?"

However, to her surprise, there was no expression of shame or anger on his face. Instead, he wore a smile: "Just as I thought."

From the various details before, Zu'an had deduced that the two likely had no physical intimacy. This was merely a verification. Now, he wasn't angry at all; in fact, he was delighted. He could "conquer" this "cheap wife" from scratch.

"Is your head really broken from the lightning strike?" Xue'er hadn't seen the reaction she expected and felt something was missing, so her satisfaction wasn't as great.

Zu'an also felt his reaction was off, so he quickly wiped the smile from his face and put on a look of indignation: "Is there no justice left? What wife in this world doesn't sleep with her husband?"

"Shut up!" Chu Chuyan's face finally flushed slightly. She waved her sleeve and closed the door to prevent his wailing from being heard throughout the entire estate.

Zu'an continued to act shamelessly: "If you don't want to sleep with me, then why did we get married? Tomorrow, I'll go into the city, beat drums and gongs, and tell everyone our truth. Then we'll see whether your Chu family loses face or I do."

"How dare you!" Chu Chuyan stood up, an inexplicable aura radiating from her.

Zu'an scoffed, "What's there to not dare? My reputation is already ruined, so I'm not afraid of it getting worse. Isn't this exactly what you want, though? It'll let other noble young masters know that you are spotless..."

Chu Chuyan took a deep breath and looked at Zu'an with an icy expression: "Are you really eager to sleep with me?"

"Yes, yes!" Zu'an replied enthusiastically. *This silly girl won't be provoked into losing her head, will she?* He wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. Didn't Eileen Chang say that the quickest way to a woman's heart was through... well, better to make the raw rice into cooked rice first.

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

Xue'er, who was eating melon seeds and watching the drama from the side: "???"

"Miss!"

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

Chu Chuyan glanced at her, her eyes full of amusement: "Anyway, when he saved you today, he touched you and held you. Besides, as a bed-warming maid, it's your duty. What, are you unwilling?"

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

Zu'an froze. What kind of situation was this? Sending another woman to her own husband's bed? But recalling that Xue'er had tried to kill him earlier that day, he also wanted to see what was truly going on between the two of them. So, he sat down confidently.

"Xue'er, ah, Xue'er, come quickly and help me change."

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

Xue'er cast a pitiful look at Chu Chuyan, but her mistress simply picked up a scroll to read. If Zu'an had been standing behind Chu Chuyan, he would have noticed that the small book tucked inside the larger one was the very same one she had been reading earlier that day.

Seeing that her mistress wouldn't even look at her, Xue'er finally despaired. She reluctantly walked over, glaring fiercely at Zu'an, looking as if she were bravely facing her doom: "If you're going to do it, just do it! I'll just pretend I was bitten by a dog!" At the same time, a hint of murderous intent flickered 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 at Xue'er's retreating figure thoughtfully.

Zu'an also felt a chill. He had only intended to test what scheme they were up to, but now, in this situation, should he act like a beast or be worse than one?

Finally, he hardened his resolve. *If you women aren't afraid, why should I, a man, be? If you want to play a game, I'll play along! Let's see who breaks first.*

With his mind made up, he let out a sinister chuckle and lunged towards Xue'er...

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

Zu'an was staring in disbelief at the area below his abdomen, completely petrified. Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly as she looked away, her eyes showing a hint of surprise and pity.

Xue'er, having escaped the ordeal, was far less polite. As she picked up her clothes to cover her chest, she retrieved her hidden weapon, simultaneously launching into a torrent of mockery to express her revenge: "I used to think you were just a useless good-for-nothing, but now I realize I overestimated you. Turns out you're not even a man! Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter..."

Zu'an no longer had the heart to retort. His eyes welled up with tears, and his steps were incredibly heavy as he left the room. This blow was simply too great. He had confidence in resolving any other difficulties, but if this body couldn't naturally *rise*, what was the point of anything? Not everyone could be a Sima Qian.

He hadn't walked far when he encountered 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'd transmigrate back again.

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

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

Memories slowly surfaced in his mind. He vaguely recalled that this old man was a servant on the estate, responsible for tending to the garden. He was usually quiet and reclusive, almost unnoticeable in the household, and often bullied. Everyone called him Old Man Mi.

The previous owner of this body had sympathized with him and had secretly given him some snacks, which was why he had some impression of him.

But Zu'an was more concerned about another question: "Restriction? Who placed a restriction on me?" He wondered if it was 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 the restriction was planted on you when you were very young."

"Senior, 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 such an old man was never simple. In that instant, he conjured up many possibilities: a former top-tier powerhouse, forced to live in obscurity as an ordinary gardener in the Chu family due to various reasons...

Naturally, he had to cling tightly to such an influential figure!

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