In the real world, breaking off an engagement brings shame to the other party.
In the eerie world, Li Ran wasn’t sure if breaking off a marriage would trigger a dramatic “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don’t bully the poor youth!” moment.
But what he did know was—if the wedding was called off, Lu Zhaohui was done for.
What surprised Li Ran even more was how efficient Meng Ge’s family was.
They’d only discussed Lu Zhaohui marrying into the Meng family yesterday, and now today they were coming to pick him up, hold the wedding, and celebrate the bridal chamber?
This was clearly a one-day all-inclusive package.
It was one thing for Lu Zhaohui to sell himself off so hastily, but what was with Meng Ge’s family being just as reckless in fetching the groom and organizing the wedding?
Did they know nothing about proper customs?
And with Lu Zhaohui having no parents to make decisions on his behalf, they could just take him however they liked.
“You're on your own. Honestly, being a live-in son-in-law isn’t the worst thing,” Li Ran said, not wanting to get involved in this mess.
“Don’t, bro! If they take me away, tonight won’t be a bridal chamber—it’ll be a spider’s lair!” Lu Zhaohui clung to Li Ran tightly, terrified, treating him like his last lifeline, refusing to let go no matter what.
Seeing how cold and indifferent Li Ran’s expression was, he had to pull out his trump card.
“Ran-ge, didn’t we agree you’d help me with tasks and take half the points?” Lu Zhaohui pleaded.
“There’s a task?” Li Ran’s brow arched slightly. Heh, if there’s a reward involved, that’s a different matter.
Lu Zhaohui shared the task with him.
[Triggered Task: Stop the Wedding Escort Team]
[Task Rewards: Eerie Power ×100, Points ×1000, Special Card ×1]
Li Ran’s eyes narrowed. “A thousand-point difficulty?”
That level of difficulty was basically a nightmare for Lu Zhaohui.
Without Li Ran’s help, he would definitely die today.
No matter how sincere he acted to touch Meng Ge’s heart, it wouldn’t work.
Because the escort team included more than just Meng Ge.
In other words, Lu Zhaohui had to stop the escort team at the door—which was practically the same as calling off the wedding!
“If I call it off, Meng Ge’s mom will eat me alive,” Lu Zhaohui said anxiously.
Li Ran gave a faint smile and replied, “As long as it’s a task, we’re good. Completing the task doesn’t necessarily mean calling it off—we don’t have to go down the ‘broken engagement’ route.”
“If we block the wedding escort team, how is that not calling it off?” Lu Zhaohui asked.
“You don’t need to worry about that.” Li Ran’s eyes sparkled. “But this time, the price is going up.”
“Going up?” Lu Zhaohui didn’t quite follow.
“Half the points plus that special card,” Li Ran said.
Lu Zhaohui finally understood what was going on. “Ran-ge, forget the card! As long as you help me get through this, you can have everything!”
“You said it.”
Li Ran grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “Leave your wedding to me.”
Lu Zhaohui: “…”
“Fall!”
With a loud cry, the sedan bearers dressed in traditional robes set the large red sedan chair down in front of Building No. 3.
The palanquin was all solid wood, lacquered red with gold trim. The curtain was embroidered with phoenixes and peacocks, vivid and lifelike.
Beside it stood a middle-aged woman in full matchmaker garb—powder-caked face, rosy cheeks, beaming.
The commotion quickly drew a crowd from the neighborhood.
“Who’s getting married? What a grand setup!”
“That’s one fancy palanquin. Who’s the bride, so lucky.”
“I want to see the groom—what does he look like?”
“Huh, they’ve got the palanquin, but where are the Three Letters and Six Rites, the ten-mile bridal procession, the phoenix crown and red robes?” a refined-looking middle-aged man muttered.
“You think it’s actually ancient times? No one’s that particular these days.”
Just then, a woman in a suit and tie stepped out of the palanquin—hands holding a bouquet, beautiful and striking, exuding both strength and elegance.
“Wait, a woman came out? Isn’t this the escort team?”
People’s eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the woman emerging from the sedan chair.
Normally, it’s the groom who brings the escort team to the bride’s house, puts on a big show, and then escorts her back.
But here, it was the opposite.
“The bride is picking up the groom?”
“What’s going on? Someone explain!”
The crowd was abuzz, ears perked, everyone talking over one another.
Although they all lived in the same residential complex, few were acquainted with each other, and ancient-style weddings were rare enough—let alone one where the bride fetched the groom.
As curious onlookers gawked, the suited bride was ushered upstairs.
“We’re going too!”
“Let’s go!”
Drawn by curiosity, the crowd followed the wedding team upstairs.
“Don’t be nervous, dear,” Matchmaker Wang whispered to Meng Ge. “When he opens the door, we’ll all rush in and drag the groom down.”
“T-tie him up? Isn’t that a bit much?” Meng Ge said hesitantly.
This whole escort thing wasn’t her idea, but it was her parents’ will and the matchmaker’s arrangement—she couldn’t defy them.
“Listen, girl, men are fickle creatures. You have to strike while the iron’s hot—don’t give him a chance to regret. Once he does, getting him to marry in will be nearly impossible,” said the matchmaker.
“But… he was the one who said he wanted to marry in,” Meng Ge protested.
“Marriage isn’t a game—it involves both families. This isn’t just romantic dating anymore. Even if he is willing to marry in, what about his family? Would they agree?”
Meng Ge had no response. That… made a certain kind of sense.
When Lu Zhaohui proposed marrying in, it had completely caught her off guard.
And honestly, she had never intended for him to be the one marrying in.
But after he said it, her mom couldn’t wait to lock down the wedding—afraid he’d regret it.
It had all happened so fast, she had no time to prepare, and she couldn’t disobey her mother.
“Now’s the time to seal the deal while no one from his side can interfere. Once it’s done and dusted, even if his family disapproves, they’ll just have to suck it up,” Wang said.
Ding!
The elevator reached the eleventh floor.
Wang led Meng Ge and the grand wedding escort team to the apartment door.
“Go. Knock,” she said, nudging Meng Ge forward.
Nervously clutching the bouquet, Meng Ge walked up to the door.
Urged on by the escort team and matchmaker, she knocked.
Knock knock knock~
Knock knock knock~
Knock knock knock~
She knocked three times, but the door didn’t open.
Meng Ge frowned and turned to ask, “No one’s answering?”
“Keep knocking!” Wang barked.
Just as Meng Ge raised her hand again, a red envelope slipped out from under the door.
Written boldly across it were two large characters—Red Packet.
“What does this mean, Sister Wang?” Meng Ge picked up the envelope and handed it to her.
Wang’s face darkened. She murmured, “Damn… his family’s back.”
“Huh? Then… what do we do? And what’s this envelope supposed to mean?” Meng Ge asked.
At that moment, the spectators had made their way upstairs too, crowding the hall.
A man shouted, “You don’t know? It means no red envelope, no entry! Don’t tell me you don’t even know that rule!”
“They’re testing your sincerity here. Can’t even get past the first hurdle?”
The matchmaker snorted and pulled out a stack of red envelopes from her bag. “You little brat, trying to play games with me? Good thing I came prepared.”
She’d originally planned to pocket those envelopes herself—after all, with no family from the groom’s side, they could just grab him and call it done.
“Stuff them in!” Wang ordered.
Meng Ge had no choice but to obey, pushing the red packets one by one through the gap beneath the door.
Even after stuffing in several, the door still didn’t open. Helpless, she continued pushing more through.
Soon, the entire stack of red packets was gone. She knocked on the door again.
This time, another red card slipped out from the door gap. A line was written on it:
“If you want to take the groom away, The red packets must be stacked like hay.”
(End of Chapter)