Chapter 3

Xue'er was about to speak when Zu An started talking in a rapid-fire manner: "I accidentally fell into the pond just now, and Xue'er came to save me. Unfortunately, she slipped and fell in too. Luckily, I know a bit about swimming, so I managed to save her."

Who knows who wanted to kill him. To avoid a confrontation, he decided to gather more information first.

Xue'er's expression changed several times, but she did not contradict him.

"Is that really what happened?" Chu Chuyan glanced at Xue'er. "You're both drenched. Go take a bath and change your clothes. We'll eat after you're done."

With that, she floated away, leaving Zu An to complain. Her white robe seemed to glide without touching the ground, and seeing her in the middle of the night, he thought he had seen a ghost.

However, he soon realized a problem: "Xue'er, where are we going to take a bath and change clothes? Should we do it together?"

"Get lost!" Xue'er thought that if she weren't in such a disheveled state, she would have beaten him so badly that even his mother wouldn't recognize him, and she would make him change his last name.

She glanced at the scattered melon seeds on the ground with a hint of regret, stomped her foot, and ran off.

Fortunately, Chu Chuyan sent a servant to guide them. After bathing and changing clothes, Zu An looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked about seventy to eighty percent like his former self, just much thinner. However, he was quite satisfied: "I'm still handsome, even if I can't compare to Pan An, I'm still a bit better than Ximen Qing."

He had been looking forward to having a meal with his new wife, but to his surprise, Chu Chuyan never showed up again. Someone just brought some food.

"Damn, am I a prisoner?" Zu An suddenly realized he had overestimated the status of a son-in-law in this world. It seemed he didn't even have the right to sit at the table.

"I won't eat food given in contempt!" Zu An didn't understand why he was willing to endure such humiliation in this life. He threw the food aside, but soon his stomach started growling, and the aroma of the food kept wafting over.

Zu An frowned, but ultimately decided that a man must be able to bend and stretch. He quickly picked up the food and devoured it. The chef's cooking was indeed quite fragrant.

After the meal, Zu An felt much more comfortable and began to think about how to survive in this world.

He found some paper and a pen in the room and wrote the title: "Survival Guide in a Different World."

Then he started recalling the information he had seen online, and he couldn't help but miss his computer from his previous life, the games on his phone, and the joy of debating on forums...

He didn't realize how much time had passed until he noticed it was already dark outside.

Wait, what was I thinking about just now?

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

In this life, he had endured so much as a son-in-law, and with his helpful nature, he was determined to stand up for himself and assert his authority.

Although he wasn't familiar with the house, his silver-tongued skills made it easy to get information from the servants. Before he even entered Chu Chuyan's room, he heard Xue'er's voice: "Miss, do you want to eat some melon seeds?"

"No, you should eat less too. I heard that eating too many melon seeds can damage your front teeth."

"Miss, you're scaring me... By the way, that guy is getting more and more unbearable. He seemed more tolerable before, but today he's acting strange."

"I also think he's different today." Chu Chuyan hummed, and Zu An's heart skipped a beat, but then she added, "Maybe he was struck by lightning and got a bit dazed."

Zu An: "..."

Xue'er laughed uncontrollably and then huffed: "Miss, why aren't you blaming him for what he did last night?"

Chu Chuyan said calmly, "Last night's incident is very suspicious. I'll discuss it with Father and Mother tomorrow."

Zu An was delighted. He didn't expect his new wife to be so intelligent. It seemed he wouldn't have to resort to the clichés from TV dramas.

"What a lucky guy," Xue'er muttered, "Why didn't the lightning strike him dead? Then Miss wouldn't have to put up with this waste of space."

"Don't say such things," Chu Chuyan scolded.

Since they didn't mention the incident by the pond, Zu An thought it might not be related to his new wife. But he reminded himself that the prettier a woman, the more likely she was to deceive, so he couldn't let his guard down.

Hearing Xue'er continue to badmouth him, Zu An became furious.

If I can't stand it, my wife can't stand it either! He kicked open the door.

Chu Chuyan was taken aback by his sudden appearance: "What are you doing here?"

"It's dark, and there's nothing else to do, so of course I came to sleep." Zu An glared at Xue'er, thinking he should find a way to silence her.

Chu Chuyan's face darkened: "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it natural for a husband and wife to sleep together?" Zu An walked into the inner room with a matter-of-fact expression.

"Ahh~"

A scream, and Zu An was kicked out as expected.

Xue'er gloated, "Zu, why don't you take a look at yourself in the mirror? What makes you think you can get close to our Miss?"

However, to her surprise, Zu An didn't show any shame or anger. Instead, he smiled: "I see."

From the various details, Zu An deduced that they hadn't been intimate. This was just a test, and now he was even more pleased. He could start from scratch with his new wife.

"Is your head really damaged?" Xue'er didn't see the reaction she expected and felt something was off, making her less satisfied.

Zu An also felt his reaction was inappropriate and quickly put on a look of indignation: "Is there no justice in this world? Which wife doesn't sleep with her husband?"

"Shut up!" Chu Chuyan's face turned red, and she waved her sleeve to close the door, preventing his cries from being heard throughout the house.

Zu An continued to act stubbornly: "If you don't want to sleep with me, why did you marry me? Tomorrow, I'll go to the city and announce our situation. We'll see who ends up with more shame."

"You dare!" Chu Chuyan stood up, exuding a formidable aura.

Zu An huffed, "Why not? My reputation is already ruined, so I don't care if it gets worse. This way, other wealthy young men will know you are flawless..."

Chu Chuyan took a deep breath and looked at Zu An with a cold expression: "Do you really want to sleep with me?"

"Yes, yes!" Zu An was excited. Maybe this girl couldn't handle the pressure. He wouldn't miss this opportunity. After all, as Zhang Ailing said, the quickest way to a woman's heart is...

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

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

"Miss!"

The melon seeds in her hand suddenly lost their appeal.

Chu Chuyan glanced at her with a playful look: "After all, he saved you today, and he touched and carried you. Besides, as a concubine, it's your duty. Don't you want to?"

Meeting her gaze and remembering her decisive nature, Xue'er shivered and didn't dare to say anything more. She bit her lip tightly, her eyes welling up with tears.

Zu An was taken aback. What was going on? Sending another woman to his husband's bed? But thinking about how Xue'er had tried to kill him earlier, he wanted to see what was really going on, so he sat down confidently:

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

Chu Chuyan frowned from a distance, thinking this guy's shamelessness exceeded her expectations.

Xue'er looked at Chu Chuyan pitifully, but her mistress picked up a book and started reading. If Zu An had been standing behind Chu Chuyan, he would have noticed that the small book in the middle of the large one was the one she had read earlier.

Seeing that her mistress wasn't paying attention, Xue'er finally gave up. She walked over reluctantly, glared at Zu An, and said, "If you're going to do it, just do it. I'll treat it like being bitten by a dog!" Her eyes held a hint of murderous intent, and she touched the needle hidden in her braid, filled with struggle.

Chu Chuyan, who had been reading, looked up at her thoughtfully.

Zu An was also uneasy. He had just wanted to test them, but now he was unsure whether to be a beast or worse. But since he was a man, he shouldn't be afraid. If they were going to act, he would play along! Let's see who gives up first.

With that, he laughed wickedly and pounced on Xue'er...

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

Zu An stared in disbelief at his lower abdomen, frozen in shock. Chu Chuyan's face turned slightly red, and she looked away, her eyes filled with surprise and pity.

Xue'er, who had survived the ordeal, was not so polite. She grabbed her clothes to cover herself, retrieved her hidden weapon, and mocked him: "I thought you were just a weakling, but now I see I overestimated you. You're not even a man. Hahaha, this is hilarious..."

Zu An had no energy to argue. His eyes filled with tears, and he left the room with heavy steps. The blow was too great. He had confidence in overcoming any other difficulties, but if his body couldn't function, what was the point? Not everyone could be Sima Qian.

After walking for a while, he came across a crooked tree. Mechanically, he took off his belt and wrapped it around a branch, deciding to hang himself. Maybe he would be reborn if he died.

Just then, an old voice echoed in his ear: "You were just placed under a special restriction. It's not irreversible."

Zu An turned around and saw a hunched old man standing nearby. His face was as wrinkled as old leather, and he had a small hoe at his waist. He looked frail, as if a breeze could knock him over.

Memories surfaced. He vaguely remembered this old man was a servant in the house, responsible for the garden. He was usually quiet and isolated, almost unnoticed, and often bullied. Everyone called him Old Mi.

The previous owner of this body had felt a kinship with him and had secretly given him some snacks, so he had some memory of him.

But Zu An was more concerned with another question: "Restriction, who put it on me?" He wondered if it was Chu Chuyan, but her tone didn't seem to suggest it.

Old Mi shook his head: "I don't know. It was probably placed on you when you were very young."

"Do you know how to remove it?" Zu An grabbed his arm hopefully. Having read so many novels and watched so many TV dramas, he immediately thought this old man was not ordinary. Perhaps he was a former top expert who had to hide his identity and work as a gardener in the Chu family...

He decided to cling to this powerful ally!