A Republican-Era World, Marriage to Avert Disaster

Su Ran stealthily slipped out of the Su Residence, hailed a rickshaw, and headed straight to a newly opened casino in Beiping City. The casino was no small affair, and nobody knew who the mysterious owner behind it was. It seemed to have sprung up overnight.

After a while, the rickshaw stopped at the entrance of the casino. Su Ran paid the fare and stood at the doorway, hesitating as he looked up at the imposing signboard. He had never set foot in such a place before.

Dressed in a light green long robe and carrying a leather suitcase, he took a deep breath and stepped inside. The air was thick with smoke and the smell wasn’t pleasant, making him stick out like a sore thumb.

People coming and going cast curious glances at him, wondering what a clean-cut young master was doing in such a place.

After scanning the gambling tables, Su Ran finally spotted the person he was looking for and immediately walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. The man, caught up in the excitement like everyone else, showed a greedy, thrilled expression. Irritated by the interruption, he turned around with a frown, which quickly morphed into a smile upon seeing Su Ran, “Young Master.”

Before Su Ran could speak, Zhao Jinshun, disregarding propriety, reached for his pocket, “Young Master, did you bring money? Hurry, give it to me.”

Dodging slightly, Su Ran eventually handed over some money, “After this round, stop gambling. I have serious matters to discuss with you.”

Zhao Jinshun flipped the money in his hand and complained, “Why so little?”

Frustration welled up in Su Ran as he watched Zhao Jinshun turn back to his game. Zhao Jinshun, a robust and handsome man, reverted to his true gambling-addicted self at the gambling table.

Anxiously, Su Ran waited on the sidelines until Zhao Jinshun lost all his money, then reluctantly turned around, irritation flashing across his face upon seeing Su Ran, “Young Master, what did you come to find me for?”

“There are too many people here, let’s find a more secluded spot to talk,” Su Ran suggested.

Seeing Su Ran’s cautious demeanor, Zhao Jinshun followed him out. In a more private area, Zhao Jinshun’s interest seemed lacking as he asked, “Young Master, what is it you wanted to talk about?”

Glancing around, Su Ran hesitated before sharing, “My family wants me to marry into the Zhou family to bring them luck due to my misfortune; I’m unwilling, help me think of a way out.”

Su Ran looked at him with hopeful eyes, but Zhao Jinshun’s mouth curled into a mocking smile, which he quickly suppressed. Su Ran, the pampered little young master who also happened to like men, seemed like an easy mark to him, “Young Master, what can I do? I have neither money nor status now, I can’t help you.” Zhao Jinshun had once worked at Su Residence, gradually rumors of his closeness with Su Ran spread, and he was expelled.

Desperate, Su Ran grabbed his arm, “Take me away with you. I’ve taken some valuables from home; we could sell them on the road.”

Zhao Jinshun scoffed, “Young Master, you’re too naive. It’s chaotic out there; where could we possibly go? Besides, they’d catch us before we got far. You’re the Su family’s young master; you’ll be fine. Me, I’d be killed. Even if we did escape, what would we live on?”

Hearing this, Su Ran’s expression dimmed, then Zhao Jinshun added, “You might as well marry into the Zhou family. They’re a powerful and wealthy household. They thrive in both politics and business. You’ll live a good life marrying into their family.”

Hearing this, Su Ran’s eyes reddened with disappointment, and he ran off.

After Su Ran left, he checked the plot updates. Following this failed elopement, he had no choice but to marry Zhou Yuanzhe, the Third Young Master of the Zhou family, who had been unable to stand for a year despite consulting numerous doctors. A recent consultation with a fortune-teller had suggested a marriage to avert disaster with someone born on a specific date could solve his problem. Surprisingly, Su Ran’s birthdate matched the requirements.

The Su family, no longer as prosperous as before and desperate, was only too happy to comply for a good price. Zhou Yuanzhe, known for his cruel and moody nature, now confined to a wheelchair, would be a challenging spouse.

Suddenly, 555 logged in, “Lord Ran, the excitement zone has appeared!”

“Where?” Su Ran asked, eyes lighting up.

“In Zhou Yuanzhe’s courtyard area,” 555 replied.

Su Ran pondered the main story’s next big thrill – Zhou Yuanzhe, bound to a wheelchair, and his brothers, who could act with impunity around him. It was a grim situation.

“Lord Ran, one of the main aggressors, Zhou Zekun, is about to appear. Be alert,” 555 warned.

Distracted and filled with dread about his impending marriage, Su Ran wasn’t watching his path and collided with someone, tumbling forward. Just as he thought he would hit the ground, strong arms caught him around the waist, stabilizing him.

“Are you alright?” the man asked.

Regaining his balance, Su Ran looked up to see a dark-skinned, handsome man with deep-set eyes and a scar at the corner of his eye, adding a dangerous edge to his otherwise attractive face.

The man, noticing Su Ran’s gaze lingering on his lips, smiled slightly, “I tripped you; did you hurt your foot?”

Moving his injured foot slightly, Su Ran winced and his eyes teared up from the pain, “My ankle hurts.”

“I’m Zhou Zekun, the owner of this place. Since you’re hurt, I’ll take full responsibility. Come with me, and I’ll get you some medicine,” Zhou Zekun offered.

Reluctantly, Su Ran nodded, “Alright.”

In the casino’s back yard, there were a few temporary rooms. Zhou Zekun wrapped an arm around Su Ran’s waist and slowly helped him into one of these rooms, letting him sit on a carved wooden chair.

Zhou Zekun examined Su Ran from head to toe and chuckled, “Young sir, you don’t seem like someone who’d normally visit a casino. Were you looking for someone?”

Su Ran nodded, and Zhou Zekun’s smile took on a roguish air, “Well, you should be careful. Casinos are full of all sorts, and there are plenty of bad characters around.”

Realizing they were alone in the room, Su Ran glanced around. Zhou Zekun, sensing his apprehension, teased, “I brought you here and told you to watch out for bad people. I haven’t noticed any, but you do seem a bit like a bad person.”

Caught off guard, Zhou Zekun chuckled, “You’ve got quite the temper, young sir.”

Lifting his foot, Su Ran asked, “Are you going to apply the medicine? You bumped into me, and you said you’d take responsibility.”

Although not favored at home, Su Ran was still a young master, usually indulged by the old family maid, which made him somewhat spoiled and headstrong. He rarely opposed his family, but when he was upset, his temper flared.

Zhou Zekun’s smile remained as he turned to fetch the medicine. Holding it in his hand, he knelt down in front of Su Ran to remove his shoe and sock, exposing a pale, delicate foot.

Embarrassed, Su Ran curled his toes, but Zhou Zekun held his foot firmly, “This might hurt a bit, just bear with it.”

Taking a deep breath, Su Ran nodded.

Zhou Zekun warmed the medicinal wine in his palm before applying it to Su Ran’s foot. The pale skin took on the color of the medicine, and the delicate texture reminded him of fine porcelain.

Su Ran winced in pain, instinctively pulling his foot back, but Zhou Zekun’s firm grasp kept it in place. After a while, the pain lessened, replaced by a tingling sensation as the heat from Zhou Zekun’s hand and the rough texture of his palms massaged the foot.

After massaging for a while, Zhou Zekun helped Su Ran put his shoe and sock back on and assisted him in standing up. “Young sir, I promised to take full responsibility. If your foot still bothers you, you can come back to me.”

Su Ran huffed, not responding further as Zhou Zekun supported him through the bustling casino.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jinshun, having lost all his money, was about to leave when he was stopped by two burly men, “You owe two hundred yuan. When will you pay it back?”

Zhao Jinshun clasped his hands together, pleading, “Give me two more days, sirs. Just two days. I’ll get the money and pay you first thing!”

The casino’s enforcers, familiar with such gamblers, grabbed him, “We’ll see what our boss has to say about that!”

As Zhou Zekun was seeing Su Ran off in a rickshaw, he paused and asked with a smile, “Young sir, you haven’t told me your name yet.”

Su Ran looked at him and replied, “No need to know each other’s names for a fleeting meeting.”

With that, he instructed the coachman to drive away. Zhou Zekun stood watching the departing rickshaw, momentarily lost in thought. He took out a handkerchief Su Ran had used to wipe his sweat, lifted it to his nose, and inhaled, “Smells nice.”

Back at the casino, Zhou Zekun’s expression darkened as he sat down. The façade of cheerfulness was gone, replaced by a menacing air.

The reputation was well-known: those who failed to pay their debts at this casino faced dire consequences.

Kneeling on the ground, Zhao Jinshun trembled with fear, “Sir, I really don’t have the money right now, but I will soon.”

Zhou Zekun sneered, “That’s what every debtor says.”

Before Zhao Jinshun could plead further, the enforcers started to rough him up. Scrambling, he blurted out, “Truly, sir! I swear, the Su family’s young master is my lover. He’s marrying into the Zhou family soon. With that connection, two hundred yuan is nothing; he could even get two thousand.”

This absurd revelation made Zhou Zekun pause, “The Zhou family? Which Zhou family?”

“The most powerful one in Beiping City,” Zhao Jinshun said.

Zhou Zekun waved his hand, signaling the enforcers to stop. He asked, “Zhou Jianshan’s family?”

Zhao Jinshun nodded desperately, “Yes, that’s the one!”

Chewing on this information, Zhou Zekun’s eyes darkened further as he pondered, “How could a young master be used to avert disaster?”

“A man averting disaster is unheard of,” Zhao Jinshun added quickly, “But the Su family’s young master you just met, that’s him.”

Startled, Zhou Zekun was taken aback, “Him?”

•

•

Su Ran, in the guise of the ninth daughter of the Su family, was married off in a traditional wedding. He sat in the bridal sedan, the sounds of the procession echoing around him as they entered the Zhou Residence.

At the moment of the bowing ceremony, the groom was nowhere to be found. After a wait, someone was pushed forward to complete the ceremony with Su Ran.

Under the red bridal veil, Su Ran could see nothing of the outside world, only hearing the murmurs of the servants. It seemed that the Second Young Master was standing in for the Third.

But he was dazed, seeing nothing but red and surrounded by noise until he was led inside and sat on a large redwood bed, feeling a bit of reality sinking in.

He was somewhat self-aware, knowing he couldn’t survive on his own outside, forced to marry into the Zhou family as a woman. Dressed in a red wedding gown and made up like a bride, he truly appeared to be a woman.

Sitting from day into night made his back and waist ache. He was new and dared not break any rules, his heart filled with nervousness and fear. Just as he felt he couldn’t bear it any longer, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Staggering footsteps approached; through the red veil, Su Ran saw a pair of disordered steps. The man wore shiny black leather shoes and fashionable trousers, which made Su Ran nervous. Wasn’t Zhou Yuanzhe supposed to be crippled?

Then he heard the newcomer muttering drunkenly, “A bunch of old feudalists, this is just harming people!”

“Who ever heard of a young master being used for a man to avert disaster? Zhou Jianshan is really a scourge,” the man continued.

As he came closer, he stumbled and fell onto Su Ran, a wave of alcohol fumes washing over him as he continued, “Don’t be afraid, I’ve come to save you…”

As he spoke, Su Ran’s vision suddenly cleared, and he found himself looking into a pair of uplifted, peach blossom eyes. He recoiled slightly, finally seeing the full face of the man before him— a face full of romantic charm, cheeks slightly flushed and eyes hazy with drunkenness.

Seeing the person before him, the man’s gaze flickered, and his hand involuntarily reached out to touch Su Ran’s face, slurring, “I was the one who conducted the bowing ceremony; you must be my wife.”

Stunned, Su Ran realized this wasn’t Zhou Yuanzhe, but the Second Young Master, Zhou Mingyu. Why was he standing in for the wedding ceremony, and now for the wedding night?

It was all too absurd!