The Helpless Man

The bridal chamber was festively decorated, with two red lanterns hanging that cast a deep red glow throughout the room. Outside, the noise of the guests could be faintly heard, contrasting with the previously quiet interior, now tense due to the intrusion of a man.

Su Ran knew that the man in the suit before him was the Second Young Master. He still felt submerged in the absurdity of the situation.

“Wife,” mumbled Zhou Mingyu.

Hearing him address him that way made Su Ran’s heart skip a beat. He said, “Shouldn’t it be the Third Young Master? Why is it the Second?”

Zhou Mingyu gazed foolishly at the person in front of him, “I conducted the wedding rites; we entered the bridal chamber together, you are my wife now.”

Su Ran was bewildered, his face softly illuminated by the red light, making him look even more delicate, his lips glossy with a layer of bright rouge. “But…”

Before he could finish, Zhou Mingyu kissed the corner of his lips. Su Ran froze, clutching the hem of his gown, too scared to move.

Zhou Mingyu, eyes closed, remained pressed against the fragrant lips for a long while before he opened his eyes, his cheeks flushed and his gaze hazy, yet fixed on the bride before him.

He smiled briefly, his peach blossom eyes narrowing, then pressed his lips against Su Ran’s again, rolling over them with more intensity.

Su Ran felt his heart might leap out of his chest. When the man before him extended his tongue to lick his lips, Su Ran couldn’t bear it any longer. He pushed the man in front of him, causing Zhou Mingyu to stagger back. Su Ran was both angry and afraid, “You… I am your brother’s wife, how could you do this!”

Hearing this, Zhou Mingyu chuckled, then stepped forward again, “You just conducted the wedding rites with me, and now we are in the bridal chamber, how am I not your husband?”

Su Ran was truly baffled now, “But I was supposed to marry the Third Young Master…”

Before he could finish, the noise outside grew louder, “We can’t stop the Second Young Master; he’s insisting on saving the bride…”

“He must be inside now.”

“Quick, open the door, don’t frighten the bride!”

Su Ran didn’t catch the whole conversation, then suddenly the door was flung open. Four people stood at the doorway; one seated in a wheelchair was undoubtedly the Third Young Master, Zhou Yuanzhe. The woman next to him, dressed elegantly, must be his mother, Madam Wang. The other two were maids.

Su Ran only glanced once before quickly covering himself with the bridal veil again, sitting properly on the edge of the bed.

At that moment, Zhou Mingyu’s eyes were only for Su Ran. He reached out to touch the veil, but the maids immediately intervened.

“Second Young Master, you are drunk, please come back with me.”

Madam Wang shouted, “Get him out of here, now!”

Although Zhou Mingyu was drunk, he was surprisingly strong. He shrugged off the maids, “Let go, everyone out! She’s my bride now that we’ve conducted the rites!”

The maids struggled to control him, while Zhou Yuanzhe, sitting in his wheelchair, watched the absurd spectacle before him. His deep eyes flashed ominously as he told Madam Wang, “Mother, call father here.”

Understanding his intent, Madam Wang turned and left swiftly. Zhou Yuanzhe looked around the room, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Soon, Lord Zhou was hurried over by Madam Wang, gasping, “Slow down…slow down…”

As he reached the doorway, he paused to catch his breath and saw Zhou Yuanzhe, immediately scolding him, “What are you doing disappearing on your wedding day!”

“Father, you might want to check on your second son first,” Zhou Yuanzhe pointed inside, “He’s insisting on consummating the marriage with the bride.”

Hearing this, Lord Zhou’s eyes bulged in anger. He stormed in, pushing aside the maids, and slapped Zhou Mingyu hard across the face, “You fool! Get out now!”

Stunned by the slap, Zhou Mingyu was dragged out by the maids, completely drunk.

Su Ran sat properly the entire time, his head covered with the red veil, only able to see a few pairs of feet and hear the commotion. He was too frightened to move.

Once the room quieted down, he relaxed slightly. But then, the sound of wheels pressing against the floor tensed him up again.

He saw the edge of the wheelchair approaching. Thinking Zhou Yuanzhe was coming to lift his veil, he was surprised when the wheelchair stopped, and a cold voice said, “You’re not seriously waiting for me to lift the veil, are you? Given up on being a man to play the part of a woman?”

Su Ran tensed up, then quickly removed the veil, revealing the man in the wheelchair. He wore a grey long robe and a dark-patterned vest, his attire rich but his complexion pale and sickly, his face handsome but shadowed with dark under-eyes.

The moment Su Ran lifted the veil, a beautiful yet pure face caught Zhou Yuanzhe’s gaze. He stared for a moment, then frowned, turning the wheelchair aside, “So thorough, dressed in the bride’s robe and made up like a woman. Do you really take yourself for one?”

Su Ran clenched his fists, catching the sarcasm in Zhou Yuanzhe’s tone.

“Should I have let everyone know that the Zhou family has married a man?” Su Ran replied sullenly.

Zhou Yuanzhe scoffed coldly, “You know this is disgraceful, yet you still married into this family. Are the rumors true then? That you’re so lowly? Not only did you mess around with servants at the Su house, but now you happily accept a cripple like me. Is any man okay for you?”

Su Ran’s eyes reddened instantly; he bit his lower lip, realizing that Zhou Yuanzhe was more difficult to deal with than expected. They say even Lord Zhou had to accommodate him since he became crippled. He definitely couldn’t afford to provoke such a person.

Seeing Su Ran’s silence, Zhou Yuanzhe continued to examine him, his gaze inching across his face and pausing on his lips, dark eyes flashing ominously, “Wipe off that lipstick. You haven’t even passed your wedding night and you’re already seducing men. Truly disgraceful.”

With that, he wheeled himself to the bed, propped himself up with his hands, and sat down, leaning against the headboard.

Su Ran wiped off the lipstick, then turned back to face Zhou Yuanzhe, “Are we going to sleep now?”

Zhou Yuanzhe, flipping through a book, finally seemed to calm down, “Wait a moment.”

Relieved to hear this, Su Ran relaxed slightly. Thankfully, Zhou Yuanzhe hadn’t sent him away. As a new bride in the Zhou house, he didn’t even know where he would go. It was clear Zhou Yuanzhe was very resistant to him, and having just experienced his sharpness, Su Ran didn’t want to face his reputed cruelty. He had to be extremely cautious.

Leaning against the headboard, Zhou Yuanzhe looked perfectly healthy; if he could stand, he would surely be a dashing gentleman, but now only gloominess remained in his demeanor.

Su Ran’s gaze swept over him, then inadvertently settled on Zhou Yuanzhe’s crotch. A year ago, he had a serious accident that left his legs useless, and rumor had it that ‘that part’ was also affected. Given how fixated he was during their conversation on the difference between men and women, it seemed likely that area was indeed non-functional.

As Su Ran was lost in thought, a loud snap startled him. It was the sound of the book closing forcefully. Su Ran met Zhou Yuanzhe’s deep and chilling gaze, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Undress,” Zhou Yuanzhe commanded coldly.

Su Ran, taken aback, stammered, “What?”

“On your wedding night, shouldn’t the bride undress? Don’t make me say it again,” Zhou Yuanzhe stated.

This time, Su Ran understood. His eyes brimming with tears, he looked at Zhou Yuanzhe, who remained unmoved, his dark eyes steadily watching him, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

Slowly, Su Ran began to undress, his fingers trembling. But he had no choice but to obey. He unfastened his buttons one by one, letting the layers of his robe fall away to reveal his pale skin beneath.

Su Ran looked up at him again, Zhou Yuanzhe’s gaze fixated on his exposed chest, then he coldly ordered, “Continue.”

Tension gripped Su Ran as he stripped completely, presenting himself in front of Zhou Yuanzhe. His body, like fine porcelain, delicate and pale, knelt on the red bedding, a breathtakingly beautiful yet heart-wrenching sight.

Zhou Yuanzhe’s chest heaved, but his face remained impassive as he coldly commanded, “Remove it.”

Su Ran looked at Zhou Yuanzhe, his eyes pleading, but the man was unmoved. Su Ran reluctantly complied.

Zhou Yuanzhe scrutinized him, his eyes tinged red, taking a deep breath to suppress his emotions before scoffing coldly, “You’ve grown to be pretty, enough to be a woman in someone else’s bed.”

As soon as he finished speaking, tears cascaded down Su Ran’s cheeks. Zhou Yuanzhe clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Wipe your tears; no one here will pity you,” Zhou Yuanzhe said, then lay down, “and no man would want you.”

Su Ran wiped away his tears, then heard Zhou Yuanzhe add, “Go to sleep.”

Sobbing silently, Su Ran picked up his clothes to dress, but just then, Zhou Yuanzhe spoke again, “Don’t dress. Sleep like that.”

Hearing this, Su Ran put his clothes down again. He watched as Zhou Yuanzhe turned to sleep, then carefully lifted a corner of the blanket and slowly slid in.

The blanket was large enough, and Su Ran lay on the far side, turning his back to him. After the humiliation he had just endured, Su Ran was certain about Zhou Yuanzhe’s impotence; otherwise, why would he be so perverse?

Bitterly, he thought, serves him right!