You didn’t want this either…

Lu Chen felt something was wrong.

“No, what do you mean…”

“Lin Tian wants you to take his place in the bridal chamber.”

Zhuang Jingbai interrupted him, speaking slowly.

“So you’ll see it through to the end.”

Lu Chen’s pupils dilated in shock.

He stared at her in absolute disbelief.

“Tonight, you’re not going anywhere.”

She stared at him, her gaze burning.

“You’ll stay in this room… with me!”

“This… this goes against all propriety!”

“Propriety?”

“His Highness values that demoness more than his own wife, and that’s propriety?”

“Having his junior brother take his place in the bridal chamber, that’s propriety?”

Lu Chen was silent.

Zhuang Jingbai stepped closer, forcing Lu Chen to back away until he hit the table.

“If he won’t follow the rules, why should I?”

“Enough!”

“Listen to me.”

“You’re just caught up in the heat of the moment.”

“You’ll calm down soon.”

“So you absolutely cannot do anything foolish.”

“Once you do, there’s no going back!”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

“I’m perfectly clear-headed.”

“I want Lin Tian to feel my pain too!”

‘You two have your quarrels, but leave me out of it!’ Lu Chen thought.

‘I’m innocent!’

But Lu Chen’s silence was useless.

Zhuang Jingbai closed in step by step until their bodies pressed together.

In that instant, Lu Chen felt an overwhelming softness, a faint fragrance filling his nostrils.

A flicker of unease passed over Zhuang Jingbai’s face.

She clearly hadn’t expected to go this far.

But quickly, that unease was swallowed by anger.

“No, you need to step back…”

Lu Chen’s face flushed.

In all his years at the Xuantian Sect, he had never been this close to a woman, especially not her.

He tried to push her away, but as his hand rose, Zhuang Jingbai moved first.

“Seal!”

Spiritual energy flowed into his body.

Lu Chen felt his body stiffen, his cultivation instantly sealed, leaving him unable to move a single finger.

“What?!”

Lu Chen panicked.

“Calm down!”

“I’m calm.”

Zhuang Jingbai stepped back half a pace, looking at him.

“More calm than ever.”

She turned and walked to the table, picked up the nuptial wine, and poured two cups.

“Come here.”

Lu Chen gave a bitter laugh.

“I can’t move.”

Zhuang Jingbai paused, remembering she had sealed his cultivation.

She walked back, lifting a cup to his lips.

“Drink.”

Lu Chen turned his head away.

“Really, don’t do this.”

“Drink!”

Her voice was stubborn.

“We have to drink the nuptial wine.”

“Otherwise, what kind of wedding night is this?”

“Why did you lift my veil?”

Lu Chen looked at her.

Beneath the anger in her autumn-water eyes lay deep hurt and disappointment.

He sighed inwardly and drank the wine.

Zhuang Jingbai drained her own cup and set it down heavily on the table.

“Now, let’s consummate the marriage.”

Lu Chen’s pupils contracted again.

Before he could speak, Zhuang Jingbai stopped him.

“Shh.”

She raised a finger to his lips.

“Don’t say anything.”

She raised her hands to remove her phoenix crown.

Her movements were slow, so slow that Lu Chen’s heart pounded like a drum.

“I know you’re hurt, but doing this only hurts yourself!”

“Shut up.”

Zhuang Jingbai took off the crown and placed it on the table.

Then she turned and began untying the sash of her wedding dress.

Lu Chen immediately closed his eyes.

“Open your eyes.”

“No!”

Zhuang Jingbai looked at his stubborn face and suddenly smiled.

This smile was different from before.

She knew how tempting her beauty was to men, but he could refuse her so firmly.

He was truly a gentleman.

“Lu Chen.”

She leaned against him and whispered in his ear.

“If I tell Lin Tian tomorrow that his junior brother fulfilled the husband’s duty, what do you think he’ll do?”

“So you’d better…”

Lu Chen’s face went pale.

If that got out, even if he had done nothing, he could never clear his name.

Seeing his reaction, Zhuang Jingbai felt more resolute.

If Lu Chen had been a lecher, she would have been disgusted.

But now, giving herself to such a gentleman while taking revenge, she wasn’t losing out.

With that thought, she got up, extinguished the red candles, and pulled the bed curtains closed.

The moment the curtains fell, the world sank into ambiguous darkness.

Lu Chen tried to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, she silenced him.

His mind went completely blank.

He wanted to push her away, but with his cultivation sealed, he couldn’t even move a finger.

He wanted to reason with her, but his mouth was firmly blocked, allowing only muffled sounds.

This wasn’t right.

This was utterly wrong.

The plot had gone completely off course!

But what could he do?

The next morning, Lu Chen opened his eyes and immediately shut them again.

Zhuang Jingbai was very fair.

An exquisite, cold-toned pale skin.

“Why are you closing your eyes?”

Her voice carried mockery.

“Afraid to look at me?”

“Or afraid you can’t control yourself?”

“I’m afraid you’ll hate me in the future,” Lu Chen said with his eyes shut.

“And I’m afraid I won’t be able to face myself either.”

Silence.

After a long while, Zhuang Jingbai said softly, “Open your eyes.”

Lu Chen didn’t move.

“I said, open your eyes.”

Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes.

Zhuang Jingbai still stood before him.

Her wedding dress was completely ruined, and now she had changed into elegant clothes.

“You’re right.”

“I didn’t sleep all night.”

“I was just acting out of spite.”

“But Lu Chen, do you know?”

“Your behavior makes me feel even worse.”

“Why?”

“Because if you had taken advantage, I could hate you.”

“I could hate both you and Lin Tian together.”

She looked at him.

“But you’re such a gentleman that I can’t even find a reason to hate you.”

Lu Chen opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Zhuang Jingbai looked at him and suddenly laughed, tears streaming down her face.

“Tell me, how could Lin Tian send you in here?”

“Does he trust you that much, or does he not care about me at all?”

“It’s already the next morning, and he still hasn’t come back to give me an explanation.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen suddenly remembered the plot.

As a child of destiny, Lin Tian had gone into the Forbidden Land to find Mei Ji, and they had encountered an opportunity there.

In the original story, they stayed in the Forbidden Land for three whole days before returning!

“After what we’ve done, you still want to hide things from me?”

“Uh, Senior Brother went to the Quicksand Forbidden Land.”

“Something might have delayed him.”

“Please don’t blame him, Sister-in-law.”

“I think he’ll be back in two days.”

“Two more days?!”

Hearing this, the anger Zhuang Jingbai had suppressed flared up again.

“Fine!”

“Wonderful!”

“He and that demoness are deeply in love!”

Zhuang Jingbai’s gaze shifted back to Lu Chen.

“Since I mean nothing to him, then I’ll make him mean nothing to me too!”