The morning sun was gorgeous, shining through the leaves and onto the doorstep.

    Gu Shu didn’t say anything for a long time, not because he lost his voice or was unsure, but because his morals were crumbling and changing.

    Someone actually had the guts to pop this weird question to the attending doctor. Was it because he hasn’t killed enough people yet?

    Yu Xiao said, seeing him silent. “Come on, marrying me is a sweet deal. I’ll hook you up with some perks.”

    Gu Shu, even as the attending doctor, felt his curiosity spike. Even though he had the urge to eat this woman alive, he was still curious. “What perks?”

    “I have two sisters, hot and classy. If you marry me, I’ll make them marry you too. How does that sound?” Yu Xiao said, eagerly.

    “…”

    Now, Gu Shu wasn’t the only one speechless, but Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen too.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen gasped, “Geez, Smiley won’t let us rest in peace.”

    Zhao Lan’s logic told her that Smiley had a hidden motive. But her logic was overruled by her imagination, and she heard demonic music in her head.

    Yu Xiao looked at Gu Shu hopefully, really wanting him to say yes. Gu Shu looked at her intensely, then shut the door in her face.

    Yu Xiao almost got her nose smashed by the door. She touched it with her hand, sighed deeply, and turned to the others, “Gu Shu is such a cold and cruel jerk.”

    Zhao Lan’s mind was still foggy, and Zhou Xiao Zhen stared at Yu Xiao in disbelief, “Smiley, if you have a crush on the head doctor, you can marry George. He’s not like Gu Shu. He has something you can use to blackmail him into marriage.”

    “George is worthless.” That was Yu Xiao’s opinion as she dragged one of them to the road. “Do you guys think I proposed because I’m hot for Gu Shu’s looks?”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen, very honestly, said, “Yeah?”

    “Ugh, Precious, your brain…” Yu Xiao sighed sadly. “What if one day we’re gone? What will you do?”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen was scared, “Smiley, don’t curse us.”

    Yu Xiao led them to the biggest brick house in the village. She pointed inside and asked, “Do you know what this place is?”

    Finally, Zhao Lan’s brain kicked back online. After a bit of thinking, she said, “This is the village chief’s house?”

    “Bingo.”

    “Wow, Misty, you’re freaking awesome,” Zhou Xiao Zhen said, eyes wide with awe. “How are you so smart? You nailed it on the first try.”

    Zhao Lan hesitated for a moment, pointing at the white cloth hanging under the roof in the yard. “Today, someone from the village chief’s family died, so…”

    “…”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape, then she hung her head, feeling sorry for her own IQ. Zhao Lan quickly changed the subject, “Smiley, why did you drag us here?”

    “To get married,” Yu Xiao answered succinctly. “Remember what I told you last night? The villagers sacrifice outsiders to beg the gods to end the disaster. I figured, if we become insiders, we’ll be safe, right?”

    “Oh,” Zhao Lan suddenly got it. “The village chief’s son is getting married, but the girl he wants to marry said no. We can take her place and marry him. That way, we’ll be part of the village and we won’t meet the sacrifice criteria.”

    “Yup, that’s what I had in mind,” Yu Xiao said, walking towards the village chief’s house.

    But Zhao Lan was still confused, “If that’s the plan, why didn’t you go to the village chief’s house first? Why did you go to Gu Shu’s house instead?”

    “I know why,” Zhou Xiao Zhen raised her hand. “Because Smiley thinks Gu Shu is hotter. If she could, she would rather marry Gu Shu.”

    “Hehe, Precious, you’re such a tease,” Zhao Lan said, smiling at her. “Smiley, that’s not true, is it? You wanted to marry him to get the status of being attending doctors wife, right?”

    Yu Xiao: “Nope. Precious is right; that’s what I was thinking.”

    Zhao Lan: “…”

    White cloth covered the village chief’s house, with a coffin in the main room. Oddly, in front of the spirit tablet, there was only paper money burning, no incense.

    The village chief’s wife wasn’t back yet, and right now, there was only one person kneeling in front of the spirit tablet, wearing plain clothes and a mourning gown.

    He was skinny and frail, with pale skin, coughing now and then, looking like a male version of Lin Dai Yu (林黛玉). When he heard the three of them coming, the village chief’s son turned his head, staring blankly at them, his pale face full of confusion and shock.

    (林黛玉: A literary reference to one of the main characters in the classic Chinese novel “Dream of the Red Chamber,” known for her delicate and frail appearance.)

    “Who are you? I haven’t seen you before. Are you outsiders?”

    “Yup.” She squatted down and casually grabbed some paper money, tossing it into the fire. “You’re the village chief’s sickly son, right? What’s your name?”

    Gu Jing Rong felt a weird vibe from the question, but he couldn’t figure out why. So he said, “Yeah, that’s me. I’m Gu Jing Rong (古景荣: “Ancient Scenery of Glory” or “Honourable View from the Past”).”

    “Hey, little Gu,” Yu Xiao acted like she was just making small talk with him. “We heard your mom is setting you up for a lucky wedding?”

    “Cough, yeah,” Gu Jing Rong’s pale face turned a bit red. “Actually, I don’t approve of it, but my mom insists. And being the only child at home…”

    “Gotcha,” Yu Xiao nodded. “Do you know if the girl you’re supposed to marry is willing?”

    At that, Gu Jing Rong looked down, showing his pale, thin neck. He knew what was up.

    All of a sudden, Yu Xiao yelled, “Gu Jing Rong, I can’t believe you’re such a jerk. Ruining a young girl’s life for a crappy lucky wedding!”

    Her yell freaked out Gu Jing Rong, and he waved his hands, “No, no, it’s not like that… I, I didn’t want this, but my mom…”

    “Listen, you have a chance right now,” Yu Xiao grabbed Gu Jing Rong’s collar. “You can stop hurting that poor girl and still have your lucky wedding like your mom wants. It’s your call if you’re up for it.”

    Gu Jing Rong couldn’t say no; being choked by the collar made it hard for him to breathe. “Cough, cough… I’m up for it, I’m up for it. Just let me go first.”

    Yu Xiao let him go, and he took a few breaths. Then, with fear and curiosity, he asked, “What chance?”

    Yu Xiao, with a steady look, pointed at herself. “I’ll marry you instead of that girl.”

    “…”

    Gu Jing Rong was stunned, “But you… you…”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen stood threateningly on the side, “What’s wrong? Why the hesitation? Are you saying Smiley isn’t good enough for you?!”

    “No, no, no,” Gu Jing Rong was nervous and shy. He couldn’t even look at Yu Xiao. “But I don’t know you.” sea??h thё n??el Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    “That’s no problem. I’m Zhou Xiao,” Yu Xiao smiled at him. “Now we do.”

    Gu Jing Rong timidly raised his head, peeked at Yu Xiao, and quickly looked away. “If that’s what you want, then I guess… I guess…”

    Yu Xiao: “What good is guessing? Wanting something doesn’t mean you get it.” She held up a finger. “If you want to tie the knot with me, you have to agree to one thing.”

    “Huh?” Gu Jing Rong gaped at her. What did she mean by wanting something doesn’t mean you get it.? Wasn’t she the one who came here and said she would marry him?

    But he still nodded, saying, “Okay.”

    Yu Xiao spun around, pointing at Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen behind her. “They’re my besties. We made a pact that we would never split up in this life. When we get married, it has to be to the same guy. So, you marry all three of us.”

    “…”

    Now Gu Jing Rong was totally speechless. He stared at the three of them like an idiot, his mind empty, unable to say anything.

    Yu Xiao scowled, “You don’t like it?”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen rolled up her sleeves right away. “What’s the matter? Are we not good enough for you?”

    She waved at Zhao Lan. “Misty, show him what you can do.”

    Zhao Lan didn’t know what to do. She vaguely remembered being a classy office worker in a big company. Somehow, her style changed, not only becoming violent but also into forced marriages…

    She quietly walked to the coffin, reached out a hand, and lifted the whole thing with ease.

    While Gu Jing Rong was still in shock, Zhou Xiao Zhen said, “See that? If you don’t want to die, just marry us, sisters!”

    Gu Jing Rong turned white, yelling over and over, “I agree! I agree! Please put my dead dad down…”

    “Hmph!” Zhou Xiao Zhen snorted, “Good choice.”

    Zhao Lan dropped the coffin, and Yu Xiao acted like she was comforting him. “Don’t be so sad. The three of us don’t need a dowry. Besides, look at us three, aren’t we cute? Isn’t it great for you to have the joy of three lovely wives? Don’t act like you’re doing us a favour…”

    “It’s not like that.” Gu Jing Rong was terrified. He whispered, “A man can only have one wife. It’s a moral rule. How can I break it?”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen made a fist, “You want to back out? You said yes already!”

    “I’m not backing out…” Gu Jing Rong, scared, hid behind Yu Xiao, “A man can only have one wife, but… he can have many concubines.”

    *

    *

    Liu Xun had a hunch that Yu Xiao and her friends were not normal. Today, when they skipped out on their own, he felt like they were up to something big.

    After working with Zhang Feng’s team for a while, Liu Xun got restless. He took Luo Jin with him and went looking for Yu Xiao’s group.

    They found the village chief’s house, but before they went in, they heard a man sobbing, “Why are you doing this to me? I’m just a regular guy…”

    Liu Xun and Luo Jin looked at each other, both feeling confused.

    They walked in and saw Yu Xiao and her pals standing over a crying man.

    “Hey,” Liu Xun chuckled, “What’s happening? Are you torturing him here?”

    Seeing them, Gu Jing Rong grabbed Liu Xun’s leg, “Please help me! They’re forcing me!”

    Liu Xun was even more baffled, “What are they making you do?”

    Gu Jing Rong, with a face of shame and rage, said, “They’re making me marry them, but I’m only one person! How can I marry three?”

    “…”

    Liu Xun felt his brain overload. He looked at the three women, “Are you serious…”

    “Mind your own business,” Zhou Xiao Zhen said, “Just scram!”

    After a moment of thought, Liu Xun said to Luo Jin, “Uh, let’s go.”

    Luo Jin shook off his hand, staring with starry, black eyes at Gu Jing Rong, “How are they forcing you?”

    With tears in his eyes, Gu Jing Rong said, “It’s her, that woman. She lifted my father’s coffin with one hand, and threatened me with his corpse.”

    Luo Jin nodded, walked a few steps forward, and put a hand on the coffin. Somehow, he lifted it with one hand.

    Gu Jing Rong freaked out, “What are you doing? Put down my dad!”

    As quiet as ever, Luo Jin pointed to himself and Liu Xun and said only three words, “Marry us both.”

    Liu Xun: “What?!”