Dijing Manor, Master Bedroom.
Heavy velvet curtains blocked out all external light and noise, leaving only a dim yellow sleep lamp on the bedside table, casting a weak halo of light on the cold marble floor.
The air was filled with a peculiar mix—expensive antiseptic trying to dominate, yet a thread of cold, distinct agarwood stubbornly permeated through, belonging to the man lying unconscious in the center of the king-sized bed.
Su Wan stood by the bed, wearing an exquisite wedding dress that was clearly ill-fitting. The intricate lace on the skirt was cumbersome and out of place with the expression on her face. It wasn't the shyness or nervousness of a new bride, but a cool, almost professional assessment.
She looked at the man on the bed—Leng Yecheng.
Even deep in unconsciousness, the man was breathtakingly handsome, with sharp, sculpted features and a defined jawline. However, his long confinement to bed left him pale, his thin lips lacking color, which oddly softened his legendary ruthlessness, adding a touch of fragile nobility.
This was the man she had been substituted to marry. The "vegetable" husband her dear father and stepmother had forced her to replace her sister, Su Qianqian, for, using her deceased mother's memento as leverage.
"Leng Yecheng," Su Wan spoke, her voice as cool as moonlight in the silent room. "I am Su Wan. From today, nominally, your wife."
She paused, as if speaking to him, yet also declaring it to herself.
"This is a transaction. I will try my best to wake you up. And you, upon my success, will grant me absolute freedom and protection."
She didn't need love, nor the empty title of Mrs. Leng. All she needed was a springboard out of her living hell and a temporary shelter to uncover certain truths.
Slender fingers with distinct knuckles gently pressed against his cool wrist. His pulse was deep, sluggish, and obstructed; the flow of qi and blood was extremely stagnant. Yet, strangely, beneath the severe malaise, a tenacious vitality struggled stubbornly, as if waiting for something.
This didn't feel like ordinary coma from brain injury.
Su Wan frowned slightly, leaning closer to examine his pupil reaction more clearly.
The moment she leaned in—
A large hand shot out and seized her wrist!
The force was immense, like a steel trap snapping shut, carrying the instinctual wariness of an awakening beast. It almost crushed her bones!
Su Wan's heart lurched. Her head jerked up, instantly meeting a pair of eyes deep and cold like a dark abyss!
Those eyes!
They had just opened, still hazy with confusion from emerging from a long darkness. But in merely a split second, that fog was replaced by sharp, icy, penetrating scrutiny! They locked onto her, carrying a dominating pressure that seemed to strip away all her pretenses and pierce straight into her soul.
Wasn't he supposed to be in a deep coma, completely unresponsive? The intelligence was wrong!
Su Wan's heart raced. Sharp pain shot from her wrist, but she maintained her composure on the surface, even quickly mobilizing her facial muscles to force a timid, pleasantly surprised expression befitting "Su Qianqian." Her voice even carried a deliberately feigned tremble. "H-husband? You… you're awake? Thank goodness! I'm Qianqian… your… wife."
Leng Yecheng's eyes were dark, devoid of any warmth, only icy inquiry. His voice was hoarse from long disuse, yet it still held an undeniable authority and cold mockery. "My… wife?"
His grip tightened instead of loosening, and he pulled her down sharply!
Su Wan never expected a just-awakened "patient" to possess such strength. Caught off guard, she tumbled toward him! The cold scent of agarwood mixed with a faint medicinal aroma instantly enveloped her. A strong sense of danger gripped her.
"Heh…" A low, humorless breath escaped his throat. His other hand raised with effort, his cool fingertips almost touching the corner of her eye. "The Su family's daughter… I've seen photos. She doesn't have eyes like yours…"
His gaze dissected her like a scalpel, pinpointing the calm and sharpness she tried to hide.
"…Eyes that can lie, even kill."
A chill ran down Su Wan's spine. Miscalculation. This man was far more perceptive and a hundred times more dangerous than the data suggested. He was no sleeping beauty to be manipulated, but a lion temporarily lying dormant.
The strength stored within her body tensed instantly. She was debating whether to fight back decisively or continue the act—
But suddenly, the grip on her wrist loosened slightly.
The man beneath her frowned tightly, letting out a suppressed groan. Fine beads of cold sweat instantly dotted his temples. It seemed the brief awakening and outburst had drained all his strength. The eagle-like sharpness in his eyes began to scatter, gradually overwhelmed by heavy fatigue.
"…You'd better…" He used the last shred of his consciousness to force out a threat, his breath already weak. "…not have any… funny ideas…"
Before he could finish, his eyelids closed heavily, and his head lolled to the side, plunging him back into unconsciousness.
However, his hand still stubbornly, tightly clutched Su Wan's wrist, not letting go. The force was weaker than before, but it remained like a cold manacle, or perhaps like a drowning man in boundless chaos subconsciously grabbing onto the only piece of driftwood.
The bedroom returned to dead silence, save for the soft intermingling of their breaths.
Su Wan remained in the awkward position, half-lying on him. She looked at Leng Yecheng, who had fallen unconscious again, then down at her securely held wrist. Complex emotions churned in her cool eyes, finally settling into a look of keen interest.
This substitute marriage drama seemed to have become… far more interesting than she had anticipated.
She felt no offended anger. Instead, the corners of her lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile that hinted at the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent—a smile that belonged to her true self, "Wraith."
She raised her other free hand and gently placed it over his clenched fist, her fingers precisely finding his pulse point.
"Leng Yecheng," she murmured to herself, a subtle challenge in her voice. "It seems our contract terms need… renegotiation."