TL: Hua
Chapter 3: Marriage
When Zhou Zizheng called, Yu Haozhou had already teleported to a massage parlor. His back felt as if it had been pummeled by something heavy—it was incredibly sore.
The only sound in the massage room was Yu Haozhou’s pained gasps. He was a long-distance runner who’d always prided himself on his strength and endurance. Yet, one night with Zhou Zizheng had completely undone him. No one had ever told him that doing that would be such a brutal ordeal. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have acted so impulsively. Damn it.
“Ah—” Yu Haozhou couldn’t take it anymore. With teary eyes, he looked at the masseuse. “Sister, could you please step out for a bit? I need to be alone.”
The masseuse, who rarely encountered such a high-quality client, still had her hands on his lean, slender waist. When she heard his words, she felt a pang of reluctance. “Okay, sure. Just call me if you need anything else.”
The clientele here was wealthy and influential, so she didn’t dare insist on massaging him for a few more minutes. She took one last look at the prominent red marks on his waist and abdomen before standing up, feeling a bit envious of his girlfriend. Still, she couldn’t help but think he seemed a little weak.
Just as the masseuse left, his phone, which was placed nearby, started ringing.
Yu Haozhou, caught off guard, answered it and was immediately met with Zhou Zizheng’s furious interrogation. The words were gritted out, squeezed from his throat. “Yu Haozhou, what do you think you’re doing?”
Yu Haozhou instinctively held the phone farther away, unable to speak.
Zhou Zizheng continued to rant. “What, did you go to all this trouble just to mess with me? Yu Haozhou, you’re unbelievable.”
He wouldn’t lose the battle of wits. Even though he knew he was in the wrong, Yu Haozhou stiffened his neck and shot back, “What’s the big deal? Think the money’s too little? Sorry, that’s all you’re worth. Your skills in bed are like a pile of dog crap!”
“…”
“And the name you noted on your phone… stop being so disgusting. Don’t you feel sick looking at it yourself?”
“…”
Zhou Zizheng’s expression twitched. “You saw the contact name?”
Yu Haozhou felt no shame about prying into someone else’s phone. “Yeah, so what? If I hadn’t looked, I wouldn’t have known you were such a pervert. You’re a sick freak.”
Zhou Zizheng was probably so angry he pulled the phone away and took a few deep breaths before speaking stiffly. “Yu Haozhou, you’re going to regret what you did last night.”
“I’ll be a dog if I regret it!”
Yu Haozhou declared and then hung up. He was getting married soon and would have nothing to do with Zhou Zizheng anymore. It was all over. At that moment, Yu Haozhou had no idea of the danger approaching.
—
Yu Haozhou stayed home for a few days, repeatedly turning down his friends’ enthusiastic invitations for strenuous activities. Finally, the day arrived for him to register his marriage with the young master of the Xie family. Early that morning, Kang Lanxiang pulled him out of bed and had a makeup and hair stylist waiting to get him ready, but Yu Haozhou shooed them out the door.
He casually styled his hair, put on his favorite casual sportswear, and headed out. Yu Haozhou didn’t want that Young Master Xie to think he was excited about this marriage. Although he couldn’t refuse, he would have his own attitude. As the saying goes, “It’s easy to invite a god, but hard to send them away.” Yu Haozhou wanted to make sure this person knew he, the little tyrant of the Yu family, wasn’t to be messed with.
Perhaps his trustworthiness was low, because when he left, Yu Haozhou noticed a few men in black suits sent by his father following him. It was clear they were afraid he’d run away.
Yu Haozhou shook his head. “How boring. Where’s the trust between people?” No one in the car replied to him.
He took a nap in the car. About 40 minutes later, they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau. The car stopped by the curb. Yu Haozhou looked at the red sign and didn’t get out. A sense of panic inexplicably washed over him.
Zhou Zizheng’s face flashed in his mind. After he had blocked him, the two of them hadn’t been in contact. He didn’t know what Zhou Zizheng had been up to lately; he was being so mysterious. He had tried to subtly ask his friends, but he couldn’t get any information.
“Dad, do you have the Xie family’s contact info?” Yu Haozhou still wanted to try. He wanted to be honest with the man and tell him he had someone else in his heart. Maybe Young Master Xie was a bit of a clean freak and would be so disgusted he’d call off the engagement.
“No, you can get it yourself when you see him.”
“…”
Yu Haozhou gritted his teeth. “You really are such a good dad.”
Yu Xiang chuckled. “When you see him, you’ll come back and thank your dad for finding you such a good marriage.”
No way. That was absolutely impossible.
The bodyguard got out and opened the door. Yu Haozhou dawdled, reluctant to step out. It felt as if he would completely lose something the moment he took that step. A hollowness settled in his heart.
He was still trying to figure out how to stall when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. Without thinking, he sprinted out of the car. “Zhou Zizheng!”
In the blink of an eye, the five or six bodyguards saw a black blur flash past them. In that moment, they all had the same thought: Oh no, the boss was right. The young master is trying to run away.
Several people started chasing after him!
They then watched as the young master, in a hundred-meter dash, came to a screeching halt directly in front of their “future-in-law,” almost crashing into his arms. The bodyguards also slammed on their brakes, bumping into each other. Ignoring the strange looks from passersby, they picked themselves up as if nothing happened, dusted off their clothes, and stood spread out behind Yu Haozhou.
Meeting on the street, Zhou Zizheng’s eyes showed no surprise. Instead, he smiled coldly at Yu Haozhou, like a butcher sharpening his knife for the lamb.
Yu Haozhou suddenly felt that something was wrong. Very wrong.
Shouldn’t he be running away? Why was he getting closer? Realizing what he had done, he turned to run back. But his path was blocked by a line of bodyguards who had appeared behind him.
The bodyguards thought to themselves: Thankfully, we made it.
Yu Haozhou: “…”
Realizing he had cornered himself, he could only turn back, puff out his chest, and taunt Zhou Zizheng. “Well, what a coincidence. Are you here to get married too?”
Zhou Zizheng looked at him but didn’t say a word. Yu Haozhou felt his confidence waver and took a quiet step back. “I’m telling you, we’re over. I’m getting married right away. See? I came specifically to register my marriage today!”
Yu Haozhou didn’t notice the look of bewilderment in his bodyguards’ eyes.
Zhou Zizheng changed his stance, crossed his arms over his chest, and raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes, it’s quite a coincidence. We’ve been bickering for years, and now we’re getting married on the same day.”
“It’s quite fated, isn’t it, Yu Haozhou?”
The Yu family bodyguards were even more confused.
It was one thing to guess, but hearing him admit it was another. Yu Haozhou felt as if something was lodged in his throat, making it difficult to breathe. His head was spinning, his hands were trembling, and his nose was stinging. He dug his right thumb hard into his palm. “Is that so?”
It had only been a few days, and he already had a new person to marry. He must have been seeing this person for a long time. Yu Haozhou thought back to that night, to Zhou Zizheng’s crazy obsession with him in bed. Now, he could stand there and calmly tell him he was getting married. Yu Haozhou wanted to tear off Zhou Zizheng’s mask and scream at him, “Which one of you is the real one?”
“Well, congratulations. I hope some unlucky soul doesn’t end up marrying a pervert like you.”
Hearing this, Zhou Zizheng didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled. Yu Haozhou found the smile unsettling. “Whatever, I can’t be bothered arguing with you. I’m going to get married.”
He tried to act nonchalant, as if nothing was wrong, and started to walk into the Civil Affairs Bureau. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Zizheng raise a hand and slowly approach him, as if he was about to hit him.
Yu Haozhou knew he was no match for him and immediately hid behind a bodyguard, pointing and yelling. “What do you want to do? Are you going to hit me? Surname Zhou, don’t you dare, or I’ll call my husband to beat you up!”
Zhou Zizheng laughed even louder. Yu Haozhou thought he had gone crazy. But what was even crazier was that his bodyguards moved out of the way and stood respectfully on both sides, and then, in unison, they all said, “Hello, young master-in-law!”
Putting aside how awkward and mortifying that scene was, in Yu Haozhou’s horrified gaze, Zhou Zizheng grabbed him by the back of his neck, pulled him into an embrace, and said through gritted teeth, “Do I look like your husband to you?”
“…”
Yu Haozhou’s brain froze. His world had collapsed.
“Are you saying… you’re the son the multi-billionaire just found?” It took a while for Yu Haozhou to find his voice.
Zhou Zizheng, still holding him by the neck, nodded. “Yeah. Surprised?”
“So… you knew I was going to marry you all along.”
Zhou Zizheng nodded again.
Yu Haozhou bit his lip tightly. “You were the one who first proposed marriage with my family, right?”
Zhou Zizheng didn’t notice the subtle shift in his emotions and continued with his playful tone. “Baby, now that you’ve asked all your questions, we can talk about it on our wedding night—”
“Go to hell, Zhou Zizheng! You bastard!” Yu Haozhou yelled, throwing a punch at his face.
He hated this feeling of being manipulated and controlled. He had faced his feelings, swallowed his pride, and offered himself to Zhou Zizheng, even if it meant being laughed at. He had just wanted to give him the most memorable night of his life.
But what was the result? It was all a trap set by Zhou Zizheng. That night, when he was being so shameless, Zhou Zizheng must have looked at him with utter contempt. He clearly despised him, but he still endured the disgust and slept with him. All so he could humiliate him today.
Damn it, he was so cruel, so cruel. He hated him. The pain was like his insides were being shredded. Yu Haozhou was so furious that tears and snot streamed down his face. He grabbed Zhou Zizheng’s collar and went to throw a second punch, but the bodyguards held him back. “Let me go!”
Zhou Zizheng’s lip was split, and he spat out a mouthful of blood with a metallic taste. Seeing Yu Haozhou furious like a little red-eyed bunny, his heart ached. He hoisted him onto his shoulder and carried him to the back seat of the car.
Yu Haozhou struggled the whole way. The moment he was put in the car, he tried to get out, but Zhou Zizheng cornered him. Yu Haozhou then tried the other door, but Zhou Zizheng, with quick reflexes, locked it.
He said, “Let’s talk.”
“Talk my ass off! You’re a liar! I’m not marrying you!”
Yu Haozhou, not giving up, tried to climb into the driver’s seat to unlock the door. Zhou Zizheng wrapped an arm around his waist and forced him to sit on his lap.
The physical contact felt like he had been burned. Yu Haozhou struggled to get up, but Zhou Zizheng held his hands and took a deep breath near his neck. “Zhouzhou, I didn’t hide it from you on purpose. I was just afraid that once you knew it was me, you wouldn’t be willing to marry me.”
Yu Haozhou ignored the pet name he had used. He just sneered. “That’s right. I’d rather marry a dog than marry you.”
Zhou Zizheng, used to their back-and-forth, retorted without thinking. “Then I’ll find a dog, and you can marry it.”
“Get lost!”
