Fun
In the end, after Su Zesui’s tearful pleas, Father Su and Mother Su, though confused, reluctantly gave in.
On the other side, Grandpa Gu coughed hoarsely a few times, clutching his chest, his face full of worry: “I only hope that before I pass on, I can see you truly happy.”
Gu Yilan said nothing.
Father Gu chimed in: “Why even ask him? Arranged marriage is a parental duty; how can there be any refusal?”
Seeing Gu Yilan glance at the time on his phone and seemingly wanting to leave without a word, Grandpa Gu hastily coughed several more times, sounding as if he might cough up a lung.
Gu Yilan stopped his movement to stand, slammed the still-hot tea down in front of him with a loud “thud,” and said flatly, “If your throat itches, drink more water.”
Even being spoken to so bluntly didn’t anger Grandpa Gu, he smiled and took a sip of tea.
It was Father Gu who frowned and looked at Gu Yilan. “What’s wrong with your throat?”
Gu Yilan pinched his Adam’s apple. “It’s dead.”
Father Gu: “…”
Father Gu said firmly, “Your body and skin are gifts from your parents. We don’t ask you to cherish it too much, but at least don’t harm yourself.”
Gu Yilan lowered his eyelashes, silent.
Father Gu pressed on, “You’re already 23. You have no choice. Whether you want this marriage or not, you must go through with it.”
Gu Yilan rubbed the calluses on his fingertips quietly.
Only upon hearing the last sentence did he lift his eyes and, sounding indifferent, ask, “For you?”
Father Gu had long experienced Gu Yilan’s ruthless honesty but still frowned. As the family’s head, his words carried enormous weight; all the younger generation trembled to be corrected by him. Yet this one son always managed to leave him speechless…
The air was thick with tension.
Mother Gu quickly interrupted, “Enough. Just listen to your parents one more time. We’re not trying to harm you.”
Gu Yilan narrowed his eyes and looked toward Su Zesui across the table.
The boy was the center of attention, smiling softly, clapping his small hands as he murmured something, his clear eyes shining with genuine happiness.
Mother Gu thought her son might lose his temper again, but instead, he said, “Fine, living together is fine. But if he’s unwilling after ten days, this marriage contract will be permanently void.”
Fine, we can live together. But afte”
Mother Gu was satisfied, thinking this was Gu Yilan’s first step toward compromise.
She smiled and nodded, reaching out to pat her son’s shoulder to soothe his mood—but Gu Yilan quietly dodged her touch.
Her hand awkwardly hung mid-air, her smile froze.
The two families had reached an internal agreement. After discussing, they quickly set the cohabitation period to begin in two days.
Back home, the Su family was still puzzled but couldn’t argue with their youngest son. So they sent Su Mingyu to persuade his stubborn little brother.
“If you feel threatened, just blink at big brother,” Su Mingyu said, leaning against the door as he watched his brother eagerly packing.
Su Zesui turned seriously to look at him, eyes wide and unblinking. He held the gaze for a long time before finally turning away and sneaking a blink.
Su Mingyu laughed at him, then asked, “Bored with a quiet life and looking for some excitement?”
At that moment, Su Zesui was wrestling with an old, battered trunk in the corner. The worn box clashed with the room’s luxurious style—it obviously held a secret, but he couldn’t crack the combination lock. Years, birthdays, four eights… none of those worked…
His full attention was on cracking the lock combination, so he couldn’t quite figure out how to explain himself. Whatever Su Mingyu said, he just nodded along in agreement.
“Tell me the truth,” Su Mingyu said, clearly not buying it.
“He’s… very good.” Su Zesui finally put the box down. He struggled for a long time before managing to squeeze out a few words. “Physics… very good.”
What he meant was: Gu Yilan is kind and decent, treats him well, and they’re in the same major—they’d have things in common. It felt right.
But of course, Su Mingyu naturally misunderstood. He assumed Gu Yilan was just excellent at physics and could act as a tutor for his little brother. Since Su Zesui was socially anxious and their online courses weren’t even ready yet, a free, live-in academic resource sounded like a decent deal.
Knowing how stubborn his little brother could be and how impossible it was to reason with him, Su Mingyu simply messaged the real culprit.
[Su Mingyu: What the hell are you doing?]
[Gu Yilan: ?]
[Su Mingyu: Weren’t you dead set on never getting married? Now you’re using my brother to break your vow?]
[Gu Yilan: It’s just temporary cohabitation.]
[Su Mingyu: I’m warning you. I only have one little brother. He’s 18. If you dare seduce him, I’ll come at you with a knife, you hear me?]
[Gu Yilan: ……]
[Gu Yilan: If ten days later he still wants to try marrying me, I’ll consider taking your last name.]
Just reading the texts, Su Mingyu could practically hear the cold, deadpan sarcasm in Gu Yilan’s tone. It somehow put him a little more at ease.
Honestly, he could understand his brother.
Their parents—and even he himself—were always busy with work. On the few occasions he’d come home lately, he often saw Su Zesui curled up in a corner, silently zoning out. At moments like that, he’d feel this strange surge of guilt. That small, lonely figure seemed so pitiful.
Let Gu Yilan be his brother’s free competition coach for now, he thought.
Once the school year starts, Su Zesui will get along with his classmates, find his own rhythm, and probably forget all about this cold, evil fiance who suddenly barged into his life.
Su Mingyu walked over to help pack his brother’s luggage.
That’s when he noticed something strange tucked in the corner—among the plush puppies, kittens, panda dolls, and colorful posters, a single plush toy stood out like a sore thumb.
He bent down and picked up the odd little thing—it was a plush shaped like a pair of handcuffs. Its oversized bean eyes stared blankly at him in a dumb, cute way.
In an instant, he understood exactly where this thing came from.
“Pfft—” He nearly burst out laughing. “What the hell is this? A souvenir from your prison tour?”
Still folding his clothes, Su Zesui froze. He turned around with wide, bewildered eyes. The moment he saw what was in his brother’s hand, he puffed up with indignation, rushed over, and reached out in a panic—
“Give it—give it back to Suisui!”
. . . . .
At the same time, the butler was trailing behind Gu Yilan, wandering aimlessly through the streets—
Young Master Gu had said he needed to pick up a few things for their soon-to-arrive guest, but after walking past three major shopping malls without going in, the butler was thoroughly confused.
Young Master Gu had just coldly brushed off a young man who tried to flirt with him on the street. The poor boy was so embarrassed he teared up on the spot. It was extremely unkind—but perfectly in line with Young Master Gu’s personality.
Then they passed another shopping mall.
Still didn’t go in.
Sigh.
. . . . .
Finally, Young Master Gu stopped walking.
He—he—he walked straight into an adult store.
The butler: ???
His conservative soul nearly had his glasses fall right off his face from sheer shock. But he quickly snapped out of it and hurried after him.
“Y—Young Master Gu, this… guest of ours is…?” the butler stammered. He had never stepped into a place like this before and couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was staring at him. His face flushed red, and even his voice dropped into a whisper.
He didn’t dare speculate about Young Master Gu’s intentions—but his thoughts couldn’t help spiraling toward… less than respectable conclusions.
That’s when he heard the man ahead of him casually say, “Su Zesui.”
The butler: Oh, thank god, at least it’s someone with a name, his name is Su Ze—wait, Su Zesui?! The young master from the Su family?!!
This was a large-scale adult store—extensive selection, neatly divided sections, very professional service. Not long after they entered, a sales assistant came over to give them a personal walkthrough.
Running now would look too guilty, too suspicious. So the butler had no choice but to follow along with his face covered, surrounded by an overwhelming array of strange and questionably shaped items, watching as Gu Yilan calmly engaged the staff in conversation.
From the bottom of his heart, the butler gave his boss a silent thumbs-up.
He’d seen Young Master Gu remain composed and decisive in the face of collapsing businesses and high-stakes crises—it was nothing new to him. But this? This was something else. A whole new level of respect.
Shame? Embarrassment? Awkwardness? Apparently none of those words existed in Gu Yilan’s dictionary. Whatever he did, he always handled it with ease.
It’s just a pity for that delicate-looking little master of the Su family…
While the butler was still quietly fretting, Gu Yilan finished talking with the sales assistant and began striding toward one specific section.
The butler rushed to keep up, stealing a glance at the sign overhead.
He really shouldn’t have looked.
“BDSM & Bondage Section.”
The butler nearly blacked out on the spot.
“We’ve just gotten a lot of new styles in,” the salesgirl said brightly. “Besides the classic plain colors, we also have skin-toned options and other patterned designs. Some come with soft lining to prevent abrasion, others are old-school pure steel. Which would you like, sir?”
“Plain is fine,” Gu Yilan replied shortly—his throat still sore. “Padded lining.”
“And the size?”
Hearing the topic, the butler finally breathed a sigh of relief.
So it was just… cuffs and shackles? That made sense. He’d bought some of those himself online for ten bucks a dozen—it was probably just that Young Master Gu wanted better quality replacements.
But the very next moment, his heart shot straight up into his throat.
Because… the salesgirl picked up a pair of cuffs and began glancing back and forth between them—between the product and his wrists—as if trying to size them up.
Why are you looking at me?!
Are you insane?! I’m an old man!
Me and Young Master Gu… the two of us…?!!
Does that even make sense, miss?!
The butler’s old face flushed bright red as he forced out a sentence: “It wasn’t me…”
Seeing the salesgirl pause in surprise—then suddenly look as if she’d realized something—she glanced at Gu Yilan’s wrist for comparison. The butler quickly added an “us”!
Not us!!
His face was burning, but thankfully Gu Yilan calmly tossed the smallest size into the shopping cart, saving him from the awkward moment.
Young Master Gu, loaded and generous, didn’t hesitate—if something looked about right, he threw it into the cart. Soon, restraints, blindfolds, collars, leashes, earplugs… the cart was overflowing.
Terrified of another misunderstanding like earlier, the butler quietly slipped off to the side, pretending he wasn’t with Gu Yilan at all.
This store had a wide range of products. Ignoring some of the…questionable-looking items, there were actually a few novelty goods that were pretty intriguing.
While waiting for the young master, the butler’s attention was caught by a small bottle of liquid.
On the little glass bottle was a pair of big red lips, with the slogan: “More effective than syrup, stronger than golden lozenges. One bottle down your throat, and your voice will last you through another night of howling!”
He couldn’t understand the rest, but he guessed it was a throat remedy of some sort.
He had just taken the bottle off the shelf for a closer look—wondering if it might help his burnt throat—when he suddenly felt a chill behind him.
Whipping around, he saw Gu Yilan standing not far away, pushing the overloaded cart, eyes narrowed as he stared at the butler and the bottle in his hand.
The butler broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly put the “hot potato” back on the shelf, and rushed over to take over pushing the cart—as if nothing had happened.
…Kidding or not, with that icy gaze, he figured if he’d hesitated a second longer, he’d be assassinated the moment they got home.
“Sir, please fill in your address. We’ll deliver the large items to your house in a couple of days,” the clerk said respectfully.
Gu Yilan smoothly swiped his card and signed his contact details.
When the butler took the massive haul, curiosity still got the better of him—just what kind of “large items” could a place like this be selling?
That question wasn’t answered until two days later.
That day, the little master of the Su family arrived right on time, the butler trailing behind him, pushing seven suitcases.
Gu Yilan walked ahead, placed his finger on the fingerprint lock, entered the number of occupants, and pushed open the door to the side bedroom.
The moment the door opened, the first thing they saw was a newly-installed window and… a large, golden cage, ornate and wrapped in chains, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. It looked like something out of a fallen angel fantasy—holy, yet wicked.
If the little gadgets they’d bought earlier could still be written off as “adult toys,” then this golden cage was straight-up terrifying.
The butler froze, then immediately stood in the doorway to block Su Zesui from seeing too much—worried the boy might panic and scream or bolt.
But the teen turned out to be braver than he’d thought. Not only did he not freak out, he stood there quietly, eyes fixed on Gu Yilan.
The butler figured his legs must’ve gone weak. A moment later, the boy clutched his fingers nervously, walked up, and sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his long, pale legs uneasily.
The butler finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At least he didn’t run!
If on the very first day of cohabitation, Young Master Gu’s pretty little fiance got scared off, the butler would have no choice but to take a knife and go kneel in front of Old Master Gu for atonement.
Gu Yilan was now busy fiddling with something in the cabinet.
That’s when Su Zesui finally looked at the butler, raised his arm, and pointed.
Following the direction of his finger, the butler located one of the suitcases.
“All right, all right—no rush, Little Master Su. I’ll open it up now. Let’s see what kind of fun little things our young master packed in his luggage…” The butler softened his tone, speaking to him as one would to a child, coaxing gently, worried the boy might get scared and run off again.
After all, this was the first time in so many years that the house had welcomed a second little master.
Even if it was only for ten short days, everyone in the house—including himself—was ready to treat the dear young guest like a treasure. To pamper and protect him, and make him feel right at home.
As the butler happily bent down to unzip the suitcase, two loud clinks of metal suddenly rang out.
He instinctively looked up—and saw the true master of the house standing there, dark eyes lowered, holding a cold, heavy chain in one hand.
One end of the handcuffs was locked to the bedpost. The other—was fastened firmly around the dear little master’s wrist.
The butler: ???
As if that weren’t enough, Gu Yilan even added fuel to the fire:
“Sleep in the cage, or sleep cuffed to the bed. Pick one.”
The butler: ???!!!
…Looks like he will have to go commit ritual suicide after all.