You Don't Want to Marry Me? I Don't Want to Marry You Either!

"Can I still back out now?"

As soon as Xie Linyuan said that,

an eerie silence fell over the Chen Family's front courtyard.

Shen Niannian looked at him.

Ye Qinglan looked at him.

The other two B-rank groom candidates were looking at him too.

Even the livestream fell silent for two seconds.

Then.

The comments exploded.

"Wait, he's a peak A-rank!"

"Why's he acting like he's being forced into marriage?!"

"That's not the point! Xie Linyuan knows Shen Niannian herself!"

"Ye Qinglan and the others probably thought that Lolita outfit was her biggest trump card all along. They must be stunned now, right?"

"A peak A-rank young master of the Night Capital saw Shen Niannian and his first reaction was to run from the wedding?"

"I'm getting more and more curious about what on earth Shen Niannian was like as a child!"

Shen Niannian herself wasn't very happy.

(￣ー￣)

What was that supposed to mean?

She hadn't even complained about this underworld ghost marriage.

And the groom was already complaining?

"Don't worry, I don't particularly want to marry you either."

Xie Linyuan visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's for the best."

Shen Niannian: "..."

Wasn't that sigh of relief a little too obvious?

But the next second,

the Dead Men's Theater clearly disagreed.

Bang-!

The courtyard gates slammed shut.

Scarlet words appeared in midair.

[All three groom candidates have arrived.]

[Groom candidates may not voluntarily leave the Chen Family.]

[The bride must choose the true groom within the time it takes one incense stick to burn.]

[Time limit exceeded-will be treated as the bride refusing to complete the ghost marriage.]

Xie Linyuan: "..."

Shen Niannian: "..."

Great.

Now neither of them could run.

In the center of the courtyard,

a long, blood-red incense stick lit itself.

Its tip burned rapidly.

[Time remaining: 15 minutes]

The situation instantly grew urgent.

The first two B-rank grooms visibly perked up.

The hanged ghost was the first to step forward.

"Bride, I'm the one you should truly marry. I know when you were born, and I also know why the Chen Family is holding this ghost marriage for you."

Rule four.

[The false grooms will try to prove they are real.]

All the players immediately grew wary.

The other scissor-mouth ghost was equally unwilling to be outdone.

It had no mouth.

But the rusty scissors in its chest slowly vibrated.

A line of bloody words appeared on its clothing.

[The marriage contract is in my hands.]

[Choose me, and you can complete the third act alive.]

Each looked more convincing than the last.

Xie Linyuan, on the other hand,

stood off to the side,

expressionless.

He had no interest in proving himself at all.

He even took half a step back.

As though he were terrified Shen Niannian would choose him.

(￢_￢)

Shen Niannian looked at him.

She suddenly found it a little funny.

But she didn't rush to a conclusion.

The real one wouldn't offer his name.

That didn't mean someone who didn't offer his name was necessarily the real one.

That kind of reverse reasoning was too easy for a false groom to exploit.

Ye Qinglan quickly said, "Don't guess based on who seems more real. Look for clues belonging to the Chen Family. We're playing members of the Chen Family right now. There's no way there's no record at all of the real engagement."

Shen Niannian nodded.

Just then,

Xie Linyuan suddenly spoke in an indifferent tone:

"Finally, someone with a functioning brain."

Ye Qinglan looked at him.

Xie Linyuan ignored her completely.

His gaze rested solely on Shen Niannian.

"The Dead Men's Theater won't let me tell you directly whom to choose, but since the real ghost marriage is taking place at the Chen Family, the answer must be here, not in the mouths of the three grooms."

Shen Niannian's eyes lit up.

That was enough to go on!

Besides-

She was no longer the rookie who, when she first entered the Blood Moon Hotel, could only wonder if anyone who treated her differently "wanted to fatten her up before eating her."

Since Xie Linyuan knew her,

and clearly didn't want to offend her,

it would be a waste not to take advantage of that!

Shen Niannian immediately moved two steps closer.

"Then let me ask another question that doesn't involve the answer. You knew me before, right?"

Xie Linyuan's eyelid twitched.

"Yes."

"Were we close?"

"..."

Xie Linyuan was silent for a few seconds.

"More or less."

The Identity Archive refreshed at the same time.

[Current status: feeling guilty]

Shen Niannian: "?"

(・_・;)

That "more or less" doesn't sound particularly convincing.

She continued, "Then what would happen if I actually completed this ghost marriage with you today?"

This time, Xie Linyuan was silent for even longer.

Finally,

he answered very seriously:

"I'd prove as soon as possible that it was just a role in the Dead Men's Theater's plot and had nothing to do with reality."

Shen Niannian: "Why?"

Xie Linyuan glanced at her.

"Because I'd still like to remain the young master of the Night Capital."

"..."

Shen Niannian blinked.

The livestream also fell silent for a moment.

Then question marks filled the screen.

"?????"

"What does he mean?!"

"Would marrying Shen Niannian cost him his position as young master?"

"Why do I get the feeling it's not as simple as losing his position?"

"Xie Linyuan: If I go through with this marriage, they might be holding my funeral feast as soon as I get home."

"Wait, who on earth is backing Shen Niannian?!"

Ye Qinglan and the others felt it even more directly.

They didn't know what exactly Shen Niannian was hiding.

But a peak A-rank eerie being,

the young master of the Night Capital,

was this nervous over nothing more than a fake ghost marriage in an instance.

That was already beyond what an A-rank eerie item could explain.

They had already figured out that Shen Niannian's eerie outfit probably had some ability to alter her aura.

But an aura could be disguised.

The fact that Xie Linyuan knew Shen Niannian, however, couldn't have been faked by the outfit.

Shen Niannian's expression also changed slightly.

Of course, she already knew by now

that she had a convenient dad whom even the [Identity Archive] couldn't look up.

So the person Xie Linyuan feared...

Could it be him?

"Do you know my dad?"

Xie Linyuan's expression instantly froze.

"That question has nothing to do with the Dead Men's Theater's plot."

"So?"

"So I refuse to answer."

With that,

Xie Linyuan shut his mouth.

[Current status: doesn't want to discuss this topic]

Shen Niannian: "..."

(￣ー￣)

Got it.

He reacted that strongly.

He probably knows him.

But this wasn't the time to press him.

Nearly a third of the incense stick had already burned away.

[Time remaining: 10 minutes, 47 seconds]

Ye Qinglan had also found something.

A piece of role memory had suddenly appeared on the theater ticket in her hand.

[Eldest sister escorting the bride · role memory]

[Ten years ago, Father betrothed our youngest sister to a great family from a distant place.]

[On the day the marriage contract was signed, the Chen Family received a black-and-gold "Night-Pattern Marriage Seal," which had been enshrined in the ancestral hall ever since.]

Night pattern.

Black and gold.

Shen Niannian and Ye Qinglan looked up almost at the same time.

They looked at Xie Linyuan.

Black-and-gold robes.

Golden eyes.

More importantly-

[Identity: Young master of the Night Capital]

Shen Niannian: "..."

(⊙_⊙)

Wasn't the answer a little obvious?

But before she could speak.

The hanged ghost suddenly laughed.

"Night-Pattern Marriage Seal?"

It held out its hand.

A black-and-gold token appeared in its palm.

In the very center of the token.

A distorted character for "night" was engraved.

"Bride, you should believe me now, shouldn't you?"

Everyone's expression changed instantly.

It had the marriage seal!

The livestream chat erupted into chaos as well.

"Holy shit, it really has it!"

"Then what about Xie Linyuan?"

"Could the young master of the Night Capital actually be a false identity?!"

"No, rule four said the fake groom would try to prove himself, and that's exactly what it's doing like crazy!"

Shen Niannian, however, didn't panic.

Because she had suddenly noticed something crucial.

Ye Qinglan's character memory said-

[The marriage seal had been enshrined in the ancestral hall ever since.]

Ever since!

If it had been with the Chen Family all along.

How could it possibly be in the groom's hands?

"Sis, where's the ancestral hall?"

"Next to the family shrine."

"Go find it!"

Ye Qinglan turned and left.

The smile on the hanged ghost's face instantly turned dark.

"Stop!"

The hemp rope around its body suddenly shot out.

Straight for Ye Qinglan's neck!

Ye Qinglan had been prepared.

Her dark red short blade flashed out of its sheath.

Clang!

She knocked the hemp rope aside with a slash.

A B-rank ghostly aura erupted.

The other players' expressions changed drastically.

"It's getting desperate!"

"There's something wrong with that marriage seal!"

Seeing that its attack had failed.

The hanged ghost spun around.

And lunged straight at Shen Niannian!

"Since you refuse to choose-"

Before it could finish.

A pale hand suddenly clamped over its face.

Bang!

The hanged ghost's entire head was slammed into the ground.

The gray bricks instantly shattered.

Everyone froze.

Xie Linyuan stood in front of Shen Niannian.

His golden eyes looked coldly down.

"If you're going to play the fake groom, then play your part properly."

"Who gave you permission to touch her?"

The hanged ghost struggled wildly.

But couldn't move at all.

Peak A-rank.

And B-rank.

The gap was absurdly vast.

Shen Niannian stood behind him.

Silently peeking out with half her silver-white head.

(・ω・)

That felt good.

Having an acquaintance around really came in handy.

Xie Linyuan seemed to notice her gaze.

He turned around.

"Don't misunderstand. I just don't want it touching you and leaving me to deal with the trouble afterward."

"I understand."

Shen Niannian nodded.

"You're afraid of my dad."

Xie Linyuan: "..."

[Current status: Regretting stepping in]

The livestream chat instantly went wild with laughter.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Shen Niannian's already learned how to use it!"

"First two instances: Why are these ghosts all afraid of me?"

"Now: Since you're afraid, help me hold this one down first!"

"That's a very strange direction for growth, but it definitely is growth!"

Just then.

Ye Qinglan came rushing back from the direction of the family shrine.

She now had a dusty wooden box in her hands.

She flipped it open.

Inside.

A genuine black-and-gold marriage seal lay quietly.

At first glance, it looked similar to the one in the hanged ghost's hand.

But the patterns on it were completely different.

[Chen Family Night-Pattern Marriage Seal]

At the same time.

Shen Niannian's [Identity Archive] instantly refreshed.

[Marriage contract partner's faction: Night Capital]

[Marriage contract partner is currently present]

Shen Niannian slowly looked up.

At the only candidate from the Night Capital.

Xie Linyuan.

There was no longer any doubt about the answer.

She raised her hand.

And pointed at him.

"I choose him."

Xie Linyuan closed his eyes.

His expression said he'd known all along he couldn't escape this.

"..."

"I knew it."

Boom-!

The bell of the Dead Men's Theater suddenly rang out.

[The bride has made her choice.]

[The true groom has been confirmed-Xie Linyuan!]

The smiles vanished from the faces of the hanged ghost and the slit-mouth ghost at the same time.

The next second.

The bodies of the two fake grooms exploded into great sprays of black blood.

[The fake grooms have been eliminated.]

All the players finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But immediately afterward.

All the red lanterns in the courtyard lit up.

A wedding altar draped in red cloth.

Slowly rose from the ground.

New rules appeared in midair.

[The third act has entered its final stage.]

[Bride and groom, please perform the three bows.]

[First bow to heaven and earth.]

[Second bow to the elders.]

[Bride and groom bow to each other.]

The final line.

Slowly began to seep blood.

[After the three bows are complete-]

[The bride will officially belong to the groom.]

Xie Linyuan's face.

Instantly darkened.