In the quiet streets of Yuncheng, the night air clung with the weight of summer heat. A lone figure moved sluggishly beneath the dim streetlights — Jiang Yichen, a university student just returned home.
Yichen (grumbling): "Ugh... the weather's killing me. I just want to sleep for days."
His steps were slow, his backpack heavy, dragging him down with each stride. As he passed a cracked sidewalk corner, something red caught his eye — shimmering faintly beneath the flickering light.
A red envelope.
Curiously, Yichen stepped closer. It wasn't just any red envelope. A scarlet thread was tightly wrapped around it, neat and deliberate, like a gift waiting for someone. It glowed unnaturally, too bright for a discarded item.
He crouched down and picked it up.
The envelope felt heavy in his hand — heavier than it should. Yichen blinked, then let out a small laugh, peeling it open.
Inside, it was packed with money.
Yichen (grinning): "Jackpot...! I must be the luckiest guy tonight."
But as he stood up, still smiling, the street around him seemed... quieter. Still. Too still.
What Jiang Yichen didn't know—
Was that from the moment he picked up that envelope,
His fate was no longer his own.
Jiang Yichen burst through the front door with a grin stretched across his face. The hot air outside clung to him, but his smile made him seem immune to the exhaustion.
Lu Nian, his close friend and roommate, looked up from the couch, raising an eyebrow.
Lu Nian (teasing): "What's up with that face? Don't tell me the heat fried your brain."
Yichen (laughing lightly): "I'm fine. Actually, I'm great."
He tossed his bag onto the floor and sank into the couch with a deep sigh, stretching his arms.
Lu Nian (smirking): "Don't tell me it's because of Tian Tian? Did she finally say yes?"
Yichen let out a genuine laugh and shook his head.
Yichen: "Nope. Even better."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the red envelope, holding it up like a trophy.
Yichen: "I found this on the street. It's full of cash! Someone just dropped their lucky envelope, and I got lucky!"
He laughed excitedly, waving the envelope in front of Lu Nian's face.
Lu Nian's smile faded. His eyes widened in horror.
Lu Nian: "Wait—are you serious? You picked that up?!"
Yichen's grin faltered slightly.
Yichen: "Yeah? So what?"
Lu Nian: "You idiot, that's not just some random red envelope. Look at it—"
(He pointed at the string) "—It's tied with red thread!"
Yichen blinked, glancing at the crimson thread wrapped tightly around the envelope.
Yichen (rolling his eyes): "You sound like my grandpa. It's just thread."
Lu Nian: "Didn't you ever hear the old stories? My grandma told me: if someone picks up a red envelope—especially one wrapped in red thread—it means they've accepted a marriage with a ghost."
Silence.
Yichen stared at the envelope.
Then burst into laughter.
Yichen: "Seriously? A ghost and wedding? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Who even believes that superstitious crap?"
Lu Nian (dead serious): "I do. And you should, too."
Yichen stood up, brushing it off.
Yichen: "Well, I don't. Tomorrow, I'm taking Tian Tian out for a movie and shopping. She'll be way more impressed by my good luck than your ghost story."
Lu Nian sighed deeply, watching him walk away.
Yichen: "Now, I need a cold shower and twelve hours of sleep. Goodnight!"
He disappeared into his room, red envelope still clutched in his hand—completely unaware that someone, or something, had already started watching him.
Yichen sat on his bed and fully opened the mysterious red envelope. He placed the red thread on the side table, but his eyes lingered on a name written in the corner of the envelope: Wen Zhaoyan.
"Huh? The envelope must be his," Yichen muttered. "Ohh... bad luck. He lost his money."
He sighed, stood up, and placed the envelope on the side table. Then he walked into the bathroom. A cold shower later, he changed into his night pajamas and flopped onto his bed, phone in hand.
He typed a quick message to his best friend (crush):
Yichen: Tian Tian, can we watch a movie together tomorrow if you're free?
A few minutes later, a reply popped up.
Tian Tian: Sure.
Yichen smiled. "Ahh, why do I feel so lucky today?"
He set his phone down and closed his eyes, excited for tomorrow. Sleep pulled him under quickly.
But sometime during the night, a strange sensation stirred him. It felt like someone was smelling him... lying beside him, far too close.
He shifted away in his sleep, brushing it off, but then—
A warm tongue licked his ear.
A husky whisper followed, brushing his skin:
"Husband... you smell nice."
Yichen's eyes snapped open. He sat up with a jolt, looking around in confusion. Nothing. Just his quiet, dark room.
He rubbed his eyes.
"Why does it feel like someone was lying next to me... and bit my ear?" he mumbled.
Shaking his head, he lay back down and muttered, "Nian, your creepy stories are messing with my dreams."
Then he drifted off again.
But in the dead of night, his eyes opened once more—
And this time, he wasn't in his bedroom.
The room around him was completely different. He'd never seen it before.
Red. Everything was red. The air carried the scent of roses. Red silk curtains. Red lanterns glowing dimly. The bed beneath him was covered in red petals, decorated like a bridal suite on a wedding night.
Yichen sat frozen in the center of the bed, too stunned to move.
Then—arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind.
He gasped and turned his head quickly.
A tall, handsome boy behind him, dressed in a traditional red wedding robe. The boy smiled sweetly, tightening his arms around Yichen waist.
Yichen flinched. "W-Who are you?!"
The boy's eyes softened.
"I'm Wen Zhaoyan," he said.
"Your groom."
Yichen blinked in disbelief. "What? Groom? What nonsense is this? I'm a boy!"
Zhaoyan simply traced his fingers across Yichen's cheek. "I don't care."
Before Yichen could protest further, a red veil suddenly dropped over his head.
He gasped.
His eyes widened in horror as a glowing red thread slithered around his finger—
And looped itself around Zhaoyan's finger too, binding them together.
"AHHH! What is this?!" Yichen screamed.