War hero Lu Zhan was critically wounded and discharged back to our village to recover. By the time they carried him into the family compound, he barely had half a breath left in him.

Lu Zhan was the sole male heir of the Lu family. Having lost his parents at a young age, he’d been raised entirely by his grandmother. Watching her grandson hover on the brink of death, a neighbor came up with a “brilliant” idea: marry him off to wash away the bad luck and bring a miracle.

And the girl he’d been set up with previously… was my cousin, Wen Xiu.

When the news broke, Wen Xiu’s face drained of color as if she’d been struck by lightning. She instantly dragged me into her room and slammed the door shut with a heavy clack.

“Ruo Ruo.” She squeezed my wrist so hard my bones thrashed, her fingernails digging deep into my skin. “Look at Lu Zhan’s state… You’re taking my place and marrying him.”

I’d lived under my aunt’s roof as a charity case since I was a child, treading on eggshells for every bite of food and every scrap of clothing. Plainly put, I didn’t have the right to say no.

Seeing me hesitate, Wen Xiu’s expression instantly turned venomous. “You don’t want to? Fine by me. Old Man Wang from the west side of town is pushing fifty and has already buried two wives, but he’s itching for another. If that’s more your style, I’ll tell Mom to pack you off to his bed tomorrow.”

I knew exactly why she was in such a rush to get rid of me. Chen Jianjun—the Supply and Marketing Co-op director she was head-over-heels for—used to be a educated youth sent to the countryside alongside me. Just because he’d spoken to me a few times, Wen Xiu had spun an entire tragic love affair in her head.

No matter how many times I swore I had zero interest in him, she refused to believe a word.

“What good are vows?” She jabbed a finger hard against my forehead. “Look down at yourself! With a chest like that and a waist like that… what man doesn’t turn into a dog when he sees you?”

I instinctively curled inward, my eyes welling with tears. To keep from drawing unwanted attention, I kept my chest bound tight with layers of cloth all year round. In the summer heat, it broke out in agonizing, itchy rashes, but I had no choice but to endure it.

Wen Xiu sneered. “Busty in the front, stacked in the back. Any man who looks at you would drool his brains out.”

Seeing I was on the verge of crying, her tone softened just a fraction, and she pulled out a handkerchief, feigning concern as she dabbed at my eyes. “Think about it logically. Lu Zhan is practically half-dead. Marrying him means you get to enjoy the family’s prestige without ever having to cater to a husband—or suffer through childbirth. Besides, the Lu family is well-off. Grandma Lu only has him. Once he’s gone, won’t all that wealth belong to you?”

“Cousin…” I choked out softly. “I don’t want to marry anyone. Once you and Brother-in-law get hitched, I’ll just move out…”

A stinging slap cracked across my cheek, sending my head spinning as my ears rang. My aunt had appeared out of nowhere, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, glaring at me like a hungry vulture.

“Cheng Ruo, I’ve fed and clothed you all these years, and now you want to dust off your hands and walk away? If we tell you to marry, you marry! Don’t play the pathetic victim here! If Wen Xiu hadn’t caught the Lu family’s eye first, do you think Old Lady Lu would ever look at a temptress like you?”

My cheek burned like fire, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. I cupped my face, but before I could utter a single word of defense, my elementary-school-aged male cousin burst into the room like a tornado.

“Mom! Sis! The folks at the compound are saying Lu Zhan woke up!”

The moment my aunt heard this, she seized me by the wrist and hauled me straight toward the Lu household.

The front door was slightly ajar, a few suppressed coughs echoing from inside. Old Lady Lu stood in the courtyard with bloodshot eyes, holding my aunt’s hand tightly as her voice trembled. “Sister Wen, thank you for trying to arrange things for Ah Zhan. But now that he’s conscious… there’s no need to force this wedding. I can’t bear to ruin a young girl’s life.”

My aunt’s eyes darted slyly, and she gripped the old woman’s hands back with absolute urgency. “Auntie Lu, this wedding must happen!”

Old Lady Lu blinked, startled. “Why?”

“Just think about it!” My aunt insisted, her voice full of conviction. “The moment we brought up a wedding to ward off bad luck, Lu Zhan woke up! It proves the ritual works! If we throw a proper wedding feast and make it official, who knows? His health might get better by the day!”

Drawn in by the logic, Old Lady Lu hesitated, her gaze slowly drifting toward me.

Right then, the curtain to the inner bedroom was pulled aside. A military doctor in a white coat stepped out, his face heavy. He looked from Old Lady Lu to my aunt, his lips twitching several times before he finally forced the words out.

“Ma’am… although Comrade Lu Zhan is out of immediate danger… he took a bullet to the inner right thigh. It hit a… very critical spot.”

More anxious than the man’s actual family, my aunt cut in instantly. “What does that mean?!”

The doctor let out a long, heavy sigh. “I’m afraid… he won’t be able to function as a man ever again.”