Chapter 719: You Don’t Want to Marry My Sister, I Still Want to Marry Your Sister

Seeing Chu Chuyan's knowing smile, Xie Daoyun's small face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly scurried away from Zu An, then turned her brother into an outlet for her discomfort. She grabbed his ear and pulled him aside, warning, "The capital is not like Brightmoon City; don't cause any trouble here."

In Brightmoon City, their father held the highest official position, so if they flirted with a young lady, people would often overlook it out of respect for him. But the capital was different; you could throw a brick and hit someone whose rank was higher than their father's. If they truly caused trouble here, there would be no way to save them.

"Ow, ow, ow, big sister, let go! I wasn't causing trouble," Xie Xiu protested, on the verge of tears. Being pulled by the ear in front of so many people—where was his dignity?

While Zu An was laughing at him, Chu Chuyan arrived at his side and subtly pinched his waist.

Zu An gasped, a sharp intake of breath. He remembered feeling a bit awkward when Chu Chuyan didn't show jealousy, thinking she didn't care about him much. But now that she was jealous, he realized he preferred her when she wasn't.

How contradictory he was.

The group returned to his mansion, chatting and laughing. Xie Xiu and Xie Daoyun curiously examined the house, and even Jiang Luofu took a few extra glances.

"Haha, now we have a base in the capital! Come visit whenever you have free time," Xie Xiu said with a laugh.

This time, their father had deliberately not purchased property in the capital, wanting them to live in the academy dorms and focus on their studies as a way to train the siblings.

While the academy dorms weren't bad, they certainly couldn't compare to a private residence.

Zu An smiled faintly, "You're always welcome."

As he spoke, he looked directly at Xie Daoyun, who felt her heart skip a beat. *Why are you looking at me? Are you saying that specifically to me?* she wondered.

*This fellow is truly a rogue,* she thought.

Despite her internal complaints, she wasn't angry at all; instead, her cheeks turned a rosy red, making her look even more alluring than usual.

Chu Chuyan, meanwhile, was instructing maids and servants to place a brazier at the entrance, so she didn't notice any of this.

"Come, step over the brazier to burn away any bad luck," Chu Chuyan urged.

Zu An chuckled, amused that even in this different world, there were so many customs.

He stepped over the brazier, but just as he was about to enter the house, Chu Chuyan stopped him again. "Take off all your clothes and throw them into the brazier to burn," she instructed. "You can't bring the bad luck from the prison home."

Zu An's face clouded. "It doesn't have to go that far, does it?"

"No, it must be done this way," Chu Chuyan insisted firmly.

Jiang Luofu, standing nearby, also smiled faintly. "While talk of fate and fortune might seem elusive, they do exist in the unseen. It's always best to be careful."

With no other choice, Zu An reluctantly took off his clothes and tossed them into the brazier.

"Oh!" Murong Qinghe's face reddened, and she quickly covered her eyes with both hands, though a tiny gap remained between her fingers.

Chu Youzhao, remembering her current male disguise, didn't display the girlish demeanor Murong Qinghe did in front of so many people.

However, if someone had been observing her from behind, they would have noticed that her pale neck was now tinged with a delicate blush.

Jiang Luofu, on the other hand, was the most composed. As a mature woman, she naturally wouldn't be as coy as the younger girls; instead, she openly admired every inch of his skin.

Xie Daoyun, ever the lady, turned away directly and didn't look back at him. However, the image of his masculine and robust upper body from that brief moment was already seared into her mind.

Xie Xiu looked at his muscles with envy. "Brother Zu, how did you get so muscular? I never realized you were so strong."

He wasn't just strong; his muscles didn't appear as bulky or unnatural as those of typical bodybuilders. His physique had smooth lines, and even from a distance, one could sense the immense explosive power and impact contained within.

As a conventionally handsome man, Xie Xiu considered his face unbeatable, but he always felt his physique was lacking, despite having trained his abs to the highest level.

Although he usually scoffed at muscular men, he couldn't help but feel envious when he encountered someone like Zu An, who was both handsome and well-built.

Zu An proudly declared, "You can't learn this; it's natural talent."

He couldn't very well admit that his physique was forged through repeated beatings, could he? That would be too embarrassing.

Just then, Chu Chuyan said, "Take off your pants."

Zu An was stunned.

Even Jiang Luofu's expression became a little awkward; she instinctively turned slightly, pretending to look elsewhere.

Xie Xiu, on the other hand, looked utterly mortified and pained. He had just managed to recover from the scene in the secret realm, and now it was happening again?

*No!*

Xie Daoyun, meanwhile, secretly sighed. Rumors claimed that Miss Chu and Zu An were only nominal spouses, but from the looks of it, they clearly had a real marital relationship.

Chu Youzhao turned Murong Qinghe by her shoulders. "Little Qinghe, you shouldn't be watching this."

Yet, the image she had seen previously flashed in her own mind, and her heart began to pound rapidly.

Zu An gave an awkward laugh. "This isn't really appropriate."

"I'm not asking you to undress in front of them," Chu Chuyan retorted with a roll of her eyes. Soon, a servant brought a long piece of cloth and draped it around him, creating a makeshift changing room.

Zu An secretly admired how thoughtful his wife was. To ease the awkwardness, he asked while changing, "Huh, how did we get so many maids and servants in the mansion?"

Chu Chuyan replied, "Did you forget I said I'd make arrangements for you? Since you don't trust the people here, I specifically sent for some household servants from Brightmoon City. They just arrived these past few days, so you'll have someone to look after you daily."

Zu An felt a warmth in his heart. "I knew a few of them looked familiar! Oh, by the way, where's that kid Cheng Shoubing?"

Chu Chuyan answered, "I don't know. My mother's reply said the 'reader lords' didn't like him and found him the most annoying and hated person, so she didn't send him over. By the way, what exactly is a 'reader lord'?"

Zu An looked bewildered. "I have no idea. I actually thought that kid, despite being a bit silly, was quite a lucky charm."

However, he didn't dwell on it. After changing, he invited Jiang Luofu and the others inside to chat. A banquet had already been prepared to welcome him, and the group of old acquaintances from Brightmoon City clinked glasses, feeling increasingly close to one another.

Zu An took the opportunity to raise a toast to Jiang Luofu. "Principal Sister, I truly must thank you this time. It's entirely because of your involvement that your esteemed father was so helpful to me."

Jiang Luofu thought, *This guy is too embarrassed to call me 'Beautiful Principal' in front of his wife now.* Aloud, she said, "My father has always been upright and impartial; he wouldn't act out of favoritism because of me. He clearly helped you because he believed you were innocent."

Zu An chuckled, "Your father's character is indeed admirable, but I still have to thank you. When the Embroidered Envoy arrested me and brought me to the capital, you tried various ways to save me."

Jiang Luofu's cheeks felt slightly warm. "I can't take credit for that. Even though I busied myself for a while, it didn't really accomplish anything."

Zu An shook his head. "Regardless of anything else, your willingness to help is deeply appreciated."

Chu Chuyan was also incredibly surprised and joined in the toast. "I never knew Principal Jiang helped so much! I'd like to toast you too."

Facing Chu Chuyan's cool yet smiling eyes at such close proximity, Jiang Luofu felt an indescribable meaning in them, and her expression became somewhat unnatural. "It's not about willingness or anything. It was mainly Liu Yu who wanted to save you. I only went to my father because she kept pestering me," she quickly explained.

She decisively sold out her best friend; after all, Liu Yu wasn't there, so she could easily bear the blame.

"Teacher Shang..." The image of the woman in the pavilion, like a figure from a painting, appeared in Zu An's mind, and for a moment, he was lost in thought.

Chu Chuyan smiled faintly. "Ah Zu, I never realized you had such a wide network of acquaintances! Even the academy's most mysterious Teacher Shang holds you in such high regard?"

When they chose him as a son-in-law, they had valued his ordinary and somewhat dull nature. But it turned out he was a complete playboy, and she had been completely deceived by him.

Zu An immediately became alert. "Teacher Shang is kind-hearted and can't stand to see academy colleagues wronged. Please ask your father-in-law and mother-in-law to send her a gift to repay this favor."

"Alright," Chu Chuyan's smile immediately softened considerably.

At this moment, a slightly inebriated Xie Xiu leaned over. "Ah Zu, do you have any sisters or anything?"

Zu An looked confused. "No, why do you ask?"

Xie Xiu immediately looked disappointed. He glanced at his sister nearby and said with a crestfallen expression, "I feel like I'm at a huge disadvantage."