BRIDE OF THE DEAD

Shen Wanning had only just returned to her parents when they decided to send her away again. She had been living in the countryside since she was ten, abandoned there because her younger sister, Liliana, didn’t want her around. For years, Shen had survived alone. Now, suddenly, her parents remembered they had another daughter. Not because they missed her. Not because they regretted abandoning her. They needed a replacement. Liliana didn’t want to marry the man their grandfather had chosen for her, so her parents had decided that Shen Wanning would take her place. But Shen wasn’t having it. They had no right to her. They had left her to die alone in the countryside. They had never cared whether she was hungry, cold, sick, or even alive. She owed them nothing. Especially not a favor as big as marriage. Those thoughts kept playing over and over in Shen Wanning’s mind as she walked along the lonely road. Rain poured mercilessly over her body, soaking through her clothes until they clung to her skin. Thunder exploded across the sky. BOOM! Shen flinched violently. She hated thunder. She had always been afraid of loud sounds, and the storm only made her feel more vulnerable. “I need somewhere to hide,” she whispered, hugging herself as she trembled from the cold. “Somewhere they can’t find me before the wedding tomorrow.” She lifted her head. And stopped. In the distance stood a mansion. It was enormous. Dark. Beautiful. Gothic towers rose into the night sky, their sharp edges disappearing into the mist. Even beneath the darkness and pouring rain, the mansion looked strangely dazzling. It looked like something from the books and magazines Shen used to read in the countryside. She stared at it for several seconds. Maybe the owner would help her. Maybe she could spend just one night there. Just one night away from her family. But as she was about to move, something caught her attention. A figure stood behind one of the mansion’s windows. Shen froze. Was that… A person? She squinted through the rain. Then she saw it. A smile. Someone was smiling at her. A cold shiver traveled down her spine. She blinked. The figure was gone. “Maybe I’m imagining things.” Shen swallowed. She should leave. She knew she should. But another loud c***k of thunder made her jump. Without thinking any further, she hurried toward the mansion. Surprisingly, the gate was already open. Shen pushed it gently and stepped inside. The grounds were strangely quiet. Too quiet. She walked toward the enormous front door. A dragon was carved above it. Even the doorknob had a dragon design. Shen hesitated before knocking twice. Knock. Knock. Nothing. “Hello?” No answer. She waited. Still nothing. Perhaps nobody lived here. She turned around, intending to leave. Then the door slowly cracked open. Shen stopped. She stared at the narrow opening. Someone had opened it. Hadn’t they? She cautiously peeked inside. A shadow moved somewhere in the darkness. Her heart jumped. Maybe the owner had heard her knocking. Maybe they were letting her in. Relief washed over her. She stepped inside. “Thank you so much,” she called. Silence. Shen’s smile disappeared. “Hello?” This time, she raised her voice. Her words echoed through the enormous entrance hall. Hello… Hello… Hello… She shivered. At the far end of the room, a dim light flickered. Shen slowly walked toward it. Her footsteps echoed against the floor. When she reached the center of the room, she noticed a large table. Something was lying on it. A piece of paper. She walked closer. It looked like a contract. Shen was about to walk away when something caught her eye. Her name. She leaned closer. SHEN WANNING WEDS GU CHENYUAN Her blood ran cold. “What…” She stared at the paper. Maybe it was a coincidence. It had to be. There was no way. She took a step backward. Her foot hit something. CRACK. Shen gasped. She turned around. A picture hung on the wall. And the woman in the picture was her. Her exact face. Her exact eyes. Her exact features. She was wearing a wedding veil. Standing beside a man Shen had never seen before. “What is this?” Shen reached toward the picture with a trembling hand. Then she felt it. Someone was standing behind her. A cold, ghastly presence. The temperature around her dropped instantly. Then she felt something even more terrifying. Hot breath against her neck. Shen’s entire body stiffened. “You are the wife I’ve been waiting for.” The voice was deep. Cold. And impossibly close. Two hands suddenly wrapped around her face. Shen gasped. Before she could scream, a figure appeared behind her. A man. Pale skin. Dark hair. Eyes that seemed almost too dark to be human. Shen stumbled backward until her back slammed against the wall. “Who are you?” she stuttered. “Where did you come from?” The man stared at her. “You are in my house, and you dare ask me questions?” His expression darkened. “Fine, little lady.” Shen swallowed. “I’m sorry for coming in. I just needed somewhere to spend the night.” Her voice was barely a whisper. She couldn’t understand what was happening. The contract. The picture. This strange man who had appeared from nowhere. Everything felt like a nightmare. The man stepped closer. “I am Gu Chenyuan.” Shen’s eyes widened. “And you are my bride.” She stared at him. “I’ve been waiting for you for one hundred years.” He smiled. “You certainly took your sweet time.” Shen’s lips parted. “One hundred years?” Gu Chenyuan tilted his head. “Now we need to figure out your punishment.” Shen’s heart raced. “Wait…” She suddenly remembered the wedding. “Did my dad send you?” Gu Chenyuan’s expression changed. “My father?” “No!” Shen quickly shook her head. “I mean my dad. They wanted me to marry someone because my sister refused. But I’m not taking Liliana’s place. I won’t marry you.” She forced herself to stand straighter despite the fear coursing through her. “I refuse to go back to that house, and you can’t make me.” Gu Chenyuan’s face became terrifyingly cold. “Who is your father?” Shen froze. “And who dares try to marry my bride to somebody else?” His voice thundered through the mansion. Shen flinched. “Wait, wait!” She raised her hands. “So you weren’t sent by my family?” “No.” “Then who are you really?” She looked him up and down. “And what kind of prank is this?” Gu Chenyuan stared at her as though she had said something ridiculous. “You need to rest, bride.” “I have more questions—” “You ask too many.” He stepped closer. Before Shen could react, he bent down and lifted her effortlessly into his arms. “What are you doing?!” She instinctively grabbed his shirt. Gu Chenyuan said nothing. He simply carried her toward the staircase. Shen stared at the stairs. They seemed endless. One flight. Then another. Then another. The mansion was far larger on the inside than it appeared from outside. Strangely, she didn’t fight him. She didn’t scream. She didn’t even try to escape. She couldn’t explain why. Perhaps she was too exhausted. Perhaps she was too confused. Or perhaps there was something about Gu Chenyuan that made her feel strangely safe despite everything about him screaming danger. Eventually, he carried her into a bedroom. The room was warm. Beautiful. And completely unlike the terrifying mansion outside. He gently placed her on the bed. “Rest now.” Shen looked up at him. “Tomorrow is going to be very long.” Then he turned and disappeared. Just like that. Shen stared at the empty doorway. “Where did he…” Her words faded. She couldn’t process any of it. The marriage contract. The painting. The strange man. The fact that he claimed to have waited one hundred years for her. It was impossible. Everything was impossible. Yet the moment her head touched the pillow, exhaustion overwhelmed her. Her eyes slowly closed. The bed was unbelievably soft. The room was warm. Comforting. Safe. And within seconds, Shen Wanning fell into a deep sleep. Outside the bedroom, Gu Chenyuan stood silently in the darkness. His expression was unreadable. After one hundred years… His bride had finally come. And this time, he wasn’t going to let her leave.