MGASC -Chapter 1 Just Arrived and Already in the Bridal Chamber

Zhang Qiao was having a sweet dream. In it, she had married a wild, rugged man with eight-pack abs, radiating pure testosterone.

The rugged man had a slim waist and long legs—his body was great.

In a small, rustic, dark-blue hut, she shamelessly clung to him, nibbling and biting incessantly.

The bed creaked and groaned nonstop.

The air was filled with the smell of straw and the man’s sexy, stifled moans—wild and intoxicating.

The night was long, and springtime nights were fleeting…

Wait—something’s wrong!

Groggily, Zhang Qiao woke up and realized someone was touching her—but it was nothing like in her dream. The hands were rough, like dry bark, and they were pulling at her clothes.

“You’re really handsome. These five hundred bucks were well spent! I never thought I, Old Man Liu, who’s been a bachelor my whole life, would get such luck… Don’t rush, little wife. First, drink this bowl of safflower decoction. Once your stomach is clean, then we’ll consummate the marriage!”

What?!

Consummate the marriage?!

Wasn’t she on her way to a beauty livestream, when she accidentally slipped and fell?

How did she end up in a bridal chamber?!

Dizzy and disoriented, Zhang Qiao struggled to open her eyes, only to see a shabby, rustic hut and a lecherous old man, flushed and groping her. He then turned to grab a bowl of herbal medicine, aiming to force it down her throat.

Old, ugly, and trying to feed her mystery medicine?

Ugh!

She almost vomited.

Afraid of gagging, Zhang Qiao summoned all her strength and delivered a vicious kick straight to the old man’s groin.

“Get lost, you pervert!”

A scream, like that of a slaughtered pig, came from behind her. Zhang Qiao sprinted out of the yard so fast that even the family dog leaped onto its kennel, too stunned to bark.

She only slowed down after reaching the main road and realizing no one was chasing her. She caught her breath, calmed her racing heart, and tried to make sense of the bizarre situation.

It wasn’t a dream—she had entered a book!

Originally, Zhang Qiao was a somewhat popular beauty vlogger, busy with livestreams every day, hoping to achieve financial freedom and live life comfortably. On that day, she had been walking to her livestream studio while reading a novel, accidentally tripped, and somehow woke up inside an ‘80s-era novel, inhabiting the body of a woman who shared her name—Zhang Qiao—the ex-wife of the male lead, Lin Tianyue, who had made her life miserable.

In the original story, Zhang Qiao’s mother, blinded by money, wanted to marry her off to a twice-divorced older man working in a factory for a dowry of 800 yuan.

Zhang Qiao refused and ran away at night, seeking her lover, Deputy Director Wang, who worked in the county, hoping he would marry her.

But that night, after drinking too much, she woke up to find herself mistakenly in bed with the town’s most notorious thug—the male lead Lin Tianyue—the same man from her dream who made her blush and heart race.

Later, Zhang Qiao became pregnant. She approached Lin Tianyue, and they ended up marrying and living together.

Zhang Qiao always felt she had made a bad marriage. Dissatisfied, she caused chaos every day. Eventually, Lin Tianyue got into trouble due to some shady business and was sent to prison.

Zhang Qiao, easily swayed by her mother, took her money and ran.

She stayed at home only a few days before her vampire-like mother sold her for 500 yuan to a fifty-something-year-old old bachelor in town.

Old Man Liu was old, ugly, and rumored to be a eunuch. Knowing Zhang Qiao wouldn’t agree, her mother first knocked her out before handing her over.

Hence, the disgusting scene Zhang Qiao had just woken up to!

In the book, the original Zhang Qiao suffered terribly: the old man’s abuse caused her to miscarry, left her with health problems, and she never made it past thirty.

Meanwhile, Lin Tianyue, clever and business-savvy, rode the wave of China’s reform and opening up to become a billionaire.

A billionaire!

Zhang Qiao couldn’t help but think the original Zhang Qiao had been foolish—throwing away such a good opportunity. If she had behaved sensibly and stayed with Lin Tianyue, she would have lived in unimaginable wealth.

Recalling all this, Zhang Qiao headed toward a more populated area.

It was the early 1980s. Even in a busy county town, the streets were lined with low, squat houses, with only a few state-run stores and supply centers—quaint and backward, yet full of charm.

But Zhang Qiao knew it was the best time to start fresh.

Just as she was about to explore, she bumped into her mother, Chen Guilan, carrying a basket and emerging from a supply store, beaming.

The basket contained fresh pork, rice, flour, brown sugar, and a bag of roasted sunflower seeds.

Clearly, it had been bought with the money from selling her daughter, right?

Zhang Qiao remembered that Old Man Liu had not only paid 500 yuan but also given her mother some food coupons—meat, grain, sugar…

She instinctively touched her lower belly.

In the book, her baby with Lin Tianyue was already four months along. But with Lin Tianyue in jail and her sold to the old man, her fate took a tragic turn.

Now, armed with modern knowledge, Zhang Qiao would never make the same mistakes.

With a cold expression, she walked straight up to Chen Guilan.

Seeing her daughter, Chen Guilan jumped in fright. “You… you worthless child! Shouldn’t you be at Old Man Liu’s? What, trying to run away? I already took the dowry. You think you can just leave? Even if you run, you still have to go back! Marry a man, eat, and wear clothes. At least Old Liu is honest, doesn’t commit crimes, doesn’t leave you and your family to starve! Look at Lin Tianyue—he’ll probably get three to five years!”

Though Chen Guilan had acted unscrupulously, she still spoke with conviction, pretending she cared for her daughter while reaping the benefits herself.

“Obey me and go back! Trust your mother—who cares if the man is old or young, ugly or handsome? Turn off the lights, he’s all the same!”

“All the same my foot!”

Zhang Qiao glared at the rustic, unpleasant-faced woman. “If you think the old man is so great, why don’t you marry him! I think a daughter-selling hag and a useless old eunuch would make a perfect match!”

“You worthless girl, what… what did you just say?”

Chen Guilan was shocked—Zhang Qiao, usually obedient, was actually scolding her.

She rushed forward, trying to grab and hit her, but Zhang Qiao swiftly dodged, causing Chen Guilan to stumble and bang her head on a wooden post.

Zhang Qiao, too lazy to argue, snatched the basket from her mother. “Mom, this is for me, right? Thank you for thinking of my pregnancy and giving me nutrition. Don’t worry—I won’t marry a second man. Even if Lin Tianyue is in prison, I’ll wait for him!”

She grabbed the basket and walked off. Chen Guilan couldn’t chase her, sitting down angrily on the street, crying and throwing a tantrum.

Ignoring the curious stares around her, Zhang Qiao followed the memory of the original Zhang Qiao and headed toward Lin Tianyue’s house.

After nearly an hour, sweaty and exhausted, she arrived just before dark.

A wooden gate made from planks opened to a surprisingly large and tidy yard.

She remembered the original Zhang Qiao’s home as being messy, almost like a pigsty.

Just as she was wondering about it, the door in front of her suddenly opened.