Chapter 1 The Kidnapped Bride

"Crude but effective!" Qian Sisi woke up and complained while staring at the ropes on her wrists and ankles.

Last night, she went to sleep without a hitch, only to wake up this morning bound tightly like a rice dumpling, tossed into a makeup room and dressed in a wedding gown?

Qian Sisi rolled her eyes in silence and looked up at the ceiling, moving her stiff neck.

Forced marriages like this were, for her, utterly unnecessary.

According to her senior, for a techie gal like her, someone willing to marry her was already a cause for gratitude, let alone entering a wealthy family! She had ten thousand reasons and no way to refuse!

But her senior also said that if things seemed too odd, there was bound to be a catch. She should brace herself, for her unseen husband might turn out to be an old man with a wrinkled face and... certain diminished abilities.

At this thought, sadness welled up in Qian Sisi. To think she, in the prime of her youth, hadn't even experienced an ordinary romance, was now about to marry an old man—

Her senior also mentioned that marrying an old man wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Who knows, in two years, she might be able to live off the inheritance, keeping a young, handsome man like Xiaobai...

Lost in such chaotic thoughts, the room door was suddenly flung open with a bang.

She jumped at the surprise and glanced over to see a fashionably dressed man entering with two beautiful women. Noticing her dumpling attire, he frowned disapprovingly, "Wow! Is this some kind of forced marriage? Since when is the bride trussed up like this?"

Qian Sisi forced an awkward smile as the man busily untied the ropes binding her hands and feet and helped her sit at the makeup table. As he tied Qian Sisi's hair at the back of her head and saw the full forehead and youthful skin gleaming in the mirror, his eyes lit up, "Ah! Not bad for a foundation!"

Was he the makeup artist and stylist?

Qian Sisi looked at the man through the mirror, still puzzled. She was naturally uninterested in makeup and dressing up, always opting for comfortable clothes, and her friends around her were no different. She really hadn't delved into whether she had a good base or not.

The man flashed a mysterious smile, ignoring her reaction, "Alright! Now I don't have to worry about you ruining my reputation! I guarantee you're going to be the most beautiful woman here today!"

Since she was to marry an old man, what did it matter if she was ugly or beautiful? Qian Sisi shrugged and readily cooperated with the man's various fussing.

After a long two hours, the man nudged the now bored and dozing Qian Sisi, "Hey, wake up! Stand up and let me see the overall effect."

Groggily, Qian Sisi stood up and was guided in front of a full-length mirror. As she blinked her eyes open, she startled at her reflection.

So, a good foundation looked like this, with eyebrows hinting at spring, cheeks blushing, and lips trembling lightly, a laugh not yet expressed but feelings already kindled?

Her hair had been styled into a beautiful updo, with a white veil cascading from beside her ears, framing her full chest and slender, flexible waist. A fitting mermaid-style wedding dress made her legs appear long and sexy, and its sweeping train led her to a brief delusion that she was a princess from a fairy tale.

The stylist standing behind Qian Sisi touched his chin with his hand, clicking his tongue in admiration.

Accustomed to seeing all sorts of people, it was rare for him to encounter a beauty with such pure eyes, like a precious uncut gem.

After the initial panic, Qian Sisi became shy with her transformed self.

Holding her skirt, she turned around, her anxious eyes seeking help from the stylist. The man smiled and tossed the bridal bouquet to her. Qian Sisi caught it reflexively and heard the man say, "It's about time, go on out! Don't keep everyone waiting."