After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 1

Outside the window, the last traces of daylight had long since vanished, leaving only a hazy moonlight shimmering behind white curtains.

The layout of this private hospital room resembled a presidential suite, though the decor was far more streamlined and hygienic. The occasional sound of a nurse’s footsteps echoed in the hallway; the door was well-insulated, muffling the noise inside. Nevertheless, the nurses made a conscious effort to tread lightly, fearing they might disturb the precious young master’s rest.

An Yu, however, was not asleep, nor did he notice the scattered footsteps outside. He was focusing all his energy on a novel a pirated version, but readable enough. On the pristine white bed, the sound of the youth turning over created a faint rustle, accompanied by the heavy breathing of someone boiling with rage.

“Argh! This male lead is insane! He’s actually insane!” An Yu suddenly bolted upright, slamming his phone down at the foot of the bed.

The screen remained lit, its glow illuminating the dim room with the text of the novel:

[Lu Youqi stood by the window and muttered, “He actually came back alive? Since he’s back, he won’t be needing those legs anymore.”

The secret guard behind him moved instantly upon hearing the command, vanishing in an instant.]

An Yu took several deep breaths, his pale face flushed with indignation. He had assumed all novel protagonists were upright young men with solid morals. He never expected this.

The male lead of this book was utterly heartless. His mother had framed the Empress’s family, leading to their extermination, and now the male lead had sent the fourteen-year-old Crown Prince to the battlefield?!

And the reason for all this? Not some deep-seated ancestral grudge, but simply: He was jealous!

“Ugh, my Lu Shiyan… there has to be a plot twist. There has to be.” An Yu scowled, reaching out pitifully to retrieve his phone from the foot of the bed. Finding a comfortable position, he slowly scrolled down. Outside, the nurses’ footsteps grew sparse, replaced by the chirping of insects.

Several hours later.

Thwack!

An Yu’s eyes were wide with disbelief. How could this happen? Did Lu Shiyan really just die like that?

[Lu Shiyan could not believe that the lieutenant who had followed him for years would betray him at such a moment.

“General, face reality. You’ve lost,” the burly, powerful lieutenant said, now standing on the opposing side.

“Why?”

There was no color left in Lu Shiyan’s face. He stared blankly ahead, his eyes hollow. The white silk scarf that usually covered his eyes was soaked in blood, draped over his useless legs.

Yang Yuan remained silent, standing firmly behind the victor. Lu Youqi sneered, answering on Yang Yuan’s behalf with four words: “The winner takes all.”

The wind on the cliff was exceptionally piercing, blowing Lu Shiyan’s messy hair into a wild disarray. Lu Youqi walked slowly toward him.

“Brother, you didn’t actually do anything wrong. But unfortunately, your mother was the Empress. Unfortunately, Father insisted on letting you keep the title of Crown Prince. And unfortunately… you came back alive.”

Lu Youqi glared at the man sitting in the wheelchair. Even though he was blind and defeated, Lu Shiyan lacked even a hint of wretchedness, looking as though he were born to rule. “But it doesn’t matter. Today, you won’t be coming back alive again.”

With that, he shoved with both hands. Lu Shiyan’s wheelchair skidded backward violently, plunging into the endless abyss of the night.]

An Yu was beside himself. “I’m not angry, I’m not angry… it’s just a book, it’s just a book…”

He leaned against the headboard and tried to breathe deeply, but it didn’t help. The monitor connected to his hand began to beep as his vitals climbed, eventually exceeding the safe threshold.

“Young Master!”

“Quick, hurry!”

In a second, nurses and doctors burst through the door to check on him. Five minutes later, An Yu—now physically and mentally exhausted—saw off eighty percent of the hospital’s medical staff.

It was truly embarrassing. It was only after he made a solemn oath that they didn’t confiscate his phone.

“My Lu Shiyan… that beautiful, elegant man… what did he ever do to deserve this?!”

The more An Yu thought about it, the angrier he became. Finally, he found an outlet. Author, just you wait! His slender fingers flew across the screen, unleashing a torrent of criticism in the comment section first targeting the male lead’s morals, then moving on to roast the author’s writing. Only after seeing the screen filled with his own comments did An Yu feel at peace. He turned off his phone and drifted into sleep.

“Why am I so dizzy? Did I develop a new illness? Will I even make it to twenty at this rate?”

“Nurse!”

After a moment with no response, An Yu snapped his eyes open. His head was spinning as if he had just stepped off a roller coaster.

What is this?

As he looked around, a vibrant red filled his vision, accompanied by a swaying sensation and the festive, blaring sound of suona horns.

Am I still dreaming?

He looked down at himself. He was wearing a bright red wedding robe—luxurious and ornate, yet clearly cut for a man. Just as he was wondering what was happening, a sharp pain shot through his head. A massive influx of memories that didn’t belong to him were forcibly crammed into his mind.

A few minutes later, the throbbing subsided. An Yu organized his thoughts and carefully reviewed the forced memories.

“I… transmigrated into the book?”

It was the very same pirated novel he had been reading last night. Is the rate of transmigration really this high nowadays?

Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. An Yu sat in the sedan chair, dazed by the swaying motion for five minutes. The original owner of this body was also named An Yu, the youngest son of the wealthiest merchant in the Great Shang Empire.

Because his father, An Qishan, had recently been sabotaged by the male lead, Lu Youqi, during a trade mission, he had been forced to send his most pampered son to marry the Great General—the deposed Crown Prince—to “bring good fortune” (Chong Xi).

The original An Yu felt as though his world had collapsed upon hearing the news. Everyone knew that while the title “Great General” sounded impressive, the man was essentially a cripple. After the Empress’s clan was executed, the Emperor had spared him the title of Crown Prince out of blood sentiment.

At fourteen, he was sent to war, and the world assumed he would never return. Yet two years ago, at the age of eighteen, he had won the four-year border war against the Xiliang Kingdom against all odds. People expected a war god, a hero; instead, he was assassinated on his way back to the capital and had been confined to a wheelchair ever since.

The Emperor, mindful of his military merits, allowed him to retain his title as Crown Prince and gave him the title of General. However, since ancient times, the throne has always passed to an able-bodied prince. The title of Crown Prince wouldn’t last much longer. As for being a General, with his legs destroyed, he was expected to spend the rest of his life as an idle man in the capital.

The young Master An had fought tooth and nail against the arrangement. “Father, I won’t marry the Prince! What will happen to my future?” He had spent his days in tears and gloom. An Qishan spent a fortune trying to pull strings, but no amount of money could override an Imperial Edict.

“I don’t know where the Emperor got the idea that your destiny brings great luck, but he specifically named you to marry the Prince,” An Qishan had said, his hair turning white from stress.

The original An Yu couldn’t accept it, but he couldn’t bring himself to run away and ruin his family. Instead, he was found floating in the garden pond. They rescued him just in time for him to survive until the night before the wedding. Still weak, he was dragged out of bed by palace attendants the next morning, dressed in finery, and shoved into the bridal sedan at the auspicious hour. The original owner couldn’t handle the strain and fainted as soon as the chair was lifted.

When he woke up again, the soul had changed.

“Lu Shiyan!”

The name leaped to the front of An Yu’s mind. This was his favorite character. An Yu decided then and there to help the Prince turn the tables. He didn’t have any magical powers, but his knowledge of the plot was his greatest weapon.

Who was he marrying? The kind, beautiful, and tragic Lu Shiyan.

According to the plot, it had been two years since the Prince returned to the capital. The Emperor had arranged this marriage to a male wife to bring him luck. The book barely mentioned this wife; after the wedding, the Prince’s health only declined, and eventually, the wife was simply tucked away in the back courtyard and forgotten.

“Lower the sedan!”

Following a loud, festive shout, the sedan chair was placed steadily on the ground. A red veil blocked most of An Yu’s vision, leaving him only able to see a pale but slender hand reach through the curtains to take his. The man’s hand was terrifyingly cold, like stepping into an air-conditioned room in the middle of summer.

Feeling that low temperature, An Yu’s heart ached for the Prince, and his hatred for the male lead, Lu Youqi, flared up again. You petty scumbag, you better not fall into my hands!

Lu Shiyan was in a wheelchair, but he was naturally quite tall, so An Yu didn’t feel any awkwardness while standing and holding his hand. The wedding ceremony proceeded smoothly, and he was led into the bridal chamber.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, An Yu couldn’t help but marvel at the original owner’s constitution. Despite having recently fallen into a lake and enduring a grueling wedding, he felt quite comfortable. It had been so long since he could breathe this freely. An Yu was genuinely happy to be here to save his “white moonlight” Prince.

However, he knew he couldn’t reveal his true identity yet, or he’d be beaten to death for being a demon or sacrificed to the heavens before he could earn the Prince’s trust.

I guess I’ll just have to fake a persona… like someone who has been secretly in love with the Prince for years.

On the other side, Lu Shiyan finally finished dealing with the guests. He steered his wheelchair into his study, appearing somewhat intoxicated.

“Master.”

As soon as he entered, a secret guard in black appeared silently at his side.

Lu Shiyan’s drunken demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by eyes that were sharp, ruthless, and laced with exhaustion. “Speak.”

“We just confirmed that An Yu was deeply unhappy after learning of the marriage. He attempted suicide by jumping into a lake a few days ago and only woke up yesterday,” the guard reported.

Lu Shiyan wasn’t surprised. At a time like this, being associated with him was indeed enough to make someone want to die. “I see.”

“Also, we are keeping a watch on the Second Prince’s side.”

“Good. Also, have someone keep an eye on Yang Yuan.”

“Understood.”

The guard vanished. Lu Shiyan rubbed his tired eyes and downed a bowl of medicinal soup. He threw off the blanket he used to “keep his legs warm,” adjusted his expression back to that of the frail, sickly Prince, and steered his wheelchair toward the bridal chamber.

The wheelchair stopped at the door. Lu Shiyan carefully refined his look of weakness before pushing the door open.

“Cough, cough—”

An Yu had heard the wheelchair approaching. He was nervous to finally see the Prince in person. The sound stopped right in front of him. As the veil was lifted, An Yu finally saw the man.

His face was deathly pale. Even in his red wedding robes, there wasn’t a hint of color in his skin, as if lifting the veil had exhausted all his strength. He leaned back in his wheelchair, panting slightly. Seeming to think he was too close for politeness, he laboriously moved the wheelchair back three feet, followed by a fit of violent coughing.

Lu Shiyan gave a strained smile. “Cough… Young Master An, my body is frail and diseased; I do not know how many days I have left. I know I am not worthy of you. In the future, I shall treat you with nothing but respect. I hope you can find it in your heart to be patient with me.”

The Prince’s voice was weak but incredibly gentle, making An Yu’s heart ache even more. After a quick glance at An Yu’s stunning features when the veil was lifted, Lu Shiyan had kept his head lowered to feign weakness.

Seeing no reaction for a long time, Lu Shiyan became curious. He looked up weakly. He saw An Yu staring at him blankly, his eyes turning redder by the second as they filled with tears. The gaze was overflowing with pure, unadulterated heartache.

In the next second, tears began to stream down An Yu’s face.

Lu Shiyan’s thoughts went into disarray. This is nothing like what the guard reported.