Snuggling for Survival: A Quick Transmigration Tale - Chapter 1

The deafening sound of gongs and drums filled her ears, causing Yu Yu to furrow her brow. Her heavy eyelids made it impossible for her to open her eyes.

At the same time, the plot flooded into her mind like a tidal wave, overwhelming her thoughts.

Scene after scene flashed through her mind.

“Are you sure this is okay? Xiao Yu is a girl. What if they find out?”

“What are you panicking about?” a man’s voice snapped impatiently. “They look exactly the same! Xiao Yu is just a bit smaller. We’ve raised her as a son since she was little, she’s the spitting image of her brother. Besides, she’s marrying a sickly person! They won’t even be doing that! There’s no way they’ll find out!”

“But…”

Seeing the woman still hesitating, the man roared, “If we marry off our son, wouldn’t that mean cutting off our family line? Trading a useless daughter for our precious son and getting five million in return this deal is more than worth it! Once we get the money, we’ll leave this godforsaken place. By then, they won’t even be able to find us!”

Sure enough, the mention of money wiped the hesitation from the woman’s face, though she still cast a dazed glance at her daughter beside her.

With things laid out so plainly, would she still be willing to go?

“Mom, don’t say anymore. I’m willing to marry in my brother’s place. As long as we get the money, what does it matter if I marry for him?”

The scene abruptly cut off.

Rubbing her temples, Yu Yu looked down at the wedding robes she was wearing and had a rough understanding of her identity in this world.

This was her second mission world, but she wasn’t any major character just a cannon fodder destined to die in a few days.

On the seventh day after her marriage, as dawn broke, it would mark her death.

She was to marry into the Li family. The exact location wasn’t clear, but it wasn’t some bustling city instead, it was a large estate far from urban life, nestled deep in the mountains.

From the information she had gathered so far, the Li family was wealthy and influential, but they only had one sickly daughter, Li Yuan. That was why they were seeking a son-in-law to marry into their family.

Rumors said this frail young mistress was twenty-four years old and had never left the Li family estate. It was precisely because of her poor health that the Li family chose to live deep in the mountains.

Their reason? The mountain air was fresher.

Of course, that was clearly just an excuse to fool others.

When the Li family came to fetch the bride, Yu Yu distinctly felt that the person picking her up could tell she was a girl. Yet, they didn’t seem to mind at all and simply ushered her into the car.

It was as if they didn’t care whether the person they were taking was male or female. The payment was given in cash, an entire suitcase of money, handed over swiftly and without hesitation.

Everything about this was far too strange.

Not only was it bizarre to spend five million to marry off a rural man.

How could a wealthy and powerful family like the Li family lack suitable candidates for a son-in-law?

The car only made it halfway up the mountain before the steward who had come to fetch her asked Yu Yu to get out.

“Please, young master, cover your head with the red veil and enter the bridal sedan. The rest of the journey must be taken slowly.”

Before the steward could explain the rules, Yu Yu nodded and allowed the red veil to be placed over her head. Then, she bowed her head and stepped into the sedan.

The red veil blocked her vision entirely; looking down, she could only see her own knees. The steward’s reminder echoed in her ears.

“Once you are in the sedan, please do not lift the veil yourself.”

“Hmm.” Responding with a sound, Yu Yu inquired in her mind to her system, “Six Six, is there something off about this eldest daughter of the Li family? Is she the target?”

The small glowing orb in her mind gave a very affirmative reply, “Yes, the data for this mission target is somewhat dangerous, but her energy value is extremely high. Although it’s very attractive, please be mindful of your own safety, host.”

Upon hearing the system’s words, Yu Yu fell silent for a moment.

Her purpose in undertaking missions was to obtain the energy values of the target individuals.

Across countless worlds, there were also task performers formed from erroneous data, and among the data created by the hosts, there were flawed products as well.

And Yu Yu was one of them.

The most obvious symptom was that when she lacked a certain energy value, she would fall into a state of unconsciousness. The main god referred to this state as “standby mode.” If she remained in this mode for too long, her data would be destroyed.

Fortunately, the main god wasn’t that cruel and had provided Yu Yu with a method of treatment, even assigning her a system that could accurately locate mission targets.

As long as she absorbed enough energy values, her symptoms would gradually improve and eventually disappear entirely.

Just then, the delayed plot entered her mind.

It was the sixth day since Yu Yu had taken her brother’s place to marry into the Li family. On a foggy day, the four members of the protagonist group had gotten lost and mistakenly entered the Li family compound. The hospitable butler had invited all four of them to stay.

On the morning of the seventh day, Yu Yu, the son-in-law who had married into the family, was discovered at the entrance of the compound, soaked in water and already cold.

What followed was the story of the four protagonists solving the case and uncovering the secrets of the Li family.

Sighing, Yu Yu rubbed her knees. In this world, she was too much of a cannon fodder character to obtain any more information.

The only thing she could confirm was that her source of energy acquisition was the eldest daughter of the Li family.

But that was enough. Her main goal was to obtain sufficient energy. As long as she made contact with the mission target, she could gain energy, and that alone satisfied her.

After all, she didn’t need to win the other party over, physical contact was enough.

“If there’s no way to avoid death, please make the most of the seven days you have left to live by interacting with the mission target as much as possible. The more contact, the more energy you’ll gain.”

Just as the system finished speaking, rustling sounds could be heard outside the bridal sedan.

As if deliberately spoken for her to hear, the voices grew louder and louder.

“Is this the twentieth son-in-law to marry into the family?”

“More like two hundred. There have been so many, I can’t even remember. I wonder how long this one will last.”

“Two hundred? How come I don’t remember any of them?”

“The last son-in-law couldn’t take it and left on the second day!”

“Do you think he’ll try to run as soon as he steps out of the sedan?”

“Our eldest daughter is as beautiful as a flower. It’s those men who don’t know how to appreciate her.”

“…”

The discussions outside only gradually subsided when the sedan came to a stop.

“Young master, we’ve arrived,” the butler who had come to fetch her called out from outside.

The butler curiously glanced inside the sedan. Usually, those who overheard the gossip would react in various ways some even threw tantrums as soon as the sedan stopped.

This one seemed remarkably composed.

But perhaps he was just frightened. After all, it wasn’t unheard of for timid ones to break down later.

Just as she was thinking this, a pale hand lifted the bridal sedan’s curtain, and a soft, muffled voice came from beneath the red veil. “Sorry, it’s my first time getting married and as a live-in son-in-law at that so I’m not quite sure about the etiquette. Should I walk in myself, or will you escort me?”

This caught the steward off guard. He was about to speak when a gust of wind swept past, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Target identified.”

The system’s excited voice echoed in her mind just as a pleasant, cool-toned voice sounded from outside the sedan. “Husband, I’ve come to fetch you.”

The voice was detached, giving away no emotion. Without a second thought, Yu Yu extended her hand.

Her fair, delicate hand was enveloped by a slightly chilly palm and held tightly.

Warmth met cold, pressed firmly together.

The moment their hands connected, a surge of energy flowed into Yu Yu’s body, clearing her mind and making her sigh inwardly with relief. She tightened her grip instinctively.

This was so much stronger than the meager energy she had received in the first world.

Whether this person was human or ghost, such abundant energy! Even if it were just a pile of bones, she would cling to it and never let go!

Her grip unconsciously tightened further, afraid her hand might be shaken off. Yu Yu held onto that cold hand for dear life.

She even wanted to interlace her fingers with Miss Li’s, wishing they could stay together for seven days and nights straight.

When Li Yuan saw the person stepping out of the sedan someone half a head shorter than her, she froze for a moment.

Was this sending a woman to brush her off?

For centuries, this was the first time she had been treated so dismissively. Li Yuan’s gaze immediately shifted to the steward.

The steward flinched, steeling himself. Without moving his lips, his voice transmitted directly into Li Yuan’s ears.

[Well, she’s alive, at least, Miss. It’s fine. All those men before were boring anyway. Maybe this little girl will be more interesting?]

Yu Yu, of course, heard none of this.

Pursing her lips, Li Yuan stared at the soft little hand in hers for a few seconds. Gripping so tightly was she afraid?

Li Yuan pondered for a moment.

From dozens of silver taels to five million now, she had lost count of how many men had been sent her way bold ones, timid ones, arrogant ones, conceited ones, and most of all, those dreaming of climbing the social ladder.

But they all shared one trait: greed.

In all these years, this was the first time someone had sent a woman.

After all, her intentions were clear enough. With that much money offered, no one would dare to treat her so carelessly.

“Then, should I call you ‘wife’?” Feeling the chill of the palm, Yu Yu, now standing on the ground, could only see the tips of her own feet. The red veil blocked her vision, preventing her from seeing her surroundings.

“Mm, you may.” After a long silence, Li Yuan slowly pulled her closer, then took her hand and led her inside without expression.

Though only slightly shorter, Yu Yu felt the other was walking a bit too fast especially since she was holding her hand and Yu Yu’s vision was obstructed by the red veil. Couldn’t she wait for her?

Complaining inwardly, Yu Yu still held onto that hand tightly, unwilling to loosen her grip even a little.

“Host! Host! In just these few dozen seconds, we’ve already surpassed the energy value gained in the first world! At this rate, even if we go a whole month without energy, we won’t faint!”

Under the red veil, the corners of her lips couldn’t help but curl upward.

The person beside her was practically her medicine!

Because of the red veil covering her head, Yu Yu didn’t notice that the red lanterns, which had been hanging high, vanished like dust the moment she passed by.

Looking down, all she could see was the red carpet covering the ground.

After entering the main gate, no matter how unwilling she was, Yu Yu had to let go of her hand and tightly grasp the red silk ribbon she was holding.

What felt strange was that, despite it being a lively and joyous occasion, from the moment she stepped through the gate, Yu Yu couldn’t hear a single sound from the guests.

There were no footsteps around her either.

It wasn’t until she was led into the main hall, with the red veil swaying slightly, that Yu Yu caught a glimpse of the guests’ clothing from the corner of her eye.

Everyone was dressed in rather retro styles, most of them wearing Tang suits.

Yet, everyone remained silent, not even uttering a word of congratulations.

Only the steward, who had followed behind, called out, “The auspicious hour has arrived.”

Li Yuan walked up to her, slightly lowered her head, and paused near her ear, whispering softly, “Husband.”

Even the most oblivious person would have noticed something was off by now.

She should be suspicious, right? She should be scared, right? She should be furious enough to tear off the veil, right.

Li Yuan stared at her, trying to see through the red cloth to discern the expression beneath.

“Mhm!” Nodding, Yu Yu steeled herself and responded.

“First bow to heaven and earth,” Li Yuan’s expression grew solemn.

“Second bow to the parents,” Li Yuan stared at the two pale-faced figures in front of her but didn’t lower her head. Instead, she watched as the person beside her bowed earnestly.

“Bow to each other,” Yu Yu turned and bowed respectfully to Li Yuan once more.

“The ceremony is complete Groom and bride, proceed to the bridal chamber!”

Apart from the steward’s voice, there was no other sound. Everything was eerily quiet.

But Yu Yu could still sense someone escorting her to the bridal chamber. The moment the door closed, she even felt a chill run down her spine.

Why was such a joyous wedding day so devoid of excitement. Frowning, Yu Yu lifted the veil and glanced around at the decorations.

It was completely unlike any modern style, more reminiscent of a centuries-old, antique courtyard.

“Are we in a Republican-era setting?” she muttered quietly in her mind to her system, feeling uncertain.

“It’s a modern setting,” the system quickly replied. “Although it’s a bit supernatural, we can survive here for seven days. Let’s try to absorb as much energy as possible during this time die without regrets, Host! We don’t even have to complete any tasks, so it’s a win-win, Host!”

Yu Yu: “…”

Not bothering to banter with the system, Yu Yu pursed her lips and rubbed her stomach.

Sticking close to Miss Li felt comfortable, no doubt, but a person needs food to survive. Missing even one meal left her feeling unbearably hungry.

Since waking up in this world, she hadn’t had a drop of water or a bite of food, and her stomach was practically flattened.

Now, with hunger pangs setting in, Yu Yu set her sights on the peanuts, red dates, and melon seeds scattered across the wedding bed.

After picking at the food and eating a little, Yu Yu choked. The dishes looked decent enough, but none of them suited her taste. After just a few more bites, she couldn’t stand it anymore.

Feeling a bit frustrated, she sat on the edge of the bed for a while before pouring herself a glass of water. Though the water still tasted a little strange, it helped wash down the food that had been stuck in her throat.

Glancing at the tightly shut door, Yu Yu finished her water and returned to sit on the bed.

The Li family was truly bizarre. On such a joyous occasion, there wasn’t a single sound to be heard.

She had no idea what the secret of the Li family estate in this storyline was. What kind of secret could it be that they would spend five million to buy a son-in-law.

And the more she thought about what she had overheard in the bridal sedan, the stranger it all seemed.

Why wouldn’t she survive past the seventh day?

The wait felt endless. Yu Yu ran through every possible scenario in her mind but eventually decided to give up.

She wasn’t the protagonist of this story, nor did she need to win anyone over. Her system was a brand-new, unupgraded version, the lowest level so she couldn’t access the full storyline anyway.

In short, none of this was her concern.

All she had to do was obediently live out these seven days in this world, follow her assigned plotline, and while doing so, stick close to Li Yuan to gather energy points. Once the seven days were up, she would dutifully meet her end. That was enough.

Just as she had made peace with this, the door was abruptly pushed open.

Having waited outside for a long time without hearing any movement, Li Yuan grew bored and stepped inside. “Husband.”