Contracted Ghost Marriage, Anyone?

[The Guide to Raising Nonhumans] is now open for business! Please add it to your favorites, angels! At twenty-two, Gu Xuejin, a top-tier star, accidentally fell into a dry well during an advertising shoot. After a month in a coma, he slowly came to, only to discover that he had contracted a strange illness: By day, he was human. By night, he turned into a weightless ghost. After nightfall, as a low-level ghost, Gu Xuejin could only hide in the underworld, terrified that one wrong move would get him eaten by a high-ranking evil spirit. A kind ghost passing by offered him two solutions. “The Ghost King is looking for his sixteenth concubine. You’re so handsome, why not become his husband? He’ll definitely protect you!” Looking at the Ghost King nearby, with his green face and fangs as he devoured raw flesh, Gu Xuejin shook his head like a rattle drum. “Hmm, there is another way, but you’ll have to get lucky.” The kind ghost offered him another option. “There’s a powerful human exorcist who can travel between the living world and the underworld. He comes here to set up arrays from time to time. Maybe he can help you?” Gu Xuejin decisively chose the latter. He waited by an underground river in the underworld for several days, and finally spotted the mighty exorcist, tall and straight in white robes. He floated around the exorcist from a distance, but thought the man’s figure looked a lot like Lu Shu, his mortal enemy in the entertainment industry. Not sure. Better take a closer look. Even the beauty mark that his fans adored was exactly the same! No way. Could it really be Lu Shu? Gu Xuejin was still debating whether to approach when he was caught in the golden light of Lu Shu’s array, instantly unable to move. “Gu Xuejin?” Lu Shu raised an eyebrow. “Long time no see. Changed careers and become a ghost?” Gu Xuejin: ...I’m not really a ghost, but you really are a dog. “I set up a matchmaking array to find a beautiful ghost with a compatible birth chart to be my wife.” Lu Shu spoke coolly. “You entered my array. Are you trying to be my wife?” 1. A sweet story of enemies who marry first and fall in love later. Both are each other’s first love, both are virgins. Older seme, one-on-one. The seme spoils the uke. A cold, celibate exorcist seme x a beautiful, proud uke who acts tough but has a soft heart. (Actually, an old dragon x a young nine-tailed fox.) 2. The focus is on romance, with paranormal episodic cases and a little entertainment-industry content. Sweet, sweet, sweet, satisfying, satisfying, satisfying. 3. Modern alternate universe, where same-sex marriage is legal. Cover image from an art resource library. The uke is depicted in a historical drama costume. 4. Characters from The Sickly Beauty and the Underworld Lord Married First and Fell in Love Later will make a few guest appearances! You can enjoy this story even if you haven’t read the previous one. Up next: The Guide to Raising Nonhumans As graduation approached, Chu Shuhan rented a quiet and comfortable studio apartment. To his surprise, he got an aquarium and a blue-glowing book titled The Guide to Raising Nonhumans. He opened the thin guidebook and saw these words: Dear resident, welcome to Room 6230. After moving in, remember that your most important task is no longer studying or working, but taking good care of the little octopus in the tank. You must: 1. Feed the little octopus one bag of tiny shrimp every day. 2. Tell the little octopus a bedtime story every day. 3. After nightfall, do not open the door to strangers. 4. If you absolutely must open the door, be sure to ask the little octopus first. “What kind of nonsense is this?” Chu Shuhan glanced at the ice-blue little octopus floating in the tank, tossed in a handful of shrimp, and murmured, “You’re such a tiny little octopus.” One day, Chu Shuhan was on his way to the library with an upperclassman when he picked up a tiny stray cat. After he got home, the little octopus, who should have been sleeping in its castle, seemed to be trying to get him to stop in front of the tank. It gently tapped the glass with a tentacle. Then the ice-blue soft-bodied creature curled its tentacles into the shape of cat ears, and its raised suckers formed the notches in the ears. It looked exactly like the little cat he had held. That same day, another line of black writing appeared in the yellowed copy of The Guide to Raising Nonhumans: You are not allowed to like cats. You are not allowed to like cats. You are not allowed to like cats. Chu Shuhan, filled with worry, couldn’t help telling his upperclassman about the little octopus’s strange behavior. The tall, handsome upperclassman chuckled softly and said gently, “Your little octopus must really like you.” That night, Chu Shuhan had a nightmare. Slippery, sticky blue tentacles wrapped around his waist, their enormous suckers leaving pale pink marks as they sucked at his snow-white skin. He was pinned to the bed, unable to move. Tears of fear fell onto the cold tentacles, and the mass of deep-blue mist transformed into his upperclassman’s gentle smiling face. “Why are you crying, my bride?” His upperclassman leaned down and whispered in his ear. “Let me stay with you forever, baby.” Shi Yuan x Chu Shuhan A lovesick, gloomy ghost seme x a cool, dignified beauty Much, much, much older seme Marry first, fall in love later + fight monsters together. A touch of cosmic horror. Also known as The Domineering Fish Falls in Love with Me. Theme: Love is fate.