Those Years I Worked Part-Time at the Archaeology Institute

Xu Xingci joined the archaeological institute without telling his family, and ran into something strange on his first tomb expedition.

To escape danger, he decided to hold a fake wedding according to local customs. One thing led to another, and the fake wedding became real.

The next day, looking at the strange man beside him, his eyes alluring and red marks covering his neck,

Xu Xingci fell into deep thought:

Would 200,000 yuan be enough for one night with a beauty of this caliber? He only had 200,000 yuan in pocket money to his name.

Before Xu Xingci could ask the price,

the beauty lazily put on his gold-rimmed glasses and tossed him a black card. "You did pretty well last night. Take this and spend it, little ducky."

Xu Xingci: Little ducky???

Xu Xingci: How did the distinguished young master of the Xu family, a national-level athlete and a graduate of a top university, end up being called a duck? And a little one, at that?!

Xu Xingci: "Come on, take a good look and tell me if it's little!"

Cheng Jiu'an had recently taken a liking to a young man,

but he was the younger generation of a family that had been friends with his for generations, so Cheng Jiu'an couldn't make a move.

Later, when the young man got into trouble and needed a fake wedding, Cheng Jiu'an put on the wedding robes, half-reluctantly, to repay his debt of gratitude.

Who could have known the young man would turn out to be a leek who'd gained a human form, taking the charade for reality,

and then getting hooked on it, clinging to Cheng Jiu'an and refusing to let go?

So they had no choice but to hunt for treasure and go on adventures, while shamelessly carrying on together.

Cheng Jiu'an was, on the whole, quite satisfied with this life.

But even as he enjoyed it, a quiet worry crept in:

Though there wasn't much of an age difference in reality, by convention the young man ought to call him Uncle...

With the day they were due to meet the parents drawing closer,

how was he supposed to bring this up with the young man?

*

Coming soon: "My Ghost Marriage Partner Isn't Human". Please add it to your reading list!

Adventure blogger Chu Yan is invited to a remote border town to film a travel feature. The person who welcomes him is Mu Xue, a shy and handsome young man from a local ethnic group.

Mu Xue can't speak, but his eyes shine more brilliantly than the stars scattered across the sky.

Beneath the sparkling calcite in a cave, he gently traces Chu Yan's name. By the trickling stream deep inside, he shyly takes off his outer robe.

Beside the rising campfire, he persistently presses a token into Chu Yan's hands. And in the silent night, he leaves the window of the flower room on the second floor wide open all night.

An old woman in the village says Mu Xue is inviting him to take part in a walking marriage.

Chu Yan doesn't agree, yet somehow wakes up in Mu Xue's room.

Seeing Mu Xue's blushing face and the helpless longing in his eyes, Chu Yan cancels his return ticket and chooses to stay in the quiet little town with him.

Until one day, Chu Yan receives a private message from a fan...

The message lists everything wrong with the town and everything strange about Mu Xue. It also includes photos of the town after it was buried by a mudslide years ago, along with Mu Xue's death certificate.

At the sight of the message, the brilliant stars in Mu Xue's eyes turn into a thick darkness. His pale pink lips part as he says, each word dripping with anguish, "Don't run. Or I'll kill you."

Chu Yan freezes. "Huh? Honey? You can talk?!"

Chu Yan: "Honey, you have such a nice voice."

Chu Yan: "Come on, hurry up and call me hubby!"

Mu Xue: "...Is being able to talk really the point? The point is that I'm dead, okay?"

Chu Yan: "So you can't call me hubby if you're dead?"

Chu Yan: "That doesn't sound right."

Chu Yan: "I've been an exorcist for ages. How come I've never heard of that rule?"

Mu Xue: "...Wait. What did you say you were?"

Theme: Even when faced with adversity, strive hard and persevere in order to realize your worth in life.