Seeing him like that, Ning Yuanming almost did not even need to guess what had happened.
If, the last time he had seen Ning Sui’s social media, his suspicions had only been a faint intuition, then this time, after personally witnessing it with his own eyes, there was no longer any room for doubt.
Ning Sui was in love with Ji Yucheng.
No, even the word “love” was far too mild to describe it. The way he touched him, the way every small gesture carried a hidden hunger, it was something closer to obsession. Even when Ji Yucheng was lying there as a vegetative patient, Ning Sui still could not stop himself from wanting to claim every inch of him.
Ning Yuanming’s face twisted in disgust.
If that was truly the case, then he and Ji Zhilin had both been used and played like fools.
Those few days after the announcement of the “replacement marriage,” when Ning Sui appeared despondent and miserable, when he locked himself in his room and refused to eat or speak to anyone, now it was all painfully obvious. Every bit of it had been an act, an elaborate show.
In reality, he had probably been eager, thrilled even, to marry Ji Yucheng.
How could he possibly have been sad when he was about to marry the man he had truly loved all along? No wonder his posts online had seemed so radiant, every photo glowing with the kind of happiness that could not be faked.
The realization hit Ning Yuanming like a slap across the face. Rage and humiliation surged through his chest until it felt as if his very breath might ignite. He had been deceived completely, played for a fool, and he could not stand it.
Now, Ning Sui had everything he wanted, while Ning Yuanming was left behind to endure their mother’s endless complaints and Ji Zhilin’s silent resentment.
Lowering his gaze, Ning Yuanming felt bitterness coil like poison within his heart, burning slowly but relentlessly.
He had no desire to return to campus that day. Instead, he turned the car around and drove straight home.
His mother’s mood had improved noticeably over the last few days. Two days earlier, she had received a necklace sent under Ning Sui’s name.
She had taken it as a sign of reconciliation, believing that although Ning Sui claimed he wanted nothing more to do with her, deep down he was still softhearted and secretly willing to reach out. Comforted by that thought, she had worn the necklace constantly, even when she was just at home.
In truth, it had been Ning Yuanming who had sent that necklace, forging Ning Sui’s name on the card. He had thought that after receiving it, his mother might finally stop worrying about Ning Sui altogether.
He had assumed she would react as she always had, accept the gift casually, then toss it aside or hand it over to a maid. That was, after all, exactly how she had treated the scarf Ning Sui once gave her years ago.
But to his surprise, this time was different. She cherished it, almost treasuring it as though it were precious. Perhaps after forcing Ning Sui into that substitute marriage, a twinge of guilt had finally softened her heart.
The thought made Ning Yuanming’s mood turn even darker. His fingers curled until his nails dug deeply into his palms.
After a brief moment, he smoothed his expression, arranging his features into a practiced, gentle smile before walking toward her.
“Mom,” he said softly, “guess who I ran into at the hospital today?”
“Ning Sui?” she replied instantly, her tone brightening a little. That name seemed to always linger at the tip of her tongue now.
The smile on Ning Yuanming’s face froze slightly. “Yes,” he said at last, forcing a light tone. “I saw him with Young Master Ji. He seemed… very fond of him. He adjusted his scarf, held his hand. From the way they looked together, I think he’s quite happy with the marriage. Maybe you do not have to feel guilty anymore.”
His mother frowned slightly. “Really? Then why hasn’t he come home? It has already been more than a month.”
It had been so long since she had even seen him. If not for that necklace, she might already have gone to the university herself to find him.
Ning Yuanming’s voice turned quieter, his tone laced with subtle insinuation. “Maybe… it is not about the marriage. Maybe he just doesn’t want to have anything to do with us anymore.”
His mother’s brows furrowed even tighter.
She was not blind to the undertone in his words. She could hear the deliberate provocation clearly, but after all, she had raised him for twenty-one years. She did not wish to argue.
Ning Yuanming softened his voice even further, reaching for her arm, leaning close like he used to as a child. “Mom, before Ning Sui came, it was just the three of us, and we were so happy, weren’t we? But ever since he arrived, it feels like both you and I have changed. Can’t you just stop worrying about him? I’ll take care of you. Big Brother will too. Isn’t that enough?”
When Ning Sui had first come to live with them, she had indeed disliked his awkward manners and the faint trace of orphanage etiquette that clung to him. But after three years, she had grown used to him, even fond of him. Blood was blood. How could a mother so easily disown her own child?
“What nonsense,” she said sharply, patting his shoulder in reprimand. “You’re all my children. Don’t talk like a jealous child.”
Ning Yuanming was left speechless for a moment.
He had not expected such a decisive and firm response. In the past, she would have soothed him with a few comforting words, assuring him that he was her favorite or that he was the one she relied on most.
But ever since that marriage, everyone’s attitude toward him had shifted, subtly but unmistakably. Every smile, every tone, carried something different now, something he could not name but could deeply feel.
A sharp, sour ache bloomed in his chest, spreading slowly like bruising beneath the skin.
Ning Sui had not forgotten about Cao Nuo losing his phone, but since it was the weekend, the administrative office was closed. He planned to handle the matter on Monday.
That left two entire days, forty-eight uninterrupted hours, for him to stay with Ji Yucheng.
Aside from meals and the occasional brief outing, Ning Sui spent nearly every waking moment curled up beside his comatose husband, watching movies, scrolling through his phone, and simply keeping him company.
To Ji Yucheng, who could only listen and not speak, these quiet hours filled his still, lonely world with warmth and sound. Ever since Ning Sui had appeared, life as a “vegetable” had almost begun to feel pleasant.
Outside, rain fell in a fine drizzle. Inside, the bed was soft, warm, and peaceful. If Ji Yucheng had not been paralyzed, the two of them lying there together would have looked like a pair of lovers who could not bear to part.
That moment in the hospital, when Ning Sui had felt such piercing heartache for him, his system’s “energy” had suddenly surged by three percent.
But once they returned home, the charging slowed again. Each tiny bar took nearly five hours to fill.
It was faster than before, yes, but only by about ten minutes. The slow progress was agonizing.
Ji Yucheng’s tone turned dark as he summoned his system. “Did you break something again?”
System 009 wailed pitifully, “How could it be my fault! Maybe your wife only felt sorry for you that one time. Now he doesn’t feel as much sympathy, so the energy gain slowed down!”
Ji Yucheng did not believe a single word of it. His little wife adored him, clingy and affectionate, always within reach. There was no way his feelings had faded.
No, the real problem was this useless system.
Still, he endured. Ning Sui remained impossibly devoted, spending more than ten hours a day nestled against him, murmuring softly, brushing his hair, warming the cold air around him.
After two such days, Ji Yucheng finally saw hope. The small icon in the corner of his vision had reached ten percent.
With that, faint traces of life returned to his body. He could now move the fingers of one hand and the toes of one foot.
But only those. His palms, wrists, and limbs were still immobile.
No one noticed the tiny changes in the man on the hospital bed, and Ji Yucheng had no intention of letting them. Not yet. He could not bear the thought of Ning Sui or worse, the butler, seeing him half-awake, barely able to twitch a few fingers. That would be far too humiliating.
The proud Young Master Ji would rather lie still than appear pitiful.
But now that he could finally move a little, a dangerous thought began to form.
All this time, he had been the one being touched, kissed, caressed. What if he wanted to touch back?
His little wife’s affection always came through touch. Ji Yucheng had never been in love before; he did not really know what lovers were supposed to do. But judging by Ning Sui’s behavior, “liking someone” seemed to mean wanting to be close, wanting to touch.
And now… he wanted to try it himself. He wanted to trace his fingers along that soft skin, to feel the warmth spread from his fingertips to his chest, making his heart beat faster.
The very thought made his chest tighten with a strange, thrilling ache.
He flexed his fingers slightly.
It was deep into the night. Ning Sui was fast asleep beside him, his breathing slow and steady.
After the leg fracture incident, Ning Sui had been careful not to press too close, afraid of hurting him again. They slept in a loose sprawl, arms and legs apart, yet their upper bodies still touched. Even in his sleep, Ning Sui’s hands remained wrapped around Ji Yucheng’s right one, holding it protectively through the night.
Bit by bit, Ji Yucheng tried to pull his fingers free from that gentle grasp.
He could not move his whole hand, only his fingers, so he had to push with his knuckles, lifting Ning Sui’s palm a little at a time. The effort was excruciatingly slow.
It looked ridiculous, frankly.
But at least no one was watching.
The “vegetable” thought coldly, At least no one can see how embarrassing this looks.
After half an hour of painstaking effort, he finally managed to free his fingers. Trembling slightly, he turned his hand over and enclosed Ning Sui’s instead.
His fingertips brushed lightly across the smaller hand, tracing every contour as though memorizing it. It was shorter than his, softer, fragile even. The delicate warmth beneath his touch sent a wave of emotion straight to his heart, stirring feelings he did not even have a name for.
Finally holding his little wife’s hand, Ji Yucheng let out a quiet, satisfied sigh.
With that same warmth lingering in his chest, he slowly drifted off to sleep. Lately, he had begun to realize that his soul and body were gradually merging again. Sometimes, he could even escape that suffocating emptiness for a short while, just long enough to rest peacefully.
The next morning, it was Ning Sui who woke first.
He sat up, yawning softly, still heavy with sleep. As he tried to get out of bed, he suddenly felt something tug at his right hand, a faint warmth, a gentle but firm hold that refused to let go.
Startled, Ning Sui lifted the quilt and blinked in disbelief.
His hand was tightly locked within the fingers of his comatose husband.
Yet Ji Yucheng, lying there motionless on the bed, had his eyes firmly closed. His handsome face remained calm and expressionless, without the slightest hint of consciousness.
“……”
Had it been like this last night?
He remembered touching Ji Yucheng before falling asleep, but surely he had not gone so far as to… press Ji Yucheng’s hand over his own and pretend his unconscious husband was the one holding him?
How perverted would that be?!
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This is your completely normal and non-suspicious request to buy coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · The WeddingChapter 2 · New Target!Chapter 3 · Moved OnChapter 4 · Personal Information of Ji YuchengChapter 5 · Liked Ji Yucheng for 3 Years?!Chapter 6 · Love Rival?!Chapter 7 · Domineering PossessivenessChapter 8 · Obviously Very CuteChapter 9 Part 1 · Can’t be SeperatedChapter 9 Part 2 · Can’t be SeperatedChapter 10 · A blonde Guy…Chapter 11 · Dangerously Close to love?Chapter 12 · Confrontation with Ji ZhilinChapter 13 · Accidental DiscoveryChapter 14 · System 009 upgradedChapter 15 · Battery charging!Chapter 16 · Young Master was MiserableChapter 17 · Did Ning Sui treat you like this before?Chapter 18 · Was this what happened last night before you went to bed?Chapter 19 · He really got to the bottom of thisChapter 20 Part 1 · Don’t look at him, he was shocked too!Chapter 20 Part 2 · Don’t look at him, he was shocked too!Chapter 21 · Because I like it so muchChapter 22 Part 1 · Pull up your pantsChapter 22 Part 2 · Pull up your pantsChapter 23 · Why does it sound like he’s jealousChapter 24 Part 1 · I will protect himChapter 24 Part 2 · I will protect himChapter 25 · He’s quite gentleChapter 26 · Young Master Ji suddenly started to stutterChapter 27 · Ning Sui’s timeChapter 28 Part 1 · They ran away as soon as they were scaredChapter 28 Part 2 · They ran away as soon as they were scaredChapter 29 Part 1 · Are you looking for death?Chapter 29 Part 2 · Are you looking for death?Chapter 30 · Hurry up and say your last wordsChapter 31 · Ji Yucheng collapsed into his armsChapter 32 · Mr. Ji, I never expected you to be such a good person.Chapter 33 · He’s so well-behaved when He sleeps…Chapter 34 · His expression was incredibly varied in an instantChapter 35 · How could it be Ning Sui?Chapter 36 · Does the young wife only like people in a vegetative state?Chapter 37 · State-based controlChapter 38 · The young master was so happy he dropped his phoneChapter 39 · You were 37 minutes lateChapter 40 · I don’t plan to get a divorce.Chapter 41 · Otherwise, would it be your turn?Chapter 42 · Both perverted and cuteChapter 43 · If they sneak away again, I’ll hold them even tighterChapter 44 · I sprained my ankle tooChapter 45 · A cat jumping on a lion’s head to play with fire.Chapter 46 · Your young master has fainted!Chapter 47 · Sui Sui, come downChapter 48 · Are you going to lock me in there?Chapter 49 Part 1 · I love you, Ning SuiChapter 49 Part 2 · I love you, Ning SuiChapter 50 · Give the snowman a heartChapter 51 · Miss you.Chapter 52 · To hold in one’s mouthChapter 53 · You are in the cloudsChapter 54 · Ning Sui hugged him for the first timeChapter 55 · Can you sit on my lap?Chapter 56 · It’s either you or it’s not.Chapter 57 · From this moment on, I am your vegetableChapter 58 · Young Ji YuchengChapter 59 · They kiss tirelessly.Chapter 60 · RipplingChapter 61 · You want to compare this?!Chapter 62 · It’s 001!Chapter 63 · I like everything about it.Chapter 64 · It seems to have been filled up a little more.Chapter 65 · Wedding rings should be exchanged between the couple.Chapter 66 · Love-struckChapter 67 · Why can’t we even be apart for a day?Chapter 68 · PerfectChapter 69 · A lifelong contract was madeChapter 70 · Extra 1Chapter 71 · Extra 2Chapter 72 · Extra 3Chapter 73 · Extra 4Chapter 74 · Extra 5Chapter 75 · Extra 6Chapter 76 · Extra 7Chapter 77 · Extra 8Chapter 78 · Extra 9Chapter 79 · Extra 10Chapter 80 · Extra 11Chapter 81 · Extra 12Chapter 82 · Extra 13Chapter 83 · Extra 14