At that very moment, both Ning Sui and Ji Zhilin sneezed at the same time.
Did my little wife catch a cold? Ji Yucheng wondered from within his unmoving body, worry flickering faintly through the stillness of his mind.
Ning Sui finished blow-drying his hair and eagerly climbed into bed beside the motionless man.
He reached out and brushed aside a strand of Ji Yucheng’s black hair that had fallen across his forehead, then adjusted the pillow behind his head, propping it up a little more comfortably.
After a moment’s thought, Ning Sui took out his phone, sat cross-legged beside the bed, and began snapping a few photos of the sleeping man. He set them as his lock screen and home wallpaper.
Even with his eyes closed, Ji Yucheng’s face was stunning, his skin pale as fine porcelain, his lashes dark and long, his features sharp and elegant. If someone placed a few roses and thorns around him, he could easily pass for the prince in Sleeping Beauty.
As someone who valued aesthetics above all else, Ning Sui decided that these photos were perfect for cleansing the eyes.
Though 009 wasn’t projecting anything into his consciousness at the moment, Ji Yucheng could almost guess what his little wife was doing.
The “vegetable” husband began trying to recall which angles of his face looked the best when he was still awake. Perhaps once his energy reserves increased and he could move a bit more, he’d subtly shift his posture, just enough to show his most handsome jawline to his beloved.
But before he could get too far into his daydreams, Ning Sui had already finished taking the pictures and put the phone away.
“Actually, I wanted to take you with me,” Ning Sui murmured softly, “but the trip will be bumpy, and moving your body around isn’t good for your health.”
He leaned over him, fingers deftly reaching for the buttons of his nightshirt. “So be good and wait for me at home, okay?”
Kneeling on the bed, Ning Sui bent close, his slender fingers moving one by one, unfastening each button of Ji Yucheng’s pajamas from top to bottom.
Young Master Ji was completely dizzy from his little wife’s words, overwhelmed by a sweetness he hadn’t felt in years. It was the first time he truly understood what it meant to be in love.
How on earth had he ever thought, for the first twenty-three years of his life before the accident, that romance was the dullest thing in the world? Clearly, that was only because he hadn’t yet met his adorable little wife.
…but what was his little wife doing unbuttoning his pajama top?
Although Ning Sui was head over heels in love with him, he had always been shy about expressing it. Even at night, when he clung to him tightly while sleeping, he was always properly dressed in pajamas.
Now Ning Sui carefully unbuttoned Ji Yucheng’s sleep shirt, then struggled to lift the man’s upper body, propping him up against his chest. One hand supported his back, while his chin rested lightly on Ji Yucheng’s shoulder, keeping him from slipping down. With the other hand, Ning Sui slowly slipped the pajama top off his husband’s shoulders.
Very soon, Ji Yucheng was left wearing only a white undershirt, what Ning Sui had helped him put on the night before.
It was the kind of shirt only old men wore.
After taking off the outer pajama top, Ning Sui rolled the thin undershirt upward from Ji Yucheng’s abdomen, inch by inch, until it reached his neck.
The moment his fingertips brushed over the hard ridges of Ji Yucheng’s abs, a shiver ran through Ning Sui’s whole body.
Lately, Ji Yucheng’s energy charge had reached fifteen percent. His toes could already move slightly. He could clearly feel his little wife undressing him, first removing the pajama top, then the undershirt.
He had no idea what his little wife was trying to do, but anticipation and nervousness tangled inside him, making his heart pound wildly. Even his toes curled up in embarrassment.
“Host, could it be he’s planning to… do it with you today?” the system 009 said cautiously.
“Shut up.” Ji Yucheng’s voice was dark with irritation.
But just as he was about to lose his composure, Ning Sui suddenly dressed him again, putting the outer pajama top back on. Then, with great care, he lowered Ji Yucheng onto the bed, adjusted the pillow beneath his head, and tucked him in properly.
Ji Yucheng fell silent.
So… all that effort was just to take off the undershirt?
Even Ji Yucheng was at a loss for words, and 009 was equally dumbfounded. “I thought we were about to unlock the forbidden triple-X plot. But I guess your little wife decided you’re too weak for that. Maybe he doesn’t want to break you.”
“Say one more word and I’ll mute you permanently,” Ji Yucheng hissed, veins standing out on his forehead.
Then something utterly unexpected happened.
009 gasped. “Host! He, he, he’s putting on the undershirt he just took off you!”
The system hurriedly projected the scene into Ji Yucheng’s mind. In that instant, Ji Yucheng saw his little wife’s slender waist right before his eyes.
The white undershirt that fit him perfectly looked oversized on Ning Sui. The fabric slid down over the boy’s smooth skin. He quickly tugged at the hem to pull it down, covering his waist and stomach, but not before Ji Yucheng caught a glimpse of the cute little dip of his navel.
Ning Sui’s body was lean and graceful, with a faint outline of muscle, like that of a young art student who also trained in sports. His skin was fair and spotless, unmarked by tattoos. The kind of body that was both delicate and intoxicating.
Every drop of blood in Ji Yucheng’s body surged to his head.
He took off my shirt… to wear it himself?
What man could survive that?
After putting on the white undershirt, Ning Sui slipped into his own pajamas again. Satisfied, he lay down beside his motionless husband, pulled the blanket up over both of them, and got comfortable.
He was going camping soon, and they would be apart for three whole days. That was why he had helped Ji Yucheng put on that white undershirt yesterday.
It was winter, and even though his comatose husband bathed every day and smelled clean and fresh, his undershirt still carried a faint herbal fragrance.
“Bringing this with me means I get to take some of your scent along too. That’s a small profit,” Ning Sui murmured to himself.
Big money needed to be earned, but small gains were still gains.
Only then did 009 finally realize what was going on, jaw dropping in disbelief. “So that’s why he made you wear that hideous old man shirt yesterday! It wasn’t because he was worried you’d be cold, it was all part of his plan! He wanted to take your undershirt, the one that smells like you, to camp with him!”
And now he was saying he’d ‘earned’ something, just because of your scent?
Every time 009 thought it finally understood the extent of the little wife’s obsession, Ning Sui always managed to push that understanding one step further into madness.
At this rate, if the host didn’t wake up soon, there might come a day when his little wife started experimenting with all sorts of dangerous, possessive play.
“Mind your own business!” Ji Yucheng’s face flushed scarlet.
He immediately glanced at the upper-right corner of his vision, battery level sixteen percent.
Right now, Young Master Ji had only one thought in his mind. He had to wake up.
The camping trip was organized by the third-year External Relations Department, though some seniors and students from other departments had also signed up.
Two buses in total, more than a hundred participants altogether.
Not many people at school knew Ning Sui was married. After all, the marriage had been a rushed one, arranged to bring good luck, and the Ji family had kept it simple and discreet.
There had been a few mentions in the news, but honestly, who among today’s college students still bothered to read the news?
When people noticed that Ning Sui and Ji Zhilin hadn’t been seen together for over a month, rumors started to spread.
“Do you think they broke up? Maybe I’ve got a chance with Ning Sui now.”
“Pretty sure they did. Haven’t you seen Ji Zhilin’s face lately? Looks like he’s swallowed poison. And I heard the school beauty from the neighboring university confessed to him during basketball practice yesterday. That must mean something.”
Ke He, the captain of the volleyball team, overheard all this with a faint smile. Back in his freshman year, he’d shared an elective class with Ning Sui and had taken care of him during volleyball practice.
Ning Sui probably didn’t remember him, but Ke He had been one of the first to show interest, long before Ji Zhilin ever got involved.
He used to think he stood a real chance. He was good-looking, popular, and had received plenty of confessions himself. The only difference was that he preferred men, so he’d turned all those girls down…
Later, when Ji Zhilin appeared, Ning Sui’s eyes were filled with nothing but him. Ke He could only watch helplessly as the person he had once wanted to chase became someone else’s entire world. He had no choice but to quietly withdraw from that competition.
Hearing the gossip and whispers behind him, he couldn’t resist glancing at the figure in the white down jacket boarding the bus not far away.
Had they really broken up?
The camping trip was set on a mountain near Jiangcheng. It had been a long time since anyone had gone out for fun, and everyone was in high spirits. The bus was filled with chatter and laughter all the way up the winding mountain road.
Even Ning Sui, usually quiet and restrained, felt more relaxed than usual. He took out his sketchbook and began to draw the scenery passing by the window.
Cao Nuo and Fang Dacheng, sitting beside him, immediately leaned forward and to the side, blocking his sketchbook from view.
Ning Sui blinked. “What are you doing?”
The two replied in perfect unison, “We were thinking, maybe some girl on the bus might come talk to us because you’re sitting here looking like that. But if she sees your drawing, all the potential admirers will vanish.”
Ning Sui stared at them, speechless. “This is a couples’ camping trip. Everyone’s already paired off. No one’s going to be interested in you two anyway.”
He lowered his head to glance at his sketch. It didn’t look bad to him at all. He hesitated for a moment and quietly asked in his mind, “Are my drawings really that ugly?”
System 001’s gentle voice answered immediately. “Of course not, A’Sui. They just can’t appreciate your Van Gogh level artistic vision.”
“I think so too,” Ning Sui said brightly, ignoring the two of them and happily continuing his work.
When they finally arrived at the mountain, the sight took everyone’s breath away. Golden ginkgo trees covered the slopes, their leaves glimmering under the fiery clouds of sunset. The entire mountain seemed to be ablaze with light, dazzling and beautiful beyond words.
Although the event was called a camping trip, the organizers hadn’t actually planned for everyone to sleep outdoors. It was winter, after all, and getting sick from cold weather wasn’t worth it.
The External Relations Department had booked a small hotel in the mountains. Outside, they still set up tents decorated with fairy lights, meant for couples who wanted to experience a bit of romance.
None of them came with partners, so the three roommates from dorm 402 decided not to waste the opportunity. They carried washbasins and headed straight to the hot spring room.
Before entering the hot spring, they had to shower first. The facilities up in the mountains weren’t as fancy as the city’s. There weren’t any private cubicles, just two large communal shower rooms, divided by gender.
As soon as Ning Sui, Cao Nuo, and Fang Dacheng stepped into the men’s shower area, they heard loud male voices echoing inside.
“Wow, mine’s huge!”
“Ha, you call that huge? Look at mine!”
Boys would be boys. They always liked comparing ridiculous things, as if winning that kind of competition made them the kings of the world. Most of the people here were from the sports department, and that crowd was always the noisiest. Apparently, more than half of them had joined the trip.
Ning Sui shook his head helplessly, walked toward a quiet corner, and picked a spot where he wouldn’t be disturbed. He gave his towel a quick shake and began to undress.
Cao Nuo came over grinning. “Want me to scrub your back? A’Sui, you helped me find my phone the other day, you’re my savior! I should return the favor.”
Cao Nuo was from the northeast, famous for strong hands and a good back-scrubbing technique. He’d helped Fang Dacheng before, but Ning Sui had always politely declined.
The reason wasn’t really hygiene, as his roommates assumed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want others touching him. He just couldn’t risk it.
Back then, Ji Zhilin had been a minor target, someone from whom he could only earn a small amount of energy. The electric reaction from skin contact with him had been weak, barely tolerable.
But now his husband, Ji Yucheng, was the most powerful man in Jiangcheng. The energy link between them was so strong that any electric feedback from others could feel like a thunderbolt.
He had never even tried letting anyone scrub his back. Just thinking about it made him ticklish inside, but he still shook his head quickly. “No, you two go ahead.”
“Come on!” Cao Nuo said cheerfully, clearly just trying to be friendly.
Ning Sui backed away. “No, really. You go.”
Meanwhile, back in the Ji family mansion, Ji Yucheng had managed to sleep for a while. After two long years of forced wakefulness, now that his energy had reached sixteen percent, his body was recovering, and he could finally rest briefly while Ning Sui was away.
But when he let 009 open the mental projection screen in his mind, what appeared made him freeze.
“…”
So many people were showering together?
That meant his little wife would be taking off his clothes… in front of everyone?
Even he, as the husband, had barely dared to look himself!
Since 009 had restored its projection ability, Ji Yucheng had been constantly reminding himself that he had to remain disciplined. Peeking at his innocent little wife in secret, especially while he was unaware, was absolutely not something a gentleman should do.
“Host,” 009 said in a patient tone, “I understand your jealousy and possessiveness, but I looked it up. It’s normal for humans to shower naked in a public bathhouse. They’re all men, it’s not a big deal if they see each other. But if you let jealousy control you and start trying to restrict your little wife’s behavior or clothing, that would make you the kind of unpleasantly jealous husband people hate.”
Ridiculous. He was treating his little wife like the most precious treasure, didn’t even dare to look too long himself, and now other men could see him?
The man lying on the hospital bed furrowed his brows. Though he couldn’t move, a low, dark aura seemed to spread from him.
Still, 009 had a point. Even though Ning Sui loved him and had married him willingly, Ji Yucheng had no right to control him.
And yet…
Ning Sui rolled up the hem of his shirt and casually pulled it off. His body was lean, the muscles faint but beautifully defined. He tossed the shirt into his basin and walked to the corner shower, turning on the stream of hot water.
“Wow, what a figure,” Cao Nuo muttered enviously, glancing over before quickly looking down at his own belly. “Why can’t I ever get abs like that?”
Ji Yucheng closed his eyes tightly, trying to suppress the jealousy boiling inside him.
Then, Ning Sui reached for his pants zipper.
Taking off his shirt was one thing, but his pants too?
Ji Yucheng’s soul nearly leapt out of his body. His entire being jolted awake in outrage and panic.
“Huh?” Ning Sui frowned slightly as he tried to pull down the zipper. It felt like something was resisting him. He clearly dragged it down, but in the next instant, it was back up again.
Was that an illusion?
Perplexed, he looked down, placed his fingers on the zipper again, and carefully pulled it downward.
This time it worked fine. The zipper slid down smoothly.
Must have been his imagination earlier.
Ning Sui shook his head and began to take off his pants.
But the moment he pulled them down even a centimeter, they suddenly snapped back up, as if an invisible force was helping him put them back on.
After being pulled back up, the pants were even tugged higher, almost as if whoever, or whatever, was responsible wanted to cover his entire waist completely.
Ning Sui blinked in stunned silence.
He furrowed his brows and stared hard at his pants, as if glaring alone could force an explanation out of the fabric. There was no way something this strange could keep happening.
Determined, he gritted his teeth, grabbed the waistband with both hands, and tried again with all his strength. Yet just as he managed to pull the pants halfway down, they suddenly shot right back up again as if pulled by an invisible hand.
Ning Sui froze, his expression gradually turning blank.
From the side, Cao Nuo, who had been watching the whole thing unfold, suddenly turned pale. His face drained of all color as if he had just witnessed a ghost.
“Ahhh!”
A sharp, terrified scream echoed through the humid air, and in the next instant, Cao Nuo bolted toward the exit, slipping and stumbling as if every instinct in his body was screaming at him to run. The basin and towel in his hands crashed loudly to the tiled floor, bouncing twice before rolling away with a metallic clatter.
The entire bathhouse fell silent again, filled only with the hiss of running water and the faint echo of that panicked scream still hanging in the steamy air.
Ning Sui stood there motionless for a moment, then let out a slow, silent breath.
Just a moment ago, this so-called brother of his had been swearing loyalty, calling him a lifesaver, acting as if they were bound by an unbreakable bond.
And now?
Ning Sui glanced at the door where Cao Nuo had disappeared, his expression unreadable.
So much for gratitude. The man had just left his “savior” behind without a second thought the moment things got weird.
Truly, what a touching display of friendship.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Every chapter has a price. This one accepts coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
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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