In the bedroom, after finishing his shower, Cen Miao turned off the lights and curled into the blanket.
The faint glow of his phone screen illuminated his face as his fingers kept scrolling through videos precisely recommended by the algorithm.
【Babies, how to make a man willingly buy you all kinds of bags…】
Cen Miao: To be a human wife, one must make the husband buy bags.
【The first night together, did you buy strawberry flavor or orange flavor… of course, try both…】
Cen Miao: Before sleeping, one must eat strawberries and oranges.
【A little bit of “green tea” behavior helps improve relationships…】
Cen Miao: To be a human wife, one must act like “green tea.”
The blogger in the video continued sharing:
【My dear followers, about the last video—I recorded that when Lao He went out drinking and came back, he still remembered to bring me the little cake I had casually mentioned wanting before.
The most common question everyone asks is why, even after being married for so long, we are still so sweet.
I want to say that we do argue sometimes.
But no matter how much we argue, we always sleep in the same bed at night. We never give each other the silent treatment or sleep in separate rooms.
And then… you know~
Cold wars and sleeping separately really do affect relationships. Don’t hurt the person who loves you just because of a moment of anger.】
The strawberry cake in the video looked extremely delicious.
Cen Miao sat up and carefully watched the video again, then accurately extracted its core message.
Sleeping in the same bed meant there would be cake to eat.
He thoughtfully continued scrolling. After swiping through more than ten videos, his finger stopped again.
This time, it was a clip from a short drama. The screen was split into two panels: a boy and a girl who liked each other lay in their respective rooms after an argument, tossing and turning.
In the end, the girl gathered her courage and knocked on the boy’s door, her face carrying a hint of fear and grievance.
“I’m afraid of the dark, can I sleep with you?”
As soon as the words fell, the boy tightly hugged the girl, and the screen went black.
Cen Miao blinked his big eyes, opening the second door to a new world.
A little after ten at night, after the gathering ended, Qin Zelin returned home.
He took off his watch and was about to wash up when there was a knock on the door.
Outside, Cen Miao stood in white fluffy pajamas, looking up at Qin Zelin with an expression identical to the girl in the video. “I’m afraid of the dark, can I sleep with you?”
Qin Zelin: “……..”
Afraid of the dark? Hadn’t he been sleeping alone just fine the past two days?
He was probably trying to find another excuse to get close.
“No.”
Cen Miao: “???”
That wasn’t how it went in the video! He was supposed to say yes, and then they would hug, and then the lights would turn off.
Did he not understand?
Cen Miao’s brows twisted together, his eyes filled with pity. Could it be that his human husband was a fool among humans?
But it didn’t matter. He was the smartest little zombie—he had already learned it.
Looking down at Cen Miao’s pitiful and disappointed expression, Qin Zelin’s heart softened.
He suddenly felt that his tone earlier had been a bit harsh. The little monster had just lost his family; he should explain things properly and guide him.
After all, he was nine years older.
“You just lost your family, and I happened to appear by your side. Maybe because I’ve been taking care of you, you’ve developed a sense of dependence on me and mistaken it for liking me.”
“You could try treating me like your older brother—”
“?” What was he rambling about now? His human husband didn’t understand anything and was so long-winded.
Ignoring Qin Zelin’s words, Cen Miao rushed forward and hugged his waist. His eye socket bumped against Qin Zelin’s collarbone. “Mm.”
“!!???”
Qin Zelin’s body stiffened abruptly, and he forgot everything he had been about to say.
Through the thin layer of his shirt, he could feel the soft contour of the other’s cheek, even a faint heartbeat that did not belong to him.
A completely unfamiliar sensation—like a subtle current—quietly ran up his spine. His heartbeat skipped, then was overtaken by a steadier rhythm.
“Cen—” Qin Zelin had just started to speak when he was distracted by movement in the hallway.
Old Lin was holding a cup of honey water and was about to quietly retreat. When he saw that Qin Zelin had noticed him, he hurriedly said, “Haha, I forgot to add water to this honey drink. Young Master, you two carry on—I’ll go downstairs first.”
After speaking, he thoughtfully closed the door behind them, wearing a knowing smile.
What was the point of honey water? After a little sweetness with Madam, tomorrow he definitely wouldn’t have a headache and would feel full of energy.
“………”
Qin Zelin looked at the closed door, recalling the words he hadn’t finished. Just as he was about to continue, he felt a damp patch forming on the shirt at his collarbone.
“???”
Why was he crying?
Did he really… like him that much?
“Y-you… don’t cry,” Qin Zelin said, lifting him out of his arms and wiping away his tears.
His eye socket, which had already hurt from the bump, stung even more when wiped, and his physiological tears became completely uncontrollable.
His lashes clumped together, making him look pitiful beyond words.
For once, Qin Zelin felt somewhat at a loss. He tried gently patting his back to comfort him. “Hey… d-don’t cry. I’ll let you sleep here tonight, alright?”
……?
Cen Miao covered his eyes, discovering a secret.
This human husband seemed very afraid of another human’s tears.
If he cried, Qin Zelin would agree.
“You go to the bedroom first. I’ll wash up?”
“Okay~” Cen Miao nodded.
Qin Zelin let out a sigh of relief. The little monster was actually quite easy to coax.
Back in school, he had seen others in relationships coaxing their partners. One wrong sentence and they had to start all over again—it seemed even harder than solving an advanced math problem.
Half an hour later, after showering and drying his hair, Qin Zelin opened the bathroom door and saw Cen Miao trotting toward him with a plate.
“Husband, eat.”
He lowered his head and looked at the strawberries on the plate, along with two oranges that were clearly peeled by hand and looked uneven and battered. His brow twitched. “I’ve already brushed my teeth. You eat.”
Cen Miao: ………? His human husband really seemed like a fool among humans—he didn’t even know that the first night sleeping together required eating strawberries and oranges.
But the video hadn’t said they absolutely had to eat them together. So if he ate them all himself, that should be fine too.
After happily finishing the plate of fruit, Cen Miao lay down and soon fell asleep.
Past midnight, Qin Zelin was still awake. Even though the little monster had brushed his teeth again after eating, that faint lingering strawberry scent still seemed to linger, inexplicably making him restless.
He turned his head to glance at the person who had fallen asleep and was now using his arm as a pillow. Letting out a long sigh, he closed his eyes again and tried to sleep.
Completely unaware that the fact he was sharing a room with Cen Miao had already spread somewhere else.