Since he was ranked first among the ten, then by all logic, he was the legitimate Husband.
After thinking it through, Chi Jianqing very quickly managed to console himself and when his peripheral vision swept over Qin Zhun lying on the ground, his gaze softened by ten thousand degrees.
Rather than looking at him, it was more like examining this improper, unsanctioned concubine on Yu Lang’s behalf.
He thought: Qin Zhun’s skin was very dark, not as fair as his own, this counted as one victory.
One victory for himself, zero for Qin Zhun, this made two victories.
Two victories for himself. Best two out of three. He had already won.
Yu Lang’s tongue paused. After hearing Chi Jianqing’s interpretation, his disobedient mouth involuntarily curved upward.
He could only lick more diligently, using his teeth to nibble, hiding the ridicule at the corner of his lips.
Yu Lang wrapped his arms around Chi Jianqing’s neck, rubbed against him and coaxed in a spoiled tone, “Let’s go home, okay? I’m really tired.”
“Mm.”
Chi Jianqing’s attention was already completely fixed on Yu Lang, so thoroughly bewitched that he could no longer tell north from south. All he wanted was to kiss Yu Lang, to taste the minty scent lingering at the corner of his mouth.
Any jealousy he had felt had long since been soothed away.
Yet just before leaving, Chi Jianqing’s steps still paused abruptly.
In that brief moment of hesitation, he was no longer satisfied with merely issuing a warning through the corner of his eye, so he chose instead to forcefully crank his neck backward by a full one hundred and eighty degrees.
With an extremely bizarre posture, he stared at Qin Zhun expressionlessly.
Everything that needed to be said was contained within that single, threatening glance.
And so,
Yu Lang’s acting career reached its peak.
Although his reputation was terrible, the entertainment industry was precisely the place that cared least about reputation and it just so happened that Yu Lang himself had no shame to speak of.
In the second year, Yu Lang swept through an entire year’s worth of awards. As long as there was a drama starring him, it was guaranteed to win and he himself would inevitably take home Best Actor.
Yu Lang’s rise could no longer be described as that of a top tier celebrity. He was nothing short of the emperor of the entertainment world.
He was called an emperor because those who dared to remonstrate against him to his face were granted extreme punishment.
Any industry insider who attempted to jump out and challenge Yu Lang’s throne, quickly, by the very next day or slowly, by the seventh, would be discovered dead at home.
The state of the corpses was unimaginably horrific: faces twisted in terror, the muscles around their eyes violently contracted. Every one of them had been scared to death first and then subjected to the cruel punishment of having their tongues torn out.
What terrified people even more was this, no culprit could ever be found.
Yu Lang was exactly as he had said himself.
He was blessed with extraordinary luck. Without having to work very hard, he could easily obtain everything he wanted.
Fame. Wealth and someone who loved him.
This year’s annual fashion gala was held by the sea and Yu Lang also received an invitation.
He went to the seaside but pulled the usual star antics and did not show his face at the gala.
Instead, he found a stretch of beach rarely visited by others. Sitting cross legged on a beach chair, he held a large coconut with both hands, enjoying the sea breeze and admiring the view.
The bright blue sea stretched endlessly within his field of vision, until it blurred together with the sky into a single, indistinct expanse.
The sky was the sea’s reflection; the sea was the sky’s continuation.
Blue and white waves rolled in with bursts of seabird cries, crashing against the shore.
Yu Lang bit the mouth of the straw into a neat square shape. There were only a few sips of coconut water left. He casually tossed it into Chi Jianqing’s hands as though bestowing a reward, then waited in a teasing, playful posture to see what Chi Jianqing would do.
He knew Chi Jianqing would definitely put that bitten, misshapen straw into his mouth, slowly savor it, running his tongue over every tiny detail of the straw’s edge.
In those eyes, deep and still like stagnant water, Yu Lang’s figure would inevitably be reflected, dark and submerged, like a corpse floating up from the depths of a well.
They sat there together until the sun sank below the horizon.
Yu Lang stood up and Chi Jianqing followed.
By the roadside stood a motorcycle, its body originally pure white but now dyed a fiery orange red by the glow of the setting sun. The silhouette was sleek and fluid; the broad outer contours were sharp and hard, while the finer details retained gentle, flowing lines, giving it a distinctly futuristic aesthetic.
Passing tourists almost always stopped to take a photo.
Yu Lang swung a leg over the bike and put on his helmet.
The rear seat sank as someone climbed on, the entire bike dipping several centimeters downward.
Two arms reached around from behind, wrapping tightly around Yu Lang’s abdomen like a safety belt.
The difference was that these “belts” were alive.
While Yu Lang immersed himself in the exhilaration of speeding along the coastal highway, those two hands had already slipped beneath the hem of the floral shirt. Through the thin layer of skin, they began once again to measure the size and placement of the organs inside his abdomen.
Yu Lang bore no traces of exercise on his body, there was no thin layer of muscle to speak of. Over the past year, Chi Jianqing had spoiled him so thoroughly that a soft ring of flesh had formed around his waist.
The texture under the fingers was comparable to touching tofu yet if one insisted on pressing fingers into that “tofu” one could feel Yu Lang’s muscles tense, his skin pushing outward in resistant resilience.
Pinch it. Knead it. Fingers circling inside his navel.
Suddenly, Chi Jianqing’s hands went still.
His fingers paused at the center of the abdomen. This area was a hollow space, with no large organs to be felt. When pressed downward, the fingers sank deeply into the soft flesh.
What Chi Jianqing thought was this: when he pushed in, this place on Yu Lang would definitely be hard.
Because it had been there before.
Yu Lang wanted to explode but with the helmet on, he couldn’t speak clearly and he couldn’t bear to slow down or stop just to scold him.
In the end, he chose indulgence.
He persuaded himself: as long as those hands moved upward or downward, if they touched that place, he would immediately stop the bike and beat him up.
Unfortunately, Chi Jianqing was a very easily satisfied ghost. Touching his stomach was already enough.
The motorcycle hummed as it sped along the coastal highway. After about ten minutes of riding, it turned into a seaside villa hotel. Chi Jianqing had rented this place for a full week as a vacation retreat.
At this time, the sun had not yet fully set. Half of it still hung above the horizon, like a glowing egg yolk left exposed.
From the warm orange hues at the far edge of vision, the colors gradually shifted closer into cooler tones. Along with that change, the temperature and the atmosphere subtly cooled as well.
Standing in front of the floor to ceiling windows, Yu Lang sighed with emotion. “If only this villa were mine.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Lang cast a meaningful look toward Chi Jianqing.
“Buy it.”
Yu Lang smiled, opened his arms and leaned toward Chi Jianqing, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He rose onto his toes and tilted his head up to plant a light kiss.
At the corner of Chi Jianqing’s lips lingered the sweet freshness of coconut water, mingled with the minty scent from Yu Lang’s own mouth.
“Baby, you’re so good to me,” Yu Lang said softly. “You’re different from all the men and women I’ve been involved with before. You’re the most special one. Every time I’m with you, I feel what it’s like to be loved and it feels so good. When you’re not by my side, I always feel uneasy, like I’ve turned into a silly little idiot who can’t survive without you.”
Chi Jianqing fell silent.
Even though Yu Lang’s expression, tone and movements were blatantly frivolous, teasing to the point of mockery, Chi Jianqing could not see it.
His mechanical way of thinking functioned like an old fashioned tape recorder, slowly and methodically recording every single word Yu Lang had just spoken.
A layer of obsession abruptly surfaced across his previously blank features. His hands slid to either side of Yu Lang’s face, lifting him up as though pulling a radish straight out of the ground, holding him firmly in his palms.
He lowered his head and stared intensely at Yu Lang’s features, examining them with force.
The black mirrors of his eyes shattered into countless carving blades, sharply etching marks upon Yu Lang’s face, marks that belonged only to him.
But nothing more excessive followed.
When Chi Jianqing treated Yu Lang, despite the madness, he always regarded him as a luxury item, a piece of art displayed behind a counter.
Between them forever stood an invisible, intangible yet undeniably real glass barrier.
Yu Lang liked being viewed by Chi Jianqing with that objectifying gaze but he did not like being this close to him.
The sense of inhumanity clinging to Chi Jianqing was far too strong, he looked human yet not human. Getting too close caused Yu Lang’s rationality to plummet.
Fear would amplify endlessly as the distance shrank and time stretched in stalemate.
Until Yu Lang himself was assimilated into Chi Jianqing, falling in love with the almost perfect version of Yu Lang reflected in those eyes.
Yu Lang hurriedly shut his eyes, nervously sticking out his tongue to moisten his dry lips.
“You haven’t eaten dinner yet,” he said. “I’ll cook.”
Chi Jianqing released him.
“Okay.”
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
Chi Jianqing remained silent. He was still savoring the way Yu Lang had just called him “baby.” As he stared at Yu Lang, a sudden, chilling smile appeared on his face, like the cold grin of a murderer whose desire for vengeance had finally been satisfied.
Yu Lang’s hands trembled as he tied on the apron. They shook several times in succession, until Chi Jianqing stepped behind him. Those pale, rough hands, hands stained with countless lives, now carefully pinched two thin strings, tying them into a neat, beautiful bow.
Before leaving, he leaned in close once more, inhaling the faint minty fragrance hidden at the nape of Yu Lang’s neck.
Yu Lang rubbed the back of his head and shooed him out of the kitchen.
He walked to the refrigerator and opened it, checking both the upper and lower compartments. The shelves held seasonal vegetables prepared by the villa’s staff, while the freezer below contained frozen meat and seafood.
Yu Lang let out a soft sigh. What a pity, it wasn’t fresh.
“Go out and buy some live seafood,” Yu Lang ordered Chi Jianqing.
“Okay.”
When Chi Jianqing returned, Yu Lang was leaning against the kitchen bar. His platinum blond hair hung downward, obscuring the upper half of his face and revealing only the smooth contours of his lower features.
A small lock of hair brushed against his high nose bridge. Yu Lang lifted his hand several times to tuck it behind his ear, only for it to slip back down again. In the end, he simply let the unruly strand drift before his eyes, making his eyelids flutter repeatedly.
Chi Jianqing walked over without a sound, lowering his body, twisting his neck and head upward from below to carefully examine Yu Lang.
Yu Lang had a gentle face. When he focused on something seriously, he looked even more like a kind upperclassman from high school, the type who wore glasses and held a pen, quietly scratching answers onto an exam paper.
Yu Lang was absorbed in studying the recipe displayed on his phone. Chi Jianqing, meanwhile, was absorbed in Yu Lang himself.
A rough gust of breath brushed across Yu Lang’s nose. He instinctively looked up and saw a deathly pale face, black pupils filling the entire whites of the eyes. Startled, he sucked in a sharp breath, momentarily losing his voice and stumbled back several steps.
“Are you trying to kill me?!” he snapped.
The soft atmosphere surrounding Yu Lang shattered under the sharp rebuke. He raised his hand and punched Chi Jianqing on the shoulder, shoving him forcefully away.
Chi Jianqing caught Yu Lang’s fist, wrapping it in both hands, rubbing his palms against it.
“Go sit over there and behave,” Yu Lang said, pushing Chi Jianqing out of the kitchen area.
He rolled up his sleeves with both hands, then hurried to the walk in closet to fetch two hair clips, pinning all the loose strands at his forehead up onto the crown of his head, exposing his entire forehead.
The last time Yu Lang had cooked was the first time he moved into Chi Jianqing’s home, when he made that single bowl of noodles.
He didn’t dislike cooking. Back when he had no money, he cooked for himself to save expenses.
Living inland before, he’d never had the chance to work with so much fresh seafood. Now that he finally did, Yu Lang rolled up his sleeves, eager to give it a try.
The kitchen bustled for nearly an hour. Because it was an open kitchen, the fresh aroma of seafood gradually filled the entire first floor hall.
When Yu Lang carried the pot over to the table, his body had also taken on the fragrance of seafood soup. That faint, cool mint scent was long gone.
Chi Jianqing’s eyes followed Yu Lang’s every movement, not missing even a single strand of hair, recording each one into his vision.
Yu Lang handed him a pair of chopsticks.
Chi Jianqing took a bite, then looked up and praised him. “You’re really beautiful.”
Yu Lang held another pair of chopsticks, tapping them lightly against the edge of the table. He tugged up a smile, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Do you think I’m beautiful or do you think I look beautiful playing the role of a housewife for you?”
When Yu Lang said “housewife,” it was more of a joking internet expression but Chi Jianqing was an old, rigid machine. The moment he heard those words, his mind instantly filled with thoughts of wedding venues, the arrangement of their marital home and even post marriage property notarization.
If Yu Lang could have children, Chi Jianqing would be willing for the child to take Yu Lang’s surname.
Yu Lang waved the chopsticks in front of Chi Jianqing’s face and realized there was no reaction.
He set the chopsticks down and reached out barehanded, pinching Chi Jianqing’s cheeks and tugging them gently, utterly helpless.i
“What are you fantasizing about again?”
As he tugged,
Yu Lang’s fingertips brushed against something cold and damp.
That round droplet fell, bursting the instant it touched his fingers, turning into a patch of moisture that couldn’t quite be seen or grasped, melting hazily against his skin.
Yu Lang’s body jolted downward. He leaned forward, peering closely, finally seeing what had shattered.
It was Chi Jianqing’s tears.
“You’re crying?”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The Realm demands coffee. The Realm is not accepting complaints.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Dead HusbandChapter 2 · Ghost ChaseChapter 3 · I’ve been fooled againChapter 4 · I need lots and lots of loveChapter 5 · I’ll kill you!^^Chapter 6 · Haha, really!Chapter 7 · This is what it means to be love-struck.Chapter 8 · We meet again, my loveChapter 9 · The little snakeChapter 10 · I’ve been fooled againChapter 11 · The daily routine of sasaeng fans following othersChapter 12 · Inferiority complexChapter 13 · It hurtsChapter 14 · Want to go out? Sure!Chapter 15 · Damn it!Chapter 16 · My wife hitting me is a reward for meChapter 17 · Licking sweatChapter 18 · The vinegar was friedChapter 19 · What a clever tactic, Chi Jianqing!Chapter 20 · Loving me is a very painful thing.Chapter 21 · The words may be rough, but the principle is soundChapter 22 · It wasn’t just two hitsChapter 23 · Turns out I’m not 3, I’m 1!Chapter 24 · Easy To CoaxChapter 25 · Confessing loveChapter 26 · DearChapter 27 · Honey, it felt so good when you scolded me.Chapter 28 · Let’s go after tearing off the human skinChapter 29 Part 1 · Honey, I caught you!Chapter 29 Part 2 · Honey, I caught you!Chapter 30 · Little Blind CrippleChapter 31 · How could I give up? I’ve given you my heart.Chapter 32 · The gloomy CEOChapter 33 · X-harassmentChapter 34 · Little third wheelChapter 35 · I am Chi JianqingChapter 36 · I am his husband, and you are?Chapter 37 · CarChapter 38 · Broken carChapter 39 · I want to kiss youChapter 40 · Silly babyChapter 41 · Chop off hands and feetChapter 42 · Ships and DeathChapter 43 · Chi Jianqing participated in the battle royale and finally obtained a ticket to meet Yu Lang.Chapter 44 · You bastard, get out of here!Chapter 45 · Bad cats can only be forced to love.Chapter 46 · Circle the fox’s tail and rub it back and forthChapter 47 · It hurts so muchChapter 48 · The Second World EndedChapter 49 · Brainless and grumpyChapter 50 · I don’t like you anymoreChapter 51 · I haven’t thought of a title yetChapter 52 · You smell so good, let me hug you and pet youChapter 53 · A big dog bit a kitten’s muzzleChapter 54 · Captive canariesChapter 55 · Male Ghost StrikesChapter 56 · I told you to be quiet!Chapter 57 · I have decided to bestow upon you the title of my wife.Chapter 58 · We’re talking about loveChapter 59 · I really, really like you!Chapter 60 · I want to eat your noodlesChapter 61 · Don’t abandon your puppy!Chapter 62 · What a blissful ending!Chapter 63 · Extra 1Chapter 64 · Extra 2Chapter 65 · Extra 3