You’re thirty-eight already. Do you still have physical needs?
As if to prove he was not avoiding her.
Liang Huaixu got home at six thirty that evening and had dinner together with Zhuang Fuyao.
At seven o’clock, he turned on the television to watch the news broadcast, while Zhuang Fuyao went to shower and wash her hair. By the time she finished her whole routine, Liang Huaixu had already finished watching the news and taken a shower himself.
Tonight, she changed into a champagne-colored slip nightdress with a light outer layer. The lace trim at the neckline and the medium length of the skirt, which just covered her thighs, made her legs look long and straight, giving off a kind of subtly concealed sensuality.
There was nothing much to do at night. She had been thinking about a suspense film that had recently been recommended to her. Although suspense films did not necessarily have horror elements, watching alone with that tense background music could still be a bit unsettling.
Zhuang Fuyao went to knock on the door of Liang Huaixu’s study, wanting to drag him along to watch.
“What’s the matter?”
Liang Huaixu was still wearing his silver-rimmed glasses from work, giving him a refined, scholarly air.
Zhuang Fuyao blinked. “Are you free right now? I need a little help.”
Liang Huaixu paused for two seconds. There were some documents that needed his approval in the next couple of days, but it was not urgent at this exact moment. He could help her first.
“I’m free. What is it?”
“I found a really good suspense movie, but I’m too scared to watch it alone. Can you give me some courage?”
“……”
He should have asked what it was first before saying whether he was free. If he had known it was to watch a movie, he definitely would not have agreed.
“You just said you were free, right?”
Zhuang Fuyao smiled, a simple and charming little dimple appearing on her cheek, making it impossible to refuse.
He sighed inwardly and could only reluctantly agree.
This time, Zhuang Fuyao did not order barbecue. Instead, she made a yogurt salad, and the two of them went to the home theater on the second floor.
After turning off the lights, she lay on the sofa and became immersed in the movie.
The first part of the film was all about setting up the background, with a relatively slow pace. While watching, she chatted with Liang Huaixu.
“…I’ve actually adapted quite well to life now. It’s more interesting than 2008 and feels fresher. The only bad thing is what happened with Cheng Beibei.”
Liang Huaixu froze slightly.
She continued, “A few days ago, I went to Zou City to pay respects to her. Her younger brother used to be only eight or nine, not even up to my shoulder. Now he’s already over one meter eighty.”
So the reason she had suddenly looked so haggard before was because she had learned about Cheng Beibei.
The two sisters had always been very close. That was understandable.
It was just that five years ago, she had already cried her heart out over this matter. Now, she had to suffer the same pain all over again.
His tone could not help softening. “But those who have passed are gone. The people who are still alive have to keep living well.”
“Yes.” Zhuang Fuyao sighed. “So it’s something that can’t be solved. I can only face it myself.”
She turned her head to look at him. “So now you know I was speaking in reverse when we were hiking, right?”
Liang Huaixu fell silent for a moment.
Zhuang Fuyao continued, “In my eyes, we’re not divorced yet. So you know how angry I was when you kept asking about Qin Zhenglin back then, right? If I really had something with him, that would count as cheating. I’m not that kind of person.”
In her words, she defined their relationship as “not divorced yet.” Liang Huaixu was led along by her reasoning while trying to sort through this layer of relationship in his mind and think about how to explain things clearly to her.
In the gap while he was thinking, Zhuang Fuyao casually lifted her leg and placed it on his lap. The soft, fair sole of her foot brushed against his pajama pants.
Liang Huaixu was wearing a set of gray ice-silk pajamas. The material was cool and clung to the skin, making the touch delicate, even magnified compared to usual.
Liang Huaixu’s heartbeat skipped. He immediately tried to put her foot down, but Zhuang Fuyao dodged him, a trace of lazy complaint in her tone. “I walked around all day today. I’m so tired. Massage my feet.”
The expression on her face was completely natural, and the way she directed him was effortless.
In the past, Zhuang Fuyao had often called him like this, sometimes for a foot massage, sometimes to apply essential oil and give her a full-body spa.
Every time he served her, it was a great test of his self-control.
It was not that he minded, but they were divorced now. Doing this did not seem appropriate.
Just as he was about to speak, Zhuang Fuyao looked at him innocently and blankly. “Oh, I forgot we’re divorced.”
As she said this, her foot moved slightly. He thought she was going to take it away, but it only traced an arc across his leg.
Liang Huaixu’s breathing stopped for a moment.
“It’s just that I often forget about this. Give me some time to slowly adjust.”
Her tone sounded apologetic, yet her leg showed no intention of moving away.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll try hard to remember that we’re divorced. Let’s not count today. My feet are so sore. Massage them for me.”
Seeing that he did not move, Zhuang Fuyao even nudged him with her toes.
Liang Huaixu was startled and quickly held her foot.
He could understand that this was her subconscious reaction and thought to himself that it would not happen again.
He silently massaged her feet, controlling his strength very appropriately.
They continued watching the movie, which gradually entered its climax, and the pace slowly picked up.
This scene was a gunfight.
The masked person took off his hat. It was not the suspect everyone had been suspecting, but the police officer handling the case.
Bang. Bang.
The villain suddenly opened fire and sprayed bullets.
The theater had surround sound, and the effect was excellent.
Zhuang Fuyao was startled by the gunshots and kicked forward with the sole of her foot. Liang Huaixu was caught off guard and sucked in a sharp breath.
“Sorry, sorry—” Zhuang Fuyao apologized after realizing what she had just kicked.
Although they had done all kinds of intimate things before, the thirty-eight-year-old Liang Huaixu was still not quite the same as the twenty-two-year-old him.
So when it came to physical closeness between the two of them, she could not be as completely natural as before.
“…It’s fine.” He steadied himself, then moved her foot a little farther away.
They were quiet for a while.
Zhuang Fuyao secretly glanced down, a hint of subtle disappointment in her eyes.
The Liang Huaixu from before had been very easy to tease. Even something as proper as a foot massage could end up in a not-so-optimistic situation.
But now…
The ice-silk pajama pants were flat, and the touch she had just accidentally felt had not been very firm either.
Could it be that men were already not capable by the time they reached thirty-eight?
But she was also thirty-eight. During ovulation each month, her needs in that area were still quite strong.
Occasionally, once or twice, she would even get up in the middle of the night to wash her underwear. Of course, ever since the last time she ran into him while washing underwear, no matter how much noise she made at night, he had never come out again.
Looking at it this way, Liang Huaixu did not even have dark circles under his eyes. He looked like someone who maintained a healthy lifestyle and had very few desires.
But… she had seen on the news about seventy-year-old men fathering children in old age.
This showed that even at seventy it was still possible, let alone Liang Huaixu, who was only thirty-eight…
Once a suspense film entered its climax, it was easy to miss parts of the plot if one was not paying attention.
“So why was it him? I didn’t quite understand that part.” She asked Liang Huaixu several questions in a row.
“There was a mention earlier that he had violent tendencies at home. Also…” This person truly had not been distracted at all. Every question she asked, he could answer, and he even provided reasoning.
When the movie ended, she put her legs down. After hesitating for a long time, she still could not restrain her curiosity.
“This movie was pretty good. Movies with high ratings really rarely disappoint.”
She chatted with Liang Huaixu about some of the foreshadowing and details in the film. Then her tone suddenly shifted. “Since the soul transmigration thing can’t be changed, I hope we can still be close friends and family. Liang Huaixu, don’t avoid me.”
He responded with an indistinct, “Mm.”
Zhuang Fuyao was very smart. She knew how to take a step back in order to advance, and she also knew how to proceed gradually.
She also knew how to lay the groundwork for the information she wanted.
In a tone that sounded like she was seeking advice, she said, “A lot of my thinking and understanding is still stuck sixteen years ago, so I’m easily curious about certain things. The only person who can help answer me is you.”
Liang Huaixu nodded. “If there’s anything you want to understand in the future, you can ask me directly.”
“You can’t think I’m annoying,” she said.
“I won’t think you’re annoying.”
“As long as you know the answer, you have to tell me. You can’t deliberately keep it from me.”
“If it’s something I can tell you, I won’t hide it from you.”
Zhuang Fuyao pouted. “What do you mean ‘if it’s something you can tell me’? If you know it, tell me. If you don’t know, I’m not going to force you…”
Liang Huaixu actually felt there was no difference between the two, but he did not know why she was so insistent on this point. Still, he agreed. “Alright.”
“Pinky swear!”
“……”
He had thought this kind of behavior was childish at twenty-two, and even more so at thirty-eight.
But Zhuang Fuyao was very forceful. She did not care whether he cooperated or not and hooked her finger around his. “You’re not allowed to lie to me!”
A trace of helplessness appeared on his face. “What do you want to ask?”
Zhuang Fuyao looked at him with clear, round eyes and asked sincerely and curiously, “You’re thirty-eight already. Do you still have physical needs?”
“…………”
He was someone who valued integrity very much and had kept his promises for half his life, only to stumble badly here.
He parted his lips. There was a long-unfelt restlessness in his throat.
In the end, he said nothing, only looked at her deeply.
“It’s time to sleep.”
…
In the middle of the night, Liang Huaixu lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
He had never been a person with particularly strong desires. The first time he relieved himself in his youth was at eighteen, during the first month he was dating Zhuang Fuyao, in order to restrain inappropriate thoughts.
Before they truly became intimate, it happened occasionally, but not frequently.
Later, when the two of them got married, they could openly belong to each other. For the sake of health and sustainability, he began planning to restrain it to twice a week. Of course, in the end, a plan was only a plan.
After they divorced, he did not deliberately suppress himself. But perhaps due to his naturally low desire combined with a simple and disciplined lifestyle, he rarely felt much interest.
The frequency of relieving himself went from once a month to once every three months, and now it had been nearly half a year since the last time.
Tonight, there was a long-unfelt restlessness, but there was only one restroom and one bathroom on the third floor. He did not want to go out, and it really was not appropriate.
Liang Huaixu closed his eyes and tried to return to a calm state. After half an hour, drowsiness gradually came.
He slept a full eight hours.
Only when he got up the next morning and faced the soiled bedsheet did his whole face burn with heat.