Were You Deliberately Trying to Seduce Me?

Gu Shang's brain, which had never struggled even while he pursued his master's and doctorate and managed the family business at the same time, genuinely stopped working for several seconds. Only after a long pause did he find his voice.

Gu Shang: "...What did you say?"

At the man's question, the young man obediently called him that again. "Hubby... don't you like me calling you that?"

Ji Mingzhu grew a little flustered.

That really was too forward, wasn't it? He might not be willing to accept it. Since it was what I'd be calling him, it would be best to let him decide.

After all, on the way home, he had already told Gu Shang that he could be stricter with him if he did anything wrong. If he had said the wrong thing, he would simply correct it.

Ji Mingzhu had always been a very obedient student, never giving his teachers a headache.

Naturally, he would be even more obedient toward his husband.

Gu Shang's expression was a little strange.

Did I dislike it... not really. But I couldn't call it liking it, either.

It simply felt strange, like ants crawling upward from his tailbone, leaving a tingling itch in their wake.

But he had never taken this marriage seriously, much less thought of himself as a man with a wife. He had no reason to refuse if Ji Mingzhu wanted to call him that, but he would not play along.

Their arranged marriage was entirely for the sake of fulfilling his grandfather's dying wish.

Gu Shang was cold and unfeeling toward outsiders, showing neither hesitation nor mercy when cutting the parasites out of his family. Yet he was quite indulgent toward those he considered his own. That circle was very small: only his parents and younger brother, along with Gu Xuan, the old man who had personally raised him to become an outstanding heir.

Gu Shang had never entertained any fantasies about his future spouse.

Only when his parents urged him to marry had he ever considered perhaps choosing a woman from the family of one of their business partners for an arranged marriage, strengthening the Gu Corporation's businesses.

So Gu Shang had no idea how to handle the intimate relationship that had suddenly been established today. He had avoided thinking about the issue all day, but one "hubby" from Ji Mingzhu forced him to confront the fact that he was now someone's husband.

Gu Shang: "..."

But Gu Shang was Gu Shang. He quickly came back to his senses.

A wife might be the person closest to him outside his family, sometimes even closer than his family. After all, his parents and brother could not always remain by his side, but Ji Mingzhu could.

Yet Ji Mingzhu had never been part of the first twenty-seven years of his life. There were no feelings between them. In truth, he was nothing more than a stranger bearing the title of wife.

Someone who could so easily call a stranger like him "hubby" could hardly be some innocent little flower.

Whatever else might be said about Gu Shang, he had plenty of experience dealing with people like Ji Mingzhu, who harbored ulterior motives and wanted something from him.

The ripples in the man's eyes settled, becoming a still pool once more as he silently watched Ji Mingzhu.

He wanted to see just how far a straight man would go with him for personal gain.

Ji Mingzhu was easy to please. Hearing the man accept that form of address, his eyes immediately curved into crescents, and he became almost absurdly obedient.

The man's deep gaze made his ears burn. Ji Mingzhu lowered his head and shifted his legs awkwardly against each other. The smooth touch of bare skin instantly reminded him that he was wearing nothing beneath his bathrobe.

Ji Mingzhu was abruptly brought back to the matter at hand. Right! Tonight's task was to consummate the marriage with my husband!

But Gu Shang showed no inclination to take the initiative, and he could hardly say it outright himself. Instead, he offered a tactful hint. "Hubby, would you like to shower first?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Ji Mingzhu felt a pang of concern for him.

Gu Shang must have been exhausted after the day's events. Unlike Ji Mingzhu, who had at least eaten a little to tide himself over, his husband truly had not eaten a bite, and he had even dealt with work as soon as they got home. His husband worked so hard; he should not have been willful just now.

There was no rush to consummate the marriage. We should hurry up and wash off the day's dust, then eat. Besides, even if we were going to do that sort of thing, we'd need full stomachs to have the energy, right?

Ji Mingzhu's face flushed faintly.

When the man remained still, Ji Mingzhu understood again.

Oh, oh, oh, I must need to help my husband undress!

Right, the nanny taught me that. How had I nearly forgotten it all already?

But the books said the usual procedure was for each of them to wash up separately before beginning. As for bathing together... that should fall under little pleasures between spouses.

He had not expected his husband to start with that right away. It was so, so... that.

Ji Mingzhu had not yet had much exposure to modern life, nor did he spend much time online. Otherwise, he would have found a fitting word for it-closet flirt.

Gu Shang lazily lowered his eyes, watching the young man put on his act.

Until a wave of fragrant, soft warmth came toward him, and the young man's pale, clearly defined collarbones filled his view.

Ji Mingzhu leaned slightly closer, his fluffy hair tickling restlessly beneath Gu Shang's chin. The distance between them rapidly shrank. Gu Shang needed only to lower his head a fraction to kiss the young man's soft black hair.

The pale, slender fingers he had just protected from the scalding teacup were resting at his tie knot, fumbling clumsily around it.

Ji Mingzhu did not know how to tie a necktie. He had worn a bow tie at the wedding today, and even that had been tied for him by the young woman who did his makeup.

The man's severe, neatly tied necktie was rather beyond his abilities. Ji Mingzhu did not want to look stupid in front of Gu Shang, but the more anxious he became, the less he could undo it.

By the end, almost his entire body was pressed against Gu Shang. The hem of his bathrobe parted slightly, and the young man's pale, softly fleshed thighs kept testing Gu Shang's patience.

The veins at Gu Shang's temples throbbed. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he clamped a hand around the young man's slender waist, veins standing out on the back of his hand. "Doing that on purpose?"

The young man in his arms was just as he had imagined: supple and slender, small enough to encircle with one arm.

He had never held anyone else, so he had nothing to compare it to, but this must have been what people meant by a waist that fit right into your hand.

Ji Mingzhu panicked for a moment, then glared at him indignantly at his words. "Not on purpose. I've never tied one before. I don't know how."

Gu Shang recalled the rumors about the young man's less-than-ideal family circumstances. It was indeed possible that he did not know how, so he reluctantly accepted the answer. Yet he did not release the young man. Instead, he pressed him even more firmly against himself, his voice deep and elegant, like the most expensive cello.

"Then were you deliberately trying to seduce me?"

When had Ji Mingzhu ever heard such shameless words? Mortified, he immediately covered Gu Shang's mouth with his soft palm, putting on a fierce front despite his lack of confidence. "You're not allowed to talk anymore!"

He was fulfilling his duties as a wife. How could Gu Shang make it sound so... so wanton!

If his husband kept indulging in these little games and saying whatever he pleased, he-he would make him sleep on the couch!