The gift

Xie Yanci dawdled for a long time before reluctantly coming in.

President Xie, who had always held power and unquestioned authority in Hong Kong City's business circles, had someone he feared too.

He had just dried his hair. The soft strands fell over his forehead, stripping away his usual air of authority.

Xu Shi wolf-whistled at him. "Do you remember what was written in the marriage contract you signed with me?"

"Hmm?" Xie Yanci raised his eyes.

There were too many clauses in the contract. He had no idea which one Xu Shi meant.

Had he done something wrong lately?

[Holy shit, Xie Yanci looks insanely hot with his hair down!]

"..."

He had been overthinking it.

[He looks pretty well-behaved, too.]

[I want a puppy like this.]

"..."

Xu Shi spent another long while drooling over Xie Yanci's handsome face.

He realized that the original author really did understand him. Xie Yanci's character had been written entirely to his tastes.

In an erotic novel with a universally adored bottom protagonist, the most popular male lead wasn't as good-looking as his husband.

He suspected someone had slipped in their personal preferences.

Who exactly was the original author?

With a slurp, Xu Shi wiped away his drool. "We agreed on once a month, but we did it twice this month. You broke the agreement!"

So that was what this was about.

Xie Yanci understood. He had already prepared an apology gift.

He placed a white gift box neatly on the dressing table. "Liva's new Sapphire Crown. Is this sincere enough?"

It was worth five hundred million US dollars.

"I already told you I didn't like it. Why did you..."

The moment the white gift box opened, Xu Shi was so stunned that he couldn't speak.

The crown was set with over a hundred sapphires of exceptional quality. Their clear, bright ocean-blue hues shone beneath the light with a distinctive brilliance.

Soft and dazzling, dreamlike and ethereal.

Xu Shi stared, unconsciously climbing off the bed.

Beside him, Xie Yanci tactfully moved farther away, the faintest hint of a smile touching his lips.

He knew Xu Shi would like it.

Xu Shi had never seen jewelry this beautiful. He lightly touched it with his fingertips, feeling the coolness radiate from within.

He had always thought luxury goods were a tax on stupidity, because he couldn't afford them.

"Can I try it on?" Xu Shi looked up at Xie Yanci, his peach-blossom eyes full of anticipation.

"Of course." Xie Yanci nodded. "It belongs to you. You don't need to ask anyone."

"...Mine?"

"...Mine."

Xu Shi kept repeating it.

So something this beautiful could belong to him too.

He wiped his hands clean and carefully lifted the expensive crown.

He lowered his head and put it on.

In the mirror, Xu Shi wore only thin silk pajamas, his bare face carrying a hint of languid ease.

His lips curved slightly upward, his dark eyes deep, his slightly curled lashes fluttering. His striking, generously beautiful features made the Sapphire Crown look even more expensive.

"Does it look good?" Xu Shi turned around.

His clear, bright eyes fixed on the Alpha before him, full of anticipation.

Xie Yanci was a little lost in the sight.

He paused for several seconds before slowly nodding. "It does."

Xu Shi held the crown in place and gave a soft hum, deliberately teasing him. "Is the jewelry beautiful, or am I?"

Xie Yanci didn't react immediately.

His gaze still rested on Xu Shi's coolly beautiful, languid face. All he could see was the Beta's glistening lips moving.

After a long while, his dark eyes narrowed slightly, and his low, husky voice quietly delivered his answer. "...You are."

If I'd known, I would have set it at thirty times a month.

"What?" Xu Shi hadn't heard him clearly.

"Nothing." Xie Yanci shook his head and said no more, turning to leave the bedroom.

Xu Shi instinctively craned his neck to look. Seeing him enter the bathroom, he stopped wondering.

Everyone had to answer nature's call, after all.

In a good mood, he admired it for another half hour before reluctantly putting the Sapphire Crown away.

[When I get divorced, I'm definitely taking all of it with me.]

"..."

Xie Yanci had just come out of the bathroom and hadn't yet had time to wipe the water from his hands.

After considering for a few seconds, he simply stood in the hallway and listened quietly.

[Xie Yanci is actually pretty nice.]

[His looks are flawless, his body's great, and his technique goes without saying.]

[Too bad...]

He didn't belong to him.

Xu Shi let out a lazy sigh. He wasn't actually all that reluctant to part with him.

There were plenty of Alphas, anyway.

He turned to climb into bed, only to glance up and immediately catch sight of the figure standing in the doorway.

"You scared me!" Xu Shi clutched his chest. "What are you standing in the doorway for?"

Xie Yanci didn't answer. Lowering his eyes, he climbed into bed unhurriedly.

He reached out and switched off the main light, leaving only a dim yellow wall lamp on.

"..."

A certain someone was always so taciturn. Xu Shi couldn't be bothered with him either.

Lying in bed, Xu Shi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His mind was still buzzing with excitement over that beautiful crown.

At the thought, Xu Shi gently poked Xie Yanci's back. "Hey, was I the 'wife' you mentioned in your interview today?"

"Cute," "mischievous," "brings joy"-he had reeled all that off so smoothly that even Xu Shi himself didn't believe it.

"Hey, why aren't you talking?"

"Are you asleep?"

Having learned from the last two times he had been pinned down and fucked, Xu Shi no longer provoked him recklessly. He just kept one hand out, madly poking Xie Yanci's back.

[You're not allowed to sleep with your back to me!]

[You're not allowed to give me the silent treatment!]

[I want a divorce.]

"It was you."

Xie Yanci's husky yet clear voice rang out.

He rolled over and firmly caught Xu Shi's restless little hand. "It's too late. No talking at bedtime."

"Oh."

The Xie Family really had so many rules.

Xu Shi was in such a good mood today that, for once, he obediently listened.

He stopped talking and instead began playing with the hand Xie Yanci had wrapped around his.

The Alpha's hand really was big, and warm.

Xu Shi rubbed it bit by bit, suddenly touching something slightly cool. He felt it back and forth several times.

It was probably his wedding ring.

They had been married for five years. Xie Yanci had probably worn it every day.

During the interview, there had been a close-up of his left hand. Xu Shi had paid attention then: there was a very, very noticeable ring mark on his ring finger.

"Where's your wedding ring?"

A cool voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

Xu Shi startled. "Didn't you say no talking at bedtime?"

Xu Shi had never worn his wedding ring.

Xie Yanci knew, and he had never interfered. After all, theirs was only a business marriage without feelings.

But tonight, for some reason, he found himself inexplicably bothered by it.

"You threw it away," Xie Yanci said flatly.

"I did not!"

Xu Shi couldn't stand being falsely accused like this.

He switched on the light with a click, then pattered into the walk-in closet in his slippers.

Right in front of Xie Yanci, he rummaged through the second drawer from the bottom beneath the third section of the wardrobe and found a small box.

He opened it.

"Look, I told you I didn't throw it away!"

The ring quietly gleamed beneath the bright light.

Xu Shi, however, froze.

No.

How had he known?