The Missing Husband Has Returned (05)

It had to be said, under the scorching sun, A Hui made an excellent parasol.

His shadow covered most of Xue Ci's body.

Xue Ci glanced at him. Though he dealt with livestock every day, he was unlike the butcher people might imagine.

His clothes were neat, and he was clean, with no smell of blood on him.

Years of wearing sleeveless shirts had left the man's arms tanned and gleaming, their muscles well defined.

Xue Ci raised his own slender arm. Compared to A Hui's, it was so frail that he silently tucked it away again.

After walking for a while, he looked up and spotted a tall, thin figure outside his home.

Taking a closer look, he saw it was none other than Zhao Ying, whom he had spent all morning looking for.

He really had found his way home!

Xue Ci praised 11.

Not wanting too many people to see the protagonist who had strayed from the plot, he stopped and said to A Hui, "All right, I'm home. You don't need to walk me any farther. Go on back."

A Hui glanced at the man not far away.

He was a hunter with excellent eyesight, so he could see the man's expression clearly even from a distance.

A cold air hung about Zhao Ying, and his expression was very different from before.

His outfit was even stranger.

A Hui frowned slightly.

Something suddenly brushed against his arm. He looked down to see Xue Ci reaching out to push him.

The force was so slight that it was more of a brush than a push.

After brushing against him only a few times, Xue Ci's fingers had turned red from the friction. His sunlit skin was pink and white and moist, as though it would yield juice if one took a bite and held it in one's mouth.

It was very different from A Hui's rough body.

"Go on back." The heat had left Xue Ci listless, and his voice was soft and faint.

A Hui looked away, obediently turned around, and went home.

Once he had left, Xue Ci quickened his pace and walked up to Zhao Ying, who was standing with his arms crossed. "Where did you run off to? Why did you leave without telling me? I've been looking for you for so long..."

Lu Xiunan, who had been waiting for an explanation, narrowed his eyes slightly. Hadn't he just been chatting and laughing with another man? Why was he questioning him now?

Had he thought Lu Xiunan had run off, only to be caught red-handed trying to hook up with someone else, so he was turning the tables?

Lu Xiunan's gaze settled on Song Xueci's face.

His skin was very fair, and his expression was innocent. No matter how Lu Xiunan looked at him, he seemed like the kind of pure young man who would tremble for ages if another man so much as touched him.

Appearances could be deceiving.

It turned out he had quite a few tricks up his sleeve.

Lu Xiunan scoffed inwardly and said gruffly, "I told you before I left this morning. You even answered me with an 'mm.'"

Xue Ci had been half asleep and couldn't remember it at all.

He thought for a moment. "Then what did you go out for this morning?"

Lu Xiunan reacted quickly. "Are you changing the subject?"

Xue Ci was puzzled. "...What?"

Lu Xiunan looked toward the retreating figure in the distance, then looked away and said icily, "The moment I'm gone, you go looking for another man, and you even pick one who's tall and strong."

"Now that you see I'm back, you scramble to send him away."

"He certainly listens to you. You told him to leave, and he left."

Just like a dog.

Xue Ci was utterly bewildered. He tilted his face up, his eyes wide and round, his lips slightly parted.

His pink tongue was faintly visible.

That expression again.

When he knew he was in the wrong, he would stare at you with those clear, innocent eyes until you got all hot and your thoughts wandered elsewhere, and the argument would come to nothing.

That was probably how it was with Song Xueci's husband. Whenever he was unhappy, that face would stare at him until he couldn't stand it, and all he could think about was kissing and biting him, preferably carrying him straight to bed and filling his belly, soiling every bit of that pale body and leaving something of his own behind.

Lu Xiunan's expression grew increasingly complicated, and his breathing grew heavier. Without realizing it, he had broken out in a hot sweat, soaking the back of his clothes.

This damn weather was so hot.

Xue Ci had talked until his mouth was dry. He licked his lips and saw that the other man hadn't reacted.

His expression was a little helpless and a little aggrieved.

"Are you listening to me?"

Lu Xiunan said, "I'm listening."

He had been a little distracted just now. Song Xueci had stood opposite him, his lips opening and closing, and Lu Xiunan didn't know what he had eaten, but his mouth smelled very fragrant.

He had probably said that he was very hungry and had gone to A Hui's house for breakfast.

Thinking of the ten-odd dishes he had brought back, which were probably cold by now, Lu Xiunan's expression soured.

Seeing that his face was much paler than before, Xue Ci thought he might have eaten something he shouldn't have and asked again, "Where did you go this morning?"

Lu Xiunan looked away. "...For a run."

Xue Ci tilted his head in puzzlement.

Zhao Ying used to get up very early too, though he went to weed the fields.

Perhaps, even after losing his memory, his body still remembered some of his exercise habits.

He let the matter go. Turning around, he noticed the basin under the faucet and saw that Zhao Ying's hands were wet too.

Completely baffled, he asked, "Why is the basin outside?"

Lu Xiunan curved his lips, but his tone sounded as though he were gritting his teeth. "I was washing your underwear."

He had thought that would at least earn him a grateful look from Xue Ci, but instead, Xue Ci asked, "My door was locked. Where did you get it?"

What was wrong? Had seeing him wash his underwear left him unable even to act coquettishly with him?

Lu Xiunan couldn't understand what he had been expecting either. "I climbed in through the window."

Xue Ci said, "..."

Thinking of the scratches on the window and the wound on the man's forehead, he urged him, "Don't climb through the window again. Concussions are dangerous."

Lu Xiunan opened his mouth, intending to argue, but when he saw Xue Ci's nose beaded with sweat and his lips a rich red, he inexplicably swallowed his words and gave a curt "Oh."

Few people came to the east end of the village, but one or two villagers occasionally passed by. Afraid someone would see them and affect the later plot, Xue Ci took Zhao Ying's hand and led him toward the door.

Something warm and soft suddenly touched Lu Xiunan's palm, and his shoulders stiffened.

What was he doing? Why was he getting handsy?

But remembering that Xue Ci still thought he was his husband, Lu Xiunan, who hated being touched, didn't let go. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "...What are you doing?"

"It's sunny outside. It wouldn't be good if my husband got too hot."

That trick again.

He wasn't falling for it at all.

His hand was dry and rough after touching the cheap laundry detergent, and the warmth of Xue Ci's fingertips offset the feeling.

Forget it.

His hands had become like this because he had washed Song Xueci's underwear, so it was only fitting for Song Xueci to wipe them for him.

The key was in his pocket, and he needed to hold the lock steady to open it, so Xue Ci soon let go.

Lu Xiunan's palm was suddenly empty, and an indescribable feeling welled up in him. He froze for a few seconds, then casually slipped his hand into his pants pocket.

It was as though holding hands had been a great imposition on him, and he had been eager for it to end.

Xue Ci told Zhao Ying to go inside, then carried the basin in and closed the door. A casual glance revealed that the other man was wearing a very refined shirt.

Zhao Ying would never have worn a gray shirt like this before. In fact, no one in the entire village would.

It looked expensive. He remembered that Gu Ling had owned quite a few similar shirts in the last world.

Xue Ci asked 11 to check the shirt's price, and his eyes widened when he heard the amount.

Surely he hadn't taken someone else's.

His face went pale with fright. "Where did you get that shirt?"

Lu Xiunan didn't seem concerned. "I bought it."

Xue Ci asked, "Where did the money come from?"

All the money they had wouldn't be enough to pay for that shirt.

Lu Xiunan was silent for a few seconds. "I was hit by a car. They paid me compensation."

For a moment, Xue Ci didn't know what to say.

By the time he came to his senses, Lu Xiunan had taken out a thick stack of renminbi and held it out to him.

He looked up at the man, somewhat dazed.

"Take it."

"What..."

"It's for you."

When Lu Xiunan had been at the end of his rope last night, Song Xueci had taken him in. Lu Xiunan was arrogant, but he didn't like owing people either.

Xue Ci said, "I don't want it..."

The protagonist had risked his life for this money.

But Zhao Ying firmly shoved it into his hand.

The money felt scorching in Xue Ci's hands. "Then I'll put it in the wooden chest. The key is kept-wait, I forgot you'd lost your memory."

"..."

Lu Xiunan watched him talk to himself, then watched him hold the money awkwardly.

Hadn't he previously let his husband support him?

Holding the money, Xue Ci pulled him into the bedroom and instructed him, "From now on, stay home and recover from your injuries. Wait until you get your memory back before going out, all right?"

Lu Xiunan had already planned to lie low here for a while. He lifted his eyelids and gave a casual "Oh."

Several paper bags were still lying on the floor. Seeing Xue Ci absorbed in examining the wooden chest, he deliberately walked over and kicked the bags to make some noise.

Sure enough, Xue Ci turned around and quickly spotted them.

"What's in those? Clothes you bought?"

Having gotten what he wanted, Lu Xiunan said, "Oh, I bought a few sizes too small. They'd be about right for you."

It seemed that even with amnesia, he still had new clothes to wear.

Xue Ci smiled at the man. "Thank you, husband."

Lu Xiunan cleared his throat in an affected manner. He was about to say, "Do you want to try them on? I've never held you, so how would I know whether the size is right?" when he heard Xue Ci's next words-

"But I won't wear them."

Lu Xiunan's expression froze, and his brows drew tightly together.

He couldn't be bothered to ask why and simply said, "Whatever."

Xue Ci didn't notice anything wrong and continued looking for a safe place to keep the money.

The stack Zhao Ying had given him was thick, and anyone could easily climb in through the windows.

A bank would be safest, but the weather had been too hot lately. For one thing, Xue Ci didn't want to go out; for another, he was afraid Zhao Ying would run around again.

In the end, he decided to tuck the money away at the very back of the wardrobe.

He had just opened it when he felt a shadow loom over him.

Thinking Zhao Ying wanted to ask what he was doing, he volunteered, "The money will be safer here."

But Zhao Ying didn't respond to that at all. Pointing at his few short-sleeved shirts, he said, "What? Do these clothes look better than the ones I bought you? They're hideous, and you've washed them until they're this old. They're so see-through that people can see everything underneath. Are you doing it on purpose?"

The man who had walked Song Xueci home earlier could probably see everything too. No wonder he had looked as if his soul had been stolen.

Whether it was because of Zhao Ying's strange tone or because he was delicate to begin with, Xue Ci's nose slowly began to sting, and his eyes gradually filled with mist.

He bit his lower lip, trying to hold it in, but his sense of grievance kept welling up.

Don't be so mean to me...

He didn't want to wear patched clothes either.

His long, curled eyelashes trembled, sticky with tears.

"You-" Lu Xiunan froze in place. He stared for several seconds but couldn't get another word out.

Why... was he crying?

He made it look as though Lu Xiunan had been bullying him.

"You..." Lu Xiunan was used to being arrogant. The people under him had all been trained by him to be capable and thick-skinned, and he had never made anyone cry before.

Before this, Lu Xiunan had thought that if someone cried in front of him, he would only be annoyed and would turn around and leave without hesitation.

But Song Xueci really was... like a cat when he cried.

So aggrieved, eyes lowered, unwilling to make a sound.

He looked terribly pitiful.

And so... beautiful.

Lu Xiunan stared, transfixed. When he came to his senses, he said stiffly, "You... stop crying."

Song Xueci's cheeks were wet, his nose was red, and he sniffled.

He turned his face away, looking very unwilling to talk to him.

"Your face is all messy from crying." Lu Xiunan instinctively reached out to wipe it, then froze when he realized what he was doing.

There were no tissues in the room, so he took off his shirt.

Having never comforted anyone before, Lu Xiunan said awkwardly, "Wipe your face."

Xue Ci looked at the shirt held out before him and finally lifted his head to glance at him.

Lu Xiunan stood there bare-chested. Xue Ci was ignoring him, and he was truly restless. He didn't know where he found the patience. "Your clothes really have been washed old. People can see everything underneath. I saw it all last night. But it's fine if I see it. What if other men see it?"

W-what...

Xue Ci's cheeks burned at his words. His grievance faded, leaving only embarrassment.

"I wore clothes to bed."

Of course Lu Xiunan knew that.

But what could that thin bit of fabric cover?

After he bathed and got wet, everything underneath showed through, white and pink alike.

Of course, he hadn't deliberately looked. Song Xueci kept walking around in front of him.

Lu Xiunan didn't say any of that, afraid that if he did, Song Xueci really would stop talking to him.

He'd figured it out: when talking to Song Xueci, he had to coax and indulge him. Afraid this little ancestor would cry again, he compromised for the time being. "You... fine, don't wear it. You have the money anyway. Buy whichever ones you like."

He held up the shirt in his hand again. "Want to wipe your face?"

Xue Ci thought it over and took it.

The shirt's fabric was soft, so it didn't hurt to wipe his face with it.

When he was done, he held it awkwardly and asked in a small voice, "Are you still going to wear it?"

Lu Xiunan, a clean freak, paused for a few seconds before giving up. "Give it to me."

It was the first time anyone had seen his body.

It was also the first time he'd worn clothes someone else had used.

Xue Ci hadn't worn the new clothes because he was afraid of drawing everyone's attention and affecting the plot. He was willing to accept them, though, and now that his spirits had lifted, he grew curious. "What clothes did you buy?"

Lu Xiunan raised an eyebrow. "They definitely look better than what you're wearing."

Xue Ci said, "You bought this one too."

"..." Lu Xiunan tacitly accepted that he was the husband. "I had no taste before."

He got up and took several new outfits out of the bag.

Xue Ci was taken aback. For this era, the clothes Zhao Ying had picked were all quite fashionable.

Lu Xiunan asked, "Want to try them on?"

Xue Ci glanced at the sizes. "No need. They'll fit."

"Are you wearing them today?"

"I need to wash them first."

Lu Xiunan watched him put the new clothes in a basin, then pick up a black coat from the chair that was clearly the wrong size for him.

A man's sixth sense prompted him to ask without thinking, "Whose coat is that?"

"Zhou Qize's." Remembering that the other man had lost his memory, Xue Ci added, "You used to work for Factory Director Zhou. Zhou Qize is his son."

Another unfamiliar man.

His coat had even been left in the bedroom. Who knew how long they'd talked in there or what they'd done?

But what did it have to do with him?

Lu Xiunan gave a mocking smile, but when he saw Xue Ci put the coat in the basin, his expression instantly turned cold. "You're going to wash his coat?"

Xue Ci had the feeling he was very angry and explained in a small voice, "I knocked his coat onto the floor..."

Lu Xiunan's eyelids twitched with anger.

He washed Song Xueci's underwear, while Song Xueci washed another man's clothes.

What did that make him?

A cuckold fetishist?

A few seconds later, the basin was taken from Xue Ci's hands. He stared for a moment. "Are you going to wash them for me?"

Lu Xiunan said coldly, "I've already washed your underwear. Why would I be afraid of washing a few more clothes?"

He thought he must have done something terribly wicked in his past life to have ended up meeting someone as delicate and prone to crying as Song Xueci.

Young Master Lu, who had never lifted a finger for housework, was holed up in a pitch-dark little room, sitting on a low stool with his long legs cramped up, washing clothes for Song Xueci and a man who might become Song Xueci's lover.

Once the clothes were washed, Xue Ci wouldn't let Zhao Ying go out and took them outside to hang up himself.

Zhao Ying clearly hadn't gone out for a run. He'd not only bought clothes but also brought back food.

Maybe he'd gone to meet the person responsible for the accident.

It had nothing to do with the plot, so Xue Ci didn't look into it. He put the food the other man had brought back in the fridge, and it took him two whole days to finish it.

He and Zhao Ying had spent the past few days peacefully together. The progress bar hadn't dropped, but the other man hadn't shown any signs of recovering his memory either.

Xue Ci tried telling him all about his background and how the two of them had met and registered their marriage. Unfortunately, the marriage certificate was locked away. Otherwise, seeing something familiar might have helped him remember.

Lu Xiunan wasn't interested in Song Xueci's husband, but he was surprised that they'd registered their marriage after meeting just once-and that Song Xueci had been the one to initiate it.

Song Xueci had taken the initiative...

"Have you remembered something?" Seeing the faraway look on his face, Xue Ci leaned closer in delighted surprise.

A fragrance drifted into Lu Xiunan's nose, and he stiffened and leaned back.

"No."

His throat felt dry. Staring at Song Xueci's face, he couldn't help swallowing.

Xue Ci was a little disappointed.

But forcing him to recover his memory would only make things worse.

He decided to let nature take its course.

That night, the two of them slept in the same bed as before.

The bed was big, but with another person in it, it felt much hotter.

Half asleep, Xue Ci pressed his legs against the thin blanket and kept kicking it down, the soft flesh of his calves swaying back and forth in the air.

He also tugged at the hem of his shirt, whimpering softly.

His whimpering kept Lu Xiunan awake.

The man turned on the light and froze at the sight before him.

Song Xueci's shirt was twisted up to his chest, exposing his entire waist, while the blanket tangled around his legs, partly covering them.

His little face was pink and fair, his brows tightly furrowed.

His lips were parted, as though he were saying something.

Lu Xiunan came to his senses and leaned closer. It took him a while to make out that he was complaining about the heat.

Of course he was hot, wearing long sleeves under a blanket.

Even he was hot in short sleeves.

"Are you hot?" Lu Xiunan's voice was a little hoarse.

Seeing that Song Xueci was still asleep and struggling with his clothes, he moved closer and grabbed the hem, intending to help him take his shirt off.

His fingers accidentally brushed against the snow-white skin.

The soft, smooth sensation made Lu Xiunan's scalp tingle, and beads of sweat the size of beans broke out on his forehead.

One of them fell straight down.

It landed right on Xue Ci's chest.

Xue Ci shuddered, as if the drop of sweat had scalded him awake. He opened his eyes blearily and, before he could process what had happened, saw Zhao Ying's face right in front of him.

Instinctively on guard, he reached out and slapped him across the face.

The slap left Lu Xiunan stunned.

He had been at the top all his life. The people around him had always flattered and fawned over him, and no one had ever dared treat him like this.

He'd actually been slapped.

Song Xueci had just woken up, and the slap had been soft and weak. It hadn't even made much noise.

It was more of a psychological humiliation.

Lu Xiunan sat down on the edge of the bed. Song Xueci was clearly awake now and probably knew what he'd done. His voice was a little timid. "You... suddenly came so close. I thought you were going to do something."

Lu Xiunan thought his temper really had improved a lot.

Even under these circumstances, he could still explain himself to the person who had slapped him. "You said you were hot and kept tugging at your clothes, but you couldn't get them off. I went to help, and you slapped me for it?"

Xue Ci guiltily averted his gaze.

Seeing how afraid he looked of being scolded, Lu Xiunan couldn't be bothered to hold it against him.

He got out of bed, found the faucet in the bathroom, and splashed water on his face.

There was no mirror in the bathroom, so he couldn't tell whether the slap had left finger marks on his face.

Lu Xiunan took a deep breath, but after washing his face with cold water, he felt hotter and hotter, a restlessness he couldn't quite describe.

He frowned suspiciously and, a few seconds later, looked down.

Xue Ci waited in the room for a long time, but Zhao Ying still didn't come back.

Being slapped out of nowhere would certainly upset him.

But what had he gone off to do?

Xue Ci got out of bed and saw that the bathroom light was on. He walked over and cautiously called through the door, "...Husband?"

Heavy panting suddenly came from inside.

Xue Ci: [He isn't crying in there, is he?]

11: [...Yeah.]

It had a rough idea where the virus in this world was attached.

Five or six seconds later, the man's voice came from the bathroom. "...I'm here."

Feeling guilty, Xue Ci asked, "Are you still angry?"

"No." The man's voice was very restrained and sounded heavy. "Say a few more words."

What...

Was he asking him to explain?

The late-night breeze felt a little cool against his skin. Xue Ci curled his toes, his knees tinged with pale pink.

He looked so frail that if the person in the bathroom suddenly came out, covered his mouth, and dragged him inside, he wouldn't be able to resist at all.

The skin at the tops of his thighs was white. It would soon be pounded pink, along with some foam.

Coated in a layer of sweet floral nectar.

The nectar would then be covered by something dirty.

There would be no need to cover his mouth, either. A threat whispered in his ear-"You don't want anyone to hear you making those sounds, do you?"-would be enough to make the obedient little widower bite his lower lip in shame. Only when he truly couldn't bear it anymore would a quiet sob or two escape his lips.

He would beg for mercy with mist-filled eyes.

The image made Lu Xiunan's blood surge.

A soft voice reached his ears.

What would that voice sound like when he cried?

After Xue Ci finished speaking, he still didn't get a reply.

But just as he pushed the door open, the man's unsteady, husky voice suddenly came from inside. "How many times a day did we used to do it?"

The author had something to say:

How many times a day... in your dreams.