Chapter 83: A Man Who Dotes on His Wife is a Good Man
In the painful and long practice in Dongcheng, Chen Shuo only learned to chant scriptures. If there was any improvement, it was only one thing—social skills.
Chen Shuo gradually adapted to socializing, adapted to the lively atmosphere of Gewu Media, and slowly accepted the stares of others, as well as the appraisal of Li Ge’s cousin.
Facing his future cousin-in-law, he took the initiative to extend his hand and introduce himself, “Hello, my name is Chen Shuo. Chen as in the ear, Shuo as in fruitful.”
Li Huan was still sizing up Chen Shuo. He politely extended his hand and shook Chen Shuo’s, then asked him, “Are you really my cousin’s wife?”
“Nonsense.” Li Ge immediately cleared his throat and turned to Chen Shuo, “Wife, my brother is very suspicious, call me by my name for him to hear.”
Chen Shuo: “…”
Calling him “husband” was something Chen Shuo did in private to make his little treasure happy, not for Li Ge, the CEO of Gewu Media. He directly ignored Li Ge’s request.
“Brother, I was just asking.” Li Huan looked at his cousin’s anxious and self-proving face and chuckled, “You don’t have to deliberately emphasize anything.”
“…” Li Ge put on a stern face, “You’re looking for a beating as soon as you get back, aren’t you?”
Li Huan ignored his cousin’s hot temper and then reintroduced himself to Chen Shuo, “My name is Li Huan, Huan as in Duke Huan of Qi. You can just call me by my full name.”
“Okay.” Chen Shuo politely agreed.
Having already been embarrassed in front of Qiao An and Fei Fan, Li Ge’s pride was on the line at this moment. He couldn’t lose his dignity as an older brother, so he raised his hand and secretly poked Chen Shuo’s lower back, signaling him to act coquettishly and call him “husband” for his cousin to hear.
Chen Shuo moved a step away and said, “I’m going to tidy up the lunch boxes.”
“…” Li Ge was angry that Chen Shuo had no sense of propriety, so he changed the subject to his cousin, asking about his studies abroad and his future plans, successfully forcing him to retreat.
“Brother, can you not be a mood killer, you’re just like my dad.” Li Huan had no interest in being a third wheel, “I’m leaving now, I didn’t know you had a wife, I’ll prepare a new birthday gift.”
Educating his wife was important, Li Ge was too lazy to care about his cousin. As soon as Li Huan left, he had a flash of inspiration and immediately chased after him, forcibly dragging his cousin into the break room.
Li Huan was inexplicably given a task, to accompany his aunt to watch “Empresses in the Palace” at night, and also to distract her, actively discussing the plot.
“If you need anything, just tell your brother, I won’t let you down.” Li Ge coaxed his cousin to cover for him.
This kind of thankless task with high risks, Li Huan was the first to refuse, “I’m not free, I have an appointment with a friend, I’m not staying at your place tonight.”
“What friend?” Li Ge pressed, “Where did you make friends in Beicheng? Male or female?”
Li Huan: “That’s my private matter.”
“Alright,” Li Ge took out the phone from his trouser pocket, “You just arrived in Beicheng, I’ll call your dad right now to report your safety, so you don’t become a missing person and it’s hard to explain.”
“Fuck.” Li Huan couldn’t help but curse, because he was sure his cousin would really do it. He had been full of bad ideas since he was a child, always bullying people.
Recalling this period, Li Ge was full of grievances. It wasn’t that he had no chance to be intimate with his wife. When he wasn’t busy with work, he would sneak back to that small apartment and finally get what he wanted, being fucked by Chen Shuo on the balcony until his legs went weak and he lost control, his fluids splashing all over the window glass, so satisfying that he thought he was going to die. Just as he was in a daze, like a god, he was suddenly pulled back to reality by a call from Ms. Min, he was so wronged, even the kiss Chen Shuo had given him to coax him lost its taste, and he desperately wanted to get rid of the oppressive feeling brought by this “affair.”
Two days ago, the stitches on his right wrist were removed, and it wasn’t Chen Shuo who accompanied him to the hospital. Li Ge knew his mother felt sorry for him, but he still wanted Chen Shuo to be there with him.
One was his mother, the other was his wife, and coincidentally, they both loved watching “Empresses in the Palace,” so there was no need to worry about the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. He couldn’t hold it in several times and wanted to come out directly, but Chen Shuo refused, otherwise, he would cancel his birthday gift. He had to pretend to have an appointment at night, wanting to spend more time with his wife, but as a result, Ms. Min waited for him at the door every day, a complete breakdown.
“I can’t do this job.” Li Huan was about to leave when he was held back by his cousin again.
“Zhuangzhuang, your brother is suffering.” Li Ge patted his cousin’s shoulder, “Think about it, when you were in elementary school, your mom didn’t let you eat spicy snacks, who took you out to eat delicious food on weekends? And helped you with your homework? And who bought you the limited edition Ultraman figure from Japan? Ask yourself, how have I treated you?”
“Not very well.” Li Huan removed the hand on his shoulder, “Playing the emotional card is useless, I’m not falling for it.”
Wasting his time, Li Ge stopped talking nonsense and said, “Don’t think I don’t know why you came to Beicheng, you know your dad’s temper. I’ll give you five million, you obediently stay at my place, I won’t care about you during the day.”
Li Huan: “Really?”
Li Ge: “If you hesitate again, three million.”
“Wouldn’t it have been better to be practical from the beginning? You’ve wasted so much of my time.” Li Huan extended his hand, “Car keys, taking a taxi is troublesome, and you can also reimburse my hotel expenses.”
Li Ge: “Who are you pushing your luck with?”
“Thank you, brother,” Li Huan grinned, “I quite like watching ‘Empresses in the Palace,’ it’s a good thing I’ve watched it with my ex-girlfriend, I know the plot like the back of my hand.”
Mentioning this, Li Ge earnestly advised his cousin, “Don’t get involved in homosexuality, turn back as soon as you can, this path is not easy, you hear me?”
Li Huan let it go in one ear and out the other, nodding perfunctorily.
Li Ge had three cars parked in the underground garage. His cousin was sensible and cooperative. He went out and instructed his assistant to take three car keys and let Li Huan choose for himself.
Learning that the visitor was actually Mr. Li’s younger brother, Yu Rui didn’t dare to be negligent at all, being respectful throughout the whole process like a little servant, afraid of having his salary docked again.
Returning to his office, Li Ge lifted Chen Shuo off the ground and spun him around, showing off his strength before putting him down, and said excitedly, “Wife, let’s go straight home after work. Tonight my brother will watch TV with my mom, so I can spend more time with you. How about we eat out? You’re so tired from cooking every day.”
Chen Shuo still hoped that Li Ge would go home and spend more time with his family. These past two days, Li Ge had been wanting to come out, and he couldn’t bear to break the peace. But the loneliness that invaded him late at night made him suffer, and he would toss and turn, unable to sleep.
“Okay.” He nodded.
“What do you want to eat?” Li Ge asked.
Chen Shuo didn’t have any particular cravings, and he had always felt that restaurant food was not as healthy as home-cooked meals, but he found that Li Ge was slowly changing.
These past few days, Li Ge was willing to talk to him about anything, from the location and design of their new house to the pressure at work, including his regret of not being able to hold a concert in the past, and his plans for coming out in the future.
Chen Shuo could feel Li Ge’s soul approaching him. It turned out that getting along as a couple didn’t have to be so deliberate.
They could talk about whatever they wanted, and even if there were no topics, they could each do their own thing. They could do whatever they wanted, and if the weather was too hot, they could wait until autumn to go hiking or rock climbing, or not go at all. In short, everything was natural.
“Xiao Bao’er,” Chen Shuo suggested, “let’s go singing after dinner.”
“Ah?” Li Ge wanted to laugh when he saw Chen Shuo’s serious expression about singing, “You’re tone-deaf and can’t even keep up with the lyrics, and you still want to sing?”
Chen Shuo: “…”
Li Ge was so happy that he was about to kiss his wife when his phone rang in his pocket. It was a happy news call from Ms. Min, Yuanbao was finally born.
He hung up and urged Chen Shuo, “Quick, let’s go to the hospital first. Yuan Feng gave birth to a baby girl, I heard my cousin was so nervous that he almost cried, I have to go and see.”
Not understanding Li Ge’s strange taste, Chen Shuo only heard Li Ge complaining about how outrageous He Yan was after he got into the car, how he had always been domineering and bullying people since he was a child.
Li Ge: “You don’t know how bad this person is. He even called me a sissy when we were kids. I complained to him, and my aunt helped me get even, making him apologize to me. As a result, he bought me a doll. Don’t you think he’s despicable?”
After all, he was his benefactor. Chen Shuo, receiving a high salary, couldn’t possibly gossip about his boss, so he lied without batting an eye to coax Li Ge, “A doll is quite good, I wanted one when I was a child but didn’t have one.”
“…” Li Ge frowned, “Are you kidding me?”
“Really,” Chen Shuo said, “there wasn’t much to play with in the village when I was a child, I could only go to the river to catch frogs and loaches, and catch some insects as toys.”
“Really? You’re so awesome?” Li Ge only knew that Chen Shuo’s original family wasn’t very good, and he knew nothing about his childhood, so he asked him curiously, “What kind of insects did you catch?”
A skill that all the children in the village knew had become “awesome” in the mouth of a young master from the city. Chen Shuo inexplicably felt like a servant who had turned over and was singing.
“A lot.” He couldn’t help but show off, “In the summer, I would dig for cicada holes, and also climb trees to catch longhorn beetles. Fearing that the longhorn beetles would fly away, I stole my grandmother’s thread and tied it around its neck, letting it fly like a kite, and then pulling it back.”
“So you’ve had a violent streak since you were a child? No wonder you tied me up with a belt.” Li Ge finally knew why his wife was so prone to going crazy, he was a natural violent maniac.
“…” Chen Shuo continued, “And crickets, ladybugs, stag beetles, woodlice, and earthworms. I used the earthworms to catch crayfish.”
Li Ge’s childhood was filled with various toys. He had never even climbed a tree. Hearing Chen Shuo talk about some interesting things from his childhood, he found it novel and suddenly said, “Wife, when will you take me to your hometown to have a look?”
Chen Shuo was a bit surprised. The tall buildings in front of the car were the prosperous Beicheng, where Li Ge lived, and the Jiangcheng where Li Ge grew up was also a prosperous place.
He originally wanted to tell Li Ge that his hometown village was still relatively backward, his grandmother’s farmhouse had long since collapsed, and the homestead had been occupied by relatives. He actually had no hometown to return to, and he was also worried that Li Ge wouldn’t be used to the rural environment.
But Li Ge wanted to know about his childhood, and he was very willing to share.
“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.” Chen Shuo added, “And I’ll take you to the small town where I lived, the scenery is alright.”
“Alright, I’ll do it after I’m done with this.” Li Ge casually mentioned the project he had invested in in Nancheng last year by mistake, “The film and television shooting base project has started, they invited me to attend the groundbreaking ceremony. I was originally too lazy to go, but then I thought there was a sea there, and we haven’t been out to play together, and there’s a music festival next month, so I agreed.”
Chen Shuo was happy in his heart. While waiting at a red light, he briefly thought about his new life.
Yuan Feng had given birth, and he had started a family with He Yan. This personal assistant job seemed to be coming to an end, he had to find a new job.
Although he was a bit confused, he was no longer so anxious and was full of expectations for the future.
When the two of them arrived at the hospital, Li Ge was surprised to see his father in the ward and said, “Dad, why are you here? Didn’t you say you would come after the baby is one month old?”
Li Yunshan saw that his son was fine and was temporarily relieved, “I came to celebrate your birthday.”
“…” Li Ge had a feeling that the five million he had promised his cousin might be gone.
His mother was so nervous about him being heartbroken, and his father would only be more so. In the whole family, besides his deceased grandfather, his father doted on him the most.
Catching Li Ge’s momentary stiffness, Chen Shuo politely greeted Li Ge’s father as the son of Jing Hai, and didn’t stay too long, going straight to the ward to visit Yuan Feng.
Li Ge started to worry again. He had never been so annoyed with his own birthday. His right hand was suddenly lifted by his father. He quickly brought out the same story he had told his mother, that he had accidentally been scratched by the fish tank, and it had nothing to do with his “ex-girlfriend” Aike.
After personally confirming that his son hadn’t cut his wrists, Li Yunshan finally said, “Just take care of yourself, what’s the point of raising fish? If you really want a pet, I’ll get you a couple of turtles, they’re easy to raise and less to worry about.”
Min Lanshu echoed her husband, “Your father is right, you should take care of yourself first.”
“…” Li Ge’s head was about to explode. He wished he could immediately tell his parents that he was now being taken care of by someone, that his wife was not only a good cook but also very good at taking care of people, and could even cut his fingernails and toenails neatly.
He found an excuse to slip away, to visit Yuan Feng and his little niece.
The room was quite lively. As soon as Li Ge went over, he saw Chen Shuo curiously staring at little Yuanbao, while He Yan was carefully feeding Yuan Feng water, indeed quite nervous.
He also curiously went over. The little baby in the swaddling clothes was fair and delicate, her face not even as big as his palm, a small and delicate thing, sound asleep.
Seeing the two big men looking so curious, Yuan Feng asked with a smile, “Who do you think Yuanbao looks like? They all say she looks like me, I can’t tell.”
The little girl was sleeping, and Chen Shuo couldn’t really tell either.
“Of course she looks like you.” Li Ge took out the red envelope he had prepared in advance and handed it to He Yan, “Congratulations, big brother and sister-in-law. This little girl really knows how to pick a time, her birthday is not far from mine. Uncle will give you a red envelope first as a gesture, and I’ll give you a big one later.”
“Thank you.” He Yan had just accepted the red envelope from his assistant for his little daughter, and now he was accepting one from his cousin. There was already a thick stack of red envelopes on the bedside table.
“She not only knows how to pick a time, but she’s also quite good at being reincarnated.” Li Ge regarded his little niece as his heir. Even though he didn’t like children, the more he looked at Yuanbao, the more he liked her.
Perhaps his voice was too loud, a crisp and loud cry suddenly sounded. Yuanbao opened her small mouth and started crying “waa waa,” her little face flushed red, her frowning expression somewhat similar to her father He Yan’s.
“Whoa, that’s a loud voice.” Li Ge didn’t know how to coax a child, let alone touch one.
Fortunately, his aunt and uncle came over in time. The couple, one preparing the milk formula, the other carefully picking up the child, quickly coaxed the little girl.
The He family hadn’t had a new member for many years. Li Ge saw that his elders were all amused by little Yuanbao’s crying just now, including his own parents. He realized that he couldn’t stay in this environment for long, otherwise, he might be urged to get married and have a child again.
“Xiao Ge.” Min Lanying had just called out to her nephew.
“Aunt, I’m going to the restroom.” Li Ge said and slipped away.
The ward was filled with laughter. Chen Shuo sat on the sofa on the side, feeling out of place, thinking about when to give Li Ge the birthday gift he had prepared.
He couldn’t accompany his little treasure on his birthday, and as “Assistant Chen,” he would only seem out of place. And as “Jing Hai’s son,” it seemed their relationship wasn’t that close, it would be easy to be suspected.
Just like now, he was just an irrelevant outsider.
Li Ge hid in the bathroom, feeling like he wanted to smoke, but his pocket only had the fruit-flavored mints Chen Shuo had bought for him, his favorite melon flavor these past two days.
He leaned against the wall, concentrating on one question, if his parents didn’t accept his sexual orientation, what should he do? In any case, he couldn’t give up Chen Shuo.
Whether he had Chen Shuo or not, he would still be gay.
“Knock, knock, knock—” A knock came on the bathroom door.
Li Ge thought it was Chen Shuo, but then he thought it was impossible. Chen Shuo was particularly careful to avoid suspicion in the ward and wouldn’t have much contact with him, at most he would call him “Mr. Li” a couple of times.
He opened the door and saw that it was his father.
Noticing that his son was clutching something in his hand, Li Yunshan was really worried. He asked his son to show him, but it was a box of candy, which made him even more worried.
“Dad, I’m quitting smoking recently.” Li Ge poured two candies into his hand, asked his dad to have one, and had one himself.
Li Yunshan wasn’t as calm as his wife. After his old friend’s son committed suicide by jumping off a building, he had personally seen the lifeless body being dissected by the forensic doctor at the scene. Life was fragile, it could be gone in an instant.
Holding the candy his son had given him, Li Yunshan finally said, “Xiao Bao’er, if you have something on your mind, you can’t keep it to yourself. If there’s anything you can’t decide on, talk to Dad.”
No wonder they said a father’s love was like a mountain. Li Ge suddenly felt a bit breathless. He had never been wronged at home since he was a child. His father doted on him, his mother loved him, and his grandparents also spoiled him.
He was suddenly filled with guilt, feeling sorry for the parents who had given birth to him and raised him, sorry for his grandmother, and fortunately, his grandfather had already passed away, otherwise, he would be sorry for his grandfather too.
But Li Ge thought of the wife he had worked so hard to pursue. Chen Shuo also doted on him and loved him. He was all alone in Beicheng, his father didn’t love him, his mother was gone, and his stepmother wasn’t really a mother. He was his only support, how could he leave Chen Shuo?
A man who didn’t dote on his wife was not a good man!
“Dad,” whether he faced it now or later, it was the same. Li Ge didn’t want to wait any longer and said with a determined expression, “I do have something on my mind, but I have an appointment tonight. I’ll tell you when I get back.”
“Alright, drink less.” Li Yunshan patted his son’s shoulder and went out first.
Worried that coming out would cause a storm and he wouldn’t be able to see his wife for a while, Li Ge cherished this “appointment” very much. He specifically booked a high-end Chinese restaurant, also ordered flowers, and even rushed to prepare a surprise after Chen Shuo went home.
The afterglow of the sunset was brilliant, and the heat gradually dissipated in the twilight.
Li Ge completely let himself go. As soon as he got out of the car, he took the initiative to hold Chen Shuo’s hand, their fingers intertwined, firmly tying his wife to his side.
Chen Shuo was slightly stunned and reminded Li Ge, “People will see.”
“Let them see, can’t I hold my own wife’s hand?” Li Ge said carelessly.
Chen Shuo: “…”
Li Ge: “Wife, are you afraid?”
How could he be afraid? Chen Shuo wished he could permanently leave a mark on Li Ge that belonged only to him, not the tooth marks and handprints that would soon disappear.
He held Li Ge’s hand tightly and said, “I’m worried your parents will see.”
“It’s okay, my brother is at home with them.” Li Ge chuckled, “I haven’t told you, my dad is a bit of a henpecked husband at home, he listens to my mom. Whatever my mom wants to watch, he will usually watch with her if he has time, how would he have time to care about me?”
Chen Shuo felt a bit sorry, “Your brother has it tough.”
Li Ge: “Fuck, he has it tough my ass, I gave him five million for pocket money.”
Chen Shuo: “…”
Li Ge: “Hey, have you used the supplementary card I gave you?”
Chen Shuo: “Not yet.”
“What?” Li Ge immediately stopped and scolded his wife, “Why haven’t you used it? What’s the meaning of being so clear with me? Are we still a couple?”
Chen Shuo wasn’t embarrassed to use Li Ge’s money, it was just that he hadn’t had many expenses recently, just buying groceries and fruit, and he had just used his own card.
Afraid that Li Ge would get angry again, he promptly coaxed, “I’ll use it next time, let Xiao Bao’er treat me to this meal today.”
“Hmph,” Li Ge scoffed smugly, “Change the address for me to hear.”
Chen Shuo cooperated quite well and changed his address to call Li Ge “husband.” His voice was soft, and in the gentle breeze, it entered Li Ge’s ears, with a clear inflection, carrying a hint of joy.
“…” Li Ge was most vulnerable to Chen Shuo calling him this, as if he was acting coquettishly. His heart itched, and he could only see Chen Shuo, and kissed him when he wanted to.
In a SUV not far away, Li Huan, who was in the driver’s seat, couldn’t understand how it could be so coincidental. It was a good thing he had dutifully taken his uncle and aunt out for a drive.
After a few seconds of confusion, Li Huan turned back to say a few words, only to see two heads squeezed in front of the back window, his uncle and aunt were both staring at the two men kissing…
