Chapter 55: The Incompetent Husband 10 Part 2

So that was the “secret”—some kind of deal?

He fixed Yu Sui with a stare. “Is that how it is?”

“Don’t be so harsh on him. He’s my boss—maybe I’ll get another promotion down the line.” Yu Sui lectured him again, clearly displeased.

Ye Mingxu pressed his lips together, his long hair spilling loose around his shoulders. That striking, icy face of his twisted slightly. “Is that right?”

He sank onto the edge of the bed. “Sui Sui, when are we going to become real husbands?”

Yu Sui frowned. “Why ask something like that? I’m still sore from yesterday because of you.”

At that, Ye Mingxu’s gaze drifted downward. “Let me take a look.”

Yu Sui clutched the blanket tight. “Just go to bed already.”

No way was he letting the man see.

But to Ye Mingxu, that resistance screamed guilt. His heart sank.

“Sui Sui, why won’t you let me see? Hiding something?” Ye Mingxu’s already frayed nerves snapped.

Before Yu Sui could even process it, a sharp rip tore through the air.

His eyes flew wide in disbelief.

Was this for real? What kind of cheap material was this pajamas made of?

Ye Mingxu seized his ankle with a firm grip.

Yu Sui scowled. “You…”

Ye Mingxu drew closer without a word.

Yu Sui kicked out with both legs, trying to fend him off.

He could feel the man’s scorching breath on his skin. His pulse raced; goosebumps prickled down his back.

“Ye Mingxu!” The words came out as a sharp rebuke, a warning.

But his husband was dead set on uncovering proof.

And he found it.

“This ointment doesn’t smell like the stuff we keep at home.” Ye Mingxu looked up at Yu Sui and waggled his slick finger. “Sui Sui, care to explain?”

Yu Sui froze. “I…”

Panic flickered through him. What if the man lost it completely?

Ye Mingxu spotted the guilt and felt a sour ache clog his chest.

All the defiance, the excuses time and again—it was all because of this?

No wonder Meng Chenxiao had dropped his hostility. Ye Mingxu was no threat anymore.

Did that mean Yu Sui would ditch him entirely and run off with that bastard Meng?

No. Calm down.

His chest heaved as he ground his teeth, forcing composure.

He wouldn’t let Meng Chenxiao win. As for his husband’s betrayal, he’d get revenge some other way.

“Sui Sui, get some rest.” He turned on his heel and left.

Only then did Yu Sui’s taut body relax. The man hadn’t pushed for answers.

[He suspects you now,] the System said. [Perfect—your guilty act was flawless.]

“I’m not acting,” Yu Sui muttered through gritted teeth.

Ye Mingxu headed straight for the bathroom.

If he gave in to impulse now, he might hurt Yu Sui—scare him off for good. No. He had to stay calm, play the long game.

But…

Meng Chenxiao stayed away for the next few days, yet Ye Mingxu couldn’t relax. They worked at the same company; they could cross paths anytime.

The weekend arrived in a flash.

Yu Sui came home and mentioned the business trip right away.

He noticed his husband’s body go stiff and realized the man must already know.

Maybe Meng Chenxiao had strong-armed him into it.

The hotel scenario the System had described suddenly felt way too intense.

Veins bulged across the back of Ye Mingxu’s hand.

Business trip? More like a lovers’ getaway.

After dinner and showers, he suggested sharing the bed once more.

Yu Sui shot back with cutting words, trying to shoo him away.

A chill settled in Ye Mingxu’s heart.

He stared Yu Sui down.

“What’re you staring at?” Yu Sui shrank back a little, unnerved.

Ye Mingxu advanced, leaning in to cradle his face. Without a word, he crushed their lips together in a brutal kiss.

Yu Sui tasted blood. He winced and shoved at the man’s chest.

That resistance only fueled Ye Mingxu’s rage. “Does Sui Sui hate me that much?”

He pulled back, gazing into his husband’s watery eyes. “We’re married. Can’t we even kiss?”

“No… I mean…” Yu Sui caught the fury in his voice—the edge of imminent meltdown—and backed down fast. “Okay, fine.”

“Sui Sui, let’s become real husbands. Tonight.”

Ye Mingxu’s tone brooked no argument.

Pajama buttons flew as the man nipped at his neck like a feral dog, leaving a trail of marks.

Yu Sui yanked at his hair, mouthing protests, but Ye Mingxu didn’t flinch.

He latched on again.

In the end, he held back from getting too rough—he didn’t want to hurt Yu Sui.

Still, the onslaught rocked Yu Sui to his core.

The shameless, puppylike assault left him mortified. His struggles weakened, then stopped.

Ye Mingxu lifted his head. The marks weren’t even; his eyes darkened. “Sui Sui…”

Yu Sui trembled faintly, overstimulated.

Ye Mingxu showed no favoritism.

His lips trailed lower, to the navel.

He tried once more to coax a reaction, but nothing.

The illness persisted, and to Ye Mingxu, that meant rejection—no love left. His eyes burned red.

Yu Sui quivered. “You… you trying to break me for good?”

That snapped Ye Mingxu back to his senses, somewhat.

He fell silent.

Yu Sui couldn’t escape another round of kisses.

He was starting to get used to it—or so it seemed, though he hadn’t noticed.

Ye Mingxu felt those legs clamp around his head like a vise. His eyes gleamed.

Not total revulsion, then. Lingering feelings remained.

He went all in.

Raking his fingers through his own hair, he drank in the sight of the man flushed pink everywhere before pressing a kiss to his fingertips.

With the business trip looming, Ye Mingxu bit back his questions. A confrontation might push Yu Sui to demand divorce. Better to bind him this way instead.

If it worked, maybe his heart would turn.

He worked his fingers, veins throbbing on his hand as he stared hungrily at those dazed eyes.

Yu Sui shook like a leaf, drenched in sweat as if pulled from a river.

Ye Mingxu gathered his hair into a tie, resolve hardening his gaze.

He gripped Yu Sui’s waist, drawing him in tight.

But Yu Sui, hazy moments before, suddenly cleared. “No…”

“Ye Mingxu, stop…”

“Why?” Ye Mingxu’s voice rasped, eyes blackened with desperation. “You like me. Why push me away?”

He teetered on the brink of madness.

Yu Sui clocked the peril. “I… I can’t… I just can’t…”

“If I say you can, you can.” The man growled.

“No—I mean… I’m straight!” Yu Sui shook his head wildly. “I can’t accept this…”

To reject him, his own husband claimed to be straight? Ye Mingxu’s heart turned to ice. “It’s not because of Meng Chenxiao, is it?”

He sensed Yu Sui’s sudden tension.

His gut twisted. “You love him that much? Keeping yourself pure for him?”

Yu Sui blinked, thrown. What the hell?

Ye Mingxu read the pause as confession.

Pain knifed through him; his eyes blazed crimson. “Have you two slept together?”

He turned forceful.

Danger crackled in the air. Yu Sui shook his head desperately. “No—please, don’t do this.”

Ye Mingxu pinned his hands. “Truthfully, Yu Sui?”

He didn’t buy it.

Yu Sui’s nerves frayed to the breaking point. As long as it didn’t go all the way, he could lie to himself. But…

“It’s true! Ye Mingxu, I swear!”

Terror gripped him. Useless struggles, raw fear—he shook, tears carving tracks down his face.

Ye Mingxu went still. Such visceral rejection…

He bit his tongue hard; his own eyes welled up.

“I might let you off, but…” He wouldn’t yield. No surrender.

Yu Sui’s eyes sparked with hope. He stared at the man. “What… what is it?”

“Sit on my face.”

Ye Mingxu rolled onto his back and lay there, unmoving.

Yu Sui locked up. “I…”

“My patience has limits.” Ye Mingxu’s voice cut like ice, colder than ever.

Yu Sui flinched. Remembering how futile his struggles had been, he bit his lip and climbed atop.

But this…

Heat flooded his cheeks; his legs wobbled.

Ye Mingxu’s world went dark, breath labored. Suffocation gripped him.

His throat worked visibly.

Yu Sui nearly toppled; strong hands steadied his waist.

Eyes shut, Ye Mingxu stayed in control. Too familiar to lose himself.

Yu Sui slumped aside. He stared at Ye Mingxu’s face—and that thin, mocking smile. His body went rigid. “You…”

“For him, Sui Sui… really went there.” Sweetness and bitterness warred in Ye Mingxu. His shy husband, taking charge for that other man? Jealousy scorched him.

“This is only the start.” Ye Mingxu’s words dripped chill as he scooped Yu Sui up and carried him to the bathroom.

Struggle earned threats; Yu Sui gave in.

At last, Ye Mingxu shared the bed with his husband.

He tended the marks with ointment—red welts like torture scars, ruling out clothes.

Two grown men crammed onto one mattress, bound to brush against each other.

Ye Mingxu held him close with unyielding strength. After all, such intimacy between husbands was perfectly natural.

Yu Sui didn’t dare move. He especially didn’t dare turn his back to the man, so he braced himself and shrank into Ye Mingxu’s embrace, his body rigid with tension.

Ye Mingxu stroked his hair, clearly pleased.

In the morning, the inevitable mishap occurred.

Yu Sui didn’t dare move a muscle.

Ye Mingxu opened his eyes, dark desire churning within them.

Yu Sui tensed. “Ye… Ye Mingxu, you…”

“Sui Sui.” Ye Mingxu took his hand. “Help me out here.”

How could Yu Sui refuse?

The two sat up, the man’s morning arousal glaringly obvious as he guided Yu Sui’s hand toward it.

He was clearly a beauty from any angle, but that ferocious sight ruined the image.

Yu Sui turned his face away.

He had no idea what to do—in fact, he was even worse off than clueless.

Ye Mingxu started to wonder if he was doing it on purpose, but Yu Sui’s expression was utterly serious.

He pursed his lips, then finally wrapped Yu Sui’s hand around it.

Afterward, the two got up to wash and freshen up.

Yu Sui’s legs were still sore. He sank onto the sofa, his face twisted in discomfort.

As soon as the System came online, he immediately recounted what had happened.

[You did very well,] the System said. [Refusing him time and again like this—I’m sure he’ll grow gradually disappointed.]

“But he… to me…” Yu Sui said, still shuddering at the memory.

[Alas, there’s no helping it. You’re husbands, after all. These things are bound to come up eventually,] the System sighed.

“I…” Yu Sui choked on his words.

[But once you complete the mission, you’ll be able to make requests about the next world,] the System added.

Yu Sui’s eyes lit up at that.

Ye Mingxu emerged from the kitchen and saw the man sprawled on the sofa. His heart ached, but he felt no regret.

He wanted to dump him, but it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Sui Sui, time to eat.”

At the sound of his voice, Yu Sui’s gaze darted away in embarrassment. He rose slowly and went to wash his hands.

The man who had always strutted so boldly in front of his “wife” didn’t dare make a peep after yesterday.

He couldn’t help thinking how stifled he felt. If he could make any requests, the first one would be no husband-and-wife nonsense with another man.