Chapter 56: The Incompetent Husband 11 Part 2

Once the auction concluded, they headed to a restaurant for lunch.

As they rode the elevator toward a private room, it paused, and another person boarded.

It was Ye Mingxu, clad in a long trench coat. His demeanor had turned oppressively somber at some point, his face ghostly pale.

Yu Sui shuddered. “Ming… Mingxu.”

“What a coincidence.” Ye Mingxu glanced at him before shifting his eyes to Meng Chenxiao. “How did Sui Sui sleep last night?”

He examined Yu Sui closely, searching for any telltale signs.

“Pr… Pretty well.” Yu Sui swallowed hard. “What… what are you doing here?”

The mere sight of the man now triggered an instinctive recoil in him.

“Just meeting a client.” Ye Mingxu eyed Meng Chenxiao. “Mind if we join you for lunch?”

[As expected, the protagonist gong starts pulling away from him, and the protagonist shou gets jealous.] The System remarked. [He hasn’t realized it yet, though. He still thinks it’s because of you.]

“This kind of plot…”

[Classic case: You love me but I don’t love you; you stop loving me, and suddenly I do.]

Yu Sui’s head spun. Pretending not to notice his wife’s inner turmoil, he glanced at Meng Chenxiao.

After all, the man was footing the bill.

“No problem.” Meng Chenxiao forced a smile, though Yu Sui’s expectant look delighted him—as if he truly valued his opinion.

Ye Mingxu interpreted it the same way, and his expression darkened further.

He clenched his fingers and fell silent.

When the elevator reached their floor, the three of them entered the private room.

Yu Sui kept his head down as he ate, terrified of catching the two men exchanging glances.

In truth, neither said a word to the other. They were both lost in their own thoughts.

“How long are you staying here?” Ye Mingxu asked Yu Sui.

“Three or four days,” Yu Sui replied.

“Is that right?” Ye Mingxu nodded. “I’m free at the moment. Once you’re done with work, let’s go shopping.”

He ignored Meng Chenxiao entirely. If push came to shove, he wasn’t certain whose side Yu Sui would take.

Meng Chenxiao tightened his grip on his chopsticks, his appetite vanishing. “I’m afraid that won’t work. After wrapping up with me, he has to head back to his job.”

Tension crackled between them like gunpowder.

Yu Sui remained quiet.

Ye Mingxu rose abruptly. “Sui Sui, I need the restroom.”

Yu Sui’s body went rigid. “Ming… Mingxu…”

“Come with me, Sui Sui.” Without waiting for objection, Ye Mingxu dragged him away.

From Yu Sui’s stiff posture as he left, Meng Chenxiao could guess what was happening. His face twisted, jealousy churning inside him.

Yu Sui’s scalp prickled. “Why does it feel like they’re competing in secret?”

[Spot on—they’re flirting.] The System said. [You’ve become their tool for it, using shows of intimacy with you to stoke the other’s jealousy.]

Yu Sui’s face fell. “Damn it.”

Ye Mingxu pulled Yu Sui into a stall, cupped his face, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

The kiss brimmed with anxiety and urgency.

Yu Sui shoved at him futilely.

“Why push me away?” Ye Mingxu drew back and demanded. “Can’t I even kiss you now? Is it because of him?”

He couldn’t hold back the question any longer.

Yu Sui blinked in surprise. His wife really was starting to fixate on Meng Chenxiao—just as the System predicted.

But to Ye Mingxu, that reaction screamed guilt.

His suspicions about yesterday deepened.

“Yu Sui, were you two in the same room last night?”

His voice dripped with menace, sending a shiver through Yu Sui, who shook his head vigorously.

“Is that so?” Seeing the continued deception, Ye Mingxu seized his hand. “Sui Sui, let me check. What exactly did you two do yesterday?”

Yu Sui froze. “You… you suspect me…?”

“You lied to me first.” Ye Mingxu stared him down. “Sui Sui, you wouldn’t want me to take you right here, would you…?”

It was a clear threat.

Yu Sui stood no chance against him and dreaded any rash outburst, so he steeled himself and slowly undid his buttons.

Ye Mingxu noted the fading marks and absence of new ones. His expression eased slightly.

“Sui Sui, let me see more.”

Yu Sui had hoped that would suffice, but the man pressed further.

“I… I really didn’t do anything.” Terrified of enraging his wife, he pleaded pathetically. “Mingxu…”

“Then why refuse to show me?” Ye Mingxu remained unmoved.

Under his direction, Yu Sui leaned against the wall.

Rather than making Yu Sui expose himself, Ye Mingxu leaned in close, inspecting with the gravity of a detective cracking a difficult case.

Finding no evidence, his features relaxed.

“Sui Sui.” His tone softened. “This is your reward.”

On Yu Sui’s waist, he left a fresh bite mark.

Meng Chenxiao debated following them but held back, wary of provoking Ye Mingxu and putting Yu Sui at risk.

He sat frowning in the room until the pair returned, one trailing the other.

Yu Sui’s ears burned red, but his gait showed nothing amiss. Meng Chenxiao breathed a little easier.

They didn’t linger long.

Meng Chenxiao mentioned meeting a client.

Unable to tag along, Ye Mingxu watched them depart with evident displeasure.

Yu Sui seemed genuinely afraid of him, hurrying his steps.

A sour ache filled Ye Mingxu’s chest. He was the husband here—why?

Yet these intimacies failed to calm him. If anything, his panic intensified.

In the car, with the partition raised, Meng Chenxiao turned to Yu Sui. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Yu Sui shook his head.

“Really?” Meng Chenxiao leaned closer. “Your lip looks swollen.”

Yu Sui recoiled. “No…”

Meng Chenxiao’s throat worked. “He’s so thoughtless—kissing you like that right before work.”

Yu Sui recognized the attempt to sow discord and pressed his lips together in silence.

He couldn’t initiate a divorce himself.

Meng Chenxiao hadn’t anticipated such restraint. Frustration gnawed at him.

How could he make Yu Sui utterly disillusioned?

Conversation ceased. Meng Chenxiao pulled out his phone in search of answers.

Husband-wife relations sour, but no divorce—why?

[He’s hot and a beast in bed.]

The comment had tons of likes.

Meng Chenxiao scowled. Ye Mingxu was attractive, sure, but a beast…?

Was he?

He sneered inwardly.

Glancing sidelong at Yu Sui, he reflected that the man had never been with anyone else, so he wouldn’t know…

Straightening up, Meng Chenxiao mused. Maybe… if he gave Yu Sui a taste of what he could offer…

His mind buzzed with possibilities.

Client dinners inevitably involved drinks, and Yu Sui partook of some.

When it wrapped up, they dispersed in small groups.

Meng Chenxiao steadied Yu Sui, whose steps wobbled.

In the car’s back seat, with the interior light on and partition up once more,

“Yu Sui.” Meng Chenxiao took his hand, gave it a squeeze, his own ears turning pink. “Are you drunk?”

Yu Sui gave no response.

Meng Chenxiao sighed faintly. He’d hoped to demonstrate his prowess tonight.

Oh well—next time.

He laced their fingers together.

Back at the hotel, Meng Chenxiao’s thoughts drifted to Ye Mingxu. Had the man left? Or was he holed up in some other room here?

His expression grew stern. He needed to chase him off.

Eyes narrowing, a plan formed.

Pretending to be drunk, he and Yu Sui supported each other all the way to the room.

Without bothering with the lights, he pulled Yu Sui into an embrace and tumbled onto the bed.

Just as he reached to tug at the man’s clothes, pain exploded at the back of his head.

Meng Chenxiao went rigid and slumped to the side.

Ye Mingxu flicked on the light and stared down at the man on the floor. “I knew you had ill intentions.”

“How the hell did you get in here?” Meng Chenxiao clutched his head, glaring at the ashtray in Ye Mingxu’s hand. His face hardened.

“What were you planning to do to Sui Sui?” Ye Mingxu demanded with a frown.

“None of your damn business.”

“He’s my husband,” Ye Mingxu shot back.

“But we’re in love,” Meng Chenxiao countered.

He watched Ye Mingxu’s pupils dilate with rage and felt a jolt. Could Yu Sui truly prefer him now?

“I won’t let you two be together!” Ye Mingxu lost it, lunging forward to seize Meng Chenxiao’s collar and swinging a fist at his face.

Meng Chenxiao jerked aside, narrowly dodging.

“Have you gone mad?”

Ye Mingxu said nothing, pressing the attack.

Meng Chenxiao wasn’t one to back down.

The two brawled.

But the head injury hampered Meng Chenxiao, leaving him at a disadvantage.

Ye Mingxu stopped short of killing him, merely binding the man—now sporting a bruised lip—and leaving him helpless.

“What do you want?” Meng Chenxiao growled.

“Sui Sui is mine.” Ye Mingxu helped the drunken Yu Sui to a more comfortable position, then taunted the man on the floor. “I won’t divorce him. You can covet him all you want, but you’ll never have him in the open.”

Images of his husband’s resistance and Meng Chenxiao’s brazenness fueled him. No more holding back.

They’d crossed lines anyway—he had no reason to pretend otherwise.

Meng Chenxiao struggled, but with hands and feet secured, he couldn’t budge.

Meng Chenxiao could only watch helplessly as the two bared themselves to each other.

“Why are you pulling that face?” Ye Mingxu sneered. He drew the man into his arms for a kiss, his gaze full of provocation. “Have you forgotten that Yu Sui and I are the true husbands?”

“You!” Meng Chenxiao seethed with rage, yet he was utterly powerless.

It was as if Ye Mingxu meant to stab straight at his heart—or perhaps this was revenge.

He held Yu Sui close, making sure the man bound on the floor had a clear view of how he captured and sucked on Yu Sui’s tongue.

“Do you know what Sui Sui likes?” Ye Mingxu’s voice came out hoarse as he pulled back from Yu Sui. “He loves it most when…”

The man’s eyes darkened. Then his lips descended to Yu Sui’s collarbone.

Meng Chenxiao’s eyes burned red, but he couldn’t suppress the craving surging inside him. He cursed himself even as he stared without blinking.

Yu Sui, lost in slumber, had no idea what was happening to him, yet his body responded with utter honesty.

His breath hitched.

Ye Mingxu guided Yu Sui onto his stomach atop the pillows, trailing kisses down his back.

“Has Sui Sui been missing me?” Sensing the subtle struggle from the man in his arms, Ye Mingxu chuckled softly. “I’ve been missing Sui Sui, too.”

He kissed him again, his words muffled against Yu Sui’s skin.

Meng Chenxiao’s body went rigid.

He watched the intimate display between the two husbands, rage and resentment boiling within him. At the same time, he couldn’t help imagining how perfect it would feel if he were in Ye Mingxu’s place.

In his sleep, Yu Sui frowned uneasily. He began to struggle, but escape proved impossible.

Ye Mingxu was more patient than usual tonight.

What did it matter if the two of them were lovers locked in mutual bliss? His love for his own husband was perfectly natural, perfectly justified.

Hearing the uncontrolled sounds slipping from Yu Sui’s lips, Meng Chenxiao couldn’t hold back. “How can you take advantage of him like this while he’s asleep? You…”

“What right do you have to lecture me?” Ye Mingxu shot back, turning his gaze on the bound man. “Have you already forgotten what you were just trying to do?”

Meng Chenxiao fell silent, speechless.

Only then did Ye Mingxu cover Yu Sui’s body with a trail of kiss marks before testing the waters further.

Groggy and disoriented, Yu Sui sensed something amiss. He frowned and shook his head.

His eyes flew open in an instant—and there was Meng Chenxiao, bound on the floor.

Yu Sui blinked in confusion. What…?

Then he felt the hands gripping his waist tighten ever so slightly.

“Sui Sui, you’re awake.”

Long strands of hair brushed against Yu Sui’s cheek, accompanied by a puff of hot breath against his ear.

Yu Sui’s mind buzzed, going entirely blank.