Chapter 57: The Incompetent Husband 12 Part 2

He brought up the movie theater incident, leaving Yu Sui completely in the dark. No, wait—this…

“You want me to be a tool to spice up your marriage? Think again.” Meng Chenxiao saw that he wasn’t responding and took another step forward. “You were the one who provoked me first.”

“Wait…” Yu Sui cut him off. “You… you toward me?”

“Still playing dumb? You know exactly how I feel about you, yet you heartlessly made me watch you two being intimate. You’re really something else.” Meng Chenxiao gritted his teeth.

“No, you… what do you feel about Ye Mingxu?” Yu Sui asked uneasily from the depths of his heart.

He kept backing away.

“Why doesn’t he just drop dead?” Meng Chenxiao spat viciously.

Yu Sui froze. “System…”

[Host…]

Man and system fell silent.

“Yu Sui, even if you two don’t divorce, you’re not shaking me off that easily.” Meng Chenxiao continued.

Yu Sui rubbed his face. “I’m not feeling well. I’m taking the day off.”

With that, he turned and left.

Meng Chenxiao stared at his retreating back, his expression twisting. So his wife really was the most important person in his heart?

He would abandon Meng Chenxiao for him.

He clenched his fists, seething with unwillingness.

Yu Sui didn’t go home. Instead, he headed to the coffee shop next to the company, ordered a cup of coffee at random, and sat by the window. His expression was incredibly grim.

“Your deductions were all wrong,” he said through gritted teeth.

[What? All that senior’s experience was fake?] The system’s tone carried surprise. [I got duped? My energy! I wasted all my energy!]

The system was dealt a heavy blow too.

Yu Sui choked back a response. “What now?”

[Why didn’t the plot show any errors?] The system sounded shocked. [Let me check.]

The system went quiet. Yu Sui slowly sipped his coffee, his mind grinding to a halt.

[Host.] The system spoke up. [The mission wasn’t wrong. This means as long as the location and people are right, whether it’s A with B or A with C, the mission will still show as complete.]

“So what was the point of all our previous analysis?” Yu Sui’s face darkened.

[I was too foolish.] The system wailed in regret. [I trusted fake advice. Waaah…]

Hearing that the system had even used the bit of experience it earned from the last world—and now it was all reset to zero—Yu Sui couldn’t bring himself to blame it.

“Taking shortcuts never ends well,” Yu Sui said, rubbing his temples. “So what next…”

[Let me summarize the key locations for you.] The system said. [Like the coffee shop bathroom, your home…]

Yu Sui glanced over those scenes, his body going rigid. “You’re not making me actually do it, right?”

[Don’t worry. Because of the system’s settings, it can’t scan mosaics. It only judges based on people and locations. As long as you check in at those spots, it’ll be fine.]

Yu Sui considered that a silver lining amid the misfortune. But…

“Then I… I…”

He thought back to everything he’d endured…

[You’re a straight guy in a tough spot.] The system said sympathetically. [Oh, right…]

The system suddenly remembered something. [Since the two characters deviated from the original plot, I reported it upstairs. We’ll definitely get compensation. You can make some requests for the next mission.]

“Can I just be a proper straight guy?” Yu Sui pleaded. “No romantic involvement with the protagonist—hostile is better. Please.”

[I will definitely pass that along.]

Yu Sui massaged his temples and began thinking about the next mission.

Things had already gone this far. He couldn’t change what had happened, so he had to look forward.

Meng Chenxiao wasn’t giving up. He had someone investigate Ye Mingxu. He refused to believe the man was squeaky clean.

Yu Sui wandered around outside all day before heading home at quitting time.

Ye Mingxu had simmered a pot of soup early. He wanted to nourish his husband.

Hearing the door open, he came out of the kitchen. Seeing no annoying presence, his face lit up with a smile.

Yu Sui caught his expression and awkwardly looked away.

“Sui Sui, busy day?” Ye Mingxu helped him out of his coat. No trace of any other cologne—he let out a breath of relief.

Yu Sui shook his head.

After changing into house slippers and washing his hands, he sat down at the table.

Ye Mingxu brought out the soup.

Yu Sui’s eyelid twitched at the sight of all those supplements.

He had no appetite. After dinner, his wife naturally wanted to share a room with him.

Now that Yu Sui knew he was into him, it felt even more awkward.

“Let’s talk.”

Ye Mingxu paused in making the bed and looked at him. His expression gradually turned serious. “What do you want to say?”

“It just feels like our relationship is moving too fast…” Yu Sui forced the words out.

Ye Mingxu hesitated. “Sui Sui…”

“I… I want…” Yu Sui gazed at him. “To take it slow… get to know each other… and then…”

He tested the waters.

“Date?” Ye Mingxu’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah.” Yu Sui nodded. “Is that okay?”

Ye Mingxu’s eyes curved into a smile. “Sui Sui.”

He hugged Yu Sui and kissed his cheek before letting go. “I’m… I’m… I’m so happy…”

Yu Sui touched his cheek. “You should rest early.”

“Mm.” The corners of Ye Mingxu’s mouth lifted.

There was no trace of Meng Chenxiao’s cologne on Yu Sui today. Did that mean he’d dumped that guy and chosen to return to the family?

In an excellent mood, Ye Mingxu went back to his room.

Yu Sui breathed a sigh of relief, then went to the bathroom to shower.

He didn’t notice the hidden camera’s red light flickering.

Yu Sui bit his lip, his expression pained. The discomfort in his body was all too obvious.

He tried his best to ignore it.

After coming out to apply medicine, he slipped under the covers.

Over the next few days, the two treated each other with utmost courtesy. Ye Mingxu only hugged him and kissed his cheek—no further advances.

He could sense his husband’s shyness, and sweetness welled up in his heart.

With Ye Mingxu stabilized, Yu Sui turned his thoughts to what to do about Meng Chenxiao.

His boss hadn’t said anything like that again or crossed any lines. It seemed he’d figured things out.

But Yu Sui didn’t dare hope the plot would twist back to normal.

That day, Ye Mingxu wrapped up his cases early and left the law firm—only to run into Meng Chenxiao, who had been waiting.

“Let’s talk.”

Ye Mingxu raised an eyebrow and followed him into the car.

In the back seat, Meng Chenxiao handed him a folder.

Puzzled, Ye Mingxu opened it. When he finished reading, his body stiffened. “You…”

“You married Yu Sui at first to get revenge.” Meng Chenxiao watched him. “What if I tell him that…”

Ye Mingxu gripped the papers tightly.

“If he finds out you started by deceiving him, will he still like you?” Meng Chenxiao narrowed his eyes.

Ye Mingxu clenched his fingers, keeping his face calm. “You’re not confessing this to Yu Sui. You’re telling me instead…”

“Yu Sui dumped you, didn’t he?”

He was almost certain.

Sure enough, Meng Chenxiao’s expression soured.

“But that might not hold going forward.”

“What’s your goal?” Ye Mingxu cut the nonsense.

“Divorce him.” Meng Chenxiao said.

“Impossible.” Ye Mingxu shook his head without hesitation.

“Then I’ll give this info to Yu Sui.” Meng Chenxiao replied. “You’ll end up divorced anyway.”

Deep down, he wasn’t so sure—after all, Yu Sui had tolerated the man’s outrageous demands.

Confronting Ye Mingxu was just a gamble. “What, is your relationship only held together by marriage?”

“You want us to divorce so you can swoop in?” Ye Mingxu saw right through him.

Meng Chenxiao said nothing.

Ye Mingxu opened the car door, clutching the folder.

He’d deliberately buried this memory. He hadn’t expected…

It was indeed a bombshell. Yu Sui loved him so much—if he learned that the initial affection was fake, that he’d married him just to mock him…

Ye Mingxu’s hands grew ice-cold, but he didn’t run from it.

That evening, Yu Sui came home to find the lights off. He flicked them on and jumped at the sight of someone sitting in the living room. “Why are you sitting in the dark?”

“Sui Sui.” Ye Mingxu looked at him. “There’s something I need to confess.”

Yu Sui closed the door, puzzled. “What?”

“I…” Ye Mingxu’s voice was dry. “I’m sorry.”

He bit his lip, head lowered, and explained his original intentions.

Yu Sui paused. “What?”

[What?] The system was stunned too. [The protagonist shou’s supposed love-obsessed act was fake? What? How did I not know about this hidden plot?]

Ye Mingxu looked up, guilt written across his face. “I… Sui Sui…”

Yu Sui’s mind raced with questions. The system didn’t know about way too much.

Seeing his husband fall silent, Ye Mingxu grew anxious. “Sui Sui, you…”

“Let me think about it.” Yu Sui walked into the bedroom.

Ye Mingxu watched his back, his heart in turmoil, but he didn’t disturb him.

Yu Sui closed the door and sat down on the bed. “System, I have a few questions for you.”

[Go ahead.]

“What is all the plot information you obtained about this world? Please tell me,” Yu Sui said.

The System recited it word for word. [Perhaps it’s due to limitations in perspective, so…]

“So, the script I saw isn’t necessarily the real one?” Yu Sui raised an eyebrow. “Was it the same in the previous world?”

[Probably.] The System couldn’t say for sure either.

“Are you a newbie System?” Yu Sui asked, noticing something odd about it again.

[I… I…] The System stammered, [Actually… actually, my memories from the previous world have been blocked too.]

Yu Sui frowned. “Is that so?”

Something felt off.

[What should we do?]

“Why did you bind to me?” Yu Sui asked curiously.

[Random, I suppose.] The System couldn’t confirm.

“Do you remember the scene when you bound to me?” Yu Sui pressed.

[Yeah, you were on the verge of death.] The System remembered that much, [Lying in bed with a deathly pale face.]

“How old am I?” Yu Sui asked finally.

[You’re young.] The System sounded puzzled, [A college student. What’s wrong?]

“I just feel like…” Yu Sui shook his head. “Never mind.”

How had something as heaven-defying as reversing fate and cheating death landed on his head? Yu Sui sank into thought, beginning to suspect the true purpose behind his resurrection.

He rose and approached the mirror, staring at the face within. Through that unfamiliar shell, he gazed deep into himself.

[What are you looking at?]

“Under what circumstances does one feel both estranged from and familiar with oneself?” Yu Sui asked.

[I don’t get that either.] Apology colored the System’s tone.

“It’s fine.” Yu Sui pulled his gaze away and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

His hair hung wet and dripping now, and the odd sensations on his body had faded entirely. Yu Sui had been dodging those feelings before, but now he let the memories resurface.

That deliberate acceptance he’d pushed aside…

It seemed the System knew far less than it let on, and even its understandings were off base. So its claim that he was straight…

Yu Sui pressed his lips together.

He dried his hair, then hopped online to search.

Sure enough, some people weren’t picky about such things—but that didn’t make them straight. Truly straight guys couldn’t stomach any of it.

So… was he deeply closeted?