Unmatched Chapter 13
byChapter 13: Shared Misfortune, No Shared Sympathy
The sky was just beginning to lighten when Zhao Shuyi was woken by the vibration of his phone.
As usual, he instinctively reached for the bedside, but his arm met a great resistance as he lifted it—someone was lying on top of him.
Zhao Shuyi paused, half-asleep, then snapped his eyes open, his gaze colliding with a bare chest pressed almost against his face.
It was Xie Qi’s.
“…”
The phone continued to ring incessantly. It wasn’t on his side; it was Xie Qi’s.
Zhao Shuyi frowned and nudged the person beside him awake: “Your phone.” It’s deafening.
Xie Qi’s brow was furrowed even tighter than his. He displayed his morning grumpiness before even opening his eyes, blindly reaching toward the source of the noise and pressing around until the sound finally vanished. Xie Qi slowly woke up, only to be caught off guard by Zhao Shuyi’s scrutinizing gaze. He jolted.
“…You’re awake,” Xie Qi stated the obvious.
“Mhm,” Zhao Shuyi replied.
They stared at each other, maintaining a mutual silence that lasted for a good while.
In the quiet bedroom, the only sound was the extremely low decibel of the air conditioner circulating cold air. He didn’t know what temperature the AC was set to, but the room felt a bit cold. The curtains weren’t fully closed, and morning light leaked through the gap; the sun was already high.
Everything was ordinary, nothing particularly noteworthy.
However, Zhao Shuyi and Xie Qi had slept together last night, which was slightly less than ordinary.
—But it wasn’t a big deal, either.
With that thought, Zhao Shuyi turned his back to Xie Qi, intending to sleep a little longer. It was still early.
He wasn’t wearing pajamas, and the quilt covered him up to the waist. His fair shoulders were covered in bite marks and hickeys, shocking at first glance.
But Zhao Shuyi himself didn’t know. He just felt a gaze on his back, but when he glanced over his shoulder, Xie Qi wasn’t looking at him.
The atmosphere was subtle.
“I’m hungry,” Xie Qi finally said, just to break the silence.
Zhao Shuyi was skilled at sarcasm and cleverly responded, “A big expenditure last night? Too tired?”
Xie Qi was about to answer “Yes,” but slammed on the brakes at the critical moment, changing his reply to a retort: “Not tired at all, who are you looking down on?”
A novice who had just tasted the forbidden fruit couldn’t stand mockery. Last night, he had repeatedly sought praise, but Zhao Shuyi was too stingy to give him a single compliment, which was infuriating.
Xie Qi’s gaze drifted from Zhao Shuyi’s shoulder down to his lower body, catching sight of his feet exposed outside the quilt.
A distinct ligature mark floated on the skin, and the scene from last night resurfaced: Zhao Shuyi’s ankles forced straight, his trembling legs…
It must have been quite uncomfortable.
The tie had been fastened too tightly and was only undone halfway through the third time.
They had done it three times in total.
Each time lasted longer than the last.
Xie Qi’s poor performance the first time needed no elaboration. He improved slightly the second time, but by the third, it was somewhat of a torment for Zhao Shuyi.
Xie Qi was naturally gifted in this area and quickly figured out how to elicit better reactions from Zhao Shuyi, then used every trick in the book, giving him no moment to catch his breath.
They only finished cleaning up and went to sleep close to two o’clock. Zhao Shuyi even forgot to take his sleeping pills, but fortunately, he was already too exhausted to need them and fell into a deep sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
His sleep quality was decent, but the duration was too short, and Zhao Shuyi was still very sleepy.
He wanted to close his eyes and continue sleeping, but Xie Qi moved closer from behind and gently poked him: “Zhao Shuyi.”
“Hmm?”
“Do your ankles hurt?” Xie Qi seemed unsure how to show concern, his tone stiff.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t answer.
Xie Qi looked at his calm profile, mentally reviewing what had happened last night, and suddenly asked, “Were you always the bottom before?”
Zhao Shuyi paused: “Of course not.”
Xie Qi seemed to be anticipating something, and after two seconds, he asked again, “Then were you… a first-timer too?”
“…” Zhao Shuyi laughed, all sleepiness gone.
“What do you think?” He answered ambiguously, turning over to press down on Xie Qi. He seemed to enjoy manipulating people, pinching Xie Qi’s chin and shattering the last shred of the pure young master’s fantasy. “Of course, I’m on top when I want to be, and on the bottom when I want to be. Otherwise, would you have had a chance?”
Xie Qi abruptly shoved him off.
Zhao Shuyi’s body swayed, nearly falling onto the bed. He said displeasedly, “It’s good enough that I’m not holding it against you. Don’t push your luck.”
He thought to himself that Xie Qi wasn’t very straight, but his male chauvinism was quite severe.
And he had just thought Xie Qi’s reaction was a little cute.
But it was normal. A person who had guarded his chastity so carefully would naturally have high standards for a partner, probably dreaming of a lifelong, exclusive relationship.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t argue with him and got out of bed to find clothes. Stopping at the bedroom door, Zhao Shuyi suddenly said, “If you don’t like it, then forget it. We were just sleeping together casually anyway. You’re being so serious, you’re not going to ask me to take responsibility, are you?”
His implication was that if Xie Qi felt unbalanced, he was free to sleep with others, and Zhao Shuyi wouldn’t stop him.
Besides, how else could he take responsibility? They were already legally married.
Only after getting out of bed did Zhao Shuyi realize his ankles were sore, and he walked with a slight limp; he might have sprained them.
But he didn’t show any sign of pain, walking nonchalantly toward his own room without looking back at Xie Qi’s reaction.
Breakfast was prepared by the housekeeper, who also did a full house cleaning.
Zhao Shuyi had already changed into a suit and ate breakfast with Xie Qi before heading out. The dining table was large, and they sat on opposite sides, as if a boundary separated them, making even a glance at the other a violation.
While eating, Xie Qi made a phone call:
“I’m not busy today.
“Yeah, I’m not in the mood.
“No reason, just annoyed after getting married, it’s boring.
“You guys go have fun.
“Du Yan? Who said I’m her fan? She was the one who asked me out. What else would we do? Go to her place to watch a movie.
“Yes, I’m going. Why wouldn’t I?
“Whether I like her or not is none of your business, stop asking.”
Zhao Shuyi got up from the table, took his empty plate to the kitchen, and when he returned, Xie Qi was still on the phone, but the person had changed, seemingly the actress named Du Yan.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but Xie Qi wasn’t trying to hide the conversation, making it hard not to hear.
They seemed to be planning to meet that afternoon. Hearing this, Zhao Shuyi couldn’t help but interject, “Are you going on a date this afternoon?”
Xie Qi glanced at him coldly: “What? Is that a problem?”
“No problem,” Zhao Shuyi said.
Xie Qi asked, “Then why are you asking?”
Zhao Shuyi replied, “Nothing, you go ahead.”
“…”
Xie Qi stared intently at him for a few seconds: “Spit it out, what are you hinting at?”
The call was still connected. The actress on the other end heard the conversation, said hello, and tactfully hung up. Xie Qi put down his phone, still staring at Zhao Shuyi, trying to figure out what he was up to.
Zhao Shuyi said, “I’m going to see Grandfather this afternoon. I was going to ask you to come along, but since you have a date, never mind.”
They hadn’t visited each other’s parents since the wedding. Although neither side cared much, appearances still had to be maintained.
Xie Qi was silent for a moment: “I can reschedule.”
Zhao Shuyi nodded: “Alright, let’s go together another day.”
Xie Qi clarified, “I mean I can reschedule the date.”
“Oh.” Zhao Shuyi hadn’t expected him to be so cooperative. He politely said, “Thank you.”
“…”
Their relationship was truly strange. After sleeping together and having a fight, they were back to being courteous strangers.
This proved that there might not be eternal, unwavering devotion in the world, but there were interest-based relationships that couldn’t be broken even by cataclysm.
Around two in the afternoon, Zhao Shuyi drove himself and Xie Qi to visit Zhao Fengli in the suburbs.
He had applied some ointment to his foot, and it was much better. Xie Qi in the passenger seat kept staring out the window, seemingly having no desire to talk, but ten minutes into the drive, he suddenly spoke without warning: “I didn’t mean it that way this morning.”
Zhao Shuyi had just barely made it through a yellow light and was focused on the navigation: “What?”
Xie Qi fell silent again.
In his peripheral vision, the car window faced the afternoon sun. Xie Qi’s profile was slightly blurred in the halo of light, as if a filter had been applied, giving him a look of aged time.
Zhao Shuyi suddenly recalled an old memory.
—He and Xie Qi had briefly been neighbors in the same residential area for a few years.
It wasn’t a coincidence. Although Fengjing City was large, there were only a few areas where land was worth its weight in gold. Both the Zhao Family and the Xie Family owned multiple properties and had moved houses.
At the time, they lived in Fenglin—the villa area where Qin Zhi currently resided. The neighbors were all wealthy and influential, belonging to the same circle, and information exchange was frequent; there were virtually no secrets.
Everyone knew that Zhao Shuyi and his mother didn’t get along, that his Second Uncle was constantly visiting, and that adults and children were always fighting.
They also knew that Xie Qi’s father was promiscuous and often brought women home to stay the night, ignoring his son’s rebellious behavior.
Zhao Shuyi and Xie Qi were both considered pitiful children by their neighbors.
But though they shared the misfortune, they didn’t share sympathy.
Once, Zhao Shuyi, then in the first grade of primary school, ran away from home again after arguing with his mother. He was walking his Samoyed, a dog nearly as tall as him but not fierce at all, which was foolishly running wild on the lawn of the community’s central plaza. Zhao Shuyi, carrying a small schoolbag full of cash, couldn’t keep up and cursed angrily, “Stupid dog! Stop!”
The Samoyed didn’t listen and lunged forward. The leash slipped from Zhao Shuyi’s hand, forcing him to fall, scraping his chin on the grass.
A burst of laughter came from behind: “Hahahahaha!”
Xie Qi, who had appeared unnoticed, clapped his hands in delight. He immediately knew what Zhao Shuyi was doing and mocked him, “You finally got kicked out by your mom! Nobody wants you anymore!”
Zhao Shuyi stood up quickly and said coldly, “She’s my biological mother; she wouldn’t kick me out. You should worry about yourself! Your dad is going to marry a mistress and give you a little brother!”
They immediately started fighting. The Samoyed ran back from a distance, looked at them, and, as if cheering them on, nudged Xie Qi with its furry head, then nudged Zhao Shuyi.
Zhao Shuyi cursed again, “Stupid dog, whose side are you on! Bite him!”
However, his dog recognized Xie Qi and just thought they were playing, panting and wagging its tail wildly.
Zhao Shuyi couldn’t recall who won or lost that day.
He only remembered that he intensely disliked Xie Qi then, yet he didn’t reject or even enjoyed seeing him, because only by meeting this boy could he find a sense of comfort that he wasn’t the most miserable person.
Xie Qi probably thought the same, which was why he came looking for trouble every day.
How could they have imagined that twenty years later, they would be married and have slept together?
Zhao Shuyi glanced at the person in the passenger seat, his mood complicated. Xie Qi thought he was asking about the sentence he hadn’t heard clearly earlier, and after a moment of hesitation, he repeated, “I didn’t mean it that way this morning.”
Zhao Shuyi was stunned. Xie Qi continued, “Can we just get along? I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”