Unmatched Chapter 30
byChapter 30 The Capable Partner
Once certain things begin, they quickly spiral out of control.
Xie Qi discovered that Zhao Shuyi liked hearing him call him Gege, and he kept calling him that all the way home. In less than an hour’s drive, Zhao Shuyi’s ears were practically calloused from the repetition.
Not only did he call him, but Xie Qi also dug for details: “Why does that title make you so excited?”
Zhao Shuyi didn’t want to admit it: “It’s alright.”
Xie Qi laughed: “Still pretending? When I was helping you just now, you pulled out several strands of my hair. It hurt like hell.”
Zhao Shuyi: “…”
Actually, compared to Xie Qi’s endless calling of Gege, Zhao Shuyi was more surprised that he had helped him orally without any psychological barrier.
If the roles were reversed, Zhao Shuyi would be quite reluctant. So, at least half of his excitement just now came from Xie Qi’s “compliance.”
Zhao Shuyi didn’t want to be too direct, so he played silent by looking down and replying to messages on his phone.
Xie Qi was in a good mood and didn’t mind whether he answered or not, talking to himself: “Men who like being called Gege by their partners usually have a bit of a need for control.”
His analysis was surprisingly accurate. “Do you like the obedient type? …No wonder you don’t like me. You really have poor taste.”
Zhao Shuyi was speechless for a moment: “I like someone who is compatible with me.”
“What do you mean by compatible?”
“Someone who understands me, respects me, supports me, and doesn’t argue.”
“…”
That was asking too much of Xie Qi. He could barely manage… Forget it, he didn’t seem to meet a single criterion.
Xie Qi stopped talking. Zhao Shuyi thought he was upset and glanced at his expression out of the corner of his eye, only to see Xie Qi looking troubled, seemingly struggling with something.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t ask, leaning back lazily in the passenger seat to rest. He couldn’t sleep soundly in the car. Half-dreaming, half-awake, he sensed the car entering the residential area—they were home.
The night air was cool, and Zhao Shuyi wrapped his coat tightly around himself as he got out.
Xie Qi went to the back seat to retrieve the dolls—all eight of them. They each carried half upstairs. Zhao Shuyi voiced his objection: “So many. Where are we going to put them later?”
“By the bed, of course,” Xie Qi said. “Don’t you think they’re cute? They make me happy just looking at them.”
“…”
They were cute, but he couldn’t imagine being watched by a group of small animals while they were having sex in bed. It was too bizarre.
The thought of that scene was unbearable for Zhao Shuyi. He ignored Xie Qi’s complaints and moved the dolls to the study, storing them in the glass cabinet.
Xie Qi had no choice but to carefully arrange the dolls, treating them with the utmost caution like precious collectibles. He even took a group photo of the “Eight Little Ones.”
Saturday passed leisurely like this. It had been a long time since Zhao Shuyi had such a complete day off. Xie Qi, however, said this was just the beginning and that they should go on dates often in the future.
That night, things naturally led to them making love.
Frequent sex was actually quite exhausting, but when the mood struck, no one cared about the physical drain; they couldn’t help themselves.
They started in the bedroom and moved to the bathroom for the second half. Afterward, they returned to the room to sleep.
Zhao Shuyi closed his eyes drowsily. Just as his consciousness was about to slip into slumber, Xie Qi suddenly leaned close to his ear without warning and said, “Hey, I can be compatible with you too.”
“Hmm?” Zhao Shuyi was groggy.
Xie Qi bit his ear and said resentfully, “Isn’t it just understanding you, respecting you, supporting you, and not arguing with you? Straight-man taste, liking a capable partner—who can’t do that? I can do it too.”
“…”
Zhao Shuyi’s sleepiness vanished, and he nearly burst out laughing.
Xie Qi’s expression was like that of a defeated party forced to cede territory and pay reparations after a war between two nations. He pulled the quilt up and covered his head: “I mean what I say. Just you wait and see.”
By the sound of it, he was going to start acting as the “capable partner”?
Zhao Shuyi really wanted to “see” right away. Unfortunately, a work emergency came up, and he wasn’t free on Sunday either. He had to go on a business trip out of town and couldn’t stay with Xie Qi.
The secretary had booked the flight. Ye Zhao personally came to pick him up early in the morning to accompany Zhao Shuyi on the trip.
Secretary Ye was young and good-looking, and reportedly single.
As soon as he entered the door, Xie Qi scrutinized him several times.
Xie Qi had seen him a few times before and was actually quite familiar with him. But Young Master Xie’s thoughts were unpredictable. Although he had never found fault with Ye Zhao before, for some reason, he suddenly found the man irritating now.
They ate a quick breakfast. Zhao Shuyi changed into his suit and left with Ye Zhao. Before they even reached the airport, he received a WeChat message from Xie Qi.
Xie Qi asked: “Is your secretary straight?”
Zhao Shuyi found it baffling: “I don’t know. I don’t manage his private life.”
Xie Qi was displeased: “You don’t even know his sexual orientation. How can you feel safe having him by your side?”
Zhao Shuyi: “…”
They were a legitimate company doing legitimate business. What was there to worry about?
Zhao Shuyi remembered their conversation from last night and found it amusing: “Xie Qi, is this how you plan to be a ‘capable partner’? By distrusting me and being jealous?”
Xie Qi: “…”
After sending that, Xie Qi didn’t reply for a long time. Zhao Shuyi thought he had nothing more to say and was about to put down his phone when a new message suddenly chimed.
Xie Qi: “Okay, Gege, I know I was wrong. Actually, even if you and Secretary Ye have something going on, it’s fine. You work so hard, how can you de-stress without someone helping you? I understand.”
Zhao Shuyi: “?”
Xie Qi: “No matter how many people you sleep with outside, as long as there’s a place for me at home, I’ll be very satisfied and happy. I will never make things difficult for you. I’ll wait for you to come home obediently.”
It was accompanied by a heart emoji.
“…” Zhao Shuyi felt as if he had been struck by lightning and was speechless for a long time.
Ye Zhao, driving in the front, glanced at him in the mirror and asked worriedly, “Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”
Zhao Shuyi shook his head: “I’m fine. Xie Qi is just acting up.”
Ye Zhao choked slightly, unsure if this was a joke or how he should respond.
In fact, Ye Zhao, having been trained by the Old Master as a private secretary, was assigned to Zhao Shuyi’s side and also served as a bodyguard and butler. He knew a lot about the Zhao Family’s private affairs. If Zhao Shuyi needed it, he could also provide services beyond official business, such as psychological counseling regarding his private life.
Ye Zhao proactively asked, “Have you and Mr. Xie reconciled?”
“Yes,” Zhao Shuyi replied. “We’ll see how it goes for now.”
This was a reserved man who didn’t like heart-to-heart talks. Ye Zhao didn’t press further and wisely changed the subject, discussing the details of the business trip.
They chatted intermittently, and Zhao Shuyi’s phone rang again.
Xie Qi was much more idle than him. He had said he would enjoy the weekend properly, and he was apparently doing a deep clean at home.
Zhao Shuyi clicked on the photo he sent:
In the picture, Xie Qi was wearing an apron, standing in the middle of the living room, holding a broom in his left hand and a rag in his right, glancing casually at the camera. He created a natural impression of being caught in the middle of hard work.
Judging from the angle, he probably had a tripod set up opposite him—he was trying very hard to stage the shot.
Xie Qi shamelessly fished for compliments: “Am I not capable? Zhao Shuyi, good husbands like this are hard to find nowadays, you know?”
Zhao Shuyi didn’t give him face: “Sweeping the floor makes you capable? I might as well buy a robot vacuum; it cleans better than you.”
Xie Qi: “…”
With that said, Xie Qi finally couldn’t maintain the facade. Asking him not to argue with Zhao Shuyi was like asking him to die.
He sent a sneering emoji and retorted: “Can a robot vacuum screw you? It can’t, but I can.”
Zhao Shuyi: “…”