Unmatched Chapter 51

“I’ll listen to you.” It was rare for Zhao Shuyi to say this.

They left the hospital and finished breakfast. The snow had stopped, leaving the streets dirty and wet from the melting agent. The sun was hidden by thick clouds, and the wind remained cold.

It was a rest day, so the roads were somewhat congested. As Xie Qi drove, he repeatedly savored the words Zhao Shuyi had inadvertently spoken. After arriving home and showering, they prepared to catch up on sleep. The moment they lay down, he was still muttering, “You’ll listen to me?”

He looked possessed.

Zhao Shuyi was finally amused. He closed his eyes and humored him, “Yes, I’ll listen to you.”

“Then don’t sleep yet,” Xie Qi said. “Let’s play a Q&A game.”

“What kind of Q&A game?”

“Very simple. I ask, you answer.”

“Fine.”

They lay facing each other, sharing a pillow. Xie Qi hugged Zhao Shuyi’s waist tightly, almost touching his lips, and posed the first question: “Were you full after breakfast?”

“Yes, I was full.”

“How are you feeling now?”

“Not bad. I’ve recovered.”

“When did you fall in love with me?”

Zhao Shuyi paused. “Your questions have a huge span.”

“No avoiding it,” Xie Qi gave him the rule he’d just made up.

“Let me think.” Zhao Shuyi tried to evade, but Xie Qi pinched his cheek to keep him still, preventing him from breaking eye contact. “Alright, actually, I don’t know.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true. I’m quite… slow in this regard.”

The feelings that had already sprouted needed to sting him, hurt him until he bled, until the wound couldn’t heal, before he could realize their existence. If asked when the seed was planted, when it took root and sprouted, he was completely lost.

“Maybe it was very early, in Shencheng, or even earlier.”

Although the answer wasn’t precise, Xie Qi was very satisfied. “If that’s the case, then the night we argued after coming home from your birthday—your plea for me to stay wasn’t a side effect of the medicine. You genuinely didn’t want me to leave, right?”

“…Right.”

“Why did you argue with me?”

Zhao Shuyi paused again. What kind of Q&A game was this? It was all questions and answers with none of the fun of a “game,” and it was always Xie Qi asking and him answering. It was so unfair.

“Hurry up and tell me.” Xie Qi urged him with a kiss, sounding a little wronged. “I still don’t understand why you treated me like that that day.”

How should he answer this? Even after expressing his love, Zhao Shuyi was still unaccustomed to being completely honest. He was allergic to the sweet game of two people opening their hearts and whispering sweet nothings.

But while allergic, he also hoped he could become a little more “normal,” and stop making Xie Qi sad because of him.

Zhao Shuyi struggled for a long time. “I ran into your stepmother that day. She told me… you used to like someone else.”

Xie Qi was stunned for a moment.

“So I was unhappy,” Zhao Shuyi had never been this embarrassed in his life. “I was jealous, and I lost control of my emotions—there, I’ve said it. Are you satisfied now?”

He broke free from Xie Qi’s embrace and turned his back.

“Hey?” Xie Qi looked like he had discovered a new continent. “Hey, hey? What are you doing? Why are you hiding?”

Xie Qi hooked his waist from behind, kissing the back of his neck and his profile. After a few kisses, he suddenly burst out laughing. “You wouldn’t be shy, would you, Zhao Shuyi?”

“So Brother Zhao Shuyi gets jealous,” Xie Qi wouldn’t let it go. “Aiya, that’s truly rare.”

The certain someone was probably born under the sign of the dog. As soon as the misunderstanding was cleared up, he was overjoyed, hugging and kissing Zhao Shuyi wildly, rubbing against him left and right. His dog paws slipped inside the pajamas, harassing him without restraint.

Zhao Shuyi was left breathless. Knowing that the only way to handle Xie Qi was to be more aggressive, he pressed the back of his head and initiated a kiss.

They hadn’t been intimate for too long, and their passion overcame their fatigue. Once they started, it was unstoppable.

They were even more exhausted afterward, but deeply satisfied. Zhao Shuyi yawned, sleeping in Xie Qi’s arms, vaguely hearing him say something about the “Q&A game not being over.” He smiled and said, “Next time.”

When he woke up again, the afternoon sun was streaming through the window, and the phone charging in the living room rang.

Zhao Shuyi nudged the person who had been awake for a while. “Get my phone for me.”

“It’s far away. Why are you charging it in the living room?” Xie Qi seized the opportunity to negotiate. “Call me ‘Hubby’ and I’ll serve you.”

Zhao Shuyi decided to help himself.

The moment he got out of bed, Xie Qi followed, like a human rice cake, listening in as he answered the call from behind and kissing his neck.

Before Zhao Shuyi could react, Xie Qi got worked up first. Recognizing Ye Zhao’s voice on the other end, he snatched the phone and hung up. “It’s Sunday today. Don’t torment Secretary Ye. He needs rest too, President Zhao.”

“He called me first.”

“You could have ignored it.” Xie Qi pushed him onto the sofa. “I don’t believe a subordinate can force a superior to work overtime. Why are you all such workaholics?—Anyway, you have to listen to me today and rest with me.”

“Fine.” Zhao Shuyi closed his eyes, enjoying Xie Qi’s massage. But he had too many things weighing on his mind to truly relax.

He remembered something. “Oh, right, Xie Qi.”

“Hmm?”

“I think I’ve guessed where you got all that money.”

Xie Qi’s shoulder massage paused.

“Did you beg your father for my sake? What compromise did you make?” Zhao Shuyi asked. “Does it have something to do with your stepmother?”

Xie Qi answered with a question instead. “Can you stop bringing up money? Am I not your husband? Do you have to question me about buying you a few things?”

“‘A few things’?” If ten billion could be measured in “a few,” Zhao Shuyi was impressed. “I’m not concerned about the money. I just… want to know what you sacrificed for me, and if I can make it up to you.”

Xie Qi was uncooperative, so Zhao Shuyi turned back and stared at him seriously, mimicking his tone: “Aren’t we family? Why are you hiding things from me?”

Xie Qi had no choice but to confess. “There was a small compromise, nothing major.”

“Such as?”

“My dad felt my attitude toward his wife was too poor, and it sounded bad when word got out. She was losing face in her social circles. So he wanted to elevate her status, allocate her some assets, and make me respect her.”

If they were a normal family, Xie Qi should respect his stepmother, as she was an elder.

But what kind of affection could Li Yin and Xie Jianhe possibly have? In Xie Qi’s words, his father was useless except for being rich, his figure had expanded horizontally, and he couldn’t keep his pants on even after remarrying, keeping mistresses, fourth parties, fifth parties—the count was endless.

Li Yin didn’t care at all. She was clearly and openly raking in money from start to finish. She didn’t even bother to maintain a good relationship with Xie Qi. Maintaining surface peace was difficult, and she hadn’t stopped trying to trip him up.

Afraid that Zhao Shuyi would worry, Xie Qi downplayed it. “It was my dad’s assets that were divided to her. I didn’t lose anything, so don’t overthink it.”

Even though he said that, Zhao Shuyi knew Xie Qi had a complex about this.

He hated Xie Jianhe for being ungrateful and betraying his deceased mother, and he didn’t want a single penny to go to an outsider.

But for Zhao Shuyi, any principle could be broken.

“You really are—” Zhao Shuyi didn’t know how to express it and hugged him tightly. “You make me feel so guilty.”

“Then love me more.” Xie Qi seized the opportunity to act up again. “Call me Hubby.”

Zhao Shuyi was silent.

It was too difficult. Zhao Shuyi doubted he would ever be able to say it.

But if he didn’t say it, Xie Qi would use both soft and hard tactics endlessly, wearing him down until he finally, reluctantly, called out “Hubby.”

Xie Qi complained that it wasn’t affectionate enough. “Again.”

“You’ve had enough.”

“I’m far from enough, alright?” Xie Qi picked up his phone. “I’m setting three alarms for you: 9 AM, 1 PM, and 9 PM. Three ‘Hubbys’ a day. Practice makes perfect. Remember to practice on time.”

Zhao Shuyi was speechless.

There was still serious business they hadn’t finished discussing, but with this distraction, Zhao Shuyi forgot what he wanted to say.

Xie Qi was the type of person who got easily sad and easily happy. The dark clouds in Zhao Shuyi’s heart hadn’t completely dispersed, but Xie Qi had already cleared up, forcefully infecting him, occasionally saying strange, adorable things that made him laugh.

Perhaps “adorable” wasn’t the right word. After all, this young master prided himself on being dashing, elegant, and a rare, well-rounded good husband in this era of rampant insincerity—Zhao Shuyi remained silent on this, but couldn’t actually refute it.

So, what should a good husband look like? Handsome, sophisticated, and steady.

Definitely not adorable.

They idled away the time.

In the afternoon, Xie Qi started unpacking packages again. Zhao Shuyi watched him like a supervisor. “Why did you buy so many dishes?”

He had wanted to ask for a long time.

Xie Qi replied, “Guess.”

“I can’t guess.” Zhao Shuyi teased, “Do you really enjoy being a househusband?”

“You’re so dense.” Xie Qi said. “I’ve noticed you keep staring at me lately, afraid I’ll leave, so I bought some household items to comfort you.”

“How is this comforting?”

“Can your business brain spare a little attention for domestic life?” Xie Qi sighed dramatically. “Buying kitchenware means I want to live with you long-term. Is that so hard to understand?”

“…It is hard.”

How could there be such an unromantic person in the world?

Xie Qi couldn’t do anything about Zhao Shuyi, but it didn’t matter. He kissed him fiercely a couple of times to vent his frustration.

However, even as he pinned Zhao Shuyi to the sofa, kissing his eyes red, Zhao Shuyi was still capable of thinking about serious matters. He pushed him away. “Xie Qi, I just thought of something.”

“Now what?” The young master was displeased and insisted on kissing him enough.

Zhao Shuyi said between kisses, “I originally wanted to pay your father back quickly so you wouldn’t have to suffer any grievances. But I suddenly thought, why don’t we not pay him back? Give the money to you instead. You can invest it or do whatever you want with it under your personal name. The grievance has already been suffered, so you might as well gain some practical benefit.”

Xie Qi smiled. “You really think of me.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“It is, but I don’t want you to pay back the money.” Xie Qi gripped his jaw, looking unprecedentedly serious. “Zhao Shuyi, if you dare mention the word ‘money’ again, I will genuinely get angry, the kind that can’t be easily appeased.”

His lips were sealed, preventing him from speaking. Zhao Shuyi struggled a few times, only to be kissed harder.

Since the conversation had reached this point, what more could he say?

Looking at it from another perspective, husband and wife were one entity. If he wanted to give Xie Qi financial benefits, there would be other opportunities in the future.

Seeing his agreement, Xie Qi calmed down.

It was already dark. They had been messing around on the sofa for a long time. The young master looked completely satisfied and slowly said, “Actually, I’m already gaining benefits. Did you think I was going to rely on my dad’s favor forever, instead of transferring assets to my own name?”

“You’ve gotten smarter.”

“I’ve always been smart, alright?”

Zhao Shuyi chuckled. “Have you? Why do I feel like someone is particularly dense?”

“Who? Not me.” Xie Qi straightened his face. “Even if I were dense, I’d be smarter than you.”

If time were rewound to before their marriage, Zhao Shuyi would never have worried about Xie Qi being taken advantage of.

As nominal arch-enemies, he was well aware of Xie Qi’s methods. No illegitimate child could ever gain an advantage over him.

The Xie Qi in his eyes back then was ambitious, strong-willed, and decisive in both public and private matters.

But now, who was this love-struck idiot and clingy fool? Was this really Young Master Xie?

Was this his true nature being exposed, or did Zhao Shuyi have a special filter for him?

It was probably both.

“Xie Qi, have you ever considered,” Zhao Shuyi said, “if the person you married wasn’t me, what situation would we be in now?”

“The same as before, I guess.” Xie Qi buried his head in his neck. “The Marriage Arrangement was forced, but I seriously considered it… since it was impossible with you, I would just live for my mother.”

This was his self-comfort when he was at his wit’s end, but he never expected fate to play a joke on him.

—Everyone had their own agenda, and no one knew about his secret crush, yet they brought him and Zhao Shuyi together.

Xie Qi was filled with mixed emotions and boundless love. Thousands of kisses wouldn’t be enough. “Zhao Shuyi, actually, the enemies, rivals, and sworn adversaries they talk about—that’s not us.”

“Oh?”

“We are a match made in heaven—a union that even the heavens couldn’t bear to break apart.”