Unmatched Chapter 7
byChapter 7 Cohabitation
The engagement ceremony went smoothly.
Regardless of their true feelings, Zhao Shuyi and Xie Qi had to maintain appearances, acting as a devoted couple to complete the proceedings.
Neither of them lacked acting skills. Xie Qi, who had privately kicked the door earlier, displayed a flawless, hypocritical smile the moment he entered the hall. Zhao Shuyi appeared a moment later, his expression relaxed and natural, as if his joy over the engagement was heartfelt.
They barely had a chance to separate throughout the event, forced to hold hands a few times. During the toasts, guests repeatedly praised them as a “match made in heaven” and wished them “eternal togetherness.” In reality, same-sex marriage had only been legalized for five years, and the older generation of aunts and uncles present valued passing down the family line. Who among them genuinely believed two men were a match made in heaven?
But their marriage alliance was for profit, and the onlookers knew it well, refraining from tactlessly exposing the truth.
The protagonists acted, the audience applauded, and everyone was satisfied.
After the banquet concluded, it was already very late. Zhao Shuyi had been busy almost the entire day. He had drunk a lot of alcohol and eaten very little food, leaving his stomach unsettled. He found a gap to avoid the dispersing crowd and went to a corner to smoke.
The cigarette was borrowed from Wang Deyang.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t actually have a nicotine addiction, but smoking was an excellent way to vent when he was unhappy. His heart rate returned to calm with the intake and exhale of smoke, and the blue haze blocking his view made the whole world seem blurred and distant, granting him a sense of freedom.
Halfway through the cigarette, someone suddenly approached. Zhao Shuyi looked up; it was Xie Qi.
“Stop smoking.” Xie Qi’s expression was annoyed, as if the faint smoke severely polluted the air and inhaling it might kill him.
Zhao Shuyi said indifferently, “None of your business.”
“Of course it’s my business,” Xie Qi said. “I’m relaying your Grandfather’s notice: starting today, we are moving in together.”
“?”
“So you’d better quit smoking. I’m sensitive to smoke, you know.”
Xie Qi looked extremely reluctant; both the cohabitation and Zhao Shuyi’s smoking seemed like torture to him.
Zhao Shuyi stared at him blankly, realizing belatedly, “Oh… you’re sensitive to smoke.”
He had almost forgotten.
Xie Qi had once been in an accident, nearly dying in a fire, and Zhao Shuyi was the one who saved him.
Was it during the first or second year of high school? He couldn’t recall clearly.
In a fire, not only flames injure people, but smoke and dust are also dangerous. Xie Qi was injured, and although he mostly recovered after treatment, he remained sensitive to smoke and dust, likely due to psychological trauma.
Zhao Shuyi briefly recalled the past for a few seconds, and Xie Qi’s face in front of him gradually overlapped with the one from high school.
Their relationship had started to cool down the year they graduated high school.
Although it was never warm before, attending the same school meant seeing each other every day; even fighting counted as interaction. But they completely separated in college.
Zhao Shuyi went to Europe for studies, and Xie Qi did too, but they weren’t at the same school. They were only forced to sit together and meet when certain mutual friends organized gatherings.
Zhao Shuyi extinguished the cigarette and tossed it into the trash can in the corner.
“If you don’t want to cohabitate, you can refuse,” he said. “I don’t want to live with you either; I’ll lose my privacy.”
“Privacy?” Xie Qi chuckled mockingly. “You’re not planning on bringing people home to sleep with, are you?”
“You can bring people too, I don’t mind,” Zhao Shuyi replied politely.
“Don’t worry, I will,” Xie Qi said, then pressed his lips tightly together, his jawline trembling slightly.
A day had passed, and he had accepted reality. He probably realized that bickering with Zhao Shuyi was pointless; whoever cared was the immature one. Respectable adults needed to be composed.
Xie Qi adjusted himself for a moment and finally spoke calmly, “I already refused, but they insisted we cohabitate. You can try again.”
“Forget it.” Zhao Shuyi didn’t want to waste effort. The engagement was set, they were registering the marriage tomorrow, and they would have to live together sooner or later. Why struggle?
After seeing off the guests, both sets of parents had a private dinner.
Zhao Shuyi was hungry but had no appetite. He forced himself to eat a few bites, finally enduring a full day of socializing. He and Xie Qi were granted permission to go home and sleep.
Their new home was also near Hengfeng Lake, a luxury lake-view apartment on the twenty-first floor, over three hundred square meters—a specially prepared lavish marital home.
Ye Zhao drove them, saying that all the daily necessities were already prepared, so they didn’t need to worry.
Zhao Shuyi and Xie Qi seemed not to hear him, sitting by the windows on the left and right sides of the back seat, separated by a large distance, tacitly looking out the window and ignoring each other.
“…”
Secretary Ye hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.
The drive was short, and they arrived quickly.
Zhao Shuyi’s stomach was hurting badly. After the car stopped, Ye Zhao personally opened the door for him, but he remained seated.
Xie Qi, confused, glanced at him and got out first, heading straight for the elevator without waiting a second to leave the parking lot.
Ye Zhao looked at Xie Qi’s retreating figure, feeling a little awkward. He leaned into the car door and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Zhao Shuyi shook his head, taking a quiet breath. He finally got out, his pale face showing no emotion. “You should go back and rest too. If the Old Master asks, just say we’re doing great.”
Ye Zhao nodded. “Understood.”
It was almost ten o’clock when Zhao Shuyi went upstairs.
The luxury residence had only one unit per floor, with a private elevator leading directly to the apartment. He stood at the door for a few seconds, a strong sense of resistance to this new life welling up. He suddenly felt how boring his life was: a failing career and a cold family—he had never had a complete family growing up, and he wouldn’t have one in the future either.
Marriage was indeed a tomb.
Zhao Shuyi felt heavy-hearted. The thought of facing Xie Qi’s cold, funeral-like face once he entered the door instantly made him more irritable, almost painful.
He endured it for a long time, silently chanting “Forget it” three times before finally walking inside.
This was where the benefit of a large house became apparent. Three hundred square meters for only two people meant it was spacious and quiet. If they wanted to, they could completely pretend the other didn’t exist.
Zhao Shuyi took off his coat, casually hung it on the rack, and went into the bathroom first. When he came out, he surveyed the room layout.
Xie Qi was standing far away at the entrance of a bedroom, watching him.
“You’re staying in this one?” Zhao Shuyi approached and saw. “The master bedroom?”
“Is there a problem?” Xie Qi said. “The secondary bedroom is also large. Isn’t it enough for you?”
“…”
If not for the stomach pain and irritation, Zhao Shuyi wouldn’t bother arguing with him. Moreover, Xie Qi’s expression suggested he wasn’t just dividing bedrooms but fighting for the status of head of the household.
Zhao Shuyi frowned. “Are you alright?”
Xie Qi said arrogantly, “I’m perfectly fine.”
“But I’m not,” Zhao Shuyi said, his face dark. Although his overly pale complexion diluted his aggression, making him look somewhat vulnerable, he continued, “What exactly do you want? If you’re unhappy about the marriage, go vent to your father. Stop giving me attitude. I’m only your fiancé in name; I have no interest in placating you. Understand?”
“Who needs you to placate them? Homosexuals speak so disgustingly,” Xie Qi said coldly.
“…”
Zhao Shuyi choked slightly. “Fine, pretend I didn’t say anything.”
But he didn’t back down. He pushed Xie Qi aside and entered the bedroom. “I’m sleeping in the master bedroom. You can either sleep in the secondary bedroom or get out of this homosexual’s house and go enjoy yourself wherever you please. Please—”
Zhao Shuyi turned and made a “get lost” gesture, pointing toward the main door.
Xie Qi, however, followed closely behind him, walking into the room with him.
“What are you doing?” Zhao Shuyi turned back. “Don’t you understand Chinese?”
Xie Qi said, “Why should I listen to you? It’s not your house alone.”
Zhao Shuyi paused slightly, then said almost provocatively, “Take one more step, and I’ll assume you’re deliberately looking for an excuse to sleep with me, Xie Qi.”
“…”
Xie Qi indeed stopped moving.
The bedroom light wasn’t on; only a few rays of light filtered in from the living room through the doorway. The depths of the room were pitch black. Half of Zhao Shuyi’s body merged into the darkness. That face, the colder it became, the more attractive it was, yet also the more annoying.
Obeying meant admitting defeat, which Xie Qi could never accept. He grabbed Zhao Shuyi’s arm, intending to drag him out. Zhao Shuyi hadn’t expected him to resort to force. He violently shook him off, only to be pinned down again.
“Get out,” Xie Qi commanded.
“…”
Zhao Shuyi’s wrist was tightly gripped, the bone aching. He could fight back, but doing so would lead to a brawl. They had just gotten engaged; it was only the first day.
Zhao Shuyi was unbearably annoyed. A moment of recklessness surged through him. He leaned forward, pressing close to Xie Qi. “How about this? Why don’t we sleep together? I can teach you to try something new.”
His voice was low, carrying a seductive quality. “You might think I kissed you before just to disgust you, but that’s not true… I think you look good, and I want to try it.”
“…”
Xie Qi froze, unable to judge if he was serious. Meanwhile, Zhao Shuyi’s hand had lifted to his neck, reaching for his collar, slowly undoing his tie, then his buttons…
Xie Qi held his breath, staring closely at Zhao Shuyi’s face.
Zhao Shuyi’s appearance was hard to describe; “handsome” wasn’t quite right, and “beautiful” made him sound weak. He was striking and cold. Whenever malice flashed in his eyes, it was like a crack appearing on flawless white jade, alarming and regrettable—he was actually this wicked.
“Not moving away?” Zhao Shuyi’s lips were almost touching his jaw. “You really want to sleep with me?”
Xie Qi sneered. “Who are you trying to scare? Of course I’m going to sleep in my own bed.”
He was completely immune to Zhao Shuyi’s “malice.” To prove his composure, he stripped off his shirt right in front of Zhao Shuyi and reached for his belt.
Zhao Shuyi: “…?”