After a Real Person Plays the Protagonist of an Anguish Novel [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Housewife 

The evening breeze blew gently. Tang Yiqing truly couldn’t stay inside the house any longer, so he came out to get some fresh air. He walked aimlessly; at night, the backyard scenery turned into vast dark shadows, heavy and oppressive, making a rustling sound with the wind.

He walked alone on the small path paved with pebbles. The streetlights on both sides revealed the outlines of the greenery, enough to keep Tang Yiqing from feeling afraid.

Unknowingly, he walked back to that small pavilion. This time, the person inside was Shen Shuowen. He was standing with his back to him, looking at some unseen scenery. Seeing this tall silhouette made Tang Yiqing’s heart tighten for a moment.

Shen Shuowen seemed to hear the movement and turned around. His gaze paused upon seeing Tang Yiqing, and he spoke the first words of the night to him: “Not asleep yet at this hour?”

Tang Yiqing felt a sense of déjà vu. He said, “The room felt a bit stuffy, so I came out for some air.”

One was outside the pavilion and one was inside, just like the first time they met here—a safe distance, without the slightest transgression.

“Huo Wei is my personal doctor. He came to see you that day. He returned to A City today; you should go see him when you have time,” Shen Shuowen said.

Tang Yiqing froze for a moment. Thinking back to those few days, his heart rate quickened uncontrollably, and his skin felt hot. He immediately said, “Okay, I will go.”

Shen Shuowen walked out. “I will send you his address and contact information. Go as soon as possible.”

With that, Shen Shuowen walked past him, leaving behind a breeze with a faint scent of red wine. Everything returned to the starting point. He did not step into the pavilion; Shen Shuowen did not offer to accompany him.

As it should be. The scent in the pavilion was scattered by the wind. Tang Yiqing walked up the steps one by one and stood where Shen Shuowen had just been. In front of him was nothing—just a lit road and a vast expanse of dark shadows.

The next morning, Tang Yiqing went downstairs for breakfast. Shen’s parents hadn’t returned yet, so they weren’t at the table.

Tang Yiqing still preferred it when Shen’s parents were around; people were less reckless then. At the table, Shen Shuowen and Shen Zeqi were already in their seats. He walked around half the table to sit in his own spot. A moment later, Shen Mingzheng came down rubbing his temples, clearly suffering from a hangover from last night.

He sensed Shen Mingzheng’s irritable aura but didn’t speculate, choosing to eat quietly instead.

Just then, Shen Shanyu ran down from upstairs. Before he even reached the table, he shouted, “Mom, you didn’t wake me up again!”

Tang Yiqing paused. Having been away for a few days, he had forgotten this routine—or rather, the absence of this routine had saved him so much trouble in the morning that he had “accidentally” forgotten it out of relief.

Anyway, calling Shen Shanyu every time involved coaxing him for ages without receiving any thanks; no one would love this job.

However, Tang Yiqing still said softly, “Sorry, Shanyu. Mommy forgot.”

Shen Shanyu sat aggressively in his chair. “Hmph! You are a bad mommy!”

Opposite them, Shen Zeqi let out a reflexive sneer. Tang Yiqing didn’t react, but to his surprise, Shen Mingzheng suddenly barked from beside him, “Shen Shanyu, how are you talking to your mother! Apologize!”

The dining table fell silent for a moment. Tang Yiqing looked at Shen Mingzheng in disbelief. He was actually speaking up for him?

It was truly bizarre. Had he suddenly changed his personality today? No, it should be since yesterday—giving him a gift yesterday and speaking for him today. Both events were highly unusual.

Seeing Tang Yiqing’s look of disbelief, Shen Mingzheng didn’t feel good either. It was as if he were usually so terrible… well, he was terrible. Tang Yiqing’s reaction made his chest tighten.

It all stemmed from the last time he entered Tang Yiqing’s room and saw him in a state of uncontrolled heat. He looked so pitiful then, yet Shen Mingzheng had pushed him away, causing him to fall. At that time, he had a thought of going back in to check, but he eventually left.

Although he loathed Tang Yiqing and felt no amount of punishment could make up for his past wrongs, the man had, after all, given birth to his child and been a mother for four years… Seeing him fall to the ground that day, piteously calling for help—after the door closed, Mingzheng had been thinking about these things. Surely the punishment was enough…

In short, his heart had softened. He wasn’t a cold and cruel person by nature; it was time to show Tang Yiqing some kindness. After all, in all the years he’d been married into the Shen family, he hadn’t made any mistakes.

“Shen Shanyu, apologize to your mother!” Shen Mingzheng’s stern voice rang out again.

Shen Shanyu lowered his head and picked at his fingers, his eyes red and his face full of defiance. He didn’t know why his father was being so abnormal today, actually demanding he apologize to Tang Yiqing.

At this point, Shen Zeqi laughed out loud. “What kind of play is this? An ‘act’ of turning over a new leaf?”

Shen Mingzheng’s breath hitched. In this house, only Shen Zeqi’s biting sarcasm frequently made him unhappy. He ignored it and emphasized once more, “Apologize!”

“I’m sorry…” Shen Shanyu whispered.

Only then did the matter pass. Shen Shuowen stood up, picked up his briefcase, and left.

Shen Zeqi let out another “tsk.” “Look at that. Big Brother doesn’t want to watch your ‘happy family’ theater for a single second.”

Tang Yiqing kept his eyes down, his ears burning. Shen Zeqi was right; they were always performing for others. He even suspected if Shen Mingzheng had some sort of histrionic personality disorder.

His disgust for Shen Mingzheng grew.

But Shen Mingzheng spoke again: “It’s not easy for your mother to raise you. Have a better attitude from now on.”

Shen Shanyu remained defiantly silent. It made sense—since he could speak, his father had never shown a single good face to his mother. His father held absolute authority and status in the family; with such role-modeling until now, children are stubborn—how could he change just like that?

Tang Yiqing looked gratefully at Shen Mingzheng. “Mingzheng, thank you.”

A retching sound suddenly erupted at the table. It was Shen Zeqi. He actually vomited—what a disgusting thing it must have been to make him throw up what he had just eaten.

Simultaneously, he disgusted everyone at the table; no one could take another bite. Shen Mingzheng looked at Shen Zeqi with loathing, feeling as if the table itself was now tainted. “Aren’t you disgusting?”

Shen Zeqi’s eyes were red from retching, but he calmly wiped his mouth. “Not as disgusting as you two. You truly made me lose my appetite.”

Before Shen Mingzheng could say another word to Tang Yiqing, he couldn’t take it anymore, stood up, and left the hall.

Tang Yiqing felt Shen Zeqi’s state was wrong. Those eyes were staring fixedly at him with a touch of mania.

He quickly stood up, grabbed Shen Shanyu by the back of his collar, and hauled him off the chair. Shen Shanyu clamored in protest, but Tang Yiqing ignored him. “Go to kindergarten quickly, or you’ll be late.”

Shen Shanyu “hmphed.” “It’s all because Mommy didn’t wake me up. It’s your fault!”

Tang Yiqing paid him no mind. It seemed he hadn’t listened to a single word of Shen Mingzheng’s lecture.

After dropping off Shen Shanyu, Tang Yiqing turned the car around and headed to Doctor Huo Wei’s place.

He had made an appointment beforehand. Upon arrival, he was led directly by a nurse into a VIP consultation room. There weren’t many patients here; the hospital was very quiet.

Everywhere was white with a futuristic design, making one instinctively trust the medical technology here. Huo Wei not only had his own research institute but also a private hospital; his strength was evident.

Huo Wei watched the door until Tang Yiqing entered. During their last meeting, Tang Yiqing was unconscious, so he couldn’t see much. Looking at him now, he couldn’t help but sigh—no wonder he caught Shen Shuowen’s heart. He had seen many beautiful people and pampered rich folks, but he had never seen a feeling called “pure goodness” in any of them.

Although Tang Yiqing’s brow held a touch of melancholy, his overall aura was incredibly soft. Every gesture radiated a gentle kindness, a scent similar to what one might find on their own mother as a child—gentle as a spring rain and fragrant.

Huo Wei stood up and extended his hand. “Hello.”

Tang Yiqing shook it. “Hello.”

The two sat down. Huo Wei spoke: “Mr. Tang, I did some simple tests on you last time. Your data points are much higher than normal values. This time, let’s do a comprehensive check-up.”

Tang Yiqing nodded, feeling nervous. “Okay.”

“Don’t be nervous,” Huo Wei said with a smile, pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses with a professional air. “I’ve seen many patients, some even more serious than you. But they don’t take their bodies seriously—for example… Shen Shuowen. He’s a truly headache-inducing patient. As long as you trust me and leave yourself in my hands, there’s no problem that can’t be solved.”

“Shen Shuowen?” Tang Yiqing looked worried. “What’s wrong with him?”

“You saw it last time in C City. He came to the institute to extract accumulated pheromones. I warned him repeatedly not to use suppressants again. As it turned out, the man went and injected another one that very day.” Huo Wei spread his hands. “He truly doesn’t care about his own life.”

Tang Yiqing’s chest tightened. Shen Shuowen had never told him. Recalling the smell of suppressants he’d caught while in a daze—so it wasn’t an illusion…

“Is… is he getting proper treatment?” Tang Yiqing’s voice was choked.

“Him? No method works anymore. Finding a stable partner is the only real cure. Otherwise, sooner or later, the suppressants will turn him into a madman,” Huo Wei said.

After leaving the hospital, Tang Yiqing was still in a daze, Huo Wei’s words echoing in his mind. He said Shen Shuowen would eventually become a madman because of suppressants. And what about himself…? Suppressants were completely ineffective for him now. He was at risk of going into heat at any time. If there were no pheromones to soothe him during a heat, his life could be in danger.

He and Shen Shuowen were truly a pair of patients. He didn’t expect his first world to be this difficult.

On the drive back, Tang Yiqing was distracted. Unknowingly, he had already entered the Shen estate. After parking in the garage, he entered the villa and went straight up the stairs.

To his surprise, Shen Zeqi was standing against the wall at the top of the stairs, looking as if he had been waiting for him for a long time.

He had intentionally delayed his return, thinking Shen Zeqi would have left long ago, but he still ran into him. However, he didn’t have the energy to deal with him now.

As Tang Yiqing walked toward his bedroom, Shen Zeqi followed, sticking close to him. “You don’t even greet your Second Brother when you see him.”

Shen Zeqi’s train of thought was too erratic; Tang Yiqing couldn’t keep up. The man seemed to have already forgotten the rebellious and outrageous things he had said before.

“Second Brother,” Tang Yiqing said listlessly.

Shen Zeqi ground his teeth, feeling an impulse to bite Tang Yiqing’s neck. “What kind of potion did Shen Mingzheng give you? A few words and you’re grateful to him, looking as if your soul has been snatched away.”

Tang Yiqing’s path grew narrower until he was pressed against the wall. Shen Zeqi was beside him like a mad dog sniffing everywhere, making him feel as if he’d be bitten at any moment. It wasn’t until his back was flat against the wall and he couldn’t move that Tang Yiqing said, “He is my husband.”

Hearing this, Shen Zeqi grew even more agitated. “Husband my ass! Did he put a spell on you? Or is he manipulating you with something?”

Tang Yiqing felt Shen Zeqi’s state was wrong. He caught the scent of his peach pheromones—was he about to lose control…?

Just as Shen Zeqi’s nose neared his neck, Tang Yiqing broke into a cold sweat at the thought. He immediately pushed him away. “Don’t do anything reckless!”

“Me, reckless?” Shen Zeqi looked wronged, his bloodshot eyes even grew a bit moist. “If I were going to be reckless, you’d have been in my bed long ago! Did Shen Mingzheng use pheromones to manipulate you? Are you obsessed with his scent? Just like I’m obsessed with yours…”

Tang Yiqing smelled even more of the peach pheromones. The S-class pheromones made his glands feel hot. He truly couldn’t listen to Shen Zeqi’s nonsense any longer; he pushed him aside and ran back into his room.

The door slammed shut. Tang Yiqing leaned against the door, panting, his body breaking into a slight sweat.

Shen Zeqi didn’t leave. He pressed himself against Tang Yiqing’s door, obsessively sniffing the scent coming through the cracks.

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