After I Stopped Being a Simp, My Husband Fell for Me on His Own - Chapter 28

Yu Yi walked out feeling somewhat dejected.

He did not know whether he should tell Ji Xingxiao about this matter. If he told him, the criminal den might be busted, and his own image might gain some points in Ji Xingxiao’s heart.

And then? Then, next semester, he would still have to move out and work to earn money for his tuition. What kind of job could earn eight hundred thousand credits? Yu Yi fell silent.

Reason told him that this matter was definitely not as simple as Chen Cheng had made it sound. The Pollution Zone was a place that could cost someone their life. What could a Beta like him do there? They even claimed he could move through the zone freely. Why did they not just tell him he could fly on the back of a Level 2 Pollutant?

But reason also told him that fifty thousand star coins had actually been deposited into his account. What did fifty thousand star coins mean? He might not earn that much in a whole year of labor. And that was just the deposit.

His emotions argued back, telling him that if he told Ji Xingxiao directly, he could clear his name and claim credit for the reward money. But the thought of reaching out to Ji Xingxiao for money made him feel awkward. It would make it feel as if their relationship were purely transactional.

Yu Yi still held a sliver of hope about being with Ji Xingxiao. It was more of a wish than a hope; sixty percent utility was mixed with forty percent sincerity. Truthfully, Yu Yi did not really understand love because he had never been properly loved, so he could only use numbers to vaguely describe the fluttering in his heart.

He was doomed. He was just like Yu Qing. No, he could not be like his mother.

Lost in thought, Yu Yi looked up and unexpectedly saw a familiar figure. Ji Xingxiao was standing not far away, as if he had appeared out of thin air.

The closer one got to the Lower District, the faster the sky darkened. Although it was not even 6:00 PM, it was already quite dim. In the hazy twilight, Yu Yi saw the wind catch the hem of Ji Xingxiao’s coat. Backlit by the fading light, the side of Ji Xingxiao’s face with the black birthmark was submerged in shadow.

Yu Yi did not know what he was thinking. His ears buzzed, and his body reacted faster than his brain. He jogged straight up to Ji Xingxiao.

“Hubby! What are you doing here?”

His mouth was faster than his mind. Everything was faster than his mind. Yu Yi’s heart was racing so fast that he was acting on pure instinct. He could not think.

Did Ji Xingxiao come specifically to pick him up? Was he worried because of that message?

Yu Yi bit his lip. The idea of being a good roommate suddenly vanished. He plucked up his courage and asked Ji Xingxiao, “Can I call you hubby today?”

As soon as he asked, he felt a wave of regret. Was he just inviting humiliation? Would Ji Xingxiao feel harassed? Would he think Yu Yi was too frivolous?

To his surprise, Ji Xingxiao gave an ambiguous answer. “If I said no, would you actually stop?”

Yu Yi thought he heard a hint of permission, and a spark of joy danced in his eyes. Ji Xingxiao seemed unaccustomed to such a fervent gaze. He looked away and said, “The message and address you sent were too suspicious. There have been a lot of pheromone liquids of unknown origin lately.”

“I see,” Yu Yi nodded, not entirely understanding, but the corners of his mouth kept turning up.

But he was a Beta; pheromone liquids had nothing to do with him.

“What are you smiling at?” Recalling their first meeting where Yu Yi had sprayed pheromones, Ji Xingxiao frowned. He still remembered that cheap scent. However, he had not smelled it since.

“Nothing.” Yu Yi shook his head and suddenly asked, “Did you drive here?”

“Yes,” Ji Xingxiao replied. “I parked outside the alley. It is too narrow to bring the car in.”

It was indeed cramped. They could have traveled by air, but as they approached the Lower District, the filtration of polluted pheromones was not as clean as in the Upper District. Ji Xingxiao instinctively did not want to fly.

“Then, are you free?” Yu Yi hesitated.

“For what?”

“Could you take me to the Lower District public cemetery?”

“Why there?” Ji Xingxiao was confused.

“I have not visited my mother in a long time,” Yu Yi said with a touch of melancholy. “I miss her.”

Sitting in Ji Xingxiao’s car, Yu Yi felt he was truly pushing his luck. Yet, Ji Xingxiao had agreed.

The public cemetery in the Lower District was in poor condition; it was cramped and narrow. Yu Yi had moved Yu Qing’s spot twice before finally securing this place with a tombstone where he could pay his respects individually, though it was still very modest.

By the time they arrived, the Lower District was completely dark. Yu Yi took out his phone to use as a light and led Ji Xingxiao to a tombstone where the weeds were not yet too overgrown.

“Mother, I told you I would bring him,” Yu Yi said with a grin as he sat cross-legged. He wiped the dust off the funeral photo. “He is handsome, right?”

The tombstone held a black-and-white photo of a Beta with plain features; it was the kind of face that did not stand out at all. Yu Yi looked more like Cheng Sui, but the spirit in his eyes was very similar to Yu Qing’s.

Ji Xingxiao glanced at the photo, his expression strange. He asked Yu Yi, “Why do you say that?”

“What?” Yu Yi did not catch his meaning.

“There is no need to lie in front of your mother.”

“What lie?”

Ji Xingxiao pursed his lips and looked at him calmly. Yu Yi sensed something from his awkward expression. “Oh! Do you think I am lying when I say you are handsome?”

Ji Xingxiao said nothing.

“Of course not!” Yu Yi looked up at him and said sincerely, “I really think you are quite handsome.”

Lighting in the Lower District was expensive. Aside from a large light in the distance, everything was dim, making Ji Xingxiao’s expression dark and his birthmark look particularly deep. But when Yu Yi looked at him, it was as if all the scattered light from the distance had gathered in his eyes, making them shine brilliantly.

“But there is one thing I should confess,” Yu Yi said suddenly.

“What?”

For some reason, seeing Yu Yi’s serious face made Ji Xingxiao nervous. What was he going to confess? That everything was a lie to stay in the Upper District? Including liking him?

“It is just that I thought before that no one would want you because of the birthmark, so I could take advantage of that.”

“Oh?”

“I am sorry, I was too shallow,” Yu Yi looked up at him. “I should not have thought that. To you, the birthmark is just an insignificant flaw.”

For some reason, Ji Xingxiao’s gaze kept drifting toward Yu Yi’s Adam’s apple. It was as if something there was pulling at his vision. He could not help but look at Yu Yi’s pale, smooth neck tilted back submissively in the moonlight; the very spot he had once bitten to inject pheromones.

Ji Xingxiao remembered catching a faint, refreshing scent of soap. He was not sure if the polluted pheromones in the Lower District were not filtered well enough, but he felt a strange heat rising through his body.

Despite his wandering mind, he caught a keyword. “A flaw?” Ji Xingxiao’s eyes darkened, and he narrowed them with a hint of danger.

“Ah! I did not mean it like that.” Yu Yi realized he had misspoke and panicked. He felt he should not keep talking about the birthmark, yet he was the one who brought it up. He quickly explained, “To me, you are perfect!”

“Really! I super want to marry you!” Yu Yi looked at Ji Xingxiao with pure adoration.

This Beta; does he even know what he is saying?

“Shut up!” Ji Xingxiao turned away, his voice rare with a hint of a stutter. “Do not say such things in front of an elder’s grave!”

On the way back, Yu Yi watched the lights flashing past the window and suddenly asked, “Do you think I am useless?”

Ji Xingxiao was stunned. He clearly had not prepared an answer for this. He could only ask blankly, “What?”

“Nothing,” Yu Yi shook his head and smiled. “I will become a useful person! I will gain a firm foothold in the Upper District!”

“Focus on not having to retake your classes first,” Ji Xingxiao said, pouring cold water on the sentiment. “I will not take you to the Pollution Zone again. Do not think about relying on missions to make up your credits.”

Hearing this, a strange feeling rose in Yu Yi’s heart. The Pollution Zone: what if he really could move through it freely? With that thought, his urge to tell the truth faded. Maybe he really was the chosen one!

The two returned to the dorm near 8:00 PM. Yu Yi entered first. When he took off his shoes and stood up, he suddenly felt an unusual heat coming from Ji Xingxiao behind him.

“You…”

“Do not block the way.” Ji Xingxiao seemed unwilling to speak, his voice rasping a warning.

“Oh, sorry.” Yu Yi realized he was blocking the door and stepped aside.

As Ji Xingxiao brushed past him, Yu Yi truly felt the heat. It was very similar to when Ji Xingxiao was in his rut before.

“Are you okay?” Yu Yi asked worriedly. He thought Ji Xingxiao had a fever.

“It has nothing to do with you.” Ji Xingxiao had returned to his cold, hard self. It was as if their relaxed conversation earlier had been an illusion.

Yu Yi found some sudden courage. He stepped forward and whispered, “Do you want to use the treatment device? I will go get it for you.”

“Shut up!” Ji Xingxiao frowned impatiently. “If it were not for you wanting to go to the Lower District…” He stopped himself abruptly.

“What about the Lower District?” Yu Yi was confused by his harsh expression.

“Nothing.” Ji Xingxiao realized Yu Yi might not know about the polluted pheromones in the Lower District.

The Lower District was dirty, chaotic, and dilapidated. Yu Yi suddenly realized that the grimy environment was normal to him, but to Ji Xingxiao, it was likely repulsive. Perhaps Ji Xingxiao hated the Lower District and had been enduring it the whole time.

At this thought, Yu Yi said sadly, “Do you dislike the Lower District?”

He had not expected Ji Xingxiao to loathe it so much that he would not even hide it. “If you do not like it there, if you think it is poor and dirty, you can tell me. I…” Yu Yi felt embarrassed, but more so, he felt hurt.

Seeing Ji Xingxiao’s silence made Yu Yi’s heart ache. Right, if he had not sent that message, Ji Xingxiao would probably never have set foot in such a place.

“There will not be a next time. I…”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Ji Xingxiao suddenly interrupted him. “The filtration system in the Lower District is far inferior to the Upper District. The residual polluted pheromones in the air are higher, so…” He could not finish the sentence.

Actually, such a tiny amount of polluted pheromones usually meant nothing to him. But perhaps because of what happened before, his rut was particularly easy to trigger.

Seeing Ji Xingxiao’s odd expression, Yu Yi suddenly understood where the heat came from. He asked tentatively, “Is your rut being triggered?”

Ji Xingxiao did not say anything or look at Yu Yi. He just turned his head away, his gaze falling on the water wall nearby. A softshell turtle swam slowly inside.

He wanted to say “it has nothing to do with you,” but seeing Yu Yi’s sad face, the harsh words would not come out. This clearly had everything to do with Yu Yi! If only he had not gone soft-hearted and taken this foolish Beta to the Pollution Zone.

Yu Yi muttered, “Then I will go take a shower.”

Ji Xingxiao suddenly stuttered, “Wha… what?”

While Yu Yi always showered first thing when coming home, saying it at this moment was too strange! Even though this shameless Beta had said many misleading things before!

Ji Xingxiao pretended not to care, but he did not dare look at Yu Yi’s face. He said coldly, “You do not need to tell me things like that.”

“I am afraid that if there is a smell on my neck, it will not be comfortable when you bite me,” Yu Yi said with total innocence. “Do not worry, I shower very fast.”

Ji Xingxiao: ?

??

???

Not right!!!!

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