After I Stopped Being a Simp, My Husband Fell for Me on His Own - Chapter 3

Yu Yi marched away in a fit of rage. However, the moment he pulled out his phone to scan a shared bicycle by the road, he saw a missed call and a message from his landlord. He instantly regretted his temper.

Landlord: [You are nearly half a month late on your rent! When exactly are you going to pay the money? I need it now!]

The sight of those exclamation marks made Yu Yi’s heart skip a beat. He replied with utter trepidation: [I am so sorry, brother. I am waiting for a friend to pay me back, and then I will definitely give it to you. Please do not worry.]

As soon as he sent the message, the landlord called him. Yu Yi answered the phone with a trembling heart and said weakly, “Hello?”

“How can a student like you be such a liar?” the landlord shouted. “I did not even ask you for a security deposit. Last week, you told me you would pay this week. I thought you were an honest kid, so I agreed. Now the week is almost over. I cannot trust you anymore. Get back here, pack your things, and leave!”

“Please do not do that, brother,” Yu Yi pleaded. “Where will I live? At least give me some time to find a new place.”

“How is that my problem? Everyone is struggling. I am not a rich man either, and I am waiting for your rent money to cover my own living expenses. Hurry back and move your things, or I will throw everything out!”

Yu Yi sighed. He had stood so tall and proud in that luxury villa earlier, but now he was forced to return to his cramped, dilapidated rental room to pack his bags in total disgrace. Before leaving, Yu Yi asked pitifully, “Brother, can you really not give me a little more time?”

“No! You should have thought about where you would live when you realized you could not pay the rent this week!”

Ultimately, Yu Yi could only hang his head and leave with his weather-beaten bag. Where could he go? The spaces under the bridges in the Upper District were clean, but it was hot and crawling with mosquitoes. He had managed there for a few days during the winter, but it was unbearable in the summer.

Yu Yi decided to find Old Ba to get his money back. He could not afford the train, so he pedaled a public bicycle for several kilometers. He was drenched in sweat by the time he arrived at Old Ba’s shabby rental in the outskirts of the Upper District. When he reached the door, he knocked violently for a long time, but there was no response.

Yu Yi was furious and felt like kicking the door down. He pounded on it and shouted, “Old Ba! Zou Yijun! I know you are home! Get out here!”

After ten minutes of kicking and pounding, there was still no reaction. However, the commotion drew out the next-door neighbor. A little girl poked her head out. Her dark eyes looked timidly at the aggressive Yu Yi. She asked softly, “Are you looking for the older brother next door?”

Seeing it was a child, Yu Yi stopped pounding. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to look less intimidating. He put on a gentle smile and said, “Yes, I have some business with him. Do you know where he went?”

“He moved away three days ago,” she replied. “I saw him leave.”

The smile on Yu Yi’s face froze. Old Ba, you absolute scoundrel!

Since he could not find Old Ba immediately, Yu Yi wandered the streets aimlessly with his luggage. He was homeless once again. The last time this happened was when he discovered that the house in the Lower District where he lived with his mother was not in her name. It belonged to her young lover instead. That man, who looked like a cheap imitation of Cheng Sui, had kicked him out.

Yu Yi felt that his deep-seated dislike for Cheng Sui might partially stem from that experience. He had spent the money his mother left him over a few miserable years. He had not even gotten into university until he spent a year working hard and eventually begged his deadbeat father to let him into the academy. He thought his life would improve, but it remained a struggle. After entering the academy, he was even busier than before.

His stomach gave a loud growl. Yu Yi sighed, took out the tip he had earned yesterday from his pocket, and entered a nearby convenience store. He bought the cheapest nutritional supplement. It tasted like nothing as he sucked it down; it was even worse than the free soup at the school cafeteria. He leaned over the table and stared at the glittering night view outside the glass doors, lost in thought.

Although this was the edge of the Upper District, it was far more prosperous than the Lower District. Even at night, the traffic was heavy. Cars with dazzling lights sped across the bridge, looking like the toys his mother used to buy him. They looked like those glow-stick bracelets that lit up when snapped. He suddenly missed his mother.

However, all the money he had was only enough for a one-way ticket back to the Lower District. If he went, he would not be able to return. He had not visited his mother for a year. No one was cleaning the public cemetery, so her tombstone was likely covered in dust and overgrown with grass.

Driven by a sudden impulse, Yu Yi thought to himself: What if I agree to the marriage? It cannot be worse than my life right now, can it?

He had not listened to anything Cheng Sui said that afternoon, but he vaguely remembered the name General Ji. A family from the military district would have a high status. They were likely more powerful than Cheng Sui and his White Moonlight combined. Yu Yi buried his head in his arms for a moment before suddenly looking up.

“I will do it! I will marry him!”

He had stayed in the Upper District and endured the ridicule of those around him just to have a better life. Why was he acting so pathetic now? Once he made up his mind, he acted immediately. He pulled out his phone and called his father.

The phone rang for a while before the call was hung up. Is he not asleep? Yu Yi persisted and called again. This was Cheng Sui’s private number that few people knew, so Cheng Sui would definitely see it. On the tenth attempt, the call was finally answered. Perhaps because he had just been woken up, the person on the other end did not speak, but his breathing sounded heavy.

Yu Yi got straight to the point. “I have thought about it. I agree.”

Cheng Sui remained silent. Yu Yi pretended to be indifferent. “This is a limited-time offer. I might change my mind by tomorrow.”

In the background, the faint voice of Bai Changfeng asked, “Who is it?”

“It is Yu Yi. It is nothing. Go back to sleep,” Cheng Sui comforted him in a low voice. Then, he turned back to the phone and hissed, “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Seeing his father suffer put Yu Yi in a good mood. He replied casually, “I know.”

Cheng Sui’s breathing grew heavier as if he were practicing restraint. He took a deep breath and said, “Come see me after your classes tomorrow.”

“No, I am coming now,” Yu Yi revealed his situation directly. “I am homeless and have nowhere to sleep.”

Cheng Sui went silent again. After a long pause, he squeezed the words out, “Then come over.”

Yu Yi pushed his luck. “I have no money, and the subway has stopped running. Send me some money so I can take a taxi.”

“…Fine.”

Once the money hit his account, Yu Yi’s mood improved even further. He generously bought himself a loaf of bread and ate it while waiting for a car by the road.

When he returned to the luxury villa, it was actually Bai Ziqi who opened the door for him. They had not seen each other for a few years, and Bai Ziqi had grown quite tall. However, he still looked fair and delicate. Even among Omegas, he would be considered top-tier in beauty. Unfortunately, he had differentiated into an Alpha.

Bai Ziqi gave Yu Yi a polite smile. “You are back.”

Yu Yi felt uncomfortable. You are back? He said it as if this were Yu Yi’s home. Yu Yi nodded dismissively. “Just give me any room. A storage room is fine. I will make do for the night.”

He did not plan on living here permanently. Tomorrow, he would make Cheng Sui pay for his school housing fees.

“You are doing us such a big favor. How could we let you stay in a storage room?” Bai Ziqi said with a smile. “A guest room has already been prepared. I will lead you there.”

“…Alright.” Yu Yi was not used to Bai Ziqi’s warmth. It might also be because the boy was exceptionally good-looking, and Yu Yi was a sucker for a pretty face. He followed Bai Ziqi upstairs, feeling slightly awkward.

Years ago, he had desperately wanted to stay in this house. Bai Ziqi was just a child back then, only reaching Yu Yi’s chest. He remembered Bai Ziqi asking him in a delicate voice: “Who are you? Why are you in my house? I do not want you living here.”

He had said those things right in front of Cheng Sui and Bai Changfeng. The two of them had acted as if they had not heard him. To be precise, they never looked Yu Yi in the eye; they did not even bother to give him a second glance. That was the reason Yu Yi had left in a fit of pique back then.

Looking back, he truly regretted it. At that time, his mother had just passed away. He had drifted through poor schools in the Lower District for years and failed to get into university. He had sought out his father while he was penniless and filthy. That was likely the moment Cheng Sui’s guilt was at its peak.

But now that he was an adult, Cheng Sui no longer felt responsible for him. The guilt he once felt for Yu Yi and his mother had vanished. Now, he likely wished Yu Yi had never been born.

Bai Ziqi led him to the guest room and opened the door with a smile. He began to explain, “This is the light switch, and that is the bathroom. There are clean clothes inside. This touch panel adjusts the room temperature. In the bathroom…”

Yu Yi interrupted him. “I know. I am not an idiot.”

“That is good then,” Bai Ziqi said with a smile as bright as a spring breeze.

The next day after class, Yu Yi was picked up by the butler. Being treated like a young master felt quite good, especially with the luxury car service. Yu Yi leaned back in the rear seat like a high-ranking official. However, the car did not go to the Cheng residence. Instead, it went to the hospital.

Yu Yi sat up in alarm. “Why are we going to the hospital?”

The butler stopped the car and said hesitantly, “This is a requirement from the Ji family.”

“What does that mean?”

After a moment of hesitation, the butler said tactfully, “You have never lived with the Cheng family, so they have certain requests.”

“What? Are they afraid I am not the son of Cheng Sui?” Yu Yi’s voice rose. “Or are they afraid I have a disease?”

The butler replied helplessly, “Please do not worry. It is just a routine check-up.”

Yu Yi felt his dignity was being insulted. He stepped out of the car in a rage. Just as he was about to call his father, he saw a notification on his phone. A large sum of money had been deposited into his account. It was more than what his mother had left him all those years ago.

There was also a photo of a man’s profile. It was a very young Alpha wearing the black military uniform unique to the Command Academy. It looked like a candid shot. His eyes were lowered, and he looked somewhat indifferent, elegant, and distant.

Yu Yi’s heart skipped a beat. He had seen this man before! This was the handsome guy whose tail he had accidentally stepped on at the bar!

Below the photo, Cheng Sui had added a name: Ji Xingxiao.

Yu Yi’s heart began to thump wildly.

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