After I Stopped Being a Simp, My Husband Fell for Me on His Own - Chapter 8

Ji Xingxiao’s brain stalled at the same time as Yu Yi’s. To be honest, there were very few surprises in his life. Everything had always gone smoothly until he got into the Command Academy.

His fiancé was a surprise. The fact that his fiancé had differentiated into an Alpha was a surprise. Replacing that fiancé with a Beta was an even bigger surprise.

Seeing that Ji Xingxiao was ignoring him, Yu Yi refused to give up. He leaned in closer and continued to shout loudly, “Husband! Husband, say something, husband!”

Qin Feng was the first to react. “Ah, so it is the sister-in-law.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Ji Xingxiao took three quick steps forward and covered Yu Yi’s mouth to stop the shouting. Whether from shock or some other reason, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his entire face turned bright red because of Yu Yi’s words. He dragged Yu Yi into the hall, kicked the door shut to block the gossiping Qin Feng from following, and pulled Yu Yi straight onto the elevator.

Yu Yi was muffled by Ji Xingxiao’s hand and could not speak. Seeing that Ji Xingxiao had no intention of letting go even after they entered the elevator, Yu Yi decided to simply lick the palm of his hand.

By the time Ji Xingxiao felt the wet, sticky sensation on his palm, it was too late. He wondered what kind of person he had actually gotten engaged to. Ji Xingxiao threw Yu Yi off like he was shaking off trash and asked irritably, “What are you doing?!”

Yu Yi looked completely innocent. “I came to find you, husband.”

The word was barely out before it was cut off by Ji Xingxiao’s blunt interruption. “You are not allowed to use those two words!”

“Then what should I call you?” Yu Yi asked.

Ji Xingxiao remained silent.

“Darling?”

Ji Xingxiao still said nothing.

“Baby?”

Silence.

“Then, wife?” Yu Yi tried tentatively.

He immediately met with Ji Xingxiao’s opposition. “No!”

“So the previous two were okay then?” Yu Yi countered.

“No!”

Yu Yi shot back, “If nothing is okay, then the engagement is okay, right?”

The elevator reached its floor. Yu Yi followed Ji Xingxiao back to the dormitory without hesitation. The two stood before the transparent glass at the entrance. Ji Xingxiao stopped walking, clearly not intending to let Yu Yi inside, hoping to settle the matter at the door.

Yu Yi clutched his bag and said, “Building seven, floor twenty-five. Do not try to hide it. I asked around; you have one dormitory per floor. I have memorized it all. Even if you kick me out today, I will come back tomorrow.”

“What do you actually want?” Ji Xingxiao asked.

Yu Yi was quite shameless. “To be your wife. What else would I want?”

Ji Xingxiao had never seen such a rogue Beta in his life. High-definition surveillance and patrol robots were stationed outside the dormitory. Fearing that Yu Yi might say more shocking things that would be recorded, Ji Xingxiao had no choice but to swipe his card and let him in.

As soon as the door closed, Yu Yi stopped pretending and got straight to the point. “Why did you not take an interest in me?”

“What?” Ji Xingxiao did not react immediately.

Yu Yi repeated, “Why did you not take an interest in me?”

Ji Xingxiao was speechless.

“If you were not interested in me, why did you get engaged and put a ring on my finger? Do you think this is playing house?”

“Do you know that because you were not interested in me, I have no school to attend anymore?”

Ji Xingxiao finally managed to find his voice. “What does that have to do with me?”

“It has everything to do with you!” Yu Yi said righteously. “You played with my feelings!”

“What?” Hearing Yu Yi’s words, Ji Xingxiao was almost in disbelief.

An expression of astonishment had appeared numerous times on his noble and somewhat cold face. Every shocking sentence from Yu Yi managed to break his composure.

Yu Yi looked around the dormitory. Rather than a dorm, it was more like a massive luxury apartment. It could certainly fit a bed for him. Feeling relieved, he said, “To be honest, I quite like you.”

This was definitely the most speechless Ji Xingxiao had ever been. He had received confessions before, but this kind of stubborn, self-willed confession was a first. Ji Xingxiao began to regret agreeing to the engagement. It had been an impulsive decision. He simply did not like how everyone who saw him looked at him with pity.

That night at the club, Yu Yi had not done that. Thinking back to the surprise in Yu Yi’s eyes when he saw his face on the engagement day, it was clear he had not seen his face clearly that night at all.

Yu Yi continued, “I do not mind the mark on your face, so you should not mind that I am a Beta.”

He then added shamelessly, “Look at us. We are such a good match. We were practically made for each other.”

“Mind it?” Ji Xingxiao caught the keyword and laughed out of pure anger. “What right do you have to mind anything about me?”

Yu Yi froze for a moment but quickly reacted. “I do not mind you. I said that mainly to lead into the part about us being a perfect match. Do you understand?”

It was true; the birthmark on Ji Xingxiao’s face was not a big deal. The bigger issue was that Ji Xingxiao was a high-level Alpha and a natural Ability User, while Yu Yi was an ordinary Beta.

Ji Xingxiao was speechless once again. “I do not understand,” he muttered, the words nearly ground out from between his teeth.

Yu Yi scratched his head. He had never confessed to anyone before, so he decided to be blunt. “It was love at first sight. Love at first sight. Do you understand love at first sight?”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Ji Xingxiao was clearly dizzy and overwhelmed by those four words.

“I fell for you at first sight in the nightclub. Why else would I have asked you to stick my tail back on?” Yu Yi blinked and said, “I would not let anyone else take advantage of me like that.”

“Oh?” Recalling something, Ji Xingxiao spoke through gritted teeth. “I would like to ask why my fiancé appeared in such a place and sprayed pheromone liquid.”

Yu Yi remained composed. “What fiancé? I had not agreed to it yet. We were strangers then.”

He threw the question back. “I am not even asking why you were there or why you would not let go of my rabbit tail.”

“That is none of your business,” Ji Xingxiao said coldly.

“Exactly.” Yu Yi spread his hands. He was not interested in why Ji Xingxiao was there either. “Let us move past that. We just need to live happily together from now on.”

Ji Xingxiao choked. “Who wants to live happily with you?”

Yu Yi showed the ring he had secretly slipped back onto his finger and said righteously, “You were the one who put this on me!”

Then Yu Yi began to rummage through his old, worn-out bag and pull out his belongings. As he did, he said, “It seems we have not properly introduced ourselves yet. Do you know my name?”

“My name is Yu Yi. I do not take the surname of that scumbag.” Yu Yi pulled out his towels and clothes and placed them on the sofa. “Your family has checked everything else. You have my physical exam report as well. There is nothing wrong with me. Oh, by the way, are you of age?”

“I did not agree to let you stay here,” Ji Xingxiao said.

Yu Yi acted as if he had not heard him. “You are not underage, are you?”

“Are you really underage?” Yu Yi paused his packing and looked at him in surprise.

“I am an adult.” Ji Xingxiao’s jaw had been clenched since Yu Yi entered.

“Oh, that is good.” Yu Yi breathed a sigh of relief. “Then we are legal. If you want to do anything, tell me in advance so I can be mentally prepared.”

“What?” Ji Xingxiao was stunned, clearly not catching the implication at first. Then he seemed to realize, and his face turned red from his neck to his ears.

Yu Yi took his books out of the bag, acting casual. “Literally. Did your family not check my reproductive chamber?”

It was a lie, and Yu Yi felt a bit guilty saying it. But to make it seem like he really liked Ji Xingxiao, he was going all out.

Ji Xingxiao was furious when he realized. “Get out! I did not give you permission to stay here!” He then threw Yu Yi out, bag and all.

The door slammed shut, and Yu Yi was left staring at it. His clothes and books were scattered on the ground, reminding him of the time he was kicked out of his home by that pretty boy who looked like Cheng Sui. Yu Yi looked down for a moment and then bent over to start gathering his things.

He had overacted. This Ji Xingxiao was much more innocent than he had imagined. After packing everything back into his bag, Yu Yi knocked on the door. He explained gently, “Wait, no. I was joking with you. I did not mean it like that. I really did not want to take advantage of you. I just,” Yu Yi’s voice grew quieter. “I just do not want to leave the Upper District.”

He did not know if Ji Xingxiao was listening. The door was well-insulated. Once it was closed, you could not hear anything from the other side. But he had not really intended for Ji Xingxiao to hear that part anyway.

Yu Yi sighed. “Why is it so hard to stay here?”

He glanced at the nearby surveillance camera and an idea struck him. Someone was watching the feed. If he made a scene, the school would send someone. He took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Husband! Husband! Husband, open the door, husband!”

As expected, by the third shout, he heard the sound of thumping footsteps from inside. Even with the soundproofing, he could feel the anger of the person behind the door. The door was flung open.

“Shut up!” Ji Xingxiao dragged Yu Yi inside.

Yu Yi deliberately forced out a few tears. He looked up pitifully as he entered, letting a tear fall just as he looked at Ji Xingxiao. Unfortunately, Yu Yi’s features were not the fragile type. Otherwise, the effect would have been even stronger.

Ji Xingxiao was full of rage, but the moment he saw Yu Yi crying, he seemed to freeze. He began to stammer, “You, you.”

It was certain that whatever Ji Xingxiao was going to say was not pleasant, but it was all dissolved by Yu Yi’s tears. Finally, he asked, “What are you crying for?”

Yu Yi said tearfully, “You were the one who said we were engaged, and you are the one who said you did not want me.”

Ji Xingxiao felt a headache coming on. “I never said I did not want you.”

He had never imagined that a marriage of convenience would turn out like this. Yu Yi was like a piece of gum that he could not shake off.

Yu Yi’s eyes lit up. “So you do want me?”

“I do not!” The veins in Ji Xingxiao’s temples throbbed. “What do you actually want?”

At this point, it was no longer possible to play dumb. Yu Yi sighed and decided to tell the truth. “You know I am the son of Cheng Sui’s former wife, right?”

“I do not know that,” Ji Xingxiao said without thinking.

It was expected. Yu Yi did not hold out hope that Ji Xingxiao would bother to learn about him. Simply put, he was an object thrown out by the Cheng family to maintain a relationship. The choice was in the hands of the Ji family. Now, this object had to fight for its value.

“I want to stay in the Upper District. I want to finish my studies at the Defense Academy, but everyone thinks I am not suited for it and wants me to go back to the Lower District.” Yu Yi looked at Ji Xingxiao, his dark eyes shining like stars. “I do not want to leave. I want to stay here.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Ji Xingxiao crossed his arms, looking completely indifferent.

“It has everything to do with you!” Yu Yi said. “You are the key to me staying in the Upper District!”

Ji Xingxiao was full of questions.

“The tuition for the Defense Academy is eight hundred thousand Star Credits a year!” Yu Yi wailed. “That is more expensive than my life!”

“You want me to pay your tuition?” Ji Xingxiao looked hesitant.

“Of course not. The Cheng family thinks you are not interested in me, so they do not want me to stay in the Upper District anymore.” Yu Yi had no intention of asking Ji Xingxiao for money. If their relationship involved money, it would be even harder to resolve. “I just want them to pay my tuition so I can stay here and finish school.”

Ji Xingxiao suddenly asked, “So everything you just said was a lie?”

“Which parts?”

Ji Xingxiao looked at Yu Yi and said nothing.

Yu Yi realized what he meant. “A part of it, yes.”

Ji Xingxiao looked displeased. He looked down coldly at Yu Yi, his eyes seemingly filled with ice. For some reason, Yu Yi felt the room temperature, which had been set to a comfortable level, suddenly drop several degrees.

Yu Yi shivered and added, “But there is one thing I did not lie about.”

“What?”

“I quite like you.”

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