After I Stopped Being a Simp, My Husband Fell for Me on His Own - Chapter 9

Yu Yi was not foolish enough to suggest a sham marriage to Ji Xingxiao where they would live separate lives without interference. Cheng Sui had made it clear that everything depended on Ji Xingxiao’s personal will. In other words, Ji Xingxiao had no obligation to help him act. Therefore, Yu Yi could only proceed by blending half-truths with his performance.

“Do you really think I would believe you?” Ji Xingxiao asked.

Ji Xingxiao narrowed his eyes. His naturally upturned eyes, combined with the fierce birthmark on his temple, gave him an air of cold severity. He looked dangerous. Yu Yi noticed that the large decorative fish tank behind Ji Xingxiao had begun to freeze. He wondered if this was Ji Xingxiao’s natural ability. It appeared to be a water-based power.

From his previous studies, Yu Yi had a basic understanding of natural ability users. These individuals possessed stronger pheromone linking capabilities than other high-level Alphas and also wielded supernatural powers. Natural abilities that were independent of technology were considered the most powerful. While the Combat Academy held the most dangerous abilities, the Command Academy remained more mysterious.

The textbooks at the Guard Academy did not have extensive records on commanders. While they mentioned that the Command Academy had the highest number of natural ability users, they remained silent regarding the extent of their danger. To make water freeze simply through an emotional fluctuation was remarkable.

“This is no tuxedo cat,” Yu Yi thought. “This is a fierce, large feline.”

“You have been full of lies from the moment you walked in!” Ji Xingxiao said ruthlessly.

Yu Yi was stunned.

“What is it you want? Money?” Ji Xingxiao suddenly let out a sigh as if he had figured something out. He said with certainty, “That is your goal for being here, is it not?”

Yu Yi felt speechless. He realized that Ji Xingxiao had not listened to a single word of his earlier confession. If he had only wanted money, he would have taken Cheng Sui’s offer and returned to the Lower District long ago.

“Brother, have you never been confessed to before?” Yu Yi asked, feeling somewhat exasperated.

“What?” Ji Xingxiao was once again caught off guard by Yu Yi’s bluntness. The confidence on his face began to crumble, and he looked visibly flustered despite his attempts to remain composed.

Had he never been confessed to? That was impossible. From childhood to adulthood, he had received so many love letters from Omegas that his hands grew tired of holding them. However, the Omegas in the Upper District were highly educated and refined. Once rejected, none of them would ever act like Yu Yi, relentlessly pestering him and showing up at his door.

“I said I liked you so many times, yet you did not hear it!” Yu Yi shouted. “I said I like you, I like you, I like you! Do you not understand?”

Yu Yi’s words hit Ji Xingxiao like rapid gunfire, completely shattering his cold facade.

Yu Yi continued, “How many more times do I have to say it? I like you, I like—”

“Shut up!” Ji Xingxiao finally snapped, unable to endure Yu Yi’s shameless declarations any longer. The skin behind his dark hair turned a burning red.

Behind him, the ice in the fish tank began to crack, causing several imitation fish to split apart and float to the surface. It was definitely his natural ability. Yu Yi immediately closed his mouth, fearing he might be split in half like those fish. Finally, Ji Xingxiao relented and allowed Yu Yi to stay, but he insisted on three conditions.

“You are only allowed to move around in the living room,” Ji Xingxiao stated.

“Of course, Husband,” Yu Yi replied with a dutiful nod.

“And you are not allowed to call me that!”

“Oh.”

“You cannot enter my room without permission, and you cannot…” Ji Xingxiao trailed off, seemingly struggling to find the right words.

Yu Yi understood his implication and finished the sentence. “I cannot sleep with you?”

Ji Xingxiao went silent.

“Do not worry. If I actually tried to sleep with you, you could knock me across the room with two punches. I have principles,” Yu Yi said, nearly raising his hand to swear an oath. “If you do not want me in your room, I will absolutely stay out.”

His sole reason for staying in Ji Xingxiao’s dormitory was to make Cheng Sui and the others believe that Ji Xingxiao had taken an interest in him.

Ji Xingxiao snorted. “You had better keep your word.”

Yu Yi earned the right to sleep on the living room sofa. Fortunately, he did not have many clothes, so he tucked them under the sofa. This kept the minimalist style of the room intact. Although it was a sofa, Yu Yi discovered it had several modes, including a bed setting. Compared to his previous rental, this was a massive improvement, and he did not have to pay rent.

Yu Yi planned to stay for half a month until the rumors of him living with Ji Xingxiao spread. At that point, he would be able to negotiate the terms of his stay with Cheng Sui. The only drawback was the distance between the Command Academy and the Guard Academy. Yu Yi woke up early and quickly washed up in the pristine kitchen. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should wake Ji Xingxiao. He decided against it, reasoning that unless he was making a heartfelt breakfast, he would only be disturbing him. Besides, the school breakfast was plenty, and Yu Yi’s survival-level cooking was not fit for presentation.

This thought made Yu Yi feel happy again. Now that he had money in his account, he no longer had to survive on free soup and rice. He dried his face and headed straight for the cafeteria with high spirits.

He was unaware that Ji Xingxiao had woken up early for training. Ji Xingxiao was currently in a cockpit, having just finished a shooting drill.

“My goodness, did you break another record?” Qin Feng asked as he removed his helmet and stepped out of his cockpit. “Are you planning to rewrite every record in the school?”

“It has always been this way,” Ji Xingxiao replied, raising his eyebrows with clear confidence. “I want every record on the school leaderboard to bear my name.”

“Then why did you…” Qin Feng began but then stopped. He was curious. Ji Xingxiao was a true overachiever. He had expected Ji Xingxiao to find a partner of equal ability to fight alongside him. No one expected Ji Xingxiao to choose a Beta as his fiancé.

Ji Xingxiao understood the implication in Qin Feng’s words. He recalled Yu Yi’s bold confession from the previous night, and his ears turned red for a moment. He lowered his head and tapped the side of his ear. The surveillance feed from his dormitory immediately appeared before him. He saw Yu Yi waking up and rolling off the sofa bed. Then, a groggy Yu Yi stood up and went to the kitchen to wash up.

“Who told him to wash up there?” Ji Xingxiao thought.

Qin Feng continued, “But are the missions you will be performing in the future not too dangerous for a Beta? No commander has ever chosen a Beta as a partner.”

Ji Xingxiao watched distractedly as Yu Yi squeezed out toothpaste from a tube that looked like it should have been discarded long ago. Yu Yi brushed his teeth while wandering around the room to wake himself up. After washing his face, he looked much more alert. And then, he simply left. He walked out the door without making any attempt to check on Ji Xingxiao.

Although Ji Xingxiao was already in the training room, which was directly accessible from his quarters, Yu Yi could not have known that. To Yu Yi, it should have appeared that Ji Xingxiao was still asleep. Yet, he had just left. This Beta claimed to love him, but was this how he showed it? Ji Xingxiao’s gaze darkened.

“Or do you feel that linking with a Beta would be more comfortable?” Qin Feng guessed when Ji Xingxiao remained silent.

“I do not know,” Ji Xingxiao said, closing the surveillance feed. “It makes no difference to me who my partner is.”

To Yu Yi’s surprise, the news of him living in Ji Xingxiao’s dormitory had already spread throughout the Guard Academy. He had underestimated Ji Xingxiao’s fame. Yu Yi was currently devouring a table full of dishes he had previously craved when someone sat down across from him.

“I heard that you are engaged to Ji Xingxiao?”

Yu Yi looked up with oil on his face. He saw a beautiful Omega whom he did not recognize.

“Oh,” Yu Yi said, swallowing a piece of meat. He admitted it openly. “Yes, I am.”

“How did you two meet?”

Yu Yi wiped his hands slowly. He then shyly tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “It was love at first sight.”

Afterward, whether he was walking on the street, using the air conditioning in the library, or attending a lecture, total strangers would approach him to ask about the engagement. Yu Yi lied effortlessly, telling some people they met at a banquet and others a different story.

By the afternoon, Cheng Sui called him. “Did you and Ji Xingxiao sleep together?” Cheng Sui asked immediately.

Yu Yi was stunned. He had underestimated how quickly rumors could spread. He did not know what shocking version Cheng Sui had heard, but Yu Yi felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

“I thought you said Ji Xingxiao had no interest in me?” Yu Yi asked in response.

Cheng Sui was silent for a moment. “Yu Yi, you need to think this through. The missions a commander of his level participates in are far too dangerous for you.”

Yu Yi did not care. He found his father’s sudden concern laughable. “Now you are telling me it is dangerous? Who was the one who cut off my living allowance and forced me into this marriage?”

“I told you the decision was yours.”

“Oh, so the plan was to throw me out as a formality? Not a chance! I am not leaving the Upper District!” Yu Yi gritted his teeth. After a long silence, Cheng Sui sighed. “As long as you have thought it through.”

Yu Yi did not fully understand what Cheng Sui meant by dangerous missions. In his mind, he was eager to go on missions to earn rewards and merits. Missions to the contaminated zones were handled by five-person teams consisting of one commander, three combat students, and one guard student. Unfortunately, guard students usually could not participate until their third year.

When Yu Yi returned that evening, he found himself locked out again. He knocked on the door for a long time without success. Finally, he said, “If you do not open the door, I will follow you to your classes tomorrow and call you Husband every single day.”

The door opened. Ji Xingxiao looked exasperated as he pulled Yu Yi inside and slammed the door shut. “Why are you telling everyone that we…” He could not bring himself to finish the sentence. His face turned red. “You!”

“I did not say anything,” Yu Yi replied calmly. He began to count on his fingers. “I said it was love at first sight, I said we met at a banquet, and I said we met when you rescued me like a hero.”

“I never said we slept together. How would I know how they are spreading it?”

Ji Xingxiao’s expression suddenly darkened when he realized how indifferent Yu Yi was to the matter. Yu Yi, unaware of the shift in mood, added more fuel to the fire. “Besides, considering our relationship, it would be normal even if we had slept together, right?”

“Is that so?” Ji Xingxiao asked with a cold smile.

Only then did Yu Yi notice that Ji Xingxiao’s expression had become grim. When he looked down at Yu Yi without any emotion, the black birthmark between his eyes seemed even more fierce and cold. “It seems you are quite familiar with such things then?”

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