Beautiful Wife: The Cold Boss is My Husband - Chapter 20

Since quitting alcohol and switching to working from home, Yan Chengming’s days had been relatively comfortable, though he occasionally worried about work matters. He had previously damaged his stomach and, like the domineering CEOs in novels, suffered from nighttime stomach pains. His home was always stocked with stomach medicine, and Zhuo Xiao tried to cook light meals for him.

But…

This definitely shouldn’t be what he was seeing now!!

In the morning, Yan Chengming sat at the dining table, staring at the center of the large table where a tiny porcelain bowl—so small it seemed barely enough for a sip of water—held half a bowl of watery rice porridge with hardly any grains of rice. In front of the porridge bowl were two even smaller dishes, so tiny Yan Chengming didn’t even know they had such things at home. They contained similar but different white powders: one was sugar, the other salt.

Not even a packet of pickled vegetables in sight!

Not far away, separated by a translucent screen door, Zhuo Xiao was kneeling on the sofa with one leg, frantically stuffing things into an impossibly large, class-defying bag, as if fleeing a disaster. It gave off the distinct vibe that Yan Chengming was about to go bankrupt and Zhuo Xiao was making a run for it.

Yan Chengming: “…”

He was utterly speechless.

After a long while, he tremblingly set down his chopsticks, walked silently to the screen door, leaned against it, hesitated, and finally spoke: “Honey, our family’s financial situation shouldn’t be that dire yet…”

Zhuo Xiao paused, his movements freezing for a second. Without turning his head, he said, “I’m going to the studio.”

With that, he continued packing things into the bag.

Yan Chengming let out a sigh of relief. At least he wasn’t running away.

But he still felt uneasy. He leaned in for a closer look and, seeing it was just some art supplies, kept quiet. Yet he couldn’t help feeling a bit aggrieved: “Isn’t there any other food? That little bit won’t fill me up.”

He even suspected that Zhuo Xiao had simply taken last night’s leftover rice, added some water to the pot, boiled it again, and served it to him.

Zhuo Xiao coughed lightly. “I’m quite busy today and don’t have time to cook. If you’re hungry, just order takeout.”

Yan Chengming: “Oh.”

Though he responded this way, he glanced at Zhuo Xiao several times. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhuo Xiao’s tone today was unusually stiff, lacking the usual gentleness. And he was actually telling him to order takeout! How could this be?

In less than half an hour, Zhuo Xiao was out the door, carrying his oversized bag without saying a word. In the past, whenever he left, he would always say, “Husband, I’m off,” then blink and look back three times with every step, only stopping his lingering glances when Yan Chengming turned to go back inside.

It was never like this.

Standing in the entryway, watching Zhuo Xiao’s figure about to disappear, Yan Chengming felt an inexplicable panic. He couldn’t hold back any longer and called out, “Zhuo Xiao, did you forget something?”

Zhuo Xiao paused again but still didn’t turn around. He just lowered his gaze and muttered, “I don’t think so. I’ve packed everything.”

Yan Chengming: “…”

His eyes turned into teary poached eggs again.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, grabbed Zhuo Xiao’s arm, and leaned in close. “A kiss. Give me a kiss before you go.”

In his line of sight, Zhuo Xiao’s face was deathly pale. A powerful force pushed against Yan Chengming’s chest—he hadn’t realized that even outside of his fabricated dreams, Zhuo Xiao could be this strong.

He was pushed away.

Zhuo Xiao pursed his lips and said, “No kiss. I’m running late.”

With that, he left, leaving Yan Chengming standing alone in stunned silence.

Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten enough for breakfast, Yan Chengming felt restless all day and couldn’t focus on his work. He sent Zhuo Xiao many messages.

【Yan Chengming: Honey, when are you coming back?】

【Yan Chengming: What should we have for lunch?】

【Yan Chengming: I saw a really nice watch [picture]. How about I buy it for you?】

…

Zhuo Xiao didn’t reply to any of them.

Yan Chengming’s mood shifted from anxiety to disappointment, then to “if you don’t reply, then never reply again.” Fuming, he went to the living room, poured himself a glass of water, and gulped it down in one go. After drinking his fill, he pointed at the cactus on the balcony and began to rant, “Back when we were dating, you replied instantly and were always available, calling me ‘Brother Yan’ every time. Now you won’t even talk to me! They say the seven-year itch, but it’s only been three years. How can it be like this? Isn’t this just fraud?”

In the midst of his agitation, Yan Chengming’s gaze shifted. The glass window, illuminated by sunlight, reflected his own flickering image: a man wearing wrinkled sleepwear, his neatly combed black hair now tousled from frustration, his expression twisted and snarling as he vented his anger at an innocent cactus.

Though his features were undeniably handsome, he looked a bit disheveled.

The cactus: “…”

Yan Chengming: “…”

His expression froze for a moment, then slowly relaxed, like water being squeezed out of a sponge that had absorbed too much, returning to its initial composed state. Yan Chengming hissed softly, crouching slowly in front of the glass window, his fingers tracing his face. “Could it be because I’ve been wearing sleepwear at home every day?”

He then reached down to feel his abs, noticing they weren’t as defined as they used to be during his modeling days. Taking a deep breath, he finally confirmed it!

After informing Gu Yu, he hurriedly began to get dressed. After a full facial treatment at the beauty salon, Yan Chengming rushed to his private gym. He spent an hour on the ab machine, sweating profusely until his abs turned slightly red and swollen, the muscles contracting and becoming more defined. Panting, he pulled up the hem of his shirt and took a photo of his abs under soft, suggestive lighting, then sent it to Zhuo Xiao.

【Yan Chengming: [picture]】

The temptation of his abs proved effective—Zhuo Xiao finally responded.

【Zhuo Xiao: Just finished work. I won’t be back for lunch. Order delivery from a restaurant.】

【Zhuo Xiao: I’ll be back tonight, but I’m not sure what time. Don’t wait for me. Go to bed early.】

–

“Uncle, the flight tickets to City B are booked for tomorrow morning at nine,” Chen Xi said in Zhuo Xiao’s studio, glancing at Zhuo Xiao, who was holding his phone.

Zhuo Xiao’s phone had been buzzing nonstop earlier, but even though he saw the messages, he didn’t reply. Chen Xi didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t dare ask.

Zhuo Xiao nodded slightly in response to Chen Xi’s words.

Just then, his phone received a photo of Yan Chengming’s abs. When he opened it, he was momentarily taken aback. By the time he processed it, he had already long-pressed to save the image. Perhaps this subconscious reaction made him feel a bit ashamed, but after deliberately distancing himself from Yan Chengming all day, he finally replied to a message.

Yan Chengming liked Zhuo Xiao, not “President Zhuo.” Messages sent to Yan Chengming from the “President Zhuo” account were often ignored or selectively replied to. The photo of him drinking coffee sent to Yan Chengming a while ago had gone unanswered for a long time.

While Yan Chengming was neglecting “President Zhuo,” he was bombarding Zhuo Xiao with messages like a machine gun.

Zhuo Xiao’s heart ached with a bittersweet tenderness. Things had progressed to this point, and even he felt somewhat lost. He didn’t know what the right thing to do was; perhaps it was better to take a moment to calm down.

By ten o’clock that night, Zhuo Xiao could no longer bear it and pushed open the door to his home. The house was dimly lit. He paused, surprised that Yan Chengming had gone to bed so early. He had thought Yan Chengming would be too upset to sleep.

“Suspect, what were you doing at nine o’clock tonight?”

A familiar, low voice sliced through the quiet like a sharp knife in the darkness. With a click, the lights in the house flickered on.

The cool sensation of something pressed against his forehead. Yan Chengming stood before him, holding a pitch-black toy gun, dressed in a mock uniform. The light spilled over his profile, highlighting his striking handsomeness, his dark eyes sharp and intense. A roguish smile curled at the corner of his lips as his gaze swept playfully over Zhuo Xiao’s face. He reached out, stroking Zhuo Xiao’s cheek in a teasing manner, and said with a smirk, “You don’t have to answer… but there will be a price to pay. Since you’re a married man, I’m sure you understand what I mean?”

“Mmph.”

Before Zhuo Xiao could react, his lips were captured. The other’s tongue was assertive, easily parting his lips and sweeping through every corner of his mouth, seizing every drop of moisture and breath of air.

The moment the feeling of oxygen deprivation washed over him, Zhuo Xiao patted Yan Chengming’s shoulder, trying to stop him. But today, Yan Chengming didn’t yield with his usual tenderness. Instead, his tongue delved deeper, his canine teeth biting fiercely into Zhuo Xiao’s lips.

The mix of discomfort and sweetness made Zhuo Xiao’s eyes sting, tears sliding down the corners. In that moment of hesitation, Yan Chengming’s large hands had already lifted him by the legs and placed him on the shoe cabinet. His legs now rested on Yan Chengming’s arms, holding him in a precarious position.

Zhuo Xiao’s pale face flushed from the kiss, his eyelashes damp with moisture. Yan Chengming, breathing heavily, pressed closer with satisfaction, his eyes locking onto Zhuo Xiao’s face like a wolf targeting its prey. “Suspect, have you made up your mind? You have one more minute. After that, I won’t care if you’re willing or not. No one is coming to save you anyway.”

Dazed from the kiss, Zhuo Xiao took several deep breaths before his unfocused gaze finally settled on Yan Chengming’s face. After a long pause, he lifted his legs slightly, wrapping them around Yan Chengming’s waist. He clung to Yan Chengming’s chest and spoke in that soft, gentle tone that belonged only to “Zhuo Xiao”: “Then, Officer… please be gentle. Don’t let anyone else find out.”

Yan Chengming chuckled. “It’s you who needs to keep quiet.”

Zhuo Xiao slowly closed his eyes.

Whatever. The tangled, messy relationship with Yan Chengming that he had tried to sort out a thousand times but could never unravel—let it stay that way. He had always been like this, soft-hearted and greedy, from the very beginning.

From their first two-and-a-half-day date, to a week, a month, a year… many years, he had wanted too much.

Yan Chengming didn’t like “President Zhuo”; he only liked “Zhuo Xiao.”

Then he could pretend to be Zhuo Xiao for a lifetime.

As long as Yan Chengming liked it.

They had stayed up late the previous night, and Yan Chengming slept straight through until two in the afternoon. When he woke up, he stared blankly at the empty space beside him in bed.

Yawning, he got up, scratched his head, and hummed a tune as he washed up. It wasn’t until after a shower that Yan Chengming realized just how quiet the house was.

“Zhuo Xiao? Zhuo Xiao?” Yan Chengming called out with a furrowed brow, receiving no response whatsoever. “Could she have gone to the studio again?”

Finally, he walked into the kitchen, where a pale-yellow heart-shaped note was stuck to the outside of the thermal pot.

[Honey, I didn’t get a chance to tell you yesterday—I’ve gone on a business trip to City B. Take good care of yourself.]

Yan Chengming stared blankly at the bright blue ballpoint pen writing that spelled out “City B.”

Are you telling me that City B? The one with that shady, scheming, homewrecking, obsessive, and downright creepy CEO Zhuo who’s been eyeing other people’s wives?