Fighting For My Wife With Myself After Being Reborn - Chapter 19

A white bird drew a pale arc across the deep blue sky.

Several boats drifted on the tranquil lake, swaying gently and filled with the sound of laughter and joy.

Shen Huaixu lay on the boat with her hands crossed behind her head. The baseball cap covering her face blocked out the scorching sun, and while the breeze blowing from the lake carried damp moisture, it was unexpectedly refreshing, whisking away the heat of the sun.

Gu Yinghuai sat at the stern, holding a camera and occasionally taking photos of the lake surface or the distant mountains. The scenery in Dali was beautiful; one could capture pictures like paintings without even adjusting the settings.

The boat rocked gently, drifting with the current, far away from the shore and the other small vessels.

The laughter and shadows of people faded away. Gu Yinghuai looked down at Shen Huaixu, who was feigning sleep at the bow, and mischievously raised her camera to capture the moment. She thought to herself that she would export this photo when they got back and use it as her WeChat profile picture for a few months just to tease her dear “Axu.”

The person being photographed maintained her pose of fake sleep, not minding being caught on camera at all.

Gu Yinghuai saved the photo and placed the camera carefully on the backpack beside her. She then knelt by Shen Huaixu’s feet, bracing herself against the edge of the boat.

The woman was wearing dark-colored clothes today, which had become scorching hot under the fierce sun. Even by just leaning in slightly, Gu Yinghuai could feel the burning temperature near her knees.

Propping her upper body up with one hand, she lifted Shen Huaixu’s cap with the other. The silver-gray pupils that had been hidden in the darkness narrowed into thin lines due to the stinging light.

Gu Yinghuai kissed Shen Huaixu under the shadow of the hat.

“Really, now. Who comes out to play just to lie down and sleep?” Gu Yinghuai teased the burning-hot Shen Huaixu.

“It’s too hot,” Shen Huaixu replied, reaching out to hook her arm around Gu Yinghuai’s neck. With a slight tug, Gu Yinghuai stumbled into her embrace, her hands frantically grabbing the boat’s edge. Before she could steady herself, Shen Huaixu kissed her.

“Let me cool down,” Shen Huaixu murmured, deepening the kiss. Her nimble tongue flicked across the sensitive roof of the mouth, and their intertwined breathing became heavy and erratic.

The baseball cap had long since fallen into the cabin when they tumbled together, lying lonely on the wooden planks.

A bird lightly skimmed the water, sending ripples outward in circles.

“Axu, you’re being too reckless! What if the boat capsized!?” Gu Yinghuai criticized Shen Huaixu’s wild behavior.

Shen Huaixu burst into laughter. “Then we’ll just swim back to shore.”

“Idiot, I’m not swimming. You’d have to carry me back on your back,” Gu Yinghuai punched Shen Huaixu’s shoulder. She should have been angry, but seeing Shen Huaixu’s brilliant smile, her anger suddenly evaporated.

She lay against Shen Huaixu’s chest, listening to the steady, powerful heartbeat. Gu Yinghuai felt her own racing heart begin to quiet down.

A cloud drifted by. Its shadow crawled over them slowly like a snail, followed by the return of the sun, and then another “snail” slowly passing.

The boat beneath them swayed and rocked. The gentle breeze seemed to carry a hypnotic effect; Gu Yinghuai blinked her eyes, feeling drowsy.

“Sleep for a bit?” Shen Huaixu asked softly.

“Mmh…” Gu Yinghuai answered dizzily, her eyelids feeling as if they were glued shut, unable to open at all. “I’ll squint for a while…”

She curled up in Shen Huaixu’s arms and fell asleep.

Shen Huaixu kissed the top of her hair, her fingers groping along the boat for the fallen cap, which she then placed over Gu Yinghuai’s face.

The tiny boat carried the two of them toward the distance.

“I really can’t believe we just slept the whole afternoon away on a boat!” Back at the dock while returning the boat, Gu Yinghuai was still reeling from the disbelief of sleeping for an entire afternoon.

Shen Huaixu held her hand as they left the pier. “Isn’t traveling just about finding a different place to sleep? Happiness and comfort are what matter most.”

Gu Yinghuai puffed out her cheeks and poked Shen Huaixu’s arm. “And whose fault do you think that was?”

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault,” Shen Huaixu’s apology didn’t sound apologetic at all. “I’ll give you a massage tonight, Huai!”

“No way. You’ll definitely stop halfway and drag me into that business again. I’m not falling for it.”

“Eh, I won’t. I’ll massage you seriously, trust me—”

“In this regard, Axu, you have zero credibility left.”

The two bickered as they walked toward where the car was parked. The streetlights flickered with a bzz-pa sound before illuminating the path beneath their feet.

They didn’t encounter many pedestrians along the way, but Gu Yinghuai felt as though eyes were constantly drifting toward them; some people even tried to sneak photos with their phones.

“Is this what it feels like to be watched? Axu, you really have it hard normally,” Gu Yinghuai remarked as she leaned back against the car seat, finally isolated from the lingering gazes outside, while buckling her seatbelt.

“Not really. Hardly anyone looks at me normally,” Shen Huaixu lied through her teeth, her skill at teasing Gu Yinghuai reaching a new level. “I’m very low-key.”

“I don’t believe that for a second. With your height, people are bound to look,” Gu Yinghuai clearly didn’t buy the nonsense. She looked through the window at a few people who were still reluctant to leave. “Is this okay? Do we not need to do anything?”

Shen Huaixu started the car, ignoring the people peering around. “Don’t worry about it. As long as no one actively approaches us, we can just ignore them.”

“Ah, how cold and heartless,” Gu Yinghuai teased, her almond-shaped eyes full of smiles as she looked at Shen Huaixu.

“What can I do? I gave all my love to you,” Shen Huaixu hummed a song softly, her silver-gray eyes reflecting the multicolored lights. She glanced at the rearview mirror and acted spoiled toward the Gu Yinghuai in the reflection. “So, let me massage you tonight, okay? Massage.”

“You’re totally ruining the mood!” Gu Yinghuai feigned anger, but she was defeated by Shen Huaixu’s smile in less than three seconds. She agreed with a look of frustration. “Fine, fine. Goodness, just drive properly and watch the road.”

Seeing she had achieved her goal, Shen Huaixu grinned. “Yes ma’am~”

Gu Yinghuai huffed, but secretly smiled when Shen Huaixu wasn’t looking.

The car stopped at a roadside parking spot. The place they were eating tonight was a restaurant run by locals. The online reviews were glowing, praising the food as if it were “only found in heaven.”

Shen Huaixu didn’t believe the hype and dragged Gu Yinghuai along to try this so-called “Heavenly Cuisine.”

It was dinner time, and the street stalls were filled with smoke and rising steam.

The restaurant was small with few seats. Shen Huaixu was lucky; she arrived just as a table was being cleared and managed to snag a spot.

“Good luck. I thought we’d have to wait in line,” Shen Huaixu said, leading Gu Yinghuai behind the server to their table.

Their seat was in a corner. If they were careful, no one would notice that a celebrity currently trending on the hot searches had arrived.

“I’m so hungry. I heard the food here is great; I hope it’s true,” Shen Huaixu scanned the QR code to order, thinking that if the food sucked, she would definitely blacklist the blogger who tricked her into coming.

Gu Yinghuai ordered two dishes that looked delicious and said, “It feels like we didn’t do anything today, yet I’m so hungry and tired.”

Shen Huaixu poured two glasses of lemon water, handing one to Gu Yinghuai. “That’s why you need a massage—to relieve fatigue.”

“If you don’t start touching me inappropriately at the end, then it would indeed relieve fatigue,” Gu Yinghuai said, sipping her lemon water after having been tricked several times.

“But didn’t you also find it very comfortable, Huai? At the end, you even asked me to go harder—”

“Stop! Say one more word and tonight’s massage is canceled!” Gu Yinghuai’s heart jumped. She quickly reached out to cover Shen Huaixu’s mouth, stopping those beautiful lips from uttering such shocking things.

The soft palm pressed firmly against her face. Shen Huaixu smelled the faint fragrance on it—it was a perfume Gu Yinghuai often used. The top note was very elegant, and gradually, it revealed a slight sweetness, like a freshly ripened apple hanging on a branch with translucent dew drops.

She kept her eyes innocent and stuck out her tongue to lick the palm covering her lips. Gu Yinghuai’s hand instantly recoiled as if she’d been electrocuted, her fair cheeks turning bright red.

“Dirty… that’s so dirty! Don’t just lick anything!”

“If it’s dirty, I can lick it clean.”

Now even Gu Yinghuai’s earlobes were red.

“Your meal, please enjoy,” the server arrived, saving Gu Yinghuai’s heart, which was teetering on the edge because of Shen Huaixu’s casual flirtation.

She swore that even if the food was bad, she wouldn’t leave a negative review.

“Let’s eat first. Weren’t you hungry?” Shen Huaixu knew that if she teased her lover any further, she might die of embarrassment, and she didn’t want to sleep on the sofa tonight. So, she obediently scooped a bowl of rice and began feeding Gu Yinghuai.

Gu Yinghuai accepted the feeding. The delicious food gradually replaced the shame in her heart as she became immersed in the meal.

“Um… excuse me, are you Shen Huaixu?” Just as Shen Huaixu was almost finished eating, a girl from the neighboring table walked over timidly, clutching her phone tightly and asking nervously.

Shen Huaixu looked up. Before she could speak, the girl who asked the question became excited as soon as their eyes met. “It really is you! I thought it looked like you just now, but my friend said I was mistaken!”

“And you are…?” Shen Huaixu, whose mood was originally a bit irritable from having her date interrupted, immediately managed her expression and tucked away her impatience upon seeing the phone in the girl’s hand.

“I’m your fan! I’ve collected every magazine you’ve been in since you debuted. I really like you so much!” Perhaps because it was her first time seeing her in person, the girl was very worked up; her voice cracked, and her words were jumbled.

Shen Huaixu, worried about being discovered by more people, could only softly comfort the girl. Gu Yinghuai watched from the side, snickering.

Heartless, huh? Gu Yinghuai mocked her silently.

Shen Huaixu shot her a glare before turning back to fulfill the excited fan’s request for a photo.

“She’s your girlfriend, right?” the girl asked, blushing.

Shen Huaixu looked at the smiling Gu Yinghuai. Her lover’s cheeks flushed slightly at the question, appearing a bit shy.

“Yeah. Remember to keep it a secret for me; I don’t want too many people to know what she looks like yet.” Shen Huaixu winked, her smile playful.

The girl nodded frantically, her ponytail flying in the air. “Mhm, mhm! I won’t tell anyone!”

Shen Huaixu chuckled. “Thank you.”

The girl was so dazed by the smile that she didn’t even remember when she said goodbye.

“Ah, I forgot to ask for an autograph!” the girl cried out in frustration. “But whatever, at least I got a photo, hehe.”

She giggled foolishly as she was dragged away by her exasperated friend.

“How does it feel to be surrounded by fan love?” Back at the hotel, Gu Yinghuai leaned against Shen Huaixu’s shoulder to tease her.

Shen Huaixu pinched her cheek. “One question, one kiss.”

Gu Yinghuai: “That’s too expensive. Can’t a family member get a discount?”

Shen Huaixu: “Is that expensive? It’s very cheap. Other people would have to pay much more to ask. Alright, let’s not talk about that. Weren’t you tired? Quickly, take off your shirt and lie on the bed. Technician Shen is starting her shift.”

“Fine, stop talking then, you nuisance.” Gu Yinghuai stuck out her tongue, then turned to go to the bathroom to shower.

When Gu Yinghuai finished her shower and came out, Shen Huaixu had produced a bottle of essential oil from somewhere and was kneeling on the bed, waving her over.

“Where did the oil come from?” Gu Yinghuai asked, taking off her top and lying face-down on the bed.

Shen Huaixu smiled without saying a word.

Gu Yinghuai realized it then—her Axu had prepared this “trap” for her a long time ago.

“I’m starting now.” Shen Huaixu dripped the oil onto Gu Yinghuai’s elegantly curved, fair back.

The icy touch made Gu Yinghuai’s body tremble slightly, but fortunately, Shen Huaixu’s warm palms quickly dispelled the chill of the oil.

Gu Yinghuai narrowed her eyes, enjoying the perfectly pressured massage.

Gradually, those magical hands moved toward a deeper, more private place.

“I don’t recall requesting any ‘special services,’ Technician Shen,” Gu Yinghuai said, grabbing the misbehaving wrists. She turned around with a smile, only to meet a pair of eyes that were both familiar and strangely foreign.

“You—”

“Who are you?”

Her almond eyes stared in shock at the person behind her.