Fighting For My Wife With Myself After Being Reborn - Chapter 26

“Oh right, did the photos we took in Dali get exported yet? I remember you said this afternoon you were organizing them; I want to pick a few to post on my Moments~”

Shen Huaixu’s body stiffened, and her expression turned unpleasant.

She thought of the photo in the study’s computer folder that had kept her restless and irritable all afternoon—the one that had even forced her to ask Jiang Rui for a psychiatrist’s contact information.

If only she had deleted it. Shen Huaixu felt a wave of intense regret.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look very well.” Gu Yinghuai asked, worried that Shen Huaixu might be getting sick.

“I probably just got scared by someone’s nail-polishing skills,” Shen Huaixu teased, making a face as she walked toward the study.

Gu Yinghuai chased after her, muttering behind her back, “What! You were just praising me a moment ago!”

“Oh, I seem to have lost my memory. Oh no, I can’t remember what happened just now.” Shen Huaixu turned on the study light, pretending to have a headache.

“You’re so annoying, Axu, that’s too much.” The two of them bantered their way to the computer desk. Shen Huaixu turned on the computer and sat in the gaming chair, and Gu Yinghuai naturally sat in her lap to watch her operate the computer.

Shen Huaixu habitually wrapped her arms around Gu Yinghuai, lightly inhaling the faint, clean fragrance lingering on her.

The folder was filled with photos. Shen Huaixu clicked through them one by one for Gu Yinghuai to choose.

“Was this taken at the foot of the mountain when that sudden gust of wind hit?” Gu Yinghuai suddenly pointed at the screen as the next photo appeared.

Shen Huaixu nodded. That afternoon, they had been strolling on the grass at the foot of the mountain. Shen Huaixu’s lens had been focused on Gu Yinghuai, capturing every moment she deemed perfect.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through. Gu Yinghuai’s white long dress and hair looked like paint scraped across a canvas by a palette knife, freezing the very shape of the wind.

“The wind is so strong—” The person in the wind laughed loudly, spreading her arms wide as if trying to embrace the gale. Shen Huaixu had pressed the shutter repeatedly, recording this heart-stirring scene.

Gu Yinghuai spoke with nostalgia, “Sigh, I’ve only been back at work for a week, but I already miss those carefree days of freedom.”

“If you miss it, we can just go out again in a while,” Shen Huaixu, who was essentially a freelancer, didn’t quite understand the pain of a 996 corporate “workhorse.” She naively thought taking leave was easy.

Gu Yinghuai first directed Shen Huaixu to package those few photos and send them to her phone, then said, “It’s really hard. I’m not like you; our leave requests take forever to get approved.”

Shen Huaixu silently swallowed the words: Then just quit, and I’ll take care of you.

She had mentioned it before, back when Gu Yinghuai was struggling with her internship. The deliberate difficulties from her direct supervisor, the subtle ostracization from colleagues, and the never-ending workload had once made Gu Yinghuai doubt if she was truly fit for the job.

“I’m so tired, I don’t want to work.” After another night of overtime, Gu Yinghuai had hugged Shen Huaixu to recharge, repairing her heart that had been broken at the company during the day.

At the time, Shen Huaixu was heartbroken for her. She held her and comforted her for a long time, finally saying that if she really didn’t want to work, she could quit and she would support her.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yinghuai stopped being sad and instead angrily pinched Shen Huaixu’s ear, lecturing her for a long time.

“I have my own hands and feet, why should you support me? The most important thing in a relationship is mutual respect. If I lived off the money Axu worked so hard to earn, I’d be the first person to look down on myself!”

Because of this, Gu Yinghuai had even given Shen Huaixu the cold shoulder for a week. She ignored Shen Huaixu’s frequent pitiful glances and signals for a truce, going to work every day full of energy.

It wasn’t until the seventh day, just as Shen Huaixu was on the verge of a breakdown, that Gu Yinghuai—who had ignored her for a week—pushed open the door in high spirits at dusk and gave Shen Huaixu a giant hug.

“Axu, I’ve escaped the sea of misery! Ta-da! Look, I got an offer from Mengsi! I can start working there next Monday~”

At that time, looking at Gu Yinghuai’s bright and proud smile, Shen Huaixu thought: Even though I lost the chance to keep my Huai as a pet, I really do prefer seeing her happy and free.

Shen Huaixu was still lost in memory when Gu Yinghuai, having already forgotten the previous topic, continued to direct her to the next photo.

“Huh? Axu, why did you secretly take a photo of me sleeping?” Gu Yinghuai called for a stop when the photo that had been haunting Shen Huaixu appeared on the screen.

The hand around Gu Yinghuai’s waist suddenly tightened. The abrupt pressure made Gu Yinghuai turn her head in confusion to look at Shen Huaixu, not understanding what she had said to provoke her.

Meeting Gu Yinghuai’s bewildered gaze, Shen Huaixu loosened her grip and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Because a certain little pig was sleeping so soundly, of course I had to take a photo to keep forever.” Shen Huaixu believed her excuse was flawless.

Gu Yinghuai seemed to believe her, too, as she poked Shen Huaixu in the waist with her elbow. “I’m not a little pig!”

However, where Shen Huaixu couldn’t see, Gu Yinghuai’s thoughts were churning as she stared at the sleeping image. Her intuition told her that this photo might be related to the other Shen Huaixu.

But that didn’t seem to make sense. If it were related to the other Shen Huaixu, why would Axu lie and say she took it herself? For a moment, Gu Yinghuai couldn’t figure it out.

Shen Huaixu didn’t want to linger on the topic of that photo. She deliberately teased Gu Yinghuai to distract her, quietly switching to the next image.

“I was wrong, don’t be mad. Let’s look at the rest. Doesn’t Huai still want to post to her Moments?”

“I’ll let you off this time, but I won’t be so easy to talk to next time.”

“Thank you, Lord Gu, for being so magnanimous toward this humble person.”

The two people, each with their own secrets, coincidentally skipped over the topic and focused on picking the remaining photos.

By the time the last photo was transferred, it was already 11:00 PM. Gu Yinghuai let out a small yawn in Shen Huaixu’s arms; sleepiness was beginning to invade her brain.

“Sleepy?” Shen Huaixu turned off the computer and kissed the top of Gu Yinghuai’s head.

“Mhm.” Gu Yinghuai’s eyelids were fighting a losing battle, as if she would succumb to the call of sleep at any second. Yet, like a child who hadn’t played enough, she forced herself to stay awake, wanting to linger a bit longer.

Shen Huaixu couldn’t help but find it funny. She picked up Gu Yinghuai, whose head was nodding like a chick pecking at grain, and despite her blurred protests, carried her to the bedroom.

“Go to sleep, you have to wake up early for work tomorrow.” After tucking Gu Yinghuai into bed, Shen Huaixu didn’t lie down herself. Instead, she got up to leave. Gu Yinghuai reached out and grabbed Shen Huaixu’s hand, asking slurredly, “What about Axu? Not sleeping yet?”

A feather-light kiss landed on Gu Yinghuai’s forehead. Shen Huaixu said softly, “I’m going to wash the glasses, I’ll be right back.”

Faintly hearing the words “right back,” Gu Yinghuai released her hold on Shen Huaixu’s fingers and gave a messy nod, telling her to come back soon.

Shen Huaixu said “okay,” kissed her cheek again, turned off the light, and left the room.

Perhaps because Shen Huaixu wasn’t by her side, Gu Yinghuai didn’t sleep soundly.

In a state between sleep and wakefulness, she sensed a body with a slightly higher temperature embracing her from behind. A face—presumably a cheek—was nuzzling against her neck like a puppy.

Why did she think it was a cheek? Because in the next second, the “puppy” extended its tongue and licked Gu Yinghuai’s sensitive neck.

“Mm…” Gu Yinghuai frowned, trying to dodge the pestering, but the “puppy” was very clingy. No matter how she moved, the other person would accurately find her, leaving fine kisses on her shoulders and neck.

Hands wandered, igniting sparks that burned until Gu Yinghuai’s mouth parted slightly, gasping as she opened her eyes.

“Don’t… don’t touch there…” Gu Yinghuai, not yet fully awake, didn’t know which hand to stop first. She couldn’t help but plead for mercy, her voice trembling, “Stop, quickly…”

Unfortunately, the person behind her didn’t pause for a moment. With nimble fingers, she occasionally pecked at Gu Yinghuai’s ears, which were now incredibly red.

The overwhelming pleasure broke through Gu Yinghuai’s mental defenses, and finally, she arched her back, sobbing in that embrace.

“I told you not to touch!” Now fully awake, Gu Yinghuai propped up her upper body and turned around to push away the head that was still trying to lean in. “Seriously, Axu, are you a dog? I suspect you’ve licked the skin off my neck.”

“Sorry, Huai is just too cute, I couldn’t stop myself.” “Shen Huaixu” grabbed Gu Yinghuai’s hand and lowered her head to kiss her palm.

She lifted her gaze, her silver-gray eyes staring unblinkingly at Gu Yinghuai. The room was dimly lit, and logically, Gu Yinghuai shouldn’t have been able to see her expression clearly.

But with that one look, she sensed something was wrong.

“You… you’re her, right?” Gu Yinghuai forgot to pull back her hand, staring blankly at her.

“Shen Huaixu” touched her own cheek, not understanding how she had given herself away. “Is it that obvious? I thought I was pretending quite well. How did Huai find out?”

Gu Yinghuai murmured softly, “Intuition, I guess…”

“I see.” “Shen Huaixu” hadn’t expected that answer, but it didn’t matter. She hadn’t really expected to fool Gu Yinghuai anyway. After all, their ages and experiences were different; even if they were the same person, they couldn’t be exactly alike.

“Since Huai is awake, how about we go a few more rounds?” “Shen Huaixu” said with a smile, tossing aside a used finger cot and saying something quite scandalous.

Gu Yinghuai pulled her hand back, her face flushing as she rejected the proposal. “No, I can’t do this. It’s unfair to Axu.”

The thought that she had just been taken advantage of again by this Shen Huaixu made Gu Yinghuai want to bury her head in the quilt.

Ahhh! What even is this! Is it cheating? But she’s the future Axu… can it be called cheating if it’s still Axu? Gu Yinghuai’s morality engaged in a wrestling match where neither side could win.

Hearing her reason, “Shen Huaixu” said nonchalantly, “Just treat me as her. We’re both Shen Huaixu, aren’t we?”

She hadn’t appeared for several days and was suffering from a severe “Yinghuai energy” deficiency. That single time just now didn’t count as a recharge; it was merely an appetizer. Now that her appetite had been whetted, stopping was impossible.

“Shen Huaixu” grabbed Gu Yinghuai’s hand and leaned in. Her silver-gray eyes filled with tears on command. She knew exactly how to make herself look pitiful and fragile. Her teeth lightly bit her pale thin lip, and crystal-clear tears fell like broken pearls from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks.

“Don’t… don’t cry.” Gu Yinghuai panicked at the sight of the tears, hurriedly reaching out to wipe them away.

“She can do it, why can’t I? We’re the same person, aren’t we?” “Shen Huaixu” sensed Gu Yinghuai’s heart softening, but it wasn’t enough yet. She nuzzled her wet cheek against Gu Yinghuai’s palm, leaving warm tears there.

“Shen Huaixu” kissed Gu Yinghuai’s palm and looked up with tearful silver-gray eyes, pleading pitifully and helplessly, “I haven’t held you in so long. Please, love me, or I’ll go crazy.”

Gu Yinghuai’s heart was instantly struck. She felt “Shen Huaixu’s” experience was too tragic, yet felt she was betraying her Axu. Emotion and logic pulled back and forth.

“No, I can’t…” Gu Yinghuai turned her head away, not daring to look into “Shen Huaixu’s” eyes. She feared that if she looked any longer, she wouldn’t be able to resist doing something that betrayed Axu.

“No, you can. We just did it, didn’t we?” “Shen Huaixu” decided not to give Gu Yinghuai a chance to escape. She leaned over and pressed down, circling the petite Gu Yinghuai in her arms, gently pecking at her cheeks.

The air grew thick with tension. The subtle touches quietly eroded Shen Huaixu’s logic and broke through her defenses. She knew she should push “Shen Huaixu” away and that she should firmly refuse the invitation.

But Gu Yinghuai couldn’t do it.

Her hard shell melted in “Shen Huaixu’s” tears, and her words of refusal were swallowed by soft kisses. She vaguely heard “Shen Huaixu” whisper in her ear, “Don’t be afraid. As long as we don’t say anything, she won’t find out.”

Gu Yinghuai closed her eyes, and her hands, which had been blocking “Shen Huaixu’s” chest, slowly wrapped around her neck.

As long as it was Shen Huaixu, Gu Yinghuai could never say no.

She succeeded! “Shen Huaixu” was ecstatic. She captured Gu Yinghuai’s lips, their hot breaths intermingling. As the kiss deepened, Gu Yinghuai let out sweet, breathy moans.

“Shen Huaixu” kissed her while sliding the nightgowns off both of them. The soft fabric was tossed onto the rug. “Shen Huaixu” reached for the finger cots on the nightstand. Her long fingers were nimble, and soon, heavy breathing echoed through the room.

Gu Yinghuai raised her hand to cover her eyes. Her body’s honest reactions made her feel ashamed, but what made her even more lost was that she didn’t actually dislike doing this with “Shen Huaixu.” She was afraid that one day Axu would find out, be angry, and leave her without looking back.

A hand gently pulled Gu Yinghuai’s hand away. She opened her eyes to see “Shen Huaixu” looking down at her.

“Don’t be afraid.” “Shen Huaixu” kissed her trembling eyes. “We will never leave you.”

Even death won’t separate us, “Shen Huaixu” added in her heart.

“Leave everything to me.” “Shen Huaixu” hugged Gu Yinghuai tightly, the close embrace soothing Gu Yinghuai’s anxiety. She gave a choked “Mhm” and hugged “Shen Huaixu” back.

“Alright, no more crying. Huai will have plenty of time to cry later, so save your strength.” “Shen Huaixu” ended the hug and straddled Gu Yinghuai. “Enjoy yourself.”

“Wait, wait a minute—” But “Shen Huaixu” didn’t seem to know how to spell “wait.” She bit off the finger cot on her hand and swapped it for a new one. “There are still three left in this box~”

Gu Yinghuai covered her face, screaming internally: Give me back the emotional moment I just had!

The night was long and seductive. The sweet moans and sobs continued until the early hours of the morning. Eventually, when Gu Yinghuai was so exhausted she didn’t even have the strength to cry, “Shen Huaixu” finally let her go.

“Goodnight, you worked hard.” “Shen Huaixu” wiped the sticky fluids off both of them, pulled the exhausted Gu Yinghuai into her arms, and fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up the next day, Shen Huaixu rubbed her aching shoulders and walked out of the room.

For some reason, she felt that Gu Yinghuai was constantly avoiding her gaze today. When asked if she felt unwell, Gu Yinghuai’s face turned red, and she stammered that it was nothing.

There’s clearly something going on! Huai’s lying skills are terrible, Shen Huaixu thought.

“Alright, I’m hungry, let’s eat quickly!” Gu Yinghuai urged her to eat.

Shen Huaixu sat across from Gu Yinghuai, her silver fork poking holes into her fried egg.

It’s better if I don’t find out what happened. Shen Huaixu picked up the mutilated egg and ate it with an expressionless face.