Fighting For My Wife With Myself After Being Reborn - Chapter 3

Shen Huaixu absolutely detested coffee.

Considering how she had consumed cup after cup of nauseating iced Americanos while pulling all-nighters to write her thesis during her senior year of college, Shen Huaixu could not, under any circumstances, find any interest or affection for it.

Admittedly, the rich aroma of coffee did smell quite nice—carrying a trace of subtle, indiscernible bitterness.

However, it only smelled nice; getting Shen Huaixu to actually try coffee again was an absolute impossibility.

So why am I sitting in a coffee shop? Shen Huaixu sipped on the only cup of oat milk in the store, silently counting down the time until her Huai would push open the door, allowing her to escape this place that reeked of “thesis-writing all-nighters.”

The sun gradually slanted westward, and the sky outside the glass window became much richer in color—pinks, blues, and oranges blended together, as if an art student had accidentally knocked over a palette and splattered it across the entire sky.

At 5:30 PM, the street-corner cafe welcomed its first wave of off-work customers.

Most of these people were white-collar workers from nearby office buildings. To prepare for a night of overtime, they carried at least one cup of iced coffee in their hands, brows furrowed as they muttered under their breath about the company’s lack of ethics, before quickly departing this cafe filled with the scent of “overtime.”

No one noticed the strange woman sitting in the corner wearing a baseball cap.

Ding-ling-ling—

The wind chime at the door collided in the air, producing a crisp, pleasant sound as the glass door was pushed open once more.

Shen Huaixu raised her head with renewed hope. This time, heaven finally favored her.

The person who pushed the door open was exactly the one she had been waiting for.

Gu Yinghuai stepped aside to avoid someone exiting at the same time. The dim, yellow light of the cafe fell upon her, appearing like a hazy veil, making her look even softer and devoid of any sharp edges.

Her round, endearing almond eyes scanned the cafe. Through the gaps in the leaves of the corner greenery, Shen Huaixu saw that pearl—kept as a memento—approaching her.

Mm, she also noticed that the hairstyle Gu Yinghuai had tidied so neatly before leaving this morning was now quite disheveled. A few stray strands of hair had tucked themselves under her shirt collar, rubbing back and forth against the mark Shen Huaixu had bitten there last night.

Shen Huaixu stared at that hickey, mesmerized. She decided that tonight, she would leave another tooth mark on that fair, slender neck.

The person being watched by Shen Huaixu was completely unaware of the gaze. After locking onto the corner seat, she walked straight in. Before she could even say hello, the person sitting furthest inside suddenly stood up and gave her a giant bear hug.

Shen Huaixu was very tall; standing at nearly 1.8 meters, she blocked almost all the light. Gu Yinghuai, held in her arms, looked all the more petite by comparison.

I’m actually tall too! Gu Yinghuai tried to stand up for her own height, but Shen Huaixu’s embrace was too warm.

She could smell the faint fragrance on Shen Huaixu mixed with the scent of coffee. Warm body heat transferred through the summer shirt, and her body, exhausted from a busy day, found a brief moment of rest in this embrace.

Thus, Gu Yinghuai didn’t want to move.

“Are you acting spoiled?” Gu Yinghuai wrapped her arms around Shen Huaixu’s waist, feeling the warm, firm skin under her palms.

“Fifteen minutes,” Shen Huaixu mumbled, her voice muffled against Gu Yinghuai’s neck, sounding disgruntled.

Gu Yinghuai had said she would wait ten minutes, but Shen Huaixu had waited fifteen.

A full five minutes.

Every one of those extra three hundred seconds had been a torment for Shen Huaixu.

Shen Huaixu sighed and hugged Gu Yinghuai tightly again.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch the elevator.” Her girlfriend’s childish behavior seemed incredibly cute to Gu Yinghuai. She stroked Shen Huaixu’s back as a way of expressing her apology.

Shen Huaixu enjoyed the stroking.

She quickly forgave Gu Yinghuai and led her to sit in the corner.

The advantage of the corner was that the shop’s greenery provided excellent cover. Whether it was people lingering at the door or those passing by the glass window, no one would discover them.

Gu Yinghuai smiled. “So, is this forgiveness?”

Shen Huaixu made a face at her. “No.”

Gu Yinghuai continued to smile. “Alright, at least I arrived before you did something desperate like drinking coffee.”

At the mention of coffee, Shen Huaixu immediately furrowed her brows in disgust. “I think I will never actively drink coffee in my life.”

“I’m not surprised by that.” Gu Yinghuai tried the oat milk Shen Huaixu had ordered. The liquid, now at room temperature, didn’t taste as good as it would have with ice. “Hmm… it’s a bit weird,” she said honestly, wrinkling her nose.

Shen Huaixu was amused by her expression. She unwrapped a milk candy and fed it to her. “Let’s go, let’s have a feast.”

“Yay! I can’t wait.” The oat milk was left behind on the corner table. The glass door of the cafe was pushed open gently; the wind chime chimed a farewell to them, and then silence returned.

The sky turned dim. The starlight of the night could not compete with the city’s colorful neon lights; it could only hide beneath the dazzling glow, trying to show its own weak glimmer.

Shen Huaixu and Gu Yinghuai sat at the bar.

The head chef and his assistant were behind the counter preparing the ingredients for the omakase.

Tonight’s star was sea urchin.

Although the sea urchin wasn’t at its fattest this season, it couldn’t stop the two of them from wanting to eat it.

Golden-yellow sea urchin was layered over sweet, fresh shrimp, combined with crispy fried perilla and salty-fresh caviar. Shen Huaixu even added a piece of foie gras on top.

The variety of ingredients collided in the mouth to create the flavor of the ocean.

The two of them squinted their eyes in unison, enjoying the rare delicacy.

An omakase meal was a dual enjoyment for both the eyes and the palate.

Before they left, the chef wiped away the remaining food scraps from his hands.

He smiled shyly and asked if he could take a photo with Shen Huaixu; his daughter liked her very much and wanted an autograph.

“Sure.” Shen Huaixu pulled out a tissue, slowly wiped the corners of her mouth, and walked over to the chef with a smile.

In truth, Shen Huaixu didn’t like taking photos with anyone other than Gu Yinghuai.

But her job involved being photographed. Whether she liked it or not, she always had to stand before the camera in her best state to present herself.

By the same token, it was the same for taking photos with fans.

She would always use her trademark smile to deal with these cameras outside of work. These smiles were very fake—the joy never reached her eyes—but they brought Shen Huaixu a good reputation.

This was exactly the positive feedback her work required.

However, today the person holding the camera was Gu Yinghuai.

When those silver-gray eyes met the almond eyes behind the lens, for the first time, genuine joy appeared within them.

The chef, having received the photo and the autograph, was very happy.

He very generously gave Shen Huaixu a significant discount on the meal and even gave them an exquisite little dessert before they left.

“Goodbye~”

“Please come again next time.”

Shen Huaixu held Gu Yinghuai by the waist. The person in her arms waved and smiled at the chef in farewell. She seemed very satisfied with tonight’s omakase, still reminiscing about the delicious flavors even as they stepped into the elevator.

“Do you like it that much?” Shen Huaixu asked, knowing the answer.

“Mm-hm! Let’s come back again when it’s sea urchin season, okay?” Gu Yinghuai leaned against Shen Huaixu and let out a soft yawn.

Shen Huaixu immediately pulled her closer. “Sleepy?”

“A little.” Gu Yinghuai wanted to raise her hand to rub her eyes, but a pair of hands was faster, stopping her movement.

Shen Huaixu: “Don’t touch.”

Gu Yinghuai obediently stayed still.

“Don’t you look like a little pig? Getting sleepy as soon as you’re full.” The elevator doors opened. Shen Huaixu teased Gu Yinghuai with a smile while guiding her out of the elevator toward the parking spot.

Gu Yinghuai puffed out her cheeks and argued huffily, “I’m not a little pig!”

“Really? Then why does someone look like they’re about to fall asleep?”

“I’m not, I’m just… well, a little tired.”

The person in her arms yawned again.

Shen Huaixu looked down and could see Gu Yinghuai’s curled eyelashes fluttering like two butterflies resting on a branch, ready to take flight at any moment.

She kissed the top of Gu Yinghuai’s head, opened the car door with one hand, and carefully helped Gu Yinghuai into the passenger seat.

“Sleep. There’s still a distance to drive home.” Shen Huaixu leaned over to buckle the seatbelt. Gu Yinghuai’s breathing was close to her ear. She turned her head to gently kiss Gu Yinghuai’s cheek, then closed the car door with a smile.

The black SUV drove carefully on the road.

The person in the passenger seat had her head tilted to one side. Her eyes, which had worked all day, finally got to rest. She slept very peacefully, her breathing light and steady.

To let Gu Yinghuai sleep longer, Shen Huaixu drove much slower than usual. By the time they returned to their neighborhood, it was already 10:00 PM.

Gu Yinghuai was still sleeping.

Her fair cheek was pressed against the seatback, creating a soft bulge of cheek fat. Messy stray hairs covered her eyes, and the tip of her pink tongue was faintly visible through her slightly parted lips.

So cute.

I really want to kiss her.

Shen Huaixu opened her camera, took a photo of her lover’s dazed sleeping face, and promptly set it as her phone wallpaper.

“Huai, wake up, we’re home.” Shen Huaixu gently stroked Gu Yinghuai’s cheek, trying to wake her sleeping lover.

However, Shen Huaixu’s embrace was warm and reliable. Sniffing the familiar scent, Gu Yinghuai leaned into Shen Huaixu and was completely unwilling to wake up.

Shen Huaixu felt the person in her arms rub gently against her palm and chuckled softly.

She understood that her lover was acting spoiled with her.

“Alright, it looks like I have a big problem on my hands.” Shen Huaixu smiled and picked up her sleeping lover around the waist.

She lifted her leg, using her knee to push against the car door, closing it gently.

As soon as she was held, Gu Yinghuai immediately found a comfortable position and continued sleeping.

Shen Huaixu’s heart was about to melt.

She felt as if her heart had grown fluffy down, gently tickling her chest.

…

Shen Huaixu loved helping Gu Yinghuai bathe.

She loved the feeling of skin-to-skin contact with Gu Yinghuai; simple touch was enough to satisfy the ever-expanding desire in her heart.

Tonight, Gu Yinghuai was truly too tired.

Shen Huaixu considerately did not wake her. She carried Gu Yinghuai into the bathroom and removed her clothes.

During the bath, Gu Yinghuai woke up once.

The water temperature in the bathtub was very comfortable. Her aching body was soaked in the hot water; it felt as if her limbs were being stretched out, and all her exhaustion disappeared with the flow of the water.

The person who had been watching Gu Yinghuai closely noticed her waking up. With a long stride, she stepped into the tub and took her into her arms.

Shen Huaixu sympathized with Gu Yinghuai’s exhaustion, but wanting intimacy with her lover was not her fault either.

Before Gu Yinghuai was fully awake, she lifted Gu Yinghuai’s chin, cupped the back of her head with one hand, and kissed those lips she had wanted to kiss since they were in the car.

The pale lips were pressed softly, becoming crimson and moist, as sweet and tempting as cherries.

The kiss lingered downward.

Shen Huaixu buried herself in Gu Yinghuai’s thin, fair neck, leaving a mark with her lips on the spot she had been thinking about all day.

A flower bloomed upon it.

Shen Huaixu wanted more, but a soft, light slap from Gu Yinghuai interrupted her movements beneath the water.

Alright, she had gone a bit too far.

Shen Huaixu pecked Gu Yinghuai’s swollen, kissed lips, then picked up the completely weakened Gu Yinghuai and left the bathroom.

They were without a stitch of clothing, held together like two perfectly fitted puzzle pieces.

“Goodnight.” Shen Huaixu kissed the top of Gu Yinghuai’s head and fell asleep in her arms.

The bedside nightlight emitted a faint glow. Two fluffy heads were pressed together, the blanket covering the lower half of their faces, leaving only their closed eyes visible.

Darkness.

Silence.

Eyes.

Silver-gray pupils slowly opened in the dark.