Four Years Ago, Her Husband Cheated on Her Body - Chapter 18

‘Can I really enter the marital home, which is full of your memories, with you?’

‘Does this mean you’re willing to treat me as a friend?’

‘I’m incredibly touched!!!’

The three lines of text ended, each followed by a drawing of a little bouncing rabbit, its six excited eyes sparkling with stars.

Jia Qiao was initially prepared to explain that ‘there are no memories in the marital home,’ and that inviting Lu Min upstairs was purely to have him as muscle to carry the wedding photos.

Seeing him excitedly drawing rabbits like crazy, Jia Qiao silently swallowed the words on his lips and instead offered a dry, flat ‘Mhm.’

All the pink bubbles in Lu Min’s heart were ignited by this emotionless ‘Mhm’!

My dear Master is finally opening his heart to me and is willing to share the sweet details of his life. By extension, we are the best of confidants!

The two walked up to the entrance door one after the other. Jia Qiao habitually bent down and pulled a thin, black strand of hair from the bottom door crack.

Sure enough, it’s here again.

Ever since discovering that someone had entered the marital home, Jia Qiao had tried various methods: installing surveillance, changing the smart lock password, replacing markers…

The result was nothing.

The person was either a ghost or possessed precognitive abilities, accurately anticipating Jia Qiao’s movements.

Not only did they leave no traces, but in the last two visits, Jia Qiao didn’t even find that anything had been taken.

Only the strand of hair, which was consistently left beneath the door crack, provocatively reminded him that someone had been there.

— How completely arrogant.

They better hope I don’t catch them.

Jia Qiao coldly destroyed the hair before inputting the password and entering the apartment.

Lu Min, holding his spiral notebook, began writing non-stop the moment he stepped inside, as excited as if he had activated ‘Crazy Rabbit Mode.’

Looking back, when Jia Qiao hired Lu Min as his personal butler, he thought that at least he would be quiet since he couldn’t speak.

Who would have thought he had chosen the noisiest mute in the world?

‘Your marital home is actually a sweet cream style!’

‘I thought you would definitely prefer the traditional, old-fashioned Chinese style!’

‘When I first started working at the villa, I always felt like there was an old man hiding in the house!’

That villa was in a remote location, deserted for a five-mile radius, and its overall style was so serious it was almost gloomy.

From any angle, it wasn’t a style a young person barely twenty years old would like.

Lu Min had secretly observed for a long, long time before confirming that Jia Qiao was his only master.

Since the house Jia Qiao chose for himself was of that ancient, simple style, there could only be one truth!

This sweet, creamy marshmallow-ice cream-style marital home must have been decorated according to the tastes of the Master’s partner!

Lu Min reached this conclusion and mentally placed the first tag on the yet-to-be-met Zhu Nanyu:

Naive Little Sweetheart.

“I don’t have a style I particularly like,” Jia Qiao replied dismissively, his steps light as he bypassed the entrance hall and entered the living room to look for the wedding photo.

He had returned twice since then to investigate the person who had infiltrated the marital home, but he hadn’t deliberately looked at the living room.

The living room walls were painted in macaron colors. A large television was embedded in the wall opposite the sofa, and a complete set of gaming equipment was placed on the TV cabinet below.

Other than that, the room was spotless, and he found no trace of a photo hanging.

Jia Qiao clearly remembered that the large framed wedding photo had been hung in the living room after it was brought home.

What’s going on?

Could it have been stolen?

Jia Qiao stared at the spot where he remembered the wedding photo being hung, recalling carefully, and then suddenly remembered…

At first, the wedding photo was indeed safely hung in the living room.

But a few days later, Jia Qiao lost twenty games in a row while playing. The more he looked at Zhu Nanyu hanging on the wall, the angrier he got, and his mentality instantly exploded.

“What are you smiling at!” a certain uselessly raging noob player furiously hurled his game controller at ‘Zhu Nanyu.’

‘Kuang—’ (Bang—)

‘Pa—’ (Crack—)

When Zhu Nanyu returned home that evening, he first saw his soft, delicate wife, whose self-esteem had been severely damaged, curled up in a ball under the covers.

Then he looked down at the broken game controller. He looked up again to see the unrecognizable version of himself in the photo.

“…” Zhu Nanyu let out a faint sigh, walked to the sofa, and took the fuming Jia Qiao into his arms, rubbing his fluffy short hair through the quilt. “It’s my fault for hanging the wedding photo in the living room and affecting your performance, Jiaojiao. Next time, let’s hang it in the bedroom.”

— I remember now. The wedding photo is in the bedroom.

Later, Zhu Nanyu chose a new photo, specifically using tempered glass that was explosion-proof and shatter-resistant. The frame was also specially reinforced.

Photo Frame: This is a high-level match.

Lu Min skipped into the living room, his eyes darting around. He saw the game controllers on the TV cabinet, the letters on the buttons already worn out.

The game console was casually placed on the lower shelf of the coffee table, with charging cables scattered nearby, suggesting frequent use.

Having been by Jia Qiao’s side for so long, Lu Min was very sure: The Master never plays games!

It was clear that these heavily used gaming devices must belong to the other master of the marital home!

Lu Min nodded, silently adding the second tag: A game-addicted homebody with terrible skills.

Looking up again, Lu Min saw Jia Qiao heading towards the bedroom and quickly skipped after him.

Jia Qiao opened the bedroom door, glanced around, and froze.

Odd, why isn’t it in the bedroom either?

Even though it was the apartment he had lived in for over a year, Jia Qiao felt completely unfamiliar with it.

Lu Min moved closer to Jia Qiao, peering curiously into the Master and his partner’s ‘love nest,’ which was also, predictably, in a macaron-colored cream style.

The round, large bed was covered with pale pink silk sheets, and the two parallel pillows even had exquisite lace edges.

The Master’s partner’s taste is truly… cute.

There were two conveniently-sized bedside tables. One held several thick, seemingly profound books with bookmarks tucked inside.

The other side was piled high with snacks: chips, chocolate, crème brûlée… There were even torn-open wrappers in the trash can.

Lu Min was certain that Mr. Jia Qiao never touched any snacks, especially these high-sugar, high-calorie, guilt-inducing ‘junk foods.’

Since his Master was diligent, hardworking, and self-disciplined, the conclusion was evident:

The side with the books was Jia Qiao’s territory, and the ‘junk food’ next to it belonged to the game-playing, ambition-losing Master’s partner!

After a detailed (?) investigation, Lu Min compiled all the information, mentally piecing together the image of ‘Zhu Nanyu.’

A sweet, cute, obediently-staying-at-home… soft, fluffy little cupcake!

“…” Lu Min looked up in shock, staring straight at Jia Qiao, his pupils shaking with realization.

Wait, did the Master actually like the soft and delicate type?

Did he choose the energetic, talkative, super-cute Little Lu Min as his butler because he was a faint resemblance to the deceased/absent one?

Lu Min was already immersed in the drama of ‘After you left, I even chose a butler who resembled you’ and vaguely recalled that whenever Doctor Zhou came to the villa, he referred to Jia Qiao as ‘Zhu Nanyu’s wife.’

At the time, Lu Min thought that Zhu Nanyu must be a mature, stable, charismatic, reliable, and handsome man.

Could the whole world have been wrong, and his own Master was actually the… top one?

Lu Min: Suspecting life

“What’s with that expression?” Jia Qiao felt Lu Min’s complex gaze, a mix of shock, trance, and disorder, and casually asked.

Lu Min, whose worldview had just been shattered, quickly shook his head, deciding to hide this earth-shattering secret for his Master.

Jia Qiao wasn’t interested in delving into Lu Min’s mind. He quickly walked into the bedroom and touched the wall opposite the bed, muttering softly, “I remember it should be hung here.”

‘What?’

Lu Min held up his spiral notebook, wanting to uncover more secrets.

“The wedding photo,” Jia Qiao tapped the wall with a bent finger. “I remember clearly, he brought the new wedding photo home and hung it in this exact spot. For a while, I could see it the moment I opened my eyes…”

Mid-sentence, Jia Qiao suddenly stopped.

Yes, the moment he opened his eyes.

That pervert, Zhu Nanyu, had meticulously chosen a ‘good spot.’

This wasn’t an issue initially, as Jia Qiao didn’t play games in the bedroom anyway.

But that pervert, Zhu Nanyu, with his terrible sexual preferences, had awakened some kind of wicked humor!

One hazy late night, Jia Qiao, weak all over, was lifted from behind. Zhu Nanyu supported his thighs and slowly stood up. The sudden sense of weightlessness made Jia Qiao instinctively wrap his arms around his neck.

Zhu Nanyu held him like that, taking slow steps toward the nearly life-sized wedding photo.

“Jiaojiao, open your eyes,” Zhu Nanyu whispered against his ear, his breath hot, his voice hoarse and sensual with lust. “Doesn’t it look like… someone is watching us?”

Jia Qiao opened his misty eyes, quickly scanned the photo, and then pulled back as if scalded, burying his face in Zhu Nanyu’s shoulder and gently nipping him with his teeth. “Shut up! Don’t say another word!”

“Jiaojiao, have you seen those 19+ couple streams abroad?” Zhu Nanyu kissed him rapidly and closely, his tone full of malicious teasing. “If someone gives a gift, they can request a specific action.”

He slowly tightened the arm holding Jia Qiao, leaning close to his ear to whisper extremely vulgar words. “If we went live, there would definitely be an audience willing to spend a fortune, just to watch me… make you cry.”

“Zhu Nanyu!!!” Jia Qiao, both shy and furious, cursed him by his full name. “How much trashy stuff is stuffed in your brain? Clean it all out right now!”

“Shh—” Zhu Nanyu lowered his head and kissed his slightly trembling lips, his eyes surging with burning possessiveness. In the break between kisses, he happily reminded him, “Baby, you look like… you’re excited.”

And then…

That wedding photo did not survive the next day.