Future's First Marriage, Later Love - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The wedding photo of the two of them hung on the wall. Mai Hai, wearing a black suit, sat in a chair with a somewhat shy smile. Standing beside him was Polack, his hand resting on the back of the chair as if embracing Mai Hai’s shoulder. He was leaning forward slightly, his face pressed against Mai Hai’s, though his expression was unreadable. Behind them was a vast stretch of grass filled with tiny, delicate white flowers that looked like a layer of fallen snow on the ground.

To the left of the bed was a long row of white wardrobes; the three inner ones held Mai Hai’s clothing, while the four outer ones held Polack’s. To the right of the large bed was a sliding floor-to-ceiling window leading to a balcony. When the weather was clear, one could stand out there and see the ocean in the distance.

Wedding Night (Part 2)

Standing somewhat awkwardly at the bathroom door, Mai Hai looked at Polack lying on the large bed and said, “I’m finished washing.” He immediately regretted it; the sentence felt like an invitation—I’m clean, we can roll in the sheets now—but spoken words are like spilled water.

Regardless, a strike to an extended neck is the same as a strike to a retracted one; he had to pass this hurdle sooner or later. Adopting this mindset—which he thought was quite brave—Mai Hai strode toward the bed. It was only a few steps, but in his agitation, he had forgotten to put on his slippers, leaving a small trail of water on the high-quality wooden floor. The water from his hair hadn’t dried either, and it dripped from the ends of his locks.

Polack looked at Mai Hai, and his expression grew worse. He suddenly stood up from the bed; the movement was so abrupt that Mai Hai nearly fell onto his backside in fright.

Polack got out of bed from the right side, put on his slippers, and walked straight into the bathroom. He brought out a dry towel and tossed it irritably at Mai Hai. “Dry yourself. So clumsy.”

“Uh…” Mai Hai caught it blankly and obediently began drying his hair with the towel. As he rubbed, he stole cautious glances at Polack, hesitating for a long time before whispering, “Thank you.”

Polack gave an “En” and offered no further reaction. He began to undress right in front of Mai Hai. Even though they were both men, perhaps due to the earth-shattering psychological change in their relationship, Mai Hai’s face began to turn red as he watched Polack’s bare torso. He could feel his face burning; perhaps in a moment, it would be hot enough to boil an egg.

Immediately after, Polack’s hands moved to his waistband, preparing to take off his trousers. Truthfully, Mai Hai thought Polack’s physique was impeccable, but seeing him start to strip, he quickly turned his face away and pretended to be focused on drying his hair, not daring to look.

Naked, Polack walked into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. Thinking of Mai Hai’s shy appearance just now, he began to think he was a little bit… cute. Just a little. Perhaps this wife wasn’t as terrible as he had imagined…

When the sound of the bathroom door closing rang out, Mai Hai felt as if he had received a grand pardon. He swiftly gathered the clothes Polack had tossed onto the bed and hung them up, then hung the towel on a hanger, slid open the window to hang it on the balcony, returned to lock the window, pulled the curtains, and dove into the covers.

Mai Hai’s movements were as fast as someone racing to be reincarnated. Under the duvet, he squeezed his eyes shut and gripped a corner of the blanket tightly, curling himself into a small ball, not daring to move an inch.

Polack, wearing a loose bathrobe and casually drying his hair with a towel, walked in to see Mai Hai disguised as a little shrimp. He couldn’t help but find it slightly amusing. After drying his hair, he hung up the towel, walked to the right side of the bed, and sat down. That spot visibly sank under his weight.

Polack felt the person on the other side—the one pretending to be a shrimp—flinch noticeably when he sat down. He must have been scared, but Polack’s pride wouldn’t allow him to offer comfort.

He turned on the bedside lamp, turned off the main room light, then pulled back the covers, took off his slippers, crawled into bed, and switched off the lamp.

In the darkness, Mai Hai could hear Polack’s steady breathing. He felt a tension he had never experienced before. Two grown men, lying in one bed as a legitimate married couple—it was truly absurd.

They lay on opposite sides; the middle of the bed was large enough to fit two more people without an issue.

Seeing that Polack made no move for a long time, a battle raged in Mai Hai’s mind. One voice said: Since he hasn’t reacted, just ignore it. It’s not that you’re refusing; it’s that he doesn’t want to. The other voice said: Since you’re married, you are his wife. Even though you’re both men, he is a General after all; you should be a bit more proactive…

Finally, after a long struggle, Mai Hai rolled over to face Polack. He opened his mouth several times before managing to ask: “Um… you…”

“Wait until you’re ready,” Polack said. Hearing Mai Hai move, he felt a bit happy inside, though he didn’t show it on his face. As Mai Hai spoke, Polack also rolled over and cut him off: “Go to sleep.”

“En…” Mai Hai stared blankly in Polack’s direction. He couldn’t see his expression in the dark, but his heart began to feel a bit warm, mixed with confusion. This domineering, peacock-like man actually knows how to be comforting? I must get up early tomorrow to see if the sun rises from the west.

He had envisioned life after marriage countless times, but Mai Hai never imagined his wedding night would be spent like this. Later, he thought that perhaps because his looks were somewhat “unsatisfactory,” the other man found him difficult to “swallow” even after marriage. Despite his relief, a tiny shred of disappointment flickered in his heart.

Perhaps due to Polack’s rare moment of tenderness, Mai Hai fell asleep quickly and had a dreamless night.

After Mai Hai fell asleep, Polack opened his eyes again. By the faint moonlight from outside, he looked at Mai Hai’s face, feeling somewhat vexed. He actually had a physical reaction—and to this ordinary new wife, no less.

Unlike Mai Hai, Polack spent a long time calming himself down before suppressing his desire. It wasn’t until the middle of the night that he fell into a daze and slept.

The next morning, Mai Hai opened his eyes feeling refreshed. He felt a moment of daze before quickly remembering that he was now a married man, and his other half was a man. Looking at the person sleeping soundly on the other side of the bed, Mai Hai resignedly got up to wash, then wandered to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Just as the bedroom door closed, the person on the bed opened his eyes. There was no daze in his gaze; it was very clear. It was obvious he had been awake for a while.

The kitchen in Mai Hai’s new home was on the first floor, in the upper-left corner from the entrance. The kitchen entrance faced several large windows, with the stove situated just below them. To the right of the stove was the sink, and to the left was a marble-topped table neatly arranged with spice boxes, a cutting board, and a knife rack. Opposite the table was a large three-door refrigerator, and opposite the sink was a row of black sandalwood cabinets, with several storage lockers at the far right.

Mai Hai skillfully took an apron from the hook behind the kitchen door and tied it on. Although he was very clear about where everything was—after all, he had followed the entire decoration process—this was his first time cooking here, and he had to do it for Polack. He couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

Honeymoon Trip (Part 1)

He took a frying pan from the cabinet and placed it on the stove, turned on the heat, and poured in some oil. Holding a colorful egg, he tapped it gently against the edge of the marble table and cracked it into the pan. Actually, except for the shell, the inside was no different from the eggs he used to eat on Earth, but Planet Pandora didn’t have such things.

Mai Hai still missed Chinese food from Earth; many things on Planet Pandora were hard for him to swallow, such as salt-baked snails.

While comparing the differences in food between places, he skillfully fried the egg. Before long, the golden egg was ready. He spread a special sauce on top, set the plate aside, and began brewing coffee with a syphon pot. In the time it took for the coffee to brew, Mai Hai deftly coated slices of toast in cream powder, fried them, and drizzled them with syrup. The color alone was enough to stir the appetite.

He untied his apron and hung it up, then carried out the fried eggs and toast. Seeing that the coffee was ready, he went upstairs to wake Polack.

However, as soon as he pushed the door open, he saw Polack, seemingly just out of the shower. He was wearing only black underwear on his lower half, his upper body bare, and was in the middle of pulling on his trousers.

Hearing the door open, Polack turned his head mid-motion and looked at Mai Hai in confusion.

Mai Hai laughed awkwardly twice and said with feigned composure, “Hehe, breakfast is ready. Come down and eat when you’re finished.”

Polack continued dressing and said naturally, “Got it.”

Mai Hai ran downstairs in annoyance to check the coffee in the kitchen. He poured the brewed coffee from the pot; into one cup he added a 1:1 ratio of milk, and to the other, he added nothing. Since he wasn’t yet clear on Polack’s tastes, he didn’t want to mess up and turn a kind gesture into a mistake.

He carefully carried the coffee out, then brought out three small jars containing white sugar, creamer, and pure milk, placing them on the table one by one. By the time he finished, Polack had come downstairs and pulled out a chair to sit. His gaze first stopped on those three small jars.

Mai Hai, biting into a piece of toast, followed Polack’s gaze and said somewhat awkwardly, “Since I wasn’t sure of your taste, I prepared everything…”

“En.”