Married, but Still Strangers - Chapter 13

This was absolutely the happiest time Zhuang Yan had ever had catching dolls. Before this, when had he ever managed to catch one?

Not only did he catch dolls this time, but he also traded several small dolls he didn’t like for one large doll.

This was the first time Zhuang Yan had ever exchanged for a large doll from a claw machine. It was furry and soft, seemingly no different from the ones sold at Miniso, but he just felt incredibly happy.

Carrying such a large doll back on the subway, everyone on the road looked at him with envy.

Some people even said to their partners/best friends/friends: “I want one too.”

Then, as expected, Zhuang Yan heard that reply “Get lost,” followed by, “Then go grab it from him.”

Previously, Zhuang Yan rarely went out shopping. Even if he did leave the house, it was because Wang Mengmeng forced him out.

Back then, Zhuang Yan was always envious of this or that person, only to receive responses from Wang Mengmeng like “Get lost” or “Then go grab it yourself.”

Today, Zhuang Yan finally experienced what it felt like to have a high head-turn rate.

“Thank you, A-Cong. Today was the happiest day of my life.”

“I was very happy today too.”

Originally, Zhuang Yan had planned to eat his way through the night market, but now his heart was entirely focused on the spoils from the claw machine. He just casually bought two handmade burgers and a pound and a half of fried chicken leg meat, intending to head back with Yue Lu.

Zhuang Yan rarely ate chicken clavicles (chicken frames); he felt chicken leg meat was much more convenient to eat.

Although a pound of chicken leg meat was two yuan more expensive than a pound of chicken clavicles, he still preferred buying the leg meat.

If you bought a pound of chicken clavicles, you got half a pound free, and the same applied to the chicken leg meat.

“Don’t you have eyes? Didn’t you see someone there? You still bumped into me!” A drunkard swayed unsteadily and crashed into Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan retorted without hesitation: “First of all, I do have eyes. Secondly, if the purpose of having eyes is to see a roadblock like you clearly, I’d rather not have them.”

On the way to the subway station, Yue Lu discovered that after they finished catching dolls earlier, they had accidentally made off with the small baskets used to hold game coins.

Taking one would have been fine, but the two of them had taken four or five each.

So, Yue Lu asked Zhuang Yan to wait for him on the spot while he returned to the shop to give the baskets back.

To his surprise, not long after Yue Lu left, Zhuang Yan encountered this piece of work.

“Oho, such a pretty little O carrying so many things? Do you need us to help?” The drunkard said as he moved to put his hands on Zhuang Yan.

As the drunkard leaned in, Zhuang Yan took out a few bamboo skewers given to him when he bought the chicken leg meat. When the drunkard got close, he stabbed them fiercely into the man’s eye.

“Aah!” The drunkard let out a loud scream, clutching his eye as he fell to the ground. “You dare stab me? Do you know who I am?”

“My name is Li Er, a philosopher of the late Spring and Autumn period and the founder of the Taoist school. Don’t you know that?” He had to settle this person quickly; Yue Lu was the type who would break at a touch. If he came back and faced this guy and something went wrong, it would be bad.

Ahead was the subway station and behind was the night market; there were plenty of people, but this middle zone was a place where not many people came.

“Still got a sharp tongue, huh?” The drunkard seemed to sober up; he stood without swaying, and aside from the smell of alcohol, he seemed the same as when sober.

Zhuang Yan put down the things in his hands and took out his phone to dial the police.

Even kindergarten kids know to look for Uncle Police when they encounter trouble.

“You dare call the police?” The one-eyed man was exasperated.

“Should I not dare?” Zhuang Yan placed the things he was holding on the ground.

He actually didn’t understand why someone would harass others on a road equipped with surveillance cameras.

Zhuang Yan wanted to beat the man up but was afraid of being recorded; it would be bad if it were framed as a mutual fight later.

“You just wait!”

The one-eyed man was a bully who feared the strong. Afraid of being locked up when the police arrived, he scrambled away.

By the time Yue Lu returned, the police had just arrived.

Zhuang Yan briefly explained the sequence of events and followed the police back to give a statement. Finally, on the way home, Zhuang Yan was so tired he leaned on Yue Lu’s shoulder and fell asleep.

Zhuang Yan didn’t know when he fell asleep; he was woken up by his alarm clock, and when he woke, he was lying on the bed in the bedroom.

How did he get to the bed? Shouldn’t he be on the subway?

“A-Cong, morning.” Zhuang Yan yawned and stretched, looking down to find he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.

“Morning, how did you sleep?”

“You should have woken me up last night. Having to carry so many things and me on top of that, it must have been exhausting.” This made Zhuang Yan, who originally wanted to give him a piece of his mind, feel embarrassed.

After all, in Zhuang Yan’s eyes, Yue Lu was a pampered young master who couldn’t lift or carry anything and would break if he fell.

It was only because of his good background that no one dared to provoke him; otherwise, he definitely would have been a target for bullying back in school.

“It’s okay, I wasn’t very tired. I could manage the things just fine, so I didn’t wake you,” Yue Lu explained.

“Alright then.” It was too late to say anything now; time wouldn’t rewind to when they were on the subway last night.

Besides, having someone carry the things meant Zhuang Yan had it easy.

“That person last night was really annoying. I wonder when the police will catch him.” Zhuang Yan stirred the porridge in his bowl. “A-Cong, I want to drink soy milk tomorrow.”

Having spent some time with Yue Lu, Zhuang Yan was slowly becoming more uninhibited.

Looking at Yue Lu busy in the kitchen, Zhuang Yan always felt he had a sort of “husband-material” vibe.

Currently, Yue Lu was wearing a white shirt with an apron tied over it. The shirt sleeves were rolled up above the elbows, revealing a section of clean, fair forearms.

The shirt was a bit sheer, and the muscle lines underneath were faintly visible, making Zhuang Yan’s heart itch. It would be great if he could reach out and touch them.

“A-Cong, come here!” Zhuang Yan was not one to deprive himself.

Yue Lu didn’t understand why; he took off his apron, walked over, and asked, “What is it?”

Zhuang Yan lifted the hem of Yue Lu’s shirt and reached his hand directly inside to feel.

This was his Alpha; couldn’t he touch him?

“Beibei… you… don’t do this…”

Beibei again.

Who on earth was Beibei?

So annoying!

Yet, Zhuang Yan had agreed to let Yue Lu call him that, so he didn’t even have a legitimate reason to be angry.

“Why do you call me Beibei?” Zhuang Yan asked while feeling the abdominal and chest muscles. If the answer was unsatisfactory, Zhuang Yan planned to pinch his nipples.

“Do you not like that name? If you don’t like it, I won’t call you that anymore.”

How did it become a matter of him not liking it? How did he learn to turn the tables like that?

“It’s not that I don’t like it; I just want to know why,” Zhuang Yan explained.

“Didn’t you tell me to call you that?”

Zhuang Yan was shocked, and his hand snapped out from under the clothes.

How was it that he told him to call him that? What did this have to do with him?

Could it be that Yue Lu was too lazy to remember names, so he called all the Omegas he had flings with “Beibei”?

Zhuang Yan suddenly felt that the hand he just used to touch Yue Lu was dirty.

“I’m going to wash my hands.” Zhuang Yan dropped his spoon and rushed to the bathroom.

Fooling around so much, who knew what kind of dirty diseases he might have on him.

Disgusting Zhuang Yan was now utterly repulsed.

Did he really have to have his child? Could they do IVF? Could IVF guarantee that no diseases would be transmitted to him?

What a hassle.

Zhuang Yan could only keep these thoughts to himself; he couldn’t tell Yue Lu. What if Yue Lu took the money back after finding out?

He couldn’t tell Chi Xiaocheng either; if he knew, he would go taking risks again, and his situation wouldn’t be any better than Zhuang Yan’s.

“Beibei, are you okay?” Yue Lu asked with a worried expression.

Zhuang Yan shook his head: “I’m fine.”

Today was Sunday, and the two of them went to the amusement park they didn’t have time for yesterday. Zhuang Yan loved the bumper cars there the most, playing five or six times in a row without getting tired of it.

After playing, they ate at the same small restaurant as yesterday. They tried a few different dishes today, and the taste was just as good.

“It’s him! He poked out one of my eyes!”

On the way back, Zhuang Yan and Yue Lu were suddenly surrounded by a group of broad-shouldered, burly men.

“I wondered who it was; turns out it’s the ‘fish that escaped the nine-year compulsory education’ from last night.” Zhuang Yan looked disdainful, while his hand was quickly using his phone to call the police.

Damn phone, react faster. So slow. I’ll replace you when I get back.

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m a proper undergraduate graduate!” The man from last night had one eye covered with gauze and happened to be holding a hook, looking even more like a pirate captain.

It had to be said, this person had no experience in blocking the way to pick a fight. Is now the time to argue about academic qualifications? He really couldn’t understand what the guy was thinking.

“Bringing so many people this time, not afraid of the police anymore?” At this point, Zhuang Yan’s call had gone through, but he was afraid that talking to the dispatcher would provoke these men.

Zhuang Yan really couldn’t guarantee he could fight a whole group of people alone and win.

Trying it wasn’t out of the question people should be brave in challenging themselves at worst, he’d just spend a few days lying in a hospital.

“This is right in front of the XX subway entrance and behind is the market. This time I don’t even need to call the police myself. With so many of you, aren’t you afraid at all?” Zhuang Yan’s phone was on completely silent mode; he couldn’t hear what the operator on the other end was saying, but he had to provide useful information to the operator.

“We brothers who roam the ‘underworld’ are afraid of the cops?” The one-eyed pirate rolled his remaining eye. “Brothers, beat him up for me!”

The group brought by the one-eyed pirate swarmed toward Zhuang Yan and Yue Lu. Zhuang Yan was about to make a move when he saw Yue Lu block him from behind and start fighting the group one-against-many.

“A-Cong!” Those people wanted to get close to Zhuang Yan, but Yue Lu blocked them all.

Zhuang Yan also wanted to help, but he was similarly held back by Yue Lu.

The police call had already been hung up. Zhuang Yan gripped his phone tightly, praying in his heart that the police would arrive quickly.

He couldn’t imagine what would happen if something happened to Yue Lu.

Gao Ying would immediately terminate their cooperation, the murderer who killed Wang Mengmeng would go scot-free for the rest of their life, and Zhuang Yan would never know who his enemy was.

But more than that, Zhuang Yan was genuinely worried about Yue Lu.

Although they had only been together for a few days, Zhuang Yan had already grown accustomed to having Yue Lu in his life.

Regardless of what happened to Yue Lu this time, he would stay by Yue Lu’s side to take care of him.

It had nothing to do with revenge, and nothing to do with gratitude; he just wanted such a person by his side.

The sound of sirens grew from distant to near, and several police officers took everyone at the scene away.

Yue Lu immediately contacted a lawyer and kept comforting Zhuang Yan even in the police car.

Zhuang Yan wasn’t worried about whether they would be locked up for a few days. He had checked the location earlier; there was surveillance. Yue Lu’s actions counted as self-defense, and Zhuang Yan was the victim.

Coupled with the previous report, this group was at least guilty of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and they would have to stay inside for a few days.

However, looking at Yue Lu’s intentions, he planned to find a good lawyer to ensure this group stayed inside for a much longer time.

After finishing the statement and leaving the station, Zhuang Yan immediately took a taxi to take Yue Lu for a full-body checkup.

It was the same hospital Yue Lu mentioned before. After all, a family-owned hospital felt more reassuring, and most importantly, Zhuang Yan definitely wouldn’t have to pay.

After a round of examinations, Yue Lu only had some superficial injuries; everywhere else was perfectly fine.

Before, Zhuang Yan had thought Yue Lu was a porcelain doll that would break at a touch, but now it seemed Yue Lu’s fighting skills were actually quite good.

And of course, no dirty diseases.

Zhuang Yan was finally relieved. After eating out with Yue Lu, they took the subway home again.

“It’s all my fault. If I had handled things better last night, today’s incident wouldn’t have happened,” Zhuang Yan said guiltily.

“Who would have thought he wouldn’t hide away but would come out to pick trouble instead,” Yue Lu comforted him.

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