My Husband's Eyes Have Been Looking Different Lately After Our Marriage of Convenience - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Maybe men just like this type…

Remembering the friend request Zhou Jibai sent him a few days ago gave Song Ai goosebumps all over.

Sometimes he truly wondered if this guy was mentally ill.

Constantly picking fights on one hand, while trying to add him as a friend on the other—was he doing it purely to disgust people?

“This idiot came too?” Song Ai rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Is my first time attending this kind of banquet going to be ruined by a permanent traumatic shadow?”

In the past, whenever Zhou Jibai appeared, Song Ai never had a comfortable time.

Take primary school, for example. They happened to be in the same cram school. They were originally seated far apart, but Zhou Jibai insisted on asking the teacher to move his seat right behind Song Ai. Then, every single day, he would either poke him with a pen or kick his chair.

As a result, the more tutoring Song Ai got, the worse his grades became.

Just as Wang Ruijing was about to say “Yeah,” an unfriendly voice drifted from behind them—

“Why is there someone speaking ill of me everywhere I go?”

Song Ai and Wang Ruijing turned simultaneously.

Sure enough, they saw a wildly arrogant face that was so familiar it made them want to gag.

Zhou Jibai’s vibrant red hair was so dazzling that Song Ai stared for several seconds before looking away. He wondered how someone’s aesthetic could be so low-tier. The guy wasn’t even fair-skinned; did he dye it red just to make himself look even darker?

But despite the inner roasting, Song Ai had no intention of engaging him.

Song Ai turned to leave. He hadn’t even taken half a step when Zhou Jibai pursued him with a persistent question: “Where do you think you’re going? You want to run after insulting me? Did I give you permission?”

Zhou Jibai walked toward them as he spoke. He had an attitude that suggested he wouldn’t let this go.

Song Ai was annoyed just looking at his face. With half-lidded eyes, he said impatiently, “Is it any of your business?”

“…” Zhou Jibai was long used to Song Ai’s foul attitude. He stopped at a proper distance and shrugged. “You aren’t planning to go find that precious husband of yours, are you?”

Since the marriage, every time he ran into Song Ai, he never failed to mention Lu Tingyun. He wasn’t tired of it, but Song Ai was bored to death.

Song Ai really didn’t want to chat with him. He used the same phrase, but with a fouler tone: “Is it any of your business?”

Zhou Jibai was fuming, especially with someone else standing there.

Feeling he had lost face, he tried to strike back: “You think your husband is still waiting for you? I suggest you don’t go back. He’s currently having a sweet reunion with his first love. If you go over now, you’ll just be a real-life clown. How embarrassing~”

First love?

What is your first love?

How come I’ve never heard Lu Tingyun mention this?

The scene from “that night” flashed through Song Ai’s mind. Unless he was naturally gifted, Lu Tingyun’s performance in that area was indeed… staggering. But if he truly had a first love, then it made sense.

Song Ai’s brow twitched imperceptibly, but he didn’t show much reaction. He simply gave a cold “Oh.”

—When faced with an idiot’s provocation, the best solution is to ignore the idiot.

Seeing no reaction, Zhou Jibai was bewildered. He pressed further, “Aren’t you anxious?”

“What do I have to be anxious about?” Song Ai sneered. “The person who should be most anxious right now is your father.”

Zhou Jibai: “What about my dad? What does this have to do with him?”

Song Ai: “Having a son who is both a psycho and mentally challenged—how could he not be anxious?”

Zhou Jibai’s eyes snapped wide. He was clearly enraged.

“You’re f*cking insulting me in a roundabout way again?!”

Song Ai also shrugged. “You only just realized? It seems you don’t even need to go to a hospital for a diagnosis; I can issue your medical report right now.”

Zhou Jibai: “…You!”

Zhou Jibai almost fainted from anger. Fortunately, because he was frequently insulted by Song Ai in such ways, his brain had learned to self-regulate. He calmed down after a moment.

Song Ai’s combativeness today was exceptionally high, which suggested he was, more or less, affected by the mention of Lu Tingyun’s first love.

Zhou Jibai felt that by gripping this point and continuing, he could definitely break Song Ai’s defense. He resumed his casual, mocking demeanor and smiled. “You’re getting worked up, aren’t you? Well, who wouldn’t be anxious hearing their husband is catching up with a first love? I heard they were university classmates with deep feelings. If they reignite their old flame and he dumps you, you’ll be the one crying.”

Cry my foot.

Song Ai had never cried for anyone in his life.

Since this idiot wouldn’t give up until he hit rock bottom, Song Ai didn’t mind giving him a final blow.

“Zhou Jibai,” Song Ai called out.

The other subconsciously replied, “Huh?”

“Do you often have your left and right brain fight each other?” Song Ai spoke very fast, not giving the other a chance to interrupt. “You want to add me as a friend, yet you want to see me cry. What’s the deal? Schizophrenia? Or a personality disorder??”

After a pause, he put on a look of sudden realization. “Oh… I get it. Are you secretly in love with me but too shy to say it?”

Zhou Jibai’s face instantly turned red, nearly matching his hair color.

“What kind of bullsh*t are you—”

Even his rebuttal was weak. Song Ai laughed, the curve of his lips quite beautiful. “Really, there’s no need for this. You could just tell me directly. Although I’m ‘married young,’ maybe I’ll get divorced one day. When that time comes and you pursue me—”

He paused deliberately.

Zhou Jibai’s pupils reflected the chandeliers in the hallway, sparkling as if he were listening intently.

Unfortunately, in the next second, Song Ai’s face wore a blatant, cunning grin, like a charming fox.

He continued: “—I’ll tell you then that I have very high aesthetic standards. I really can’t accept a stinking, stupid, idiot with a hairstyle like a flaming red rooster’s comb.”

He said this entire string of words smoothly and quickly. It took Zhou Jibai a moment to process the last three words. The anticipation in his eyes turned from confusion to fury. His cheeks flushed even darker, and even his neck turned red.

“You mother—”

Like a breath of air trapped in his chest, Zhou Jibai couldn’t get out a complete curse word for a long time. In a fit of rage, he took a large stride toward Song Ai.

If he couldn’t win with words, couldn’t he win with his fists?

Song Ai had already anticipated that Zhou Jibai would want to resort to violence. This wasn’t the first time; they had fought hundreds, if not a thousand, times since childhood.

Normally, he would let the idiot charge at him. It wasn’t like he couldn’t fight back; it wasn’t certain who would come out on top.

But not today. Lu Tingyun still had business to discuss with the Shens.

Song Ai made up his mind. He stood his ground until Zhou Jibai closed in, his fist raised and about to swing. Only then did Song Ai widen his eyes and feign a look of surprised alarm, shouting: “Uncle Zhou—!”

Zhou Jibai was the only child of the Zhou family. His grandparents pampered him like a treasure, raising him to be fearless and often reckless.

But Zhou Jibai’s father—the “Uncle Zhou” Song Ai referred to—was a very reasonable man. He was always strict with his son. Whenever he made a mistake, Uncle Zhou would beat him regardless of whether the two elders tried to stop him.

So Zhou Jibai feared no one except his father.

Song Ai’s shout made Zhou Jibai mistakenly believe his father had followed them. Sure enough, he was so startled he hurriedly retracted his hand.

Taking advantage of Zhou Jibai’s momentary distraction, Song Ai grabbed Wang Ruijing and made a dash for it.

His ability to slip away was no joke. By the time the idiot realized, the two of them were long gone.

Zhou Jibai stared at the empty corridor and quickly realized he had been played again! He stomped his feet in anger but was helpless. This corridor led straight to the lobby where many guests—and undoubtedly his father—were present. If he made a scene, he would be the one in trouble.

This midget is too cunning!!!

…

The two successfully escaped.

After finding a secluded spot to catch their breath, before Song Ai could even start complaining, he saw Wang Ruijing suddenly freeze. His expression was a mix of embarrassment and horror, as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Ai… Ai-ge, your… your husband…”

Again?

Song Ai was starting to have a stress response to those words.

“What husband? I don’t have a husband.”

His mouth was faster than his brain. It was only after Wang Ruijing finished the second half of his sentence that he realized the friend was trying to warn him: Your husband is right behind you.

Sht. Did the boomerang hit that fast?*

Song Ai felt a chill on his back. He bit the bullet and turned around. His husband was standing less than two meters away, looking at him with composed amusement.

…He definitely heard everything.

Song Ai felt somewhat guilty. He offered a pained smile that looked worse than a real one.

Lu Tingyun didn’t take issue with his “sudden disappearance” but glanced at Wang Ruijing behind him. This man’s eyes were usually devoid of emotion, but currently, they held a trace of gloom.

Song Ai thought he was trying to place the face and introduced him helpfully: “This is my friend, Wang Ruijing. You should have met him.”

More than just met him. This guy was often waiting at the Lu family gates for Song Ai to go out and play. It was hard for Lu Tingyun not to have an impression, but he didn’t say so. Instead, he changed the subject: “Finished wandering?”

“Finished what…” Song Ai didn’t react at first, then remembered Lu Tingyun’s instruction to “wander around” before letting him go. He quickly followed up: “Oh, yes. Finished.”

“Good,” Lu Tingyun nodded.

Just then, someone suddenly called out: “Tingyun.”

The group turned to see two young men of similar age walking toward them. One of them, who was more refined-looking, spoke first in a very gentle and soft voice, smiling: “So this is where you are. You made us look everywhere.”

Song Ai stared at this person’s face. He felt it was familiar, as if he’d seen it before. Within two seconds, he remembered—

On the day he first moved into the Lu house, carrying two suitcases and looking somewhat disheveled, this person was standing in the living room. His eyes were red and his nose was red, as if he had been crying. That’s why he had a deep impression.

The other young man also laughed and teased, “Exactly. The moment you left, this guy asked where you went, so I had to follow him around to find you.”

Then, he added inexplicably: “We know you’re busy, but Zhiyuan just returned to the country and might leave any day. For the sake of your many years of friendship, you should at least spend some time with him.”

Hearing this, Wang Ruijing was amused. He was about the same height as Song Ai. He leaned in slightly and lowered his voice, whispering like they were sharing a secret.

He said, “Ai-ge, your love rival is here.”

Song Ai: “…”

If what Zhou Jibai said was true, then this refined-looking man indeed fit the description of Lu Tingyun’s first love—they knew each other from the past, he had been to the Lu house, they had just met earlier, and the mutual friend’s habitual teasing.

Isn’t it obvious they used to date?

Song Ai pinched his earlobe and didn’t respond. He was a bit annoyed, but he didn’t want to admit it. So what if Lu Tingyun had a first love? Everyone had one… he didn’t have one because his standards were too high and he didn’t want to date mere mortals.

Besides, he and Lu Tingyun were going to divorce anyway. Even if they had… that wouldn’t affect the future of this relationship.

Whatever, Song Ai thought irritably.

However, Lu Tingyun didn’t say a word. Song Ai guessed it might be hard for him to speak. After all, one was the ex-lover he once cared for, and the other was the current spouse he was forced to sleep with. Such a dog-blood “crematorium” scene would be hard for anyone to handle.

Seeing this, the refined young man didn’t seem embarrassed. He just asked, “By the way, Tingyun, why did you leave so suddenly just now? Was there an emergency? Do you need our help?”

Quite considerate. But then again, maybe men just liked this type. Song Ai thought with a numb expression.

“No need.”

Lu Tingyun finally deigned to speak. But as soon as he uttered those two words, he reached out and gently pinched Song Ai’s cheek, explaining with a light smile:

“It was nothing. I just came to find my wife.”