My Husband's Eyes Have Been Looking Different Lately After Our Marriage of Convenience - Chapter 22.1

Chapter 22.1: “Song Ai, do you want it again…?”

The spring rain arrived abruptly, fine and dense like silk.

In the misty night, a black car pulled into the manor. Housekeeper Wu, having received the call in advance, was already waiting at the entrance with an umbrella.

Lu Tingyun climbed out from the driver’s side, walked around to the passenger door, and leaned inside. He tried to help Song Ai out, but Song Ai was impossibly soft, his bones seemingly turned to cotton, devoid of any strength or reaction.

Housekeeper Wu watched anxiously from behind, hesitating whether to step in and help, when he heard Song Ai let out a muffled groan as Lu Tingyun lifted him out in a bridal carry. Wu didn’t have time to gasp; he quickly raised the umbrella higher.

The car was parked right in front of the villa entrance, only a few steps away. However, after carrying Song Ai inside, Lu Tingyun showed no intention of putting him down, heading straight for the staircase instead.

After a few steps up, Lu Tingyun paused. His voice was steady and devoid of emotion as he calmly instructed, “Brew some sobering soup and bring it up.”

“Yes, sir,” Wu replied immediately.

As Wu turned toward the kitchen, the two continued upstairs. Having been washed by the fresh air outside, Song Ai’s dizzy state seemed to improve slightly. He opened his eyes, dazed, finding himself suspended in the air and spiraling upward. He instinctively hugged the “log” supporting him to keep from falling. The texture of this “log” seemed to be “growing,” pulsing with life like surging veins.

Finding a sturdy support, he grew calmer, burying his head in the thick, warm “soil” next to the log like a squirrel hiding in a tree hollow, warily observing his surroundings.

“Where is this?” he asked.

The “log” answered him. “Home.”

“Home?” The youth chuckled, his voice full of resistance. “Which home? The Lu family? I don’t want to go back there.” He murmured a few words and began to struggle again, his legs flailing wildly. “Let me go… wait… what’s wrapped around my leg? Is it a snake? Get away!”

“It’s not a snake,” the “log” replied patiently. “It’s my hand. Don’t move, we’re almost there.”

“Whose hand?” The youth was scared half to death. “How could you have hands! It’s definitely a snake! A giant python, it’s squeezing me so tight… is it trying to bite me? It’s going to eat me alive! Let me go!!”

The person in his arms was resisting violently, but with the master bedroom only a few steps away, Lu Tingyun still didn’t put him down. If he did, the boy would likely end up sleeping on the floor tonight.

“Just wait a bit longer.”

“Wait for wh—”

Before Song Ai could finish, he felt himself being placed on something very soft, like a spiderweb. The ridged patterns underneath were a bit stiff, but the scent was familiar. Then, the “snake” left him, the “log” left him, and even the warm “soil” was gone.

Cold air rushed into his loose collar. Song Ai shuddered, suddenly feeling a sense of emptiness. Why did everyone leave? Was no one looking after him? He reached out, trying to grab something, but his hand only brushed against a piece of smooth fabric—hot and somewhat hard.

What was it? Was someone still there?

He was intensely curious, using all his energy to chase that piece of fabric, but he couldn’t catch it. Instead, a thick vine tightly clamped down on his wrist. Why was this vine so hot too?

Lu Tingyun’s voice rang out again, but this time it carried a husky, burning heat. He asked an inexplicable question: “Song Ai, do you want it again?”

Want what? The thing from just now?

Song Ai thought to himself that he was indeed curious—what kind of thing could be this hard and hot? It was more intense than a curling iron. He wanted to know so badly that he followed his heart and answered, “I do.”

Unexpectedly, upon hearing his answer, the grip of the “vine” tightened, grinding against Song Ai’s wrist bone until he couldn’t help but hiss in pain.

The “log” said, “Fine. I’ll give it to you in a moment.”

Wait a moment? Why is it so mysterious?

Song Ai frowned, wanting to press further, but the vine suddenly released him. The heat surrounding him dissipated, and he realized the “log” had left.

Housekeeper Wu brought up the sobering soup. “Sir, do you need help?” Though he had looked after the “Madam” for over six months, this was the first time he had seen him this drunk—unable even to stand. Feeding him soup would likely be a struggle.

Lu Tingyun declined the offer, taking the bowl with a heavy expression. “No need. Go down and rest; don’t come back up tonight.”

“…And without my permission, no one else is allowed up here either.”

Hearing this, Housekeeper Wu bowed tactfully, backing away as he spoke. “Understood, sir. I wish you and Madam sweet dreams.” Wu closed the door on his way out and quickly dismissed the other servants as ordered.

The entire villa became as quiet as a secluded temple.

Sobering soup helps with hydration, prevents vomiting, and protects the stomach lining. For the sake of his health, Lu Tingyun needed Song Ai to drink this bowl first. He used one arm to prop Song Ai up against the headboard and used the other to guide the bowl gently toward his lips.

The brownish liquid pressed against the rim toward Song Ai’s lips, but his mouth remained tightly shut. A second later, the soup slid down his chin, tracing a beautiful curve.

Lu Tingyun coaxed patiently, “Song Ai, open up.”

No response. Just like last time.

Lu Tingyun didn’t have an extra hand to pry his mouth open, and for a moment, he even regretted not letting Housekeeper Wu stay to help. But soon, his attention was drawn to his wife’s moistened lips. They were full and glistening. Even after several days, Lu Tingyun clearly remembered the soft, damp sensation of that spot.

A faint itch developed in his throat, and a flicker of flame seemed to crawl up from his lower abdomen. Lu Tingyun moved the bowl away, then leaned down to gaze into his wife’s features and tender lips. Thoughts kept surfacing in his mind, only to be suppressed again and again in a recurring loop.

Until his wife let out a low moan. His sanity finally snapped like a broken string of pearls. He took a sip of the sobering soup, held it in his mouth, and pressed his lips firmly against the other’s.

The bitter-tinged liquid poured through the seam of Song Ai’s lips. He whimpered and instinctively swallowed. Before he could react, something wet and sticky slipped in unexpectedly, forcing his teeth apart.

That thing was incredibly nimble, like a plump little snake, licking and sliding inside his mouth, greedily sucking his breath and teasing his tongue.

A snake! How hateful. He knew there was a snake!!

Song Ai involuntarily gripped the bedsheets. His body instinctively wanted to resist, but he had no strength. He could only twist his waist and raise his hands, trying to push away the heavy object pressing down on him.

It wouldn’t budge.

Instead, his wrists were pinned behind his back, his waist was squeezed tight, and his lips were sealed airtight. Saliva secreted from his throat like a constant spring, churned by the “little snake” until it began to overflow.

At the moment he felt like he was suffocating, the “little snake” backed away slightly to give them room to breathe. A moment later, the “log” asked in a low, deep voice: “Have you thought it through?”

Song Ai’s brain was already completely blank. Although his subconscious felt the words were familiar, he didn’t understand the underlying meaning. He only asked dazed, “Wh—”

However, before he could finish, the “little snake” launched a fierce attack, sliding straight back in and arrogantly filling his entire mouth, leaving no more room for breath—as if refusing to allow any response other than “acceptance.”

There was a dull thud as something fell onto the carpet.

Song Ai had no energy to look. His eyes couldn’t open, and his body was becoming softer and hotter. From nowhere, another “vine” appeared, probing deep toward his thighs. Scorching breath spread, and the pressure on his lips shifted, but only slightly—licking a path from his chin down to his neck.

The sudden bite made Song Ai let out a sharp hiss of pain. The “vine” paused briefly. The “log” said, “Hurts? I’ll be gentler then.” Then, the exploration continued.

Gentler? Gentler how? What is it going to do?

Song Ai wanted to ask, but the moment he opened his mouth, the sound that came out was an ambiguous, lingering moan. He was pinned to the bed, a towering mountain pressing down on him until he couldn’t catch his breath. No, more accurately, it was a volcano, pressed tightly against his abdomen, making his whole body tremble from the heat…

…

The Next Day

The sound of a lawnmower buzzed outside the window, loud and irritating. Song Ai frowned and slowly opened his eyes. His vision shifted from a white mist to concrete objects.

The ceiling—his room’s ceiling.

He was used to seeing this first thing every noon. Song Ai reached out his arm to find his phone, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of his head. “Hiss.”

Song Ai winced, clutching his head. Just as he was about to think about what happened yesterday, a strange scent hit his nose. It was slightly fishy, mixed with the smell of sweat and traditional Chinese medicine. It smelled unpleasant, yet very familiar.

Like…

A flash of white light crossed his mind, and Song Ai’s eyes widened.

Holy crap.

It was the same smell that filled the room the morning after he’d slept with Lu Tingyun the first time!!

A terrifying thought surfaced. Song Ai sat bolt upright in fright. He swallowed hard and frantically scanned every corner of the bed. He didn’t see any transparent rubber rings.

Good, good. Nothing should have happened.

He breathed a sigh of relief and rolled out of bed. But the moment his feet hit the floor, he nearly collapsed to his knees.

Damn.

Why are my legs so sore??

And my butt…

Song Ai scrambled back to the edge of the bed, his temples throbbing. No way, no way, no way. Did I force Lu Tingyun into that again yesterday??

Goddammit. I’m never drinking that cursed alcohol again!

Song Ai lay on the edge of the bed, cursing while trying to remember. Unfortunately, he had drunk way too much this time; it was a total blackout. Aside from a vague memory of seeing Lu Tingyun, he had zero recollection of anything else. His brain was like it had amnesia.

He found his phone and checked his messages. The group chat was quiet; the others probably weren’t awake yet. The last message he’d received yesterday was “Model Bro’s” “You’re going?”; there was no other useful information.

He thought hard for a long time but found no reliable answers. Instead, his body regained some strength. Song Ai stopped looking and forced himself up. Regardless, he had to go downstairs and see what the situation was. That damn lawnmower was too loud to sleep through anyway.

He found a set of clothes to put on—because just now, he was only wearing a pair of underwear!

However, as he finished buckling his belt and was about to leave, he caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror. He was wearing short-sleeved gear, so he could clearly see his snow-white skin covered in hickeys. They were most concentrated on his collarbones and legs—so dense it was unbearable to look at!

Insane. Lu Tingyun must have gone insane yesterday!

Is he a dog? Why so many bites?!

Song Ai had a minor breakdown. He turned back and changed into a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, being so cautious he even fastened the top button of the collar. He checked the mirror one last time to make sure not a single mark was visible before finally walking out of the room.

He hurried downstairs and, sure enough, saw Lu Tingyun in the living room, not having gone to work. Song Ai had intended to demand an explanation aggressively, but his momentum vanished the moment he stood before the man.

Lu Tingyun was currently reading the morning paper. This was his morning routine; although searching for news on a phone was convenient, physical reading helped cultivate patience. Hearing the hurried footsteps, he looked up to see his wife approaching with a flushed face, looking like he wanted to interrogate him.

He feigned ignorance and greeted him: “Morning.”

Song Ai was stunned by the greeting. His mouth hung open for a long time, but not a single word came out. How the hell… am I supposed to ask?!

The two remained in a stalemate for quite a while. Lu Tingyun seemed to have endless patience; even though the posture was unfriendly to his neck, he kept eye contact with his wife, a trace of unsatisfied desire still lingering in his eyes.

Before the flame could flare up again, the man took the initiative to bring it up: “You want to ask about yesterday?”

Song Ai nodded with a wooden face. “Mhm.”

The man put down the newspaper and spoke solemnly: “You drank too much yesterday.”

“I know that. And then?”

“And then… you said you wanted to sleep with me.”

…

……

Song Ai left with a face red enough to burst.

He drove out and wandered aimlessly for a while before deciding to call someone out for a meal. The first person he called was Li Shang.

Li Shang had just woken up. Receiving an indignant and agitated call from Ai-ge left him dazed. He had to confirm that he was being asked out for lunch and not a gang fight before he felt safe enough to agree.

The two picked a random Western restaurant. Since it was peak lunch hour, the food came quickly. Before taking a bite, Song Ai viciously cut his medium-rare steak about ten times. The scene was bloody enough to make Li Shang’s heart tremble.

“Ai, Ai-ge… did someone upset you?” It looked like a blood feud.

Song Ai was oblivious to his strange behavior. He spread his hands innocently. “Huh? No, no one upset me.”

Li Shang pointed his fork at the unrecognizable steak and Song Ai’s reddened palm. “You’ve almost cut this steak to death… Ai-ge, did something happen? Tell me, I promise not to say a word!”

Song Ai looked at Li Shang’s sincere, round face. He really did need someone to talk to. Sleeping with Lu Tingyun… that was one thing. But repeatedly seeking out Lu Tingyun for sex was a huge problem. He, Song Ai, had always been open and devoid of excessive desire. From puberty until now, even if he’d had “reactions,” he’d rarely been this… craving.

Although Lu Tingyun was handsome and good in bed, Song Ai wasn’t the “insatiable” type. Why would he keep doing that with Lu Tingyun over and over again? There must be something fishy. Either the alcohol was rigged, or he was the problem.

Since the locations where he drank were different both times, it likely wasn’t the alcohol. It was… himself! If it was his own issue, how could he solve it? He couldn’t just force Lu Tingyun every time!

A mess of questions swirled in his head, making it feel like it would explode. Li Shang was still looking at him with expectant eyes. After hesitating for a moment, Song Ai only managed to choke out: “Forget it, it’s nothing.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say it to a friend—especially someone like Li Shang, a “pure” virgin with zero experience in dating or sex. It might be more reliable to ask a doctor at a hospital another day.

The light in Li Shang’s eyes vanished. He shrugged and went back to eating. A moment later, he asked, “By the way, Ai-ge, how did you get back yesterday?”

Song Ai hesitated and shook his head. He had blacked out and remembered nothing, only having a vague impression that the last person he saw before the memory gap was Lu Tingyun.

“You actually don’t know? Oh, holy crap…” Li Shang cursed. “Do you know who picked me up yesterday?”

Song Ai shook his head again.

“My mom!” Li Shang said. “Who the hell was so big-mouthed to call our parents? My mom almost twisted my ear off yesterday! My ear still hurts. I’m so pissed… I bet it was Lao Wang. He hasn’t even replied to my messages today…”

Song Ai didn’t hear the rest of the sentence. He felt the culprit wasn’t Wang Ruijing, but Lu Tingyun. After all, the man looked like the type who loved to tattle.

After finishing their meal, they planned to go look at cars; there was a 4S dealership just a few hundred meters away. Halfway there, Wang Ruijing called to ask where they were. Song Ai gave the name of the shop, and soon the three converged.

Wang Ruijing brought three bottles of drinks from his car and threw one to each of them, scanning the shop. “Are you buying a car?”

Li Shang smiled. “Just looking.”

Wang Ruijing nodded and didn’t say much. Changing cars wasn’t a big deal for Li Shang. His parents were in their prime, working together to grow their thriving family business. Their family’s strength was in the middle of the pack among them but had a strong upward trend. The Wang family, thanks to Grandpa Wang’s military background, had always held a top-tier status in J City. As for the Song family…

Wang Ruijing glanced at Song Ai and stopped thinking about it. No matter the state of the Song family, Song Ai’s position in their hearts was unshakable.

Li Shang took an interest in an SUV and prepared for a test drive. Song Ai was too lazy to go, finding a sofa to curl up on and play a game, while Wang Ruijing sat down next to him.

Noticing his outfit, which was completely out of step with the weather, Wang Ruijing asked, “Is it cold today?”

Song Ai focused on his game screen. “It’s fine.”

“Then why are you wearing so much? Aren’t you afraid of getting heat rash?”

Song Ai’s finger paused. Feeling guilty, he didn’t dare look up. He swallowed and explained, “I didn’t cover up well with the blanket yesterday and caught a cold.”

Wang Ruijing gave a casual “Oh” and told him to drink more hot water, but his gaze kept roaming over Song Ai’s body. Unfortunately, everything was covered up so tightly that he couldn’t see anything.

Halfway through the game, Song Ai received a WeChat notification—a voice message from Madam Song. Song Ai glanced at it but didn’t open it.

A short while later, Li Shang returned from his test drive with a bitter face. “No loyalty! Not a single person came with me. It’s 25 degrees outside but 0 degrees in my heart!”

Song Ai didn’t even lift his eyelids, casually changing the subject: “How was it?”

As expected, Li Shang was diverted and began to analyze enthusiastically: “The handling is okay, the suspension is good, it drives very steadily, but the tires are just average…”

He went on a long rant that Song Ai didn’t hear a word of. After clearing two more levels of the game, Song Ai put his phone aside and asked concisely, “So, are you buying it?”

Li Shang shook his head decisively. “Nah, I’ll keep looking.”

Song Ai: “…” He knew everything just now was nonsense.

Wang Ruijing was amused. “If you don’t like it, why did you say so much?”

Li Shang disagreed. “It took so much effort to get my dad to agree to a new car. It’s a rare chance; of course I have to shop around… Sigh, at the end of the day, I still like Ai-ge’s car the most. It looks flashy and performs well. Too bad it’s a limited edition! You can’t buy it even with money!”

Song Ai chuckled, having little interest in continuing the topic. He picked up his phone to play another round but received a call notification.

—Madam Song.

He hesitated, then took the phone and walked outside the shop to answer. He called out in a low voice, “Mom.”

The respectful title failed to awaken any maternal love in Madam Song. Her voice sounded very angry. “Messages ignored, calls not picked up. Song Ai, do you think now that your wings have grown, you don’t have to listen to your old lady anymore??”