My Husband's Eyes Have Been Looking Different Lately After Our Marriage of Convenience - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: “For Fairness’ Sake, Shouldn’t You Also…”

It was the same west wing room.

To prevent being tricked, Song Ai specifically checked the weather forecast and even called the driver to verify. As it turned out, everything matched Lu Tingyun’s words perfectly.

Left with no choice, the two had to squeeze together for another night. Anyway, there’s a bed and a daybed. One person on each side, no bothering each other, Song Ai thought as he calmly carried his change of clothes into the bathroom—this time, making sure not to forget his underwear.

Lu Tingyun had showered first. Clad in his pajamas, he sat at the desk by the window working on his laptop. He finished just as Song Ai emerged. Hearing the bathroom door open, Lu Tingyun looked up. His “wife” was wearing an identical pair of pajamas, but the standard size was too large for him; the collar hung loose, exposing half of a snowy-white shoulder with the slightest movement.

Song Ai had just stepped out of the steam. Water droplets clung to the tips of his hair, and his cheeks, full of collagen, looked incredibly supple—as if they would leak juice with a gentle pinch.

Lu Tingyun watched him in silence. Outside, the rain poured; inside, a heat began to churn.

Song Ai’s attention, however, was immediately drawn to a phone screen lighting up on the bed. The caller ID was clear: Ms. Song.

Song Ai walked over, answered the call, and pressed the phone to his ear. He grabbed a towel and sat down, slowly drying his hair. Perhaps because of the unpleasantness of their last meal, Ms. Song’s tone was exceptionally gentle lately.

“Xiao Ai, are you home?”

“No,” he replied flatly. “A rainstorm hit. I’m stuck at the Old Madam’s place.”

“Be careful not to catch a cold.” After the brief pleasantries, she cut straight to the chase. “Did you give the bracelet to the Old Madam? What did she say?”

Song Ai’s eyelashes drooped slightly. “I gave it to her. She… didn’t say much.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Mhm.”

Song Ai felt there was no need to tell her the details. Since the Old Madam had accepted the gift, it implied she wasn’t dissatisfied. Saying more would only cause unnecessary trouble. Song Huaiwan hesitated for a moment but didn’t press further.

“Alright. I need to organize materials for tomorrow’s meeting, so I won’t chat for long.”

Song Ai gave another indifferent “Mhm” before the line went dead. He set the phone aside, tousled his nearly dry hair, and turned—only to meet a pair of pitch-black eyes.

“You motherf—!”

Are you trying to scare me to death?!

Midway through the curse, Song Ai remembered he was at the Lu residence. He couldn’t be too crude. Thinking quickly, he changed his tune: “Can you make some noise when you’re staring at someone?”

Lu Tingyun blinked. “Staring makes noise? Are you telling ghost stories? That’s actually quite funny.”

“…”

“I think you look the most like a ghost.”

Lu Tingyun didn’t get angry. He simply asked, “Your relationship with your mother doesn’t seem very good.”

“It’s hard to say.” Song Ai grabbed his phone and headed for the bed, clearly unwilling to dive into the topic. “It’s average. Aren’t you and your old man the same? Enough talk, I’m exhausted. Let’s sleep.”

In families like theirs, involving so many interests and power plays, pure familial affection was a rarity. Lu Tingyun pursed his lips and didn’t deny it. He stopped talking and stood up to check the wardrobe.

After a moment, his voice came out muffled, “Song Ai.”

Song Ai was already tucked under the covers. Hearing his name, he strained his waist to pop half his head out, looking as lazy as a lord. “What now?”

Lu Tingyun turned his head. “There are no more blankets.”

Song Ai was stunned. “What?”

What did he mean “no more blankets”?

No… no blankets???

He immediately realized the gravity of the situation. He sat up abruptly. “The wardrobe doesn’t have spare linens?”

Lu Tingyun nodded. “No.”

Song Ai threw on his slippers and walked over to look. Sure enough, it was empty.

“This…” Song Ai was dumbfounded.

Lu Tingyun reacted quickly, starting to speak, “You’ll take me in, ri—”

“AB-SO-LUTE-LY NOT.”

Song Ai cut him off decisively. He had said it before: if he let Lu Tingyun into his bed again, he was an idiot. Being in the same room was a forced necessity, but he definitely wouldn’t let him under the covers!

“Fine.”

Lu Tingyun lowered his eyes, looking somewhat dejected. He turned toward the daybed. Just as he was about to lie down, Song Ai shouted, “Wait!”

The man turned back instantly.

Song Ai paused, then offered a “merciful” suggestion: “Why don’t you just ask the butler to bring a blanket over?”

“…”

Seeing him stay silent, Song Ai asked curiously, “Didn’t you get ointment from him last time? Getting a blanket shouldn’t be that hard, right?”

“The situation is different. Last time there were many guests, so night patrols were specially arranged for safety,” Lu Tingyun said with a wry smile. “This time it’s just us. Besides, with rain this heavy, the night servants should all be gathered around the Old Madam.”

“What does the rain have to do with her?”

“She has rheumatism in her legs. Whenever it rains heavily, someone needs to look after her.”

“I see.” Song Ai nodded thoughtfully, then gave another suggestion: “Then go get one yourself?”

Lu Tingyun looked out the window. “I’m afraid it will be difficult.”

“Then I wish you the best of luck.”

With that heartless remark, Song Ai scrambled back into bed.

Lu Tingyun: “…”

The man helplessly walked back to the wooden daybed. Song Ai deliberately covered his ears to avoid hearing anything. After about three or four minutes, he peeked out with one eye. Lu Tingyun was lying flat on the wooden daybed, truly covered by nothing at all. He had a tall, straight posture; lying there silently like a corpse, he wasn’t so annoying anymore—he actually looked a bit like a sleeping manga protagonist.

Soon, his breathing steadied. He was likely asleep.

Song Ai withdrew his gaze. The sound of the storm outside was intense, raindrops lashing against the window in a way that was quite eerie. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Twenty minutes later, he opened them again, his eyes clear. He couldn’t sleep at all.

“Fuck,” the youth cursed softly. He pulled back the covers and looked over; the man opposite seemed to be in a deep slumber.

If he sleeps like that, won’t he get a fever again?

So what? What does it have to do with me? I didn’t steal the blanket.

But… based on last time’s lesson, what if he gets a fever and crawls into my bed again to rub against me?

Then I’ll just kick him off. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice…

He debated with himself for two minutes before coming to a compromise: he would offer once. If there was no response, it meant Lu Tingyun was destined for this fate.

Having made up his mind, Song Ai spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito: “Cough, how about you…”

Before he could finish, he heard the “corpse” reply: “Okay.”

Song Ai: “??”

The next second, a cold, massive body slid directly into his covers.

Song Ai: “???”

“You motherfucker, you were faking sleep!” Taken completely by surprise, Song Ai raised his leg to kick him out, only to have his foot caught by the other man. The cold touch made him shiver.

Just as he was about to curse, he heard Lu Tingyun say in a trembling voice, “So cold. Song Ai, just let me stay for ten minutes, okay?”

The curse died in his throat. In a game, ten minutes passes in a flash. The time was so short that Song Ai had no room to refuse.

Whatever. This guy is practically a block of ice. Let him stay for a bit.

Song Ai pursed his lips and pulled his foot back with force. “If you don’t get lost after ten minutes, you’re a dog.”

He tried to look menacing, but his lean frame and soft skin carried no real threat. Lu Tingyun said nothing, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Since it was primarily a guest room and required regular laundering, the blanket wasn’t particularly large. It was plenty for one person, but a bit of a squeeze for two. With Lu Tingyun’s broad shoulders and large frame, Song Ai almost didn’t have enough cover. Fortunately, the man stayed still, so they didn’t fall into a tug-of-war.

To keep track, Song Ai pulled out his phone and set an alarm.

For the first three minutes, all was quiet. At the fifth minute, Lu Tingyun shifted his leg. At the seventh minute, Lu Tingyun’s breathing grew suspiciously heavy. At the eighth minute, his body began to turn scorching hot. At the ninth minute, Song Ai sensed trouble. Just as he was about to kick him out early, Lu Tingyun suddenly pressed down on him—he had no time to react!

“Lu Tingyun, you—”

Just as Song Ai was about to explode, he heard Lu Tingyun’s hoarse voice: “The day I had a fever… what did you promise me?”

The curse stuck in his throat. Song Ai was frozen on the spot.

…Sometimes, one simply cannot forgive their past self.

Lu Tingyun held him firmly beneath him, their bodies pressed together with zero distance; they could even feel the heat of each other’s breath. Song Ai’s ears turned bright red instantly. While struggling with his hands and feet to break free, he grumbled, “That was an emergency! You were delirious from the fever and wouldn’t let go of me!”

Lu Tingyun caught the discrepancy immediately. “Didn’t you say before that the butler and doctor carried me to bed? So that actually happened?”

Song Ai was suddenly speechless.

Lu Tingyun seized the opportunity, his hand sliding under the loose pajama top to touch his back. “When you had a need, I satisfied you. Now that I have a need, for fairness’ sake, shouldn’t you satisfy me too?”

At some point, the man’s palm had become as hot as a piece of glowing iron. Song Ai shivered again. Just then, his alarm went off. While Lu Tingyun reached out a hand to turn it off, Song Ai tried again to break free. Unfortunately, Lu Tingyun was far too heavy. After struggling for a while, he had only managed to kick half the blanket off at their feet.

Lu Tingyun was entirely unaffected. He had even buried his head in the crook of Song Ai’s neck, his tongue flicking out occasionally…

It was that familiar sensation again. Song Ai was completely numb from head to toe.

Calming down to think for a moment, he changed his tactics. “Even if you have a ‘need,’ now isn’t the time! Is today a suitable day?!”

Lu Tingyun’s voice was beyond hoarse. “What day is it?”

“It’s Qingming! Didn’t you just worship your ancestors during the day? In front of your ancestors, do you have the nerve to…?”

Lu Tingyun seemed to be stimulated by those words instead. He let out a low laugh. “It’s already past midnight.”

Song Ai: “??!”

Before Song Ai could reach for his phone to verify, Lu Tingyun’s hand moved along his arm, stroking the back of his hand before interlacing their fingers. His other hand, meanwhile…

After a moment, Lu Tingyun looked up, satisfied.

“Learn to follow your own instincts, Song Ai,” he whispered. “The last two times you were drunk. Don’t you want to try it while you’re awake?”

Song Ai’s face was red with fury. “Try my ass! Those two times my back and waist ached for half a day before I recovered! How is this fair?? I’m not doing it!”

Lu Tingyun hadn’t expected this. He looked up at him and explained, “Sorry… I didn’t have much experience those first two times. I’ll be more careful this time.”

“You didn’t have experience??”

Song Ai thought he really had two different faces—the guy didn’t even blink when he lied. Though he had blacked out the second time and had no memory of it, he still remembered exactly what happened the first time!

Was that something someone with “no experience” could do??

Lu Tingyun stared at him for a few seconds, falling into hesitation. After a while, he truly couldn’t hold back anymore. He leaned down and kissed Song Ai’s chin; even that wasn’t enough, as he gradually moved lower…

Song Ai quickly blocked his mouth with his arm.

But it was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage. The next second, his wrist was pinned by Lu Tingyun’s single hand, locked above his head.

In this position, he had absolutely no sense of security.

Song Ai was so ashamed and angry that the redness spread from his ears down to the depths of his neck, like a blooming, vivid rose—utterly beautiful.

Lu Tingyun couldn’t hold back at all.