My Husband's Eyes Have Been Looking Different Lately After Our Marriage of Convenience - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: “Aren’t you going to see me off? Wifey…”

Wang Ruijing’s mother had just been moved out of the ICU a while ago. Everyone thought she would slowly recover until she was fully healed; after all, it wasn’t an incurable disease.

No one expected her to pass away so suddenly tonight.

Upon hearing the news, Song Ai’s back straightened instantly. He frowned deeply, pressing for more: “What about Old Wang?”

Li Shang sniffled and looked back.

They were still outside that beach. They had intended to leave right after the fireworks, but with the massive crowd of tourists, they couldn’t even move two meters in half an hour. They decided to just wait until most people had dispersed.

Around nine o’clock, Wang Ruijing suddenly received a call from the hospital. The voice on the other end regretfully informed him of his mother’s passing. Even now—

“He’s been squatting by the roadside for nearly half an hour. He hasn’t said a single word since he hung up. I asked him what we should do, and he doesn’t know. Ai-ge, where are you…”

“Wait there. I’m coming to find you right now.”

Song Ai threw back the covers to get out of bed, but his arm was grabbed by the man half-reclining behind him.

Lu Tingyun hadn’t heard the details, but he guessed it was an emergency. He volunteered, “I’ll go too.”

Song Ai turned back and stared at him, hesitating for two seconds. The man didn’t have a stitch of clothing on. The scratch marks on his waist and arms were clearly visible—and there were likely plenty on his back too… All thanks to him.

“Dress properly before we go,” Song Ai coughed, then got up to find a set of long-sleeved shirt and pants for himself.

The two didn’t delay, rushing to the scene.

Wang Ruijing was still squatting by the road with his head down. Though his face couldn’t be seen, the grief and pain radiating from his back were palpable.

Li Shang’s nose was red and his eyes were swollen. He called out helplessly, “Ai-ge…”

Song Ai patted his shoulder and looked at Old Wang. “Let’s just sit with him for a bit.”

Because he could empathize, Song Ai knew that Wang Ruijing probably couldn’t process anything right now. No words can soothe the trauma of losing a parent; only time can slightly flatten the scar, though the pain remains no matter how much time passes.

The two walked over silently and sat on either side of him. The three of them looked like three abandoned kittens on the roadside, utterly miserable.

Lu Tingyun stood to the side, frowning as he watched for a moment, then turned to make a phone call. Not long after, Assistant Zhang replied that everything was arranged.

Only then did Lu Tingyun step in front of Song Ai. He reached out his hand and said in a deep voice, “Let’s take your friend back. At least let him see his mother one last time.”

Song Ai looked up into a pair of ink-black pupils. The man’s brow was slightly lowered, his expression seemingly a bit forlorn.

After a moment of daze, Song Ai asked, “Aren’t our tickets for tomorrow? There shouldn’t be any more flights today.”

“Mm,” Lu Tingyun’s voice was muffled as he explained. “I called someone to send a private jet over. It can pick us up directly from the hotel rooftop.”

Private jet?

Song Ai fell into a stupor.

It wasn’t until they returned to the hotel, packed their things, climbed to the roof, and saw a helicopter with flashing red lights slowly approaching that Song Ai suddenly realized: the Lu family’s power was truly far beyond that of their three families combined.

Thinking about it, Lu Tingyun had always been a top student since childhood, and as an adult, he was a standout among his peers. Between him and Song Ai… it wasn’t exactly heaven and earth, but the gap was indeed massive. No wonder the Lu family had been so resistant at first. If Song Ai had such an outstanding cousin and found out he was forced to marry a “useless vase,” he might feel indignant too…

As Song Ai’s mind wandered, Lu Tingyun had already put an arm around his waist and lifted him onto the aircraft. The sudden feeling of being suspended made the youth startle, forcing him to grip the man’s shoulders tightly.

The rotors overhead spun rapidly, churning the air into a sharp, violent roar. The two of them met by chance under the night sky, their hearts feeling close across their chests in that moment.

…

They arrived in J City around two in the morning. They rushed to the hospital immediately, not even having time to think about whether it was appropriate.

Wang Ruijing burst into the ward. Moments later, the sound of wailing echoed throughout the entire floor.

Song Ai and Li Shang stood outside the door, not daring to go in, though their eyes were red.

Wang Ruijing’s father was inside as well. Unable to bear seeing his son so grief-stricken, he stepped out and saw Lu Tingyun standing there. Thinking he was hallucinating, he rubbed his eyes.

It really was Lu Tingyun.

The Wang and Lu families had no overlapping business interests and basically never interacted; it was natural for Father Wang to be surprised. However, the business world always values reciprocity. When Lu Tingyun bowed slightly toward him, he nodded back in a friendly gesture before heading toward the stairwell.

Lu Tingyun retracted his gaze and continued to observe Song Ai. He reached down to scratch his spouse’s palm. When Song Ai turned back, he asked in a low voice, “Are you hungry?”

The corners of Song Ai’s eyes and the tip of his nose were pink; he looked truly pitiful. He hadn’t eaten much for dinner and his energy was nearly depleted. It was impossible not to be hungry.

But he shook his head. “Forget it, I’m not in the mood to eat.”

Lu Tingyun looked over. Wang Ruijing was still collapsed by the bedside, his shoulders shaking. He had cried himself into a wreck.

“I bet they’re hungry too.” Lu Tingyun worried about Song Ai’s stomach and insisted, “Wait here for me. I’ll go buy something to bring up, so you don’t faint from hunger later.”

Song Ai nodded. The man gave him a lingering, uneasy look before finally turning to leave.

He originally wanted to take the elevator, but felt waiting would be too frustrating, so he took the stairs. Just as he stepped into the corner, he suddenly heard Father Wang on the phone…

…

Lu Tingyun eventually took the elevator down. It was so late that most shops near the hospital were closed, except for a 24-hour convenience store.

He bought some instant meals, hot food, and a bowl of lean meat congee. Carrying the plastic bag, he stepped out of the store. With few people on the road, he used his free hand to take out his cigarette case and lit one.

The scene before him was obscured by the drifting smoke.

In a daze, Lu Tingyun felt as if he had returned to the day his own mother passed away. But it was different from Wang Ruijing.

He didn’t get to see his mother one last time. At that time, he had been sent to another province for a physics competition. Because the competition was the next day, his father wouldn’t allow him to give up, nor would he accept failure, so he forced him to stay. By the time the competition was over and he rushed back, only a pile of white ash remained.

…

Returning to the ward, Wang Ruijing had no strength left to cry and was slumped exhaustedly by the bed. Song Ai and Li Shang were likely tired of standing; they were now sitting on the chairs against the wall, staring blankly.

Lu Tingyun set the things on the ground, took out the bowl of congee separately, opened the lid, and handed it to Song Ai.

“There will probably be a lot of things to do after daybreak,” Lu Tingyun said. “I have to go back to the office at eight, so I can’t stay with you the whole time. Eat something to keep your strength up.”

Song Ai looked at him with swollen eyes, then nudged Li Shang with his leg to tell him to grab something to eat before taking the congee.

Song Ai was very well-behaved when he ate—quiet and steady. His eating manner was even more pleasing to the eye than many food bloggers online. Lu Tingyun sat beside him, watching him patiently until he finished.

After finishing quickly in ten minutes, Song Ai was about to get up to throw the trash away, but Lu Tingyun beat him to it, taking the bag. “I’ll do it.”

Song Ai watched the man leave with a look of utter bewilderment.

Li Shang, who had witnessed everything and recalled all the oddities of the day, finally realized something. He put down his rice ball and asked blankly, “Ai-ge, do you feel like Lu Tingyun is acting… weird?”

Since he hadn’t intended to reveal their relationship yet, Song Ai grew nervous. “What’s weird?”

“It’s just… he seems very proactive toward you. It could almost be described as ‘meticulously caring’!”

Song Ai swallowed. “Why do you think that is?”

Li Shang thought about it very seriously, then said with absolute shock, “…Holy crap, he isn’t courting you, is he??”

Song Ai: “…”

Just then, Lu Tingyun returned. Seeing them chatting, he asked, “What are you talking about?”

Li Shang immediately turned his head back guiltily. Song Ai had calmed himself and said casually, “Nothing.”

Lu Tingyun heard the perfunctoriness but didn’t mind. He didn’t sit back down, instead standing in front of him to explain: “I probably have to leave. I just got a call; there’s some business at the office that needs handling.”

Song Ai looked up. “You’re going even though it’s this late?”

Lu Tingyun stared at his still-pink nose tip and gave a soft “Mm.” The fingers hanging by his side curled slightly. In truth, he had accumulated too much work and had to go back early. However, the man said nothing more, only reaching out to twirl a strand of his spouse’s hair, asking earnestly:

“Aren’t you going to see me off? Wifey.”

Li Shang, who was playing dead nearby, widened his eyes several times over.

Song Ai’s mind went blank for a second, and his face turned completely red. He wanted to tell Lu Tingyun to shut up, but with Li Shang right there, he had to stand up stiffly and say through gritted teeth, “I’ll see you off. If I don’t see you out today, my last name isn’t Song.”

Despite the inappropriate timing, Lu Tingyun couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

The two walked toward the elevator one after the other. Once they reached the corner, Song Ai immediately questioned him: “Who permitted you to call me that??”

Lu Tingyun stopped. “You don’t like this one either?”

Song Ai was about to say something about “this or that”… then he suddenly remembered the previous one was “Baby,” and the tips of his ears turned red again quite pathetically.

He immediately chilled his expression and said, “I don’t like it. You’re not allowed to call me that either.”

To his surprise, Lu Tingyun stepped closer and asked with his head lowered, “Then what title do you want?”

“I…” Song Ai paused, feeling his tongue getting tied. He shifted the focus: “Do we have to have titles? Can’t you just call me by my full name?”

“But we’ve confirmed our relationship.” Lu Tingyun lowered his eyes. “Full names are too distant. I don’t like it.”

Song Ai bit his lip, suddenly feeling a bit of regret. Why had he agreed to Lu Tingyun so impulsively? Now he even had to think about titles, and he was constantly living in fear…

But solving the problem wasn’t actually hard—he could just break up. Yet that would be a bit too much of a jerk move, considering they had only been “dating” for a day… besides, the fact that they could rush back so quickly today was entirely thanks to Lu Tingyun. If he were to break up, he should at least wait a few days.

Hardening his heart, Song Ai used a stalling tactic: “I’ll tell you when I think of one. Just go back to the office!”

With that, he reached out to press the elevator button for Lu Tingyun. It was late, so the elevator arrived at their floor in about ten seconds.

With a ding, the doors slowly opened.

Song Ai was about to push Lu Tingyun inside, but the other man grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the elevator.

“How can you only see someone off at the elevator door?”

Lu Tingyun wrapped an arm around his waist. Song Ai struggled twice but couldn’t push him away. He looked up, intending to say something harsh, but before he could open his mouth, the man’s hot lips pressed down.

This time, Lu Tingyun didn’t use his tongue; he just pressed down heavily.

Once the strength drained out of Song Ai’s resisting arms, the man let him go. He looked down into his spouse’s face, worry creeping into his voice: “You won’t dump me, will you?”

His worry wasn’t baseless, as Song Ai would likely be spending the next few days accompanying Wang Ruijing.

The person in question felt his eyelid twitch guiltily, but he feigned composure and asked back, “Do I look like such a scumbag?”

“I don’t know,” Lu Tingyun said. “I feel insecure.”

Song Ai felt this was quite melodramatic. He let out a snort and asked, “Are we high schoolers dating? ‘Insecure.’ Do you want me to post your photo as my social media cover?”

“…That’s not a bad idea,” Lu Tingyun actually followed his lead. “But you don’t seem to have a photo of me. I’ll find a handsome one and send it to you later?”

Song Ai: “…”

He truly had no way to deal with this man. Just as he was about to criticize him for being childish, he heard him say:

“Before the elevator opens, can you give me a kiss back?”