My Roommate is a Gloomy, Sensitive Guy Who Cries Over Everything - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Wife is Not a Hallucination

Lin Zhiyu subconsciously glanced at his wrist; it was empty. This kind of woven hand-cord didn’t have any specific taboos or rules, so even when sleeping, Lin Zhiyu usually didn’t take it off.

“Oh no, where did it go?” Lin Zhiyu covered his wrist and started searching the room and the bed, but he couldn’t find it anywhere.

He looked dejectedly at Lin Rangchuan, who was currently washing his face. If Zhiyu had ears like a puppy, they would have been drooping by now. “It’s gone.”

Lin Rangchuan took a deep sniff of the towel, walked over, and gently picked up his wife as if comforting a child. “Wife, what food did you bring me?”

The balcony door slid shut. Lin Zhiyu temporarily pushed the matter of the hand-cord to the back of his mind and opened the plastic bag. “It’s still warm! It’s very sweet and delicious. I brought it for you… I almost got caught by my mom, it was terrifying. She asked why I was suddenly so greedy for them. She makes them every year, but they’re usually too greasy so I don’t eat many. Just now when I snuck a big bag out, she gave me this… very suspicious look. My mom is incredibly sharp; nothing gets past her.”

Lin Rangchuan ate and drank water while quietly listening to his wife’s constant chattering.

My wife talks so much. The way his lips move is so cute.

Lin Rangchuan stared silently at the lively shadow cast on the desk.

Lin Zhiyu sat down with a thud. “Is it good? When I brought it up, I had a feeling you’d like it.”

Although Lin Rangchuan appeared indifferent on the surface—even eating as if he were merely performing a chore to maintain his vital signs—his possessiveness was actually off the charts. Lin Zhiyu found it strange; they had only known each other for a semester, yet he felt he knew the man like the back of his hand.

He figured the hand-cord probably fell off in the kitchen and decided to look for it when he went downstairs for lunch later.

“Wife,” Lin Rangchuan called out. Lin Zhiyu turned around and found himself pulled onto the man’s lap. His wrist was gently held, and in the next second, the hand-cord appeared before his eyes like a magic trick.

Surprised and delighted, Lin Zhiyu flicked the cord and looked at him with a smile. “Where did you find it?”

“The bear,” Lin Rangchuan said. It had fallen on the plush toy.

Which meant he had deliberately teased him on the balcony earlier. Lin Zhiyu gave him a mock glare. “You’re so mean.”

Lin Rangchuan stared at his puffed-out cheeks and stuffed the last piece of brown sugar rice cake into Zhiyu’s mouth. The sweet flavor spread through his mouth, and Lin Zhiyu couldn’t stay angry.

After swallowing, feeling an unprecedented sense of satisfaction, Lin Zhiyu touched the red agate bracelet on Rangchuan’s wrist. It looked a bit old and didn’t seem like an expensive item.

“Did you buy this yourself?”

Lin Rangchuan toyed with Lin Zhiyu’s fingers and spoke slowly. “A very important person gave it to me.”

Lin Zhiyu’s eyelashes fluttered. He turned his head to look at him; from this angle, the lines of Rangchuan’s facial profile were exceptionally clear and heart-fluttering.

Lin Rangchuan’s eyes were shadowed despite the sunlight. Lin Zhiyu asked bluntly, “What important person? Man or woman?” Before waiting for an answer, he guessed, “Did your father give it to you?”

“No. Someone about your age.”

Lin Zhiyu’s face darkened. He grabbed the man’s wrist. “Change it. I’ll get you a new one. Do you agree, Mr. Lin?”

“I wouldn’t dare refuse,” Lin Rangchuan said, bowing his head in mock submission.

Lin Zhiyu narrowed his eyes. Seeing that Zhiyu was still staring, Lin Rangchuan’s gaze brushed past his lips. “Looking at me like that?” His tone was laced with seduction.

Lin Zhiyu froze for a moment, looked away, then looked back. “Why not? I haven’t even asked about your past yet; I’m giving you face here.”

Lin Rangchuan wanted to laugh, a hint of playfulness at the corner of his mouth. “I won’t charge you admission.”

Lin Zhiyu pinched the flesh of his arm in annoyance. Lin Rangchuan didn’t feel the pain; he just kept calling him “wife.”

Just then, there were several sudden knocks on the door. Lin Zhiyu jumped off his lap as Xue Rong’s voice rang out.

“Brat, time to eat. Open the door.”

Lin Zhiyu panicked for a few seconds. With desperate urgency, he dragged Lin Rangchuan up, tried to shove him toward the balcony, then the bed, and finally opened the wardrobe to stuff the tall man inside.

As the clothes fell around him, Lin Rangchuan gave him a helpless look. “Wife…”

“Shh… don’t make a sound.” Lin Zhiyu shut the wardrobe door. Fearing he wouldn’t be able to breathe, he left a tiny, unnoticeable crack.

Only then did Lin Zhiyu feel safe enough to open the door. Outside stood a dark-faced Xue Rong. “I was calling you, couldn’t you hear? I even brought it up for you, and you’re still acting like a young master, taking ten minutes just to open a door.”

“Oh, oh, I wouldn’t dare! Come in, come in.” Lin Zhiyu took the tray from her. It was a single portion—a bit small; Lin Rangchuan definitely wouldn’t have enough to eat.

Xue Rong looked at the mess in his room. “I haven’t been in here for just a few days and it’s a disaster. You don’t know how to tidy up; it’s like a dog’s den.” She stared at the clothes on the bed and the wrinkles on the sheets. “You’re quite something, managed to sleep in a way that looks like two people were in the bed.”

Lin Zhiyu: “…”

Xue Rong walked over to fold the clothes and instinctively headed toward the wardrobe. Lin Zhiyu rushed over. “Mom! I’ll do it myself! How could I let you do all the work?”

Xue Rong looked at him with an expression that said ‘Did you take the wrong medicine?’

Lin Zhiyu forced a smile as they stood in a standoff. Xue Rong narrowed her eyes. In the next second…

“Hic!” A massive sound.

Xue Rong: “?”

“Hic! Hic! Hic!” Lin Zhiyu clutched his chest, hiccuping uncontrollably.

Xue Rong then remembered he had stolen half the rice cakes. “I told you to eat less. Go drink some water.”

“Will do!”

When Lin Zhiyu had rushed over to block her, his body had accidentally pressed back, closing that final crack in the wardrobe door.

The wardrobe instantly became a narrow, cramped space—pitch black and airless. Lin Rangchuan’s pupils trembled slightly, vibrating at a strange, tight frequency.

The scent of Lin Zhiyu was everywhere. Lin Rangchuan’s nails scraped against the wooden edges. Why is there only the scent? Where is he?

He needed to see Lin Zhiyu. Didn’t he have a wife now? Why hadn’t he appeared? Why was there only the fragrance?

He scratched the wood again and again—scratch, scratch—the small sounds quickening into a rhythmic scraping as he began to lose control.

“Fake…”

His wife was hallucinating. This was all a dream world. He had actually died in that mountain cave all those years ago. He knew it—how could the Heavens ever be so kind to him?

After all, he shouldn’t have been born in the first place. It would have been better to die in the womb or be aborted by Song Yaju, turning into a pool of bloody water.

The corners of Lin Rangchuan’s mouth suddenly curled up. The scratching of one finger turned into five. His neck and spine curved as he hugged his long legs, curling his body into a ball. Deep inside, his marrow seemed to creak as if about to snap.

This must be real. When I get out, I have to leave my own mark on my wife.

What should it be? I should reward myself, since I was so well-behaved.

“Wife…” Lin Rangchuan closed his eyes, his eyelashes drooping as he whispered the word repeatedly.

Lin Zhiyu froze, suddenly looking toward the wardrobe. Xue Rong hadn’t left yet; she followed his gaze. “Is there a mouse in your wardrobe?”

“No…” His lips moved. He felt like Lin Rangchuan was calling him. It was so faint, yet he heard it, as if they were telepathic.

“Mom, you go ahead. I’ll tidy the room.”

Xue Rong stood up. “Fine. I only gave you a little food because I was afraid you’d get carsick and vomit. There’s a red bag on the living room table with snacks for the road. Remember to take it.”

Lin Zhiyu smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

Once he saw Xue Rong safely downstairs, Lin Zhiyu closed the door, locked it cautiously, and dashed to the wardrobe. When he opened it and saw Lin Rangchuan curled in a ball, his heart inexplicably ached. “Lin Rangchuan…”

Lin Rangchuan looked up. “Is she gone?”

Lin Zhiyu hugged him and whispered, “She’s gone. Are you afraid of small dark spaces? Did someone do this to you before?”

Lin Rangchuan took a deep breath at the crook of Zhiyu’s neck, feeling like he had come back to life. “No.”

The wardrobe couldn’t accommodate such a large man. Lin Zhiyu’s legs were going numb from kneeling. “Come out, okay? There’s food.”

Those words seemed to trigger something in Lin Rangchuan’s mind. He gripped Lin Zhiyu’s arm tightly and refused to move, as if the wardrobe were a barrier and stepping out meant death.

Lin Zhiyu frowned and coaxed him, “Hubby, don’t be afraid. I’m right here. No one will bully you.”

He froze after saying it, realizing he didn’t even know who could bully Lin Rangchuan right now…

“Are you going to eat with me, or go back to eat?” Lin Rangchuan seemed unaware of his surroundings. His expression was fierce; even as he spoke of letting Zhiyu go, his arms tightened. “Are you going to leave me behind?”

Lin Zhiyu’s eyelid twitched. “Who’s leaving you? I’m going home with you later.”

Lin Zhiyu felt his neck being nibbled as he calmly listed their plans: “First, we go to your place to drop off the luggage. Then we meet your parents and your brother. Then we eat with Lou Chen, and you’re going to take me shopping. You’re the one who better not leave me behind.”

The biting softened. Lin Rangchuan left a trail of saliva, turning to gentle, sucking kisses. Like a fog lifting, he suddenly stabilized.

“See? If you keep this up, we’ll be late starting out.” Lin Zhiyu wrinkled his nose. “The food is going to get cold.”

Lin Rangchuan pressed his pale lips together but continued to kiss his neck, planting who knows how many “hickies.”

“What’s with your fingers? You scratched my wardrobe all up.” Lin Zhiyu touched the scratches; they were quite deep. He looked at the marks—they looked like tattoo designs—and laughed. “You actually have quite a talent for art. Fine, let’s leave them as a souvenir: ‘Lin Rangchuan was here’.”

Lin Rangchuan glanced down. He felt a warm touch on his eyelid as Lin Zhiyu cupped his head. “Come out and eat.”

Lin Zhiyu stood up; his legs were a bit sore, but he could endure it. He pulled Lin Rangchuan out of the wardrobe. Stepping into the sunlight was dazzling. Lin Zhiyu pulled him to the table and shared half the food with him. “Eat.”

“Not enough.” Lin Rangchuan stared at the portion and spoke coldly. “You have too little.”

Lin Zhiyu detected something off. There was a hint of a sob in that voice. He guessed Lin Rangchuan had cried, though his eyes weren’t red—the bloodshot veins in his whites were just more prominent.

“It’s fine if you eat more. I’ll get carsick.” Lin Zhiyu pushed most of the food into Rangchuan’s bowl.

Lin Rangchuan remained unmoved; it seemed if Lin Zhiyu didn’t eat, he would go on a hunger strike.

“Alright, alright! Buy me something on the way if I get hungry, okay? Hurry up, you’re the one driving later!”

“Mhm. I’ll buy it for you.”

As soon as Lin Zhiyu started acting a bit spoiled, Lin Rangchuan felt much better.

The dishes Xue Rong brought up were all to Lin Zhiyu’s taste: scallion-scented chicken steak made with fresh thigh meat, crispy fried pork belly on the top left, and finally a loofah and crab roe pot made with rich ingredients.

But because Xue Rong had separated them into a single portion, there was only a little of each. Lin Zhiyu was very afraid of the smell of stomach acid rising from carsickness; even the best food looked like potential vomit in his eyes.

“It smells so good, but I can’t eat too much.” Every time Lin Zhiyu took a bite, he’d put a piece in Lin Rangchuan’s bowl. After a few rounds, he hadn’t eaten much at all.

Lin Rangchuan ate slowly and methodically, letting his wife “toss his trash” onto him.

Zhiyu liked the lean part of the pork belly, but pork belly is only delicious with the fat. Lin Zhiyu bit off the lean meat and gave the fat—which would be a waste to throw away—to Lin Rangchuan.

“This, and this, all for you. It’s okay.” Lin Zhiyu ate this meal quite messily. He grinned at Lin Rangchuan.

“Just eating this much?” Lin Rangchuan asked.

“Mhm, enough,” Lin Zhiyu said seriously. “I’m on a diet.”

Lin Rangchuan gave a cold sneer. “With just this much, what can you possibly block?”

“I can block it, I can! I’m very small.” Lin Zhiyu patted his stomach and raised an eyebrow at him, indicating he was doing just fine.

Lin Rangchuan sighed and finished all of his wife’s leftovers without a single complaint.