The Beautiful Wife I Picked Up Is A Little Mute - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Guilt

Tang Yingrui hung up the phone.

He leaned over and felt Xie Mo’s burning forehead. The thin blanket on Xie Mo had already been replaced by a thick, heavy duvet, which Tang Yingrui had gone out to buy early that morning.

It wasn’t cold anymore, but Xie Mo moved uncomfortably, his lips parting to breathe out a silent “hot.”

Frowning, Tang Yingrui fished a towel out of a water bucket, wrung it dry, folded it into a square, and placed it on the feverish forehead. “You didn’t say anything when you were cold; did you have to wait until you developed a fever to feel satisfied?”

Xie Mo tried to reach out to sign, but his hand was pressed down through the duvet. “Don’t move. Just lie still.”

After a long while, once the towel had lost its coolness, Tang Yingrui stared at Xie Mo’s sickly flushed face. His Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he finally spoke in a hoarse voice, “During this time… have you been staying at another Alpha’s house?”

Xie Mo didn’t answer, which was clearly a silent admission.

Tang Yingrui’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His voice was unusually calm, not explosive. “Xie Mo, I don’t blame you for what happened during this time. But now that I’m back, stay by my side properly. Don’t go anywhere else.”

Tang Yingrui had been murmuring to himself the whole time; Xie Mo had no chance to respond.

“I’m done with gambling. I’ve rented a new place; we’re moving out right now.”

During his time dealing with Kou Xingyu, Tang Yingrui had managed to gain some benefits. Otherwise, with his meager willpower, he wouldn’t have been able to hold on. He removed the towel from Xie Mo’s forehead and picked him up, duvet and all.

Xie Mo was running a high fever; his face was flushed, his eyes vacant, and he was buried semi-consciously in the blankets. Parked downstairs was a second-hand car Tang Yingrui had bought that morning. As for the apartment, he had booked it online last night as soon as he returned to City A.

….

Ji Hanyue was a step too late.

Xie Mo leaving without a word had already made him breathe fire, and now he had arrived to an empty nest. “Kou Xingyu, didn’t you fucking say Tang Yingrui was in City Z???”

The sound of whistling wind came from the other end. Kou Xingyu’s tone was calm, clearly indicating he was driving. “We broke up.”

“…?”

Ji Hanyue irritably raked his fingers through his hair, his cold gaze sweeping across the small, cramped room. His peripheral vision suddenly locked onto a bag of exercise books on a broken cabinet and the coat Xie Mo had worn on the bed.

He really had moved out.

An indescribable rage filled his chest. For no reason, he blurted out, “Why the hell did you break up with him?”

Kou Xingyu: “I got bored. I didn’t want to date anymore. Is there a problem?”

Ji Hanyue kicked over a table with a broken leg. As he slammed the door on his way out, the words were squeezed through his teeth: “Of course there’s a problem!”

Without waiting for Kou Xingyu to say anything else, he hung up the phone. Ji Hanyue was frustrated to death; no matter how many times he called Xie Mo’s phone, it showed as turned off. He had no leads.

…

The apartment Tang Yingrui rented was near the city center but wasn’t luxurious. It was a two-bedroom, one-living room layout, which was much tidier compared to their previous place. It was move-in ready.

He carried Xie Mo upstairs, laid him on the bed, and then ran to the pharmacy downstairs to buy fever reducers. The whole process was handled with surprising proficiency.

Lying in the soft bedding, Xie Mo watched the figure busying himself back and forth, feeling a bit dazed. This was the first time Tang Yingrui had taken care of him so properly. In the past, it was always Xie Mo cleaning up Tang Yingrui’s messes.

Fortunately, it was just a common high fever. After being fed a bowl of porridge, his temperature gradually subsided by the afternoon.

Xie Mo tugged at the other’s sleeve. The corners of his eyes were still flushed, and his beautiful eyes were clouded with a layer of moisture. He raised his hands to sign: “I still have things I didn’t take.”

Xie Mo was thinking about the exercise books left on the table in the old house. Just as he signed that he wanted to go fetch them, Tang Yingrui interrupted him. The Alpha’s eyes flickered as he made up an excuse on the spot.

“A new tenant moved in right after we left. Those things of yours aren’t useful anyway; if they’re lost, they’re lost.”

While Xie Mo was asleep, Tang Yingrui had received a call from Ji Hanyue. The Alpha’s voice through the receiver carried an overwhelming pressure; he sounded like someone who wouldn’t be easy to deal with. As for how Xie Mo knew that Alpha, he assumed it was due to the unspoken rules of the casino. He hadn’t paid back the money on time, so the casino had sent Xie Mo away as a bet.

Deep down, Tang Yingrui knew he had failed Xie Mo. That was why he had hurriedly interrupted Xie Mo’s explanation. But one thing was certain: Xie Mo was back. As long as he was back, even the most thorny problems could be solved step by step.

During those months in City Z, Kou Xingyu had only given Tang Yingrui about 200,000 yuan in total. Tang Yingrui had never met such a stingy high-society young master. Others would throw around millions, but Kou Xingyu treated him like a beggar. Although he had given a bit more in City Z, every payment was capped between several thousand and ten thousand. If it hadn’t been for a massive argument that almost alerted Kou Xingyu’s circle of friends in City Z, he probably wouldn’t have even gotten that 200,000.

In the afternoon, as Tang Yingrui was about to head out, he suddenly remembered something. He asked if Xie Mo’s old phone was lost. Xie Mo nodded listlessly; the keypad phone had been smashed to pieces and buried in a trash can. As for the phone Ji Hanyue had given him, Tang Yingrui had put it away somewhere and didn’t mention it again.

To Xie Mo’s surprise, when Tang Yingrui returned, he brought a new phone for him. It wasn’t high-end, but it was sufficient for daily use.

After his fever broke, Xie Mo finally had a good sleep in the soft bed. When he opened his eyes again, it was already dark outside. He habitually wanted to go to the kitchen to cook a meal and wait for Tang Yingrui to come home, just like before. Although he hadn’t cooked for a while during his stay with Ji Hanyue, his skills hadn’t grown rusty.

Opening the fridge, he found it empty. Just as he was about to change his shoes and go grocery shopping, Tang Yingrui returned with takeout.

“No need to cook. I brought food back for you,” Tang Yingrui said, lifting the heavy bag in his hand. Three containers were lined up neatly on the table. He opened the lids to reveal two hot dishes—one meat and one vegetable—along with a box of steaming white rice.

Xie Mo instinctively ran to the kitchen to get some bowls. Seeing there was only one box of rice, he paused slightly and scooped two-thirds of it for the Alpha, thinking to himself that if he ate more vegetables, he should be able to get full.

“No, I already ate outside. This is just for you.” Tang Yingrui pulled off the dirty laundry draped over his shoulder and headed for the bathroom. After a trip outside, his dark shirt was covered in mottled gray stains—marks from brushing against cardboard boxes while sorting express packages.

This package sorting job was manual labor, but the wages were paid daily and the income was decent. Tang Yingrui had tried it for an afternoon and found he could handle it, so he planned to do it for a while as a transition.

Perhaps because he only had half a bowl of porridge at noon, Xie Mo’s appetite was surprisingly good. By the time Tang Yingrui came out from his shower, only empty plates remained on the table, even the sauce wiped clean.

Tang Yingrui sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette. He glanced at Xie Mo, exhaled a smoke ring, and uncharacteristically began to explain his whereabouts. In the past, he acted as he pleased, and Xie Mo never knew his schedule.

“I found a job. It’s mostly night shifts, so I won’t be back at night. Don’t go out; just sleep at home.”

Xie Mo nodded upon hearing this and moved to wash the dishes. After a few steps, Tang Yingrui suddenly called his name. He stared at Xie Mo’s back and stood up from the sofa with a touch of unnatural stiffness.

“I said before that I’d give you to another Alpha… that was just drunk talk. Don’t take it seriously… I didn’t want you to leave.”

Xie Mo’s footsteps stopped. So, what Ji Hanyue said about Tang Yingrui giving me to him was also a lie.

He turned his head and slowly raised his hand to sign: “If you get too tired, come back.”

Looking through the window, he had accidentally discovered that the new apartment was adjacent to an elementary and middle school. Near the street corners and green belts, many cans and plastic bottles were scattered. If he collected them all to sell, and they lived frugally, they might be able to maintain their livelihood.

Tang Yingrui saw through his thoughts instantly and suddenly laughed. “What? With just the money from picking up bottles, we wouldn’t even be able to pay the rent. Just stay at home. Do you really think I can’t support you?”