The Beautiful Wife I Picked Up Is A Little Mute - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: What Are You Doing?

The sleeping person seemed to sense something and shifted uncomfortably.

“What do you think you’re doing—”

A moderate amount of noise rang out.

Xie Mo’s eyelashes fluttered, and his hazy consciousness was forcibly dragged back to reality.

Nie Xi was leaning against the doorframe, lazily lifting his eyelids, his gaze landing on Ren Wen, who was standing not far away.

“We agreed you’d come upstairs to grab something, and I’ve been waiting downstairs until my legs are numb. But you…”

His words came to an abrupt halt as he realized who was lying face-down on the desk.

“…?” Nie Xi’s mouth hung half-open.

Ren Wen maintained a completely nonchalant demeanor. He opened a locker, grabbed a down jacket to put on, and glanced at Nie Xi.

“You’re curious about why there’s an Omega in our dorm; wasn’t I just as curious?”

Nie Xi let out a sharp intake of breath, his eyes filled with suspicion and shock. “Then that posture of yours just now…”

Ren Wen straightened his collar. “I wanted to see who was brave enough to sneak into our dorm. I didn’t expect it to be Hanyue’s Omega.”

There wasn’t a single crack in his expression. Nie Xi’s eyelid twitched. Was I just overthinking it? Ren Wen hadn’t actually done anything just now; he was just standing close, looking as if he were simply observing the Omega’s appearance.

Nie Xi shook his head to clear out the unfounded thoughts. “Then hurry up. Get your clothes on and let’s go. I’m starving to death.”

Listening to their exchange, Xie Mo was utterly confused. But once he recognized the two people in the room, he immediately stood up, on high alert.

Nie Xi, assuming Xie Mo wanted to join them for a meal, beckoned to him. “For Ji Hanyue’s sake, tell me whatever you want to eat. My treat!”

Xie Mo’s gaze wavered between the enthusiastic Nie Xi and Ren Wen, who was currently zipping up his jacket. He shook his head decisively in refusal.

No.

Nie Xi rubbed his nose. Having lied to Xie Mo several times before, he did feel a sense of guilt and wanted to do something to make amends. He walked over, patted the Omega’s shoulder earnestly, and smiled. “Those were just white lies before. I promise, from now on, I’ll only tell you the truth.”

Ren Wen also spoke up: “About what happened this afternoon, I really didn’t lie to you.”

The sincerity of the two men only made Xie Mo more bewildered. Before he could sort out his thoughts, he was coaxed and persuaded right out of the dormitory door.

To say he wasn’t panicked would be a lie. After walking a few steps, Xie Mo stopped in his tracks, refusing to move. The cold wind rushed into his collar, and as if waking from a dream, he gestured to Nie Xi: “Ji Hanyue told me to wait for him in the dorm. I can’t just leave…”

Nie Xi added leisurely, “Did he also teach you not to wander off with strangers or eat candy from people you don’t know?”

Even a fool would understand he was being teased. Xie Mo’s cheeks flushed red. Nie Xi, truly famished, rubbed his stomach. “I’m seriously starving—I’ll just call Ji Hanyue and report in after we eat. He won’t blame you.”

…

One can guard against outsiders, but it’s harder to guard against those close to you.

When Ji Hanyue rushed back as fast as he could after class, he was met with a door left ajar and the person inside gone without a trace. Anger flared up almost instantly, followed by a wave of boundless panic. It was nearly dark; where could Xie Mo, who was unfamiliar with the campus, possibly go?

He searched the bathrooms and the balcony, but they were empty. Ji Hanyue took a breath and reached for his phone to dial a number, but his phone rang first.

It was Nie Xi.

“Hello? Are you out of class? I’m eating at that new hotpot place across from the school. Come join us!”

The sound of bubbling hotpot came through the line, along with Nie Xi’s voice, slightly slurred from the spicy food. Ji Hanyue was in no mood to eat; he just wanted to find his person.

Nie Xi took a swig of fruit wine and glanced at Xie Mo, who was staring eagerly at the duck intestines in the pot. The Omega’s eyes were sparkling, looking exceptionally moving under the warm yellow lights.

Nie Xi couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, by the way, Xie Mo is here too. He looked bored out of his mind in the dorm, so I brought him along. Don’t you owe me a ‘thank you’?”

“…” Ji Hanyue was silent for a few seconds before hanging up.

Nie Xi stared at the black screen, looking stunned. But since the message was delivered, he figured it was fine. He enthusiastically used the serving chopsticks to give Xie Mo a piece of glistening duck intestine. The red oil dripped down, looking incredibly appetizing.

Nie Xi wondered aloud, “Ji Hanyue has no reason to mistreat you. If I had such an obedient Omega, I’d want to pluck the stars and the moon for you.”

Xie Mo’s lips were red and swollen from the spicy tallow, and tiny beads of sweat had formed on the tip of his nose. Yet, he was determined to keep eating the tripe. Seeing Nie Xi’s gesture, he put down his chopsticks and signed: “Thank you.”

Though he never lacked food or drink with Ji Hanyue, he had never tasted hotpot. He hadn’t realized such a spicy and fragrant food existed in this world.

Nie Xi waved it off. “It’s nothing. As long as you’re happy eating.” He then tossed a piece of food to Ren Wen, who was eating silently, and asked casually, “Ren Wen, why do I feel like you’ve been off lately?”

Not just Ji Hanyue—even Nie Xi had noticed it.

Ren Wen looked up, pursed his lips, and said, “I haven’t. You’re seeing things.”

“Maybe,” Nie Xi said, using a napkin to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

…

Less than ten minutes after the call ended, Ji Hanyue appeared at the entrance of the hotpot restaurant.

Xie Mo was leaning his head, watching a piece of duck intestine bob up and down in the boiling red soup. Suddenly, the seat beside him sank. He turned instinctively and met Ji Hanyue’s darkened face.

Xie Mo’s hand shook, almost letting the intestine slide back into the pot. In his panic, he hurriedly scooped it up and placed it into Ji Hanyue’s bowl.

Xie Mo put down his chopsticks and signed: “This is very delicious.”

Having been with Ji Hanyue for a while, he had never seen the man eat this. So, he imitated Nie Xi and gave him a piece to try. To Ji Hanyue, however, this looked like a different kind of fawning.

His expression remained unchanged. “Eat less of this. It’s bad for your throat.”

Xie Mo wanted to say that his throat couldn’t make sound anyway, so it didn’t matter. But Ji Hanyue looked so upset that he didn’t say it.

Ji Hanyue’s gaze swept past Ren Wen and fixed straight onto Nie Xi. Nie Xi felt a chill on the back of his neck as the other man spoke calmly:

“Your brother happens to be nearby, so I invited him over.”

The hand holding the chopsticks froze. Nie Xi looked incredulous. “Are you sick? This is how you repay a favor?!”

“Your brother can also accompany you for hotpot.”

Ji Hanyue didn’t even look up. He pulled out a tissue and wiped the red oil from Xie Mo’s lips. Then, without allowing for argument, he pulled the boy up and led him outside.

Xie Mo was still waiting for the chicken feet to finish cooking; he looked back at the pot longingly, not understanding Ji Hanyue’s intent. It wasn’t until he was half-pulled and half-shielded into the car that he stopped looking back through the window.

Ji Hanyue’s jaw was set tight, his voice terrifyingly cold. “I told you to wait for me in the dorm. Why did you run off?”

Xie Mo lowered his head to type, but his chin was tilted up. Ji Hanyue sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth: “I told you to be obedient!”

The sheer force of his voice directly frightened the tears out of the Omega. He looked at Ji Hanyue in confusion, lips pressed tight to keep the tears from falling. Seeing this, Ji Hanyue’s throat tightened. He simply handed him a tissue to wipe his own eyes.

He then started the car without a word.

Once they were on the road and had driven some distance, Xie Mo heard Ji Hanyue’s voice soften slightly:

“Stay away from Ren Wen. Don’t spend time alone with him.”