Chapter 33
The day after returning to Juqing Road, Shen Ti came to visit.
Shu Ci had just finished filling out the online application materials for the Longji Island inheritance and noted down the offline registration address when he heard the old but loud doorbell echoing in the courtyard.
He hurried downstairs, but Lu Wanqing had already greeted the visitor, providing slippers and water for Shen Ti and their private doctor, playing the role of a perfect host to the extreme.
The private doctor gave him a thorough check-up. However, after the doctor left, Shen Ti refused to leave, insisting on hearing exactly what had happened recently.
Lu Wanqing had instructed him that the Longji Island mission was classified, so Shu Ci omitted his perilous experiences at sea and the matter of inheriting the island, only saying that he had been kidnapped by Gu Lanzhu’s men and rescued by Lu Wanqing.
Shen Ti’s expression fluctuated throughout, a spectacle of excitement as they relished the gossip.
“I didn’t report it,” Shen Ti shook his head after listening. “When I saw Gu’s suppressing the news, I sensed something was wrong. Just as I was about to report it, my brother from my family came to me, saying you were safe for now, so I didn’t go.”
“Your brother from your family? That councilman Shen?”
“Mm, he occasionally contacts the Marshal. I guess your Marshal Lu has reported the situation to him.”
Shu Ci nodded. “Then Gu Lanzhu most likely made the report.”
He disappeared in the waters of the Jiao Yuan Island area. Gu Lanzhu couldn’t possibly ignore it. Apart from having people search and rescue in the nearby waters, he would never let go of any trace of him on land.
“That pervert is a real pest; can’t he just die already?” Shen Ti frowned. “I say, when you go back to school, make more friends, or manage your social media accounts well, post more updates, increase your followers. That way, if something happens, it won’t just be me helping you.”
Shu Ci wholeheartedly agreed with Shen Ti.
The original owner had been easily controlled by Gu Lanzhu because of his isolation.
Establishing connections with this world, connecting with people other than Shen Ti and Lu Wanqing, even if Gu Lanzhu wouldn’t become more restrained, it would at least make him less reckless.
As they chatted, Shu Ci took out his phone, took a selfie with Shen Ti, and posted it on his social media account.
@LookAtYourGrandfather: Married O’s casual chat time [picture]
“…This new nickname, it’s too wild,” Shen Ti twitched his lips, giving a thumbs-up.
“It’s fine.”
Shu Ci shrugged. The original owner’s ID was “Sweet Ci Duck,” which made him want to throw up his last night’s dinner.
Shen Ti held a trendy fruit smoothie he had bought on the way, grabbed a watermelon cushion from the sofa, and leaned closer to Shu Ci. “So, you really showed your marriage certificate and boasted about your hot husband in front of a group of police officers?”
“…”
“I had to prove it to them; can that be called boasting?” Shu Ci snorted. “I don’t know why, but as soon as he got home yesterday, he took away the marriage certificate, making me search for my copy for a long time.”
Shen Ti: “I heard from Cui You that the military’s internal network hasn’t released Lu Wanqing’s spouse information, only showing marital status, maybe they don’t want you to be too high-profile?”
“Maybe.” Shu Ci snatched the watermelon cushion from Shen Ti’s arms. “Are you free today? Aren’t you going yet?”
“Can I see Marshal Lu cooking?”
Shen Ti glanced at the man bustling about in the kitchen, squeezed beside Shu Ci, and lowered his voice. “If I didn’t look at your compatibility, I think this husband is worth keeping. He can be on the battlefield and in the kitchen.”
“Indeed, during my heat cycle, he fed me so diligently it was like a professional caregiver; he worked tirelessly, and I felt like I should pay him a high salary to deserve his dedication,” Shu Ci complained.
“What?!” Shen Ti’s voice rose, then quickly covered his mouth, gasping. “No wonder you two came back so late; you waited until your heat cycle ended to send you back?”
Shu Ci nodded, not understanding why Shen Ti was so excited.
“Didn’t they say that 1% partners have a painful time in bed? Wait, looking at you, you haven’t been marked yet.” Shen Ti leaned closer, looking left and right, his gaze finally resting on Shu Ci’s rosy lips. “How did he comfort you? Did he kiss you or use his hands? Did it feel uncomfortable?”
“…” Shu Ci was speechless, his gaze drifting to Shen Ti’s smoothie.
Red watermelon juice flowed down the ice, like red threads winding layer upon layer, causing him to inadvertently recall the scene in the cabin where he used pheromones to restrain Lu Wanqing.
How did he comfort him? He didn’t comfort him at all.
He followed Lu Wanqing to do pheromone attack training, consuming the restlessness of his pheromones, training until he was physically exhausted and fell asleep for two days, repeating this cycle. They both experienced the rejection reaction of 1%, this was the most comfortable way to get along when they weren’t close, it wasn’t as intimate as Shen Ti thought.
Seeing Shu Ci’s silence, Shen Ti thought he was still the same as when he was a child, unwilling to speak unless there was a trade-off. He scooped up a spoonful of smoothie and offered it to him. “How about I pay with this smoothie? Tell me more, I want to hear. We’re not short of desserts; tomorrow we’ll just order a catering truck.”
Before Shu Ci could speak, a pair of slender hands blocked the smoothie.
Shen Ti turned his head and saw Lu Wanqing standing behind the sofa, his brows lowered. “He just went through his heat cycle and had a sea breeze; he was also carsick yesterday. His stomach needs to recover for another two days. Don’t let him eat anything cold.”
Shen Ti’s eyes shone, immediately patting Shu Ci and winking at him.
Shu Ci looked up at Lu Wanqing, momentarily stunned, accidentally dropping the cushion in his hands.
Lu Wanqing raised his eyebrows slightly, walking around the sofa. “I’ll pick it up, you two go eat first.”
When the host has prepared the meal, why should they continue to sit?
Shen Ti quickly got up. “Treasure, let’s eat. Let me taste our Marshal Lu’s cooking.”
Shen Ti pulled him a couple of times, unable to move him, realizing Shu Ci was lost in thought.
He frowned, looking at Lu Wanqing in puzzlement.
Lu Wanqing shook his head slightly, gesturing for him to eat first.
Shen Ti didn’t know what was wrong with Shu Ci, but he dared not disturb the couple’s private space, tiptoeing to the dining room, looking at the neatly arranged plates and chopsticks, closing the door, and quietly sitting down.
Lu Wanqing bent down to pick up the watermelon cushion, staring at it for a while. This cushion was left by his teacher; it was quite old. He had originally stored it in the small room on the stairs. Shu Ci probably took it out, washed it and used it when he was home alone.
He placed the soft cushion on Shu Ci’s lap, squatting down. “What’s wrong? Do you want some smoothie?”
He had just stopped Shen Ti from feeding him smoothie, yet he sat there motionless.
Had he offended him?
Shu Ci had been staring at the ground, his gaze suddenly falling upon a stunning face; his heart trembled. He subconsciously clutched the cushion, his fingertips only a couple of inches from Lu Wanqing’s back of his hand.
“No…” He was about to shake his head when he suddenly felt his eyes getting sore, the person’s features blurring.
Seeing the sudden tears welling up in Shu Ci’s eyes, Lu Wanqing’s brows furrowed.
According to his knowledge and experience, the most sensitive and emotionally volatile periods for Omegas are the heat cycle, pregnancy, and postpartum.
Shu Ci hadn’t shown any signs of emotional breakdown throughout the heat cycle; why was he suddenly becoming so emotional now?
Lu Wanqing had seen many kinds of crying in the hospital, joyful tears after a successful operation, desperate sorrow before an incurable disease, heartbreaking sobs of unexpected farewell… none of them were like Shu Ci’s.
Shu Ci’s crying was silent.
No sound, no sobbing, his shoulders straight, only large tears clinging to his eyelashes, forming large drops before falling onto Lu Wanqing’s hand holding the cushion, cold.
After a long time, he heard Shu Ci’s trembling voice: “Lu Wanqing, were you just… concerned… about me?”
His voice was full of doubt and uncertainty, only the word “me” was heavily emphasized.
His gray-blue pupils were misty.
Lu Wanqing raised his hand, stopping beside Shu Ci’s eyelashes, his fingertip catching a drop of clear tears.
He knew from the moment they met that he wasn’t the original one, and he never cared who he really was.
But now that he asked this question, was it because he had a cognitive dissonance about his own existence? Did he think his concern in front of Shen Ti was merely a superficial concern for “Shu Ci” to maintain the image of a perfect husband?
“Yes,” he answered seriously. “Not as a husband’s concern for his partner, but as a person—as Lu Wanqing—concerned about you.”
Shu Ci was momentarily dazed.
“Why?” He asked blankly.
Lu Wanqing’s fingertip paused at the corner of his eye, his brows furrowed.
He didn’t understand Shu Ci’s question. Did his concern need a reason? He, who walked the path of fate’s cracks, had long been accustomed to paying attention to various situations and striving not to be caught in a passive situation. Why was his casual inquiry about his physical condition such a strong reaction?
Lu Wanqing: “Because your complexion hasn’t been good since yesterday?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Shu Ci bury his face in the cushion.
“!”
Lu Wanqing’s pupils trembled. Shu Ci seemed to lean on the cushion, but his forehead was actually pressed against his back of his hand. Hot tears flowed through his fingers into the cushion, and he became at a loss.
Shu Ci let the tears flow freely.
After being abandoned by his family on that rainy day, he had never heard such purely concerned words again.
In his past twenty years, everyone’s concern had been driven by a purpose—
The sponsor would only appear once a year, unconcerned about his slender frame, only caring whether their photos and conversations could be beautifully written into interviews and publicity; the superficial kindness of the teachers at the art school was due to the value his sponsor provided them.
The investors cared whether he could maintain his ability to continue to earn them box office revenue; the actors cared about him because of the roles and scripts.
He thought he had long since become accustomed to feigning feelings, indifferent to whether anyone cared about his joys and sorrows, indifferent to whether anyone truly cared if he needed help,
He thought he no longer cared.
Yet, at the moment Lu Wanqing blocked the smoothie for him, the bitterness he had accumulated for over twenty years burst forth.
What had he done? He had only stopped him from eating the smoothie.
But he couldn’t stop crying.
A weight settled on his head, and Shu Ci’s tears stopped abruptly.
A warm hand landed on his head, reaching into his hair and gently massaging it.
The clumsy yet forceful comfort made him burst into tears.
The emotions in the air were so intense that no one realized that at the point of contact, the stinging sensation that should have been there miraculously disappeared.
Author’s Note:
Old Lu is someone who can unintentionally understand Director Ci.
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