Chapter 98: Is He Not Your Wife?
“It’s like in a novel…”
[001: Warning! Muted.]
Cheng Ge: “…”
“Hmm?” Wen Ling tilted his head toward Cheng Ge, not understanding why he had suddenly gone silent.
[001: Please do not do that, Host.]
Cheng Ge gave an awkward smile. “It’s just the image I personally feel you should have.”
[Cheng Ge: Do what?]
Wen Ling also smiled at him. “Isn’t that called a stereotype?”
[001: Do not do these meaningless things that involve leaking secrets. In other words, stop constantly thinking about revealing things to your wife.]
[Cheng Ge: !]
Cheng Ge made up a nonsense explanation on the fly. “My alternative term for a stereotype is ‘character setting.’ Do you have any objections?”
Wen Ling: “I have none.”
“Good.”
[Cheng Ge: You dead 001, can you not speak so vulgarly!]
[001: Is he not your wife?]
[Cheng Ge: …]
“Cheng Ge,” Wen Ling called out, lifting the hand that was being held. “Why are your ears red again?”
Cheng Ge: “…”
[001: Ha.]
Cheng Ge gritted his teeth. “Out of anger.”
[Cheng Ge: Idiot.]
“Why are you angry? Are you being petty again?” This was truly coming out of nowhere.
[001: Ha.]
Cheng Ge’s eyes widened. “???”
“…Yes, yes, yes. After all, I am a petty ghost.”
Wen Ling patted Cheng Ge’s back to comfort him and help him let off steam. There was no displeasure, only the look of “I really can’t do anything with you” indulgence that Cheng Ge could read in Wen Ling’s eyes.
Cheng Ge was so amused by Wen Ling that his anger vanished instantly.
[Cheng Ge: Having a wife is just different, isn’t it? Unlike certain Systems who only know how to say ‘ha’ ‘ha’ all the time. It serves you right that you don’t have a wife.]
[001: …]
Once they stepped out of the school gates, they waited by the roadside for a moment until their taxi arrived.
The two of them got into the car. The interior was fairly clean, the “car smell” wasn’t too strong, and soft music was playing. The driver was very quiet. Wen Ling leaned against Cheng Ge’s shoulder and fell asleep before long.
Cheng Ge held Wen Ling’s hand, carefully playing with his fingers. This small movement wouldn’t disturb Wen Ling; on the contrary, it helped him sleep.
[Cheng Ge: Dead 001.]
[001: I am not a person.]
[Cheng Ge: …]
[Cheng Ge: You really won’t give me even a little shortcut? Our relationship is so solid.]
[001: That’s not solid, that’s being a sycophant.]
Cheng Ge needed two seconds to process that, feeling so speechless he wanted to laugh. […]
[001: That would be against the rules. The Host should understand.]
Cheng Ge rolled his eyes in his mind. [I don’t understand. What exactly is the logic behind your operations? The rules are very strange. Besides, rules are dead while people are alive…]
[001: Please do not attempt to challenge the operating rules of these worlds with a fluke mindset. I will emphasize this to the Host once more: the System is not human. The System will not help you. The System only provides the safest course of action under the algorithm based on the Host’s wishes.]
Cheng Ge tsked in his mind. [I know… I didn’t actually want to force you to do anything.]
When all was said and done, everyone was just an ant. Who didn’t understand that logic?
But there would always be a desire to resist, to find a better solution, and to protect the people one wanted to protect.
Cheng Ge was lost in thought when his face suddenly felt warm. A soft object touched his cheek. Cheng Ge turned his head, and his lips brushed against Wen Ling’s.
The eyelashes of both men fluttered. After a moment, their lips parted.
“Cheng Ge, don’t be angry anymore. What are you angry about?” Wen Ling smoothed his hand down Cheng Ge’s back. His voice was very small and soft, as if he were sharing a secret.
Cheng Ge was stunned. He realized he must have been so deep in thought about those messy matters that his face had been tense and his brow furrowed. Wen Ling had thought he was still angry about something inexplicable and had kissed his cheek to comfort him.
This was exactly what he did when he coaxed Wen Ling. He hadn’t expected the roles to be just as effective when reversed. He hadn’t been angry to begin with, and now his heart had softened further from being coaxed.
“I’m not angry. Just keep sleeping.” Fearing that Wen Ling’s neck would get sore from leaning on one side, Cheng Ge swapped positions, giving him his other shoulder to lean on.
Wen Ling rested his head on Cheng Ge’s shoulder, his arms wrapped around him. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes tracing Cheng Ge’s brow. “You look so cold when you frown.”
Cheng Ge raised his eyebrows, adjusting his expression. “Do you hate it?”
Wen Ling shook his head. “I like you no matter how you look.”
Cheng Ge’s features were deep; frowning made him look fierce, but he was still exceptionally handsome—a cool, enduring beauty that Wen Ling loved.
“But when you frown, I feel like you’re unhappy. I don’t want you to frown. I don’t want you to be unhappy. I like it best when you smile. You were smiling all the time a few days ago.”
Such clumsy yet sincere words.
No one had ever told Cheng Ge they didn’t want him to be unhappy or that they liked his smile. If anyone else had said it, Cheng Ge would have found them incredibly cheesy and would surely have broken out in goosebumps.
But when Wen Ling said it, it didn’t feel that way. Cheng Ge’s heart felt warm.
Cheng Ge couldn’t help but smile. “I know. You’re quite the smooth talker, Comrade Xiao Wen.”
Hearing Cheng Ge praise him like that, Wen Ling felt a bit shy. He lowered his head and smiled with pressed lips.
From Cheng Ge’s perspective, he could see Wen Ling’s long, fluttering eyelashes, his small and delicate nose, and his lips, which were bitten red.
Cheng Ge’s Adam’s apple rolled. His hand, which was holding his phone, rubbed against his other hand restlessly, and then he turned his face away unnaturally.
…Fuck.
Everything looked so kissable. Why did he want to kiss him so badly…
They reached the optical shop. After Wen Ling tried on the glasses and confirmed there were no issues, they took them and left.
Cheng Ge: “Do you want to try wearing them now?”
Wen Ling shook his head. “I’m afraid of getting dizzy. I’ll only wear them when I’m looking at the computer.”
Cheng Ge didn’t care, of course. Wen Ling could do whatever he wanted. “You might need to wear them in class too, especially when you’re drawing. Your face is practically kissing the screen.”
Wen Ling found Cheng Ge’s description interesting and smiled. “Okay.”
Wen Ling: “Where are we going next?”
Cheng Ge had briefly mentioned the itinerary yesterday. Usually, Wen Ling remembered everything Cheng Ge said, but the problem yesterday was that Cheng Ge had been talking while giving Wen Ling a massage—kneading his neck and squeezing his arms. Wen Ling had been snuggled in Cheng Ge’s arms, humming with comfort.
Wen Ling had been too busy enjoying himself and had other things on his mind, so what did Cheng Ge say? He hadn’t heard clearly.
Cheng Ge held Wen Ling’s hand. “Let’s go to a public security office. I have a little something to take care of.”
Wen Ling looked at Cheng Ge. “Is it because of my matter?”
“Yeah,” Cheng Ge rubbed Wen Ling’s hand. “It should be quick. Just going through the motions to submit some certifications.”
Wen Ling nodded. “Are we taking a taxi?”
“We can just walk. It’s very close.”
“Okay.”
At the station, Wen Ling waited to the side while Cheng Ge filled out the relevant information, submitted the notarized evidence, and answered a few questions. The matter was mostly settled.
Leaving the station, Wen Ling asked again, “Where are we going next?”
“That’s it. Everything’s done. The rest of the time is for you to arrange. I’m fine with anything,” Cheng Ge said, flicking Wen Ling’s arm. “You really didn’t listen to a single word yesterday, did you?”
Wen Ling wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. He said with some excitement, “Then I’ll take you somewhere.”
Cheng Ge intentionally asked, “Where?”
“To the place I wouldn’t let you follow me to last time. I told you yesterday I’d tell you today, but you’ve already forgotten.” Wen Ling’s tone carried a bit of a complaining bite, but to Cheng Ge, it was no different from acting spoiled.
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