Chapter 19

Ten Years Later

“What?!”

At the bar, Xu Chu looked at Song Wenzhou in disbelief, exclaiming, “You two broke up?”

Song Wenzhou lowered his eyelids and, pretending not to care, said, “You’re someone who breaks up every ten days or so, why such a big reaction?”

Xu Chu responded, “Exactly because breaking up is so common for me, but you and I are completely different, that’s why I’m surprised.”

Song Wenzhou silently sipped freshly squeezed juice through a glass straw, not responding.

“I thought you two had been together for so many years, and your relationship was so good,” Xu Chu took a sip of his drink and said, “I thought I’d be witnessing the first couple in the circle who would never break up.”

He sighed and added, “Is it really so hard for people like us to stay together for a lifetime, like ordinary couples?”

Song Wenzhou shook his head and said, “It has nothing to do with being a man or woman, it’s about personal choice.”

“Only,” he added, “A lifetime is too long, no one can predict what will happen in the future.”

Xu Chu lightly patted Song Wenzhou’s shoulder in comfort, not understanding, “So why did you break up? When we were having dinner, that guy Mu Chi seemed to care about you a lot, and you seemed to enjoy it too?”

After a bland meal, when he and Song Wenzhou got up to leave, Mu Chi still looked reluctant, almost as if he wanted to glue his eyes to Song Wenzhou’s back.

“Breaking up doesn’t necessarily mean becoming strangers, after all, you’ve known each other for so many years,” Song Wenzhou tried to shift the topic, dragging Xu Chu into it. “Didn’t you also become friends with all your exes?”

“Our situation is different,” Xu Chu glanced at Song Wenzhou. “The reason we can be friends is either because we never loved, or because we didn’t sleep enough,” he teased. “Which one is it between you and Mu Chi?”

Song Wenzhou, helpless, laughed and said, “Where do you come up with all these ridiculous ideas?”

Xu Chu smiled and said confidently, “From what I can tell, your situation doesn’t match the two I mentioned. You’re only willing to keep the connection with Mu Chi like this because neither of you can let go.”

Song Wenzhou felt unexpectedly hit by his words, and didn’t have the confidence to argue back.

“I guess it was you who brought up the breakup, right?” Xu Chu asked curiously. “Why?”

“It was me,” Song Wenzhou replied quietly, but when it came to the reason, he couldn’t immediately say anything.

Song Wenzhou clearly remembered what happened the night he brought up the breakup with Mu Chi, but when it came to the state of mind he was in when saying that, he found it hard to recall.

Actually, the process of their breakup was very calm. They didn’t have a fierce argument.

Or rather, after being together for so many years, Song Wenzhou had become used to keeping his emotions in check, while Mu Chi would always admit his mistakes on the spot, even when he hadn’t done anything wrong. So, throughout all these years, they had never truly had a fight.

—

That night, Mu Chi didn’t get home until the early hours, and by then, Song Wenzhou had already gone to bed, though he was still awake.

The bedroom door was open, and Song Wenzhou heard Mu Chi returning. He didn’t say anything, and Mu Chi didn’t call out to him, probably thinking he was already asleep.

He had left a light on for Mu Chi in the living room, and Mu Chi used the faint light that streamed into the bedroom to walk over to the bedside. He stood there quietly, watching Song Wenzhou for a while.

Song Wenzhou kept his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Mu Chi didn’t make any other move. Hearing no sound, Song Wenzhou acted a little tired and was about to open his eyes when Mu Chi’s phone rang. It rang only once before Mu Chi quickly hung up.

Song Wenzhou turned over, pretending to be disturbed. Mu Chi stared at him for a while, then, seeing that Song Wenzhou hadn’t “woken up,” he bent down and lightly touched his face.

Song Wenzhou felt a slight itch from the touch, but Mu Chi’s hand only stayed on his face for a moment before pulling away.

He heard Mu Chi leave quietly, probably to return the call. When he left the room, he thoughtfully closed the bedroom door, blocking the little light that had been coming in, and the room fell into complete darkness.

Song Wenzhou opened his eyes in the dark, his brows slightly furrowed. Mu Chi had been coming home late recently, often working until the middle of the night, and there had been a call earlier. Could something have happened?

After finishing the call, Mu Chi took a shower in the bathroom outside, then climbed into bed, instinctively pulling Song Wenzhou into his arms.

Song Wenzhou let out a soft sound, “Waking up slowly.”

“Zhouzhou?” Mu Chi asked in a soft voice, “Did I wake you up?”

Song Wenzhou didn’t answer, instead resting his head on Mu Chi’s arm and lazily asking, “Why are you back so late again?”

Mu Chi’s tone was a bit stiff: “I’ve been busy with work.”

“Still not done after all these days?” Song Wenzhou asked worriedly. “Did something happen?”

“No, don’t worry,” Mu Chi said, gently running his hand through Song Wenzhou’s hair. “I’m just busy.”

Song Wenzhou didn’t fully believe him. When Mu Chi’s company was just starting out, he had often worked late into the night, but in the past, Mu Chi never spoke vaguely about being “busy with work.” He would always describe exactly what projects he was working on.

For example, if they had taken on a large event and Mu Chi’s company was the organizer, there would be numerous rehearsals in preparation, and Mu Chi would have to stay at the venue for several consecutive days.

Or, if something had gone wrong during a live stream by one of Mu Chi’s company’s influencers, Mu Chi would have to deal with the aftermath.

Or, if one of their company’s influencers was involved in a scandal, Mu Chi would be busy handling the PR.

—

In any case, Mu Chi had always made sure Song Wenzhou knew exactly what he was doing, where he was, instead of just saying, “busy with work,” like he did today.

Song Wenzhou felt like Mu Chi was brushing him off.

It wasn’t that Song Wenzhou was being overly suspicious; he had noticed that recently, Mu Chi had been taking calls secretly.

It might be an exaggeration to say “secretly,” but Mu Chi did tend to avoid him, either intentionally or unintentionally, when answering calls.

While Song Wenzhou wasn’t interested in hearing what Mu Chi was talking about on the phone, the more Mu Chi tried to avoid him, the more suspicious it made him feel.

After all, Mu Chi never used to avoid him when doing anything.

Sometimes, the two of them would snuggle on the couch watching movies. Song Wenzhou would rest his head on Mu Chi’s shoulder, and when Mu Chi received a call, too lazy to lift his hand to hold his phone, he would tuck it between Song Wenzhou’s head and his own neck. Song Wenzhou could clearly hear the conversation.

The unusual behavior made Song Wenzhou more and more suspicious. Logically speaking, if something had really happened at Mu Chi’s company, Mu Chi wouldn’t hide it from him.

With Mu Chi’s unconventional way of thinking, he certainly wouldn’t be thinking, “Oh no, if my company goes bankrupt, my wife might despise me. I must not let him know,” but would be thinking, “If I go bankrupt, my wife is so smart and capable, he’ll be able to support me. I’m just not cut out for business; I might as well settle down and be a stay-at-home husband.”

Song Wenzhou furrowed his brows. The only reason Mu Chi would secretly take calls behind his back was because—Mu Chi had a little secret.

Mu Chi seemed to sense Song Wenzhou’s mood. He lifted his chin and nuzzled Song Wenzhou’s hair, asking softly, “What are you thinking?”

Song Wenzhou was thinking that Mu Chi hadn’t been in the mood lately. The two of them hadn’t been intimate for three days. The last time was on Sunday morning when Song Wenzhou was woken up from sleep and half-heartedly had an affair with Mu Chi, spending the whole morning in bed.

In the following days, Mu Chi had been working late into the night, and since Song Wenzhou had to wake up early for work, the two of them had simply fallen asleep together each night.

But it shouldn’t be like this, Song Wenzhou thought. He remembered the time when he and Mu Chi first started their intimate relationship. They were nearly inseparable every night, sometimes even when they were exhausted physically, they still felt mentally excited.

As time passed, the intensity slowed down, but the frequency was still high.

Even when both of them were at their peak careers, with busy schedules and little time to meet, Mu Chi would use their lunch breaks to kiss Song Wenzhou in the restaurant bathroom, or they’d book a short room nearby to relieve their longing.

In any case, no matter how busy or tired Mu Chi was, whenever he saw Song Wenzhou, he couldn’t resist being affectionate.

But now Mu Chi had become more disciplined, and Song Wenzhou couldn’t help but feel uneasy and overthink.

After being together for so many years, even though he felt embarrassed, Song Wenzhou had nearly unlocked every position with Mu Chi. Now, he wondered if Mu Chi had lost interest in him.

Song Wenzhou felt a little uneasy.

Mu Chi, not getting an answer, thought Song Wenzhou had fallen asleep. However, upon closer inspection, he saw Song Wenzhou blinking rapidly.

He lowered his head and kissed the eyelid of Song Wenzhou, “Hmm?”

Song Wenzhou was lost in his thoughts. He recalled reading online that many marital problems stem from a lack of harmony in sexual life. He had thought that he and Mu Chi would never face such issues, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Could it be that every time Mu Chi tried to be intimate, Song Wenzhou pretended to refuse because he was shy? Over time, had Mu Chi’s enthusiasm faded?

But deep down, Song Wenzhou did want to be closer to Mu Chi.

With this thought, Song Wenzhou shifted closer to Mu Chi, wrapped his arm around Mu Chi’s firm waist, and gently pressed his forehead against Mu Chi’s neck.

Mu Chi froze for a moment, feeling both surprised and delighted, as though a cold, aloof cat that had been with him for a long time suddenly became affectionate, soft, and curled up in his arms.

He silently smiled and gently touched Song Wenzhou’s head, “Let’s sleep, wife.”

Song Wenzhou thought maybe his hint wasn’t obvious enough, so he softly blew on the collarbone that was exposed from Mu Chi’s shirt.

In almost an instant, Song Wenzhou felt Mu Chi’s body stiffen and his arm around him tighten. After a while, Mu Chi softly asked in his ear, “Aren’t you working tomorrow?”

“I am,” Song Wenzhou replied.

As Song Wenzhou spoke, his breath brushed against Mu Chi’s neck. He leaned back slightly, holding himself back, and sighed regretfully, “Then you should sleep earlier.”

Song Wenzhou remained silent, feeling dissatisfied with Mu Chi’s reaction.

“Goodnight, wife.” Mu Chi kissed his forehead.

Song Wenzhou squirmed in Mu Chi’s arms as a form of protest.

Now, Mu Chi couldn’t ignore it any longer. He quickly pinned Song Wenzhou down, his body already on the edge, and Song Wenzhou’s resistance only fueled the fire inside him. His mind filled with images that would need to be censored later. But…

Mu Chi remembered the lunchtime when he went to pick up Song Wenzhou. During their meal, Song Wenzhou yawned every three minutes, and the dark circles under his eyes were a clear sign of his exhaustion.

Lately, Mu Chi had been coming home late, and despite repeatedly telling Song Wenzhou to go to bed early and not wait for him, Mu Chi wasn’t sure if Song Wenzhou had actually listened.

And once they started doing that thing, it would be hard to stop.

Mu Chi knew very well that Song Wenzhou wouldn’t skip work for no reason. If he didn’t sleep, he’d yawn all day tomorrow, let alone doing anything physically demanding.

So, Mu Chi took a deep breath, suppressing his inner desire, and hoarsely said, “Stop messing around, Zhouzhou. Let’s sleep.”