Zhao Louqin opened the door and found that the person knocking was Zheng Yixu. Instantly, it felt as if he had boarded a hot air balloon, his emotions rising step by step until they finally burst like fireworks, scattering everywhere.

Having his lawful partner knock on his bedroom door in the middle of the night—any man would understand what that means.

Zhao Louqin secretly rubbed his hands together, thinking that tonight he wouldn’t need to rely on his right-hand girl.

To be honest, it had almost been half a year since Zheng Yixu was hospitalized, discharged, and up to now. But during this time, apart from stealing a kiss after the Weibo incident, they had only held hands occasionally. Considering how young and vigorous he was, it really hadn’t been easy for him.

Zhao Louqin smacked his lips, thinking that he should have done it more often in the past. Now, he had to rely on certain videos from before to relive those moments. Ahem, of course, these videos must never be discovered. Otherwise, kneeling on a keyboard would be the least of his worries.

“Can I come in?” Zheng Yixu shrank back a bit, feeling as though he was in danger, like he was being targeted. But deep down, there was a tiny bit of anticipation. If Zhao Louqin were to take advantage of him forcefully, it wouldn’t really be a loss…

Self-control, remember self-control!

In Zheng Yixu’s mind, the little angel raised a sacred magic wand, flying back and forth, repeatedly shouting: “Zheng Yixu, be careful not to be swayed by lust. How could your first time be with a married man?”

But the little devil flicked its tail: “What’s the big deal? It’s the original body’s anyway. Enjoy it while you can! Once the original soul returns, you’ll be gone anyway, so it won’t matter. Finding such a perfect beauty again in the future would be nearly impossible!”

The little angel, unwilling to give up, retorted: “Think about your morals, touch your conscience. You’re already eating his food, living in his house, and even planning to raise his son—do you really have the nerve to sleep with his husband too? You can’t be so selfish!”

The little devil scoffed: ”Aren’t all men like this? If something is offered up and you don’t take it, you’re either a hypocrite or incompetent. Self-preservation is key, and it’s not like you chose to be in someone else’s body! Besides, this man isn’t exactly a saint; he’s tangled up with Lin Ninghua. It’s the modern age—does a one-night stand really require the other person to have good character? As long as he’s got looks, a great body, and skills, that’s enough, isn’t it?”

Just as the little devil was about to win the argument, Zheng Yixu fiercely pinched his thigh and said, “I have something I want to ask you.” The little devil inside Zheng Yixu yelped in pain, angrily muttering, “You’ll regret this,” before reluctantly leaving.

“Alright, come in.” Zhao Louqin had already imagined countless ways to position Zheng Yixu in his mind, but his face revealed nothing. Instead, his gaze was sincere and earnest, befitting an actor of his caliber.

Zheng Yixu felt a tinge of disappointment but also some relief, eventually pushing down his conflicting thoughts.

“It’s about Jiu Si’s birthday. There are still a lot of things I don’t know, like your older brother and such. It wouldn’t be good if I can’t recognize people at the banquet,” Zheng Yixu said after some thought, deciding to bring up a different issue first.

Jumping straight to asking about custom dolls or something like that seemed a bit too trivial.

“Oh, no problem. I have some photos here. I’ll show you each person,” Zhao Louqin’s face froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

In the past, Yixu and his older brother were like two sharp needles clashing because of… well, reasons. Their sharp tongues often collided, leaving Zhao Louqin caught in the middle, feeling like he was on the losing end no matter what. This was one of the main reasons he hadn’t dared to bring Yixu back to the Zhao family until now. Maybe he could use this opportunity to help Yixu form a better impression of his older brother.

“Alright, you sit down. I’ll go get the laptop,” Zhao Louqin said as he gently pushed Zheng Yixu to sit on the edge of the bed, then turned and went to the study to fetch his laptop.

Poor Zheng Yixu sat on the edge of the bed, unsure whether to move or stay still. Here they were, two men alone, sitting together on the bed. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Zhao Louqin forcing himself on him; rather, he was worried about his own lack of self-control…

After all, it had been quite a while for him.

Now, his “little brother” was starting to act up, wanting to make its presence known.

Damn it, calm down! This is not the time for you to make an appearance!

Zheng Yixu gritted his teeth, mentally reciting who knows how many curses and imagining the faces of unattractive men in place of Zhao Louqin’s, just to cool down his rising heat.

He really was setting himself up for suffering.

You really shouldn’t mess with a thirty-year-old man. If someone lights a fire, they’re responsible for putting it out, and the saying that men are all tigers isn’t just for show.

Zhao Louqin soon returned with the laptop. Whether intentionally or not, he sat particularly close to Zheng Yixu, almost as if he wanted to use his size advantage to pull Zheng Yixu onto his lap while typing on the keyboard.

Zheng Yixu’s face flushed deeply, but he still tried to maintain the appearance of a good student, listening attentively as Zhao Louqin pointed at each photo on the laptop, explaining who each person was.

“This is my older brother, Zhao Louxing. He’s a typical non-marriage type, but he has plenty of admirers, both men and women, and quite a few lovers too. However, he’s never given anyone the chance to have his child. (⊙o⊙)… My brother is a really good person and very protective of those close to him, though he can be a bit harsh when speaking to his own people.” Zhao Louqin pulled up a photo of a mixed-race individual who bore a resemblance to himself. However, this person looked more delicate, almost as if he were the younger brother instead of the older one.

But after staring at the picture for a while, you could sense that this person wasn’t to be trifled with.

The photo exuded an aura of “I have a bad temper, don’t mess with me,” radiating a regal, dominant presence.

Three words to describe him would probably be “emperor-like dominance.”

No wonder Zhao Louqin gets so nervous whenever he mentions his older brother. It seems like he endured quite a bit of pressure growing up.

In any case, this person didn’t give Zheng Yixu a particularly good feeling. Although Zheng Yixu might seem carefree and full of wild ideas on the surface, deep down, he has his own principles and pride. He always viewed himself as an outsider, even after living with Zhao Louqin for almost half a year. He still felt like he didn’t quite belong and couldn’t easily integrate.

Someone like him, who holds onto his outsider status with a sense of pride, would naturally clash with a person who is equally proud and strong-willed both inside and out. The two of them would inevitably be at odds, like two sharp needles in a standoff, neither willing to give an inch.

“He and I haven’t had a very good relationship, have we?” Zheng Yixu thought for a moment and realized. Despite his “amnesia” ”asting so long, Zhao Louxing had never come to visit, only making a few phone calls to Zhao Louqin to check in. Their relationship must be quite strained. Even the difficult Zheng family members had come to visit.

However, the Zheng family members had not appeared again, which likely meant Zhao Louqin had done something about it. But given that both Zheng Yixu and Zhao Louqin were over thirty and successful in their careers, it would be quite useless if they couldn’t resolve such bothersome issues.

“Cough, cough, my brother is very busy. The hospital and doctors you had were all arranged by him. He came to see you after you fell into a coma, but he couldn’t find time afterward,” Zhao Louqin explained.

Zheng Yixu smiled and said nothing. He wasn’t naïve. Zhao Louqin’s reaction suggested that he should be polite when he eventually met Zhao Louxing.

After all, there are plenty of conflicts between in-laws and their spouses. Zhao Louxing, being a non-marriage type with no children, would naturally find it hard to accept his younger brother’s marriage to a man. It was only normal for him to view Zheng Yixu with some disdain.

Zhao Louqin sighed inwardly. Could it be that he really couldn’t resolve the issues between his older brother and his partner?

Well, he decided to take it one step at a time.

Zhao Louqin continued to introduce Zheng Yixu to other people. At Jiu Si’s birthday party, there would be many business partners and friends of his older brother coming, so it was important to properly introduce him to everyone.

And… well, hehe.

—————End of Zheng Yixu unknowingly falling asleep————

Perhaps it was the soft background music Zhao Louqin played, or maybe his voice was too gentle and the topics too dull. Zheng Yixu, unwittingly letting his guard down, allowed his eyelids to protest and slowly closed his eyes.

When Zhao Louqin turned around, he saw Zheng Yixu lying on his bed, completely unguarded. This scene was exactly the same as it had been for years.

He had seen this posture for over a decade and had never grown tired of it. He had thought he would continue to see it until the day he grew old.

But in reality, this was the first time in six months that Zheng Yixu had relaxed so completely on his bed.

Should he, or should he not?

The other person is his lawful partner, and legally, he has the right to exercise his entitlements.

However, if he were to take advantage, Zheng Yixu’s temperament would likely result in a cold reception when he woke up. There’s a risk Zheng Yixu might even push him away, making it a lost cause.

On the other hand, not taking action while staring so intently would be unbearable.

How about… just taking a little interest instead?

Zhao Louqin chuckled softly and gently closed the laptop.

He quietly slipped out to take a shower, scrubbing himself with body wash several times, almost rubbing off a layer of skin. After ensuring he was completely fresh and fragrant, he finally felt a bit more confident.

Oh, and he still had some incense he bought before.

If not now, then when?

When Zheng Yixu groggily woke up in the morning, it took him several seconds to realize that he had apparently slept on Zhao Louqin’s bed the previous night.

Fortunately, he didn’t have any signs of being “run over by a truck” or experiencing “intense soreness” in the aftermath. Otherwise, it would be a huge loss to have no memory of the benefits and only face the negative consequences.

But really, Zhao Louqin is quite the gentleman—he didn’t take advantage even when the opportunity was right in front of him?

Zheng Yixu thought about it and figured Zhao Louqin must be saving his energy to pursue Lin Ninghua, finding him, a mere small fry, unworthy of his attention.

O（￣ヘ￣o＃），He wouldn’t admit it was due to his own lack of charm.

Though, to be fair, he didn’t have much charm and didn’t fully showcase the allure he should have.

Zheng Yixu stretched his muscles and glanced at the time, realizing it was almost eleven.

By now, Zhao Jiusu would have already gone to class, and Zhao Louqin would likely be out buying groceries.

Unfortunately, it seemed he still hadn’t asked about the custom dolls.

How foolish, so foolish!

Zheng Yixu slapped his forehead, dissatisfied with his lack of initiative. How could he have fallen asleep so cluelessly?

Zheng Yixu returned to his room, changed out of his pajamas, and got ready to go downstairs for dinner.

But something seemed off when he looked in the mirror.

What were those red, rough raspberry marks on his back, waist, and butt?

To hell with being a gentleman!