Bo Xiangzhou’s face remained calm. “Next time, remember to knock.”

“I won’t.” An Xun, full of rebellious energy, shot back. “You erased my boundary line, and I haven’t even had time to settle the score with you. Yet, here you are, starting with me first.”

Bo Xiangzhou sighed, slightly helpless. “Are you still a kid?”

“I’m younger than you!” Old man.

Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t help but chuckle silently. This time, An Xun swaggered off with a spring in his step, his entire demeanor light and carefree.

But when Bo Xiangzhou handed him a piece of fish with his chopsticks, An Xun’s tail drooped. He kept a straight face and said, “Thank you, hubby.”

Ugh, it was so annoying. They were about to divorce, but he still had to call him “hubby.” So unfair! He’d been calling him “hubby” for months, while this old man arrogantly called him by his name.

He was furious!

Bo Xiangzhou kept adding food to An Xun’s bowl, almost to the point of dumping the entire fish in there. Although frustrated inside, An Xun forced himself to keep a neutral expression. Throughout the meal, he ate while fuming, and eventually ate until he was stuffed.

Rubbing his now-rounded belly, he looked up to meet Bo Xiangzhou’s slightly amused gaze. Flustered, he pulled the blanket over his stomach and angrily said, “What are you looking at? I want a divorce! Why do you refuse to agree?”

“Divorce is impossible. Instead of wasting time yelling, you should eat more and regain the weight you’ve lost from mistreating yourself recently.”

“Whose fault is it that I lost weight? President Bo, you’re being unreasonable!”

“I already said it’s my fault. I went out to reflect on myself, not for you to reflect.”

An Xun grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. “If you posted that scumbag speech online, it would definitely become the hottest meme of the month.”

The pillow hit Bo Xiangzhou square in the chest, but he didn’t dodge. Instead, he calmly caught the pillow as it started to slip and stuffed it back under An Xun. In a gentle tone, he coaxed, “Don’t be mad. It’s my fault. I’ve thought it through. These past few days, I didn’t fulfill the responsibilities of a husband. If you’re still upset, feel free to ask for compensation.”

“What did you think through?” An Xun, lying down and unable to meet Bo Xiangzhou’s gaze, propped himself up on his elbows like he was about to crawl onto him. “You’re not still mad about me staying out all night, are you?”

Bo Xiangzhou hesitated, wondering if he should just be upfront. He had thought he would feel disgusted living with someone who lied to him, but after spending time together, he realized he didn’t feel repulsed at all. There was no resentment in his heart.

Knowing An Xun’s true nature made Bo Xiangzhou pay more attention to his actions. Even though he knew An Xun was pretending, saying nonsensical things just to deceive him, he still found it endearing.

Those eyes, staring back at him, seemed even more vibrant and pure now.

An Xun retreated, unable to hug his legs due to how full he was, which made his stomach hurt. He leaned back instead, lazily lounging like a mermaid basking in the sun on a beach.

A few soft grumbles escaped his throat, and unexpectedly, tears started to fall. An Xun cried quietly. “I’ve explained it all before, but you’re still mad. There’s nothing going on between me and Nian Nian. Sure, there are more people these days in ambiguous relationships, but we’ve been friends for so many years. If anything had happened, would it have even gotten to you? My orientation is completely normal. Yet, you’re so fixated on giving yourself a green hat. And think about it, if I had cheated, do you think I’d have the guts to tell you?”

“What do you mean?” Bo Xiangzhou felt as if a flash of green light appeared before his eyes. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

An Xun quickly backtracked, shifting the blame onto Bo Xiangzhou. “Are you still doubting me? I was just making a point, and you’re already jumping to conclusions! From the very first time we met, I told you I liked you—liked you so much. I thought you could feel it in our daily life. Boohoo~ It’s your heart that’s too hard. I can’t move you. Without trust, love is like a pile of sand. We might as well set each other free. President Bo, let’s divorce. With less suspicion, life will be more positive.”

An Xun blinked, and within those few seconds, tears fell like broken pearls.

Bo Xiangzhou wasn’t interested in hearing his melodramatic speech. His eyes remained fixed on An Xun’s tear-filled gaze.

After a brief pause, Bo Xiangzhou laughed. He had figured out how to distinguish An Xun’s real tears from the fake ones.

An Xun didn’t cry easily. His personality was stubborn, like a mule, and he only cried when he really couldn’t hold it in. At those times, his eyes would be bloodshot, and he would avoid eye contact. But now, he stared straight at him, putting on an act, clearly afraid that Bo Xiangzhou wouldn’t notice his tears.

Bo Xiangzhou silently wiped away his tears.

But—he didn’t want to expose him. It wasn’t worth it. It was more fun to watch this little liar put on a show. His lively performance was far more entertaining than any movie.

He’d heard that this little liar had a three-minute attention span. Bo Xiangzhou was curious to see how long he could keep this act going.

Bo Xiangzhou unwrapped a new pack of cold medicine and placed it in An Xun’s hand. “I heard this medicine helps you sleep. Take it and go to bed. Don’t get any funny ideas.”

“… Tomorrow, I’m going to find a lawyer to file for divorce.”

“Go ahead. If you don’t have enough money, let me know.”

An Xun was just about to say that hiring a lawyer didn’t cost that much. But after a moment of thought, he realized Bo Xiangzhou’s legal team was made up of elites. Finding a lawyer who could guarantee a win would indeed cost quite a bit.

An Xun’s face darkened. This guy was mocking him for being poor and overestimating himself.

Stupid man.

·

An Xun couldn’t sleep and stayed up playing on his phone until early morning. During that time, Bo Xiangzhou reminded him multiple times to sleep, but An Xun pretended not to hear. When Bo pushed him too much, he’d shed a few tears to get out of it.

Bo Xiangzhou had no choice but to confiscate his phone and force him to sleep.

The doctor was right. If he ran a fever for another day, his body wouldn’t be able to handle it. Yesterday, he was still bouncing around, arguing with Bo Xiangzhou, but today, he lay in bed with flushed cheeks, feeling too exhausted to even speak.

Fortunately, the fever wasn’t too high and soon subsided, though his energy levels remained low.

Meanwhile, Bo Xiangzhou developed a new hobby and was thoroughly enjoying it—feeding him. He especially loved watching An Xun’s frustrated reactions.

“Is it really that funny?” An Xun, barely containing his anger, grabbed the bowl back and gulped down the pear soup, his posture as bold as if he were chugging alcohol.

Bo Xiangzhou teased him, “Where did you learn that bad habit of drinking soup all in one go? People who like to chug alcohol aren’t as skilled as you.”

An Xun replied unbothered, “Since President Bo says so, I must’ve learned it from someone who loves to chug alcohol. What now, President Bo, are you suspecting I’ve been drinking outside again? If you don’t believe me, go crack open the bottles in your liquor cabinet. Let me drink one, and we’ll see if I get drunk or not.”

Still pushing that idea?

Bo Xiangzhou wiped the probe of the electronic thermometer with a wet wipe. “No need to test it. I believe you.”

“No, I need to prove my innocence.”

A dangerous glint appeared in Bo Xiangzhou’s eyes. “The alcohol content is high. Drinking too much will hurt your stomach.”

You only touched alcohol once, and even a few sips would knock you out. So stop pushing this silly idea.

An Xun misinterpreted the message, thinking to himself: Stingy, he can’t even bear to let me have a sip of alcohol.

Bo Xiangzhou asked, “What are you thinking about now?”

“Nothing. I’m timid, insecure, and sensitive. I don’t dare to think too much.” An Xun obediently held the thermometer Bo Xiangzhou handed him.

Bo Xiangzhou responded, “If you’re timid, insecure, and sensitive, wouldn’t you overthink even more?”

After a minute of holding it in, An Xun spat out the thermometer. “Who’s making you doubt me all the time?”

“I’m not doubting you.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are!”

Bo Xiangzhou finally fell silent, ending the childish, endless argument.

He was a grown man, not about to argue with a little kid.

·

Bo Xiangzhou didn’t go to work, nor did he head to the gym or his study. He stayed in bed, lying down with An Xun. An Xun kept feeling like Bo Xiangzhou was watching him, but he couldn’t say anything directly—it would make him seem narcissistic.

He snuck a glance out of the corner of his eye. Bo Xiangzhou was replying to messages, likely from his subordinates, judging by his expression.

An Xun stretched his neck and decided not to ask. It would be stupid to poke at trouble in this situation.

[Nian Nian]: Babe, divorced yet?

A video call invitation popped up half a second later.

Without hesitation, An Xun hung up.

[Nian Nian]: ?

[Drowned Fish]: Sorry, babe, Bo Xiangzhou is right next to me.

Tao Nian’s train of thought was different from his.

[Nian Nian]: Are you guys having a goodbye bang? Is this some rich family tradition?

An Xun quickly glanced behind him and shrank back under the covers.

[Drowned Fish]: Don’t talk nonsense. We haven’t divorced yet. He refuses to divorce.

Tao Nian, feeling his blood pressure rise, banged his ceramic cup down on his desk with a loud “bang.”

[Nian Nian]: So he just slept with you?

[Drowned Fish]: We didn’t sleep together!! What part of my message made you think we did?

Tao Nian sheepishly apologized to his colleagues for the disturbance.

[Nian Nian]: Oh, good. But why doesn’t he agree to the divorce?

[Drowned Fish]: Because he’s a jerk.

[Drowned Fish]: Nian Nian, do you know why he’s mad at me, why he’s been avoiding me?

Tao Nian was intrigued. Risking a salary deduction, he replied: Why?

[Drowned Fish]: He thinks we did it.

Tao Nian felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

[Nian Nian]: You didn’t have to be that blunt.

[Nian Nian]: I never thought President Bo would be so open-minded.

An Xun agreed.

[Drowned Fish]: Yeah, I think so too.

[Nian Nian]: So how are you spending your birthday?

An Xun turned over and patted Bo Xiangzhou’s arm. “Can I invite Nian Nian to the old house for my birthday? Don’t worry, I won’t do anything behind your back.”

“There was no need to say that last part.”

Bo Xiangzhou was starting to doubt himself. How had he ended up with this image in An Xun’s mind?

“Give me his address, and I’ll send someone to pick him up on your birthday. Afterward, I’ll make sure he’s safely sent back.”

“Okay.” An Xun smoothly added, “Thank you, hubby.”

It was automatic.

The awkwardness was palpable, but An Xun, seeing no reaction from Bo Xiangzhou, grunted and turned away.

·

The interview for his new job was scheduled for 2 PM on Wednesday.

An Xun and Bo Xiangzhou were getting along well, and he was in high spirits, looking radiant. With plenty of time before the interview, he wandered around the mall and picked out a few small gifts for Tao Nian.

The new company wasn’t very big, but its location was excellent, just a few blocks away from a large mall. As he entered the mall, cold air rushed into his sleeves, giving him a slight chill, but he quickly got used to it.

Unable to find the directory, he stopped to open his map. The map clearly marked all the sections by floor, and after a quick glance, he headed for the fashion section and took the elevator up to the third floor.

During working hours, the mall was nearly empty. It was expensive to maintain, and most people came for food and to stroll around, maybe picking up small items on the side. The third floor, especially, was deserted.

A row of luxury stores glowed with golden signs, the sight of which was like seeing piles of money. He had shamelessly dragged Nian Nian here before and had even been sneered at by a stuck-up store clerk.

He wondered if that clerk was still there. If so, one day, he’d come back dressed head-to-toe in luxury, demand that same clerk follow him around the store giving a detailed introduction, and after they talked themselves hoarse, he’d buy nothing and walk out with his sunglasses on.

Just thinking about it felt great.

With money in his pocket, An Xun swaggered inside.

The store clerk, seeing him dressed in nothing but a plain pink T-shirt with his phone as his priciest accessory, looked at him with disdain.

No one followed him around, so An Xun was free to browse at his leisure. But when he reached out to feel the fabric of a piece of clothing, the lead store clerk rushed over and scolded him, “You just ate biscuits and didn’t wash your hands. Please stay away from the clothes.”

“I didn’t wipe my hands on your clothes. Why are you so worked up?”

The clerk’s gaze swept over him like he was inspecting merchandise. With a haughty tone, she said, “Our clothes are made from top-tier materials, very precious. Just one touch can dirty them.”

Thanks to Bo Xiangzhou, An Xun’s temper had mellowed over the past two weeks. He calmly replied, “Lots of people try on clothes every day. If they get dirty, they get dirty. It’s not like it’ll be pinned on me.”

“It’s store policy. If the clothes get dirty, you have to buy them. I saw you touch them, so you’ll have to buy it. Otherwise, I’ll call the police.”

The warning hit his ears like a spark igniting his rebellious nature. An Xun rubbed his hands together, feeling tempted.

The clerk, still holding her head high, didn’t sense any danger. “You should know, our clothes are very expensive. Even a random piece costs over ten thousand. Ordinary people can’t afford…”

Suddenly, An Xun reached out and rubbed the hem of the garment twice.

“…that.”

The clerk was stunned, but her professional training forced her to finish her sentence.

An Xun opened the dialer on his phone, entered three digits, and handed it to her. His expression remained indifferent as he said,

“Go ahead, call the police. I’ve already entered the number for you. Just press the button. You know how, right? Your dad doesn’t need to teach you, does he?”