Chapter 5 – Seeing the Abs

Two little cubs, drawn by the sound, poked their heads out from a distance, quietly and curiously observing the situation on this side.

Chu An was still holding the clothes hanger, suddenly overcome by an indescribable sense of awkwardness.

Why did Huo Zeye have to come back neither earlier nor later, but precisely when she was wiping away her sweat with a towel?

She found an excuse to send the two cubs away, forced a stiff smile, took a step back, and gestured toward Huo Zeye in invitation. “Come in, make yourself at home.”

After speaking, her gaze, beyond her control, swept over his face and body several times.

He was indeed the kind of man the book had spent many words describing — broad-shouldered, long-legged, with a firm and stern face, features sharply defined.

Today he was wearing a naval service uniform with a small lapel and single-breasted design. The collar insignia was embroidered with an anchor-and-chain pattern. Because Chu An had doused him with a bucket of water the moment they met, the entire uniform was now soaked through, clinging wetly to his body, revealing the smooth lines of his abdominal muscles.

The body was young and strong, muscles tight and firm — clearly not the kind of figure one could get just by relying on protein powder and muscle-building supplements.

Inwardly, Chu An clicked her tongue in admiration. She had not expected that transmigrating into the book would come with such a perk — not only could she achieve her goal of a laid-back life ahead of schedule, she also got a handsome husband for free.

She had no idea what the original owner had been thinking, leaving such a husband, one comparable to a male model, unattended, and instead exchanging flirtatious glances with people like Sun Zhipeng.

Even if Huo Zeye was cold enough to freeze water and did not know how to coax people, with that face alone, Chu An could never get tired of looking.

“What are you looking at?” The man’s cold voice suddenly came from above.

Chu An lifted her head, meeting Huo Zeye’s icy gaze that could freeze someone in place.

She calmly countered: “A woman who’s married to you can’t look at your abs?”

Huo Zeye was momentarily stumped, lowering his eyes to give the slightly unusual Chu An a deep look.

Back then, he had been pressured into marriage by Chu An, who had threatened to cut her wrists and claimed her reputation was ruined. Because of that, Huo Zeye never had much feeling for the woman before him.

Still, thinking that since they had already gotten their marriage certificate, he had initially planned to live well with her. Whether it was money or ration tickets, he had never shortchanged her.

Huo Zeye came from a strict family; his parents’ upbringing had been harsh from the start, shaping his quiet and reserved character. In his simple value system, as long as he gave money on time and provided his wife with a comfortable life, that was his way of showing he wanted to maintain the marriage. Although he did not wish to have a physical relationship with Chu An, he believed they could still live together respectfully under the same roof.

Unfortunately, Chu An did not see it that way.

She found him uncommunicative, unromantic, unable to coax her, always wearing a cold, coffin-like face, and frequently away on missions so he could not keep her company. So when Huo Zeye returned from one mission and found the looks people were giving him a little odd, he grew suspicious.

A little inquiry revealed that Chu An had been openly flirting everywhere, often chatting and laughing with disreputable men. Rumor even had it she had accepted flashy little gifts from them — a candy-wrapper rose, a coix-seed bracelet — making him the owner of a figurative green pasture atop his head.

Fortunately, Chu An had not taken things further with those men, so the neighbors only gossiped behind their backs. Moreover, since Little Brother and Little Sister still needed Chu An’s care when he was away on missions, Huo Zeye had swallowed the humiliation and continued their bland, distant married life. At home, they could go an entire day exchanging no more than a couple of sentences.

Huo Zeye placed his luggage in the corner of the master bedroom, cold-faced and ready to leave. Just as his long legs crossed the doorway, someone called from behind him.

“Wait.”

Huo Zeye frowned and turned, seeing Chu An rummaging in the packed wardrobe for a moment before pulling out a clean, light-gray short-sleeved shirt.

“Change out of those wet clothes.” Chu An explained. “I didn’t know you were coming home today. Sorry for drenching you.”

Huo Zeye raised his brows, surprised at her sudden reasonableness.

He had actually been about to reciprocate and apologize for not knocking before entering the room, but then his gaze slid down and caught sight of Chu An’s pale, slender wrist.

On it, gleaming clearly, was a coix-seed bracelet.

This should be the very bracelet rumored to have been given to her by some lover.

The green hat was practically sitting squarely on his head, and Huo Zeye’s expression instantly turned cold. “You wearing that to provoke me?”

Following his gaze, Chu An also noticed the bracelet on her wrist. Ever since she had entered the book yesterday, all kinds of jumbled information had been flooding her mind. She had not yet had the chance to deal with the so-called “lover’s” gifts before Huo Zeye inconveniently returned.

No man would be able to tolerate this kind of provocation.

She couldn’t let this stupid bracelet ruin her path to making money.

Right in front of him, Chu An took off the coix-seed bracelet and tossed it straight into the trash can beside the dressing table. “You’re overthinking it. I was just wearing it casually for decoration. But if you mind, I can throw it away.”

Huo Zeye didn’t believe the first half of her words at all, but seeing her actually throw the bracelet into the trash did smooth his expression slightly.

“Change your clothes.” Chu An reminded him again.

This time, Huo Zeye did not refuse. He silently took the short-sleeved shirt and, right in front of her, stripped off his wet clothes.

After all, they disliked each other and felt no attraction whatsoever.

Caught off guard, Chu An suddenly found herself staring at the man’s bare, unadorned body. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she whistled like a rogue in her heart.

In her original world, her parents’ relationship had been poor, ending in an early divorce before they both remarried. Chu An had been shunted back and forth, raised just enough to get by. After graduation, she not only had to support herself but also repay four years’ worth of student loans, turning her into a workhorse with no nightlife. And at her workplace, all her male colleagues were balding, pot-bellied, and utterly devoid of appeal.

Suddenly encountering a high-quality man like Huo Zeye, Chu An nodded with great satisfaction. “Mm, not bad, not bad.”

Huo Zeye paused mid-movement while changing, glancing at her with a head full of question marks.

Still, he couldn’t be bothered to figure out what strange thing Chu An was up to this time. He went to find a rag mop and began mopping up the remaining water on the granite floor.

The master bedroom door was half-closed, and the occasional sound of the mop bumping against the doorframe drifted in.

Chu An had only hurriedly thrown on a piece of clothing earlier and hadn’t even put on her bra. She could look at the man’s abs without a hint of shyness, but when it came to changing her own clothes, she still felt a bit embarrassed, fumbling with the buttons.

When she came out, she found that the water by the doorway had been thoroughly mopped away. After putting the basin and towel back in place, she headed toward the living room and heard Huo Zeye’s voice.

He seemed to be speaking to the two cubs, his tone carrying a bit of stiffness. “Have you had lunch yet?”

Chu An heard Huo Ran’s prim and proper reply. “Not yet.”

Huo Zeye gave a dry “Oh.” sounding suspiciously like he was grasping for conversation. “Then… breakfast?”

Huo Mian answered timidly: “Sister-in-law took us to the canteen. There were yellow strips and yellow porridge, and oyster pancakes.”

After thinking for a moment, she added nervously: “They smelled really good.”

The child didn’t know the proper names for sour and spicy shredded potatoes or millet porridge, so she simply called them “yellow strips” and “yellow porridge.”

A flicker of amusement passed through Chu An’s eyes, but all she heard was Huo Zeye’s awkward “Mm.” after which nothing more was said. The two cubs also kept silent, frozen in place like chickens in a coop.

She shook her head speechlessly.

So it seemed that Huo Zeye had some serious problems with how he interacted with children.

No wonder, in the original book, when Huo Ran and Huo Mian were bullied by the original owner, they never thought to tell their big brother, choosing instead to endure for years before finally taking revenge.

So the three of you siblings… were this distant from each other?

But if one were to say that Huo Zeye didn’t care about his younger brother and sister, Chu An didn’t believe it. After all, whether in the book or in the original owner’s memories, every time Huo Zeye came home, he would bring prepared gifts for them — sometimes a notebook, sometimes a small toy, sometimes clothes. And in the few words he exchanged with the original owner, eight times out of ten they were about his younger siblings’ well-being.

When Chu An walked into the living room, she happened to see Huo Zeye placing a small plastic bucket with a toy shovel onto the central table. He then sat back down in silence. Huo Ran and Huo Mian’s eyes followed his movements, shifting nervously.

Chu An: “…”

If you don’t say anything, who would even know that plastic toy is something you bought for the children?

Stepping forward, Chu An smiled as she glanced at the items on the table. “For Ran Ran and Mian Mian?”

Huo Zeye caught the smile in her eyes, paused slightly, and then replied curtly: “Yes.”

“How thoughtful.” Chu An said, patting each of the children’s heads in turn. “We can go build sandcastles on the beach later!”

B-build sandcastles?

Huo Ran and Huo Mian usually had to do a lot of housework and rarely had the chance to go out and play. Hearing that their sister-in-law would take them to build sandcastles made both cubs’ eyes light up.

Chu An’s lips curved upward. “Thanks to Big Brother Zeye for bringing back the gift\~”

The coy lilt in her voice made goosebumps rise all over Huo Zeye’s skin, and he seriously suspected Chu An might be possessed.

What was with that? Talking was one thing, but why call him Big Brother Zeye and act all coy?

Before he could say anything, Huo Ran and Huo Mian, led by their sister-in-law, also thanked Huo Zeye.

Huo Zeye gave Chu An another glance. “It’s nothing.”