Chapter 9

“North Capital University! You actually graduated from North Capital University!” Out of respect, the neighbor, Mrs. Accountant, changed how she addressed Bai Wei, “Your manners are so good, and you studied at North Capital University. Your parents must be amazing.”

“In fact, I was raised by my grandfather. He always told me that his grandfather and great-grandfather were both outstanding officials. To continue the family’s honor, I should also strive to excel,” Bai Wei replied politely.

He visited Mrs. Accountant’s house with fruit and honey from the market as a thank-you gesture. Of course, this was just to ensure that his reaction to hearing about his husband’s death would spread throughout Snow Mountain Town.

Bai Wei wasn’t paying attention. It was the second day since Lu Sen left, and at eight in the evening, even though Black Harbor City was poorly managed, the police should have contacted him by now. He felt his plan must have succeeded, otherwise, Lu Sen should have been home by now.

“From a prestigious family, huh! Do your parents work abroad?” Fortunately, Mrs. Accountant was very talkative and always found a new topic.

“They’re divorced. My mother passed away,” Bai Wei said.

“I’m so sorry…” Mrs. Accountant covered her mouth and exchanged looks with her husband, as if he could understand her unspoken words and bring out some snacks to ease the atmosphere.

“It’s nothing. For them, it might have been a relief. Especially for my father,” Bai Wei said.

These two people had come together because of “love,” eloped, and built a family abroad. But in the end, their daily arguments led to them breaking each other’s skulls with a vase. Perhaps the intense birth and demise of love was all fated.

Grandfather had hysterically told Bai Wei since childhood not to follow in his mother’s footsteps. Now, it seemed that Bai Wei had succeeded.

The elderly neighbor, who was drinking tea, had his mouth wide open. He stared out the window, as if everything in front of him was unbelievable. He turned to Bai Wei and said, “Bai Wei, my god, there are so many cars outside your door.”

It seemed to be police cars. Bai Wei pretended to be nervously confused. He ran to the door, saying, “I’ll go check.”

Unfortunately, what he saw in front of his house wasn’t what he expected — not the police cars delivering the news of his husband’s death, but many trucks.

Workers in white gloves were carrying out old furniture. By the conveyor-belt-like trucks, a brand-new black SUV was parked. Lu Sen leaned against the car, talking to the foreman.

Seeing his husband alive, Bai Wei’s heart sank. The brand-new black SUV also made him uneasy. He approached Lu Sen, surrounded by the elderly neighbors, and asked, “What does this mean?”

“Good evening, darling.” Lu Sen finished his conversation with the workers around him and smiled at Bai Wei. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about this since last night. Don’t you think some of our furniture at home is ‘too old’? Even something as simple as washing clothes can lead to accidents.”

Separation, divorce?

—-

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Bai Wei was overcome with a sense of anger from being deceived. He coldly looked at Lu Sen in his mind, feeling that he had underestimated him.

Lu Sen must have noticed his intentions last night—or perhaps even earlier, when he locked the cellar. He was already prepared. So, the next morning, he pretended to drive out, but halfway through, he switched to a new car. By the weekend, he had contacted a lawyer, gathered evidence, and arranged for movers. He was ready to return tonight to take everything that belonged to him.

At the same time, Bai Wei felt some admiration. He admired how calm, composed, and decisive Lu Sen was in handling things, even though he had no intention of letting Lu Sen succeed in his plans.

Bai Wei could not accept a divorce. His grandfather had been furious when he found out that his mother had run away and gotten divorced. He would rather have his only daughter die far from home than let her return.

“It seems I underestimated you,” Bai Wei said softly.

Lu Sen smiled even more happily. “So, yesterday, I found a professional home decoration team in Black Harbor City and had them finalize a new design in a day. Today, I had them bring back new furniture with me.”

Bai Wei: “…”

“My God, this sofa looks quite expensive!” The elderly neighbor exclaimed.

The elderly neighbor, using a cane, went to admire the dining table… Bai Wei froze, and he even heard Lu Sen ask in confusion, “Darling, why do you look so unhappy?”

What could Bai Wei say? What could he say? He said, “What’s the deal with this new car?”

“The old car was too outdated. When I arrived at Black Harbor City, I just switched to a new one,” Lu Sen replied.

What was all of this? Was he supposed to believe it was all just a coincidence? Was he supposed to believe that Lu Sen was an idiot?

Lu Sen, who had been closely watching Bai Wei’s expressions, didn’t miss the initial admiration in Bai Wei’s eyes when he first looked at him… but soon, that admiration turned into shock, confusion, frustration at being deceived, and now, a kind of agonizing, painful hesitation, like constipation.

Lu Sen couldn’t understand what he had done wrong. He thought he had done everything right from the start. Bai Wei must have liked the furniture, which was why he showed admiration. But why was Bai Wei giving him that look now?

And he didn’t even call him “husband”!

“Where did you get all this money?” Bai Wei asked again.

Lu Sen had already prepared a clever answer: “Darling, have you forgotten that before choosing to retire in Snow Mountain, I was a successful multinational businessman?”

So, Bai Wei was concerned about money!

Bai Wei was worried about his money, about his pre-marital assets. Obviously, Bai Wei had already regarded him as family and was serious about living life with him. For the first time, being seen as part of a family, Lu Sen felt warmth in his body, even though it was late autumn.

Bai Wei had no words to reply. He watched the workers coming and going. Lu Sen said, “These trucks are just part of it. There are more on the way. They’ll finish the job within three days.”

“I just want to know if you’ve considered…” Bai Wei began.

“What?” Lu Sen asked.

“It’s 9 PM. Where do you plan to have us stay tonight?” Bai Wei looked at the old bed thrown out on the street.

Had Lu Sen’s head been fogged by carbon monoxide?

—-

Fortunately, there was a room to sleep in at the repair shop.

The moment Bai Wei saw the room, he felt suffocated. He grabbed a broom and mop and began cleaning meticulously. As Lu Sen made the bed, he puzzled, “How can there be no hotel in this town?”

Bai Wei replied, “Who else would come to Snow Mountain Town except for the residents?”

This town, near the snow-capped mountains, had no other advantages apart from its beautiful scenery. The population was also very simple. Lu Sen said, “Oh… Since there are no hotels, I think opening the first bed-and-breakfast here in Snow Mountain Town would be a good business idea.”

Bai Wei was already certain that his husband’s head wasn’t right. He was vigorously scrubbing a stain and carelessly said, “You’re really smart to think of such a business idea.”

The entire evening, Bai Wei did not show the surprise Lu Sen had expected. He thought Bai Wei would first be shocked, then happy, and finally happily throw himself into his arms, calling him “husband” in a sweet voice. But Bai Wei only seemed shocked and listless.

It was as if he was overwhelmed by an excess of information and had no choice but to accept a painful truth.

Shopping for home goods, decorating the house—wasn’t this exactly what a good husband should do? Lu Sen was confused. He thought Bai Wei must be upset about the money.

Bai Wei was hiding two soap bars with keys underneath the bed. The bed was really too small. It might be enough for one person to sleep, but for two people like Bai Wei and Lu Sen, they would probably end up squeezing together. As he was thinking about this, he heard Lu Sen say, “Darling, I’m not just sitting around doing nothing. Running the repair shop will provide me with some income.”

The repair shop? Income? This one?

Bai Wei had never visited Lu Sen’s repair shop before. Now, he could see that it was near the road, but not on a frequently traveled one. It was far from the town, and it seemed unlikely that many people would come here for repairs. Lu Sen’s once generous income suddenly seemed questionable, but Bai Wei didn’t understand the car repair business and wasn’t sure if his thoughts were correct.

“Is the store’s account book kept in the cabinet?” Bai Wei asked.

The moment he spoke, a cold sweat dripped from the back of Lu Sen’s head.

Lu Sen hadn’t anticipated that Bai Wei would want to see the store’s account book. He certainly couldn’t show Bai Wei the account book filled with names like “Naruto,” “Bu Jingyun,” and “Napoleon.” He pretended to agree to go look for the book but was instead trying to distract Bai Wei’s attention by talking about something else: “Darling, I saw some strange people in Black Harbor City today.”

“…There are so many strange people in Black Harbor City,” Bai Wei said, clearly irritated by the topic of Black Harbor City.

“They are really different. These men and women, with weird colored hair, some pink, some blue, their hairstyles, eye shapes, and facial features are all so strange. They ride motorcycles, speeding through the streets, saying they’re stuck in a game world, and they need to find and kill all the serial killers to return to reality. Don’t you think they’re especially weird?” Lu Sen asked.

Just hearing this made Bai Wei recall the nauseating memories of living in Black Harbor City. He said with irritation, “A group of teenagers acting like they’re on drugs. Compared to this…”

But Bai Wei thought of something more pressing.

What happened to the car that Lu Sen had sent away yesterday?

If Lu Sen sold it as a second-hand car to someone else… Thinking about the car’s fate, Bai Wei felt it was necessary to treat Lu Sen a little better and close the distance between them. He closed his eyes to calm down, and when he opened them again, he gave a frail expression.

“Hubby…”

“What’s wrong, baby?”

After a whole night passed, Bai Wei finally called him “hubby” again. That extremely “pleased” physiological reaction returned to Lu Sen.

He saw Bai Wei sitting on the small bed, with his long legs curled up. Bai Wei rubbed his wrist and looked at him with those innocent eyes. “Hubby, I’m so tired from sweeping. Can you mop the room?”

“But the room doesn’t…” It seemed pretty clean.

Bai Wei said, “Hubby, I have OCD, you know that. Please go do it.”

Lu Sen suddenly felt like he had made a huge mistake. He hadn’t realized Bai Wei’s OCD was this serious. He thought the room was already clean.

But he sighed in relief. At least now he wouldn’t have to give Bai Wei the account book. It seemed like he couldn’t keep being sneaky while running the repair shop. He needed to find a way to justify his income, just like a real husband, working hard for the family’s finances and always bringing home clean money.

Both of them had their own thoughts. Lu Sen was mopping the floor while Bai Wei sat on the bed watching him. He pretended to casually ask, “Hubby, where did you leave the car?”

“I parked it at the car dealership. Oh, I’ll call them and have them handle it.”

As Lu Sen started to make the call, Bai Wei quickly stopped him.

“Hubby, the car is still usable. Why sell it so quickly?” Bai Wei said coquettishly. “Second-hand cars lose so much value! It’s not worth it.”

“…So, what should we do?”

Lu Sen sat on the bed, holding his phone. Bai Wei hugged him from behind. Even though they were separated by pajamas, Lu Sen could still feel Bai Wei’s soft body and the warm, steady beating of his heart.

So this is what it feels like to be pampered—Bai Wei thought.

So this is what it feels like to have a warm conversation between husband and wife—Lu Sen thought.

“Just drive it back and keep using it. We have space in the garage,” Bai Wei said.

“But we already have two cars. Bringing it back would be pointless. We already have an SUV and a sedan. Maybe we should buy a sports car…”

Suddenly, Lu Sen thought a convertible sports car might not be a bad idea. He’d buy a red one, which would complement Bai Wei’s fair skin. They could drive along the beach, with Bai Wei in the passenger seat. He’d drive slowly so everyone could see the beautiful Bai Wei sitting beside him.

The world is really strange. In the past, Lu Sen was a mercenary in a war-torn country, doing various tasks, stealing precious artifacts, and locking them away in dark safes. He had a lot of money but never spent it. He only felt emptiness. Even when he first met Bai Wei, he just thought that this person could help him clear his identity and let him have a place in the peaceful human world, where he could live successfully and peacefully.

But now, because of Bai Wei, he discovered the little joys of spending money—thinking that everything he spends would become a part of the time spent with Bai Wei. Suddenly, the world didn’t feel so boring anymore.

Lu Sen continued to argue, but Bai Wei could only tightly hug his waist and, gritting his teeth, act coquettishly, “Hubby! Why won’t you listen to me?”

An idea suddenly flashed through his mind. Bai Wei said, “I’m your wife, don’t I have the right to decide how we use our money? Why did you sell the car behind my back? You sold the car today, and tomorrow you might sell the furniture, and the day after, you could sell anything you want and hide it from me…”

As he spoke, his eyes lowered, and tears welled up in his eyes. Lu Sen immediately said, “I’ll have them bring the car back tomorrow.”

“Thank you, hubby.” Bai Wei leaned on Lu Sen’s shoulder, smiling slightly.

Though he knew his little trap might not work, Bai Wei still said, “Hubby, go drive that car back yourself.”

“Why?” Lu Sen didn’t understand.

Bai Wei said, “As a punishment, because you secretly bought a new car behind my back. I want you to drive it back yourself.”

Though Bai Wei found this a bit embarrassing, he worried it might not be convincing enough. He turned his head and kissed Lu Sen on the cheek again. It didn’t feel as weird this time as it had when he first kissed his cheek, as if he’d gotten used to it.

But Lu Sen surprisingly said in a hoarse voice, “Is that all?”

“Hubby…” Bai Wei was a little annoyed that Lu Sen was still rejecting him.

The mop was thrown aside. Lu Sen turned around and pressed Bai Wei onto the bed. Their long legs tangled together.

“I want something else,” Lu Sen said, looking down at Bai Wei with a possessive gaze.