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Fu Wencheng was the most good-tempered person Chen Shuoyin had ever met.
Back then, Pei Yu had misunderstood that the expired condom was something Fu Wencheng had prepared with ulterior motives. As a result, he beat him black and blue, yet Fu Wencheng still explained to him politely that it had been left behind by the landlord. On the surface, the two had fought and then reconciled, shaking hands in friendship. But Chen Shuoyin always felt that Pei Yu still harbored some unexplained resentment toward him.
Faced with Pei Yu’s probing questions, half-truths mixed in, Chen Shuoyin helped Fu Wencheng avoid a pitfall. “Thanks for visiting me. Once my recording finishes the day after tomorrow, I’ll treat you to dinner.”
“Sure. I’m heading back to Tanzhu that night. What flight are you on? Maybe we’re on the same one, and we can grab a late-night snack after landing,” Fu Wencheng followed her lead in the conversation.
“I’ll send you my flight details then.”
“Alright, I won’t disturb your rest. See you the day after tomorrow.”
Fu Wencheng nodded politely at Pei Yu, responding with a smile to Pei Yu’s sharp, scrutinizing gaze before brushing past him and exiting the hospital room.
Chen Shuoyin’s gaze followed Fu Wencheng until Pei Yu stepped in front of her. “He’s already left. How long do you plan on watching?”
“I didn’t see him off in person, so at least let me watch him leave. Basic courtesy, okay?” She withdrew her gaze and reached for the half bowl of peeled lychee meat Fu Wencheng had left on the bedside table.
The bowl was snatched away before she could grab it. Pei Yu’s gaze held a hint of grievance. “You’re not allowed to eat something he peeled for you.”
She hadn’t planned on eating it anyway. “Then will you peel some for me?”
His response was firm. “Sure. But not the ones he bought. What else do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you now.”
Chen Shuoyin suddenly gagged, letting out a dry heave. She bent over the side of the bed, retching, but nothing came out.
“…”
There was a dead silence for a few seconds before the person next to her spoke. “Me peeling lychees for you disgusts you that much?”
She clutched at his pant leg, her voice weak. “Help me with the discharge procedures. I don’t want to eat anything.”
After leaving the seaside, she had felt nauseous, her chest tight, and even looking at food made her feel sick. The burning, tingling pain at the back of her ankle was unbearable.
Sensing something was off, Pei Yu helped her out of bed. “You—”
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she pushed him away and stumbled into the bathroom, where she started vomiting again.
By the time Pei Yu caught up with her, she was wiping her mouth with tissues in a futile attempt to conceal her discomfort.
“You…” Pei Yu hesitated. “Do you still feel like throwing up?” His voice dropped slightly as he poured her a cup of warm water and handed it over.
She nodded.
“I’m taking you to gynecology,” Pei Yu said, taking off his coat and draping it over her before grasping her palm with his warm hand.
“What for?” Chen Shuoyin couldn’t follow his train of thought.
His expression, usually composed, showed rare panic. “I used protection every time this month, but I’m worried about accidents.”
She blinked, stunned. “You don’t seriously think I’m pregnant, do you?”
She rolled her eyes, propped herself up on the bed, and raised her foot to show him her wound. “I got stung by a jellyfish. That’s why I’m nauseous.”
The conflicting emotions of panic and hope in Pei Yu’s expression froze instantly.
Chen Shuoyin pulled her pant leg back down. “We got married in a complete blur. If you want kids, you can dream on.”
Pei Yu lowered his gaze. “Yeah, I don’t want kids either.”
Without another word, he crouched down and put socks and shoes on her, his fingers brushing lightly against her wound. “Does it still hurt?”
He was being so accommodating that Chen Shuoyin felt unaccustomed to it. “What I mean is, if we ever get divorced, you can have kids with whoever you want. It won’t have anything to do with me.”
His grip on her ankle suddenly tightened. She looked down at the top of his head, feeling as though a dark, suffocating cloud was spreading.
“Chen Shuoyin, is marriage a game to you?” His voice grew heavier. He lifted her onto the bed, his body leaning over hers. “Every time you see Fu Wencheng, you start talking about divorce. Are you that eager to rekindle your old flame with him?”
When he wasn’t smiling, his face looked as if the world owed him millions. Hearing his back-to-back questions, Chen Shuoyin swallowed and pushed against his chest.
But he pinned her hands down, guiding them downward. “A few days ago, I had a vasectomy. This lifetime, I won’t have kids with you—or with anyone else.”
Everyone has a process of self-exploration. Chen Shuoyin had never expected that one day, she would be led by him to explore herself. Her hands were locked in place as he whispered against her ear, “Always pushing me away like a toy you use and toss aside… hmm?”
His fingers traced the edges of a delicate petal, brushing away the dewdrop.
With no prior experience, she was caught off guard, and a tear welled up in her eye. She shivered and backed away. “N-no.”
Pei Yu immediately let go, kissing the corner of her eye. He wiped her fingers clean with a wet tissue, then replaced her hand with his own, tracing the edge. “Does it feel better when you do it yourself, or when I do it?”
He was calm enough to explain, making an analogy about prying open a stubborn seashell—how it couldn’t fully expose the pearl inside.
Chen Shuoyin kicked against the bedsheet, her voice unsteady. “Take your hand away!”
Pei Yu nodded but kissed the corner of her lips instead. His pace quickened slightly, and his eyes, usually upturned in amusement, now held a sharp, predatory gleam. “Tell me, who is Fu Wencheng?”
She had tried so hard to cover it up, but he saw right through her. “Answer properly, and I’ll reward you.”
Chen Shuoyin, still breathless from lingering sensations, saw the teasing gleam in his black eyes. He looked utterly seductive. But she refused to fall into his trap so easily, biting her lip deliberately. “M-my crush.”
He let out a short chuckle and sped up several times over. Then, from one to two…