Realizing his arranged marriage partner was also his savior, Zhong Lin was so thrilled he was beside himself. Once the rush of euphoria subsided, he found himself draped across Zhuang Yi’s chest, feeling vaguely that something was amiss.
Right, he hadn’t showered yet, and his room was across the hall without any of his change of clothes.
As Zhuang Yi lavished kisses on him, leaving him dizzy, Zhong Lin finally caught a breath and propped himself up, asking in confusion, “Husband, why are we living separately? There’s none of my stuff in your room.”
His voice was soft and husky. Zhuang Yi, lost in adoration, looked up, longing for more kisses. When he processed what Zhong Lin had said, his heart leaped to his throat. A bucket of cold water seemed to drench him, snapping him back to reality.
“And why did we sign that prenuptial agreement?” Zhong Lin blinked, his index finger tracing the character for Zhuang on Zhuang Yi’s chest as he mumbled.
Zhuang Yi went rigid, torn between passion and panic, hot and cold by turns. Gazing at Zhong Lin’s innocently pure eyes, he struggled to speak, “Wife, I’m sorry. When we first got married, I was…a mess. I did a lot of things wrong. I didn’t know you liked me and I hurt you. I’m sorry.”
Speaking those words, Zhuang Yi’s eyes drooped sadly. It felt like karma; his bliss was ending too soon. He could have had everything—he could have been doting and affectionate much earlier if only he hadn’t been so stubborn.
Zhong Lin didn’t understand what Zhuang Yi meant by mistakes. Seeing Zhuang Yi so careful broke his heart, prompting him to embrace him reassuringly, “It’s okay, husband. Don’t keep apologizing. I was the one who fell for you first. It’s all very normal.”
“I forgive you.” Zhong Lin kissed Zhuang Yi’s eyes affectionately, overwhelmed with his fondness as he whispered, “I really like you.”
“I really like you too.” Zhuang Yi’s heart raced; he was not usually one to express his feelings openly. Words like ‘like’ and ‘love’ rarely came from him, but he had grown more comfortable with them over the past few days. Overcoming that initial embarrassment, he realized expressing emotions wasn’t as hard as he had thought.
Moreover, feelings need to be expressed; no one appreciates being treated with cold indifference. He just hoped Zhong Lin would still treat him the same once he remembered everything.
He had to make sure to keep his wife close so that even after regaining his memory, he wouldn’t want to leave! Zhuang Yi felt a sense of urgency, thinking it was high time to implement every step of his Ten-Step Wife Pursuing Method.
Watching Zhuang Yi bustle around collecting things, Zhong Lin’s cheeks were still flushed. Zhuang Yi had persuaded him to move in together, and he had agreed somewhat impulsively, not sure if it was the right decision. But he was an adult, and this was a licensed marriage—what could possibly go wrong?
As Zhuang Yi bent to pick up a small toy from the carpet, the red marks below his collarbone were visible. Zhong Lin, feeling embarrassed, had made those marks.
“What do we usually do together?” Zhong Lin asked, playfully hooking his foot around Zhuang Yi’s collar, trying to see more of the ‘strawberries.’ Soon, his mischievous foot was caught, and Zhuang Yi soothed him, “I’ll tell you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” Zhong Lin replied obediently, but not long after, he sneakily climbed onto Zhuang Yi’s back, arms around his neck, and his soft face rubbing against Zhuang Yi’s flushed ear, murmuring, “What are we doing tomorrow? I’m really looking forward to it.”
Zhuang Yi was completely undone by Zhong Lin’s affectionate antics. The alpha’s possessive desires were stirring, almost unbearable.
But he couldn’t proceed. If Zhong Lin recovered his memory and discovered he had been taken advantage of during his amnesia, forgiveness would be even harder to secure. Zhuang Yi could use the opportunity to mark Zhong Lin for life while he was amnesiac, but he didn’t want to influence his judgment with pheromones once he remembered everything.
What Zhuang Yi wanted was a free and joyful Zhong Lin, not one bound by obligation or pheromones. He had only recently realized that Zhong Lin’s previous politeness and understanding were just to accommodate him. The real Zhong Lin, not wounded by his coldness, was lively, endearing, and irresistibly sweet.
Being sure of being loved allowed Zhong Lin to freely act spoiled and cute; Zhuang Yi wanted to keep this version of him forever.
If he couldn’t be forgiven in the end, he wouldn’t force Zhong Lin to stay with him through pheromones. He would rather be disliked than have Zhong Lin stay out of the natural obedience omegas had to alphas.
Zhuang Yi understood all this, yet being a good alpha who resisted temptation was exceedingly hard. How had he managed to stay calm around Zhong Lin before? Fresh from the shower, Zhong Lin wore his shirt, looking small and nestled in his arms, his pink toes playfully rubbing against his legs under the covers.
“You’ve kissed my mouth sore.” Zhong Lin pouted again, showing Zhuang Yi the ‘evidence’ of his crimes. Having married without even dating seemed unrealistically blissful.
Holding his fragrant wife, Zhuang Yi couldn’t bear to let go. Compared to Ninja Turtles, a life sentence without a wife seemed far more terrifying.
Zhuang Yi’s embrace was so warm that Zhong Lin slept deeply, unaware. In a sweet dream, he floated in warm seawater, bobbing up and down, when an untimely voice echoed in his ear, “It’s just the suspension bridge effect. I suggest you don’t fall in love too easily.”
“What is the suspension bridge effect?” He heard his own slightly naive voice.
“In short, I saved you, and you mistook your racing heart as love for me. It’s actually just because you just escaped a tough situation, feeling up and down like walking on a suspension bridge. This isn’t love; it’s an illusion.”
“It’s not like that, it’s not!” He instinctively shook his head, and water rushed into his ears. Deeply in love, being told he was love-struck hurt so much that he wanted to cry in his dream.
“Anyone would have helped in that situation. You don’t have to repay it with your body.”
“It’s not like that, it’s not, I’m not just love-struck.” He tried to speak, but no sound came out. The seawater grew icy cold, and he was overwhelmed by its suffocating wetness.
Zhong Lin awoke, gasping for air, feeling suffocated for having buried his face in the pillow too long. He looked at the person beside him, his eyes still moist. Zhuang Yi, sensing movement, quickly leaned in to kiss Zhong Lin’s cheek, “Wife, why are you up so early? Did you have a nightmare?”
“Yes, a bad dream,” Zhong Lin snuggled into Zhuang Yi’s shoulder, feeling inexplicably sad.
Zhuang Yi, barely awake, comforted him by patting his back softly, whispering, “Don’t be sad, wife. Sleep a bit more, and later we’ll go to the villa for a hot spring bath and stay overnight. It’s perfect since we’re going to your brother’s for dinner this weekend, okay?”
Zhong Lin nodded slightly and quickly cast aside his gloomy feelings. He moved closer and blew bubbles into Zhuang Yi’s ear, his voice soft and sweet, “Good morning, husband.”
Zhuang Yi, who had been half-asleep, was instantly alert. His desire surged, even more intense than during his susceptible period. Listening to Zhong Lin’s gradually steadying breathing, Zhuang Yi closed his eyes in despair.
Help, my wife is too seductive! I’m not incapable, I just shouldn’t take advantage of him. But I’m really struggling to hold back.
