Chapter 28 "Your body was practically made for me"

Su Mu held his phone tightly. Jiang Ran's words, one after another, were like small hammers, first creating cracks, and then with a "crash," the shell of a normal relationship shattered completely, revealing the thick and turbulent emotions beneath that he had never seen before and could never have imagined.

He had always felt that Jiang Ran was a bit strange, with an unusually stubborn and controlling nature, which could at most be described as abnormal.

But now, Su Mu finally understands the limitations of his limited imagination.

That's a bit perverted.

That's extremely perverted.

No wonder, no wonder back in college, the four of them lived together in the dorm just fine, but later Jiang Ran started spending the night outside from time to time.

Their department was lax in its management, and dormitory checks were practically a formality. Skinny Monkey and Fatty Knife, those two carefree guys, would always joke that Young Master Jiang's family was rich and he couldn't stand the slum life in the dormitory, so he went out to enjoy a luxurious single suite.

Su Mu laughed along with him, not taking it to heart at all.

It turns out that this occasional stay away from home concealed such scorching torment, forcing them to temporarily escape the situation.

The alcohol seemed to make Jiang Ran finally let out the words she had kept buried for years: "I used to think, how come you're so clueless... so soft and gentle, nice to everyone, without any sense of self-protection, I was going crazy with frustration..."

Then he mentioned something: "Remember? Once, you washed the sheets and hung them outside to dry, but it suddenly rained heavily in the afternoon, and they all got soaked, so you had nothing to change them with..."

Su Mu certainly remembered.

The weather was fine that day, and he hummed a song as he washed all the sheets and duvet covers, hanging them out to dry all over the balcony.

When he woke up from his afternoon nap, the weather suddenly changed, with a violent storm. He rushed to the balcony to try to save the situation, but it was too late. The sheets were soaked through and dripping heavily, so he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

Skinny Monkey was incredibly enthusiastic, patting his bed and shouting, "Hey Woody, come squeeze in with me tonight! We're about the same size, perfect! We can even play duo queue tonight, I'll carry you to the top!"

Fatty Knife was willing but unable to do anything: "Wood, I won't invite you."

Su Mu hesitated for a moment.

Then, Jiang Ran, who had just come in from outside, closed his umbrella. His hair was still inevitably a little wet. He looked at Su Mu and said, "Xiao Mu, come sleep in my bed tonight."

Upon hearing this, Skinny Monkey immediately burst into a sly laugh, making those uninhibited jokes that straight men make, but which might be completely distorted to a discerning listener: "Young Master Jiang's bed is so big and soft. Hey, Young Master Jiang, are you worried I might do something to Xiao Mu? Don't worry, I'm a pure straight man, straight as a rock!"

Jiang Ran's gaze swept over the skinny monkey's hand on Su Mu's shoulder, as if explaining, or perhaps dispelling Su Mu's last remaining concern: "...because you grind your teeth."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu immediately waved his hand at Skinny Monkey: "Then I'll choose Young Master Jiang. Skinny Monkey, we'll have to make an appointment another time."

Skinny Monkey put on a pitiful act, like a couple torn apart by Jiang Ran: "Don't worry, Woody, you can stay with Young Master Jiang as his concubine for now, and I'll redeem you when I have the money."

Su Mu was amused by his joke and burst into laughter.

Jiang Ran looked speechless.

That night, Su Mu hugged his pillow and climbed into Jiang Ran's bed.

"How could you be so naive back then... You fell asleep and unconsciously wrapped your arms around mine, nuzzling against me, your breath on my neck... It was hot and itchy... I was so hard it hurt, and all I could think about was pinning you down on the bed and fucking you."

Su Mu felt his fingertips go numb again.

Su Mu couldn't help but follow Jiang Ran's lead and think about it.

If Jiang Ran had really covered his mouth in the dormitory at that time, it would have been quiet late at night, and since Skinny Monkey and Fatty Knife usually slept very well, he wouldn't have been able to make a sound.

Su Mu couldn't help but run his fingers down his stomach.

That ordinary night in my memory, when I was forced to stay overnight simply because the sheets were wet, was suddenly shrouded in a completely different meaning.

Su Mu could even vaguely recall the clean scent of Jiang Ran's bed, the smell of sunshine, and the stiffness he felt when he fell asleep stiffly because he wasn't used to frequently trying to find a comfortable position.

Unbeknownst to him, in his deep sleep, another pair of eyes had gazed at him from the darkness, so close, with such churning desire and extreme restraint.

Jiang Ran's voice came through the electric current, carrying the low, sticky tone unique to drunkenness: "Mu Mu, your body is just like it was made for me. I will make you... pregnant with more children. I love being close to you without any distance between us."

Holding his phone, Su Mu felt his ears burn as he heard these words, and his face flushed. His lower abdomen was where their first child was growing.

His voice was dry and lacked any intimidation: "...Not even one has been born yet? You're thinking pretty far ahead."

Jiang Ran suddenly asked in confusion, "Mu Mu... why does your voice sound so strange?"

Su Mu: "...Really? No."

Fortunately, Jiang Ran's mind isn't quite right right now, so she managed to fool him.

When Jiang Ran learned that Su Mu was pregnant, he was indeed overjoyed. The joy of becoming a father for the first time was like the rising tide, surging and overwhelming, but that wasn't all there was to it.

Deeper, more secretive, and what gave Jiang Ran an almost thrilling satisfaction was that he and Su Mu finally had a connection that could never be severed.

A living, breathing child, carrying their blood. This child was like the most secure nail, fixing Su Mu to his life.

Su Mu is soft-hearted. Even if he doesn't like him, he would probably find it hard to completely reject the advances of a child's father. This thought is dark and selfish, and Jiang Ran is aware of it, yet she cannot suppress the distorted sense of security it brings.

Su Mu thought Jiang Ran was really sick, and seriously so.

These outrageous words, each one more outrageous than the last, made his heart pound, whether from anger or something else, he didn't know.

When Su Mu felt a bit relieved, he wiped his fingertips with a tissue, took a deep breath, and tried to make his voice sound serious: "Jiang Ran, how much did you drink? Now listen to me, go home right now, and get a good night's sleep. We'll talk about it when you're sober."

"No." Jiang Ran refused decisively.

Su Mu: "...Then what do you want? I'm pregnant right now and can't stay up all night with you."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed only by slightly heavy breathing.

Then, Jiang Ran's voice lowered, losing the obsessive madness from before, and took on a slightly weak, wet, and indistinct tone, like a large dog that had done something wrong, knew it had caused trouble, but didn't know how to clean up the mess, and spoke awkwardly and clumsily.

"...Forgive me."

Su Mu: "…………"

He was momentarily unsure whether to be angry or amused. This way of asking for forgiveness was truly unique and memorable.

Su Mu was at his wit's end. There was no way to reason with someone who was drunk, had bizarre logic, and stubbornly refused to hang up.

He had no choice but to pull out his contacts, find Jiang's mother's number, and dial it. The phone rang a few times before being answered.

He briefly explained the situation, trying to keep his tone calm, only saying that Jiang Ran might have drunk too much and wasn't quite sober, and that he was worried about her safety being alone.

After a while, Jiang's mother replied with a message: "Mumu, don't worry, his friend just brought him back. He's home now, but he's a bit noisy."

Immediately afterwards, a video was sent over.

Su Mu clicked on it.

The video footage was somewhat shaky, with the Jiang family's entryway in the background. Jiang Ran was being half-supported by a man of similar height, her head slightly drooping, her eyes tightly closed, her cheeks flushed an unnatural red, and her lips pressed into a thin line, looking like a zombie who was so drunk she knew nothing.

Jiang's mother's voice came from off-camera: "Mumu, look, that brat is back. He brought him back with He Angxiao. They've been playing together since they were little. Angxiao, come on, say hello to Jiang Ran's boyfriend."

The camera immediately turned to the man who was supporting Jiang Ran.

Even in such a chaotic scene, one can still see that the other person has an extraordinary demeanor and deep features. However, at this moment, his brows are slightly furrowed, clearly indicating that he is somewhat troubled by being forced to appear on camera while supporting a drunkard.

He Angxiao glanced quickly at Su Mu in the camera lens, then looked at Jiang Ran who was pretending to be dead beside him, and forced a polite smile: "Hello, Jiang Ran and I are just friends, ordinary friends, and I have a boyfriend, and my relationship with my boyfriend is very good."

Su Mu stared at the complex smile on the face of his ordinary friend, Mr. He, on the screen.

Su Mu: "...Really? Congratulations, thank you so much."

He exited the video call and sent a voice message to Jiang's mother: "Auntie, I saw it. Let him rest well and drink more warm water."

Jiang's mother quickly sent another voice message, filled with apology and a bit of annoyance: "That brat, I don't know what got into him, he went out drinking and disturbed your sleep, it's really outrageous! When he sobers up tomorrow, I'm going to give him a good talking to! Mumu, don't take it to heart."

Su Mu listened and replied, "Auntie, it's alright. You should rest early too, don't overwork yourself."

Jiang's mother's voice immediately softened, carrying the loving kindness unique to elders: "Oh, good child, you should go to bed early too. Don't stay up late; it's bad for your health. Go and get some rest."

The next morning, the dull ache from the hangover felt like countless fine needles pricking Jiang Ran's temples rhythmically.

He heavily lifted his eyelids a crack, and the light filtering through the bedroom curtains made him squint uncomfortably.

Last night's memories began to flood back like film reels, the words he poured out under the influence of alcohol, the dark, obsessive, and undisguised possessiveness...

Every word.

It's terrifyingly clear now.

Jiang Ran suddenly sat up in bed, her movements so abrupt that her vision went black for a moment.

His first thought was: play dead.

If only I could stay in bed forever, pretending I hadn't woken up yet, or simply have amnesia.

He staggered down the stairs, his face pale, his eyes dark from staying up all night and drinking too much. He looked like a weightless ghost as he swayed into the restaurant.

Jiang's mother was sitting at the dining table reading the morning paper when she heard the noise. She looked up and saw his expression, and her brows immediately furrowed.

"Awake?" Jiang's mother put down her newspaper. "Quickly drink that bowl of hangover medicine on the table. You're going to be a father, how can you still be so irresponsible? You drank with Ang Xiao until so late last night, and you had to be carried home. Mu Mu was worried about you and called me so late last night, she probably didn't sleep well either."

Jiang Ran mechanically picked up the bowl of suspiciously colored medicine, but didn't drink it immediately. He lowered his head, staring at the brown liquid in the bowl, his voice hoarse and desperate as he asked, "Mom, do you really want to hit me right now?"

Jiang's mother was stunned for a moment, not understanding his nonsensical words.

Jiang Ran raised her head and continued in an almost pious, pleading tone, "Mom, please slap me now, with a bit of force, preferably enough to knock me unconscious."

That way, he could conveniently fall into a coma for a while, and when he wakes up, he could innocently claim with a blank expression: "I don't remember anything." Last night? What happened last night?

Jiang's mother stared at him for a few seconds: "Son, when did you develop this kind of hobby?"

"What exactly did you do last night? Jiang Ran, tell me honestly, did you do something outrageous while you were drunk? If you've wronged Mu Mu, I'll beat you to death."

Jiang Ran remembered the things she had said.

"Your body was practically made for me."

—"I will make you pregnant with more children."

And even earlier, there were those stories about university dormitories, about voyeurism...

Aaaaaah!!

Jiang Ran closed her eyes, slumped in her chair, and said dejectedly, "No, I said some rubbish to him."

Su Mu's phone vibrated, and the name that popped up on the screen was "Skinny Monkey".

He scrolled through the message.

Skinny Monkey's voice message popped up, the background noise was a bit noisy, like he was on the road, and his voice was as loud and boisterous as ever: "Su Mu! Has Young Master Jiang already gone back to Jiangzhou? When are you coming back for a get-together? I miss you so much!"

Su Mu replied with a voice message: "I'll have to wait a while; I still have some things to take care of here."

Skinny Monkey quickly sent another message, this time in a lower voice, tinged with curiosity and gossip: "Hey, seriously, you two have been acting really strange lately. By the way, I was so busy the other day that I didn't even have time to ask you, what was Young Master Jiang doing all that rushing to see you? He couldn't have really just gone to Phoenix Village for a farm stay, could he?"

Su Mu gave the most ordinary reason: "Nothing much, he just came to play for a few days, got tired of it and went back."

“No, no,” Skinny Monkey immediately retorted, his tone certain, “Su Mu, don’t try to fool me. The feeling you two give me is… really gay, you know?”

Su Mu replied with two words: ...Is that so?

“Yeah!” Skinny Monkey seemed to have opened a floodgate of words. “Back in college, I felt something was off. It was one thing for you two to be inseparable, but the way Young Master Jiang looked at you… tsk, I didn’t understand back then, but now that I think about it, it was definitely not the look of someone looking at a brother. There’s something else you might not know…”

"The year you graduated, didn't you sign with that company in City B? We all went our separate ways back then. Later, I was chatting with Young Master Jiang on WeChat, and I casually asked him how he was doing. He said he didn't know, and then not long after, I think it was around National Day? He suddenly sent me a photo of a pretty famous landmark in City B, just mentioning that he was passing by. I was wondering why he would go to City B for no reason. Traveling isn't like him. Later, I subtly asked him about it, and he was vague, just saying that he drove there alone, without mentioning seeing you. I thought the two of you were really strange."

As Su Mu listened, his heart felt as if something had gently squeezed it.

In City B, during his first year of work there, he was unfamiliar with the place and the people, under a lot of pressure, and his days were rather bleak.

The car I saw on the subway, the model and color were very similar to Jiang Ran's car, it really was him.

At the time, Su Mu thought it was just his imagination, or that there were too many cars of the same model, and quickly put it out of his mind.

So he really did come. A person drove so far to his city, but didn't even make a phone call. He just passed by, glanced at him, and then left without a sound.

“...Actually,” Su Mu said, “we’re together.”

There was a good ten seconds of silence on the other end. Suddenly, the phone vibrated. Skinny Monkey had sent a new voice message. When he opened it, there was a violent cough as if someone had choked on their food. Then, a very piercing voice, mixed with shock and the curse "I fucking knew it all along," exploded in Su Mu's ears without warning.

"Holy shit!!! I knew it!"

Skinny Monkey replied almost instantly, and a voice call request popped up immediately.

"Hey?" Skinny Monkey's voice lashed out, "I knew it! I knew it! I saw through your little secret back in college! Come on, tell me honestly, when did it start? Who broke it off first? Was it because Young Master Jiang couldn't hold it in anymore?"

Su Mu was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, his ears burning, and he mumbled, "...Oh, it was...not long ago. I can't say exactly when."

"Damn!" Skinny Monkey exclaimed again. "I'm truly impressed. You two kept it well hidden. But thinking about it, it makes sense. The way Young Master Jiang looked at you back then, I felt something was off. So what are your plans now? No, Young Master Jiang just showed up at your house like that? Going to meet you alone, braving the challenges of your future in-laws? That's awesome!"

Su Mu felt that explaining this matter was a bit complicated, so he simply said, "Yes, it's here. My parents already know. His parents know too."

"???" A gasp came from the skinny monkey's side, followed by an incredulous mutter, "...Is this still the 21st century? This pace, this level of acceptance, am I the only one who's an outdated relic? Neither of your parents...did they grab anything?"

Su Mu listened to his exaggerated tone: "It's not that exaggerated. We'll remember to send you wedding invitations when we get married in the future."

"Hey! That's more like it!" Skinny Monkey's voice immediately rose, brimming with excitement. "Then it's settled, I have to be the best man! Fatty Knife definitely has to be one too! Our dorm..."

The skinny monkey began to daydream.

Before he could finish speaking, Su Mu said with a hint of innocence, "However, your status as a best man has been revoked."

"Huh?" Skinny Monkey's voice suddenly rose, "Why? Don't we still have the friendship we shared during our four years of university?"

Su Mu: "Jiang Ran said it."

"Damn it!" Skinny Monkey wailed, then tried to salvage the situation. "Su Mu! Woody! You can't be so heartless! Put in a good word for me! Apply again! I promise I won't cause any trouble on your wedding day! I'll behave myself! I can even help fend off the drinks! Does Young Master Jiang hold a grudge against me for always dragging you into playing games and taking up your time in college? Tell him that's all in the past! I'm more mature now."

Su Mu listened to him jumping around and professing his loyalty, feeling helpless: "It's not up to me to decide, he's quite vengeful."

Skinny Monkey accused, "Su Mu! You bastard who forgets his friends for a pretty face! You've forgotten your brothers now that you have a husband! I've finally seen through you!"

After making the accusation, he pressed on, unwilling to give up, "What about Fatty Knife? Does Fatty Knife still qualify as a best man?"

Su Mu: "He was also banned."

The skinny monkey felt better: "That's alright."

Skinny Monkey was still rambling on and on: "So when are you going back to Jiangzhou? I really can't wait to get together with you two! I need to interrogate Young Master Jiang properly and find out what I did to offend him."

As Su Mu listened, his gaze unconsciously drifted to the window. The sky was a hazy, grayish blue, and the distant mountain outlines of Phoenix Village were still shrouded in a thin mist.

He paused for a few seconds: "Let's wait a couple of days."

"Huh?" Skinny Monkey was clearly not expected to hear this answer. He paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Wait, didn't you just say it would take a while? How come it's suddenly been two days?"

He recalled Jiang Ran's absurd and obsessive drunken ramblings from last night, his driving alone to City B and then quietly leaving, the long and lonely gaze he had received earlier, and the tiny presence in his womb that would now bind their lives even closer together.

An intense, almost impulsive desire surged up without warning, instantly overshadowing all rational considerations and the desire to wait.

He thought that he would probably soon become the kind of person who gets carried away by love and disregards everything else.

Running away for love sounds a bit silly, even a bit love-struck.

If Jiang Ran is described as having a "love-obsessed" mindset, Su Mu feels that he is a bit like that too.

But he just felt that some things couldn't be delayed any longer, and some distance couldn't be maintained any longer.

Between him and Jiang Ran lay misunderstandings, separation, and the years they spent growing up separately, wasting too much time that could have been spent getting closer. Like two parallel yet divergent tracks, they finally converged again after many twists and turns.

Now that he has grasped it, he will not let go again, nor does he want to endure the torment of uncertainty over the phone, across the city, or through any unnecessary obstacles.

The taste of separation is enough to experience once.

He needed to return to Jiang Ran's side immediately, right away, as her equally determined partner who had chosen to go to her.

"Yes, I'll go back in a couple of days."

-

A note from the author:

Young Master Jiang: Who's going to slap me?

Jiang's mother: ...My son must have gotten some kind of m-related infection.

Young Master Jiang wanted to say something witty, and his wife actually enjoyed it.

This He is the protagonist of another book, hahaha. If you're interested, you can add my other book, "A Mountain Kid Gets Caught in City Trouble," to your collection. [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Milk tea]