Chapter 17 A Good Husband
After sending the message, Lu Shangyan paused for a moment, then quickly pressed the recall button, belatedly realizing that his ears had turned red.
He was just now daring to jump off the building, looking like he wasn't afraid of death, but after seeing Pei Yumin's message, he suddenly became weak, even though it was just something Pei Yumin often said to him.
Lu Shangyan blinked, then took another picture of a small patch of blue-purple flowers in a flowerbed along the roadside and sent it to him casually:
[I sent the wrong message earlier. I meant to send you this; I found it near the school gate.]
Pei Yumin quickly replied to him:
I saw it.
Lu Shangyan stopped in his tracks. Before he could even launch a skillful probe, he saw Pei Yumin's new message:
[m: Is it Chen Shuo?]
Lu Shangyan was now certain that his earlier withdrawal and the selection of the prettiest flower photo were both futile.
He took a deep breath. He used to walk to his part-time job, but lately he gets tired very easily, so he started taking the bus. Even standing and waiting at the bus stop makes him feel tired, so he can only sit down.
He didn't know how to reply to Pei Yumin's message, so he just stared at the screen in a daze. After staring for a while, he realized that his hands and legs were shaking.
Once on the bus, Pei Yumin's message came again, but he didn't continue the previous topic; he just asked him:
[m: Sweet and sour pork ribs or salt and pepper pork ribs?]
Lu Shangyan licked his dry lips and replied:
[s: Cannot be selected.]
[m: Then let's do both.]
[m: I'm going to buy groceries first, I'll pick you up from work later.]
Lu Shangyan did not refuse.
But then he suddenly realized that he never needed to go back to school when things were tough or painful. He had no money for food and went hungry for three and a half days. He didn't feel anything when he just drank raw water from the sink. Not going back to see those aunties was actually a relief for him.
Back in school, people often called him an unwanted wild child, mocking him for always wearing ill-fitting old clothes with unrepaired holes, and for picking up trash at school after school and helping clean up nearby restaurants in exchange for food.
There are too many such things to list even if he talked for a whole day and night. He had long since worn down his so-called self-esteem through these unintentional or deliberate acts of malice, and had developed a thick shell that was not easily pierced.
Now, without his noticing, cracks have appeared in the shell.
He only knew that he was becoming more and more easily wronged, but he didn't know why he had become like this.
Today wasn't a day off, and there wasn't much work to do, so Lu Shangyan sat behind the counter in a daze. He tried to think about things, but his mind remained blank. The girl who worked with him noticed his absent-mindedness and couldn't help but ask him, "Did you break up with your boyfriend?"
Lu Shangyan's unfocused eyes finally refocused: "No."
Li Xiaorui looked at him suspiciously: "What are you thinking? You'll be fined if the supervisor catches you slacking off."
At the mention of money, Lu Shangyan straightened his back and said, "Thank you."
Li Xiaorui was puzzled by Xie's words, and seeing that he wasn't in the mood for small talk, she didn't press him further. However, after less than half a minute, she couldn't help but ask, "Your hand is still bleeding!"
When he climbed out the window, he cut the back of his hand, leaving a shallow wound. The bleeding had stopped on the way from school, so he didn't pay much attention to it.
If Li Xiaorui hadn't cried out, he would have completely forgotten that he was injured. Now, when he looked down again, he realized that the back of his hand was swollen, and even the scratches on his hand looked horrifying.
Li Xiaorui was standing to his right and couldn't see his left hand clearly, but now that she could, she couldn't sit still. She ran to get the first-aid kit, squatted down, and was about to treat his wound: "You need to take good care of this wound, otherwise it will be troublesome if it gets infected and inflamed."
She became increasingly frightened as she spoke, finally widening her eyes: "What if I have to have my arm amputated! This is my hand!"
Lu Shangyan had suffered countless injuries. Even though he was already in such a state, he was still very afraid of dying. Upon hearing this, he pulled his hand back and almost broke out in a cold sweat again.
Li Xiaorui wrapped the gauze properly: "That's enough."
The wound looked gruesome, but once the blood was wiped away, Lu Shangyan was no longer afraid. He thanked her and started checking the time.
It's still early before I get off work.
Li Xiaorui leaned closer and whispered to him, "Who is that person who always picks you up from get off work?"
Lu Shangyan said, "Roommate."
Li Xiaorui raised an eyebrow, giving her an "I know" look, and said in a drawn-out, roundabout way, "Oh~~~"
Lu Shangyan didn't know what she had figured out; he could only tell that her expression was very strange.
Li Xiaorui added, "If I had known, I wouldn't have helped you treat your wound. You should have asked your roommate to take you to the doctor. He would have been very worried about you."
As he said this, his laughter turned wicked.
Lu Shangyan didn't understand, and asked her sincerely, "Will he really feel sorry for me?"
Li Xiaorui said seriously, "Of course! Try it if you don't believe me!"
-
When Pei Yumin came to pick him up from get off work, this time she didn't wait for him in the car as he had requested, but instead sat in the hotel lobby half an hour early to wait for him.
Pei Yumin stared at him as soon as he came in, which almost caused Lu Shangyan to make a mistake when registering guests. In the end, he couldn't stand it anymore and hid behind her to send a message to Pei Yumin.
[s: Stop looking at me.]
Pei Yumin didn't answer him. Instead, he stood up and walked towards him: "Why?"
Lu Shangyan frowned slightly, then gestured with his eyes for him to sit back down.
Li Xiaorui covered her mouth and chuckled to herself as she heard the seemingly random remark. Although she didn't understand it, she thought it was a secret code between the two of them.
Pei Yumin didn't leave. He bent down and leaned on the counter again, looking up at Lu Shangyan. Just as he was about to speak again, he saw a flash of white. He peeked over and realized that Lu Shangyan was injured: "How did you get hurt?"
His tone was much more serious than before, and Li Xiaorui stopped laughing, only eavesdropping.
Lu Shangyan said, "It was an accidental scratch."
Pei Yumin ran around the counter to him, took his phone, and took pictures of his hand from both sides: "In this situation, you can ask Tang... ask Song Yuxin for workers' compensation."
As she spoke, she was about to send the photos to Song Yuxin, secretly signaling him to give her more.
Lu Shangyan said, "It was marked out at the school."
Pei Yumin turned off the screen, acting as if nothing had happened, and then forced a smile and sat back down: "Well, there's nothing I can do then. I'll just have to add an extra pig's trotter tonight to help you recover."
"Chicken feet are fine too, it's all about using the principle of 'like cures like'."
Before Lu Shangyan could even speak, Li Xiaorui couldn't help but exclaim, "What a good husband!"
Pei Yumin finally noticed that there was someone else next to her, and looked at her with a look of certainty.
He has finally met someone who understands him so well!
-
After returning home, Pei Yumin cooked in the kitchen, while Lu Shangyan, covered in dust, went to take a shower first.
Pei Yumin took the opportunity to send the photos to Tang Suichen.
[m: Chen Shuo did it.]
[m: Is that person you found reliable? It's been several days and there's still no news. If it really doesn't work, I'll think of another way soon.]
[Delicious and Juicy Little Orange: I was busy with my date this afternoon and forgot to tell you that I've taken care of everything you asked me to do.]
[Delicious Juicy Little Orange: Did Chen Shuo hurt his hand? I think he probably cut himself while climbing through the window.]
[m: Climbing out the window was to teach Chen Shuo a lesson; he's definitely involved! He should be held responsible!]
Tang Suichen dared not provoke him at this time, and went along with his suggestion: [Should we send him tomorrow afternoon?]
[m: Lu Shangyan finishes class at 4:20 PM tomorrow. Tell him to go find Chen Shuo five minutes earlier.]
Tang Suichen had a headache, but could only say okay.
The sound of water came from the bathroom again. Pei Yumin put his phone back into the front pocket of his apron, which was printed with little pufferfish, and peeked out at the closed bathroom door.
For some reason, he couldn't help but walk to the bathroom door. He held his breath, but even so, he couldn't hide it for long before Lu Shangyan called his name: "Pei Yumin? What are you doing standing at the door?"
Pei Yumin stood up straight immediately, like a primary school student caught doing something wrong: "Isn't your hand injured? I was worried it would be inconvenient for you to take a shower, so I was wondering if you wanted me to help you."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shangyan, who was standing steadily on the ground, slipped and said: "No, no need."
He used to not think there was anything wrong with two men taking a bath together, but now the thought of being naked with Pei Yumin, or rather, being naked alone, makes his skin crawl and his breathing become labored.
Pei Yumin responded, but did not leave; he remained standing there.
Lu Shangyan looked at the dark figure at the door, quickly rinsed the foam off his body with his left hand, and put on his pajamas without drying himself properly.
The clothes were his old ones, long since loose and baggy, no longer absorbing water and drooping down. When he went out, he was always damp, with half of his shoulder exposed and several small, fingernail-sized holes in the chest.
Pei Yumin saw it at a glance, glanced at it, quickly looked away, but looked back again after only two seconds, looking at it repeatedly: "It's not even that hot today, aren't you cold wearing such thin clothes at night?"
Lu Shangyan didn't understand what he meant. Not only did he not change his clothes, but when he sat down, he tucked his shirt under his buttocks, making the already not very elastic shirt cling tightly to his body.
Pei Yumin sat opposite him, experiencing for the first time the agony of having a huge appetite but being unable to eat.
That night, after Lu Shangyan fell asleep, he placed his hand on the wall, thinking that Lu Shangyan's bed was also against this wall, and that he and Lu Shangyan were only separated by a wall.
His suppressed breathing grew heavier, and his hands moved faster and faster...
Until his forehead pressed against the wall and he let out a heavy sigh, the world finally quieted down, and everything was over.
The next day, after Lu Shangyan got up, Pei Yumin didn't dare to look him in the eye.
Even after he went to school, Lu Shangyan didn't find a chance to ask him why he changed his underwear three times a day. He said that if he got any urological diseases, he should seek medical attention in time, otherwise it would be very difficult to deal with!
He had been looking for a suitable breakthrough to persuade Pei Yumin, since this matter was quite damaging to a man's pride.
He didn't find a suitable opportunity until school was over, but he did see Chen Shuo at the school gate.
A boy was affectionately hugging his neck: "Honey, you haven't come to see me in so long, have you forgotten about me?"
"But a while ago, when you were in bed, you held me very tightly and whispered in my ear that you would love me, this little devil, forever."
A note from the author:
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Pei Yumin: My wife won't let me watch her shower, I'm so sad, waaaaaah [cat paw]
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