Chapter 101 (2): Fufu, I'm not used to sleeping alone, I have insomnia.
After finishing her meal, she tossed the dishes into the dishwasher and turned around, nearly bumping into Liang Huaixu. She was startled and exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
Liang Huaixu said without changing his expression, "I'll learn how to use the dishwasher." Then he took the initiative to clean up the kitchen.
Seeing how enthusiastic he was, Zhuang Fuyao didn't stop him. She washed her hands and went to the studio to brainstorm new paintings.
However, inspiration is not something you can just have whenever you want. When you don't have the desire to create, forcing yourself to create will only make you feel bored and miserable.
Just when she was at her wit's end and extremely frustrated, there were two knocks on the door.
Only she and Liang Huaixu were at home, so she knew who it was without even guessing. Zhuang Fuyao didn't even lift her eyelids and said, "Come in."
Liang Huaixu brought over some fruit and placed it next to her, then forked a piece of honeydew melon that she usually liked and put it to her lips, saying, "Eat some fruit to replenish your vitamins."
Zhuang Fuyao saw the melon in her line of sight and instinctively bit into it. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late. This intimate act of feeding each other fruit seemed inappropriate for their current relationship.
Her gaze shifted somewhat awkwardly. "Um, thank you."
But with my train of thought interrupted like that, the previous agitation seemed to dissipate somewhat.
Liang Huaixu didn't bother her any further. After delivering the fruit, he left.
The phone rang twice on the sofa.
He had just gotten this phone a few days ago. The few and polite chat records between him and Zhuang Fuyao after their divorce on his old phone made him very unhappy, so after he learned how to use a smartphone, he destroyed them so he could pretend he had never seen them.
On her phone was a list of executive information sent by Zhou Ting. Zhuang Fuyao came out right after she finished looking at it.
She had been drawing for a long time without any inspiration and felt listless. She yawned and thought she should take a shower to wake herself up.
But the more I washed, the sleepier I felt.
She knew her own temperament; she was usually tired but couldn't fall asleep. Rather than wasting time aimlessly in bed, she might as well give it a shot.
Nighttime and coffee are her inspiration boosters.
She rolled up her wet hair, fought off her sleepiness, opened her food delivery app, and asked the person sitting on the sofa, "What do you want to eat?"
"No need." Liang Huaixu felt that his current weight was not good enough for a late-night snack.
He never expected that sixteen years later he would also succumb to middle-age weight gain, his weight increasing by twenty pounds compared to when he was young, and he could no longer even see the shadow of his abs, which he strongly objected to.
He was already annoyed enough by inexplicably losing his wife after his soul transmigrated, and now he's not even paying attention to his physique...
He might lose his wife because he doesn't pay attention to his physique.
Zhuang Fuyao is obsessed with looks, so she definitely wouldn't be able to accept him after he gained weight.
He saw a 24-hour gym downstairs in his apartment complex, and he was eager to lose weight. He happened to have some free time now, so he planned to go and exercise.
Zhuang Fuyao saw him walking towards the gate. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to work out for a bit. I saw a gym downstairs."
Zhuang Fuyao, who was getting ready for a late-night snack: "..."
Having not lived with him for so long, she had almost forgotten that he was a shrew. Just as Liang Huaixu opened the door, she called out to him again, "Wait."
"What's wrong?"
Do you know how to use a mobile phone?
"I know a little bit."
Zhuang Fuyao didn't know how much "a little bit" meant, and worried that he wouldn't know how to use a mobile phone after he went out, so she went over to teach him.
"Click here to turn on mobile data, and then here is..."
A faint scent of jasmine wafted over, distracting Liang Huaixu. His breathing unconsciously slowed as he took a deep sniff.
After Zhuang Fuyao finished explaining some basic settings, she switched to WeChat to tell him how to contact her, but her gaze suddenly stopped.
He should know how to use WeChat by now.
Because the chat page shows his chat window with Agnes Chow, and there's also her pinned to the top, with the nickname "Wife".
She didn't know whether Liang Huaixu had always kept this nickname or if he had just changed it in the last couple of days.
With mixed feelings, Zhuang Fuyao handed the phone back, saying, "Anyway, if you encounter anything you can't handle after you go out, feel free to contact me anytime."
"Okay," he answered obediently. Before leaving, he asked, "Where will I sleep when I get back tonight?"
Zhuang Fuyao was puzzled for a moment, "Of course it's your room. Have you forgotten that we had a fight and are living separately?"
He paused for a few seconds, then asked, "Why did we argue? Did you or I cheat on you?"
"...Not at all."
Liang Huaixu lowered his eyelashes, his tone somewhat aggrieved, "If it's just a normal argument, could you please not implicate me, who is currently unaware of the situation?"
Zhuang Fuyao was just wondering what this "joint punishment" meant when she heard him say, "Fufu, I'm not used to sleeping alone, I have insomnia."
Zhuang Fuyao recalled that Liang Huaixu did have insomnia when he was young. Even if she was out with her friends until two or three in the morning, he would always wait for her to come back before going to sleep. When he was on a business trip, he would be unable to sleep for night after night.
Every time I come home from a business trip, I have huge dark circles under my eyes.
Zhuang Fuyao couldn't explain to him why they were being punished together, nor could she solve his problem of insomnia from sleeping alone. After weighing the options, she had no choice but to agree to his request.
They haven't dated anyone else in the past five years, so there's no moral issue since they're sleeping in the same bed.
It's the same whether you're sleeping on the left or right, it's not much different from sleeping on two separate beds.
"Okay, but I have to paint all night tonight. Go and rest when you get back, don't wait for me."
"good."
Having received the answer he wanted, Liang Huaixu went to the gym with satisfaction.
After finishing my practice, I went home to shower and then went into her room.
Lying in bed, he took a deep sniff of the blanket, inhaling her scent.
The anxiety I felt over the past five days has dissipated considerably.
-
In the art studio, Zhuang Fuyao was in a state of high spirits after finishing her coffee. She had left a pile of discarded drafts on the floor, along with empty coffee cups and empty takeout boxes.
Over the years, she has lived alone without a nine-to-five job, so her life has become lax, and she has developed many bad habits.
For example, when she stays up late drawing, besides drinking coffee, she also likes to eat high-sugar, high-calorie foods.
She knew this lifestyle was unhealthy, but bad habits are hard to break once formed, and since she wasn't a very self-disciplined person, she had let herself go until now.
The crumpled paper rolled to the ground. She tore up another version of the drawing, glanced at the time—three in the morning.
For her, who was planning to stay up all night, it was still early. She picked up her paintbrush and was about to continue when she suddenly remembered Liang Huaixu.
Will he have trouble sleeping when she's not by his side?
Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but tomorrow he has to go back to Changting to take charge of the overall situation. Without the memories of these sixteen years, it will be a tough task to fool those old guys in the group. If he doesn't get enough rest, the difficulty level will increase dramatically.
Zhuang Fuyao became increasingly uneasy and decided to go back to her room to check on things first.
Inside the room, Liang Huaixu was sitting on the bed reading a book, wearing glasses. The warm orange light made his nose appear very straight.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" she asked.
Liang Huaixu put down his book and said, "I can't sleep without you by my side."
Zhuang Fuyao sighed inwardly and decided not to go back to painting. After brushing her teeth, she lay down with him. However, she didn't think she could fall asleep after drinking coffee, so she just planned to close her eyes and rest.
There was a wide distance between them. She made an excuse, "I'm used to sleeping alone now. If you get too close, I won't be able to sleep."
Liang Huaixu knew her concerns and responded cooperatively.
After a while, Zhuang Fuyao added, "Also, you know, we're thirty-eight years old now."
"Yes, I know."
"Many couples our age don't have much of a sex life anymore, and neither do we. In fact, I'm quite used to it. If you're not, you can find someone else outside—"
Suddenly, a pair of large hands grabbed her waist, interrupting her movement.
Upon hearing this, Liang Huaixu frowned and bit her earlobe as punishment. "Anything is fine, just don't say this. I won't, and you won't allow it."
The hard touch pressed against her, a long-lost sensation that made Zhuang Fuyao's heart pound. With a hint of anger, she said, "What did I say?"
"I'm sorry," Liang Huaixu said regretfully, moving to a safe distance.
Neither of them spoke again after that; the bedroom was so quiet that you could almost hear each other breathing.
Surprisingly, Zhuang Fuyao, who had only intended to close her eyes and rest, quickly fell asleep and slept soundly and deeply.
When she woke up the next day, her first feeling was: refreshed and invigorated.
My second thought: Something's not right.
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