Chapter 32: Fending Off Suitors
As the date for leaving on work grew closer and closer, An Yi couldn’t help becoming more and more nervous.
Although he had always liked design, because he had lived in the countryside all his life, his learning conditions had been extremely limited. His real exposure to the field, the circle, and the knowledge had only come after the An family brought him back from the mountains. Counting it all up, his personal experience and knowledge amounted to just one year at most.
The studios chosen by the brand all had some degree of background, yes, but their work also had real merit. If they could catch the brand’s eye, then in summary, those people were both rich and hardworking.
An Yi fell into a state of considerable anxiety.
So in the few days before departure, the moment he opened his eyes at home, he was reading and studying, not returning to his room until late into the night, often after midnight. After all, once he got to the brand’s place, the competition would probably consume most of his energy, and he wouldn’t have time to read then.
As a result, less than five months into the marriage, Huo Beixing had already fallen to the state of guarding an empty bed alone.
First, his wife hugged the ugly doll to sleep.
Then, his wife stayed in the study learning and didn’t come back to the room.
Huo Beixing felt this couldn’t go on. His wife was leaving in a few days, yet their time together was being cut down more and more.
Runaway Bride, Where Are You Escaping To had also said that when a married couple slept in separate beds for too long, either their feelings had grown cold, or one of them snored.
Huo Beixing didn’t snore.
And he absolutely refused to let their relationship grow cold.
That made divorce too easy.
So, in order to live a normal married man’s post-wedding life, he immediately launched the battle to defend the love in his marriage. He had no idea where he’d gathered several different versions of ghost stories from, but during the day, whenever An Yi came out of the study, he would repeatedly whisper them in his ear, hoping to scare him into relying on him.
He told the stories with full emotion and vivid expression.
When the ghost in the story lifted the protagonist high into the air, Huo Beixing would also make a sudden move and hoist An Yi right up, letting him breathe the fresh air at one meter ninety.
When the ghost in the story threw the protagonist down from a height, Little Frog would be tossed onto the bed by one-meter-ninety Huo Beixing.
When the ghost in the story got handsy with the protagonist, Huo Beixing would also get handsy with An Yi.
Whatever the ghost did, he did too.
He absolutely had to make An Yi experience the best possible immersive listening experience.
To that, An Yi: ……
Just endure it. What else could he do, divorce him?
After all, Huo Beixing’s condition hadn’t started only a day or two ago, and he, as the long-suffering wife who refused to leave him, could only accept his fate. Who told him that the marriage vows had included the line about whether in sickness or in wealth? Huo Beixing happened to cover both—no more, no less. The vows were fully accounted for.
An Yi: 🙂
Very happy indeed.
After finishing a story, Huo Beixing would look extremely satisfied with his ghost-story performance, hug An Yi, and ask eagerly, “Wife, how was it? Are you scared?”
Looking at Huo Beixing’s expectant peach blossom eyes, An Yi said, “…So scared, so scared.”
After receiving that reading-comprehension answer, joy appeared on Huo Beixing’s face, and his peach blossom eyes narrowed in satisfaction. He leaned near An Yi’s ear and said softly, “It’s okay, wife. I’ll protect you. If you get scared, you can come find me.”
For example, at bedtime.
Seeing that Huo Beixing had just finished Story One and was about to begin Story Two, An Yi asked curiously, “Where did you even hear all these ghost stories?”
The man normally had no interest in this kind of thing. Huo Beixing only liked melodramatic TV dramas.
Huo Beixing did not answer directly. “Wife, you just need to listen to the story.”
He couldn’t let his wife get distracted.
After all the ghost stories were finished, a smug expression appeared on Huo Beixing’s face. Tonight, his wife would definitely come back early and sleep with him.
And yet, at one in the morning, An Yi still had not come back from the study, and Huo Beixing, unlike usual, had not fallen asleep either.
Huo Beixing lay there staring at the ceiling, his head full of all the ghost stories he had told An Yi.
Huo Beixing: ……
They were really too scary!
Huo Dabao, who had already needed his wife before, now needed him even more.
To make matters worse—
At the same time, Zhao Ningzhuo lay under his blanket with bloodshot eyes, not daring to let even a single strand of hair show.
Damn it, he never should have gone looking for those ghost stories.
Then suddenly, something unknown in the room made a pat sound.
Zhao Ningzhuo: ……
AHHHHHHHHHHH!
Don’t tell me there really are ghosts?!!!
Huo Beixing! What are you going to use to repay what you owe me?!!!
The day before departure, An Yi brought out his suitcase and planned to start packing. To keep Gu Lingling from getting suspicious, he had specially gone to the mall and bought a gray suitcase with no brand on it. The last time he went to beat up a scumbag, he had been far too conspicuous. He couldn’t let her grow suspicious again. The suitcase looked ordinary and unremarkable—if anything, it was even a little rustic.
But as long as it could hold things, that was enough. Real men never discriminated.
He was mainly going to the brand’s place for the competition and daily living. Half a month in an unfamiliar place—it was better to prioritize comfort above all.
After all, both the competition and the sketching would consume a great deal of energy, and there wouldn’t be much time to spend on dressing up. A comfortable environment and state of mind were more beneficial to creativity.
An Yi walked into the walk-in closet and immediately set his sights on his oversized T-shirts. Loose and easy to wear, they were excellent whether for going out or for sleeping in as pajamas. They had great elasticity, never deformed no matter how much they were tugged, and the price was beautiful too—fifty yuan for ten pieces.
After counting and confirming there were ten in all, An Yi scooped them all into his arms, planning to stuff them into the suitcase. Five as outerwear, five as sleepwear. All ten garments had their own mission. He picked his pants with the same principle—easy and loose.
But when he came out of the closet holding the clothes, he saw Huo Beixing standing in front of his open suitcase, looking deeply troubled.
Then, bending down, Huo Beixing pulled out a hunky-men magazine An Yi had already packed inside.
An Yi: ……
Holding the magazine in his hand, Huo Beixing turned around and looked at him with grievance all over his face. “Wife, aren’t you going there to work? Then why are you bringing this?!”
An Yi’s scalp tingled, and he stood there hugging his clothes in silence for a few seconds.
Huo Beixing was unhappy. “Wife, why aren’t you saying anything?”
An Yi: ……
Because he hadn’t thought of an excuse yet.
An Yi stepped forward, took the hunky-men magazine from his hand, then lifted his head and gave Huo Beixing a shy look with those grape-like eyes. “Because I can’t bear to be apart from you, so I’m taking it with me.”
Huo Beixing was a little moved by the way An Yi looked at him. He raised a hand and tugged him a little closer, wanting him nearer.
“Because you can’t bear to be apart from me?”
An Yi nodded and started improvising. “Last time I looked at these books, it was because you weren’t at home. I missed you, so I looked at them. Now it’s my turn not to be home. I have to go out for work, but I still can’t bear not seeing you, and I’ll miss you, so that’s why I’m bringing the book—looking at it is like thinking of you.”
Huo Beixing remembered now. The reason his wife had looked at those books last time was because the men in them had chest muscles and abs like his.
In the end, they were all just his stand-ins.
In order for An Yi to think of him every second, Huo Beixing slapped the hunky-men magazine right back into the suitcase.
An Yi: 🙂
Hehe~
Huo Beixing looked at the clothes in An Yi’s arms, plain white and ordinary.
Then something occurred to him. “Wife, when you get there, will anyone wash your clothes for you?”
An Yi didn’t know. “Probably not?”
After all, there weren’t many studios going, but each studio had quite a few people. They would probably provide a place for laundry and changing clothes, but it would likely be self-service.
Since childhood, An Yi had always washed his own clothes. He didn’t think much of it. It was just ordinary housework.
The moment Huo Beixing heard that, he instantly didn’t want An Yi to go anymore.
They weren’t even going to help his wife wash his clothes!!
But clearly, not going was impossible, so Huo Beixing walked into the closet and came out ten minutes later carrying a large pile of his own clothes.
“Wife, take all of these with you. Change into one set each day.”
He couldn’t bear to let An Yi wash his own clothes.
Since no one would wash them for him, then his wife could just wear a different set every day. As long as there was no repetition, that solved it.
Every one of Huo Beixing’s clothes was extremely expensive. Pick any piece at random, and it came with multiple zeros attached. Several were even limited editions from luxury brands, long sold out and no longer available. When they all came crashing down onto the suitcase, the white T-shirts already inside instantly looked like scraps of rag cloth.
An Yi: ……
An Yi had wanted to refuse. After all, Huo Beixing was taller than him and had a larger frame. But Huo Beixing insisted on making him take them. In the end, after carefully negotiating with him, An Yi only brought a few outer layers.
Even so, Huo Beixing felt that was nowhere near enough. First he took several watches from the watch cabinet, then he went to fetch An Yi a whole pile of sneakers and accessories.
A suitcase worth one hundred yuan was forcibly packed into being worth several hundred times that amount.
Suitcase: I have suddenly become noble.
Looking at the bulging, overstuffed suitcase that looked ready to vomit its contents out at any second, An Yi pressed his lips together.
It was bearing the unbearable weight of life.
The next morning, Huo Beixing had swim class. After breakfast, he left carrying his large sports bag. At first, he hadn’t actually intended to go, because An Yi was leaving that very morning for the competition. By the time swim class ended and he returned, An Yi would already be gone.
But if Huo Beixing stayed at home, An Yi wouldn’t be able to leave at all.
Uncle Zhong had to reason with him over and over again before finally persuading him to go to class.
After breakfast, An Yi dragged the heavy suitcase downstairs. He didn’t leave right away, but first contacted Gu Lingling. The brand’s enclosed environment had been set up temporarily and was located in the outskirts. Since Gu Lingling was a woman and also had luggage, An Yi planned to bring her along.
As soon as Gu Lingling received the message, she sped up her packing.
Once she sent word that she was ready, An Yi dragged the suitcase out the door. Uncle Zhong saw him off with some people. After saying goodbye, An Yi got into the car.
Standing outside the car, the driver bent down toward the window and said, “Young Master An Yi, I’m going to fetch a few things and will be right back.”
An Yi nodded and sat inside to wait.
Soon, the car door opened from outside—but not the driver’s seat. It was the rear seat where An Yi was sitting.
Thinking the driver had something too large for the trunk, An Yi asked, “Is there something you need to put inside?”
The next moment, Huo Beixing’s tall figure came into view.
Clearly, he had just gone through intense exercise and was still breathing hard. His black hair, slicked back, was only half dry as he bent down and got into the car.
The scent of Huo Beixing rushed straight at him, and An Yi froze slightly. Wasn’t he supposed to be in swim class right now?
“Huo—mmph…”
Huo Beixing raised a hand and covered An Yi’s mouth. With a bit of force, he pushed him down against the back seat, leaned over him, and rather roughly yanked open the collar of An Yi’s shirt before lowering his head to bury himself at An Yi’s neck and shoulder.
An Yi’s scalp went numb. He only felt a sharp pain at the side of his neck and instinctively gave a muffled whimper. Huo Beixing covered his mouth and nose to stop him from making a sound. An Yi whimpered helplessly, beginning to feel faintly suffocated, desperately drawing in air through the gaps between the man’s fingers. His legs kicked wildly at Huo Beixing’s waist, but his abdomen and upper body were pinned down by the man’s hips so firmly that no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t get free. Huo Beixing’s other hand gripped the back of An Yi’s neck, preventing him from thrashing around while trying to tilt his head away, and held him there, sucking on him for a long time.
“Mmph! Mmph… mmph…”
One large hand pinned down one of An Yi’s flailing legs, and Huo Beixing coaxed, “Wife, it’ll be over soon.”
Only after leaving behind a glaring mark on An Yi’s neck did he finally stop.
Because of the lack of oxygen, An Yi’s face was flushed bright red, and tears had been forced out at the corners of his eyes. His lips were parted as he stared blankly at Huo Beixing.
Huo Beixing tidied up An Yi’s collar where he had pulled it open, then reached up and ruffled his face once.
Smiling brilliantly, he stepped back out of the car. “Wife, remember not to drink dirty water.”
After getting out, he stood in front of the car in an extremely good mood. At the swimming hall, he had just heard someone say that when a wife was going away, if you left a conspicuous mark on him so others knew he was already taken, it would reduce a lot of romantic advances.
Since An Yi was leaving that morning, Huo Beixing had run all the way out of the swimming hall with his hair still half wet. Luckily, he had made it in time.
Looking at the mark on An Yi’s neck, Huo Beixing’s flirtatious peach blossom eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
An Yi sat frozen for several seconds, then looked at his own faintly throbbing neck through the rearview mirror. There, on the side of it, was an extremely conspicuous purplish-red mark.
An Yi: ……
Beast… absolute beast!!!!!
When the driver came back, he saw An Yi slumped weakly in the back seat, looking out at Huo Beixing standing outside the car. He assumed the young master was just unwilling to part and feeling sad.
“Young Master An Yi, it’s alright. You’ll be back in half a month. No need to miss Young Master too much.”
An Yi: ……
Right now, he wanted nothing more than for that man to vanish from sight.
After guarding and guarding and guarding against it, Swallowing Little Frog Alive II had finally premiered after all.
The driver started the car, went to pick up Gu Lingling first, and only then headed toward the destination.
Gu Lingling stared wide-eyed at the luxury car in front of her. Even if she neither ate nor drank for several lifetimes, she still couldn’t afford to ride in a car like this. She got in carefully, afraid of breaking something. “An… An Yi, why are you…”
Why was An Yi using such an inhumanly extravagant car to pick her up?
Did he win the lottery?!!!
An Yi quickly cut her off and launched into his excuse. “This uncle was kind enough to hear that I was also going to the outskirts, so he offered us a ride on the way. Isn’t that right, Uncle?”
The driver said, “Of course.”
Gu Lingling expressed her thanks. She discovered that their Pink Crystal Maiden Heart really did seem to have a bit of luck on its side.
“Thank you so much. By the way, Uncle, what are you going to the outskirts for?”
Driver: ……
Did this section even have any lines for him?
Looking at Gu Lingling’s probing gaze, the driver stiffly pushed through it. “Visiting graves.”
An Yi: ……
Gu Lingling: ……
It was obvious enough that the man had tried his best with that excuse.
There were still more than three hours to drive before reaching the outskirts. For almost the entire duration, An Yi slept in the car.
For the past few days, An Yi had been staying up late every night reading materials and was exhausted. Seeing the faint bluish shadows under his eyes, Gu Lingling didn’t disturb him. She only woke him after they arrived.
Although the enclosed competition venue had been built only temporarily, the brand had plenty of money and had rented out a fairly vast piece of land.
The luxurious architecture echoed the classic image associated with the brand. Gu Lingling lifted her head to look at the entrance, dumbfounded. It was her first time ever coming to such an imposing place.
An Yi got out of the car dragging his suitcase, secretly waving goodbye to the driver.
Not far away, Lin Jiu stood beside a suitcase of his own, waiting at the entrance. No one knew how long he’d been there.
Just like An Yi’s plain white T-shirt and black pants, Lin Jiu’s clothes were also extremely simple—black T-shirt, white trousers, with not a single eye-catching element from head to toe.
The only splash of color among the three of them was Gu Lingling in her red dress. Red suited her best.
An Yi and Lin Jiu each held one suitcase, while Gu Lingling’s two were split between the two men.
Just as the three of them were about to move forward, a small cargo truck drove up, and they stepped aside.
A security guard came out and asked what the truck was delivering.
The driver rolled down the window. “Luggage.”
Gu Lingling said, “The brand also transports luggage for contestants? I never heard about that.”
The guard asked, “How many people’s?”
The driver replied, “One person’s.”
The three of them: ……
Poverty truly limited the imagination.
Lin Jiu looked at the dark circles under An Yi’s eyes. “You haven’t rested well lately?”
An Yi answered, “I’m okay. Just looked over materials for a few days.”
Lin Jiu asked, “Until what time?”
An Yi said, “Two or three, I guess.”
Gu Lingling hadn’t expected An Yi to work this hard. “Then what time do you get up every morning?”
An Yi answered honestly, “Seven.”
Gu Lingling was shocked. “Then what about your health?”
An Yi waved a hand. “It’s fine. Someone praised me for being sturdy.”
Lin Jiu asked, “The King of Hell?”
An Yi: ……
