5.10 – Host, why do you have to make trouble?!
The scene was awkward. The man’s half-hard part was pressed against him, making Xue Ling's scalp numb. Even if he had improved his current body's stats, it was still a weak and frail youth and there was no point in attempting to resist. He kept his face blank, lips pressed tightly together as he stared at the other party.
Zhan Shaoxi’s hand stalled. He also knew that he had been inappropriate just now - he had not been so close to Xue Ling ever since they had gotten married, and for him to make such an indecent move was a little improper.
The person in his arms was his wife, one that he had formally and openly married, and was the person he thought of day and night, the sweetheart he tried hard to please every day. Zhan Shaoxi really couldn't hold back any longer.
He had thought before that his wife might be better suitable for men’s clothing, but he had not that his heartbeat would speed up so much when she really dressed up as a man.
There was a voice in his head that made itself known, saying that this person was undeniably the love of his life. His life would only be complete if he held her firmly in his grasp, and kept her by his side. Originally, he had been pleased with the person in front of him, but now, the desire to possess her was especially strong.
He bowed his head and kissed Xue Ling’s head again. “Madame, don’t keep looking at me. Your husband is worried he won't be able to control himself and hurt you right here."
Xue Ling sneered and said, “The great General should be a little less shameless. What do you want to do?"
“I want to be close to my wife.~” He hugged Xue Ling, and there was a smile on his lips as he said, “Although I don’t want to do anything to my wife without her approval, my self-control is not that good. It is particularly easy for me to lose control when Madame tempts me."
Xue Ling: “…”
“The men in the barracks are in their prime of life. How can my wife make me hold back all the time? I can only look, but can't touch~"
Xue Ling's expression was very dark. He really wanted to hit the man. “If you can’t hold back, you can go and find someone else!”
“Madame’s remark is a little strange.” Zhan Shaoxi pinched his chin, his eyes filled with a hungry light that seemed to want to eat him alive. He grinned and continued, “I have a wife. Why should I find someone else to solve my frustrations? Does my Lady Wife want me to find someone outside of marriage?" He meditated for a moment, and rejected the suggestion by himself. “That’s no good. Lady Wife should be more conscious of her responsibilities and look after her own husband herself."
Xue Ling: “…” Why did he suddenly see the shadow of Augustine from his previous life on this man?
“I already handed over the reins to my wife, but why has my Lady Wife always been reluctant to take over?”
Xue Ling narrowed his eyes and wrapped his hand around his neck. “You want to know?” He was close, his lips were a little light, a little pink, making Zhan Shaoxi feel a little addicted.
“Yes.” His voice was very deep, like it had been suppressed to the utmost.
Xue Ling could clearly feel that the man's lower body had swelled up even more. “Good.” There was laughter in his voice as he reached out and untied his belt.
Zhan Shaoxi’s throat convulsed as he swallowed, and his eyes were dark.
Xue Ling did not spread open his clothes. He only created a small gap big enough for someone to put their hand in. He grabbed both of Zhan Shaoxi’s hands with his own, and the sound of his laughter slid by the General's ear as he said, "Then I'll tell you." One hand went up, one hand went down.
One hand rested on his chest, and the other hand was placed on his lower body.
Watching the other's face change from the initial red flush to an expression of doubt and uncertainty, which then turned strange, before an expression of shock filled his face, Xue Ling smiled in satisfaction. He kept his posture unchanged, smile wide as he hovered by the man's ear. The sound of a youth whose voice had not yet broken and changed was a bit soft, but when he was no longer faking a woman's voice, it sounded like a pearl landing on the ground. In Zhan Shaoxi’s ears, his voice was like music from Heaven. “Now you know, hm?”
Xue Ling had thought that the man would be frightened enough to toss him away, or at very least not continue to hug him and put him down, but apparently he had misjudged the man’s psychological level. After learning such earth-shattering information, the man only changed his expressions slightly at the beginning before his arms tightened. He frowned as he asked, “Who else knows?”
Xue Ling shrugged his shoulders. “Right now, you are the only one. How many people know in the future will depend on Lord Husband.”
Listening to him using his normal voice to call him 'husband' was like an aphrodisiac for Zhan Shaoxi, but now was not the time to have his way with him, so he forced himself to calm down and said, “I won't tell anyone. You should not tell a second person either." His eyes were deep, filled with tenderness as he looked at Xue Ling, and carried lots and lots of heartache and protectiveness. “It must have been very hard, so many years…"
It had not actually been him for those 'many years'. Xue Ling didn't really feel anything, but looking at the man’s current appearance, he still lowered his head and started up his acting mode. He clutched at Zhan Shaoxi’s sleeve, opened his mouth and slowly began to speak, “At first, it was not the case, because when I was young, I didn’t know how different I was from others…” He gave a bitter laugh. “My mother told me from an early age not to let others see my body, because otherwise I would die, so I have been protecting this secret to death for so many years. My mother passed away, and now I’m the only one in the world who knew about this. I was frightened, and I was very careful every day when I lived in the palace."
Zhan Shaoxi felt his heart ache, cradling Xue Ling's head into his own chest. He completely missed the rolling eyes that the teenager, and did not see that there was not half a point of sadness on his face at all, although the words that came out of his mouth still carried a strong sense of timidity. “And when I reached fifteen, Brother Emperor promised me to you. I thought the whole world was going to collapse. Countless times, I wondered what I should do if I was found out on the wedding night."
Zhan Shaoxi's eyes were heavy-lidded; he looked down and placed a kiss on Xue Ling's head.
“Then you said those words.” He buried his head in Zhan Shaoxi’s chest, and his shoulders shook slightly. In reality, he was laughing, but Zhan Shaoxi felt that he was crying. “I thought at that time that it was very good that way, and I could still prolong my life for a while.”
Zhan Shaoxi was rather anxious. He pulled Xue Ling out from his embrace, and lifted the little face with its reddened eyes and kissed it lightly. “It’s all right, even if I know the truth, I won't speak about it. You are my life. How could I bear to give you up?”
“When the Emperor took the throne, he killed almost all his brothers in order to prevent future trouble. If I were not a Princess, I would not be able to stand in front of you now anyway… If you spread it out, I'll just be going according to my initial fate…" He looked down. His eyelashes were trembling, his acting was brilliant as he pretended to be pitiful, and the system to one side was tongue-tied.
“It won't happen.” Zhan Shaoxi once again promised, “I will never tell anyone about it. If I break my oath, then I will be struck by thunder every day.”
Xue Ling secretly curved his lips as he continued, “You showed your intentions time and again, and I did not respond, not because my heart is made of stone, but because I have a man's body…" He paused, seeming to have made up his mind, and said, “I’m grateful to you for taking me in and hiding my secret. I can’t be your wife, but I can arrange more concubines for you. If you really have a loved one, you can welcome them to the back court, and I absolutely won't say anything. You don't have to worry about my Brother Emperor's side, either."
Zhan Shaoxi’s hooded eyes darkened. He pressed against Xue Ling’s shoulder, bowed his head and caught his lips.
This was the first kiss they had shared. One was timid, trying to dodge with a panicked look on his face, and the other was a powerful tyrant who wished to crush the entire person in his arms into his own body.
Lips and tongues entangled, and the scene was filled bright colours and rich fragrances, arousal heavy in the air.
The system covered its face with its paws, its heart crying that this pair of husbands were really good at playing games, and their enjoyment of it was not normal. They even liked to role-play; what was its host doing?
Xue Ling used a lot of strength to push Zhan Shaoxi away. Tears dropped down as he was struggling, and he looked pathetic and pitiful, making people feel their hearts ache terribly.
Zhan Shaoxi gently brushed his cheek and said, “I've said this before. I, Zhan Shaoxi will only have you in my life, so you don’t have to think too much about it. The wife of the General’s Manor will always be the one Wenren Hong."
Xue Ling’s tears had already begun to stream down his face. He felt that his tears would have flowed in vain if he didn't act sad, so he acted stunned, looking blankly at Zhan Shaox. “But… I am a man.”
Zhan Shaoxi seemed to feel his uneasiness, reaching out to hold his hand and smoothly kneading it as he spoke, “I know. Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, I like you. You don’t need to think so much about this. As I said before, even if you don’t do anything, you will be the Lady of the General's Manor, and the only one. So, don't worry and just stay by my side. You don't need to think too much."
Xue Ling finally burst into laughter and said, “Good.”
Zhan Shaoxi was too earnest. He was so serious that even Xue Ling felt it was not so nice to play with his feelings like this, and put down his intention of toying with the other party. He leaned forward and stretched out his arms to hug him.
This action was full of dependence, but he seemed to have done the same thing thousands of times before, his actions not hesitating or dragging at all as he hugged extra hard. “I will remember your words, and you must remember mine. You must never betray me. Otherwise, I will pull you into hell. I will take you to hell even if it means we will go down together."
This was Xue Ling’s most genuine statement. Although he had no idea regarding the man's real identity, but when he was with the other party, his mind was always at peace, and it seemed that all the embarrassment and uneasiness caused by the weakening of his strength disappeared as soon as he met the man. It was as though he and the man were connected by some bond, and no matter how many worlds and lives they went through, they would still meet again.
Even without any memories, the man would fall in love with him again and again.
All the uncertainties and the possibility that he might lose the man's heart at the start had Xue Ling constantly in a state of mental strain ever since he came into this world. Although the man repeatedly confessed, Xue Ling had been unable to believe it due to the peculiarities of the body he inhabited this time.
He had always been worried that if one day, the man could not find him and the person he then fell in love with was not him, what would he do?
Today, the man’s words that seemed to be the most sincere oath cracked open his heart, and made him thoroughly, absolutely, give his heart to the man.
This allowed Xue Ling to really feel at ease, to the point where he wasn't even anticipating the retrieval of his tails, because gathering them all would mean that he would finish his journey. If he couldn’t find the man before then, he also didn’t know what would happen when he lost control.
Zhang Shaoxi held him in his arms, and could feel that his mood was fluctuating again. He patted him on the back to soothe him.
The man waited until Xue Ling had completely calmed down before he spoke again. “Now that we have worked through these matters, can my Lady Wife tell me what you were doing behind my back? What was the purpose of coming here today?"
Xue Ling stiffened, and soon came back to his senses. He curved his lips, leaned against Zhan Shaoxi, and said, “In fact, I’m doing something that requires a very large amount of work.”
“What?”
“Bending a straight man.” He grinned as he said it bluntly, but the man’s expression did not change. He blinked, and felt that Zhan Shaoxi probably had not understood, so he explained further. “It's, uh… Making a man fall for me.”
Zhan Shaoxi narrowed his eyes and asked, “Who is it?”
“Bai Changyan.”
“Lady Wife is so beautiful, anyone you meet will naturally like you.” Zhan Shaoxi reached out and touched his face. “Liking you does not matter, but if he dares to make a move, I will make his life worse than death."
“You're not upset with me for causing trouble and fooling around in improper relationships?"
“As long as Madame is happy, it's fine. In any case, you are already mine. Those people can only see, but cannot eat, and hanging them out to dry is nothing.”
“But you can’t eat it either.”
“…”
System: “…” Host, why do you have to make trouble?!
i loved this chapter sooooo much. ❤ and alamerysl’s off giggling somewhere about the ML still being cockblocked /(///w///)\
editors: alamerysl & BlueBug