Chapter 1: You Are No Longer My Husband

The first rain of Fall came, washing away all the stubborn humidity and heat of late summer, and crushing the fallen golden ginkgo leaves downstairs from the old house into the mud.

Chen Yuchuan, who was wearing only a white shirt, stepped over a puddle and walked downstairs. Standing under the eaves, he grabbed hold of the gate and looked back. The figure who had just dropped him off had disappeared.

He shook his numb and swollen hand and cursed loudly in the direction of the entrance of the community. “Fuck, trying to take advantage of me. See if I don’t fucking kick your crotch into mush. Fuck…”

After scolding, he grumbled a few more times, looked up at the dark steps, and coughed twice when the cold wind swept past him.

The dim, damp light was on, revealing wet steps.

He took two steps forward and grabbed onto the stair railing, his body swaying.

When he reached the fifth floor and stood in front of the door to his place, he took the key out from his pocket and was suddenly stunned.

Although he’d drank a bit more than usual today, he hadn’t reached the point of forgetfulness. He had always had the habit of checking the door lock before going out and after returning home, so that he still clearly remembered that when he had locked the door in the morning, he had turned the key two times.

After drinking, his reaction was a bit slow. In the past, he would have thought that a thief had entered the house, but now, the first thing that popped into his mind was that Lu Yang had returned from his business trip.

The moment this possibility appeared, he became a little surprised, and the corners of his eyes curled. He hadn’t seen Lu Yang in a week.

He’d missed him a little. No, not a little, he’d missed him a lot.

But once the dullness had dissipated, the happiness and joy of Lu Yang’s return abruptly sank, and loneliness rose little by little.

Sneering at himself, he opened the door. Once inside, he stood on the carpet in front of the door and swept his gaze around. The lights in the house were all on.

He had guessed correctly. It was Lu Yang.

Lu Yang stood at the door of the bedroom, his left shoulder leaning against the doorframe, standing on long legs.

They hadn’t seen each other for a week, but Chen Yuchuan could still easily see that Lu Yang had lost a little weight, his hair had grown a little, and dark circles clung underneath his eyes.

In the past two years, Lu Yang had been becoming increasingly busier and busier. Before this business trip to City A, he had been working overtime for half a month straight, and when he left the house a week ago, he still had to call his assistant to confirm his itinerary.

It was clear that he hadn’t slept well this week. His entire person looked a little tired, and his eyes had a bit of impatience in them.

But Lu Yang was Lu Yang after all. No matter what, these little peculiarities had no effect on him at all, as he still looked as dignified and refined as before.

Lu Yang’s expression was detached, his eyelids slightly lowered. He was wearing a pressed, textured black suit, and his tie was tied meticulously around his neck.

There were several places under construction downstairs, and there were many puddles, but Lu Yang’s pants were still spotless.

Chen Yuchuan looked away after a moment and his gaze dropped down to the open suitcase at Lu Yang’s feet. Many of Lu Yang’s things were neatly organized inside, all of which were things that had once been stored in the wardrobe and drawers inside the bedroom.

He then recalled that Lu Yang had sent him a WeChat message three days ago, saying that he would come back to collect some things.

Chen Yuchuan closed the door behind him, and no longer looking at Lu Yang, he lowered his head to take off his shoes.

Compared to Lu Yang, Chen Yuchuan looked the worst for wear.

When he went out in the morning, he had discovered that it was still raining, but he was too lazy to go back and get an umbrella. Earlier, he’d gotten caught in the rain as he walked from the parking space to the stairway, and still had even fought the taxi driver.

Now, his shirt collar was wrinkled, and his hair in front clung wetly to his forehead, still dripping water down his cheeks. His shoulders and back were also wet, and his wet clothes were sticking to his skin, making him uncomfortable.

His shirt cuffs were rolled up a few times, revealing forearms that looked cold under the light. There were mud spots on the cuffs of his pants and ankles, as well as on his leather shoes.

The back of his hand was still hurting, and there was a small scrape on his knuckles.

He’d accidentally scratched it against the rough bark of a tree next to him when he was fighting the taxi driver.

Even though Chen Yuchuan was still by the doorway, Lu Yang could smell the strong stench of alcohol on his body and see that eye-catching redness and swelling at the back of his hand. He could also vaguely make out the smooth lines of muscle on his lower abdomen through his wet shirt.

His eyes darkened, and his lips thinned. He asked in a deep voice, “You came so late? Have you been drinking outside?”

Chen Yuchuan snorted coldly through his nose and didn’t respond. He leaned on one hand against the wall and used the other hand to unbutton his wet shirt. His fingers weren’t as flexible as usual, and with two buttons left, he became impatient. Using brute force, he directly ripped the shirt, sending the two buttons scattering to the floor and rolling a few times before stopping quietly at the bottom of the entrance cabinet.

After taking off his shirt, he dropped it to the carpet, took off his shoes, and walked to the bathroom door barefooted…

Shirtless, he walked in front of Lu Yang like so, whistling. But before entering the bathroom, he squinted at Lu Yang with the corners of his lips hooked up.

Lu Yang watched everything from beginning to end, the gray tones in his pupils getting thicker and thicker. But he remained standing at the bedroom door and didn’t move. Once the door was closed, he stared at the figure behind the frosted glass.

As cold water crashed down over the top of his head, Chen Yuchuan shivered from the cold and sucked in a breath, goosebump rising all over his body.

As he washed with cold water, he cursed, “Fuck, it’s so cold in October, and there’s still winter left.”

The sound of rushing water mixed with low cursing sounded from the glass door. Lu Yang heard Chen Yuchuan’s muffled voice, but the water was so loud that he couldn’t hear what he’d said clearly.

But, in the end, he had lived with Chen Yuchuan for so many years, and just by listening to his tone, he knew that those were not good words.

It took a long time for the cold water to turn hot. Chen Yuchuan closed his eyes and lifted his head, letting the hot water wash over his face. He exhaled comfortably and washed away the broken barks at the back of his hand.

Now that the back of his hand was drenched in water, it became a little painful and a little itchy. He turned the water up as much as possible. After washing his hand, he ran the hot water for half an hour before turning off the shower.

Chen Yuchuan pulled a towel off the shelf and casually wiped himself down, not knowing whether the towel was his or Lu Yang’s.

After wiping off the water from his body, he wrapped the towel around his waist and crossed over to the bathroom mirror. The mirror was covered in mist, reflecting his vague outline.

He turned on the faucet, took two handfuls of water, and splashed them at the bathroom mirror. Once the water had washed away the mist, he looked at himself in the mirror with red eyes. After a long pause, he finally picked up the toothbrush on the countertop.

The items in the bathroom were for two people.The couple’s toothbrush holder had two toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste, though the tube was already deflated. Chen Yuchuan squeezed for a long time before managing to squeeze out a little bit of toothpaste to brush his teeth.

Lu Yang was usually the one who prepared the daily necessities at home. Chen Yuchuan had never bothered. Before the toothpaste was completely gone, Lu Yang would change it. Suddenly, Chen Yuchuan felt uneasy.

After brushing his teeth, he propped his hands on the edge of the sink, a little dizzy. He hadn’t had a drink in a long time, and he’d drank three times today, once at noon and twice at night.

Although his alcohol tolerance had always been good, Lu Yang had been very strict in prohibiting him from smoking and drinking. In the past, he’d always been very obedient, but now he had indeed been overindulging.

When he came back at night, he’d called for a driver. He sat in the back seat, feeling nauseated. Once out of the door, he promptly leaned over the trash can and vomited.

The driver was a man, and Chen Yuchuan didn’t even remember what he had looked like. After the man got out of the car, he handed him a bottle of water, patted him on the back, and asked him if he wanted him to take him upstairs.

Chen Yuchuan deliberately twisted the bottle cap to make sure that the bottle cap had not been opened beforehand. Then he raised his head and rinsed his mouth. After a while, he vaguely said “No.”

But before he could finish his words, he felt the hand on his back patting further and further down until it finally touched his butt.

Chen Yuchuan was already unhappy at heart. He immediately turned and splashed the mineral water on the driver’s face, raised a fist, and punched him a few times in the stomach. Then he raised his foot and kicked him in the crotch.

He’d been practicing boxing and Sanda with Lu Yang for several years, and he’d even fought a few times with professionals. It was more than enough to deal with a man who looked like a weak chicken.

What’s more, he didn’t hold back his strength in those two moves, and only stopped when he heard the male driver crying like a ghost and howling like a wolf, making him want to quickly get away.

“Fuck, calling for a driver can even result in sexual harrassment,” Chen Yuchuan cursed again in front of the mirror.

Chen Yuchuan took a long time taking a shower. The bathroom was very small and the water vapors made him feel a little nauseous.

When he tried to brush his teeth again, he could not squeeze out any toothpaste, and so he had to throw the empty tube into the trash can beside the toilet. He shouted outside through the bathroom door, “Lu Yang, the toothpaste is all used up. Do we have any more toothpaste left?”

After a moment, Chen Yuchuan heard Lu Yang’s reply, “In the next cabinet, on the top shelf.”

Chen Yuchaun opened the cabinet next to him and saw the toothpaste.

Habits were really scary things. The cabinet was next to him, but Chen Yuchuan’s first reaction was to call for Lu Yang.

It used to be, what time is it, Lu Yang; where is my phone, Lu Yang; what should I wear today, Lu Yang; what will the weather be like today, Lu Yang; I didn’t bring an umbrella, Lu Yang…

Lu Yang, Lu Yang, Lu Yang…

The words that Chen Yuchuan spoke the most was Lu Yang.

He silently called Lu Yang’s name several times in his heart, and began to brush his teeth once more. When he finally came out of the bathroom, Lu Yang still hadn’t left.

This time, Lu Yang was sitting on the sofa, leaning slightly against the back. Next to the sofa was the suitcase he’d neatly arranged.

Chen Yuchuan, with only a bath towel around his waist, wiped his wet hair with a hand towel.

He walked to the sofa and sat directly beside Lu Yang. Crossing his legs, he asked, “You are done? Is there anything missing?”

With his legs crossed, the bath towel rode up one thigh.

Lu Yang glanced at the bath towel around his waist and half-narrowed his eyes a little coldly at Chen Yuchuan. “Smoking, drinking, and not going home at night, you have been living a good life these days.”

Chen Yuchuan raised his eyebrows. “I have been smoking and drinking, but how do you know that I haven’t been coming home at night?”

“Ling Qun mentioned it,” Lu Yang said.

Chen Yuchuan leaned closer. “Ling Qun likes to give you small reports, so I won’t play with him anymore next time.”

Lu Yang didn’t speak. He leaned back, raised his chin a little, and looked straight at him.

Chen Yuchuan had never been able to resist a Lu Yang like this. Every time he saw Lu Yang swearing this expression, he wanted to tear off his tie and rip open his shirt.

Chen Yuchuan thought so, and acted on it. He casually wiped the hand towel twice over his hair, raised his hand, and dropped it to the floor.

The moment he lifted his leg, he rolled over and overwhelmed Lu Yang. Pushing him back onto the sofa, with one leg standing on the side of the sofa while the other kneeling on the cushion, he sat on Lu Yang’s lap.

The bath towel around his waist opened a little but didn’t loosen and was still covering him.

Lu Yang didn’t expect that Chen Yuchuan would suddenly come up. His head leaned back against the sofa and it took him a long time to sluggishly regain his control back. He lifted one hand to pinch Chen Yuchuan’s chin, and his tone was a little fierce and cruel as he said, “Chen Yuchuan, have you gone crazy?”

Chen Yuchuan slapped away the hand pinching his chin, hooked the corners of his lips, and looked down at Lu Yang. “I’m not crazy. Right now, I don’t want to do anything else…”

When he was done speaking, he licked the bottom of his lips with the tip of his tongue, and then watched Lu Yang, all the while smiling with white teeth showing.

Although he was 34 this year, as long as he smiled at Lu Yang like this, he would always be that good-natured, innocent, and harmless.

But this was all an illusion. Chen Yuchuan pulled Lu Yang’s suit jacket apart with both hands and pulled his tie down.

He had been with Lu Yang for 16 years, and he naturally knew how to quickly stir Lu Yang up. He simply slipped his fingers underneath Lu Yang’s shirt and gently scratched his waist a few times.

Sure enough, Lu Yang’s eyelashes began to tremble violently, but Chen Yuchuan knew all too well that Lu Yang was reacting.

Lu Yang’s arms were tense and visible flames spread through his eyes.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Lu Yang asked.

Chen Yuchuan felt the change in Lu Yang’s body and knew that it was nearly done. He quickly got up from Lu Yang’s waist and secured the bath towel that was about to fall off his waist. He also didn’t forget to lean over to give Lu Yang’s tie another playful pull.

When he retracted his hand, he shook his still-wet hair, and water droplets fell on Lu Yang’s face.

Grinning, Chen Yuchaun said in a lazy tone, “I do…After drinking a little wine, I almost forgot that you’re no longer my husband. Since you’re no longer my husband, you can’t ride anymore. Boss Lu, get up.”

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Xixi: This is a short novel, with less than 50 chapters. Prepare for a little angst and some heartbreak, but rest assured that we will eventually end up with a HE filled with dog food. Be warned, if you’re looking for mindless fluff, then stop now.