Chapter 51: Cuckolded

He Sui couldn’t sleep a wink thinking about the way Tan Xueci had looked at him earlier that evening. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that cold, gloomy face—it made his skin crawl, yet it felt exhilarating.

Initially, he was attracted to Tan Yanning because he felt Yanning had secrets, making him want to peel the man open to see what was inside. He Sui was an elite with a prestigious background and a sparkling resume; since childhood, he had been surrounded by the wealthy and attended expensive private schools in Beijing.

Tan Yanning was the first “low-level” person he had ever dealt with—hypocritical and ruthless, willing to do anything to survive. It fit his stereotypes perfectly, yet Yanning’s surface was so aloof. He felt such a pretentious person deserved to have their mask ripped off and be toyed with.

However, the Tan family still had status in Beijing, and his upbringing didn’t allow him to force anyone. So, he restrained himself and pursued Tan Yanning, making him his official boyfriend.

Perhaps it’s human nature to be stubborn; the more unattainable Yanning was, the higher he was placed in He Sui’s heart. He felt he loved Yanning more and more, even tolerating being used by him.

Tan Xueci didn’t look like Tan Yanning at all. He kept Xueci around as a substitute because, occasionally, he saw shadows of that same nature in him. It was as if Tan Xueci had secrets of his own.

Moreover, Tan Xueci was much more beautiful than Yanning. If a person with a cold demeanor also had secrets, they were far more interesting than Tan Yanning.

He Sui felt like he had fallen into a trap. The more he tried to sleep, the more Xueci’s image haunted his mind. He even remembered the beginning of the year, right after a snowfall.

Back then, Tan’s mother hadn’t allowed Xueci to go out, but he snuck out to find He Sui. Having learned some tricks from a video, he went to the company building at night to set off fireworks for him.

The little fool didn’t even know how to buy fireworks. While others had beautiful starbursts, Xueci bought a bunch of “double-bang” firecrackers that startled the entire office.

He Sui went down with a cold face, only to find Tan Xueci standing amidst the debris with misty eyes. But when the boy saw him, he wiped his tears and ran toward him.

The youth’s pale face was bathed in moonlight, looking damp and fragile, sickly yet delicate. With red-rimmed eyes, he grabbed He Sui’s hand as if he were his only hope, as if a single nod from He Sui would mean Xueci would give him everything for the rest of his life.

“He… He Sui,” Tan Xueci wanted a hug, his voice trembling violently as he pleaded, “Let’s get married. Marry me, please. I want to go with you.”

He Sui didn’t remember exactly what he said, but after he spoke, Xueci cried. At the time, he only felt that Xueci was an embarrassment who brought him trouble.

Now, he suddenly remembered those tearful eyes. His heart pounded; he felt as though he were watching the moon fall—grand, cruel, and dizzying.

He Sui sat up abruptly and walked out. He saw that Xueci wasn’t asleep yet, but as he reached the window, he felt a sudden hesitation, not knowing how to speak.

Just as he wavered, he heard a sound from inside. His heart tightened. “Xiao Ci? What’s wrong?” he asked in a low, raspy voice.

There was no response. He lightened his steps and slowly approached the window.

The houses in this village had paper-covered windows. Though they were thick for winter, the candlelight inside allowed him to see silhouettes through the paper. He thought Xueci was standing by the window.

“Xiao Ci…” He Sui took another step, but just as he reached the window, he realized something was wrong.

Tan Xueci… wasn’t standing alone. He was being held by someone, pressed hard against the window.

Xueci was clinging to the other person’s neck. His long hair flowed down, but he could still see that thin, narrow waist, and further down, the sudden fullness of his hips.

Just the thought of the boy’s snowy-white waist and hips covered in thin sweat, swaying before him, was enough to drive one mad.

But He Sui couldn’t see clearly. Initially, he caught a blurred glimpse of a hip, but someone inside seemed to realize, pulling Xueci closer into their embrace. A large hand covered him, shielding him completely and cutting off the third party’s view.

Only the wet, sticky sounds of entwinement grew clearer. Whatever the man was doing, Tan Xueci suddenly let out a soft, cat-like whimper against the man’s neck.

He Sui froze. When he realized what Tan Xueci was doing, fury instantly snapped his strings of reason. He nearly ground his teeth to dust.

How could Tan Xueci do this to him?!

He Xunye slightly regretted agreeing to this. He didn’t want Tan Xueci to be seen like this by anyone, even as a shadow through a window.

Tan Xueci was being remarkably unprincipled tonight, doing almost anything he was told like a little ball of dough. This dough was sometimes resilient, sometimes excessively submissive.

Even if squeezed into a cream puff, he wouldn’t make a sound, waiting obediently for the piping bag to poke inside and fill him until he was even more beautiful.

Tan Xueci would remember a grudge he couldn’t settle on the spot for a lifetime. He Sui had broken his heart, so he would break He Sui’s mind.

The ghost’s eyes were blood-red. After a wet kiss, it buried its face in Tan Xueci’s chest, looking up at his wife. “Xiao Xue, why hasn’t he left yet?”

Tan Xueci’s mind was filled with “husband” and “spanking,” turning his thoughts into a confused mush. His swollen lips parted, his arms too weak to hold on. He looked down at He Xunye, his long hair falling over the ghost’s face.

“He won’t leave,” the ghost murmured, stroking his wife’s sweat-drenched back. “He was cursing me while you were gone. I don’t know why he hates me so much.”

If Tan Xueci’s brain were functioning normally, he might have slapped He Xunye and called him shameless. But right now, he was too weak to move. If He Xunye weren’t holding him, he would have collapsed to the floor like a broken cream puff.

“Baby,” the ghost reached up to touch his wife’s lips, his deep eyes staring intently. “Kiss me.”

Tan Xueci touched the ghost’s face. He was completely susceptible to a soft touch; when someone pleaded with him, he didn’t know how to refuse. Finally, he pulled He Xunye’s head close and kissed him, clutching the black hair. “He’s bad. Ignore him.”

Tan Xueci’s gaze was vacant and lonely. He didn’t love He Sui, but he had truly wanted to marry him. He didn’t require He Sui to love only him; he didn’t care if He Sui fooled around outside. He just wanted He Sui to take him away, but He Sui wouldn’t.

He would have been so good, so obedient.

“He’s very bad,” Tan Xueci hugged He Xunye’s neck, his eyes brimming with tears that he couldn’t stop. “He doesn’t want me. He wouldn’t take me away.”

His hot tears fell onto the specter’s shoulder, flowing down the jade-cold skin toward the heart. A lover’s tears are scalding. Through his blurred vision, Xueci didn’t see that He Xunye’s shoulder and chest were faintly turning a bruised black-green.

“Why do you want him?” the ghost’s voice was deep and raspy, his red eyes looking as though they were bleeding. “You only need me.”

There was a hint of gritted teeth in his tone.

Tan Xueci struggled to process this. He felt He Xunye wasn’t listening—he said He Sui didn’t want him, not that he wanted He Sui. But before he could speak, the ghost blocked his lips.

“You only need me,” the spirit whispered against his mouth. “I will go with you.”

Tan Xueci finally understood. To put it nicely, He Xunye would stay with him forever; to put it bluntly, even as a ghost, he wouldn’t let him go. He didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing.

But He Xunye was always like this. He would say, “I’ll go with Xiao Xue,” or “I’ll buy this for Xiao Xue.” He never asked Xueci for anything other than a kiss. It was as if keeping his wife happy was the only thing that mattered.

Tan Xueci wiped his tears and gave a small hum, burying himself in He Xunye’s neck. He Xunye really did feel like a husband.

The cold wind of the mountain village blew past. He Sui felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. He had never felt such humiliation and rage—it was like watching his wife being insulted.

But the wife was willing. He heard Tan Xueci softly begging the other person to be harder, as if his soul had been stolen by some wild man. This wasn’t being insulted; it was an affair.

He Sui’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The memory of the shattered jade statue flickered in his mind. He was wary, fearing the other person was some evil spirit; otherwise, he would have stormed in to punch the adulterer.

Ha. He Sui nearly laughed. He wondered why “He Xunye” had accepted a wife so easily. These two must have hooked up back at the nightclub! He knew the atmosphere had been off back then.

They were cuckolding him behind his back!

Zhang Chengfa, waking up to use the restroom, saw He Sui standing alone in the pitch-black courtyard, his expression as sinister as a vengeful spirit as he stared at Tan Xueci’s room. He looked like he was smiling, which scared Zhang Chengfa so much he retreated to his room.

What’s going on? Is He Sui possessed, or is Tan Xueci haunted?

Zhang Chengfa shivered and went back to sleep, feeling that no one in the He family was normal.

Tan Xueci didn’t know when He Sui left. Eventually, he was too tired to even cry as He Xunye moved him to the bed for a few more rounds. He panted with his tongue out, nearly having it swallowed by the specter.

“Baby’s tongue is so red,” the ghost said while sucking on it, sounding oddly considerate. “It looks like it really wants to be licked.”

He made Tan Xueci sound so lewd, as if he were the one who wanted his tongue licked. Tan Xueci only regretted that he hadn’t slapped that handsome, smiling ghost face one more time before passing out.

Tan Xueci didn’t wake up until after 10:00 AM the next day. It was dark outside, with mountain weeds and rain making it look like night. The other guests hadn’t left either, sitting in the main hall.

Supposedly, “dirty things” had come into the house to eat rice again last night. This time they went to Lu Qi’s side—the room Xueci had originally stayed in. Lu Qi had nearly been strangled to death.

When Xueci got up, Qin Shuyao was helping Lu Qi apply medicine. Lu Qi looked miserable, feeling like he was being targeted by ghosts all year.

Tan Xueci realized it was likely because of He Xunye’s spirit tablet that the ghost hadn’t touched him. That ghost had even told him to take the tablet out, clearly wary of the spirit’s aura.

Tan Xueci wanted to go check on Lu Qi, but his face flushed the moment he moved. He was covered in bite marks from He Xunye, especially on his bottom. Even his fingertips had red marks. Lu Qi would definitely notice.

He peeked through the door and saw that Lu Qi wouldn’t die, then guiltily hid elsewhere.

He Xunye had gone to wash Tan Xueci’s silk nightgown. When he returned, the “little cat” who had been sleeping with flushed cheeks was gone.

Before Xueci had passed out last night, he had knelt on the bed holding his gown and wailed, calling He Xunye a spendthrift. He remembered that gown cost over 10,000 yuan! Now it was wrinkled like a pickle and covered in… fluids.

He Xunye had patiently held him and promised to buy an even more expensive one, but Xueci wouldn’t stop crying, so the ghost had washed it while he slept.

Who knew Xueci would forget all about it upon waking? The ghost’s long-silent chest felt like it wanted to take a deep breath, but he suppressed it. He found Tan Xueci by the stove.

Tan Xueci was disheveled, wearing He Xunye’s oversized jacket. The sleeves covered his entire hands. He sat by the stove, the firelight reflecting on his beautiful, aggrieved face. His eyes were misty, like a dirty little cat warming itself by a fire.

“How did you get so dirty?” The ghost reached out to rub the ash off his face. He had only been out for a few minutes.

Tan Xueci slapped his hand away, feeling a delayed surge of anger. He hadn’t received any reward, only a night of “punishment.” His bottom felt like it was in pieces. And they had been messing around in someone else’s house! Even if Xiao Cai’s family weren’t human, it was still rude. He Xunye was a very impolite dead person.

The ghost, not understanding human nature, hugged his little wife. “Baby, I washed your clothes clean.” He sounded like he was seeking credit.

If he hadn’t mentioned it, Tan Xueci might have been fine, but now he pointed an accusing finger at He Xunye. “Spending money like that! You’d be a useless son-in-law!”

Zhang Chengfa, looking for a bun to eat, saw Tan Xueci yelling at He Xunye. He Xunye didn’t argue, but used a towel to wipe his wife’s face. Even when Xueci was scolding him, the ghost just cupped his face and kissed his chattering mouth.

Zhang Chengfa: “…”

Every single day, I run into ghosts.

Tan Xueci scolded him until he was tired, then pushed He Xunye away and walked out.

The director outside looked miserable. He Sui had told him early that morning that he was quitting and leaving early. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t keep him. The village was gloomy and desolate. The forecast had said it would be sunny, yet the rain in Yanxia Village never stopped.

As he sighed, He Sui walked in with a dark face. “Teacher He!”

“What kind of trash village is this?!” He Sui exploded with the rage he had held all night. “There are no roads outside!”

The path from the village to the highway was a straight line, just steep. He Sui was an experienced climber; he had thought he could handle it. But upon leaving, the white mist was so thick he couldn’t see anything—the mountain path had vanished.

The other guests came out. Chen Qing and Jin Chen went to check and returned with heavy expressions. “Damn,” Jin Chen cursed. “The entrance is covered in fog. It’s like a zombie apocalypse.”

Just as he said “zombie,” a tall, thin black shadow appeared in the mist. Zhang Chengfa screamed and ducked behind He Xunye.

Yu He stepped forward with a peach wood sword. He couldn’t worry about He Xunye right now; the priority was leaving.

The person’s dark face emerged from the mist, scratching his head innocently. “You all are…”

“Cut the crap,” He Sui snapped, his patience gone. “Get me down the mountain now.” He had sent messages home, but they had vanished; the signal was completely gone.

“Sorry, sorry,” Bai Shuizhang said apologetically. “Yanxia Village is like this. Fog is common this season, but it’ll clear in a day or two. I’ll definitely send everyone out then. Truly sorry.”

The director was angry—this wasn’t the plan—but since Bai Shuizhang was so polite, he could only tell the guests to endure.

When Bai Shuizhang left, He Sui looked at Tan Xueci with a complex expression. He felt he should be disgusted or even hate him, but his heart sank. He suddenly wondered… when he was in that room with Tan Yanning and Xueci was waiting outside, what was Xueci thinking?

After a long silence, He Sui whispered as he passed him, “I’m sorry. I really regret not agreeing to your proposal back then.”

He knew why Xueci wanted to marry him. It wouldn’t have cost him anything to agree; even a fake engagement would have let Xueci leave the Tan family. Since Xueci loved him so much, it was a win for him, but he had been too cruel.

He Sui finished speaking and walked to his room without waiting for an answer.

Tan Xueci: “…”

Tan Xueci wanted to punch him. He shrank his neck, not daring to look at He Xunye’s expression. After a few minutes, he carefully turned around.

The ghost’s dark eyes were unreadable as he asked with a faint smile, “You proposed to him?”

He won’t even coax me, but he went and proposed to someone else. Wonderful.

Tan Xueci’s bottom tensed up instantly. He began to play piteous out of habit. He knew no one would truly care even if he cried, but not playing piteous would be worse.

He hung his head, looking submissive, though he felt he hadn’t done anything wrong. He hadn’t known He Xunye back then; what did a proposal to someone else have to do with him?

The ghost was jealous, but Xueci didn’t understand.

“Did you ever call him ‘husband’?” the ghost asked, pinching his cheek.

Tan Xueci felt a sting from the pinch. He looked piteously at He Xunye. He had wanted to call him that because he wanted to be a pampered wife, but He Sui didn’t like it, so he didn’t dare.

“Husband, are you angry?” Xueci asked timidly.

“How many times did you call someone else that in those three months?” the ghost asked darkly. “Make it up to me, and I won’t be angry.”

Tan Xueci muttered, “I know.”

The ghost’s face darkened. Tan Xueci jumped. “I—I know, husband!”

Satisfied, the ghost kissed his cold lips. “Good boy.”

Tan Xueci also felt he was being very good. He didn’t even pull away when kissed. But after the kiss, he secretly touched a tree. He had heard that hearing a ghost sigh brings bad luck, so you have to touch a tree to transfer the misfortune.

He Xunye turned and saw him rubbing against a crooked tree. His smile faded. “Baby… I am a ghost. Do you really think a tree will help?”

“Husband, husband,” Tan Xueci called out, but wouldn’t let go of the tree. “Am I not your baby? Would you let your baby have bad luck?”

He had only called He Sui “husband” three times, and he had been scolded each time before finishing. This made up for it.

The ghost’s eyes were still red, but he stopped interfering. When Xueci was done, he wiped the boy’s dirty hands. He wanted to sigh again but swallowed it. He pinched Xueci’s chin and kissed him deeply.

Tan Xueci was dazed. When He Xunye pulled back, he leaned in to chase the cold lips, pressing his own against the ghost’s.

The ghost’s eyes curved. “Baby, did no one tell you? Eating a ghost’s saliva also brings bad luck.”

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