I Woke Up and Got Married Chapter 42

Chapter 42

8 PM, Lu Family Villa.

“Young Master Chi, please rest for now. Mr. Lu is working overtime tonight and said he’ll be back late,” Uncle Zhang said as he walked out of the kitchen, having just finished a phone call, and addressed Chi Suinian.

Chi Suinian pursed his lips with a hint of carelessness.

He could bet that Lu Zhiyue definitely wasn’t working overtime. The man had time to party online during the day, and now he claimed to be busy with work? Who would believe that?

He was probably guilty of something and too cowardly to face him.

Well then, he wasn’t going to let Lu Zhiyue get his way so easily.

Chi Suinian pulled out two game discs, sent all the house staff, including Uncle Zhang, off to rest, and settled down alone in the living room to play video games on the giant screen TV.

The 200-inch screen could display every intricate detail of the game’s environment—an immersive experience.

He cranked up the volume. Tonight, he was going to wait up for Lu Zhiyue no matter what.

But just as he reached the first boss battle, his phone rang. It was a call from Han Li—they had exchanged new contact info that afternoon.

Busy playing, Chi Suinian casually put the call on speaker. “What is it?”

“What’s that noise over there? Sounds like crackling.” Han Li clicked his tongue.

“Playing a game.” Chi Suinian turned the volume down a bit.

Han Li chuckled, “For a second I thought you went home to beat someone up.”

Chi Suinian’s hand paused mid-battle.

Had he told Han Li today about his relationship with Lu Zhiyue?

…Probably not.

“I saw the pictures online,” Han Li said with a light laugh. “Didn’t expect it—are you and Lu Zhiyue dating?”

Chi Suinian: “…”

Saying it out loud might scare you—I mean, we’re not dating. We got married.

He curled his lip and lazily replied, “You called to gossip?”

“Partly.” Han Li replied, “Also curious—did you finish paying off that debt?”

Han Li had already sensed something off earlier when Chi Suinian spoke about his past. Now it made sense.

Must be touched, realizing your boyfriend’s had a crush on you for ages, huh?

“Not paying it anymore.”

He’d just beat up Lu Zhiyue once he got back—call it emotional compensation.

He wasn’t paying enough attention and got killed by the boss again. The screen filled with bright red Game Over, and Chi Suinian frowned and restarted the level.

The game was something he found at the Lu household. He hadn’t played it before, so he wasn’t familiar with it. This was already his third defeat.

As he cleared the minions along the way, he chatted idly with Han Li.

Han Li: “Why not?”

Because he deserves a beating. Chi Suinian paused, then mumbled, “…Haven’t figured out how.”

“With the relationship you two have now, there’s no need to repay it. It’s not like the water’s flowing out of the family, you know?” Han Li chuckled. “If you’re feeling moved, you could give him a gift or plan a surprise. Plenty of ways.”

“…What nonsense. Who said I’m moved?” Chi Suinian’s hand jerked as he pushed his character forward aggressively, then turned his head and rubbed his ear.

A few minions swarmed and crushed him into the swamp.

These small enemies were slow and weak. But since Chi Suinian hadn’t been focused, his health bar had already been low. It only took a few hits before he died again. He stared at the glaring red text on screen and pressed his lips together.

…What a trash game. Harder than Lu Zhiyue.

“By the way, I’ve always been curious how you two even ended up together. Didn’t you hate him back then?” Han Li asked.

Chi Suinian casually pushed the joystick and replied coldly, “Don’t remember.”

Good thing he forgot.

If he could recall even a fraction of how pathetically he used to chase after Lu Zhiyue, Chi Suinian would explode on the spot.

Han Li suddenly remembered something. “Is that because of your amnesia?”

“…Yeah.”

“Your amnesia is really selective, huh?” Han Li commented. “Just forgot that one year you were married to Lu Zhiyue? Nothing else?”

Chi Suinian didn’t quite get what he meant. “Forgetting a whole year is already bad enough. You want me to forget ten and erase you too?”

Losing those memories had been rough for him.

A chunk of his past was gone. When he opened his eyes, his entire life had changed. The missing pieces had to be filled in by others, down to the tiniest detail.

And even after hearing it all, he still had no memory of it.

It was like watching a mentally unstable grasshopper hopping around—only, that grasshopper was himself.

“That’s not it. Just… seems odd…” Han Li trailed off. His voice dropped, and Chi Suinian couldn’t catch the rest.

He played the game for a bit longer before finally asking, “So what did you call me for?”

“There actually was something I wanted to tell you. Just remembered it.”

After Chi Suinian left, Han Li had recalled a few things from back then. As a bystander, he had a clearer view of the awkward mess between the two.

Even though it had been ten years, Han Li still remembered Lu Zhiyue vividly.

Not because he was a legendary top student at school, but because that kid had a strange kind of stubbornness to him.

That night, just after dusk, Han Li had been stumbling back from a birthday party—he’d had quite a bit to drink. As he weaved back from the parking lot to his shop, he was practically walking in a zigzag.

Han Li was a hardcore atheist. Even if someone started levitating before him, he wouldn’t believe in gods.

But when he saw two bloodied figures crouched at his doorstep, he nearly froze to death on the spot.

First instinct: Amitabha.

He had closed the shop early for the party. The corner of the street was dim, with flickering red and blue lights overhead casting eerie shadows on the two figures—like they had crawled out of hell.

Seeing that they were people, Han Li swore, “Trying to scare people at my door? Got nothing better to do?”

Back then, Lu Zhiyue was just a skinny teenage boy. He had an unconscious person in his arms and looked up coldly, guardedly. “Are you Han Li?”

Han Li scoffed. He wanted to say, You rude brat, you’re not even Chi Suinian. If you were, you’d call me ‘uncle’ at least.

But maybe it was the alcohol. When he looked into Lu Zhiyue’s eyes, he ended up replying seriously, “Yeah.”

“Can you stay with him for a bit? His family is on the way.”

Han Li raised an eyebrow.

He thought the kid was trying to cause trouble. He was about to refuse when Lu Zhiyue said, “Suinian said you’re his friend. You’ll help.”

Chi Suinian?

Han Li squinted at the unconscious person next to him. Under the flashing lights, he recognized those familiar features.

It really was that little troublemaker.

Han Li shivered and sobered up instantly.

He turned to the boy on the steps and frowned deeply. “Who did this?”

His first instinct was to suspect Lu Zhiyue—they were both pretty banged up.

But after a closer look, that didn’t seem right.

…Who beats someone up and then cradles their unconscious body so tenderly?

Lu Zhiyue didn’t answer. He pulled out a bloodstained school uniform jacket, turned it to the clean side, bunched it up into a pillow, and gently placed Chi Suinian down.

He was even more injured. Just that small movement turned his lips completely white.

Han Li was seriously worried both of them would die right there. He pulled out his phone. “I’m calling an ambulance.”

“No,” Lu Zhiyue said firmly. “The Chi family doctor is already on the way.”

Han Li paused. Well, of course. Rich kids get private doctors on call.

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Stay. Here,” Lu Zhiyue panted. “Wait with him.”

Han Li asked, “What about you?”

“I can’t be here.”

Han Li didn’t get it.

After surviving something like this together, what was there to hide?

But Lu Zhiyue was in no state to explain. He leaned against the wall and slowly limped away. After a few steps, he turned back slightly. “Don’t touch his clothes.”

Han Li found it funny.

First time in his life he’d been ordered around by a kid. He laughed. “I’m not gay, you know.”

Lu Zhiyue calmly repeated, “Don’t touch his clothes.”

He leaned against the wall, pale as death, but his eyes were bright—like cold glass, twisted and shadowed with something off.

Han Li was startled by the eeriness. His smile faded.

That was the first time he met Lu Zhiyue. He never forgot it, even after ten years.

But that wasn’t what he called to say.

“Do you remember what shop was next to mine back then?” Han Li asked.

“Milk tea? Beef noodles?” Chi Suinian answered offhandedly. Wasn’t that what most school-area shops were?

“A flower shop,” Han Li said.

“Oh.”

What did that have to do with him?

Seeing his lack of reaction, Han Li decided to get to the point. “I remember—it was the start of the autumn semester, right? You were in your first year? Someone placed a long-term order for green bellflowers at that shop.”

“…”

Chi Suinian froze. His hands loosened, and his character died again—this time to a fireball from the boss, headfirst.

A brutal death.

In case he didn’t remember, Han Li added, “Green ones.”

“Who ordered them?” Chi Suinian asked quietly.

The answer was obvious. If it wasn’t Lu Zhiyue, Han Li wouldn’t have called at this moment.

Sure enough, he heard Han Li say: “Lu Zhiyue.”

Chi Suinian stared blankly, eyebrows twitching.

“I remember you said once—a girl had a crush on you and kept stuffing little flowers in your desk every day?”

A cold breeze slipped through the unlatched window, making the curtains flutter noisily. Only then did Chi Suinian snap out of his daze.

He stared at the Game Over screen for a long time.

He mumbled, “It could’ve been someone else…”

“There was only one flower shop near your school,” Han Li interrupted.

So?

That was enough proof?

“The shop owner was a friend of mine. I asked her specifically—during those months, only one person placed a long-term order for that flower.”

“…”

Chi Suinian didn’t even know when he ended the call. Next thing he knew, he was making his character jump into the sea—drowning, respawning, repeating, over and over.

After a few rounds, he threw the controller aside.

Damn it.

What the hell was Lu Zhiyue trying to do?

·

When Lu Zhiyue returned, it was nearly midnight. The villa was still brightly lit. The person he wanted to see but didn’t dare to was sitting cross-legged on the sofa playing video games.

He quietly walked into the living room, took off his jacket and set it aside, then sat down on the other end of the sofa. During this whole time, Chi Suinian didn’t even glance at him, completely ignoring his presence.

Just as he reached the final stage again and was about to challenge the boss, a warm hand pressed against his forehead.

“…What are you doing?” Chi Suinian instinctively frowned.

Lu Zhiyue withdrew his hand, the crease between his brows gradually smoothing out. “I thought you had a fever.”

Chi Suinian’s first reaction was that the guy was insulting him again.

“You’re the one with a fever.”

Who could out-flirt this guy?

“Your face is really red,” Lu Zhiyue said seriously.

Chi Suinian froze. He raised his hand to touch his cheek—it really was warm, like he had just finished running a 3,000-meter race.

Shit…

He wasn’t the one secretly crushing on someone. Why was he blushing?

How pathetic.

Chi Suinian originally wanted to go to the kitchen for a couple glasses of cold water, but just as he turned his head, he saw Lu Zhiyue heading into the kitchen. So, he plopped back down and started another round of the game.

He had been playing this game all night and was still stuck on the first stage. Chi Suinian pursed his lips while pushing the joystick, thinking that he’d toss this garbage game out tomorrow.

What kind of dev team made a game this ridiculously hard?

After a while, he heard footsteps beside him. A glass of water was placed on the table next to him.

“Have some water, your lips are dry. Been playing all night?”

Chi Suinian looked at the glass, didn’t drink it, and just gave a muffled “Mm.”

Lu Zhiyue raised a brow. “Played all night and still stuck on the first level?”

“…” Chi Suinian nearly lost it. “What’s it to you?!”

Lu Zhiyue sat down beside him and connected a second controller. “It’s a co-op game. Of course it’s hard if you play solo.”

Chi Suinian’s mind was a complete mess. Every word from Lu Zhiyue made it harder to stay calm. Knowing he wasn’t going to beat the game like this, he simply threw down the controller. “Not playing anymore.”

Lu Zhiyue paused. “Still mad?”

“Why would I be—” Chi Suinian suddenly remembered his little viral moment online today and glared at Lu Zhiyue.

“Sorry. I already had everything scrubbed from the internet.” He’d been working late just to deal with it.

Chi Suinian blinked, unsure how to respond for a moment.

Alright. If he deleted it, that’s fine.

For the sake of the fact that this man once saved his life, he’d let it go this time.

“Oh…”

Lu Zhiyue thought he misheard. “That’s it?”

“What else?”

Lu Zhiyue said earnestly, “I thought you’d beat me up to vent.”

“…”

You really start itching when you go too long without getting smacked, don’t you?

Chi Suinian turned to him. “Is that how you see me? Just some violent maniac?”

Lu Zhiyue paused. He wanted to say yes—but even if that were true, he still liked him. But just as he opened his mouth, Lord Chi shot him down again.

“Then why the hell do you even like me!” Chi Suinian snapped.

“You knew I was a violent lunatic and still gave me those stupid flowers. What, you weren’t afraid of getting domestically abused?”