PTGWD Chapter 40：Obsessive Love

“Let’s go,” Fang Xingzhou said, grabbing a clean jacket from the balcony. “We’re going to the farm to buy meat.”

Although Lu Jianchuan was so hungry that his mind was blank, he sensed that something was seriously off. He stared intently at Fang Xingzhou, his lips moving cautiously as he asked in a wary voice, “To…. the farm?”

“Yes, don’t you often buy meat from your father’s farm?” Fang Xingzhou walked over, naturally wiping the cream from the corner of Lu Jianchuan’s mouth with his finger and tasting the sweetness of the cake. “The markets won’t have fresh meat at this hour, so it’s better to go straight to the source.”

Lu Jianchuan: “…”

It sounded reasonable.

Could it be that Fang Xingzhou really just wanted to buy meat from the farm?

The egg had been causing so much trouble lately, and he had already revealed too many flaws. He hadn’t found a chance to alter Fang Xingzhou’s memory, and his wife might already be suspecting that he wasn’t human. That’s why he had suggested going to the farm—to test him…

Lu Jianchuan hesitated for a few seconds, then tentatively said, “I feel better after eating the cake. Maybe I’ll go by myself tomorrow? It’s late, and you must be tired.”

Fang Xingzhou smoothed Lu Jianchuan’s slightly messy hair with his fingers, looking down at his face calmly. “Deer, you don’t need to feel embarrassed about your appetite. Some humans develop binge-eating disorders during pregnancy, which is a sign that the fetus is developing well. It’s completely normal.”

Lu Jianchuan: “?”

He racked his brain for the human medical knowledge he had learned in college, but he couldn’t recall anything about “pregnancy binge-eating disorder.”

Fang Xingzhou continued, “Alright, don’t overthink it. Let’s get changed, and we can talk more in the car.”

He spoke so naturally and confidently that Lu Jianchuan instinctively took the jacket and began to wonder if humans really could develop binge-eating habits during pregnancy.

With so many humans on Earth, wasn’t it possible that a small group of them might have insatiable appetites while pregnant?

Lu Jianchuan, dizzy from hunger and tempted by the prospect of the farm, completely lost his ability to judge. He changed his clothes and followed Fang Xingzhou to the car.

As soon as he opened the car door, he was nearly buried under a flood of cakes.

Fang Xingzhou picked up the fallen cakes and put them back in the car. “It’ll take about half an hour to get to the farm. You can eat them on the way.”

Lu Jianchuan sat in the passenger seat, glancing at the back seat. He counted roughly forty cakes.

He looked at Fang Xingzhou’s profile in disbelief. “…Can someone with pregnancy binge-eating disorder eat this many cakes?”

Fang Xingzhou started the car and replied calmly, “Of course. The medical term for this condition is Bulimia. The patient’s metabolism speeds up drastically, allowing them to digest large amounts of food quickly. Like you, eating hundreds of pounds of meat a day is normal. We even covered this in our second-year finals. Have you forgotten already?”

Lu Jianchuan broke into a nervous sweat under Fang Xingzhou’s authoritative tone.

Fang Xingzhou’s academic authority was deeply ingrained in his genes, so he couldn’t bring himself to question it. He just smiled sheepishly and said, “I think I remember that question…”

Fang Xingzhou: “Eat up. It’ll tide you over.”

Lu Jianchuan, feeling somewhat relieved, began stuffing cakes into his stomach while Fang Xingzhou pretended not to notice, driving full speed toward the farm.

After Lu Jianchuan finished thirty cakes in ten minutes, Fang Xingzhou handed him a bottle of water with one hand and asked, “Besides strawberry cakes, what else do you like to eat?”

Lu Jianchuan gulped down the entire bottle of water, leaned back in his seat, and stared blankly ahead, his mind filled with images of plump pigs. “…I like meat.”

“What kind? Pork, beef, or seafood?”

Lu Jianchuan’s mouth watered uncontrollably, his rationality teetering on the edge due to hunger. “I love snake meat the most, followed by deep-sea fish. Pork, beef, and chicken are good too. If I’m really desperate… rat meat, cockroach meat, spider meat, mosquito meat, any bird or moth that flies by—I’ll eat it all.”

Fang Xingzhou: “…”

“Are you…”

A frog? Fang Xingzhou hesitated to ask.

No wonder the streets had been eerily quiet at night lately, with no insect sounds, and the neighborhood group chat had fewer complaints about pests…

Lu Jianchuan was still lost in his craving for meat. “Huh?”

Fang Xingzhou felt a slight churn in his stomach. “Don’t eat random things. We have enough money in our account to buy whatever you like.”

Lu Jianchuan was deeply moved. “Wife, do other people with pregnancy binge-eating disorder eat as much as I do?”

“Yes,” Fang Xingzhou said without batting an eye. “Many people are like this. You can buy whatever you like without holding back.”

Lu Jianchuan’s eyes lit up. “Can I have snakes too?”

“Yes, but you have to buy them from legal farms. No harming protected animals.”

Lu Jianchuan, starving, immediately pulled out his phone and texted his dad for recommendations on reliable snake farms.

Soon, Fang Xingzhou parked the car at the farm entrance.

The farm manager, having received a call from the boss, was waiting at the gate. He tossed the keys to Lu Jianchuan and said indifferently, “Help yourselves.” Then he turned and went back to the dormitory.

Fang Xingzhou stood by the car and said to Lu Jianchuan, “Go in by yourself. Pick whatever you like to eat. I’ll wait outside.”

Lu Jianchuan, who had been wondering how to get Fang Xingzhou to leave him alone, was stunned.

Was today his lucky day? Not only had he been given a plausible excuse for his binge-eating, but Fang Xingzhou was even offering him a chance to feast freely?

Fang Xingzhou urged him, “Go on.”

Lu Jianchuan, overwhelmed by the series of good fortune, asked, “Aren’t you coming in with me?”

Fang Xingzhou: “No.”

His refusal was so firm that Lu Jianchuan, while pretending to be disappointed, was secretly thrilled. His nose twitched as he eagerly anticipated the taste of fresh meat. “Then… I’ll go in. Wait for me for five minutes!”

Fang Xingzhou smiled and nodded.

Lu Jianchuan took the keys and disappeared into the farm.

Soon, Fang Xingzhou was alone. The farm was in the suburbs, and the night was so quiet that only faint insect sounds could be heard. He stood by the car, watching Lu Jianchuan disappear through the gate, his heart pounding. He took a deep breath, catching the distinct smell of the farm in the air.

He couldn’t help but imagine Lu Jianchuan hunting livestock.

What did his true form look like beneath that beautiful human skin? Was he a grotesque monster from a horror movie, or a seductive demon from folklore?

Or…

Fragments of very old, blurry memories began to surface, even though they seemed unrelated to Lu Jianchuan.

Fang Xingzhou’s breathing grew rapid.

After a moment, he took out a car air freshener from the glove compartment and sprayed it on himself to mask his scent. As if under a devil’s spell, he quietly pushed open the farm gate and crept inside.

Just one peek…

Fang Xingzhou’s mind burned with an inexplicable premonition. His blood boiled, and he felt as if he had returned to the island from twenty years ago, walking along the shallow shores of an uninhabited island, about to “stumble upon” a mysterious jellyfish stranded on the beach, its crimson, pupil-less eyes meeting his under the beautiful night sky—

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the empty farm.

Fang Xingzhou passed through the disinfection area for visitors and stepped into the inner part of the farm.

The next second, a pair of faintly glowing amber eyes emerged from the darkness, locking onto Fang Xingzhou’s gaze.

Two sets of footsteps began to intertwine. Lu Jianchuan’s familiar, handsome face emerged from the shadows, illuminated by a nearby streetlight. He effortlessly carried half a pig in one hand, his face radiant, his eyes clear and bright, his lips as red as roses, like a fox that had just feasted on vitality.

Fang Xingzhou abruptly stopped, a wave of intense regret washing over him.

It had been less than ten minutes since Lu Jianchuan entered the farm.

So soon… Was he really full?

Lu Jianchuan soon noticed Fang Xingzhou. He tilted his head, puzzled for a moment, then broke into a dazzling smile, his teeth gleaming white under the streetlight, surprisingly free of any bloodstains.

He strode over to Fang Xingzhou and said cheerfully, “Darling, I’ve got the meat! It’s the freshest. I’ll make you grilled ribs when we get home.”

Fang Xingzhou silently looked at him, his gaze slowly sweeping over Lu Jianchuan’s body, confirming that he looked exactly the same as he had ten minutes ago, except for the inevitable farm smell clinging to him.

Lu Jianchuan sniffed the air, catching the strong scent of air freshener on Fang Xingzhou. He took a step back and sniffed his own sleeve. “Do I smell bad? Maybe I should take a taxi back with the pig. I don’t want to dirty the car.”

Fang Xingzhou’s temple throbbed, still reeling from the earlier emotions.

Even if it was just a baseless association, any memory related to “jellyfish” would split his soul in two.

One half screamed in madness, wanting to grab Lu Jianchuan by the collar and demand the truth, force him to reveal his origins, and prove that he had nothing to do with the jellyfish that had disappeared without a word ten years ago… The other half remained calm, reminding himself that this was just a fleeting thought with no evidence.

After a long pause, he heard his own voice, calm and steady, as if it belonged to another version of Fang Xingzhou performing his daily life.

The voice carried a faint smile as it said, “This is the middle of nowhere. If you’re carrying half a dead pig, the taxi driver might report you to the police.”

Lu Jianchuan blinked. “I could ask the manager to give me a ride.”

As soon as he finished speaking, an angry voice shouted from the farm dormitory, “No rides!! Get back on your own!!!”

Lu Jianchuan: “…”

He laughed awkwardly. “I’ve been buying meat too often lately. They’re probably annoyed. Let’s go home, Zhouzhou. You haven’t eaten yet. You must be hungry too.”

Fang Xingzhou didn’t move.

Lu Jianchuan, holding the pig, didn’t dare get too close. He tentatively called out again, “Xingzhou?”

Fang Xingzhou slowly blinked, his pupils reflecting the face he knew so well. He asked softly, “Are you full?”

Lu Jianchuan: “Yes, I’m very full today. The little one in my belly has finally fallen asleep. Darling, are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale.”

Fang Xingzhou picked up the keys, burying all his mad thoughts in a corner of his mind that would never see the light of day. He turned and walked back the way they had come, saying, “It’s nothing. I’m just a little shaken by you again.”

Lu Jianchuan was taken aback, his voice quickly dropping. “I’m sorry… I didn’t expect raising a new life to be so hard.”

“It’s not your fault, Deer,” Fang Xingzhou said, walking half a step ahead. He looked down at their intertwined shadows, momentarily imagining a jellyfish’s tentacles sneaking out from behind the shadows, like a snake ready to strike at the right moment.

When he blinked, the shadows were just shadows again.

He was lost in thought until a cold, boneless hand gripped his.

He turned to look.

His lover, clad in human skin, was gazing at him with concern, his eyes filled with unspoken words. “…Darling, I can smell sadness on you.”

His grip tightened, as if trying to meld their bones together. The half pig swayed with each step, blood dripping along their path.

Fang Xingzhou caught a familiar, faint fragrance mixed with the farm’s unpleasant smell and the fresh, overwhelming scent of blood.

His heart seemed to be clutched by Lu Jianchuan’s cold hand, pulled from the depths of the ocean back to reality.

Miraculously, his emotions stabilized.

He looked at Lu Jianchuan, a smile slowly forming on his lips. His voice finally steadied as he said, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking about our savings and the cost of feeding you for the rest of your pregnancy.”

Lu Jianchuan stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled too. “Don’t worry. I’ll ask Mom and Dad for money.”

He said it so matter-of-factly, completely unbound by human societal norms, that Fang Xingzhou couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Okay.”

It didn’t really matter, he suddenly thought.

He loved Lu Jianchuan, and it had nothing to do with age, gender, appearance, money, or even species. What matters if he was a jellyfish? At most, he could grab him by the collar and demand to know why he had left without a word twenty years ago, but it wouldn’t change their relationship.

Even if today, at the right moment, he had walked into the farm and seen Lu Jianchuan transform into a grotesque, slimy toad, using his foul tongue to swallow pigs one by one to feed the thousands of tadpoles in his belly—inheriting his genes and destined to mutate into new frog-like creatures—their relationship wouldn’t waver in the slightest.

And if one day, he himself were contaminated by some unknown force and turned into a monstrous creature, Lu Jianchuan would undoubtedly take him to his nest and care for him lovingly, even cuddling his decaying corpse in bed after death.

The most intimate lovers always have their harmless little secrets.

Fang Xingzhou placed his other hand on Lu Jianchuan’s slightly bulging belly.

The embryo of an unknown species was sleeping soundly inside, unusually unresponsive to his touch, only lazily squirming as if stretching.

Fang Xingzhou asked, “Will you give birth to a litter of little frogs?”

Lu Jianchuan blinked in confusion.

“Of course not,” he said. “I’ll give you an incredibly cute human baby.”

He leaned in and gave Fang Xingzhou a kiss heavy with the scent of blood. “…It might just involve a few extra steps.” Like hatching from an egg, for instance.

Fang Xingzhou breathed in the scent deeply.

“That’s great,” he said without pressing further. “A human baby.”

He opened the trunk, and together they loaded the bleeding pig into the car. Only then did he realize how hungry he was, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his stomach.

Lu Jianchuan, worried about dirtying the car, took off his jacket and washed his hands with bottled water, insisting on driving back. By tomorrow morning, meat prices in the neighboring city might inexplicably rise again, as Lu Jianchuan looked as if he had emptied an entire farm.

Fang Xingzhou sat in the passenger seat, thinking about what to cook for dinner that night.

Lu Jianchuan started the car, then mysteriously pulled out a leftover cake from under the seat and handed it to Fang Xingzhou.

It was chocolate-flavored.

Out of the fifty strawberry cakes, this was the only chocolate one, a free gift from the shop owner as a thank-you for the large order. Fang Xingzhou hadn’t even noticed it earlier.

It was also the only cake flavor Fang Xingzhou liked.

Lu Jianchuan smiled, his eyes curving. “Wife, have a cake to tide you over. I’ll make you a feast when we get home.”

Fang Xingzhou stared at the cake for a moment, then slowly softened his expression. He opened the box and took a small bite.

It was sweeter than the strawberry ones.

______________________

Translater notes:

I just realised why i feel so odd on the chapters lately… case-solved the chapter title format was different than before, so i changed all of the titles to match the ones before~