Xie Ge tried hard to transmit his “men always turn bad” theory to Xu Miao, while Xu Miao tried to follow the three-no’s: no questioning, no opposing, no resisting.
Xie Ge always had plenty of sudden whimsical ideas, with all kinds of illogical theories, but Xu Miao thought that in their relationship, he didn’t need to correct these cute little notions.
Sometimes, Xu Miao even hoped that Xie Ge would take the initiative to make requests of him—so that he could feel needed.
After all, most of Xie Ge’s ideas were harmless. When someone in love asks for a little something from the person who loves them, it’s not a bad thing.
Xu Miao’s smoking habit wasn’t heavy—he only smoked when he was in a very good or very bad mood, using it to numb his brain for a while so that he wouldn’t sink too deep into extreme emotions.
Under Xie Ge’s supervision, Xu Miao gathered up all the cigarettes in the house, packed them together, and threw them away with Xie Ge.
The next morning, Xu Miao was woken by a rustling sound. He fumbled for his phone and saw that it was not yet six o’clock. Without thinking, he grabbed the pillow next to him and threw it at the person standing by the bed.
“You’re so noisy.”
The pillow was soft and light, but when it hit Xie Ge, it still made a loud thud—maybe because it carried Xu Miao’s full-blown morning temper.
Xu Miao lay on his stomach, arms tucked under the pillow, lifting the sides up to form a three-sided little cocoon. He buried his face inside, even covering his ears, trying to block out any sound that could disturb his sleep.
Xie Ge wasn’t angry even after being hit in the face. He hugged the pillow Xu Miao had thrown and lay back down beside him.
Sneakily, he pried open the pillow near Xu Miao’s ear and planted a light kiss on his cheek. When Xu Miao lifted his hand to push him away, Xie Ge quickly grabbed it and kissed his fingers.
“I’m really sleepy,” Xu Miao’s voice came out muffled under the pillow. He had woken up enough to realize it was Xie Ge messing with him. His irritation melted into helplessness as he said, “I only slept at three yesterday. Let me sleep a bit longer, baby. Otherwise, when we take those two-inch ID photos later, I won’t look good, and I’ll be sad.”
Every word of Xu Miao’s struck at Xie Ge’s soft spots, leaving him powerless to resist and even making him start to self-reflect.
The man beside him finally quieted down. Xu Miao turned to his side, wrapped his arms around Xie Ge’s waist, leaned into the crook of his neck, and fell asleep again.
An hour later, the phone suddenly rang.
Xie Ge didn’t even have time to see whose phone it was or who was calling. Quick as lightning, he answered before Xu Miao could wake up.
“Why did you ask for leave?”
The voice was sharp and aggressive. Xie Ge paused for a few seconds, glanced at the screen, and saw only a string of numbers with no remark.
Before answering, his only thought was not to let the ringing wake Xu Miao. After answering, he realized that no matter whose phone it was—his or Xu Miao’s—he could’ve just hung up instead of holding the phone awkwardly without knowing how to reply.
“I’m asking you why you requested leave. You just wrote ‘personal matter.’ Do you think I’ll approve that?”
The voice grew louder, almost like it was on speakerphone. Xie Ge quickly turned down the volume and held Xu Miao tighter as he stirred uneasily.
Using the arm serving as a pillow, Xie Ge covered Xu Miao’s ear and explained softly, keeping it brief: “He’s sleeping. Can he call you back after he wakes up?”
“Who are you? Where’s Xu Miao? Put him on the phone!”
So noisy. Xu Miao had said he was noisy, but clearly there were people even noisier.
Still, Xie Ge didn’t hang up rudely. Since the caller could directly name Xu Miao, they clearly weren’t strangers.
He kept a polite tone: “He’s asleep and can’t take the call right now. When he wakes up, he’ll—”
Before he could finish, Xu Miao grabbed the phone out of his hand. Xie Ge couldn’t hear the other person anymore, only Xu Miao’s words:
“Didn’t I already tell you I’m married? Who else could he be? Of course he’s my husband.”
“I didn’t take my annual leave last year, and this year I haven’t asked for a single day off. Now I suddenly have something urgent and I request half a day—what’s the problem?”
“Whatever. If you won’t approve it, then just mark me as absent.”
Being woken halfway through sleep was truly irritating. After hanging up, Xu Miao’s face was still stormy. On a sudden impulse, he grabbed Xie Ge’s shoulders and repeatedly bumped his forehead against Xie Ge’s chest.
He only stopped when his forehead hurt, then looked up to check if Xie Ge was okay—only to see that Xie Ge was grinning like an idiot.
“What are you laughing at?” Xu Miao asked, puzzled. He even suspected Xie Ge had a fever, so he leaned in and touched foreheads with him, only to find his temperature normal. “You’re not sick… so what’s with you? I’m not marrying an idiot.”
It was like he’d triggered some keyword. Xie Ge immediately stopped his silly grin, pressing his lips tight to look serious—but he broke character almost instantly.
A little smug yet shy, Xie Ge asked, “Can you call me that again?”
Xu Miao blinked. “Call you what?”
Too embarrassed to say directly, Xie Ge hinted frantically: “The way you called me when you were on the phone just now.”
Xu Miao pretended not to get it: “Which way?”
“That way!” Xie Ge was anxious. “That way—that way!”
Seeing Xu Miao still looking clueless, he nearly wanted to jump off the balcony in frustration. After a long hesitation, he finally decided to spell it out: “When you said—”
“Husband,” Xu Miao interrupted.
His eyes curved with amusement as he repeated, “Husband.”
They are so cute😍