Chapter 43

"Huh? How did I end up so far away? Look at the time! If I don't get back soon, my hubby won't have breakfast," William muttered to himself. Glancing at his watch, he realized it was almost eight. He quickly hailed a taxi. As he handed the driver the fare, he noticed the man's strange gaze fixated on his red fingernail. William pulled his sleeve down, hiding his hand as if it were missing a finger, and hurriedly exited the cab, ignoring the driver's odd look.

Despite his rush, he had run out of town and taken a taxi back, but still missed breakfast with Brian. He couldn't let his hubby go to work on an empty stomach, so he bought breakfast and took it straight to Brian's office. By the time he arrived, Brian had already finished his morning meeting.

The secretary walked in with breakfast just as William was handing Brian a bowl of millet porridge, cautioning him, "Careful, it's hot." Seeing this, she realized her prepared breakfast was unnecessary. The spouse had already delivered one.

As she was about to leave, she noticed the red nail on William's ring finger. The rest of his fingers were bare. The secretary paused, and William, noticing her gaze, quickly clenched his fist in embarrassment, wishing he could bite off the offending nail. "Don't look, it's embarrassing," he thought.

The secretary, however, chuckled and pointed at his red nail. "Mr. Wang, you're quite the romantic," she whispered.

Romantic? Where did that come from?

As Brian ate his breakfast, William hurriedly followed the secretary out of the room. "Hey, why did you call me romantic? This looks awful," he asked.

The secretary, her face flushed with excitement, explained, "Mr. Wang, there's a tradition in Japan. When a girl has someone special in her heart, she paints a different color on her ring finger. If you see a girl with only her ring finger painted, it means she's in love. It's a subtle way of expressing love. You painted your ring finger, so you must have Mr. Liu in your heart. How romantic! No wonder Mr. Liu is in such a good mood today. You've declared your love."

Suddenly, it all made sense to William. So, painting the nail of the finger that represents the heart meant you had someone special in your heart. And since Brian had painted his nail, did that mean he wanted William to keep him in his heart?

Looking at his red nail, he thought, "This looks good. The bright red represents my heart, and it definitely holds Brian Liu."

He decided to send all his clothes to the dry cleaners and stop washing dishes or cooking. That way, the nail polish would last longer, and he could make Brian happy every day.

"Such a clever idea," he thought. "A subtle and discreet way to declare love. No wonder he's been so happy since yesterday. I'll definitely keep you in my heart."

He realized that the key to maintaining a relationship and a marriage was to be heartfelt and sincere. He was on the right track.

Brian, sipping his warm porridge, couldn't hide the smile on his face. He had stumbled upon this tradition while browsing the web and thought it was fun. It was a subtle, almost unnoticeable way to bring joy, forcing himself into William's heart!

He had managed to both embarrass William and make him feel loved. Two birds with one stone. "You think you can keep me out of your heart? I'll force my way in," he thought.

He had punished William, but in doing so, he had found a deeper level of happiness.

William had changed the sofa cushions, bought a new carpet, and had the house cleaned. He then started rearranging the guest room, throwing out the bed, moving the cabinet to the corner, and installing a punching bag. He bought boxing gloves, daggers, and short knives, startling the cleaner who wondered if he was preparing for a murder. The luxurious house had suddenly turned into a scene from a gangster movie.

William pondered some more and decided to visit the National Security Bureau. He had seen James Bond and Mission Impossible. Lipsticks were USB drives, high heels hid knives, and umbrellas could kill. The Bureau had all sorts of technology. Even though the movies exaggerated, he thought they might have something like a pen that could be used as a weapon. He decided to get one for Brian.