Chapter 79

On the same evening, inside a private room at the restaurant.

Shen Anyue appeared to be solely focused on eating, but he would occasionally glance up, curiously observing the tall man who was serving dishes to Yong Ge. Just a while ago, this same person had unceremoniously thrown out a drunken troublemaker, and I mean literally thrown, sending the man flying.

The drunkard's companions had intended to cause trouble, but Cheng Duo dealt with them swiftly, kicking them away one by one, leaving them to keep the drunkard company.

Shen Anyue was taken aback at the time. He thought Cheng Duo was just being a bit fierce, but he hadn't expected him to act on it immediately with such physical prowess.

However, this fearsome man was now gently peeling crab shells for Yong Ge. Crabs were considered a precious delicacy in the Western capital, and Yong Ge probably hadn't eaten them before, so he was a bit flustered.

If it were another man concerned about his image, he would probably feel embarrassed about his husband's behavior. But Cheng Duo didn't seem to mind at all. He used his hands to crack the crab legs and used a special small spoon to scoop out the crab meat for Yong Ge.

Unlike his ferociousness when fighting, he showed great patience and meticulousness while doing these actions. He even occasionally fed Yong Ge with other dishes, smiling as he watched him eat.

Yong Ge, while enjoying his food, seemed to forget about the presence of others and directly used his chopsticks to feed his husband.

These two clearly didn't care about etiquette, not even using separate chopsticks, but Shen Anyue didn't find them disrespectful. On the contrary, the more he observed, the more he found them fascinating.

Perhaps because he had observed too many times, a pair of chopsticks suddenly reached his plate, holding a piece of crab meat with the succulent egg yolk, emitting a tempting aroma.

Shen Anyue was startled for a moment and then turned to look at Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan didn't look at him, keeping his head down and seriously picking out crab meat. However, his unnatural expression gave away his thoughts.

Xie Yuan blinked and calmly said, "Eat, why are you just looking at me? I used the public chopsticks, and my fingers haven't touched it."

Shen Anyue's emotions became somewhat complicated. Clearly, they were a married couple, and Yong Ge and the others had no taboos, yet Xie Yuan had so many concerns even when simply feeding him crab meat. Was he always trying to accommodate the other person?

"Thank you, husband," Shen Anyue whispered his gratitude and picked up that small piece of crab meat, savoring it slowly.

Seeing him eat it, Xie Yuan was instantly delighted. "Do you like it? If you do, I'll peel more for you!"

"I like it," Shen Anyue honestly nodded and hesitated for a moment before adding, "Husband, you don't need to be so cautious. Actually…it's not necessary to use separate chopsticks."

After saying that, he felt like he had been too reckless and tightly shut his mouth.

However, he was actually quite nervous. He stole a glance at Xie Yuan, trying to see his reaction.

Xie Yuan's eyes immediately lit up, and he pushed his bowl over, testing, "Then, An Ge, can you feed me some dishes too?"

Shen Anyue understood what he meant right away, and a warm blush crept up his cheeks. Fortunately, the two opposite them were busy feeding each other and didn't notice them.

However, as he stretched out his chopsticks, Shen Anyue faced a dilemma – he didn't know what Xie Yuan liked to eat!

Back at the Xie family's residence, the kitchen prepared dishes that he liked, and Xie Yuan never complained nor indicated his preferences.

Now, Shen Anyue recalled that whenever they ate together, Xie Yuan hardly touched the dishes that were slightly farther away from him, and there were very few dishes that he liked that Shen Anyue would feed him… At the time, he thought the Xie family's rules were strict, but now it seemed that it was just to accommodate him.

Shen Anyue's nose felt a bit sour as he realized the details he had neglected before were now presented to him in a different way. If he still didn't understand what this meant, then he truly didn't deserve Xie Yuan's kindness.

Not wanting Xie Yuan to notice his oversight and with Shen Si being the only person who could give him advice, but he was left outside the room… Shen Anyue had no choice but to rack his brain and try to remember what dishes Xie Yuan might like, then carefully picked some out to feed him.

Xie Yuan was so happy that he felt a bit dizzy. He didn't pay attention to such details, and he took the bowl and ate more, "crackling" peeling a bunch of crab meat for his beloved Shen Anyue. In the end, Cheng Duo mentioned that crab meat was too cold, and it's not good to eat too much, so Xie Yuan reluctantly stopped.

However, he didn't let Cheng Duo off either and insisted on pulling him into a drinking game. He was so delighted today that he felt like Cheng Duo and Yong Ge were his second matchmaker… Err, this description isn't quite accurate; he would never marry a second wife.

He used to complain about how affectionate they were in front of him, but if he had known that showing affection in front of Shen Anyue had such an effect, he would have invited them over a long time ago!

Cheng Duo only enjoyed a light drink and was not good at drinking games. As a person from the post-apocalyptic world, staying sober was a basic rule for him. But Xie Yuan seemed to have encountered something incredibly fortunate tonight. He refused to stop drinking until he was drunk. He thought about how he couldn't help with the hot pot restaurant, so he just drank a few glasses to accompany the others.

After the feast, he was still fine, but Xie Yuan was already reeking of alcohol and slumped under the table. Cheng Duo quickly seized the opportunity and swiftly lifted him up. However, Xie Yuan sat on the chair limply and soon became a drunken fool.

"Husband, husband?" Shen Anyue shook the drunken man and found he couldn't wake him up, so he awkwardly apologized, "Sorry, he's usually not like this…"

Indeed, Xie Yuan rarely got drunk even when attending social events, and he had never appeared drunk like this in front of Shen Anyue.

"It's alright," Cheng Duo waved his hand, "Do you need me to help carry him back?"

"Carry, carry him back?" Shen Anyue imagined the scene and almost couldn't keep a composed expression, quickly refusing, "No need, no need, we have a sedan chair at home. I'll have someone carry him back."

"That's fine," Cheng Duo also didn't want to carry a drunkard back home. If the person vomited on the way, he might end up covered in it.

Actually, he could carry the person, but considering Xie Yuan's face… he felt that the other person might prefer to sleep on the streets than being carried around by him for everyone to see.

Finally, the restaurant owner called two young lads to help, and they carried Xie Yuan into the sedan chair. After saying goodbye to Cheng Duo and the others, Shen Anyue also got in.

"Let's go, let's go back to sleep," Cheng Duo squinted his eyes, and because of the alcohol, his tone of speech was a bit different from usual.

Yong Ge also had a few drinks, and his little face was flushed. Hearing this, he happily nodded.

Cheng Duo still thought he was sober, but when they went to sleep, he realized he was in trouble. The little guy had taken a long nap in the afternoon and drank alcohol in the evening. Now, he was excited, and he kept wriggling in his arms, calling him, "Cheng Duo!"

"Hmm?" Cheng Duo grunted.

Yong Ge continued calling, "Cheng Duo, Cheng Duo…"

Cheng Duo's expression changed, but he remembered that he had gone a bit overboard last night, so he restrained himself and didn't move.

Yong Ge kissed him randomly and rubbed his saliva all over Cheng Duo's face.

Both of them were a bit heated from the alcohol, and Yong Ge was being touchy and cuddly… Cheng Duo's eyes flickered, but he endured it since he still remembered what happened last night. He didn't want to repeat that mistake.

After a while of kissing without getting any response, Yong Ge started crying anxiously, "Cheng Duo, you don't want me anymore! You won't kiss me!"

Cheng Duo: "…"

This sweet talk of his, he couldn't handle it!

"""

Late at night, Xie Yuan, who had slept well, finally woke up.

At first, he was a bit bewildered, but when he realized he was sleeping in the main courtyard bedroom, with Shen Anyue lying next to him… Xie Yuan wished he could turn back time and knock out his past self who insisted on drinking with others!

With great difficulty, Shen Anyue's attitude towards him had finally changed, but he got too excited and ruined everything.

Xie Yuan didn't have amnesia; he remembered clearly how he had teased Shen Anyue when he returned. Not only that, after drinking the sobering soup, he had vomited twice, and Shen Si's screams still echoed in his ears…

Shen Anyue, who was fastidious about cleanliness, didn't kick him out on the spot; it was probably because they were husbands.

Xie Yuan rolled up his sleeves and smelled himself, inevitably catching a whiff of sweat. Besides that, there was definitely the lingering scent of alcohol. Right now, he felt like he had crawled out of a wine barrel, so it was strange that he could still notice such things.

He looked at Shen Anyue, who was half-lying on the footstool, sleeping soundly. Carefully, Xie Yuan pulled his sleeve out from under Shen Anyue's head.

Shen Anyue was sound asleep, his handsome face slightly furrowed, showing signs of fatigue; it seemed he was quite worn out from being tossed around by Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan's heart sank, and he placed Shen Anyue back on the bed. He wasn't even wearing shoes as he intended to leave quietly.

"Where are you going this late?" A cool voice suddenly came from behind.

Xie Yuan turned around awkwardly, "I'm going back to the front courtyard."

Shen Anyue slowly sat up, his gaze inexplicably fixated on Xie Yuan, "I took care of you all night, and you're leaving without saying anything?"

"I, I just… didn't want to disturb your rest…" Xie Yuan felt embarrassed to admit that he stank of sweat, and he didn't want to suffocate Shen Anyue with the smell.

"Xie Yuan." In the flickering candlelight, Shen Anyue suddenly called his name boldly. Instead of feeling angry, Xie Yuan felt like he had been given a great pleasure, and his whole body relaxed.

"…"

"Can you tell me why you wanted to marry me in the first place?"

Why? He didn't know himself. The moment he saw Shen Anyue looking so disheveled, he thought he was special. Even in tattered clothes, he exuded the air of a scholarly gentleman. Xie Yuan thought he walked beautifully, spoke beautifully, and even his pale and thin face was beautiful.

From the first moment, he had decided that this delicate young man was his other half.

But Xie Yuan felt embarrassed to say it; he was afraid that Shen Anyue would find him shallow. How could love at first sight be based solely on someone's appearance?

Fortunately, Shen Anyue didn't make things difficult for him and asked a different question, "So, do you… like me?"

Xie Yuan forced a bitter smile and nodded, "I thought I made it quite obvious…" He not only liked him, but he loved him to the core; he just didn't understand why.

Shen Anyue felt relieved, and the tension he had been holding finally eased. After a moment of silence, he asked gently, "Do you know how I feel about you?"

"How do you feel?" Now, it was Xie Yuan who became nervous.

"I am grateful to you. Thanks to you, our whole family was able to settle down in Xidu and not die away from home."

Xie Yuan's eyes dimmed, "Is that so…" He didn't want to hear any words of gratitude!

"After we got married, you were humorous, gentle, and showered me with love and care. To put it bluntly, my parents never spoiled me this much. I… at that time, I thought, if you don't abandon me, I will definitely stay with you." Shen Anyue's words were somewhat implicit.

"Shen Anyue!" Xie Yuan was moved, but when he thought of something, he felt wronged, "Then why have you been so cold to me…"

"Do you remember when we went together to greet my parents after the birthday celebration for Lord Wen? It seemed like you and my parents had something to discuss, so you asked me to return to our room first. I was halfway there when I suddenly remembered that Young Master Wen handed you a note and that I should have informed you. So, I turned back…"

"…"

"You heard everything?" Xie Yuan blurted out.

"Mhm." Shen Anyue lowered his gaze. Even now, recalling that feeling of being doused with ice-cold water, he still felt the chill deep in his heart.

"I… I was just trying to please them!" Xie Yuan was so anxious that he started to stutter, "Look, Judge Tao had already been reassigned to another place. Besides, before he left, our Xie family had been sending gifts only on special occasions. We were merchants; it's common to give gifts to officials. In Xidu, which official haven't we tried to establish connections with?"

He couldn't directly say that Shen Anyue's father's influence had diminished, so he could only explain it delicately.

To his surprise, Shen Anyue easily believed him and even apologized, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."

"No, do you really believe me? Shen Anyue, you're not trying to placate me, make me happy, and then… and then divorce me, are you?" Xie Yuan felt aggrieved.

"…" You're thinking too much!

(T/N: They r having a heart to heart talk…. Finally all will be well… Baby Yue won't have excessive thoughts anymore… sob..sob…)