Chapter 99: The Married Beta Bites Her Tongue (Chasing Wife 1.0)

Chapter 99: The Beta Husband Bites His Tongue (Chasing the Wife 1.0)

Situ Jing set the bowl of noodles on the small round table, noticing a white suitcase tucked beneath it and a guitar case nearby.

Based on the neatness of the bedroom’s bed, table, chairs, and floor, coupled with the suitcase under the table, he deduced that Bai Yu had returned yesterday, intending to pack his belongings and flee.

Situ Jing pulled out the suitcase, unzipped it, and peered inside, curious about Bai Yu’s packed items.

He refused to believe Bai Yu would discard all his gifts, leaving only the cat behind.

Even if Bai Yu never genuinely cherished those expensive presents, it seemed unlikely he would sell them all off and still live in such poverty.

The suitcase revealed a few of Bai Yu’s clothes, hard drives, some documents, and a shabby, unlocked iron box.

His intuition told him that the contents of this iron box were far from ordinary suitcase fare.

Situ Jing opened the iron box, his gaze falling upon its contents, and a faint smile played on his lips.

The Golden Scarab, a white tennis ball, a crystal trophy—all were connected to him.

Situ Jing picked up the Golden Scarab, examining it closely. He noticed one hind leg had been clumsily repaired. This flaw marred the scarab’s perfection, making it look worse than if it had been left untouched.

Why hadn’t Bai Yu told him?

Had he known, repairing the scarab’s hind leg would have been effortless.

Was he truly so intimidating that Bai Yu feared speaking up?

Situ Jing uncharacteristically reflected on his words and actions toward Bai Yu, though only for a brief moment.

Another matter puzzled him.

Beyond these three items, the iron box was empty.

Had that moth-shaped necklace, adorned with top-tier rubies, truly been sold by Bai Yu for a paltry fifty thousand yuan?

Situ Jing’s expression hardened. He returned the Golden Scarab to the iron box, repacked everything into the suitcase, then meticulously searched the bedroom’s wardrobe, drawers, and every nook.

After confirming the necklace was absent, Situ Jing called Secretary Zhou.

Secretary Zhou was drenched in sweat, mid-pull-up. With less than three hours remaining until his punishment deadline, he quickly paused his video recording upon seeing his boss’s call. "Boss?"

Situ Jing instructed, "Immediately investigate Bai Yu’s transaction records across all electronic platforms and banks from the past six months. Focus specifically on any transaction involving 'fifty thousand.'"

Secretary Zhou replied, "Understood, Boss."

Just as Situ Jing was about to hang up, Secretary Zhou dared to ask, "Then… what about the punishment?"

"Finish the investigation, then continue. I’ll check in this afternoon."

"..."

Having given his orders, Situ Jing lay on the small bed, pulling Bai Yu into his embrace. He buried his face in Bai Yu’s neck, ravenously inhaling his familiar scent.

Bai Yu whimpered in his sleep, attempting to turn over, but Situ Jing held him fast, refusing to let him stir.

The air was thick and humid, the bed too narrow, creaking with every slight movement. In such an environment, Situ Jing found sleep impossible.

Proximity to Bai Yu’s body invariably stirred his potent desires.

Following his usual modus operandi, he would have whisked Bai Yu back to Yanting immediately, or resumed their unfinished business right here.

But, uncharacteristically, he reined in his urges.

After listening once more to the recording of their agreement, a warmth surged through him, accompanied by an unexpected tingling sensation and the exhilaration of reclaiming a lost treasure. The emptiness was gone.

It seemed worthwhile to step away from that opulent, luxurious world, to sacrifice a little dignity, and lie on this narrow bed in a dilapidated room.

Situ Jing held the person in his arms tightly, affectionately kissed his cheek, closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh.

Two hours later, the heavy rain finally ceased. Car horns gradually filled the streets, and the first wave of commuters was already cycling to work on shared bikes.

Situ Jing received the documents from Secretary Zhou. None of the transaction records showed a payment of fifty thousand yuan.

Additionally, he discovered that in April, immediately after their contract ended, Bai Yu had transferred all the money in his bank account—a total of 1.2 million yuan—to an account in Country S.

Situ Jing sat at the head of the bed, gazing at the still-sleeping figure beside him. He then rose and left the room to call Bai Li.

It was midnight in Country S. Bai Li answered the phone, "Who is this?"

Situ Jing cut straight to the chase, "This is Situ Jing. You know about my relationship with your brother, right?"

Bai Li paused, then spoke slowly, "I know. What’s the matter?"

Situ Jing: "In April this year, did he transfer 1.2 million yuan to you?"

Bai Li: "Yes. What do you want?"

Situ Jing: "Did he give you a ruby necklace?"

Bai Li hesitated, "No, but…"

Situ Jing: "But what?"

Bai Li: "I’m curious why you’re asking. Do you suspect my brother stole something?"

Situ Jing: "No, I’m trying to locate the necklace. If I find out you’re lying, I won’t be lenient. Understood?"

Bai Li paused for two seconds, "He didn’t mail me anything because delivery services here are unreliable and slow. I never asked him to send anything."

Situ Jing: "Did he ever mention this necklace to you?"

Bai Li: "Not at all. I don’t think the necklace is with my brother. Please stop looking for him."

Situ Jing: "You have no right to tell me what to do."

Bai Li had a bad feeling, her voice becoming urgent, "Have you tracked down my brother again? Please don’t force him!"

Situ Jing sneered, "It seems you still don’t grasp the situation. Your very life is thanks to me. What right do you have to criticize me here?"

Bai Li retorted angrily, "I’ll work to pay you back after I finish my studies. Don’t look down on people. If I find out you’ve hurt him, I won’t let you off!"

Situ Jing narrowed his eyes, "You’re living it up abroad with the money your brother gave you, yet you never considered the life he’s endured alone for your sake. Now you’re putting on a fake show of concern—does that make you care about him? You’re nothing but a leech."

Bai Li said through gritted teeth, "Except for tuition, I’ve never touched that money! You’re a despicable person. Don’t think I don’t know how you bullied him—he told me everything. I truly wish he had never met you!"

Situ Jing suddenly wanted to hear how Bai Yu discussed him with his sister, "What did he say about me?"

Bai Li huffed indignantly and hung up.

Situ Jing stared at the "call ended" notification on his screen, murmuring darkly, "That takes guts."

The last person who dared hang up on him had long since been ostracized from Yunjing’s elite circles, bankrupt and reduced to a car washer. Only Bai Yu’s sister received such leniency from him.

Situ Jing redialed Bai Li’s number.

Bai Li answered, shouting, "What else do you want?!"

Situ Jing’s tone was icy. "If you have what it takes, make a name for yourself before returning. Otherwise, you have no right to yell at me. Understand?"

With a click, Situ Jing hung up first.

Bai Li: "..."

*

At some point, Bai Yu awoke in a daze, his head throbbing as if it had been run over by a truck and hastily reassembled. His eyes were slightly swollen, and his throat felt parched.

His clothes had been changed, and the bedsheets and duvet cover were gone, leaving only the bare mattress.

On the small round table by the bed sat a bowl of untouched noodles.

Bai Yu slowly sat up, trying to clear his head. He couldn’t recall anything after drinking last night—how he had returned was a complete blank.

His memory cut off after he pulled He Lele from the private room to escape the fight between Situ Jing and Alex.

Was this what they called blacking out?

Bai Yu noticed his suitcase under the table and was just contemplating his escape plan when the bedroom door opened.

Situ Jing entered, dressed in a custom lead-gray suit, exuding his usual elegant and noble aura, though faint signs of fatigue shadowed his eyes. He looked at Bai Yu on the bed and said, "Awake? Come back with me."

Bai Yu recoiled in surprise. "Why are you here? Go back with you?"

Situ Jing walked to the bedside, leaned down, and looked at him. "You don’t remember what you promised me?"

Bai Yu looked bewildered, timidly shrinking back. "What did I promise?"

"Let me refresh your memory." Situ Jing played a recording on his phone for Bai Yu.

As soon as the recording began, Situ Jing’s low voice emerged: "Proof. Satisfied?"

"I won’t be harsh with you anymore. I’ll take it slow and help you get used to it."

Then, Bai Yu heard his own voice, choked with tears: "You won’t call me stupid or dumb anymore?"

"I won’t."

"Alright, alright."

"Then will you agree to come back with me?"

Perhaps after a long silence, Situ Jing said softly, "Answer me."

Bai Yu heard himself murmur a soft "Mhm."

His eyes widened in shock as fragmented memories flooded back—running on the street, arguing in the heavy rain, fixing the light bulb at home…

So, last night, Situ Jing had stayed here with him all night. He hadn’t left with Situ Jing, but Situ Jing hadn’t left either.

Bai Yu found it unbelievable that Situ Jing had stayed. Even more unbelievable was how easily he'd been persuaded.

He didn’t expect Situ Jing to undergo any substantial change, nor was it necessary.

Alcohol truly did lead to trouble.

But Situ Jing seemed to have cared for him all night. He couldn’t just dismiss it like a scoundrel, claiming it was all drunken nonsense, could he?

Bai Yu looked up and met Situ Jing’s piercing gaze, as if a single "no" would instantly pin him to the bed for a lesson.

"Let me collect myself. My head hurts badly."

Situ Jing’s expression softened slightly. He took the cup from the table, fetched hot water, and handed Bai Yu a pill. "For your hangover."

Bai Yu took the pill and reached for the cup in Situ Jing’s hand.

Situ Jing brought it directly to his lips. "Drink it like this."

Bai Yu lowered his head and took a sip, his thick eyelashes fluttering like a small animal lapping water. After swallowing the pill, he looked up at Situ Jing and said, "Thank you."

Situ Jing’s patience was so rare it felt unfamiliar and awkward to Bai Yu.

Was he upholding the promise he’d recorded?

Or was it because Bai Yu had been too drunk from hard liquor last night to satisfy him, so he wanted him to recover quickly to a "usable" state?

Bai Yu studied Situ Jing’s expression but, as always, couldn’t decipher his thoughts.

Situ Jing gently stroked Bai Yu’s face, then placed the cup back on the small round table and changed the subject. "You lost the scarab too? I told you to take good care of it for me."

"I didn’t lose it. It’s not fixed."

The words slipped out before Bai Yu realized he’d given himself away. He looked sharply at Situ Jing, fearing his outburst.

Situ Jing’s expression remained impassive, as if he had seen through it all along. "Where is it? Show me."

Bai Yu got out of bed, pulled out the suitcase, and retrieved the metal box. He noticed the lock was open and found it strange—had he forgotten to lock it?

After a brief pause, he dismissed the thought, opened the box, rummaged through it, and handed the golden scarab pottery sculpture to Situ Jing.

Situ Jing made a show of examining the golden scarab, his eyes darkening. Casually, he asked, "What about the moth necklace?"

"Right, where is the necklace?"

Bai Yu searched through everything in the metal box but couldn’t find the moth necklace.

Situ Jing walked over and looked into the box. "A necklace worth ten million yuan, and it’s missing?"

Bai Yu panicked, his eyes widening as he stared at Situ Jing. "That necklace is worth ten million yuan?!"

The truth was out—the moth necklace hadn’t been sold.

Situ Jing felt relieved, even pleased, but his satisfaction quickly turned to anger. "Of course. You didn’t even notice it was gone?"

Bai Yu hurriedly opened the entire suitcase, dumping everything out, but it still wasn’t there. He froze in disbelief.

It was truly gone.

He recalled the night he'd moved—he hadn't opened the metal box during the process, and he hadn't touched the box after arriving at He Lele’s place. Everything had seemed normal.

If a thief had taken it, why only steal the necklace? His hard drive and wallet were untouched, and everything else in the suitcase had been left exactly as it was.

Situ Jing looked at Bai Yu's dazed expression and was certain the necklace was indeed gone, with the one who lost it unaware of when or who had stolen it.

He had put so much effort into having that expensive jewelry custom-made for Bai Yu, only for it to be lost just like that.

"When did you last take it out?"

Bai Yu shook his head, "No, I put it in the box and never touched it again. I didn’t show it to anyone."

Situ Jing slammed the Golden Scarab sculpture onto the small round table, "Such a waste of money!"

Hearing this, Bai Yu’s nose stung, and tears welled up in his eyes, "Why did you give me such an expensive necklace? If you hadn’t given it to me, I wouldn’t have lost it!"

Situ Jing was so angry he laughed, "I’ve never seen someone so good at twisting words. If you fail an exam, do you blame the teacher for making the questions too hard?"

Bai Yu felt wronged, completely unaware of who had done it, and furious at this jerk's harsh words. He stepped forward and shoved him hard, "It’s my fault, I’m sorry! If you want that necklace, I’ll find it and return it to you. Just leave now!"

Situ Jing didn't budge but was stunned for a moment. He pulled Bai Yu into an embrace, "I take back what I said. You’re not a waste of money."

"I am a waste of money. I lost the necklace. Just go!"

Situ Jing’s hold wasn’t too tight, but Bai Yu broke free and frantically began pulling open drawers and closet doors, desperate to find the ruby necklace and return everything to him as soon as possible.

"Stop looking!" Situ Jing grabbed Bai Yu’s hand, "I don’t want the necklace anymore. There’s no need to look for it. I want you."

Bai Yu shook his head vigorously, struggling to shake off Situ Jing’s grip, "I’m not going with you."

Situ Jing pulled Bai Yu into his arms, holding him firmly, "Are you trying to go back on your word? Does what you promised last night not count?"

Bai Yu gasped lightly and let out a soft snort, "No. Let’s talk about us later, after I find the necklace and return it to you!"

"I said you don’t need to look for it!"

Infuriating, truly infuriating.

Situ Jing gripped Bai Yu’s head and kissed his lips fiercely, his tongue deftly forcing past his barely-parted teeth.

Bai Yu was forced to open his mouth, accepting this intense, aggressive kiss. But still upset about the necklace, he bit the man’s tongue in defiance.

Situ Jing shuddered and abruptly pushed Bai Yu against the wall, pinning him with his knee and gripping his jaw, kissing him even more fiercely, with increasingly passionate, wet sounds.

"Mmph!"

Bai Yu was kissed until breathless, his cheeks flushed pink. His body was tightly restrained, unable to move. He could only gasp words out during the brief pauses when the man allowed him to breathe.

"Don’t… not here. This is He Lele’s rented place. I’m just staying here temporarily. It’s not good to disturb others."

Situ Jing’s voice was hoarse and low, "I already kicked him out."

Bai Yu finally caught his breath and looked at Situ Jing in surprise, "You kicked He Lele out?"

Situ Jing’s gaze deepened as he looked at Bai Yu, "What, do you want him back?"

"No…"

Bai Yu quickly reached for his phone and called He Lele.

The call connected quickly, with strong wind noises in the background. He Lele asked, "Bai Yu, what’s up?"

Bai Yu: "Where are you?"

He Lele: "I’m cycling on the national highway."

Bai Yu: "Didn’t you say your house was flooded and needed repairs? Where did you get the money—"

He Lele: "Mr. Situ gave me 200,000 last night. I sent it home. Mr. Chen also arranged a job for me. Since I don’t have classes right now, I’m planning to cycle along the highway for three months and start working when I get back."

Bai Yu glanced at Situ Jing and asked angrily into the phone, "So you sold me out for 200,000? Who was it that locked you in the private room last night? Have you forgotten?!"

He Lele chuckled, "Well, Bai Yu, let me explain. Actually, I was the one who accidentally broke that bottle of Louis XIII. Maybe Brother didn’t expect it—he hadn’t even set a trap, and I walked right into it… This time, I owed him 300,000, but he ended up giving me 200,000. I feel kinda bad about it."

Bai Yu: "I suspect you’re just whitewashing him."

He Lele: "No, it’s true, I’m not lying. Even though Brother might not seem like a good person, he treats you well. He even made instant noodles for you in the middle of the night. You should just stay with him."

Bai Yu looked at the bowl of cold noodles on the table, disbelief in his eyes, "He made the noodles?"

Situ Jing immediately walked over, picked up the bowl, and threw it—noodles and all—into the trash.

Bai Yu asked, puzzled, "Why did you throw it away?"

Situ Jing raised an eyebrow, "Is it still edible?"

The noodles in the trash had become soggy and bloated. Of course, Bai Yu wouldn’t eat them, but he felt Situ Jing’s action was too swift, like a child who, out of shyness, hides a drawing they’ve just finished, afraid to share it.

But Situ Jing shouldn’t have such worries—he was always so confident in everything he did.

"No, but… alright, thank you for making me food."

Situ Jing took a tissue from the nearby box and wiped his hands calmly, "Are you done with the call? The car's been waiting downstairs. Let’s go back to Yan Ting for breakfast."

"...Wait a moment."

The call was still connected. Bai Yu hurriedly asked He Lele, "Did you see a ruby necklace?"

He Lele: "No, why?"

Bai Yu trusted He Lele’s character. If he knew, he would definitely tell him.

He sighed, "It’s nothing. Have a fun trip. Mmph—"

Situ Jing took Bai Yu's phone, held him, and kissed him gently yet insistently, "I’ll have someone look for the necklace. Come back with me now."

"..."

Bai Yu was still hesitating, but Situ Jing had already placed the Golden Scarab back in the metal box and was tidying the suitcase items, as if their getting back together was the most natural thing in the world.

In reality, he couldn’t resist him anyway.

Something had changed.

Even Bai Yu, as slow as he was, could sense it.

If it were the old Situ Jing, regardless of his willingness, he would have forced him back to Yan Ting.

After half a year, Situ Jing was still domineering, but he seemed more patient now.

Bai Yu didn’t understand what he meant to Situ Jing or what significance he held.

Love was impossible—no one has a relationship like this.

Bai Yu wasn't confident enough to believe Situ Jing would fall in love with him—that would truly make him the clown.

If Bai Yu were to ask Situ Jing, "Have you fallen for me?"

Situ Jing would surely retort sarcastically, "Are you joking? Who do you think you are?"

To Situ Jing, such a question would likely feel like an insult to his character, and for Bai Yu, it would only bring humiliation upon himself.

Unless the sun burned out, its outer layers were stripped away to become a white dwarf, the lost ancient civilization of Atlantis is found, and the standard workweek changed from five days on, two days off to two days on, five days off—only then could such a thing happen.

Perhaps his status was slightly higher than that of an ordinary plaything.

After all, it was truly unbelievable that Situ Jing had come to take care of him overnight, agreed to let him gradually get more accustomed, and even personally made noodles for him.

The moth necklace worth ten million was lost, so he owed him another huge sum.

Really... should he continue staying by Situ Jing’s side for a few more years?

Just then, someone called.

Bai Yu took a deep breath upon seeing the name on the screen and hurried out of the bedroom into the bathroom.

"Alex?"

Alex’s voice was panting, as if he were running. "Did Situ Jing make things difficult for you last night?"

Bai Yu: "No, I’m okay."

Alex: "Where are you?"

Bai Yu hesitated for a moment. Considering Alex might be worried about his safety, he told the truth. "I’m at the apartment He Lele rented, in Huaxing Huayuan Community. What’s up?"

Alex seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Perfect, I’m downstairs at your building. There’s something I need to tell you."

Bai Yu: "You’re downstairs?!"

Alex: "Yes, I’m already in the entrance. You’re on the sixth floor, right?"

Bai Yu: "Um... maybe I should come down to meet you?"

Alex: "No need, I’m too eager to see you. I’ll be up in a moment."

Hearing Alex’s slightly cheerful tone and the echoing footsteps in the stairwell, Bai Yu’s heart tightened.

Turning around, Bai Yu saw the tall, shadowy figure of a man standing outside the frosted glass door.