Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lately, the two of them lived under the same roof and stayed indoors every day, so there was no need to contact each other by phone at all—they could just go upstairs to meet. As a result, Song Nian had let this slip his mind.

Although the last time they went out, the lack of contact information had caused a misunderstanding, they got to talking and just forgot all about it again.

Unlike his own mooching life, Li Yanchuan handled company affairs online from home and would still have to return to the corporate group to work after his recuperation ended.

If they didn’t have a way to reach each other, what would happen once Li Yanchuan started going to work? What if he needed to get ahold of him for something?

It's not like he could just waltz into the company building for a face-to-face.

Even if they were a fake marriage couple, they should at least exchange contact information.

With that in mind, Song Nian grabbed his phone and clattered upstairs in his slippers.

But how the hell was he supposed to actually do that?

He couldn't just walk up and ask for his number, could he?

Picture this: you've been married a few weeks, and your spouse comes up to you saying they have a question.

You think it's something serious, but all they want is your phone number.

How awkward would that be? Like you're hitting on a stranger.

He needed a more subtle approach.

Right, speaking of hitting on someone… an idea hit him.

Song Nian's eyes lit up, and a plan formed.

————

The pacing back and forth outside the door was far too obvious. Li Yanchuan stopped what he was doing, and even without a knock, he called out in a low voice,

“Come in. Stop walking around.”

The moment he spoke, the hallway went dead silent.

Then, the door was quietly pushed open a crack, and a fluffy head poked in, looking extremely sneaky.

“You caught me~”

Song Nian poked his head in and grinned sheepishly, like a puppy caught sneaking a look at its owner.

Bright as his smile was, Li Yanchuan still caught a flicker of guilt. Faint and fleeting, but unmistakable.

He didn't need to guess—he knew something was up.

Knowing this, he raised an eyebrow and waited, playing dumb.

Song Nian padded over cheerfully, half-crouched, and asked with fake casualness,

“Honey, are you busy with work? Are you tired?”

“What's up?”

“What do you mean by that? Can't I just care about you without a reason? Do I have to need something to come see you?”

Song Nian acted deeply wronged, protesting in a flustered, pouty tone, like an angry rabbit stomping its foot.

“Sure. I'm not busy. Not tired.”

“Good. Oh, by the way, honey, there's something I want to tell you.”

The moment of truth had come. The guy who'd just claimed he had no ulterior motive now gave a guilty grin and edged closer.

Li Yanchuan said nothing. He didn't call him out—just waited for him to continue.

“I just noticed our microwave keeps making this 'goo-goo' noise, like a little baby chick.”

“So I used my phone's translator to translate it.”

Then, Song Nian cleared his throat, as if about to announce something momentous, and slowly spoke:

“It came up with a very specific translation.”

“It meant—‘I want to add you on WeChat.’”

“Honey, aren't you scared using WeChat alone? Want me to add you so I can keep you safe?”

Li Yanchuan just stared blankly.

The turn was so abrupt that he looked him up and down like he was an idiot.

“Um… didn't you notice? We've been married all this time and don't even have each other's number. Isn't that a pain?”

Embarrassed by the stare, and sensing the joke had bombed, Song Nian coughed to break the awkwardness.

But after a long silence, the other person still hadn't answered. His face fell a bit, hurt. Guess he was being shot down after all.

Just as he was about to make an excuse to leave, a big hand appeared in front of him.

He froze, blinking slowly.

Seeing him not move, the owner of the hand prompted:

“Phone.”

“Didn't you say you wanted to exchange contact info?”

“Oh! Oh, yeah!”

Realizing he'd agreed, Song Nian shot up, unlocked his phone in a flash, and handed it over.

Li Yanchuan tapped on the screen a few times, added him on WeChat, and input his phone number before handing it back.

“Thanks, honey~”

Looking at the new friend in his WeChat, Song Nian clutched the phone like a treasure, grinning from ear to ear.

Li Yanchuan's profile pic was a pitch-black night sky, with only faint specks of starlight if you really looked.

A bit grim, which matched his cold vibe.

“Is there anything else?”

"No more, no more. Oh right, honey, I'm going to the supermarket later, I'll be back soon. Don't miss me."

Like a bird spreading its wings, Song Nian flapped his arms like fluttering wings, chirping and fluttering out of the room.

He even had the thoughtfulness to close the door behind him.

“…Like anyone would miss you.”

Hearing the door close, Li Yanchuan muttered under his breath.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye, his gaze seeming to land on a new message thread, his expression dark and unreadable.

It was a long moment before he looked away.

————

At the supermarket, Song Nian meandered toward the fresh produce section with his cart.

He picked up a head of broccoli, snapped a photo, and sent it to Li Yanchuan:

"Song Nian: You want broccoli, babe?"

A reply came quickly:

"Li Yanchuan: It's up to you."

"Song Nian: How about steak?"

"Li Yanchuan: Either's fine."

"Song Nian: What about hairy crabs then?"

"Li Yanchuan: Whatever."

Although the three replies seemed similar in meaning, from living with the guy, Song Nian had fully grasped the thoughts of this tight-lipped man.

"Up to you" meant he didn't really like it himself, so it was up to Song Nian to decide.

"Either's fine" meant he liked it but wouldn't outright say yes, so he used a vague answer.

"Whatever" was pretty straightforward—literally meant it didn't matter.

So in translation, what Li Yanchuan meant was: no broccoli, yes to steak, and crabs didn't matter.

Thus, Song Nian turned around and put the broccoli back on the shelf, grabbed the steak the man wanted and the hairy crabs he wanted himself, and happily continued pushing his cart.

Sometimes, awkward expressions just need perfect understanding.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. He was a genius.

As he shopped, he suddenly realized something.

Ever since Li Yanchuan was discharged after the car accident, he hadn't really been taking care of himself.

Probably not getting enough nutrition, he could clearly see the man getting thinner, with sunken eyes and dark circles.

He needed to cook him something nourishing.

As he wandered around with the cart and spotted an ingredient in the freezer case, Song Nian's eyes lit up.

—That's the one!

————

By the time Song Nian got home weighed down with bags, it was two hours later.

Luckily the supermarket was close, so even hauling all that stuff he could walk back.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked in, he saw an unexpected figure in the living room, and Song Nian was a bit taken aback.

He rarely came downstairs outside of mealtime; sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, you'd think he was waiting for him.

"That much?"

Li Yanchuan couldn't help frowning at the two big bags on the floor.

"I kinda bought too much."

Song Nian chuckled, shook out his sore arms, then grabbed the bags and made a beeline for the fridge.

Seeing this, Li Yanchuan instinctively wheeled himself closer to lend a hand.

"No, no, you're not really able to. I got it."

A bit surprised by the man's initiative to help, Song Nian froze for a second, then his smile grew even brighter as he waved a hand to decline.

"Not able to…"

Right, now that he was disabled, unable to even stand, let alone help.

Though it was said out of kindness, it unconsciously touched off the dark side of him. Li Yanchuan's grip tightened, and he bit his lower lip.

His stubborn and proud nature meant he wouldn't easily show his weaknesses—neither tears nor anything else.

But his leg disability, an external disadvantage, was impossible to conceal.

The moment others glanced at him, they would notice the wheelchair beneath him and his powerless legs.

Whether it was hostility or pity, in Li Yanchuan's eyes was a provocation, constantly reminding him of his disability.

So he had dismissed the household staff and lived alone, clinging to his stubborn pride.

Busy packing away his shopping haul with his back to the man, Song Nian had no idea about Li Yanchuan's state.

If he had turned around at that moment, he would have seen the man's grim expression, the chill that dropped the temperature around him to freezing, and the bulging veins in his fists.

It actually had nothing to do with him; it was Li Yanchuan's twisted and paranoid personality that made him more sensitive, suspicious, gloomy, and insecure.

"Hubby, is there anything you'd like for lunch?"

By the time he closed the fridge door and looked over, Li Yanchuan had already hidden the fierceness in his eyes.

"Whatever."

After replying coldly, he silently wheeled himself into the elevator without another word.

Huh, what happened? Why did he seem off?

Song Nian felt something was off. He rubbed his chin, pondering hard, but couldn't figure it out, so he gave up.

————

At lunchtime, Song Nian rolled up his sleeves, enthusiastically dove into the kitchen, and decided to cook a feast to nourish him.

When the table was fully set, he excitedly dragged Li Yanchuan down to the first floor.

"Come on, honey. I made a big meal today."

He cheerfully pushed him to the dining table and chatted about the dishes for lunch.

Li Yanchuan, however, seemed a bit weary, showing little interest, just letting him do whatever he wanted.

"As the saying goes, you eat what you need to replenish. Look, I made you pork trotters to build you up."

Hearing this, Li Yanchuan suddenly looked up, his icy gaze shooting like an arrow, startling Song Nian, whose smile froze.

The temperature around them dropped instantly. He quietly put away his smile and asked hesitantly:

"What's wrong, honey? You seem to be in a bad mood."

"Song Nian."

Li Yanchuan spoke in a cold, hard tone, a chilling ferocity flashing in his eyes.

"Are you trying to remind me that I'm a cripple?"