TMWTGD CH4

Resisting foreign races, defending the homeland, conquering the cosmos—none of these grand endeavors posed a challenge to our Military Advisor Xie, yet the matter before him now genuinely gave him a headache.

Back then, he and Lu Li had known each other for merely a month before deciding to be together. Although they didn’t speak of romance or sweet nothings at the time, they had already shared a bed, and from the bottom of his heart, he truly intended to spend the rest of his life with him.

Afterward, in order to liberate the Milky Way, they fought shoulder-to-shoulder, leaving even less time for romantic sentimentality.

Once the warfare settled and Lu Li proposed to him, he nodded in agreement without the slightest hesitation.

Following that, the two lived in sweet, devoted harmony for many years, becoming the model couple of the entire Galactic Empire.

Lu Li treated him wonderfully, and he treated Lu Li wonderfully in return.

This was no performative affection for show; they truly held only each other in their eyes.

Holding such sentiments, how could Xie Jianwei ever bear to watch Lu Li suffer?

Yan Ke dropped harsh words once more: “Even though the Lord Marshal is no ordinary man, if his mental state continues to destabilize like this, a major catastrophe will occur!”

Xie Jianwei calmed down abruptly. “I know.”

Yan Ke breathed a sigh of relief; he understood Xie Jianwei well.

This young man, ten years younger than himself, possessed a formidable intellect entirely belying his refined, handsome appearance.

Whatever he decided on, no matter what it was, he would see it through to the end and execute it to perfection.

Lu Li was his weakness, but also the most vital existence in his heart; he knew how to weigh what was most important.

Yan Ke said, “Then let us continue!”

Xie Jianwei nodded.

Re-entering Lu Li’s dream, Xie Jianwei assumed he would continue under the “brother-in-law” premise, but evidently the newly splintered Lu Lis had no intention of repeating past mistakes.

Thus, this time Xie Jianwei assumed yet another identity.

He woke up inside a rather opulent room.

Above hung a crystal chandelier steeped in vintage charm, while the walls bore delicate, refined patterns popular in past years, adorned with hand-painted murals that undoubtedly hailed from master artists.

Such retro-style decor was hardly something an ordinary household could afford.

Xie Jianwei stepped out of bed, the black silk bathrobe draping down his legs and brushing against the plush shag carpet. The floor-to-ceiling one-way glass window across the room happened to reflect his image.

His features were unchanged, only his hair was slightly longer. Likely having just awakened, the robe hung loosely, leaving a broad expanse of his chest and legs exposed, the sash at his waist tied half-fastened, barely covering what ought to be covered.

Just as Xie Jianwei was about to tidy himself up, footsteps sounded from behind.

Turning around, Xie Jianwei immediately caught sight of the man standing beneath the chandelier.

He seemed to have just arrived from outside, wearing a long, deep-blue trench coat over a purple dress shirt with the top collar button unfastened, revealing sexy collarbones.

Under the glow of the lights, his dark eyes held an unvarnished obsession.

—Lu Li.

Xie Jianwei considered the scene. What was the situation here?

Could it be that in this dream, they were lovers?

Xie Jianwei felt a flicker of joy, but made no rash move, merely watching him like this.

Lu Li’s gaze roved across him, from his fair chest down to his bare feet, inch by inch, trace by trace, slow yet scorching, as tangible as physical touch.

Xie Jianwei reacted immediately.

His clothing hardly hid anything.

Lu Li chuckled softly, stripping off his trench coat as he stepped close and pressed against him. “Did you miss me?”

Feeling this was quite a promising development, Xie Jianwei played along: “I did.”

The moment he tilted his head up, Lu Li captured his lips.

Dry tinder met a blazing spark, igniting in an instant.

They tangled in passionate abandon until late into the night. Once everything concluded, Lu Li rose from the bed.

Xie Jianwei assumed he was getting up to pour water, paying it little mind.

Unexpectedly, Lu Li began pulling on his trousers.

Sprawling on the bed, Xie Jianwei didn’t feel like moving an inch. “Do you have somewhere to be?”

Lu Li’s hands fastening his belt paused, smiling, “What could there possibly be to attend to at this hour?”

Shifting onto his side and propping his head on his hand, Xie Jianwei looked at him. “If there’s nothing, why are you getting dressed?”

Lu Li’s eyes flickered, appearing somewhat surprised. “Do you want more?”

Xie Jianwei thought inwardly: What kind of logic is that?

Yet Lu Li actually seemed rather pleased: “Haven’t done it for days, seems you truly missed me.” With that, he leaned in for a kiss.

Xie Jianwei blocked his mouth with a hand. “Enough. If you keep fooling around, are we going to sleep or not?”

Pressing his lips against his hand, Lu Li stared at him intently.

With his other hand, Xie Jianwei patted the side of the bed. “Come over and sleep.”

These four words were as ordinary as could be, yet Lu Li’s pupils contracted sharply, his shock impossible to conceal.

Xie Jianwei naturally noticed. Having experienced being kicked out of the dream before, he was rather worried he had said the wrong thing.

Yet once the shock in Lu Li’s eyes receded, what surged forward was unexpectedly joy.

“May I stay?” Lu Li’s voice was very soft, asked with delicate caution.

Xie Jianwei thought: We’ve gone at it until the dead of night, was he not even planning to sleep here?

Lu Li stared at him without blinking.

Rationally, Xie Jianwei felt he ought to say: No.

Yet this was his lover after all, and at such an hour, sleeping alone in the middle of the night was truly unpleasant. So he said, “Hurry over.”

The amusement in Lu Li’s eyes deepened, the smile lifting his lips making his handsome features look devastatingly attractive.

Xie Jianwei couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips.

Gathering him into his arms, Lu Li said, “Don’t tease me.”

Pillowing his head on his sturdy arm, Xie Jianwei ordered, “Sleep!”

With that, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, yet Lu Li gazed at him with exquisite care the entire night.

The more he looked, the lovelier he seemed; the more he looked, the deeper his affection grew. Even knowing how heartless he was, he couldn’t help sinking deeper, ecstatic as if he had gained the entire world over this tiny bit of inadvertent gentleness.

Lu Li truly couldn’t sleep, completely and utterly unable to sleep, terrified that closing his eyes and opening them again would reveal this was merely a dream.

How could someone love another person like this?

Lu Li didn’t know, but he loved Xie Jianwei—loved him to the point of throwing all caution to the wind.

Xie Jianwei had a good sleep in the dream. Phrasing it like that sounded rather clumsy, but that was indeed the case.

Waking up and seeing Lu Li, he habitually gave him a morning kiss.

Lu Li froze visibly.

Xie Jianwei said to him, “Good morning.”

Only after a pause did Lu Li speak, his voice hoarse from staying awake all night: “Good morning.”

Noticing this, Xie Jianwei asked, “Didn’t sleep well?”

Looking at him, Lu Li said, “I was too happy to sleep.”

Xie Jianwei laughed in amusement, “What is there to be so happy about?”

Lu Li said, “I’ve known you for three months, and this is the first time you’ve let me stay the night.”

Xie Jianwei was taken aback, sensing something was amiss. But having come this far, backtracking would likely be even worse, so he offered a vague excuse: “Before, I wasn’t used to sleeping with others.”

“I know.” Lu Li held him tightly, warm breath brushing against his ear, his voice brimming with joy, “Which is why I’m so happy.”

Honestly speaking, faced with this kind of Lu Li, Xie Jianwei truly couldn’t hold his ground. Never mind tormenting him; he wished he could lay the whole world at his feet.

Xie Jianwei dallied in bed with him for a while.

At breakfast, Xie Jianwei naturally picked up the apple slices from Lu Li’s plate with his chopsticks.

Lu Li froze, asking in disbelief, “You know I don’t like apples?”

Xie Jianwei’s chopsticks paused, realizing he had habitually done something he probably shouldn’t have.

The barren planet where Lu Li was born was known for producing apples, and when he went hungry as a child, he gnawed on apples. When a person is forced to eat only one kind of food for years, even if it were a celestial peach, revulsion would inevitably set in.

Hence, Lu Li despised apples; even after so many years, the psychological shadow cast by apples could never be erased.

Yet being a picky eater was rather embarrassing for an iron-blooded, tough-guy God of War, so Lu Li had always endured it without letting it show.

Later, once Xie Jianwei found out, he would always pick away the apple slices to eat them for him.

Though this was a dream, Lu Li’s preferences remained unchanged.

Having eaten apples on his behalf for nearly ten years, Xie Jianwei would instinctively pluck them away the moment he saw them, without even thinking, his hands moving faster than his brain.

Now that Lu Li asked, it was genuinely hard to answer.

Judging by the premise, he shouldn’t have known, yet his actions clearly proved he did.

Even if he claimed he loved apples, he wouldn’t be so impolite as to snatch from Lu Li’s plate, right?

Xie Jianwei looked at him with a smile, smoothly shifting the subject: “Turns out you don’t like apples?”

With that smile, Lu Li was instantly enchanted out of his wits, having no mind left to probe to the bottom, following his lead as the conversation drifted elsewhere.

Owing to this wonderful atmosphere, everything consumed during breakfast felt as though coated in honey, sweet to the very core.

After the meal, Lu Li checked the time. Xie Jianwei asked, “Heading back?”

Lu Li said, “Are you free today?”

Xie Jianwei truly didn’t know whether he had plans or not, so he stayed quiet.

“If you’re free,” Lu Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “could I ask you out on a…”

Before he could finish, knocking came from outside the door.

Offering him an apologetic smile, Xie Jianwei raised his voice: “Enter.”

The door opened, and several men clad in pure black suits stood respectfully outside: “President Xie, everything is ready.”

Xie Jianwei had no idea what they had prepared, so he merely followed along: “Mm.”

A flicker of regret crossed Lu Li’s eyes as he said, “If you’re busy, I’ll visit another day.”

Reluctant to let him leave, Xie Jianwei said, “Wait a moment.”

He would check what this was about; if it wasn’t urgent, he would push it aside.

Yet the moment he spoke, as if receiving an order, the men in suits walked into the room together, stopping before Lu Li.

“Mr. Lu, please.” One of them held out a silver tray bearing several items.

A sleek black card, a luxury car key, and a deed of property already signed with his name.

Upon seeing these items, Lu Li felt as if he had been plunged straight into an icy abyss.

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Author’s Note:

Zhihu Question: What should I do when my husband constantly forces me to be a scumbag shou?!

Anonymous kind-hearted reply: Just do it! If you aren’t a scumbag, how can he reasonably blacken? And without blackening, how can you play with the dark little room? 😀