WRA CH12

Chapter 12: The Lie Exposed by the Little Sunflower

Acute exercise rapidly drives up cortisol and testosterone in the short term, and testosterone is the hormone directly linked to male libido.

Zhou Sicheng was currently in a state of high arousal. His muscles were gorged with blood, his nervous system fired on all cylinders, and the object held in his palm had shifted from cold, hard steel to soft, warm flesh. Yet his body retained a fierce aggression—urging him to erupt, tear down, and crush, as if the past hour had merely been a warm-up before the hunt.

It was entirely natural for Zhou Sicheng to experience a physiological reaction.

Yet that didn’t mean he was going to do anything to Xiang Zhen. He and Xiang Zhen had known each other for less than seven days. Seven days ago, Zhou Sicheng was still a straight man by conventional definitions: he had never liked men. Though he had never liked any woman either, society dictated that only those who liked men were classified as gay.

Homosexuality was uncharted territory. Zhou Sicheng wasn’t someone who figured things out without a teacher, and he deliberately delayed exploring it. After all, he and Xiang Zhen had known each other for less than seven days.

It was worth mentioning that Zhou Sicheng possessed an exceptional learning ability.

Therefore, he strictly forbade himself from learning.

Zhou Sicheng stroked Xiang Zhen’s hair. Soft, golden strands slipped between his fingers like a spring breeze drifting across a field of blossoms; flipping his hand would easily pin Xiang Zhen down and crush the flowers… Stop right there.

“Did I wake you? Can’t sleep?”

Xiang Zhen shook his head: “I want to use the bathroom.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Go ahead.”

Sitting on the toilet, Xiang Zhen had only one thought racing through his mind: Hubby lied to him!

Given Xiang Zhen’s true nature, he would have confronted him on the spot. However, he had recently learned plenty of dutiful-wife tactics from “Sister Wang” on short videos, including how to handle a husband’s lies.

Sister Wang said: When you catch a lie, your first instinct should never be an immediate confrontation! Because you don’t know why he told that lie in the first place! You must make sure you can bear the consequences of tearing off the veil before you expose it!

Case one: You misunderstood, his feelings get hurt, and the two of you are done for!

Case two: You didn’t misunderstand, but he refuses to admit it and turns around to accuse you of not trusting him!

Case three: You didn’t misunderstand, he admits it, and then you’re terrified of regretting a divorce, yet unwilling to stomach staying together.

The best approach for a shrewd wife is to gather evidence first, keep a clear head, find a lawyer, and transfer the assets!

He couldn’t ask directly. Xiang Zhen didn’t want to lose his husband.

He needed to find out what Zhou Sicheng had actually gone out to do first. What if he really just went outside to make a call and accidentally dirtied his underwear?

The interpersonal dynamics of human marriage were profoundly intricate. Once he mastered them completely, he would write them into the Guide to Adulthood.

The marriage chapter of the Guide to Adulthood remained completely blank to this day!

Exiting the bathroom, Xiang Zhen saw Zhou Sicheng leaning against the headboard waiting for him. Zhou Sicheng rarely scrolled on his phone; he just sat there waiting in quiet, stoic depth.

He noticed that Zhou Sicheng had put on a full pajama set.

Xiang Zhen recalled the sensation from just before going to the bathroom, when his fingers had brushed against Zhou Sicheng’s blood-engorged pecs.

He was instantly filled with chagrin and regret. Why had his mind been so consumed with his husband lying to him that he forgot to give them a proper feel?

Sister Wang was right: when blinded by anger, one’s rational brain shut down, only to be followed by regret.

“Hubby.” Xiang Zhen extended his long legs, sitting down directly across Zhou Sicheng’s lap.

The clever Xiang Zhen picked up on Zhou Sicheng’s momentary stiffness.

Sister Wang had noted: After a man does something wrong, there is a brief peak window of guilt and a guilty conscience. You must seize this window to make demands advantageous to yourself.

“Hubby, tomorrow I’ll give you twelve yuan. Can you buy me two cakes?” Xiang Zhen wheedled. Zhou Sicheng refused to tell him where this cheap and delicious pastry shop was, claiming he was afraid Xiang Zhen would sneak over to gorge himself.

Gently brushing his thumb across Xiang Zhen’s Adam’s apple, Zhou Sicheng’s gaze turned dark and inscrutable: “No.”

From the ballooning number of milk tea buckets, he had already noticed Xiang Zhen’s manic craving for sweets. Downing a cup of milk tea at work and devouring two slices of cake after clocking out—doing that daily was terrible for his blood sugar.

Zhou Sicheng’s resolute rejection mirrored the most heartless customers Xiang Zhen had ever encountered. No matter; even the most heartless customer would bow before a two-yuan red packet.

Xiang Zhen said with a beaming smile, “Dearest, would a two-yuan errand fee compensate you?”

Dearest.

Zhou Sicheng took a deep breath. Just how many cloying pet names did Xiang Zhen keep in his arsenal?

Acting this coquettish over a slice of cake—was he planning to refuse to get off his lap if he didn’t agree?

Hooking his hands around Xiang Zhen’s waist, Zhou Sicheng lifted him down: “I’ll buy it. Stop squirming.”

“Hubby, you’re the best.”

Xiang Zhen wished he could manually type out two [Rose] emojis for Zhou Sicheng.

Auntie Guihua had said he would surely acquire wisdom from customer service work and had forbidden him from doing anything else.

He truly had learned a lot; customer service was indeed the greatest profession.

The next day, Zhou Sicheng had to work overtime. He already had his excuse ready: he was going for an interview.

[Xiang Zhen: Good luck on your interview, hubby! You’ll definitely be number one!]

[Xiao Kui: Do you need me to compile some interview tips for you? @Zhou Sicheng]

[Xiang Zhen: Yes.]

[Zhou Sicheng: Not needed.]

[Xiao Kui: Tweak your resume, make two hundred more in salary. Do you need me to polish your resume?]

[Xiang Zhen: Yes! Hubby, send it over quick!]

[Zhou Sicheng: Not needed.]

[Xiao Kui: If you’re too embarrassed to share it in the group because your work history is unremarkable, you can send it to Xiao Kui privately. Xiao Kui guarantees to refine a resume that beats your wife’s salary, letting you become the economic pillar of the household.]

Zhou Sicheng: “…”

What resume would I have? The Father of Xiao Kui Bao? Read your daddy’s resume.

[Zhou Sicheng: Too late. The resume has already been sent to them.]

[Xiang Zhen: @Xiao Kui, say it earlier next time.]

[Xiao Kui: Calculating interview pass rate… Currently, each position receives an average of 60 resumes. A company that schedules interviews in the evening indicates a severe overtime culture and chaotic internal management. I can still polish your resume to prepare for your subsequent mass applications.]

Even an artificial intelligence talked back stubbornly.

Noticing that Xiang Zhen was typing and seemed to be getting brainwashed, Zhou Sicheng hurriedly cut in:

[Wife, it’s cursing me.]

[Xiang Zhen: Xiao Kui didn’t mean that! @Xiao Kui, please encourage my hubby.]

[Xiao Kui: Understood. Your hubby is very handsome and will surely ace the interview. @Zhou Sicheng, since you’re so outstanding, give me your resume and I’ll refer you internally to the Xiao Kui Bao team—a world-class team, the pinnacle of AI.]

[Xiang Zhen: Really?!]

[Zhou Sicheng: It’s bragging.]

Right before clocking out, Xiang Zhen debated for a moment whether to buy groceries. Forget it; his husband had no time to cook today anyway.

He bought another two loaves of near-expiry bread to line his stomach, heading home to do a deep clean.

The rental was too cramped, crammed full of daily clutter. A mop couldn’t squeeze into the tight gaps, so Xiang Zhen had to crouch on the floor to wipe it down.

First, he wiped down the cups of sunflowers beneath the windowsill one by one. Under the blessing of a sunflower Yao, the seedlings grew exceptionally fast; the tallest sunflower already boasted four leaves.

Rearranging the milk tea buckets, Xiang Zhen cleared a palm-sized gap to plant another cup.

He rinsed the taro-paste mango bucket he had finished today, shoveled a scoop of rich black soil inside, opened the wardrobe, and reached in to grab the seeds… Huh?

Xiang Zhen turned the wardrobe completely upside down, but the packet of seeds had simply vanished into thin air.

What happened?

After thinking it over, Xiang Zhen dashed out and knocked on the door next door.

Ye Yun answered the door. “What’s the matter?”

Xiang Zhen: “Ye-dage, were you home all day today?”

Ye Yun: “Yeah, since I’m unemployed.”

Xiang Zhen: “Then did you hear any unusual noises from my place?”

“Unusual noises?” Ye Yun rallied his wits and said, “Didn’t hear a thing. There’s a solid wall between us, great soundproofing. Didn’t hear anything at all.”

Xiang Zhen knitted his brows worriedly: “Ye-dage, I think a thief broke into my home.”

“What!” Ye Yun’s face changed drastically. Setting aside the fact that the corridor had newly installed 24-hour smart surveillance with the monitor sitting right behind him, even with just him and the captain running human sentry duty, it was impossible for even a fly to slip in.

Could they have come through the window? This was the sixteenth floor.

“Captain!”

“I’m here.” Shi Ting appeared behind him at some point, asking meticulously, “What was lost?”

Xiang Zhen: “A packet of sunflower seeds, wrapped very tightly and hidden in the wardrobe. Maybe the thief thought it was gold inside.”

Ye Yun: “Let me inspect the scene. I’ve studied a bit of forensic trace analysis.”

Shi Ting clamped a firm grip on his shoulder, keeping him from charging in: “You might have remembered the location wrong. Go back and search again. No one opened your door today.”

Shi Ting spoke with innate certainty and composure. Xiang Zhen rubbed his hair: “Is that so? Maybe I really misplaced it.”

After Zhou Sicheng moved in, their belongings had multiplied. It was entirely possible it had been shoved elsewhere by him.

The moment Xiang Zhen left, Ye Yun asked immediately, “Captain, isn’t that too dismissive?”

Shi Ting: “If there really was a thief, who do you think it was?”

Ye Yun: “…President Zhou?”

[Xiang Zhen: Hubby, did you see my sunflower seeds? A paper packet.]

[Zhou Sicheng: Haven’t seen it.]

[Zhou Sicheng: I passed the interview. Starting work immediately.]

[Xiang Zhen: !!! You’re amazing!]

Using the deep clean as an excuse, Xiang Zhen searched another round, still to no avail.

His and Zhou Sicheng’s clothes were mixed together. Could Zhou Sicheng have accidentally pulled it out while grabbing clothes, and mistook it for trash to sweep away?

Zhou Sicheng had a clean freak’s habits. Every time he finished cooking, he made sure to take out the trash, terrified that a second’s delay would result in Xiang Zhen turning the kitchen scraps into fermented fertilizer.

Lately, Zhou Sicheng had thrown out all the trash.

When Xiang Zhen lived alone, he barely generated any garbage; a single glance into the trash can was enough to count every scrap.

Therefore, the highest probability was that Zhou Sicheng had thrown it away as trash.

Xiang Zhen felt guilty toward the unsprouted seeds: I’m sorry, you were tossed out by my hubby.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to blame a husband who did household chores.

So this was what it felt like to choose beauty over the empire.

After work, Zhou Sicheng brought home two cakes as promised.

“You can only eat one tonight.”

A green apple cake and a colossal blueberry crispy cream puff. Swallowing his saliva, Xiang Zhen chilled the green apple cake in the fridge; having never eaten such a massive cream puff before, he tackled that one first.

Xiang Zhen: “Hubby, take a bite first.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Bought it for you to eat. I won’t have any.”

The calories were explosive; one bite would mean extra sets at the gym tonight, and he didn’t have much time tonight.

Xiang Zhen enjoyed the crispy cream puff all to himself, sleeping exceptionally soundly that night. Yet that didn’t prevent him from noticing that his husband slipped out again.

It was far too late, and Xiang Zhen was very drowsy. In a half-asleep haze, sensing Zhou Sicheng returning to bed, he immediately wrapped around him like an octopus, murmuring, “Hubby, buy me another cream puff tomorrow, okay?”

Zhou Sicheng conceded: “Okay.”

Hearing the guarantee, Xiang Zhen fell asleep peacefully. He had waited until now precisely to capitalize on Zhou Sicheng’s guilty conscience after stepping out, begging him for little pastries.

He was just too shrewd.

The next morning, the moment Xiang Zhen opened his eyes, he noticed something was off again.

Zhou Sicheng had showered and changed his underwear outside again last night, and this pair of boxers was one he had never seen before.

[Sister Wang, this time I truly have no way to play dumb anymore.]

While scooping up the green apple cake, Xiang Zhen typed a heavy line of text into Sister Wang’s comment section.

He had to take action and uncover the truth.

Zhou Sicheng handed him a plate with a fried egg: “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Xiang Zhen snapped his head up instantly: “What is it!”

Is he going to confess?

Zhou Sicheng: “My company… the new company I joined hired me specifically because they’re short on a technician who can travel for business immediately. So, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow for a while.”

Xiang Zhen: “How many days?”

Zhou Sicheng: “A week.”

Xiang Zhen: “That’s so long.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Once the work is done, I’ll try to come back early.”

Xiang Zhen said understandingly, “It’s fine, work comes first.”

Zhou Sicheng pulled out a gold bank card: “This is my credit card with a very high limit. Swipe it however you like, and I’ll pay it off once I receive my salary.”

The gleaming golden bank card hovered before Xiang Zhen’s eyes, the top-left corner stamped with the words “Zhoufu Bank.”

The breeze stirred by the card caused the fine hair on Xiang Zhen’s forehead to flutter gently. Xiang Zhen knew that wasn’t a real breeze; rather, he was so struck by how handsome Zhou Sicheng looked pulling out the card that the tips of his petals trembled unconsciously.

Sunlight seemed to pool directly in Xiang Zhen’s eyes. Overjoyed, he took it—this card design was so beautiful, and the card number was so auspicious!

Xiang Zhen couldn’t get approved for a credit card himself, but Zhou Sicheng could, proving that Zhou Sicheng’s credit was recognized by the bank.

His husband’s character was truly impeccable! He could probably charge at least three thousand a month, right?

Still, Xiang Zhen wouldn’t swipe it. He wasn’t a fool; anything charged to a credit card had to be paid back, and it would just fall on his husband to repay it.

After weighing it back and forth, Zhou Sicheng had decided to leave Xiang Zhen a financial safety net after all.

Even though this contradicted his original intention of cohabiting with Xiang Zhen.

Even if the card had no limit, was there really a need to be this ecstatic?

Did Xiang Zhen still prefer a wealthy husband after all?

The sunny-side-up egg he had fried was also a picture-perfect golden hue; could it really not compare to a cold piece of plastic?

Zhou Sicheng: “Stop staring. The fried egg is getting cold.”

“Oh!” Xiang Zhen pocketed the card. “Hubby, I love you more and more.”

Zhou Sicheng didn’t want gratitude founded on money: “…Is the fried egg good?”

Xiang Zhen: “Delicious! By the way, hubby, I don’t have the morning shift today, so you don’t need to drive me.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Your shift schedule changed?”

Xiang Zhen hadn’t expected Zhou Sicheng to be so familiar with his shift schedule: “Liu Xiaofang swapped morning shifts with me.”

Zhou Sicheng: “Mn.”

Zhou Sicheng headed off to work carrying four empty passenger seats all by himself.

Xiang Zhen walked his husband down to the underground garage, watching him leave for work before taking the elevator back up.

Standing at the elevator lobby, he didn’t head toward his own door, but instead took a few steps to the right.

Zhou Sicheng was the human he was most familiar with; a sunflower Yao could pinpoint his scent with absolute precision.

Xiang Zhen wasn’t sure where Zhou Sicheng had gone last night, but the fact that Zhou Sicheng chose to leave after he fell asleep meant it couldn’t be too far. He began investigating from the same floor.

In the end, Xiang Zhen stopped before a door at the end of the corridor.

Room 1620.

Zhou Sicheng’s scent lingered inside Room 1620.

“Xiang Zhen!” Ye Yun popped out from the stairwell. “Did you go to the wrong door?”

Don’t tell me President Zhou’s gym was discovered?

Xiang Zhen turned around, walking back. “Just taking a walk after eating.”

Ye Yun: “Oh. Do you want crab and pork pot for lunch? My captain is cooking.”

The captain had mentioned that President Zhou instructed them to look after his fiancé’s meals.

Xiang Zhen: “Thank you, but I have to work at ten.”

Xiang Zhen politely declined Ye Yun, quickening his steps back home. Having gathered new clues, he needed to return to analyze them.

Human behavioral patterns were bizarre; generations of Yao couldn’t finish documenting them all.

Unable to make sense of what Zhou Sicheng was doing, Xiang Zhen summoned Xiao Kui Bao and detailed all his suspicions.

Xiao Kui Bao possessed big data, and big data was humanity’s collective summary of human behavior—surely more precise than a Yao’s deductions.

[Xiao Kui: You mean your husband’s behavior presents the following suspicious points:

1. Always slips out after you fall asleep to go to Room 1620 on the same floor, staying for 1 to 2 hours.

2. Returns in a heightened state of physical excitement, resembling the aftermath of strenuous exercise, having showered and changed into fresh underwear.

3. Acts with a guilty conscience when facing your affection upon returning, agreeing to buy things for you.

Combined with your coworkers’ evaluation of your husband, I have three questions to verify:

1. Has your husband been under immense pressure recently and needs an outlet to vent?

2. You previously searched for ‘residential escort.’ Does that illegal service exist in your residential complex?

3. How is your sex life?]

Xiang Zhen answered earnestly: “Yes, Xiao Kui. My hubby was unemployed recently and finally had an interview, so he’s under a lot of pressure. As for residential escorts, I overheard neighbors in the elevator mentioning that such illegal activities take place in our building. And my hubby and I don’t have a sex life.”

[Xiao Kui: Big data calculating… Yes, just as you suspect, there is a 50% probability your husband is cheating on the sly.]

[Xiang Zhen: Cheating on the sly?]

Did Zhou Sicheng secretly go eat hotpot behind his back, leaving a strong smell on him so he had to shower?

Was that why he refused to eat cake, saving his stomach to sneak food?

Xiang Zhen vaguely felt something was amiss; Zhou Sicheng wasn’t that kind of person!

[Xiao Kui: ‘Cheating on the sly’ here is a euphemism. To put it more bluntly: there is a 50% chance your husband went to solicit a residential escort, meaning engaging in prostitution. There is another 50% chance that Room 1620 belongs to his friend, and they were playing glow-in-the-dark ping-pong together at night.]

Xiang Zhen: !!!!

[Impossible! My hubby would never break the law! My hubby has a very high credit limit! Even the bank trusts him!]

[Xiao Kui: A bank credit line does not reflect moral character! The Zhoufu Bank Golden Sunflower Card offers a credit line of five million or even no preset limit, dynamically assigned based on assets—this cannot represent the cardholder’s integrity! Do you need me to help you uncover more direct, ironclad evidence?]

[Xiang Zhen: Yes!]

[Xiao Kui: You can check his billing statements to see if there are unusual transaction records, such as amounts like 298, 398, 498, 598, and the like. I can teach you how to search for deleted orders, do you need that?]

Xiang Zhen bit his lower lip. No need, I already know how to check.