Chapter 11: A Qualified Husband

“Tell me, don’t this note and the message he sent complement each other perfectly? It’s simply a natural masterpiece!”

Zhu Zhixi showed the chat history to Liang Yi’en, taking the opportunity to complain about his daily life with this fake husband over the past few days.

The furry kids were crying for food. Liang Yi’en was busy preparing their meals, only glancing at the screen before lowering his head to sprinkle freeze-dried toppings into each large bowl.

“Senior, why do I feel like Professor Fu is actually pretty good to you?”

Zhu Zhixi looked incredulous. “Good in what way?!”

“Urging you to sleep early at 11:30 at night, and even arranging to pick you up from the museum after work. S University is at least ten kilometers from the museum, right? And during rush hour too. Isn’t that quite responsible?”

Zhu Zhixi immediately clarified, “That’s because we have to go to his parents’ house for dinner tonight. Of course, he has to come pick me up to put on a show.”

Actually, that’s a bit harsh, Zhu Zhixi thought. He had offered to meet near his parents’ house and pretend they came together, but Fu Rangyi said it would be hard to get a taxi at that time, asked for the address, and insisted on picking him up.

At certain times, this person did indeed have an old-fashioned gentlemanly feel and a strange sense of responsibility.

“You’re already going to your in-laws’ house for dinner.”

Zhu Zhixi snapped back to reality and clicked his tongue. “What’s with you, always siding with outsiders.”

“As your Alpha friend, there’s one thing I have a right to speak on,” Liang Yi’en said. “A top-A’s pheromones are complex and highly aggressive. Just a whiff can give you a headache for an afternoon. When I heard you two were living together, I could imagine how painful it would be to see you again. But there’s not a single trace of him on you. Do you know how exaggerated that is?”

Zhu Zhixi blinked. “How exaggerated?”

Liang Yi’en added bluntly, “You even pick up a bit of my pheromones on you, but none of his.”

That was true.

“He wears that damn bracelet of his every day. A top-A living like a Beta with no pheromones. I bet not many people at your university even know what his pheromones smell like.”

Liang Yi’en smiled. “There was a post on the forum discussing it before, or more accurately, speculating. The post was later deleted, and everyone guessed that Fu Rangyi himself requested the deletion.”

Zhu Zhixi chuckled. That did sound like something he would do. But after laughing, a faint sense of pleasure suddenly bloomed in his heart. Because last night, he had learned of the pheromones that Fu Rangyi was unwilling to reveal to the public.

“So… did those students come to a conclusion?” Zhu Zhixi’s voice lowered. He felt an inexplicable lack of confidence, unsure of the motive behind his “probing.”

“Someone said they seemed to have smelled it during his susceptible period.”

Zhu Zhixi’s hand movements stopped, and he turned his head to ask, “For real? What did it smell like?”

“They said it was like cedar and amber?”

Wrong guess, classmates.

The next second, Zhu Zhixi felt something was off and frowned. What am I so proud of?

Liang Yi’en himself snorted after saying it. “Probably made up. 9 out of 10 Alphas smell like cedar. Shouldn’t a top-A’s be a bit more special?”

It was indeed very special. Probably few people in this world would believe that Fu Rangyi’s pheromones actually had a hint of a floral scent. It was so out of character for him.

I know, but I can’t smell it.

Zhu Zhixi’s feelings were a bit complicated. His heart swelled with a secret joy, yet it was mixed with fine grains of sand, grinding it until it felt slightly sour. Perhaps it was precisely because he couldn’t smell it that Fu Rangyi didn’t mind him knowing so much.

Everyone likes to be a part of a shared secret; it’s a kind of privilege. But while enjoying being a “special” confidant, there’s also the fear of being just a confidant—safe because you can’t speak.

A crying sound suddenly came from the room, like a child’s voice. Zhu Zhixi’s ears twitched. He immediately pulled himself out of his thoughts and reacted swiftly, looking towards the source of the sound.

“Liang Yi’en, is picking up cats and dogs not enough for you now? You’ve started picking up children?”

“You heard wrong.” Liang Yi’en’s expression didn’t change. He directly ignored the crying and stood up to take the prepared food trays to the yard. “Are you sick or something? You’re hearing things.”

Upon hearing the word “sick,” Zhu Zhixi was as if his tail had been stepped on, falling into self-doubt. Even his head began to ache faintly. A moment later, he pricked up his ears again. Sure enough, the crying had disappeared, leaving only the impatient, rising and falling meows from the yard.

He also hurried to the backyard, helping to place the prepared cat food in front of each cat. The kittens, eager to enjoy their meal, crowded together, making purring sounds. He found it incredibly cute, filmed a short video, watched it twice himself, and felt the urge to share. Fu Rangyi’s chat box happened to be at the top, as he had just agreed to pick him up.

Therefore, Zhu Zhixi sent the video over.

[Zhu Zhixi: Come watch the kittens have a dinner party!]

[Zhu Zhixi: It is recommended to turn the volume to maximum when watching this video. You will gain the happiest minute in the world!]

“Senior, can you help me with the dog food bag?”

“Coming!”

He put away his phone and explained as he went over, “Xiao En, I’ve been running into some strange things recently. You probably wouldn’t believe it if I told you… so I’ve been paranoid. Like that little white dog I picked up before, I was always afraid it was a hallucination, so I went back to the area near that police station several times and even asked the police officers, but none of them had seen it. Isn’t that weird?”

But Liang Yi’en also seemed a bit distracted, his attention not on the present. He even agreed, “Me too.”

“Hmm?” Zhu Zhixi’s gossip-loving heart ignited. He tilted his head and leaned in. “What strange thing happened to you?”

“I…” Liang Yi’en came back to his senses, opened his mouth, and hesitated for a long time. But he glanced at the time on his phone and still couldn’t bring himself to say it. “Let’s talk next time. Don’t you have an appointment at the museum at two? You’ll be late if you don’t go now.”

Looking at his watch, Zhu Zhixi was also startled and immediately stood up. “Right! I’ll get going then!”

Liang Yi’en went out to see him off. Turning back, he saw the backpack on the chair. “Your bag!”

A moment later, Zhu Zhixi came running back clumsily, took the bag from his hand, and rummaged through it to find a carefully wrapped gift—green wrapping paper, red ribbon, with a card clipped on top.

“I bought ten cases of canned food for the cats and dogs, they’ll be delivered tomorrow. I’m leaving now!” He hugged Liang Yi’en and pushed the gift into his arms. “Xiao En, Merry Christmas in advance!”

“Thanks, Senior.”

And just like that, he left in a flurry and hailed a taxi to the museum. Fortunately, the traffic wasn’t bad, and he arrived just in time.

Unlike the increasingly festive atmosphere on the streets, it was extremely deserted here. Friday was clearly not a closing day, but the museum was almost empty.

The person who received him was a young Alpha named Zhou Ming, the deputy director. He was gentle and polite. After shaking hands, he explained, “The director isn’t here today. He went out of town for a conference. He had to attend it to get funding approved. The conference was postponed for some reason.”

After speaking, he smiled, his tone a bit regretful. “But looking at it now, the funding doesn’t seem that important anymore.”

Zhu Zhixi also sighed.

Standing in the museum, looking at the sealed-off exhibits, some scattered memories surfaced. In middle school, he had come here a few times for school-organized activities. Back then, it was crowded with youthful faces, everyone listening intently to the explanations, many pairs of bright eyes reflected in the glass. He hadn’t thought back then that when he returned, everything would be coming to an end.

Many endings in this world seem to be sudden.

Out of professional habit, Zhu Zhixi didn’t like to start with blueprints and models. He preferred to immerse himself in the space, wandering around the venue repeatedly from the perspective of an exhibition-goer, looking for inspiration for the future layout. This was very time-consuming and tiring, so he explained it clearly to Zhou Ming from the beginning.

“You don’t have to accompany me. I can look around slowly by myself. And I need to take photos and videos, which will take a long time.”

“It’s no problem.” Zhou Ming looked at him with a gentle smile. “I’d be happy to walk around with you, and if you have any questions, I can help you at any time.”

So gentle, unlike a certain someone.

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhixi opened his phone and saw that Fu Rangyi had actually replied ten minutes ago. But he hadn’t commented on the cute cat video. Instead, he had sent a photo. The photo showed his hand, clutching a pink “fairy wand”—a very long stick with a cream-yellow five-pointed star at the top.

[Pretty Widower: Excuse me, what is this? Why is it on the spice rack in the kitchen?]

Zhu Zhixi burst out laughing. He could even imagine the bewildered expression on Fu Rangyi’s face when he woke up in the morning, ready to make breakfast, and saw this thing. And his hand holding it… the contrast was too great.

[Zhu Zhixi: It’s for sprinkling spices! A fairy wand spice jar.]

[Pretty Widower: ?]

[Zhu Zhixi: Don’t you think using this to sprinkle spices makes the food taste a little better? I’ve already filled it with salt for you. Say thank you quickly.]

This time, Fu Rangyi didn’t reply instantly, but Zhu Zhixi was overjoyed, completely ignoring the person accompanying him.

[Zhu Zhixi: Husband, say thank you quickly.]

[Pretty Widower: Thank you. But I’ll change it back when I get home.]

[Zhu Zhixi: Then the day after tomorrow, I’ll change all the spice jars to fairy wands and line them up on the kitchen counter, so you can experience the joy of casting spells every time you cook.]

[Pretty Widower: It seems your work isn’t very interesting, seeing as you have the leisure to discuss kitchen utensils you don’t even use.]

[Zhu Zhixi: The feeling’s mutual, slacker professor.]

Zhou Ming, at his side, couldn’t help but ask, “Shall we start from the first floor?”

Zhu Zhixi put away his phone and nodded with a smile. “Sure, thank you for accompanying me. It’s been hard on you.”

“Don’t be polite. It’s my honor.”

Within a few hours, the two had practically walked through all four floors of the museum twice, collecting many photos and videos, and had also talked a lot about the museum’s history. Zhou Ming was meticulous and responsible in his work, having prepared a lot of paper materials in advance, from exhibit manuals to museum introductions, everything one could need.

Before leaving, as they neared the entrance, he handed this thick stack of materials to Zhu Zhixi. “If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on WeChat at any time. You can also come find me anytime; I’m usually at the museum.”

“Okay.” Zhu Zhixi felt very reassured holding the materials. He said very frankly, “Actually, this is my first time doing an exhibition of cultural relics. I’ve only done art exhibitions before, so the difference is quite large.”

The sky was already dark, and the purplish-blue night stained the entire street. The lights at the museum entrance were like a small patch of pale golden waves, illuminating Zhu Zhixi’s face beautifully.

“Do you feel anxious?” Zhou Ming asked, looking into his eyes with a smile.

Having stood there for just a short while, the tip of Zhu Zhixi’s nose and his cheeks were already red from the wind. “Of course. I haven’t curated an exhibition in a long time, so I’m a little nervous, especially for such an important one.”

“But you’re very good.” Zhou Ming paused, then confessed, “Actually… I’ve seen your exhibition, in LA. I happened to be there on a business trip at a museum, so I went. I really liked it. And, I also saw you then. You were discussing lighting issues with two staff members.”

He fell into reminiscence, trying to describe how Zhu Zhixi looked at that time, his voice a little tight and strained. “You were wearing a Bluetooth earpiece, a… very loose, asymmetrical satin white shirt, a dark gray trench coat with tassels at the hem. It looked very nice when you moved. I also remember you were wearing a string of Tahitian black pearls.”

Hearing this, Zhu Zhixi also fell into reminiscence. After a moment’s thought, he laughed cheerfully. That string of pearls was from his mother’s collection. He liked it very much, and therefore felt more favorably towards Zhou Ming for remembering this detail.

“Yes, that was the second day of the exhibition! Your memory is really good.”

Zhou Ming pursed his lips, his smile suddenly becoming a bit shy. “I also remember, you were busy giving explanations to people at that time. I was listening on the side and found your views very novel and your explanation style very interesting. I had a few works I wanted you to explain too, but there were just too many people waiting for you, and I had to catch a flight later. It was a pity.”

Zhu Zhixi smiled, his eyes bright. “Is that so? That’s really a pity. Otherwise, we would have met long ago. But there will be many more opportunities in the coming…”

Before he could finish, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him. “It’s really hard to park here.”

Zhu Zhixi froze for a second and quickly turned around. Huh?

Fu Rangyi, in a black coat, ascended the marble steps one by one, finally arriving in front of the two of them.

Zhu Zhixi, with a mix of confusion and surprise, asked, “Didn’t you say there was traffic? So fast?”

“I left school early.” He paused for a moment, then casually added, “I was afraid you’d wait too long.”

Hearing this, Zhu Zhixi applauded Fu Rangyi’s superb acting in his heart. How did this look like the harsh person who would bicker and argue with him at home? Of course, he also didn’t look like the husband he had coerced into using a fairy wand to sprinkle salt.

He suddenly wanted to send Fu Rangyi a message, mocking his pretentious acting in front of others, but he fumbled for a long time and couldn’t find his phone.

Who would have thought that Fu Rangyi, at his side, would reach out, seemingly handing something over. Zhu Zhixi looked up and saw it was allergy medicine. Huh? He blinked in confusion.

Fu Rangyi also frowned, seemingly realizing his mistake. But magically, he wasn’t embarrassed. His gaze shifted, and he reached into the side pocket of Zhu Zhixi’s backpack, took out his phone, and handed it over.

How did he guess the right answer? Is this what it means to be a top student??

“Ah, thanks.” Zhu Zhixi took the phone in disbelief, too embarrassed to send a sharp critique of his acting.

But Fu Rangyi moved closer at this moment, almost to his ear. “And this is?”

Only then did he remember that he had forgotten to make introductions. He clapped his hands and said with a laugh, “I almost forgot! This is Director Zhou. He showed me around the museum today. He’s super nice, very serious and responsible.”

Zhou Ming smiled and extended his hand. “A pleasure to meet you. Just call me Zhou Ming. I invited Zhixi to help us curate the exhibition some time ago, so I’m also the contact for this project.”

Zhu Zhixi’s eyes lit up. “Ah, so it was you who invited…”

Before he could finish, Fu Rangyi reached out, shook his hand, and introduced himself. “Hello, I’m Zhixi’s husband, Fu Rangyi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

---

Author’s Note:

Liang Yi’en has his own CP (not Li Qiao or Big Brother Zhu). He and Xiao Xi are just besties.

Big Brother Zhu also has his own CP. Don’t ship him with from2!

—Little Theater—

Fu Rangyi, back in his office after class:

Opens his phone, plays the video, plays it three times, takes four screenshots, finally gets a shot of a certain someone’s hand petting a cat. Opens the chat box, edits the text.

[Pretty Widower: Are you trying to go to the museum with a big red face like last time?]

Delete, delete.

[Pretty Widower: Don’t you think you should learn to stay away from allergens?]

Delete, delete.

…

Cancels sending the screenshot. A bit unwilling. Opens the photo album again.

After hesitating for a minute, he selects the “fairy wand” photo taken in the morning and hits send.