Feed Me, Husband - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Xiao Wu left with Taohua, a brilliant smile on her face. Thinking about what Gu Xiaonuan had said regarding the upcoming contract signing, she was so happy she practically skipped away.

Taohua stole a few more glances at Lu Yichen before nodding and leaving as well. It seemed she had chosen to pour her feelings and passion into her upcoming manga.

Dreams that couldn’t come true in reality could only be fulfilled in her work.

After the trip to the amusement park, Li didn’t appear before Gu Xiaonuan again. Ji Xiangnan was staying with him, which put Gu Xiaonuan at ease.

No one knew exactly when this elder Vampire would finally leave.

For nearly half a month, Lu Yichen was busy with the ending of his new book. Gu Xiaonuan had been responsible for chasing authors for deadlines before, but she had never truly seen a writer’s life up close.

Lu Yichen was asked to revise the first draft of his ending, which surprised Gu Xiaonuan. In her eyes, the ending had completed the story perfectly, but the big shots wouldn’t let it pass.

It was only later, after overhearing their conference calls, that Gu Xiaonuan realized it wasn’t a rejection. Instead, they wanted Lu Yichen to write two versions of the ending, with the most brilliant one being reserved for the physical book publication.

Within a few days of signing away the manga rights, the adaptation had already launched online. Needless to say, its popularity skyrocketed immediately, consistently holding the top spot on the new series rankings.

There were at least two or three conference calls every day, and text messages kept pouring in even in the middle of the night.

Watching the dark circles under Lu Yichen’s eyes grow heavier, Gu Xiaonuan silently reduced the frequency of her feedings.

“For the other version of the ending, how about a perspective shift? Should we consider telling it through the eyes of another character in the book?”

“If we write it that way, it’ll give readers the impression that the protagonists are a tragedy. That’s not great.”

“Then… should we consider adding some plot points?”

“How? Teacher Lu’s story structure in this book is incredibly tight. Adding content now would just feel like painting feet on a snake.”

“But we must have two versions of the ending. The Editor-in-Chief wants to see explosive data across multiple platforms.”

Gu Xiaonuan’s small apartment only had one bedroom and a living room. Lu Yichen sat on the living room rug, listening to the entire discussion without saying a word.

Hearing the shower stop in the bathroom, Lu Yichen looked up slightly and watched her walk out. Gu Xiaonuan had originally intended to go straight into the bedroom to avoid disturbing him, but after seeing those bloodshot, aggrieved eyes, she silently walked over to him.

The moment she reached his side, she was pulled into his arms with a gentle force. He buried his face in her slightly damp hair, nuzzling against her softly.

The conference call was still ongoing, with suggestions popping up one after another. It was clear that Lu Yichen was already quite annoyed.

“So noisy…”

The man buried in her hair murmured under his breath. Gu Xiaonuan frowned slightly and was about to speak when he gently covered her mouth.

“Let me hold you for a while. I need to recharge.”

He whispered, tightening his grip on the cold body in his arms. The people on the conference call finally remembered that the author himself was present.

“Teacher Lu, do you have any good suggestions?”

“Of the things we just mentioned, is there anything you’re satisfied with?”

He lifted his handsome face from her hair, pressing his cheek against Gu Xiaonuan’s. His voice vibrated from his chest, accompanied by warm breath.

“I accept having two versions of the ending for the physical publication and the digital serialization, it’s just that…”

Gu Xiaonuan leaned against him and listened, surprised that despite saying he was annoyed, he had actually been listening intently.

Gu Xiaonuan tried to get up and leave, but his arm applied a bit of pressure to pull her back. Lu Yichen looked at her with a deeply hurt expression, his face practically screaming one sentence: *Don’t go.*
Gu Xiaonuan let out a soft sigh, her body relaxing as she leaned back into his embrace. She picked up her phone and, resting against his chest, began browsing the manhua adaptation by Taohua.

Lu Yichen glanced at the content on her screen and let out a soft chuckle. His fingers moved to her cheek, gently stroking her skin.

Gu Xiaonuan tried to swat his hand away several times to no avail, so she eventually just let him be. She focused intently on scrolling through the manhua, checking the readers’ comments as she went.

The conference call was still ongoing. The discussion lasted for about two hours, only wrapping up when someone started yawning, unable to hold out any longer.

“Finally, the call is over.”

Lu Yichen buried his head in her shoulder, leaning half his body weight against her. “Still reading? Is her art that good?”

“It’s great. The reader response has been fantastic. A lot of manhua fans are saying they’re going to go read your novel now.”

As Gu Xiaonuan scrolled through the comments, Lu Yichen’s finger reached out and tapped a specific spot on the screen. “Is this kind of response okay too?”

Gu Xiaonuan looked: *Teacher Lu, I want to have your babies!*

“They don’t mean it literally; it’s just their way of showing they love your work.” Gu Xiaonuan brushed his finger aside. “It’s a good start. As long as she maintains this update speed, it’ll be fine. The contract I gave her states she can’t deviate from the original plot by more than fifty percent.”

Lu Yichen gave a lazy hum of agreement. He glanced at the laptop on the low table and sighed, pressing a gentle kiss to her hair. “Go get some rest. I need to write for a bit longer.”

“I’ll stay with you.”

Her words left Lu Yichen silent for a moment. She couldn’t help but look up. “Am I distracting you?”

“Not at all. Not in the least.”

Gu Xiaonuan gave a small nod and braced her hands on the floor to leave his arms, only to be pulled back. “Stay right here. I need to recharge my batteries whenever I want if I’m going to have any motivation.”

She fell back into his embrace, her chin gently tilted up as he pressed a light kiss to her lips.

Lu Yichen focused on the computer, his fingers soon flying across the keyboard. Gu Xiaonuan curled up in his arms and put her phone away, watching the characters pop up one by one on the screen as he worked.

The night grew deeper outside. By one in the morning, Lu Yichen finally closed the laptop.

He slumped forward, resting his weight against her back. Gu Xiaonuan looked back and saw how haggard he looked; he needed proper rest.

“Go to bed,” Gu Xiaonuan said, shifting her body, but the man behind her didn’t want to let go. He leaned against her back and spoke in a wheedling tone, “I’m too tired. I don’t even have the strength or the spirit to stand up.”

The next second, his arms were empty. A second after that, Gu Xiaonuan scooped him up in her arms, walked into the bedroom, and laid him down on the soft bed.

She pulled back the covers and slid in beside him.

Cold arms reached out, pulling him into her embrace.

Lu Yichen buried his head against her chest, his arms tightening around her slim waist as he nuzzled her gently. “Xiaonuan, once I’m done with this book, can you give me a gift?”

“What kind of gift do you want? I might not be able to afford something too expensive.”

He laughed, lifting his handsome face from her chest. “A gift that doesn’t cost money. Can I choose what it is when the time comes?”

Gu Xiaonuan arched an eyebrow. Seeing the bloodshot streaks in his eyes and his weary expression, she leaned her beautiful features down and kissed his eyes, which he still refused to close.

“Fine. Now, go to sleep.”

Lu Yichen’s breath hitched and his body gave a slight shiver. He gave a soft “mm” and buried his head back against her chest.

Beneath his ear, there was only silence.

A faint smile played across his thin lips.