Feed Me, Husband - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

When Ji Xiangnan’s message came through, Lu Yichen hadn’t woken up yet. He was lying on her soft lap, surrounded by her icy aura.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The vibration of the phone pulled Lu Yichen toward consciousness.

He heard the honking of cars outside the window, the occasional whistle of the wind whipping past the high-rise building, and the amplified sounds of pedestrians below.

He also heard the sound of her fingers tapping on the phone screen.

Lu Yichen cracked his dark eyes open slightly, seeing the sunlight streaming into the living room. Half of it fell across her body.

He shifted his body slightly and felt her cold hand reach over. She began to brush through his black hair almost unconsciously, stroke after stroke.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

This time, it was the sound of a call.

Lu Yichen slowly closed his eyes again, hearing Ji Xiangnan’s voice coming from the other end of the line.

The fingers stroking his hair stopped. He shifted again, pulling her into a tighter embrace.

“Understood.”

“Mhm, alright. I’ll bring him over.”

Lu Yichen listened to her voice. She was very obedient when dealing with Ji Xiangnan, seemingly never contradicting anything he said.

The call ended with a dial tone, and the stroking of his hair resumed.

“Are you awake?”

Lu Yichen muttered that he wasn’t and nuzzled his head deeper into her lap.

“Get up and get ready. We’re going out today,” Gu Xiaonuan said, pulling him out of her lap with no room for argument. “You have to attend the joint launch event for your new book.”

“A joint launch?”

Lu Yichen rubbed his hair and stood up from the sofa. His black hair was messy and sticking up in places, stripping away his usual gentle appearance and adding a touch of wildness.

“Yes. The publication, the manhua, and the selection variety show are all launching together.” Gu Xiaonuan walked into the bedroom and pulled a suit out of the wardrobe.

Lu Yichen leaned against the doorframe. His eyes darkened slightly as he watched her undress before him without the slightest hesitation.

There wasn’t a single inch of this petite body that he didn’t know. He was perhaps even more familiar with it than she was herself.

However, they hadn’t taken that final step. No matter what, Lu Yichen always stopped at the very end.

Gu Xiaonuan put on her suit and looked at him still leaning against the door. “What are you looking at?”

“Admiring the view.”

Lu Yichen’s lips curled upward. A second later, Gu Xiaonuan was in front of him, pushing him into the bathroom. “We only have two hours. Hurry up.”

“I know, I know.”

Lu Yichen shook his head helplessly. He looked at the small bite mark on his palm, pressed his thin lips against it, and lightly licked the mark with the tip of his tongue.

The joint launch event was a grand affair. There were many reporters in attendance, including several from well-known media outlets. Gu Xiaonuan looked at the journalists waiting in the hall, somewhat surprised that this launch was receiving so much attention.

She walked back to the preparation room and pushed the door open. The main stars of the launch had already arrived.

Lu Yichen was chatting and laughing with a big shot from the publishing house, while Taohua sat to the side, occasionally smiling and chiming in.

Gu Xiaonuan scanned the clothes Taohua was wearing today. Her color scheme was actually very close to what Lu Yichen was wearing. Thinking back to the readers’ comments, Gu Xiaonuan frowned slightly. Did this count as wearing matching couple’s outfits?

“Teacher Lu and Taohua really look good together. Did they agree to wear similar clothes today?”

“I’ve read the manhua. The male lead Taohua drew is clearly Teacher Lu himself. Look at that life-sized standee-the resemblance is uncanny.”

“What exactly is their relationship? Are they boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Who knows? Teacher Lu keeps a low profile. He doesn’t have any personal social media accounts, so there’s no way to check.”

“A guy that handsome who isn’t into social media? He probably has a very colorful dating history.”
“If Teacher Lu didn’t have a girlfriend, it wouldn’t be bad for him to be with Taohua.”

Gu Xiaonuan turned her head slightly. A few staff members stood behind her, whispering among themselves, and a lot of footsteps came in from outside the door.

“Mr. Ji, you’re here too.”

“Wang Tai, of course I’d come to the press conference. You invited me personally-how could I not show up?”

The door was pushed open. Ji Xiangnan walked in with a middle-aged man, chatting and laughing. He spotted Gu Xiaonuan at once, then immediately looked away.

Gu Xiaonuan, wearing a staff badge, stood at the back. Ji Xiangnan walked over with that TV station executive; a few of them sat down and talked quietly about something.

Gu Xiaonuan watched Lu Yichen standing under everyone’s gaze. He was dazzling, like the sun. The Old Man’s looks were already more than enough to turn heads, yet he still couldn’t outshine Lu Yichen.

Lu Yichen’s eyes swept over. He lifted a smile at her.

Gu Xiaonuan couldn’t help the way her red lips curved. She nodded to him.

Lu Yichen froze for a beat, then his smile grew even brighter.

“Is that Teacher Lu’s editor?”

“Yeah. She’s a beauty, but she looks kind of cold-doesn’t seem easy to approach.”

“With a gorgeous editor like that at his side, would Teacher Lu even be interested in Taohua?”

“Honestly? I think Teacher Lu and Taohua suit each other better.”

Gu Xiaonuan glanced back. The two female staffers talking immediately shut up and dropped their heads in a fluster.

The press conference started quickly. Aside from a few professional questions, it was practically drowned in gossip.

“Teacher Lu and Teacher Taohua-was that chemistry intentional, or are you just naturally in sync? Your outfits look a lot like couple wear.”

“Teacher Lu, it’s obvious to anyone that Teacher Taohua’s comic uses you as the model. May I ask what your relationship is with Teacher Taohua?”

“The way you two click doesn’t look like a first-time collaboration. Are you good friends in private?”

Standing at the back, Gu Xiaonuan frowned slightly.

Ji Xiangnan appeared at her side at some point and asked in a low voice, “You care about that?”

Gu Xiaonuan pressed her lips together, looking at Lu Yichen and Taohua seated side by side. She sighed softly. “No. It just feels annoying.”

Up onstage, Taohua blushed. She kept saying no, but the way she half-refused and half-enticed only made it look like there really was something going on.

Lu Yichen held a faint smile and spoke plainly. “I have a girlfriend. It’s not Teacher Taohua. And I didn’t expect her to use me as the template for her male lead, either.”

Hearing that, Ji Xiangnan gave a cold little laugh and murmured, “A few decades. Keeping him company wouldn’t be so bad. He’ll die sooner or later.”

Gu Xiaonuan’s breathing tightened. She looked at Lu Yichen.

In the end… he would die.

“Teacher Lu, is it convenient to share what your girlfriend does for a living? Is she in the industry or outside it?”

“That’s not convenient to disclose. I’d like a bit more private space.”

When the press conference ended, Lu Yichen finally got into the car and let out a breath. He took off the glasses from the bridge of his nose and, exhausted, leaned back in the passenger seat.

Gu Xiaonuan started the car. Lu Yichen’s phone vibrated a few times, and a text message popped up.

He opened it. There was only one sentence.

“Ready.”

He turned off the screen and looked at Gu Xiaonuan. “Xiaonuan, the gift you promised… can you give it to me now?”

The car drove out of the parking lot. At a red light, Gu Xiaonuan turned her head. “What gift is it, exactly, that you insisted on?”

He smiled. “Tomorrow. Give me all your time tomorrow, okay?”

The light turned green. Gu Xiaonuan faced forward, eyes on the road. “Okay. All of it-it’s yours.”

Lu Yichen hummed softly, then turned his head a little to look out the window. He could feel the searing heat coming from the cross-shaped mark on his back.

He’d waited far too long for this day.