My Flash-Marriage Husband Is an Eldritch Being - Chapter 1

I suspected that my whirlwind-marriage husband, Qi Shuo, had some unspeakable kink.

The weather was beautiful that Saturday morning.

He was in the living room reading a paper, so I deliberately changed into a strappy nightgown with a plunging neckline and paraded past him three times.

He acted as if he had not seen a thing. Only on my fourth pass did he finally look up at me.

“Baby, are you looking for something?”

“You.”

I walked over, took the tablet out of his hands, and straddled his lap.

Qi Shuo’s body visibly tensed for a second. He put his hands on my waist, let his gaze drift slowly from my face to my neckline, then calmly looked away again.

His voice dropped. “What do you need me for?”

What a poser.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaned close to his ear, and breathed against it. “Guess.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. His eyes darted guiltily around. “I can’t.”

That was what he said, but his palm was already pressed against the small of my back through the thin fabric of my nightgown, growing hotter by the second.

I lowered my head and kissed him.

At first, Qi Shuo sat there as stiff as a plank.

Only after I bit him in displeasure did the hands at my waist abruptly tighten. At last, he could no longer resist taking control.

He held me firmly in place and kissed me with urgent, hungry depth.

Just as I thought—all that composure had been an act.

Soon, his kisses had me arching backward.

As our lips and tongues tangled, I thought I heard a faint scraping sound behind the sofa.

I lowered my head to look, but Qi Shuo suddenly pulled me tight against him, blocking my view.

Coming back to myself, I hooked a finger into the collar of his shirt.

“Still can’t guess, Dr. Qi?”

Qi Shuo stared at me, his breathing gradually turning heavy, though hesitation still lingered in his voice.

“It’s too bright right now.”

I let out a villainous little cackle and reached for his shirt buttons.

“So what if it’s bright? Is there something on your body I’m not allowed to see?”

Qi Shuo swallowed, and his expression suddenly changed.

He seized my hand, lifted me off his lap, and fled into the bathroom in something close to panic.

The door slammed in my face. A second later, the lock clicked.

I stood frozen for a few seconds before hurrying after him.

“Honey?”

There was no answer.

Through the door, I could just make out an odd scraping noise, as though something wet were slapping against the tiles.

Several long, thin black shadows flashed behind the frosted glass as well, twisting together before vanishing.

I tried the handle. He had locked it.

Now I was getting worried. “What’s wrong?”

It was a long time before Qi Shuo answered, his voice deep and low.

“I’m fine. I just need a minute.”

Standing outside, I stared at the shadows constantly writhing behind the frosted glass. Then it hit me.

Was he taking care of himself in there?

The moment the thought occurred to me, resentment bubbled up inside me.

We had been married for almost a month, and our sex life at night was perfectly harmonious.

It was not that Qi Shuo did not like me. If anything, he was overly enthusiastic.

But every time we got intimate, he insisted on turning off the lights, drawing the curtains, and keeping the room in absolute darkness. He never allowed me to see his body clearly.

During the day, he would not even let me touch him.

Maybe people with high IQs all had a few unusual proclivities.

As long as it was legal and did not hurt anyone, I could live with that.

But I had been sitting right on his lap, and he would still rather lock himself in the bathroom than let me take part.

Wasn’t that more than a little like refusing to treat me as a person?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I warned him through the door,

“Qi Shuo, if you don’t explain yourself today, don’t even think about touching me ever again.”

The bathroom fell silent.

A few seconds later, the writhing black shadows behind the frosted glass all went rigid too.

After a while, the bathroom door quietly opened a crack.

Qi Shuo showed only half his face. His pitch-black eyes looked moist as they gazed at me. The loose hair over his forehead was damp with steam and clung to his pale skin.

“Baby.”

I folded my arms and ignored him, my expression cold.

Qi Shuo watched me piteously for a moment, then said in a low, hoarse voice,

“I feel awful.”

Damn him.

He was a tall, impeccably dressed man who was usually solemn and reserved, yet in private he was an expert at acting pitiful with me.

Whenever he wheedled, the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, making him look aggrieved and innocent.

One glance was enough to melt my heart.

I held out for ages, but in the end I could not stop myself from asking, “If you feel awful, shouldn’t you come to me? What are you hiding for?”

He pursed his lips. “I don’t look good right now.”

All my anger disappeared.

Everyone had parts of themselves they did not want others to see.

He merely preferred being intimate with me in the dark. That was hardly a heinous crime.

And if I insisted on forcing him to undress in broad daylight, I was not exactly more normal than he was.

Forget it. He could have his way.

It was his fault for having such a handsome face.

I waved a hand. “Then carry on. I’ll leave you alone.”

Qi Shuo reached one hand through the gap and hooked his finger around mine.

“You’re not angry anymore?”

“A little.”

He immediately opened the door a little wider.

The buttons of Qi Shuo’s shirt were still undone. His chest rose and fell gently, and a flush that had yet to fade lingered on his face.

Everything below his waist, however, remained securely hidden behind the door. He would not let me see so much as a corner of fabric.

He pulled me close and leaned over the door to kiss me.

At first, he merely brushed his lips tentatively against mine.

When I did not pull away, he slowly deepened the kiss.

The faint scraping noise came from behind the door again.

Qi Shuo paused, then narrowed the gap until it concealed everything.

His kisses left my cheeks burning. I could not help patting his shoulder.

“All right, all right. I’m not angry anymore.”

Only then did Qi Shuo release me, though the tip of his nose still rested against my face.

“I’ll take very good care of you tonight. How does that sound?”

My entire face burst into flame.

Qi Shuo had the refined, ascetic sort of good looks. Ordinarily, he even asked my permission before holding my hand.

But once the lights were off, he was nothing like that. He could not get enough of me.

I glared at him. “Hurry up and finish whatever you’re doing.”

Qi Shuo murmured his assent, his eyes curving into crescents.

I turned and walked away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bathroom door snap shut.

An instant later, several twisting black shadows reappeared behind the frosted glass.