Sugar-Sweet - Chapter 1

I looked up and met the eyes of the man standing in my doorway.

He was lean, with a hoodie and mask covering almost everything but his eyes. Those eyes shone with excitement.

After locking the door behind him, he stayed where he was, almost as if he did not dare come any closer.

I took another bite of my burger and said slowly, “I’m really hungry today, so I didn’t save you any.”

His eyes lit up even brighter. “You mean you used to leave food for me on purpose?”

Uh…

Not really.

I used to have more spending money and ate five meals a day. There was always one meal or two I could not finish.

Now that I had blown through my allowance, I was down to two meals a day.

I was hungry.

But explaining sounded tiring, so I nodded vaguely.

The man walked toward me with his arms and legs moving on the same side, then offered me the elegant shopping bag in his hand.

“Baby.”

Somehow, he looked almost coy.

I blinked. “Are you going to wear it?”

His face turned scarlet. Even the tips of his ears went red.

“If you want to see me in it, baby… I suppose I could.”

I nodded sagely and pushed the bag back to him. “Mm. Go ahead.”

He made his way to my bedroom like he knew the place by heart.

He even politely shut the door.

I lowered my head and resumed eating while texting my brother to ask for more spending money.

[Dearest brother, give me more money, or I’ll have to start spending somebody else’s.]

He replied instantly.

[Five meals a day? How are you not dead from overeating? No.]

[…]

Fine.

When I finished my burger, I wiped my hands and stood.

Why was that creep taking so long to change?

But when I entered the bedroom, the man was nowhere to be seen.

My tangled bedding, on the other hand, had been folded into perfect order, and the sexy lace pajamas lay spread across the bed.

I glanced around, crouched, and looked underneath.

The man under my bed was hugging one of my shirts and sniffing it.

Our eyes met.

“…”

“…”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

He looked embarrassed. “Sorry. Force of habit. I came in here and forgot what I was supposed to be doing.”

I pointed at the shirt in his arms. “I haven’t washed that in three days.”

He smiled. “I like your scent.”

“Are you still going to put the pajamas on?”

He froze. Crawling out from beneath the bed, he looked from me to the pajamas with obvious difficulty.

“They’re your size. They won’t fit me.”

I pinched the softness around my stomach. “I’ve gained weight recently.”

They would not fit me either.

To my surprise, he shook his head. “They will. I measured you myself last night.”

“…”

“All right.”

I dropped onto the bed and beckoned for him to sit too.

“What’s your name? Do you have money? Are you handsome?”

Instead of sitting, he took a step back, shy anticipation in his eyes.

“My name is Wen Yu.

“I have a respectable job. I have money, and I can support you.”

Then he removed his hood and mask.

His skin was pale, his irises pitch-black. His gloomy sort of face was reasonably attractive.

He watched me carefully, full of hope.

I clicked my tongue and delivered my verdict. “Not bad.”

Wen Yu relaxed, though disappointment still flickered across his face.

“I’m sorry I’m not handsome enough.

“But you can have all my money. I know you’ve been broke for the last two days. You’ve even been ordering less takeout.”

My eyes brightened. I held out a hand.

Wen Yu bashfully placed his own hand in it.

I slapped it away. “Your card.”

He panicked. “I… I don’t have it with me. Can I bring it to you tomorrow?”

“Fine.”

Silence fell.

The burger had not filled me up, and my mouth needed something to do. I pulled out a piece of candy and crunched it between my teeth.

“Why”—crunch, crunch—“did you decide”—crunch, crunch—“to become a creep?” Crunch, crunch.

Wen Yu answered easily, “I’m not a creep. I like you.

“Baby, I fell for you the moment I saw you. I want to keep you by my side forever.

“I want to hold your hand while I work, kiss your cheek while I drive, and hug you every night when I sleep.”

As he spoke, he edged closer.

I tilted my head. “You want to dismember me?”

Wen Yu paused, then scratched his head sheepishly. “You figured it out.”

“…”

That was not a good topic.

“I’m going to sleep.”

He tugged petulantly at my hand. “I don’t want to sleep under the bed anymore, baby.”

I kicked off my shoes and lay down. “Whatever.”

The next second, Wen Yu climbed in after me.

He was thrilled. “You smell so good, baby.”

He wrapped himself around me like an octopus. I struggled twice, failed to get free, and decided moving was too much trouble.

After I fell asleep, Wen Yu opened his eyes and rubbed his face gently against my neck.

“Baby, I really do love you. You’re so good.

“You’re nothing like the others.

“You love me too, don’t you, baby?”

He smiled in satisfaction, pulled a folding knife from his pocket, and tossed it under the bed.

Then he wrapped his arms around me again and drifted happily to sleep.