“This station brings you an urgent breaking news update—just moments ago, Imperial Commander Gu Lingzhou successfully led the A Corps to annihilate the mutants on Planet Bz20. This is an exhilarating victory for the Empire. Next, we will connect with our correspondent on the scene…”
At the mention of that name, the hand of the man in the white coat froze mid-air, his chopsticks about to clamp down on the food in the silver tray.
“Yuxing, that’s your husband.” On the other side, the beta wearing the same inner layer as Shi Yuxing removed his glasses frame and wiped the fog from the lenses with the hem of his shirt.
The man with sharp brows and narrow, elongated eyes furrowed his brow and turned away from the microphone. Even on a low-quality camera, his chiseled jawline and high nose bridge were unmistakable. His black military uniform was slightly torn, and the mud and grime on his face had yet to be wiped off. The man covered the microphone that the reporter had shoved up to his lips. The scene was chaotic, and the mic’s audio was muffled—all that could be seen was Gu Lingzhou’s thin lips parting and closing slightly.
As cold and heartless as the man himself.
Shi Yuxing’s mouth twitched. He picked up his chopsticks again and continued savoring his favorite sweet and sour pork ribs—the hospital only made it once a week, and he wasn’t about to waste it on someone like that.
“General Gu is probably coming back soon.”
“Lin Anran, just eat your food.” Shi Yuxing’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed a mouthful of soft rice.
Lin Anran pushed up his glasses frame. “Stop looking at that deputy general, or you’ll just get upset again.” On the screen, behind Gu Lingzhou stood a military officer in uniform, his face full of tenderness, polite and composed in front of the microphone and camera, warmly addressing the cold-faced grim reaper beside him who was refusing the lens.
The latter curled the corner of his lips, as if responding.
A sour feeling rose in Shi Yuxing’s chest. He withdrew his sidelong gaze and finished the last bite of sweet and sour pork ribs.
Aside from the live broadcast, a few grating voices from the cafeteria reached his ears.
“Tsk tsk, look at that deputy general next to General Gu. Sure, he’s also a beta, but you can tell the General cares way more about him than about someone.” No need to look—Shi Yuxing already knew which lowlife it was.
A shrill voice followed right after, as if reading from a script: “Exactly. The General hasn’t even come to the hospital to visit him.” Suddenly, the voice dropped low, gloating: “Of course, it’s understandable—after all, the General left on their wedding day.”
The two played off each other like a comedy duo. Anyone listening would’ve thought they were performing a cross-talk act.
Lin Anran first glanced up to gauge Shi Yuxing’s expression, then turned around: “You’re all colleagues—what are you doing? Just eat your food.”
“Pfft, bootlicker.”
“Since when did the hospital set up a stage for opera performers to come running in?” Shi Yuxing tugged Lin Anran’s clothes aside and stepped in for him, fixing his gaze on the doctor who had almost been fired for a previous incident. “Don’t trouble yourself over me. That patient whose glands you botched during surgery deserves your attention more. If they end up kicking up a medical dispute one day because they can’t go on living—well, at least you’ll have gone down in a blaze of glory.”
Suppressed laughter from the nurses and doctors kept flickering toward Shi Yuxing.
Dr. Shi was undeniably good-looking, but his tongue was just as sharp—he never let anyone get the better of him. When he first arrived at the hospital, everyone said he was just a nepotism hire from the Shi family. It wasn’t until he successfully performed several major gland surgeries and the most difficult gland removal operation that he finally shut those gossips up. Well, except for those two sour grapes.
Shi Yuxing never held back his anger, and the hospital staff generally knew not to provoke him—nor to bring up his marriage to that commander. Everyone tacitly understood that the needle was stuck deep in Dr. Shi’s heart.
Yet there were always those who courted death and tried to pull that needle out—and they could serve as lightning rods instead.
“You! … Hah. At least I’m not a rooster who can’t even lay an egg.” They were both betas, yet they still had to be ranked into tiers. Whether I have kids or not is my choice.
Shi Yuxing let out a cold snort, picked up his finished tray, and curled the corners of his lips: “Dr. Yao, you’re so concerned about me—but I’m already married. Trying to get my attention like this won’t work.”
“What nonsense are you talking about! Who likes you!” Dr. Yao caught himself raising his voice, swallowed, and though his chest heaved with anger, he suppressed it and continued sneering: “Even General Gu doesn’t like you, so I certainly wouldn’t. Stop being so full of yourself.”
“You’re right. Cold hard cash in the hundreds of billions, a beautiful estate, and a husband who only sends me money—I’ll gladly take that kind of dislike.” With that, without waiting for another retort, Shi Yuxing walked to the cleaning station, set down his tray, washed his hands, and left with his hands in his pockets.
The verbal sparring ended so quickly that everyone was momentarily caught off guard.
Shi Yuxing brewed himself a clean cup of hot tea, leaned back in his office chair, and blew on it gently. His phone, lying on the desk, was still open to the message thread with Gu Lingzhou.
-How long does it take to heal a star?: Reply?
-Grim Reaper Gu Lingzhou: Something came up at the old estate.
-How long does it take to heal a star?: Oh, whatever.
He took a light sip of tea. A faint sweetness rose on the back of his tongue, tamping down some of his irritation. Shi Yuxing took a deep breath, his chair creaking as he sat up straight and turned off his phone. A jerk like that who doesn’t even bother to pretend—he can go live it up with his sidepiece!
But the screen had barely gone dark when another message came through.
-Grim Reaper Gu Lingzhou: Let me know if anything comes up. You can buy whatever you want.
His long, thick lashes lowered. His pale tea-colored eyes dulled with dejection. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t hurt. Shi Yuxing wanted to confront him—hell, he’d almost called Gu Lingzhou right then to tell him that if they couldn’t make it work, they should just divorce. He would gladly give up the coveted position of Mrs. Gu. Whoever wanted it could have it. What he wanted from marriage wasn’t a life where his husband never came home and he had to endure public mockery while playing the dutiful spouse.
“Knock knock knock—”
“Dr. Shi, may I come in?”
Looking at the frail, sickly woman standing warily at the door, Shi Yuxing set aside his personal emotions for now and gave the patient a slight nod.
…
A doctor’s working hours are unpredictable. When he took off his white coat and looked up, the clock on the wall pointed to eleven.
He rubbed his temples and changed out of his clothes. As he passed the front desk, a nurse stopped him. “Dr. Shi, a young patient who was discharged today left a bouquet for you—said to thank you.” With that, she called out and brought out a large bundle of bright red roses. They’d been sitting out for a while, and some of the petals were already wilting.
“Our Dr. Shi is so popular.”
Anyone with eyes could see that giving a doctor roses carried a different kind of intention.
“Throw them away.” Shi Yuxing waved his hand, telling her to deal with it herself.
“Next time, send a banner of gratitude. Roses are too tacky—I don’t like them.” Leaving that behind, Shi Yuxing strode off.
It was true that he didn’t like roses—who could forget that on their wedding day, the thorns on the roses hadn’t even been properly removed, and they’d pricked his hands until they hurt.
·
A dim light flickered on in the entryway. The dark, cavernous villa showed only traces of a single person’s life.
Shi Yuxing turned on all the lights on the ground floor and stood at the entrance for a long while. On the counter was chicken soup that the housekeeper had made, along with dishes kept warm in insulated containers. He’d just sat down when the phone on the table lit up—another message from someone. He automatically ignored it. Don’t bother me after work hours. If it’s really urgent, they’ll call.
But his eyes still unconsciously drifted over.
-Grim Reaper Gu Lingzhou: Hello, Mrs. Shi. I’m Wen Lan, General Gu’s assistant. The General got drunk tonight, so he won’t be coming back.
“Heh…” Any appetite for dinner was gone, though his chances of feeling nauseous had just gone up. “Idiot. Drink yourself to death—I’ll inherit those billions all by myself.”
He turned off his phone and stood to leave. But then he thought better of it—every dish on the table was made by the housekeeper just for him. Refusing to eat because of some appetite-killer of a person would be taking it out on the housekeeper and his own stomach.
He wasn’t that stupid.
After a satisfying meal, Shi Yuxing let out a small burp. His phone had vibrated multiple times during dinner, but he hadn’t looked at it once. Now he was in a food coma, smacking his lips, and still didn’t want to look.
-Grim Reaper Gu Lingzhou: Mrs. Shi, the General kept calling your name and wouldn’t let go of me.
-Grim Reaper Gu Lingzhou: [Suspected cheating photo.jpg]
Shi Yuxing had already made peace with it. Frowning, he grabbed his phone and was about to type out a scathing reply—but then his fingers swerved and he saved each photo instead. Then he changed this scumbag’s contact name to “Ex-Husband.”
Damn it. Divorce! I’m getting a divorce no matter what! Don’t hold me back from finding my second spring!
He’d saved Gu Lingzhou’s cheating evidence. Tomorrow morning, he’d file for divorce.
The sound of water trickled from the bathroom. After washing up, Shi Yuxing collapsed into bed and fell asleep in seconds.
…
“Yuxing, you should already be familiar with this one—Gu Lingzhou, General Gu.” Shi’s father pushed him in front of the alpha.
He’d spotted the alpha from afar—handsome and sharp-featured. They always said a uniform could really accentuate a figure, but that was only true if the person underneath already had the goods. Out of his military uniform and into a suit, Gu Lingzhou had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and a firm backside—if he ever went into the entertainment business, he’d definitely be top billing.
“Hello, I’m Gu Lingzhou.” The other man extended a hand toward him—knuckles defined, veins coiling across the back of his hand, a faint pulse visible beneath the skin. Power and authority were beckoning to him.
All he had to do was shake that hand, and he’d be the future master of the Gu family.
Shi Yuxing was proud and arrogant. The Empire’s number one commander as his match? Well, he supposed he could… settle.
“Shi Yuxing. Pleased to meet you.”
The young alpha general took his hand, his thumb gently stroking the smooth, fair skin of Shi Yuxing’s hand, sending a shiver through him.
In an instant, the world spun. The scene shifted—wedding march music filled his ears, and beneath the stage was a sea of guests eagerly awaiting their union. He stood face-to-face with Gu Lingzhou, about to exchange rings. The massive diamond on his ring finger sparkled in the sunlight for a second, forcing Shi Yuxing to turn his head away with a frown.
From the audience, he spotted a figure he hadn’t expected at all.
With a flick of his hand, the ring that was about to slide onto Gu Lingzhou’s finger veered off course and clattered to the floor. A flicker of surprise crossed the alpha’s face as he tried to grab his hand.
He tore off his bow tie and threw it into Gu Lingzhou’s chest. “Marry my ass! Take your little lover and get the hell out of here!” With that, he kicked over the seven-tiered wedding cake, cream splattering all over his trousers and shoes. So what? He scooped up a handful of cake and smeared it across Gu Lingzhou’s face, then dragged the lifeless Wen Lan up onto the stage. “Come on, let everyone witness your great love. Hell, I’ll do you the honor of playing the role of your elder.”
One kick for each—two figures knelt before him in disgrace.
“Bow! Why aren’t you bowing?” Shi Yuxing leaned down, only to be yanked off balance. Four hands, like phantoms, clung to him relentlessly. Something warm and soft wandered near his ear, opening and closing—he couldn’t make out what it was saying.
His chest heaved violently. Tiny specks of dust floated in the air as sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains, spilling across the wooden floor and creeping up the corner of the white bedsheets. The reflection of his ring shimmered on the ceiling, like crushed stars.
Following that glint of light, Shi Yuxing looked down to see what it was—only to find that on both his left and right sides, two extra arms had grown.
TOC | More chapters later
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