The bedroom, still reeking of fir after the fierce scuffle, was a wreck. Gu Lingzhou lay bound hand and foot with belts, a wad of cloth stuffed in his mouth, only able to make muffled sounds. He was sprawled on the bed, blood from his forehead wetting his lashes. He strained to keep one eye open, watching Shi Yuxing approach step by step.
Shi Yuxing crouched down with a cotton swab and brushed aside Gu Lingzhou’s tousled hair. A sudden sting exploded across Gu Lingzhou’s scalp, and he winced with a sharp intake of breath.
“I told you not to be so reckless.” Shi Yuxing sighed helplessly. “Serves you right.”
Gu Lingzhou craned his neck, the taut lines of his throat making Shi Yuxing swallow. The dried blood was wiped away bit by bit, Shi Yuxing’s warm breath occasionally brushing over Gu Lingzhou’s lashes. The alpha stared blankly at the beautiful face so close to him. As Shi Yuxing examined his wound, he muttered about how reckless he was—what if that handsome face got scarred?
His gaze fell to Gu Lingzhou’s hands. Aside from his thumbs, the knuckles were torn open, patches of white bone visible beneath the skin—enough to make anyone’s heart clench.
Shi Yuxing quickly disinfected the wounds, wrapped them in gauze, and placed a bandage on Gu Lingzhou’s forehead. Straightening up with a hand on his lower back, he glanced at the restraints on his limbs and teased: “Gu Lingzhou, want me to untie you? Nod if you do.”
Gu Lingzhou stared at him and nodded.
“Alright.” Shi Yuxing placed his pale fingers on the belt around Gu Lingzhou’s wrist. “I’ll say something, and you nod.”
Gu Lingzhou nodded.
A soft laugh escaped Shi Yuxing’s nose as he crouched to meet Gu Lingzhou’s eyes. “First, you have to promise not to fight them again.”
Seeing Gu Lingzhou nod, Shi Yuxing tugged at the belt. “Second, these two are both you. Understood?”
Gu Lingzhou nodded again.
“Good. Now I’ll untie you.”
The moment his hands were free, Gu Lingzhou tore the cloth from his mouth. Before Shi Yuxing could even finish untying his ankles, Gu Lingzhou scooped him up by the backs of his knees and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
His view rose; his feet dangled in the air. Shi Yuxing’s chest heaved. “Hey—you broke your promise! Put me down!” Urgent footsteps approached; the other two rushed in, shouting.
“Put my wife down!”
“What are you doing?”
Gu Lingzhou sneered. “Your wife? Hah… move.” He tried to push past them, but the two massive figures blocked him like a wall—even sturdier than the door.
The tense standoff was ready to ignite at any second—three pairs of eyes locked, none yielding. The hidden gunpowder hadn’t dissipated, and the fuse was lit again. The rope grew shorter, about to reach the sulfur and powder. Shi Yuxing’s heart was pounding out of his chest. He gritted his teeth and scolded: “If you keep fighting, I’ll die right in front of you!”
With that, he reached into his pocket and pressed the gun he’d picked up earlier against his own neck—he had no intention of dying, just wanted to scare the alphas into backing off. The alpha holding him froze. In that split second, the other two Gu Lingzhous had already grabbed his wrist.
“Yuxing! Let go! That’s dangerous!”
“Wife, let go!”
A gust of wind swept past, and the gun clattered to the floor. Shi Yuxing quickly wrapped his arms around Gu Lingzhou’s neck and locked his legs around his waist, shutting his eyes. “Stop fighting! If you’re going to fight, kill me first! Yes, I lied to you, Gu Lingzhou—but are you blameless? You’re always out there, never coming home! You don’t care about me at all—you don’t love me!” With that, he buried his face in Gu Lingzhou’s shoulder and began to fake-cry.
“Wah—all of you, get out!”
“Did you hear that? They said get out.” Gu Lingzhou was still riding high despite his wounds—until Shi Yuxing jumped down, red-eyed, and pushed him out too. “That includes you.”
Shi Yuxing reached for the door to shut himself off from the three, only to remember it had been kicked to pieces.
Shi Yuxing: “…………….”
·
At the sofa meeting, none of the three alphas was willing to sit on the smaller couch—all crowded around Shi Yuxing. Especially the newly-wounded general, who glared at his two identical uninvited guests like a vicious guard dog.
Shi Yuxing patted the hand resting on his shoulder, stood up, and moved to the single-seater. “I’ll sit here, fine.”
Xiao Zhou, who had barely secured the spot beside him, pouted when he ran off. “Wife, why are you sitting over there?”
“Stop calling him that.” The general beside him frowned at the face identical to his own—even younger. For the first time, fear crept in. He stood, his brow and nose bridge forming a sharp line, his deep eyes casting a piercing glare down at them. “Who exactly are you? Where did you come from?”
Shi Yuxing pinched the bridge of his nose. After a deafening silence, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Da Ling, you explain.”
The alpha, receiving his command, cleared his throat. “Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Gu Lingzhou… put your hands down,” he said, smoothing out his wrinkled collar, “and that one over there. We come from another world. To be precise, I’m from the future, and he’s from the past. You are the Gu Lingzhou of the present timeline. We share the same parents, the same lover, the same identity, environment—everything.”
Gu Lingzhou’s released hands clenched into fists. He turned to Shi Yuxing. “Is he telling the truth?”
Shi Yuxing nodded. “I was surprised at first too. You look almost identical—though cosmetic tech can even change height these days—but all three of you have the exact same fingerprints. Otherwise you couldn’t have unlocked the door.” Shi Yuxing had realized this when the new door was installed—only one set of prints had been registered, yet the other Gu Lingzhous could open it just as easily.
The real Gu Lingzhou fell silent for a long while. Just as Shi Yuxing thought he had no more questions and was about to head back to his room, a single sentence pinned him in place. “So that day I came home—it was the two of them hiding.” Shi Yuxing’s alarm bells rang. He opened his mouth to explain, but Gu Lingzhou didn’t give him the chance, listing one thing after another.
“And that video call—that’s why your eyes kept drifting. And the mosquito excuse was a lie too, wasn’t it?” He looked at Shi Yuxing’s suddenly pale face, slowly approaching. “The café at the aquarium was them too. What else don’t I know?”
Shi Yuxing felt like he was watching a madman barely containing his fury draw closer. The next second, Gu Lingzhou’s arms were grabbed by the two alphas, restraining him. “Calm down—you’re scaring him.”
Gu Lingzhou struggled, but the two were strong, and he was already wounded. Taking a deep breath, he broke free and redirected his fury: “You kissed him. Touched him. What else did you do?”
The two alphas stayed silent.
“Say it—what else did you do?” Gu Lingzhou’s eyes never left Shi Yuxing. His hair was soft and thick, and now he nervously twisted the fabric over his knees. He was afraid—his nominal wife was afraid of him. “You seduced him, led him astray—don’t you have wives of your own?”
He tilted his head slightly, a murderous glint flickering in his gaze. Seeing Gu Lingzhou about to lose it again, Shi Yuxing thought for a few seconds, then boldly reached out and took his hand. Instantly, Gu Lingzhou’s fingers forced their way between his, gripping tightly.
The guest room door closed. Xiao Zhou couldn’t swallow his grievance, muttering: “I just like my wife—what’s wrong with that?”
…
The moment the door shut, Shi Yuxing was pinned against it by a massive body. A forceful kiss landed on his lips. At first, it was just grinding against his mouth, the soft flesh seeming to push through the gaps. Shi Yuxing couldn’t catch his breath and turned his head away. Unexpectedly, that action only ignited Gu Lingzhou’s fury. His chin was seized, and their lips met again.
No longer restrained, Gu Lingzhou licked and bit, slipping his tongue into Shi Yuxing’s gasping mouth, stirring the air within.
“Mm! Gu—mn!” His lower back was gripped tight. Aside from the struggle for breath, Gu Lingzhou’s bulging muscles pressed against him. Shi Yuxing pounded the alpha’s shoulders with both hands—like hitting a rock—only to have Gu Lingzhou drive even deeper.
Shi Yuxing tried to regulate his breathing, but it all melted away between their mouths—breath caught, unable to go in or out.
He was suffocating, he thought.
The hand gripping his chin moved to the back of his head, pressing harder, leaving no room to gasp. At least his nose was still functioning—enough to keep him from being the first person ever kissed to death.
Shi Yuxing’s hands mimicked the movement, sliding to Gu Lingzhou’s back and pressing hard. He rose on his toes, tilting his head up—not to resist, but to coexist with the tiger.
Some might see nothing unusual in the Commander being his husband. But what if he pinned this revered general down and made him serve him instead?
Gu Lingzhou’s eyes flew wide open. Shi Yuxing held him tight, their hearts beating in sync.
The calmer Gu Lingzhou finally tasted the increasingly strong metallic tang—was Shi Yuxing hurt?
In the darkness, hot breath sprayed over Shi Yuxing’s lips. Numb, he stuck out his tongue, mumbling: “N-no more kissing? Huh?”
The light made Shi Yuxing instinctively close his eyes. Gu Lingzhou turned on the lamp to inspect his lips, pressing a fingertip against the soft flesh. “Open your mouth—let me see.”
A red, wet tongue extended—no wound found. Watching Shi Yuxing obediently lying on him with eyes closed and mouth open, Gu Lingzhou couldn’t resist; emboldened, he kissed him again. Shi Yuxing’s eyes flew open—the shock not yet over, but he had no choice. Better to let him kiss his fill than be beaten to death by his husband.
But he rejoiced too soon—there were many ways to die.
A knock sounded at the door behind him. The world spun; he was hoisted onto Gu Lingzhou’s shoulder again. Then his back met a bed—not as comfortable as the master bedroom’s, but enough for two to stretch out.
Shi Yuxing was dazed from kissing. By the time he realized it, his hands were already bound with Gu Lingzhou’s tie. “What are you doing?” He tried to pull free, but his eyes sparkled with something else as he swallowed. He’d seen those toned abs on the other two, but Gu Lingzhou’s own had a much stronger impact.
This was the real Gu Lingzhou. His actual, nominal husband.
“I’m warning you—don’t mess around. I’ll call for help.” But his body ignored his mouth, stepping onto Gu Lingzhou’s stomach. The muscles were rock-hard. Gu Lingzhou grabbed his pale, slender ankle. “Did they do this to you?”
Shi Yuxing pulled his foot back, bringing Gu Lingzhou’s hand along with it—fear mixed with anticipation, still daring to provoke: “Guess.”
The wound stung. With a muffled thud on the bed, Gu Lingzhou’s powerful arms braced on either side of him, his gaze unreadable. “Don’t make me angry, wife.” It was the first time Shi Yuxing had heard him use that address. Blood rushed to his head. His other foot pressed against the swelling “tumor” poised and ready.
His silk pajama top slipped off his shoulder. Gu Lingzhou looked at the marks near his collarbone and covered them with his own lips. “They kissed you here, didn’t they?”
Biting his lower lip, Shi Yuxing swallowed the sounds threatening to escape, though he already knew the answer. Just as Gu Lingzhou was about to go lower, Shi Yuxing mustered some strength and shoved him off. Even with sweat beading on his forehead and his chest still unsteady, he panted: “I won’t do it with someone who doesn’t love me. Get out.”
Leave a Reply