Chapter 13: A Fierce Struggle

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Si Mingming couldn’t sleep well. Lying in bed, her mind drifted into wild imaginings. In her childhood, Nie Rushuang once doubted her mental state because of these flights of fancy. She had hesitated to say to Si Mingming’s grandmother, “Our Mingyue… if… her intellect isn’t sound, then I must find a nanny. Mom, could you watch over the nanny every day? I don’t want Mingyue to get beaten.”

Nie Rushuang’s suspicion stemmed from her daughter often suddenly pointing at something and calling it an unrelated animal or giving it a strange name.

Since she was little, Si Mingming had peculiar associations with things, which gradually normalized as she grew older. Yet, her inner imagination still popped up from time to time. Her colleagues called her the “Zero Degree Person.” She didn’t mind on the surface but secretly fought back in her heart.

Her method of retaliation was to give them odd nicknames. For example, Chen Ming, whose face flushed red when angry and shouting, was “Monkey Butt” in her mind; Shi Yinan, who loved running but had awkward, twisting movements and a penchant for floral sports pants, was “Big Flower Snake” to her.

That night, she began to think: My husband, Comrade Su Jingqiu, still didn’t have a fitting code name.

She had long expected that two completely different people living together would clash in many ways, but she hadn’t anticipated that the first trouble would be sleep. Her husband, Mr. Su Jingqiu, rose with the sun and retired at dawn, engaged in no proper work at all. He always returned smelling of a mix of perfume and various liquors. For Si Mingming, who had been health-conscious since she was twenty, this was an absolute taboo.

She stood in the living room, watching Su Jingqiu start undressing immediately upon entering, as if forgetting she was home. Outside, the first light of dawn appeared, and his body emitted a warm glow, his walk slightly unsteady.

He was drunk.

That night, Su Jingqiu had met his good friend Gu Junchuan. The two sat on a bench outside a bar, drinking together. Both were in low spirits and unknowingly drank heavily. Gu Junchuan didn’t want to drink more, feeling unwell, but Su Jingqiu, still in high spirits, urged him on: “A man should sing to the wine; life is fleeting!”

To persuade him, he even recited poetry.

Su Jingqiu complained to Gu Junchuan about an alien invading his home. He said, “You know? She’s like an extraterrestrial. There must be some program running in her mind, switching modes at any moment…”

“And also… she moved in and made me register my fingerprint for the door lock…”

Gu Junchuan’s interest piqued. “Did you let her?”

Knowing Su Jingqiu’s nature, their friend was surprised—Su Jingqiu was indeed the type to be accommodating. But now, he was about to grab Su Jingqiu’s hand and cry, overwhelmed with grievances: “I did! Damn it, I didn’t want to, but when I looked into her eyes, my brain just short-circuited…”

Gu Junchuan was full of question marks: What? You did?

Yes, he did. Su Jingqiu muttered, “Who knows what trouble lies ahead…”

That’s how he ended up drunk.

At home, as Su Jingqiu was pulling off his shorts, he heard a noise inside and froze mid-zipper. Squinting, he saw a woman standing in the dim room.

A woman was in his home. Su Jingqiu thought: How could there be a woman here?

Looking closer, the woman’s face was unfamiliar; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t place her. He slurred, “Who are you? How the hell did you get in? Get out!”

Si Mingming wasn’t going to argue with a drunk man—nor could she, as Su Jingqiu immediately collapsed onto the sofa. She stepped forward to check; the man’s breathing was heavy, his chest heaving violently—obviously suffering from overdrinking. She gently kicked him. “Hey.”

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Su Jingqiu replied, “Get lost.”

Fine, get lost. Si Mingming hated drunks and decided to leave him to his own devices. Just as she turned to leave, his hand grabbed her wrist. The drunk man’s palm was hot and gripped with such force that it hurt.

What an unexpected disaster! Si Mingming bent down to pick up a cushion, threatening, “I’ll count to three. Let go, or I’ll smother you!”

She raised the cushion and lowered her head to meet his eyes. He was half-open-eyed, staring intently at her. His thumb gently stroked her wrist, as if coaxing.

Like a dog. That thought popped into Si Mingming’s head. She was strict with people but still had some sympathy for dogs, so she put the cushion down and bent to look at him.

His expression remained the same, his lips seeming to chant a name. Yes, he was saying a name—“Zheng Liang.” Si Mingming heard it clearly.

Could that Zheng Liang be the Zheng Liang from our company? Before she could ponder, his other hand reached behind her, pulling her into his arms and pressing her against the sofa.

If it really was the Zheng Liang from our company, this would be ridiculously dramatic! Si Mingming felt a surge of excitement, her eyes lighting up as she watched him closely in the dim light. When his head lowered, she didn’t pull away, but her legs curled up, her body hiding into the sofa. He was poking her in an uncomfortable spot. What a bastard—drunk and still wielding a stick to jab people. Her mind raced, but his lips interrupted her thoughts.

At first, they landed gently on her cheek, wriggling as if tickling her. She tilted her head to avoid it, accidentally placing her ear near his lips.

His breath blew into her ear as he whispered, “Zheng Liang, Zheng Liang…”

Endlessly repeating.

Si Mingming was annoyed and bit his shoulder, mumbling, “Are you going to kiss me or not?”

Seeing Su Jingqiu like a dead dog, she cupped his face and kissed him. Their soft lips met like biting into cotton candy. Whatever drink he had tasted surprisingly sweet and fragrant, making Si Mingming want to bite him.

Thinking this, she did just that—bit him hard. Hearing his muffled groan, she laughed and pushed him away, saying, “Zheng Liang bit you, so you can blame Zheng Liang for this!” Before leaving, she kicked him and threatened, “I’ll kick you out of the house sooner or later!”

She turned and went back to her room.

The drunk Su Jingqiu moaned unpleasantly in the living room. Si Mingming knew he wouldn’t die, so she put in earplugs to block out the noise and let him suffer alone.

The next day, when she opened her eyes, she felt dazed. She hadn’t rested well and felt like she’d been punched. Upon waking, she noticed Su Jingqiu had left a bruise on her wrist where he had grabbed her—hard enough to be almost like domestic violence! Angry, she stormed out of the bedroom, saw Su Jingqiu sleeping on the sofa, and kicked him in the thigh.

The kick startled him awake. He looked at Si Mingming, about to question her harsh treatment, but then noticed his painful mouth. He touched his lips and had no memory of the previous night.

Si Mingming seized the opportunity and asked, “What happened to your mouth? Did someone bite you?”

“Nonsense!” Su Jingqiu replied. He never behaved wildly when drunk; who would bite him? Yet his mouth hurt terribly, and he had no clue why. Si Mingming pulled out her phone and took a picture of him to scare him. “We’ve only been married a few days, and you’re already fooling around? I need proof!”

This really confused Su Jingqiu. He began doubting himself: Did I really lose control when drunk? Thinking this, he looked down at his pants, then closed his eyes to check—nothing unusual. He planned to ask Gu Junchuan later.

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Seeing she had scared him, Si Mingming turned and left. She knew this trick wouldn’t last long, but she was patient and confident: during their marriage, she would definitely get him to quit drinking!

Hearing her wash up in the bathroom, Su Jingqiu noticed she had dressed in formal wear by the time she came out. As she reached the door, she took a pair of high heels from his shoe cabinet. She truly treated this place as her own home, even bringing her high heels. Wearing them, she seemed taller and more proud—still somewhat out of place, though Su Jingqiu noticed her shapely curves.

Suffering from a hangover after she left, Su Jingqiu felt his body tense. Looking down, he saw an unmistakable bulge. Since his youth, such a tent would appear every morning.

He cursed and got up for a shower. The cool water helped somewhat, but for some reason, he suddenly recalled the little toy in Si Mingming’s bedside drawer—the one she hid there to please herself. Along with that memory came vivid, indulgent fantasies.

What a bad habit!

Su Jingqiu fought his imagination, trying to kill it invisibly, but it grew into a monstrous force. The heel of the high heels traced up his ankle, unstoppable.

He was shocked. How could he have such thoughts about Si Mingming? Although he knew men's minds might be filthy, he prided himself on high standards and was not one to casually entertain base thoughts.

That morning left Su Jingqiu frustrated. Back in bed, he found himself unable to sleep. Finally, when Gu Junchuan got up and returned his call, the first question was: “Did I mess around with any woman yesterday?”

“How messed up?”

“Kissed?”

Gu Junchuan, no saint himself, teased his friend and hesitated, “Maybe… yeah?”

Su Jingqiu’s heart sank halfway. Worse than his dirty thoughts about Si Mingming was this: he might actually have lost control while drunk! Getting older was definitely making things worse!

Gu Junchuan ended the call vaguely, leaving Su Jingqiu to doubt his character. He suppressed the sudden surge of desire he hadn’t felt in a long time. Before meeting Zheng Liang, he had just ended a relationship; after meeting Zheng Liang, he pursued him wholeheartedly. He believed only such dedication was worthy of his sincerity, but once the sincerity was given, the story with Zheng Liang ended.

For a time, he even felt his desire had vanished from his body, only to awaken fully on that morning.

Su Jingqiu knew himself well: a passionate young man with a beast living inside him. That beast often emerged to devour and tempt him, making him tread the fine line between good and bad. Restraining the beast required all his strength; losing meant surrender.

Damn!

He cursed himself and surrendered.