After My Rebirth, My Husband Pampers Me Everyday!

Chapter 172: ONE DAY I WON’T BE GENTLE

Guiying laughed alone in the bathroom, he enjoyed the speechless look on Liuxian’s face.

It wasn’t often you caught him off guard.

"It really isn’t hard to play a man, you just gotta hit him where his pride hurts.."

He laughed again, then immediately stopped when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

"Damn. He really did a number on me. Will need to put some concealer on this, to protect my dignity at least."

In reality he didn’t want to have to deal with their judging eyes.

He showered quick, while he bathed he thought of today’s outfit.

Since it was his last shoot. Guiying wanted to make it memorable.

As he dried his body, an outfit popped into his head.

He smiled and walked into the room.

Liuxian was long gone by the time he finished bathing.

He walked to the wardrobe and pulled it open.

The outfit assembled itself in his head before his hands had finished moving. He pulled each piece out one by one, laid them on the bed, stood back and looked at them.

Yes.

This was perfect.

He pulled out a black tee first, it fitted his body, enhancing his chest, hugging his waist just right.

Then the grey culottes, wide and clean, the pleat sitting crisp.

A black belt to pull it all in. He laid everything on the bed and looked at it.

Perfect.

He got dressed piece by piece. Zipped the knee high boots up slowly, the heel clicking against the floor when he stood.

Guiying picked his silver ring, watch and balenciaga bag off the hook.

He stood in front of the mirror.

His waist in this outfit was genuinely someone else’s problem.

He picked up his bag and headed downstairs.

Wang Chengli was in the entrance hall. He looked at Guiying, said nothing, and moved aside.

Guiying walked into the dining room.

Liuxian was at the table.

He did not look up.

Pan fried dumplings, scrambled eggs with tomato, soy glazed aubergine, cold cucumber with chilli oil laid out across the table, and Liuxian was eating with the focused intensity of a man who had decided nothing else in the room required his attention.

Guiying sat down, laughing softly to himself.

"Good morning," he said.

Liuxian reached for a dumpling.

-_-

Guiying looked at him. Then chuckled at the very deliberate way he was chewing.

So the almighty Alpha was sulking.

Over a fictional dildo.

"Oh, now you’re not talking to me? I guess I’ll just have to meet the other men asking for my hand."

"You wouldn’t dare.." Liuxian placed his chopsticks down, his expression darkening.

"Oh so you can talk? I thought you’ve gone mute from shock."

Liuxian scoffed and placed his hands on the table, he was about to push himself up when Guiying leaned back and said "You better sit your ass down. Who’s going to eat with me if you leave? And if you leave you can kiss, even holding my hands goodbye.."

-_-

Liuxian sighed, he couldn’t even sulk in peace.

"Now you threaten me. Don’t play a game you can’t win.."

Guiying smiled. "Don’t play a game you can’t win? That’s rich coming from the man who just lost to a fictional dildo."

Liuxian’s jaw tightened.

"You’re my baby and I love you but you’re making me want to punch you.."

-_-

Guiying lips twitched, this was the first time Liuxian talked about getting physical.

He wondered how angry Liuxian would have to be for him to get physical with him.

"So what’s stopping you?"

Guiying smiled wider. He picked up a piece of cucumber, dragged it slow through the chilli oil, and popped it in his mouth.

"So what’s stopping you?" he repeated, voice light like he was asking about the weather.

Liuxian didn’t answer right away. His jaw worked. The muscle in his cheek jumped once, twice. Then he exhaled through his nose, long and slow, like he was counting to ten and failing at three.

Across the table, Guiying watched him with way too much amusement for someone who’d just been called punchable.

"You’re really gonna sit there and pretend you don’t want to," Guiying said. He leaned his elbows on the table, chin in his hand. "After last night? After you went quiet for a full five minutes? You looked like your whole system crashed."

Liuxian’s eyes snapped up. Dark, sharp. "Don’t."

"Don’t what?" Guiying blinked, all innocence. "Don’t remind you that you lost to something that doesn’t even have a battery?"

The chopsticks in Liuxian’s hand made a faint click. He set them down too carefully.

"You’re my baby," Liuxian said again, lower this time. The words were soft but the warning under them wasn’t. "And I love you. But you’re testing me."

Guiying tilted his head. The heel of his boot tapped once against the floor. Click.

"Testing you how?" He smiled. "I’m just eating breakfast. Talking. Being memorable. It’s my last shoot, remember? You said I should make it count."

Silence.

The only sound was the faint sizzle from the kitchen and Liuxian’s breathing. Controlled. Measured. Like he was holding something back by sheer force of will.

Guiying reached across the table, quick as a flash, and stole the last dumpling off Liuxian’s plate.

Liuxian went very still.

Guiying bit into it, eyes locked on his. "Still not gonna do anything?"

Liuxian pushed his chair back. The legs scraped against the floor. He stood, slow, and Guiying’s smile sharpened because finally..

Liuxian walked around the table. Stopped right behind Guiying’s chair. One hand came down on the backrest, caging him in without touching.

Guiying didn’t turn. But his breath hitched, just barely.

Liuxian leaned down. His voice was right at Guiying’s ear, warm and low and dangerous.

"Be careful what you ask for," he murmured. "You keep poking the alpha who’s trying to be gentle. One day I won’t be."

Guiying’s lips parted. For once, no comeback came out.

He just sat there, heartbeat loud in his ears, while Liuxian’s hand stayed on the chair back.

Not touching him.

Not yet.

Yet hearing those words, he felt terrified.