What If I Ended Up Marrying My Enemy? - Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Rainfall
It wasn’t until his head was pinned against the pillar that Yu Zhixue finally understood why Yu Wenxuan had taken off his hair accessory.
His whole body seemed to be effortlessly controlled by Yu Wenxuan’s hands, completely immobilized. The sensation at his earlobe was strange—he had even been bitten lightly.
No one else was around. He was pinned in this corner by Yu Wenxuan—it was hard not to think of certain inappropriate scenarios.
Yu Zhixue’s ears flushed red on the spot.
Panting, he couldn’t tell how much time had passed. A few seconds? Dozens? Eventually, Yu Wenxuan let go of the soft flesh.
Yu Wenxuan still remembered the places that gaze had touched: the earlobe, the side of the neck, the cheek, and the lips.
But it’s fine—wherever that gaze stopped, I’ll cover it all.
The heat trailed downward. Yu Wenxuan brushed away the restless strands of hair on Yu Zhixue’s shoulder and nudged the spot gently with the bridge of his nose.
From his neck down to the edge of his collarbone.
For areas not convenient to nuzzle, he used his hands. Yu Zhixue’s cheeks and the corners of his eyes were flushed from being touched. His lips were even pressed with Yu Wenxuan’s knuckles.
Yu Zhixue was so flustered he could barely stand. His tightly shut lips loosened just a bit.
And he realized—Yu Wenxuan hadn’t been joking when he said:
“Pretend I’ve gone crazy.”
Because this really was crazy.
Taking advantage of that small gap, Yu Wenxuan pressed his fingertip against Yu Zhixue’s tongue. The wet, soft texture made him freeze.
He looked up to find Yu Zhixue barely able to stand—leaning against the pillar, trembling slightly, with one hand covering his eyes.
After a moment of silence, Yu Wenxuan finally let go. Yu Zhixue fell straight into his arms.
He caught him, noticing the moisture in Yu Zhixue’s eyes, letting the boy rest against his shoulder and catch his breath.
As he stroked the long hair, he whispered, “Sorry.”
It took a while before Yu Zhixue regained his composure. Then, he bit Yu Wenxuan’s shoulder—but the thick layers of clothing dulled any force. “Next time, warn me first.”
“…You hated it?”
Yu Zhixue closed his eyes and replied, “It was just… really embarrassing.”
Yu Wenxuan actually wanted to say, Wouldn’t it be even more embarrassing if I warned you? But in the end, he simply said, “Okay.”
They didn’t know how much time had passed since leaving the banquet hall. Just then, the forecasted rain finally began to fall—soft and slow at first.
Yu Wenxuan immediately took off his suit jacket and draped it over Yu Zhixue before lifting him up. “Hold on tight.”
Yu Zhixue obediently wrapped his arms around Yu Wenxuan’s neck, completely covered under the jacket, unable to see anything.
There was no way Yu Wenxuan could bring Yu Zhixue—looking like this—back through the banquet hall. Fortunately, the rain had just begun and wasn’t heavy yet, and the driver was nearby.
Yu Wenxuan practically sprinted the whole way until he opened the car door and gently placed Yu Zhixue inside.
His own shoulders and back were soaked, while Yu Zhixue—beneath the jacket—was dry and clean.
Having been carried the entire way, not even the soles of Yu Zhixue’s shoes were wet. He glanced at the rare disheveled look on Yu Wenxuan’s face and silently pulled out a handkerchief to help dry his hair.
It was strange—Yu Zhixue always made a mess of his own hair, but when helping someone else, he did it with surprising precision.
The car smoothly drove up to the villa. Yu Wenxuan handed Yu Zhixue an umbrella and said, “Hold this.” Then he turned around. “Get on.”
Yu Zhixue was piggybacked behind him, watching the raindrops fall from the umbrella’s edge before shifting his gaze to Yu Wenxuan’s chiseled side profile.
The moment they stepped inside, the downpour began in earnest, with thunder rumbling in the distance.
Yu Wenxuan went to take a hot shower and change into dry clothes. Meanwhile, Yu Zhixue was in the kitchen making brown sugar ginger tea.
The intention was kind—but the execution… less so.
Yu Wenxuan swallowed the last mouthful of ginger tea without expression. Under Yu Zhixue’s watchful eyes, he forced himself to say, “It’s alright.”
Rainy days always made being indoors feel especially relaxing and cozy. Maybe that’s why Yu Zhixue suddenly decided to wrestle with the kitchen again. Tilting his head, he asked Yu Wenxuan to re-tie his hair—he was going to bake cookies.
Halfway through tying the hair, Yu Wenxuan seriously considered whether he still had time to “accidentally” drop the hair tie.
But it was too late—and he found it impossible to refuse those eyes.
“You know how to bake cookies?” Yu Wenxuan asked, patting his back after finishing the braid.
Yu Zhixue put on an apron, tying a neat bow at the back with his slender fingers. After thinking for a few seconds, he turned and asked, “Does knowing the process count?”
Yu Wenxuan: “…”
Sure. Let’s go with that.
Worried about a potential kitchen disaster, Yu Wenxuan followed him in to help.
He expected chaos, but to his surprise, Yu Zhixue worked quite smoothly, as if he really knew what he was doing.
In the end, Yu Wenxuan was declared “in the way” and mercilessly kicked out of the kitchen.
A long time later, Yu Zhixue finally opened the kitchen door, eyes wide, and waved him in.
Given how smooth the process looked, Yu Wenxuan expected decent results. But the moment he saw those pitch-black lumps, he realized—some people just weren’t meant to cook. It’s a natural thing.
Yu Zhixue gave him one. He ate it.
“How is it?” Yu Zhixue asked.
Yu Wenxuan forced himself to swallow and answered honestly, “This is the second-worst cookie I’ve ever eaten.”
“…Second?” Yu Zhixue asked. “Then who made the worst?”
That question actually stumped Yu Wenxuan—not because it was hard to answer, but because… he really didn’t know.
Back in college, their class had a regular classroom. The seats weren’t officially assigned, but Yu Wenxuan hated changing spots.
He always sat in the same place, and since he came early and had good rapport with others, people let him have it.
One day, there was a small bag of cookies on his desk—plainly packaged.
He often found gifts from admirers on his desk, which he usually ignored or gave away.
That day was different. He hadn’t eaten breakfast and was having a low bl00d sugar episode.
So he ended up eating the worst cookie of his life—bitter, dry, and crumbly.
His desk mate couldn’t stand seeing him eat alone and asked for some. Yu Wenxuan gave him a small piece. The desk mate called him stingy—until he tasted it, and then went completely silent.
Yu Wenxuan quietly finished the entire bag during one class.
His desk mate stared, horrified. “You actually finished that?”
Yu Wenxuan looked at the bag, saw no name, folded it neatly, and said, “Didn’t have a choice.”
“…”
Recalling the memory, Yu Wenxuan even rubbed his stomach and said, “I don’t remember.”
Yu Zhixue stuffed two more burnt cookies into his mouth.
The cookie project was finally dropped. It was still too early for bed, so they sat together on the living room sofa to watch TV.
More precisely, Yu Wenxuan sat on the sofa, and Yu Zhixue sat in his lap.
Yu Wenxuan rested his chin on top of Yu Zhixue’s head. Yu Zhixue hugged a cushion. Yu Wenxuan tried to take it away, but was swatted in warning.
Fine.
Yu Zhixue watched with full focus. Yu Wenxuan had little interest but followed along anyway so he could answer any random questions.
The rain was now loud enough to be heard through the sealed windows.
On the TV, the male and female leads were arguing. Yu Wenxuan had thought Yu Zhixue would watch something serious, but it turned out to be a full-on soap opera.
As he watched, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. The one who had insisted on watching… had dozed off first.
Yu Zhixue leaned against him, head tilted, breath soft and swallowed up by the TV sound.
Yu Wenxuan grabbed the remote and turned off the screen. The room returned to calm.
He leaned closer to listen to the peaceful breathing, then smiled and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose.
As he picked him up, Yu Zhixue stirred and murmured, “The TV…”
Yu Wenxuan gently pressed his head down again and casually made something up: “They reconciled. The male lead’s mom gave her blessing. They’re having a wedding on an island.”
Yu Zhixue didn’t question if that matched the plot. Hearing a conclusion, he yawned and snuggled deeper. “Oh.”
“Sleep,” Yu Wenxuan whispered, looking at him.