What If I Ended Up Marrying My Enemy? - Chapter 40
Chapter 40: Trouble
It was a long time before Yu Wenxuan knew what to say.
He hadn’t wanted Yu Zhixue to get pulled in, and in turn, Yu Zhixue hadn’t wanted to let go of his hand.
In the silence, Yu Wenxuan finally fumbled through the darkness, reaching out to touch Yu Zhixue’s shoulder, then slowly moved up until he felt the pulse at the side of his neck.
The slow motion felt like a kind of confirmation.
Yu Zhixue didn’t know what he was doing. He was a bit surprised when that hand reached over, but he didn’t flinch. Somehow, he felt like Yu Wenxuan had more he wanted to do.
While they were still trapped inside, the central control had already shut down the game and opened the mechanism. Two staff members dressed in black came over to lift the lid.
The sudden brightness made both of them squint, unused to the light, but after two seconds, they both looked at each other.
The staff had only been told someone got stuck in the prop. They thought it was just the usual—one teammate couldn’t solve the puzzle and had to request help.
They didn’t expect to open the lid and find two people inside!
Two people would have been enough of a surprise, but their position was even more questionable—one tall, dangerous-looking man was underneath, while the man on top had long black hair cascading over his partner’s face.
The man underneath quickly withdrew the hand he’d had resting at the other’s neck.
The entire scene gave off an indescribable sense of intimacy and embarrassment.
They were clearly just doing their job, but at that moment, they felt like unwelcome third wheels who’d just interrupted something private.
The four exchanged glances in a strange moment of silence. It was Yu Zhixue who recovered first. He reached up, gathered his loose hair with a smooth motion, and climbed out with ease.
His movements were graceful and elegant—so much so that the staff, used to people clambering out of that thing looking totally disheveled, were stunned.
Once the weight on him disappeared, Yu Wenxuan also sat up and followed him out, then stepped forward to help adjust Yu Zhixue’s clothes.
Yu Zhixue didn’t say a word and stood there as Yu Wenxuan fixed his collar and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes.
Only when Yu Zhixue looked almost exactly as neat as when he’d entered did Yu Wenxuan start to fix his own rumpled look. He didn’t match his usual appearance, but it wasn’t all that bad.
While adjusting his sleeves, Yu Wenxuan said to the staff, “Please lead the way.”
The staff had wanted to escort them out as soon as they emerged, but had been stalled by the sudden wardrobe tidying. Now they were painfully aware: they were definitely the third wheels here.
They had entered the amusement park around 3 p.m., and by the time they exited the escape room, the sky had already turned dark.
After everything that happened inside, Yu Wenxuan felt a little hot and took off his face mask. Any trace of redness had vanished without a trace—there was no way to tell what had happened.
The park was now bustling with people searching for dinner, making the pathways feel overly crowded.
To avoid the heavy foot traffic, they took a small side exit from the escape room. This path connected to a quieter section of the park with no major attractions, so few people passed by.
It was an open alley. If it were daytime, it would’ve been great for photos—but Yu Zhixue wasn’t in the mood to appreciate that right now.
Yu Wenxuan handed some of the things over to him. Carrying two stuffed animals, they walked side by side along the empty street.
The moment was too peaceful—so much so that Yu Wenxuan suddenly wanted to finish what he hadn’t done earlier.
If the lid above them hadn’t opened when it did, he probably would have cupped the back of Yu Zhixue’s head and kissed him.
But it wasn’t too late now.
He reached up and pulled away the plushie blocking Yu Zhixue’s mouth, then leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips, following that by capturing his mouth.
The familiar motion made Yu Zhixue think back to their first kiss.
At that time, Yu Wenxuan had also been so inexperienced—he only knew how to softly hold his lips and lick them. He had no technique, but it was enough to make your heart race.
Amid the kiss, Yu Zhixue heard him murmur, “Wanna ride the Ferris wheel?”
Winter nights came quickly. The Ferris wheel lights were already on, dazzling against the night sky—it was beautiful and easy to spot.
But going there now would mean they’d have dinner at the park too. Besides, they’d already ridden Ferris wheels plenty of times over the years.
“No need,” Yu Zhixue replied, his nasal tone heavier than usual because of the kiss.
“Let’s go home. I want to eat your cooking.”
…
In the car, Yu Wenxuan recalled what ingredients were in the fridge and listed a few possible dishes.
Yu Zhixue sat in the passenger seat, ticking off some items on his fingers.
Yu Wenxuan responded with a hum and turned on the music. The playlist had been input by Yu Zhixue during some random moment of boredom.
As music played, Yu Zhixue stared out the window, watching the people outside—and also the reflection of Yu Wenxuan driving.
Yu Wenxuan caught a glimpse of his head resting against the glass.
At the next red light, Yu Wenxuan used his free hand to mimic animal ears over Yu Zhixue’s head from a distance.
Yu Zhixue saw the shadow of imaginary ears above his head and reached up to touch them.
Yu Wenxuan chuckled at his reaction and wiggled his fingers.
Unable to hold it in, Yu Zhixue laughed aloud.
Joy sparkled in his eyes, and as he looked out the window again, he suddenly spotted a passing hot pot stall.
His mood shifted on a dime. He turned and said sweetly, “I suddenly don’t want to eat those dishes anymore. I want lamb hot pot.”
Yu Wenxuan replied, “Then we’ll have to swing by the supermarket.”
Yu Zhixue nodded, his slightly spiky hair bobbing with the motion. Noticing Yu Wenxuan watching him, he said, “Keep your eyes on the road, stop staring at me.”
Yu Wenxuan responded, “It just hit me how much you’ve changed.”
Back when they had first started dating, Yu Wenxuan had asked him a lot of these same questions—what he wanted to drink, eat, where he wanted to go.
And back then, Yu Zhixue would always give the same bland replies: “Anything is fine. I’m not picky. Whatever’s convenient for you.”
If Yu Wenxuan hadn’t unintentionally observed him many times in college and gotten to know some of his preferences, he really would’ve believed that aloof front.
Yu Zhixue actually had foods he really liked—and he could be a huge picky eater.
But to accommodate Yu Wenxuan, he said “whatever” to everything.
It made Yu Wenxuan uncomfortable at first, even before he fully understood the concept of “feeling heartache” for someone.
Still, even if he pointed it out, would Yu Zhixue have changed? At that point in their relationship, probably not.
But once the seed of change was planted, Yu Wenxuan began working at it—bit by bit, trying to help Yu Zhixue stop suppressing his wants.
Eventually, Yu Zhixue began expressing his needs. Sometimes he’d even throw a small, endearing tantrum. And finally, he started to take it for granted that Yu Wenxuan would indulge him.
Yu Wenxuan relished that dependence—it made him feel irreplaceable.
Someone once warned him that if he kept this up, Yu Zhixue might end up walking all over him.
Yu Wenxuan put down his cup, gave them a sharp glare that made them shut up.
“If that happens, I’d only regret that he hasn’t climbed on top of me sooner,” Yu Wenxuan replied.
His thinking was always simple—he was the older one. Since he chose to be with Yu Zhixue, it was only natural to spoil him.
…
Perhaps sensing the moment, Yu Zhixue immediately understood what Yu Wenxuan meant. He replied calmly.
“Because you’ve spoiled me.”
The car arrived at the supermarket and stopped. Before Yu Wenxuan could respond, Yu Zhixue unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.
Yu Wenxuan’s carefully prepared response caught in his throat. He followed him out, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him back to walk in together.
Yu Zhixue had been to the supermarket with him countless times, but he still didn’t have much skill at picking vegetables. After naming a few things he wanted in the hot pot, he handed the task to Yu Wenxuan.
As Yu Wenxuan watched him pushing the cart away, he called out, “Don’t buy too many snacks.”
But after picking a few trays of meat, he turned around and saw Yu Zhixue pushing a cart half-full of snacks.
Yu Wenxuan said calmly, “That’s too much.”
He started checking through the contents. Many were duplicates. He picked one up and said, “Put back some of the ones that are the same.”
Yu Zhixue looked at him, long eyes tinged with defiance. “They’re different flavors.”
For example, the chocolate Yu Wenxuan was holding had a new orange filling.
He checked the label—it really was. After thinking a moment, he finally compromised under that look.
“Just don’t eat too much when we get back.”
“Okay.”
…
They ended up buying quite a bit. Both of them carried a share.
“Do you think I’m a bit troublesome?” Yu Zhixue suddenly asked as they walked to the car.
While shopping, he’d taken a few seconds to reflect—and realized he really had been spoiled.
Breakfast made for him, hair he didn’t need to do himself, outfits already laid out neatly on the bed every morning.
By that logic, the worst hardship he’d faced in the past few years of marriage was nearly choking during a kiss—and not being able to push Yu Wenxuan away.
“You’ve always been a troublesome person,” Yu Wenxuan replied.
Understanding Yu Zhixue’s thoughts was hard. Getting him to open up was hard. Even earning a smile from him was difficult.
All of those difficult things wrapped around him—they pushed others away, but they were also what made Yu Zhixue who he was.
Yu Wenxuan had learned: when you love someone, you love their “troubles” too.
Yu Zhixue had only been teasing. He hadn’t expected such a serious answer and stared at him, round-eyed in surprise.
He decided—when they got home, he wouldn’t use the shrimp paste they bought. He’d make Yu Wenxuan hand-mix it from scratch.
“I was just joking. You’re perfect the way you are.” Catching his gaze, Yu Wenxuan stood straighter and replied sincerely,
“Being troubled by you is my privilege.”
Yu Zhixue listened to his formal tone, and after a long moment, quietly muttered, “Oh.”