The whole ride home, not a word between us.

Back at the house, we each head to our own rooms.

With our clashing schedules and that natural Alpha repulsion to each other’s pheromones, I took the lead after the wedding and suggested separate bedrooms.

Lin Yuji just stared at me quietly for a bit before shrugging it off with a cool acceptance.

For the past two years, even living under the same roof, we’ve been more like nodding acquaintances than anything else.

…

After washing up and barely settling into bed, a knock sounds at my door.

I open it to find Lin Yuji standing there in comfy home clothes, holding a bowl.

The hallway light spills softly over him, giving him this rare, tender vibe I don’t usually see.

“Here, I made you some hangover soup—watch out for a headache tomorrow morning.”

He looks almost like a dream, his gentle words feeling like some kind of spell.

I reach out, taking it with a dazed, “Th-thanks.”

Lin Yuji curves his lips into a small smile. “Not gonna drink it while it’s hot?”

“Oh… right.” I snap out of it and obediently gulp down the whole bowl.

He takes the empty bowl back, his smiling eyes carrying a hint of something deeper. “Good boy.”

That comment hits me like a ton of bricks, leaving my mind blank—by the time I come to, he’s already walked off.

Even as my so-called spouse, he’s this thoughtful and responsible.

I climb back into bed, my mind spinning as I compare his kindness to my own shady moves—it’s humiliating and torturous.

But before I can dwell on it too long, my vision starts to blur, and soon I’m drifting off into a hazy sleep.