Chapter 44

Wu Ying hugged her pillow, looking miserable. The money was still Asher's, after all. Su Yi said she could help with the recruiting, that hiring under the Su family name would make things easier.

Wu Ying thought about it and turned her down. She didn't want an unequal exchange of interests with her friend. If Su Yi lent her the Su family name, she'd have to take responsibility for Wu Ying—and Wu Ying didn't want that to become a burden between them someday.

She'd thought of Asher, but no matter how powerful he was, he was just a soldier. She wasn't sure the scientific research community would care about his name.

"My cousin might have some connections. Want me to ask him?"

"No thanks. I'd sooner ask my husband than you." Wu Ying declined helplessly, and she meant it.

Luo Meng chuckled at that. To be honest, he'd known Wu Ying was married for a long time, but he'd never once met the man. Mysterious, to say the least.

"Suit yourself, then. You can stress over it on your own. If you ever need anything, don't be shy—we're friends."

"I know." Wu Ying smiled brightly. Su Yi had said the same. She changed the subject, asking casually, "So, have you started your break yet?"

Luo Meng hung his head and sighed, holding up his chafed, bleeding hands. "What do you think?"

"Ouch, that looks painful. You're being tortured again? Poor thing—why haven't you applied any medicine?"

His hands had several torn gashes, the edges already darkening. Just looking at them made Wu Ying's palms sting in phantom pain. Her forehead furrowed, and she couldn't bear to look.

Her expression made Luo Meng laugh, a clear, bright sound.

The two talked for a long time. The planet where Luo Meng trained had plenty of vegetation, and knowing Wu Ying's love for plants, he'd collected quite a lot. Among them was a plant that looked like a flower, but it was incredibly hardy—it could actually survive in high-radiation zones.

The moment she saw the photo Luo Meng sent, Wu Ying shot up. "What? It survives naturally? Are there a lot of them? What's the soil like around it? What's the surrounding vegetation situation..."

She sat up straight, eyes glued to the picture, questions tumbling out of her mouth one after another.

Luo Meng had known she'd be happy, but he hadn't expected her this excited. All his effort to bring that plant out had been worth it. He rubbed his nose, looking a bit smug. "Shouldn't you thank me properly first?"

He was usually quiet around others, only showing a livelier side with people he knew well and trusted. It was safe to say he considered Wu Ying his spiritual mentor, and with her he was completely at ease.

Naturally, Wu Ying showered him with praise, planning to let him feel her full sincerity.

It was only when you actually spoke that you realized how limited your vocabulary was. After a few long compliments, Wu Ying had to rack her brain for more, even trotting out "longevity and happiness" in her desperation.

"Hahaha, not enough, not enough..."

Luo Meng's voice cut off abruptly, like someone had strangled it mid-laugh. Wu Ying was just starting to wonder why when a shadow fell over her. Behind her, a voice spoke: "Who are you video-calling?"

The tone was low, rough and hoarse, like someone who hadn't spoken in a long time suddenly finding their voice. Wu Ying turned and looked up—Asher was already standing right in front of her.

From the door to the sofa—that whole distance—he'd just crept up without a sound?

Asher stared at her round, wide eyes, the anger in his chest burning like lava swept through. The person on the other end of the video had gone dead silent; from the moment he'd seen Asher's face, Luo Meng had been frozen.

"Just a friend. What's wrong?"

"Hang up."

"No!" The words left her mouth before she could stop herself. Wu Ying realized immediately something wasn't right—she'd gotten used to talking back to Asher, but this wasn't the time.

She moved her fingers, intending to say goodbye to Luo Meng before hanging up.

Seeing her turn away, as if she still wanted to talk to someone else, Asher's eyes flickered. He leaned down swiftly, seized her hand, and with a buzz from his Light Brain, Luo Meng's projection vanished into thin air.

Wu Ying's eyes went wide with shock. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you."

Asher sat down as if it were nothing, draping his arm over the back of the sofa, completely enclosing Wu Ying at his side. He hadn't even taken off his military uniform. Cold light glinted off his black military cap, and his long black overcoat paired with trousers, the hem brushing against Wu Ying's foot that had been sticking out.

His eyes were faintly red-rimmed as he stared coldly at her. Even seated, he was so tall that Wu Ying had to look up at him. He wore the expression of... a man catching his wife in the act.

"Have you lost your mind?"

Wu Ying kicked him, straightening up with her almond-shaped eyes wide in fury, glaring hotly at him.

He'd staged this whole ridiculous scene out of nowhere—Luo Meng would definitely mock her for this. And the culprit had the nerve to sit there, acting righteous and putting on a cold face. Wu Ying's tone turned even harsher.

"Hah, no time to contact me, plenty of time to video-chat with a friend here. Wu Ying, I'm your husband!" The last words came out cold, almost a shout.

Wu Ying's face flushed deeper—with anger.

So Asher's meltdown was for exactly the reason she'd guessed. She and Luo Meng were just friends. She absolutely refused to think back on it now—so embarrassing! Luo Meng had seen Asher like this. So awkward!

At the moment, Wu Ying only felt like dying of mortification. It didn't even occur to her to remember Asher's other role: Commander of the Fourth Military District. If she put herself in the ridiculous scene of a friend's husband catching them mid-call, her first reaction would definitely be to laugh, then to file this away as permanent comic material!

"Asher, you're done for!"

Wu Ying grabbed the corner of the pillow and swung it at him furiously, wishing she were stronger—otherwise she'd beat him black and blue.

"Still dodging?"

Asher had been angry before, and the angrier Wu Ying got, the more his fury seemed to stoke. But the next second—she actually swung the pillow at him.

Even with a pillow between them, the impact was negligible. She had a hot temper but little strength; using a pillow as a weapon was worse than using her hands. The soft cushion only dampened the force.

Asher's clothes were a mess. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back on the sofa, letting her hit him.

After a while, Asher's clothes were only slightly rumpled, but Wu Ying was panting hard, exhausted. A fragile researcher couldn't go toe-to-toe with a thick-skinned hunk of iron. Wu Ying put her hands on her hips, realizing she'd made a strategic error.

She tossed the pillow aside and stood up, ready to leave.

Asher grabbed her instantly, his hand like an iron vice, clamping tightly around her wrist. Wu Ying's heart tightened as she tried to shake him off.

"Wu Ying! Let's talk."

His tone was blunt, as if he were still stuck in that "caught in the act" fury. Just thinking about it made Wu Ying both angry and mortified.

"Talk about what? I don't want to. Let go—I'm going back to my room!"

Asher stood up. "Then we'll talk in the room."

She didn't want to talk, period, no matter where it happened. Wu Ying refused, using her other hand to pry at his grip. Asher stood like a mountain, keeping her wrist firmly trapped in his palm. They had to talk.

As a husband, he couldn't feel at all that his wife valued him. That mattered. Asher had a vague sense that he and Wu Ying had never once discussed what a husband and wife should do.

That clearly didn't follow any logic. In the military, any new problem required repeated study, discussion, and practice, mapping as many situations as possible into standard procedures.

Asher believed he and Wu Ying absolutely needed to have a proper discussion.

"What do you want to talk about? I don't want to hear what you have to say, and you won't understand what I say either."

Wu Ying looked at him helplessly, annoyed to death, but unable to get away. Slowly, her gaze softened, her whole body going pliant like dough being stretched and kneaded.

His gaze was always sharp, like a cold sword radiating frost. Maybe from staying up late, his eyes were rimmed with red, looking tired. His strong features were framed well by the military uniform, iron-blooded and handsome—but Wu Ying still didn't want to talk to him.

She had a feeling it wasn't anything good. He could have brought it up any other time, but no—he'd chosen the moment after forcing her to hang up. Did he plan to discuss their sleeping arrangements right now?

Asher disagreed. "If you don't want to hear what I say, that's your problem, but you can bring it up, and I'll help you fix it. And why wouldn't I understand what you say? Neither of your points has any basis at all."

Huh, my problem? Wu Ying shook her head, tossing aside her earlier messy thoughts, and said seriously, "Let go of me first."

Since she was willing to cooperate, Asher naturally released her.

"I think you should get some rest first. You're so tired your eyes are red. Go sleep, okay?"

Wu Ying offered the advice sincerely, eyes wide, making sure Asher could see the honesty in them.

But Asher thought he didn't need rest at all. The problem right now wasn't sleep—it was having a proper talk with Wu Ying.

"No. Let's talk."

"Fine, fine, talk."

Wu Ying gave up and sat back down on the sofa.

She'd see what nonsense Asher had to say.

Asher straightened his uniform, smoothing out the rumpled fabric, finally taking the chance to remove his coat and cap. He was thinking about how to phrase things. Without a doubt, Wu Ying was the most short-tempered person he'd ever met.

"Last time you went out without telling me. You didn't tell me when you came back either. And when you got home, instead of contacting me, you were chatting with some strange man..."

"Stop—that's my friend!"

"You've never introduced me. To me, he's a strange man. Wu Ying..."

Wu Ying rolled her eyes at him. "Asher, do you even hear what you're saying? Don't you think you're being unreasonable? Have you done any of the things you're demanding of me? You haven't—so what right do you have to demand them of me!"

"My work is special..."

"I don't care how special your work is. No double standards. Just pretend my work is special too."

"That's different."

Different how? Self-righteous bastard.

"Asher, you can't demand a lot from me while doing whatever you want yourself. That's not fair, is it?"

Wu Ying suddenly stepped forward and cupped his face, blowing aside the stray hair on his forehead. His eyes were beautiful—long, dark lashes half-lowered over his exquisite phoenix eyes.

Asher's pupils quivered slightly. He just stared at her, dazed. After a pause, he touched her hand. "You're right. It's not fair."

So what Wu Ying wanted was fairness. But he truly couldn't give her that. What could he do? He couldn't suppress the craving inside him. He wanted Wu Ying to stay home. She always had so many friends—maybe one day she'd be called out by one of them, and that was why he always came home to find her gone...