DLRC – Chapter 115 I Can’t Sleep Without You

Yu Wei gave an awkward laugh and, enduring the soreness all over her body, said, “I didn’t go anywhere.”

After speaking, she also went to look for clothes. As Yu Hui pulled a jacket from the wardrobe, he asked in confusion, “But I didn’t see you when I went out just now. I thought you went to buy groceries!”

“Haha, yes, Mommy was going to buy groceries, but then I realized I forgot my money, so I came back,” Yu Wei lied on the spot without hesitation, not knowing that little Yu Hui was a clever one.

“But Mom, why would you wear that to buy groceries? Didn’t you say pajamas are only for wearing at home?”

Yu Wei froze mid-search, then gave another sheepish smile. “Yes, that’s why… I suddenly realized I hadn’t changed yet, so I came back.”

Yu Hui: “?”

Something felt off about Mommy today.

The seasoned mother didn’t want Yu Hui to keep questioning, so she hurriedly changed the subject: “Huihui, did you brush your teeth?”

“No.”

“If you haven’t, then wait a bit. Let Mommy take a shower first.”

With that, Yu Wei rushed to the bathroom. Yu Hui stood behind, scratching his head, thoroughly puzzled.

He hadn’t yet realized that Mommy didn’t even sleep with him last night!

When she came out from her shower, Yu Hui was playing outside with Xiaobai. Yu Wei adjusted her pajamas and glanced out—only to see that Huo Mingwang had come over too.

He was dressed in his usual sleek black suit today, looking fresh and energized, a stark contrast to Yu Wei’s tired and worn-out state.

She clenched her teeth and silently cursed the bastard, just as their eyes met. The man strode into the room with his long legs.

Yu Wei didn’t look at him. She turned away and lay down on the bed. “Huihui! Mommy’s out, go brush your teeth!”

“Coming!”

Yu Wei put Xiaobai down and turned to head into the bathroom. The fluffy white ball barked excitedly twice and trotted over to the bed, circling around Huo Mingwang.

Huo Mingwang gently nudged it away and sat on the edge of the bed near Yu Wei.

“Tired?”

His voice was soft and full of tenderness as he reached out to massage her shoulders. Yu Wei pouted unhappily, “You’ve got the nerve to ask! I told you not to come over, and now I’m too exhausted to even cook!”

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking at the time,” he said sweetly, then suddenly leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I just couldn’t help myself when I’m with you…”

“Get lost!” Yu Wei reached out and punched him. “Even if you can’t help it, you have to!”

Huo Mingwang chuckled and kept massaging her shoulders, gentler than before, making her even sleepier.

“Don’t cook today. I’ll do it.”

Yu Wei half-squinted, looking at him skeptically. “You?”

This man didn’t look like he knew how to cook at all.

Huo Mingwang didn’t bother to explain. After asking what ingredients were left in the kitchen, he rolled up his sleeves and went to make breakfast.

Lying on the bed, Yu Wei looked out through the open door and saw the man already rummaging around in the kitchen, his figure constantly moving as he busied himself.

She watched for a bit, relaxed into the bed, and drifted off to sleep again.

When little cutie Yu Hui came running out happily, he was surprised to see Mommy still sleeping on the bed. Confused, he was about to wake her when Daddy scooped him up and carried him out, even gently closing the door.

“Hu—Dad, why is Mommy still sleeping? Should we wake her up?” Yu Hui was still getting used to calling Huo Mingwang “Dad,” but he was starting to like it and quickly adapted.

“Mommy was really tired last night. Don’t wake her—let her sleep a bit longer.”

Yu Hui was bewildered and scratched his head, trying to make sense of it. “But Daddy, Mommy slept with me last night, so how is she tired?”

He, for one, woke up feeling great!

Huo Mingwang only smiled and said nothing, smoothly changing the subject.

There was no way a clever little fox like Yu Hui could win against an experienced old fox. A few exchanges later, he had completely forgotten about Mommy.

Breakfast was simple—a steaming bowl of egg noodles with chunks of meat and pickled vegetables. It wasn’t overcooked, had a nice chew to it, and was very tasty.

Yu Hui ended up with oil all over his mouth. Huo Mingwang wiped him clean with a tissue, then cleaned up the dishes and took the little guy out the door.

“Got everything in your backpack?”

Yu Hui nodded and looked up at him. “Dad, are we really not waking Mommy? What if she gets hungry?”

“She’s going to sleep for a long time, I think. I’ll take you to kindergarten first, then come back and wake her.”

By then, he could make her another bowl of “love noodles”—perfect timing.

Yu Hui thought about it and found no problem with the plan. Happily, he hopped into Daddy’s car. When he got to kindergarten, he was once again the center of attention.

“Yu Hui, you’re finally here!”

“Yu Hui, your dad is so handsome!”

“Yu Hui’s mom is beautiful too—your whole family looks great!”

“Your dad’s car is huge! Can it carry a ton of people?”

Seeing his son being surrounded by little kids, Huo Mingwang chuckled and shook his head, then got back in the car to head home and wake his wife.

Yu Wei had a rough nap. Every time she turned over, she could feel pain in her waist and legs.

The discomfort lasted until Huo Mingwang returned from dropping off their son and gently woke her up.

After brushing her teeth, Yu Wei found that he had made her a bowl of noodles, loaded with meat chunks—so much that she couldn’t finish it.

In the end, the shameless man claimed it would be a waste to throw it out, took her bowl, and polished off the rest of the noodles and meat. Then he wiped his mouth and planted a kiss on her cheek with satisfaction.

Yu Wei shoved him away in disgust. “Eat your food and keep your hands to yourself!”

By the time they left home, it was already 10 a.m. At the shop, Huo Mingwang drove off to the factory, while Yu Wei went into the kitchen to make egg cakes with Song Xia.

They had lunch together at the noodle shop across the street. The shop owner kept sneaking glances at the two of them before finally walking over and whispering to Yu Wei:

“Boss Yu, it looks like you’ve started dating recently?”

The woman’s tone was warm and friendly, with no malice. Yu Wei knew she was just curious, so she sighed and replied, “Mm.”

The owner gave a knowing look. “That’s great! Now you’ll have someone to help at home—it’ll make things so much easier!”

Just the school drop-offs and pick-ups alone would be a breeze with that man’s car—especially on rainy or windy days.

Yu Wei just smiled and said nothing more. After eating, she returned to making cakes.

But she noticed that Song Xia had been acting like she wanted to say something all day. Finally, just before it was time to close up, she gathered her courage and confessed to Yu Wei that Zhang Jianguo had been harassing her again, and she didn’t know what to do.

“So that’s why you rushed off yesterday?”

Song Xia nodded. “Yeah, ever since his boss fired him, he somehow found his way to my house. He said it was my fault and demanded that I go plead with his boss on his behalf.”

“Plead for him?” Yu Wei sneered. “Seeing him suffer makes us happy! Why on earth would we go plead for him? That man really has no shame.”

Song Xia frowned. “But if he keeps bothering me…”

Yu Wei cut her off. “Sister Song, when does he usually come find you?”

“Usually…” Song Xia thought carefully. “He tends to wait downstairs at my place after work. And… my two girls are usually home then. He even holds their hands. I can’t start a fight with him in front of the kids…”

“You’re just too soft-hearted!” Yu Wei sighed helplessly. “Once I get off work and Huo Mingwang comes over, I’ll tell him about it and let my man take care of him!”

Song Xia, who had been extremely worried, couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her words.

“Your man really is capable of scaring Zhang Jianguo, but…” Feeling reassured, Song Xia suddenly gave her a teasing smile. She poked Yu Wei’s shoulder. “Hey, looks like things have been going well between you two lately. You’ve gotten your marriage certificate, haven’t you?”

Yu Wei froze for a moment, thinking back. The system had said that back then, she and Huo Mingwang were indeed married. Judging from how things were when she left, they probably didn’t get divorced, so they should still have their marriage certificate.

Though she wasn’t sure if it could still be found, Yu Wei still nodded at Song Xia. “Mm, we’re married.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her face started to heat up a bit, and she felt slightly embarrassed. “Weren’t we talking about you? Why’d you suddenly drag me into this?”

“Talking about Zhang Jianguo is such a turn-off.” Song Xia waved her hand. “So that means I won’t get to attend your wedding banquet, huh.”

She shook her head regretfully, and Yu Wei fell into a thoughtful silence. When Huo Mingwang arrived, she told him about Zhang Jianguo. He brushed it off as a minor issue and said he’d handle it for Song Xia tomorrow.

Song Xia thanked them profusely before heading home.

After she left, Yu Wei pulled the man aside to voice what she’d been thinking.

“Hey, when we got married up north, did we have a wedding banquet?”

“A banquet?” Huo Mingwang glanced at her, puzzled. “Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

Yu Wei had always seemed averse to talking about the past. Last time, she even got upset after listening to Ge Zheng. So should he answer honestly or stay silent?

What if his answer upsets her again?

Yu Wei had no idea what was going on in Huo Mingwang’s mind. She’d just casually asked a question—how could she know he was overthinking this much?

She smiled and asked again, “Yeah, did we have one or not?”

After hesitating for a long while, Huo Mingwang finally said, “We did. It was a pretty big one too. More than half the village showed up.”

Yu Wei nodded. “I see…”

She remained deep in thought for quite a while, making Huo Mingwang anxious. “Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

“No reason. Just curious, since I’ve forgotten so much about the past.”

Seeing she wasn’t angry, Huo Mingwang finally relaxed.

Truthfully, he was traumatized by how moody Yu Wei had been recently. He feared she’d get mad again and didn’t think he could take another round of it!

Now that their relationship was stable, and after what happened last night, Huo Mingwang had clearly gotten a taste for more. During dinner, he kept throwing her suggestive looks.

But Yu Wei acted like she didn’t understand, chatting away with their son. The little guy, completely unaware, grinned goofily, not noticing his dad’s increasingly gloomy expression.

By eight o’clock, Yu Wei started shooing him out.

“Isn’t this bed a bit small for the two of you?”

She followed his gaze. In the room, on the 1.5-meter-wide bed, their little dumpling of a son lay under the covers, waving at her to come snuggle with him. His smiling face made Huo Mingwang’s heart itch.

That boy had been sleeping beside Yu Wei all these years. Now that the family was finally reunited, couldn’t he finally sleep next to her rightfully?

But Yu Wei, still playing dumb, had already made up her mind not to let him have his way tonight—and certainly not to throw herself at him!

“The bed’s plenty big. Yu Hui’s small. Why wouldn’t it be enough?”

“Small? I still think it’s cramped. Come see my room—it’s much bigger!” His 1.8-meter bed was obviously more comfortable than squeezing onto a 1.5-meter one with the kid.

Seeing him shamelessly trying to pull her along, Yu Wei quickly slipped into the bathroom. “You go sleep! I’m taking a shower and going to bed.”

However, after she finished her shower and walked out in a light nightgown, Huo Mingwang hadn’t left. In fact, he was sitting on the bed playing happily with their son.

When he saw her come out, his eyes instantly turned pitiful, fixed on her. “So… what are we now? You’re not even sleeping with me anymore?”

“What nonsense are you spouting in front of our son!” Yu Wei threw the towel she’d used to dry her hair at his face. But he wasn’t mad—he just caught it and rubbed it in his hands, breathing in the fresh scent she left behind.

Yu Hui reached out for a hug, and Yu Wei climbed into bed, cuddled him close, and pulled the blanket up, ready to sleep. Huo Mingwang, still not leaving.

They stared at each other. In the end, Yu Wei gave in and pretended to compromise: “Fine, go back for now. We’ll talk after Huihui falls asleep.”

Huo Mingwang’s eyes lit up. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, patting her face with satisfaction. “Wifey, I’ll wait for you.”

Yu Hui blinked curiously, watching his parents’ kissing game. In his soft voice, he said, “I want a kiss too.”

Yu Wei smacked Huo Mingwang’s firm shoulder. “No more kisses! Go to sleep!”

Huo Mingwang exaggeratedly pretended to be hurt, making Yu Hui giggle. Yu Wei shot him a glare before lying down and gently patting their son’s back to lull him to sleep.

“You go now. I’m turning off the lights. Don’t get in the way.”

“Okay.” Huo Mingwang obediently went to the living room, like a well-behaved little wife, heart pounding, waiting for her to come to him.

But as he happily held Yu Wei’s hand and walked out, ready for some… marital harmony in his room, she suddenly slipped her hand away and shut the door on him with a bang. Huo Mingwang stood there, dumbfounded.

She… tricked him?

The cunning big bad wolf had been played by a weak little bunny?

“Yu—Wei!” he gritted his teeth and started pounding on the door. Yu Wei, amused, went back to bed and cuddled her warm little son, ready to sleep.

She ignored the man outside. He’d leave once he realized it was no use.

Thinking about how he’d pinned her down and tormented her that morning… her body still ached. With a bit of spite, she turned her back, pretending not to hear.

But tonight, Huo Mingwang was determined to get her out. He kept knocking and knocking, until Yu Wei grew truly irritated.

The noise wasn’t loud, but anyone nearby who wasn’t asleep would definitely be bothered.

Sure enough, the door next door opened, and Chen Caiqian’s sharp voice rang out: “Who is it?! So annoying!”

The knocking stopped. Yu Wei heard Huo Mingwang say something, but his voice was so soft she couldn’t make out the words.

Chen Caiqian, clearly annoyed, raised her voice: “What are you doing here? Looking for Yu Wei this late at night?”

Yu Wei was so mad she could scream. She bolted upright, checked that her son was still asleep, then opened the door and stormed out.

“Sorry about that,” she apologized to Chen Caiqian with a smile. Then, spotting Huo Mingwang, she grabbed him by the collar. “Get in here!”

Bang! The wooden door slammed shut behind them, leaving Chen Caiqian speechless for a long time before she finally stomped off.

Once their neighbor’s door shut, Yu Wei lowered her voice and scolded him: “Why the hell were you knocking for so long in the middle of the night?”

Huo Mingwang shrugged. “You wouldn’t open the door, so I kept knocking.”

Yu Wei was fuming at his casual attitude. “You really don’t know why I left you outside?”

Huo Mingwang blinked and suddenly burst into laughter. Then he bent down, leaned close, and whispered, “Why else would I knock non-stop in the middle of the night…”

“You shameless man!”

Yu Wei pushed him away and turned to go back to bed, but he caught her quickly and pulled her into his burning-hot embrace.

His voice, low and raspy, was full of desire. “Yu Wei… I can’t sleep without you…”

“Then just stay awake. I’m going to sleep!”

“Okay.” He didn’t let go. “Since you want to sleep so badly, let’s sleep together.”

“What nonsense are you spouting! Our son is still in there!” Knowing he wouldn’t dare wake up Yu Hui—the little crybaby would wail if disturbed—Yu Wei was confident he wouldn’t try anything here.

But Huo Mingwang never planned to do anything here anyway. In a hushed voice, he murmured by her ear: “Yu Wei, my room’s empty. The bed’s big. Come with me, hmm?”

That one soft “hmm?” sent chills down her spine. She shivered and got goosebumps, but still shook her head firmly: “No! Go away! I’m seriously exhausted.”

“Then come sleep with me.” He wrapped her in his arms. “Come on. Be good.”

“Who wants to listen to you?” Yu Wei’s tone had turned a little whiny without her realizing it.

Huo Mingwang knew she was saying no but meant yes. If she really didn’t want to, she wouldn’t have opened the door for him.

Before she could react, he bent down and carried her straight to his room.

Yu Wei let out a surprised yelp and covered her mouth. She glanced back—inside the dark bedroom, Yu Hui was still sound asleep, unaware his mom had been abducted by Huo Mingwang again…

That night, Huo Mingwang seemed out for revenge. Yu Wei only remembered being tormented endlessly until her mind faded into a blur. By the time she regained some clarity, he was carrying her into the bathroom for a shower.

The bathroom had a shower installed, and Yu Wei’s legs were so weak she could barely stand. If he hadn’t been holding her up, she probably would’ve fallen several times.

Hot water poured over her body, waking her up a bit. Taking the opportunity, she kicked his calves and thighs hard. He didn’t fight back—he even let her kick as much as she wanted.

Though she didn’t manage to knock him over, it was enough to vent some frustration. After a quick and sloppy shower, she was carried back to bed.

Yu Wei curled up under the blanket, the mattress still warm. She poked her head in and left only her dark little face visible. When she saw he hadn’t joined her yet, she peeked out again, eyes scanning for him.

Only a small bedside lamp was on. The light was dim and only lit a small area. From the bed, she could only see his back as he rummaged through a wooden cabinet.

Though it was dark, she could clearly see the smooth skin on his back.

His back muscles were strong and lean—flawless. She couldn’t take her eyes off him and just wanted to wrap her arms around that slim waist and ravage him.

Who said only men enjoyed good bodies? Women liked eye candy too!

Before she could admire him any longer, she saw him finally find a pair of boxers and calmly put them on in her line of sight.

Yu Wei: “……”

Ahem—time to sleep!