Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 31

When Wu Jiu returned to the human world once again, he decided to move in with Zhu Xiao. This time, Wu Jiu no longer needed to come up with clumsy excuses to stay. Moreover, he could now return to his human form, free from the many restrictions he had faced before. They chose a day off to go to the house next to Zhu Xiao’s and move some of Wu Jiu’s old belongings.

Compared to the last time Zhu Xiao had visited, Wu Jiu’s home had far fewer items. When he had last ordered the ring, he was penniless, having given all his money as an inheritance to Zhu Xiao. He couldn’t very well ask Zhu Xiao for money to buy a ring, so he had sold his precious collections as a compromise.

However, he had kept some things, such as the sculpture placed in the entrance hall. As soon as Wu Jiu saw it, he looked nostalgic and turned to Zhu Xiao, asking, “Can I take this with me?”

Zhu Xiao replied with a complicated expression, “You want to put this ugly dog in my house?”

Wu Jiu corrected him, “Our house.”

Zhu Xiao amended his words, “You want to put this ugly dog in our house?”

“I told you it’s not a dog. It’s called ‘Success at First Attempt,'” Wu Jiu insisted, urging Zhu Xiao to look at the title of the sculpture. “It’s worth a hundred thousand, and there’s only one in the world!”

Zhu Xiao was utterly disdainful. Only someone as gullible as Wu Jiu would buy such an ugly thing. If it were him, he wouldn’t want it even if it was given to him for free.

But Wu Jiu seemed to truly like it. He caressed the sculpture with reluctance, as if it were a real blood-sweating steed. He also cast a sorrowful glance at Zhu Xiao.

…One might think that this horse had fought alongside Wu Jiu on the battlefield and saved his life.

Zhu Xiao relented, “Alright, take it.”

But he emphasized, “You’re responsible for dusting it.”

Wu Jiu snorted, “I’ve always dusted the decorations in your house.”

Zhu Xiao corrected him again, “Our house.”

Changing it to “our house” made a difference. Dusting decorations in one’s own home was perfectly normal, wasn’t it?

Wu Jiu’s mood brightened, and he said cheerfully, “I’ve always dusted the decorations in our house.”

And so, the ugly horse was granted access to Zhu Xiao’s home, proudly standing in the living room next to the sofa.

That evening, Wu Jiu did not go to the room next door but walked into the master bedroom on his own. Zhu Xiao asked him, “Why aren’t you going next door?” He even said sarcastically, “The bed is made over there.”

Wu Jiu jumped onto Zhu Xiao’s bed at the speed of light, showing no intention of leaving: “I’m already lying down.”

As if once he was lying down, Zhu Xiao couldn’t chase him away.

Zhu Xiao didn’t argue with him, lifted the quilt, and lay down beside him. The bedside light was dimmed, turning the room into a soft, warm yellow hue.

This time, there was no boundary between them. Wu Jiu didn’t need to observe any limits; Zhu Xiao was within arm’s reach.

Excitedly, Wu Jiu turned over and hugged Zhu Xiao in his arms—now he had the right to do so, and his body temperature was just right. He could sleep holding Zhu Xiao.

Zhu Xiao thought Wu Jiu was going to take revenge for the teasing he had done before, but Wu Jiu simply held him, buried his head in his neck, and began to chuckle foolishly.

Wu Jiu greedily inhaled Zhu Xiao’s scent, the fragrance of the shower gel that Zhu Xiao had bought. He had it too, but for some reason, it smelled better on Zhu Xiao.

With a dreamy expression, Wu Jiu said happily, “Zhu Xiao, I can sleep holding you tonight.”

After a while, he raised his head from Zhu Xiao’s neck and asked, “Can I kiss you?”

“……Sure.” This fool wouldn’t take every step without asking first, would he? Zhu Xiao imagined it and felt a bit overwhelmed, so he said in advance, “Don’t ask in the future.”

So Wu Jiu didn’t ask and kissed Zhu Xiao’s lips directly.

But after the kiss, he didn’t move on. Zhu Xiao thought it was because he had just told Wu Jiu not to ask, so he added, “You should still ask.”

“Can I kiss you a few more times?”

Wu Jiu even said “a few times” instead of “once,” because he wanted to get all the permissions for tonight at once.

“……”

Zhu Xiao really wanted to say no.

It was too troublesome to wait for Wu Jiu to realize. Zhu Xiao simply leaned forward and teased him as he had done before.

What happened next was natural. Compared to the last time when he was teasing randomly, Zhu Xiao was much more serious this time.

However, at the crucial moment, Wu Jiu pushed him away: “Wait, we can’t.”

Zhu Xiao didn’t expect Wu Jiu to refuse even with his face flushed. They weren’t even married yet. He looked down—it didn’t seem like it was impossible. So what could be the reason?

Under Zhu Xiao’s scrutiny, Wu Jiu’s face turned even redder, but he still solemnly told him that they couldn’t do it tonight because they didn’t have any safety essentials.

Neither of them had experience, of course, nor the awareness to prepare such things at home.

Zhu Xiao frowned and said nonchalantly, “I won’t get pregnant.”

“Absolutely not!” Wu Jiu didn’t quite understand. He had originally thought it didn’t matter, but he had recently caught up on his knowledge and realized it wasn’t that simple. One couldn’t just do it on a whim. After several days of systematic learning, he had now reached the level of a safety ambassador.

He learned things quickly and could fluently recite the definitions. He held Zhu Xiao and lectured him on safe behavior, sternly telling him not to be so casual next time.

“……”

“Okay, I know,” Zhu Xiao nodded perfunctorily, “Then you go buy some tomorrow.”

Wu Jiu happily replied, “Alright.”

Early the next morning, Wu Jiu went out to buy the items—buying such things in the early morning seemed strange, but he didn’t care.

After buying them, Wu Jiu eagerly awaited the evening.

However, Zhu Xiao, who had said “tomorrow,” seemed to have completely forgotten about it. He no longer teased Wu Jiu at bedtime, and even the goodnight kiss was just a fleeting touch of lips.

After Zhu Xiao fell asleep, Wu Jiu looked puzzled at the drawer—inside was the blue box he had bought that morning, containing the safety essentials.

Could it be that it was too hidden, and Zhu Xiao hadn’t seen it?

Over the next few days, the little box began its snail-paced journey.

On the first day, the little box was modestly hidden in the drawer, pushed far back but cunningly showing a small label.

On the second day, the little box revealed its full appearance, moving from the corner of the drawer to the outer edge, easily visible when the drawer was opened.

On the third day, the little box quietly left the drawer and appeared on the desktop, in an inconspicuous corner.

In the following days, the little box continued its journey, overcoming various obstacles and gradually becoming more conspicuous.

Finally, on the seventh day, the little box stood prominently on the bedside table.

Actually, Zhu Xiao had noticed it on the first day but pretended not to see it, since Wu Jiu had spoiled the mood by lecturing him on safety that day.

The poor little box was forgotten and never put to use.

Wu Jiu was almost driven to distraction and even resorted to underhanded tactics—such as lying next to Zhu Xiao at bedtime and saying in a very coquettish tone, “Zhu Xiao, I’m back to normal body temperature now. Feel it.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Zhu Xiao seemed to have taken a vow of silence, not picking up on any of his hints.

Until one day, Wu Jiu saw Zhu Xiao eating candy.

The jumping candy was a new variety in the nearby supermarket, originally intended to cater to the preferences of elementary school students, but unexpectedly, college students liked it even more, sparking a trend on campus.

Their student, Zhang Yuexiu, was no exception. He bought a large bag and offered Zhu Xiao a few small packs after class—but quickly ran away for fear that Zhu Xiao would ask him about his thesis.

So the few precious packs of jumping candy in Zhu Xiao’s hands all came from Zhang Yuexiu.

Wu Jiu, noticing that its packaging was different from ordinary candy, couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What is this?”

“Jumping candy.”

“What is jumping candy?”

Zhu Xiao gave a concise definition: “A sweet candy that jumps.”

“……” It seemed like a tautology.

“Do you want to try some?” Zhu Xiao took out a pack of candy, pretending to hand it to him.

However, when Wu Jiu reached out to take it, Zhu Xiao pulled his hand back and ate the jumping candy himself.

He smiled at Wu Jiu, clearly on purpose.

Wu Jiu was stunned for a moment, then quickly leaned down to kiss Zhu Xiao’s lips.

Soon, he tasted the lingering sweetness on Zhu Xiao’s lips, which was probably grape-flavored.

It was sweeter than ordinary candy, but that was because of Zhu Xiao. As for the candy itself—it seemed no different from regular candy.

“Not this one,” Zhu Xiao curled his lips, pushing him onto the sofa.

Wu Jiu was caught off guard and fell back into the sofa. Zhu Xiao straddled him, and as he tried to get up, Zhu Xiao’s finger gently pressed on his lower abdomen, effortlessly pushing him back down.

Wu Jiu’s throat tightened, feeling that something was about to happen.

Zhu Xiao tore open a pack of jumping candy and, under Wu Jiu’s gaze, took a bite.

He gave Wu Jiu a faint smile, with a hint of mischief in it.

Then, he leaned down.

As expected, Wu Jiu’s breathing became disordered instantly.

“……Zhu Xiao!”

Wu Jiu’s initial intention was to scold, but when his hand touched Zhu Xiao’s head, the rejection turned into encouragement.

The candy grains jumped restlessly, making a crackling sound. The noise was very soft, not even as loud as a heartbeat, but Wu Jiu was sure he could hear it.

Wu Jiu felt Zhu Xiao’s two sharp canines, and it was at this moment that he suddenly realized—Zhu Xiao wasn’t that experienced after all.

But he knew it was Wu Jiu, so he was unrestrained.

Indeed, it was hard for Wu Jiu to blame his inexperience—because Zhu Xiao was exceptionally beautiful when he couldn’t speak. When he tilted his head back, his eyes were filled with physiological tears, as if waiting for someone to kiss them away.

“Zhu Xiao……” Wu Jiu called out again, but it had already changed in tone.

Zhu Xiao straightened up, his voice a bit hoarse from what had just happened, and he asked knowingly, “What’s wrong?”

Wu Jiu, feeling urgent, directly hooked his hand around Zhu Xiao’s waist, lifted him up, and placed him on a slightly higher spot nearby.

The sudden emptiness under his feet and the cold sensation made Zhu Xiao realize he was sitting on the sculpture. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “A hundred thousand……!”

Zhu Xiao remembered Wu Jiu saying that this very ugly sculpture, called “Success at First Attempt,” was worth a hundred thousand, and there was only one in the world.

Wu Jiu seemed to really like this ugly horse, even bringing it when they moved.

“A hundred thousand only,” Wu Jiu didn’t care about the sculpture’s fate at the moment, “It’s okay.”

Wu Jiu took his hand, lightly kissed the palm, and then placed it around his neck. “Hold me tight, don’t fall.”

“No more playing,” Zhu Xiao felt that he had gone a bit too far just now, reminding Wu Jiu, “This is your favorite.”

He tried to get down but was held back by Wu Jiu.

“It’s okay.”

Wu Jiu slowly parted his closed knees and lowered his head.

“You’ll make me like it even more.”

Bringing My Rival Back to Life (Accidentally) - Chapter 31

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Hate that cliffhanger, don’t you?

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