Gui Xiao’s eyes snapped open in surprise, a sudden mix of sheer panic and innocent bewilderment swimming in his gaze. He instinctively tried to pull back, but my hands were already locked tightly around his waist.

“I love it…” I murmured, my voice soft as velvet. “Keep going.”

To seal the deal, I planted a gentle kiss right on the corner of his lips. The very next second, he stole the air right out of my lungs.

Gui Xiao’s kiss was no longer soft. It turned fierce, urgent, and scalding hot. His eyes stayed wide open, fixed on mine, the deep black of his irises slowly bleeding into a wild, feral amber.

It took me off guard, but God… I was absolutely obsessed with it.

My hands started wandering down his back, until my fingers suddenly brushed against something. Soft. Fluffy.

The moment my hand closed around it, Gui Xiao froze as if snapping out of a trance. He buried his head in the crook of my neck, his breath coming in ragged, desperate hitches. “Miss… please don’t…”

I let out a soft laugh, stroking him gently. “Be a good boy, Gui Xiao. Just let me see a little bit.”

“No… you can’t.” He wrapped his arms around me like I was his most precious treasure, scrambling for excuses. “This is… just a toy.”

Oh, a toy, was it? I leaned in, deliberately teasing him. “So every night when you sneak in to kiss me… you’re wearing this ‘toy’ too?”

The tail in my grip gave a nervous twitch, its fluffy tip brushing against my bare leg and making me itch all over. Gui Xiao’s voice dropped an octave, low and tight: “…Yeah.”

I nearly died trying to choke back my laughter. Slowly, I whispered, “Did you know I love tails? I really do. I love the tail… and I love you too.”

Hearing that, his whole body trembled. He was holding back so hard it was almost painful to watch. I took the chance to quickly clear up the misunderstanding about Xie Zhan, not forgetting to give my big husband a proper lesson in romance:

“We’re married, you know. Legally wed! Back there, you should’ve pulled me back and declared loud and clear, ‘This is my wife!’ You need to be bolder, fiercer—got it?”

Gui Xiao stayed silent for a long moment, his burning face buried deep against my neck. Behind him, that bushy tail was swishing back and forth like a frantic broom. “…Okay.”

His voice was a deep rumble, but I could tell he was over the moon.

Right on cue, a fresh wave of comments burst into view:

Oh boy. My mind immediately started running wild with visual imagery… making me want to get a look at that tail even more.

After a while, Gui Xiao finally let go of me. “It’s late, Miss. You should sleep.”

I shuffled over to the side, clearing space on the mattress. “Sleep with me.”

He let out a quiet sigh and slid into bed beside me. Taking the initiative, I pulled his big hand over my waist and snuggled my head straight into his broad, solid chest. “Goodnight, Gui Xiao.”

As I sank comfortably against my human body pillow, I heard a heavy gulp down his throat. Just as I was drifting into a deep sleep, the hand around my waist suddenly tightened.

His voice came in a raspy, tender whisper right against my ear:

“I’m not mad at you. I’m just… mad at myself. Miss… what do I have to do to ever be worthy of you…?”

He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to my hair. Behind him, his tail gently wrapped around my leg, clinging to me with endless affection.

“I’m so happy… that you like it.”

The next morning, I woke up unusually early—only to find Gui Xiao already gone.

The second I opened my bedroom door to go look for him, I nearly bumped right into him at the doorway. He was holding a freshly picked bouquet of flowers, the petals still glistening with morning dew. The flowers were delicate and vibrant; the man holding them was stiff as a wooden post. Yet somehow, standing together, they looked inexplicably perfect.

My eyes lit up, my heart doing a little flutter. Truth be told, Gui Xiao took care of every single detail for me daily—from squeezing toothpaste onto my brush and checking the weather to pick my outfits, to cooking hot, nourishing breakfasts.

A faint smile touched his lips. “Up so early today?”

I stood on tiptoes and planted a sweet mwah right on his cheek. “I need to talk to Dad about something.”

I pulled my father into the study, leaving the two men standing alone in the hallway. Xie Zhan crossed his arms, stepping into Gui Xiao’s path with a smug, triumphant grin:

“Care to guess what Mingyue wants to talk to her dad about? Who knows—maybe she’s asking for a divorce.”

Gui Xiao’s fingers tightened around the stem of the bouquet, but he didn’t utter a word. He silently turned back into the bedroom to arrange the flowers.

Xie Zhan refused to drop it, leaning against the doorframe with a cold smirk. “She’s just used to having someone cater to her every need. You honestly think she actually likes you? Mingyue hasn’t seen much of the real world—she’s just confusing gratitude for love.”

Finishing the last stem, Gui Xiao placed it calmly into the vase before turning around, his tone completely nonchalant:

“Miss doesn’t like people dirtying her space. She prefers things clean.”

His gaze landed squarely on Xie Zhan’s foot, which had crossed over the threshold into the room.

Xie Zhan’s face flushed crimson, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Gui Xiao delivered the final blow:

“As for you… you don’t even have the right to step through her door.”

The door shut with brute force. A agonizing scream of “AAARGH!” echoed through the wood. Looks like our dear “childhood friend” got his foot caught right in the frame.

Inside the study, I cut straight to the chase: “Dad, why didn’t you let me marry Xie Zhan back then?”

My father let out a long sigh. “I was looking for a son-in-law to marry into our family. The Xie family would never agree to that. Besides… he wouldn’t have been able to help you.”

His tone turned stern. “Your health only turned around after you married Gui Xiao. He’s your savior, and this family considers him a true son. If you start entertaining foolish ideas, I’ll skin you alive!”

I quickly raised my hand in a mock oath. “I’m not! I really love Gui Xiao! I cling to him every single day!”

Once Dad walked out, those strange comments popped up again to tease me:

I stood there, totally speechless. “…Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?!” Turns out my husband was literally a walking, breathing miracle cure!

After changing my clothes, I headed downstairs for breakfast in high spirits, but Gui Xiao was nowhere to be found. Just as I was looking around, my phone buzzed with a voice message from my best friend, Lin Yu. Without thinking, I tapped play with the volume blasted at max:

I slammed my screen off instantly, but the damage was done.

The entire dining room went dead silent. The servants bowed their heads, their shoulders shaking violently as they desperately tried to swallow their laughter.

As for me? I just wanted to find a hole deep enough to swallow me whole and spare me from the utter humiliation.