sc | AI-brained, lovestruck tentacle monster x cold, delicate beauty |
“My husband isn't human.”
A week after Qi Chiyang died of food poisoning, Ming Ran came to this conclusion.
Worried that he wouldn't recover from his grief, his neighbor introduced him to several eligible bachelors. Ming Ran couldn't turn down the offer, so he went on the dates. He'd planned to treat them as a chance to make friends and get it over with, but soon realized that something was off about all these “eligible bachelors.”
The clingy younger guy, puppy-like and needy, knocked him to the ground and kissed him obsessively the first time they met. His wet, cool tongue was long enough to lick Ming Ran's throat back and forth.
The gentle, accomplished gentleman would tie him up with something slick and slimy while he slept. When Ming Ran woke up, he would always find new red marks on his body.
The melancholy artist could turn his head 180 degrees to help get a speck of sand out of Ming Ran's eye. Smiling, he asked, “Would you like me to lick your eyeball? I'll be very careful with my tongue.”
It was all very strange.
But stranger still, Qi Chiyang had done all of these things before, as if his soul had logged in from somewhere else.
In the past, Ming Ran had convinced himself to ignore the oddities by saying, “My husband has always been introverted and is bad at socializing,” or “It's an allergy.” But he wouldn't do that anymore.
Qi Chiyang wasn't human, Ming Ran was sure of it. And he'd returned to Ming Ran's side in a strange way, trying to pick up where they left off.
“Dating? Sure. But I think honesty is the most important thing in a relationship.” Ming Ran decided to ask every “Qi Chiyang” the same question. “Are you hiding anything from me?”
If Qi Chiyang told him the whole truth, Ming Ran thought he'd accept it. After all, their feelings had been real.
But all three “Qi Chiyangs” answered, “No, darling. I would never hide anything from you.”
Lies are yellow roses. The bouquet of confession flowers “Qi Mingyang” gave him was painfully fitting.
Ming Ran laughed in anger, thinking he ought to teach him what he shouldn't do.
#
For certain special reasons, Qi Chiyang's original human body had temporarily “died.”
Unable to bear being apart and afraid of scaring his wife, he returned to Ming Ran in various forms. But after that conversation, what had been going smoothly became difficult.
On their dates, Ming Ran would sometimes ask in surprise, “That's strange. Were you always like this? You seem so different.”
Only then would Qi Chiyang remember that each of his alternate accounts had a different personality. He had to adjust his behavior, doing his best not to let Ming Ran see through him.
During intimate moments, Ming Ran would say gently, “You mean my ex-husband? We weren't really in love. I like you more.”
As a monster, Qi Chiyang felt an incredibly complicated emotion for the first time. It was like what humans called “putting horns on yourself.”
This was his third year trying to pass as human.
Qi Chiyang wrapped himself up in his tentacles and agonized over the question: “How am I supposed to sort all this out?”
#
Qi Chiyang crawled out of the grave.
“Darling, I was wrong. I'm sorry I died without warning.”
Looking into those icy blue eyes, awkwardly trying to read his expression, Ming Ran let out a long breath.
At that moment, there were clearly more important things than arguing.
“The cemetery has cameras. What if the security guards see you crawling out like that?”
Theme: Strive to be a good young person in the new era.
