A Straight Man Forced to Marry an Old-Fashioned Daddy

ABO universe Sweetheart in public, short-tempered wife at home × reserved, old-fashioned husband Blurb: Pei Yue was a straight-as-an-arrow guy, but he was forced to marry. And not just anyone: he had to marry Jiang Tingyan, his older brother's childhood friend. A “middle-aged” man nine years older than him, stiffer and duller than his own father. Pei Yue's daily routine: hitting bars, bungee jumping, and anything else that got his adrenaline pumping. Jiang Tingyan's daily routine: drinking tea, reading the newspaper, and… watching Pei Yue. There was a huge generation gap between them, and they barely spoke at home. Still, the old man had his advantages: he was generous, even-tempered, and as unflappable as an AI with no emotions. As long as Pei Yue didn't bring up divorce, Jiang Tingyan could clean up after him without batting an eye, even if he blew up the house. Pei Yue came to terms with it: if he couldn't get divorced, he might as well treat it like a job. In front of other people, he went into work mode: acting obedient, smiling sweetly, and making sure Jiang Tingyan looked good. Then his bank account would suddenly be credited with enough spending money to make him question reality. But when he was alone with Jiang Tingyan, Pei Yue couldn't even be bothered to pretend. After all, Jiang Tingyan had watched him grow up and knew exactly what a foul temper he had. There was just one thing Pei Yue couldn't understand: Jiang Tingyan was into men too, so why wouldn't he let him go? He trashed the house until it looked like a bomb had gone off, and Jiang Tingyan was happy to clean up. He got drunk and made a scene in the middle of the night, and Jiang Tingyan was happy to indulge him. He wielded a spatula like a weapon, and Jiang Tingyan caught his wrist and softly asked, “Does your hand hurt?” before going right back to indulging him. Pei Yue reached a conclusion: the old man probably had a masochistic streak. Jiang Tingyan, head of one of S City's old-money families, was widely known in their circle as a ruthless man. He was decisive and never showed anyone mercy. He kept his distance not only from people, but from romance of every kind. Until one day, he suddenly announced his marriage to the world, and began shamelessly showing off his wife. At a business dinner, he told a partner with perfect composure, “I'm afraid my wife is young and can't sleep without me.” Pei Yue: ??? He casually posted a photo on his social media of Pei Yue drooling in his sleep on the sofa, looking utterly ridiculous. The caption read: [Isn't my wife adorable?] The comments were full of “Mr. Jiang, you're a lucky man,” and Pei Yue's blood pressure shot through the roof. At last, Pei Yue couldn't take it anymore and asked for a divorce. He thought the old man was probably tired of this too, but couldn't bring himself to say it first because of their families' relationship. Jiang Tingyan nodded thoughtfully and told him to get everything off his chest while he had the chance. Pei Yue racked his brains and talked until his mouth went dry, then downed the glass of water Jiang Tingyan handed him. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late. He stared in disbelief at the empty glass in his hand, then looked at the man across from him. “What did you give me to drink?” Jiang Tingyan leaned against the desk, composed, his gaze fixed on Pei Yue. “What do you think?” He raised a hand and rested his long fingers on his tie knot, slowly loosening it and drawing the tie from his collar. Sensing danger, Pei Yue instinctively backed away. Jiang Tingyan toyed with the tie in his hand and walked toward him one step at a time, looking down at Pei Yue, sprawled helplessly on the sofa. “Baby.” Pei Yue was burning up, his mind a muddle. Yet the man's touch was cool against his skin, so soothing that he wanted to press closer. He bit his lip with the last of his reason, eyes red as he glared at Jiang Tingyan. Jiang Tingyan looked at him and finally smiled. “It's my fault,” he said, his voice low and husky, his thumb stroking the scorching skin at Pei Yue's waist. “I've neglected my duties as your husband.” “I'll make up for all of them tonight.” Reading guide: 1. Both leads are sexually inexperienced, one-on-one pairing. 2. This is an ABO story, with some original worldbuilding. Theme: Marriage is a whole lot of tears.