The Stutterer

This story has been revised. The complete version is only available on Jinjiang. Sending love. Story Blurb [Please read the warnings at the very end before deciding whether to dive in] Song Zhi is known as the sharpest-tongued star in the entertainment industry. His acting is mediocre, and he has no shortage of haters, yet thanks to his face and his wealthy husband's support, he has secured his place as a top-tier star. A dating reality show for ordinary people invites Song Zhi to be a guest. Single Guy No. 1: "I may be poor, but I can give her sincere love." Song Zhi: "And how will you give it to her? With your mouth?" Single Guy No. 2: "The girl I like is always bad at expressing herself." Song Zhi: "Don't overthink it. She just can't be bothered to talk to you." One day, Song Zhi is making fun of a B-list actor whose acting is even worse than his, when his husband, who he hasn't seen in nearly two years, suddenly comes home. Song Zhi jumps to his feet in fright, hands behind his back. "Y-you're b-back." The little sharp-tongued star has a secret: he stutters whenever he sees his husband. In truth, his marriage to Yan Huai is nothing more than a piece of paper: an agreement. Two years into their marriage, Song Zhi stammers nervously, "I-I want a d-divorce." Yan Huai says nothing, simply scooping him up and tossing him onto the bed. After a night together, Yan Huai grips his chin. "Still want a divorce?" Song Zhi's fair shoulders are covered in red marks. He bites his lip and shakes his head. "N-no." Song Zhi and his husband join a marriage reality show. The comments: Day 1: Little sharp tongue, don't you usually pick fights with the whole world? Why the hell are you pretending to stutter in front of your husband? Day 3: Husband, step away! Little Stutter is blushing again. Don't bully him! Day 5: Little Stutter, no getting clingy with your husband. Go pick a fight with someone! Day N: Waaah, they're so sweet! I need to watch Husband kiss, cuddle, and lift Little Stutter up high every day. No one knows that Song Zhi has been in love with the boy next door, Yan Huai, for years. After being reborn, he used every means at his disposal to marry Yan Huai, asking only that Yan Huai survive and not die again. Song Zhi doesn't know that Yan Huai wasn't drunk at all that night two years ago. After being reborn, Yan Huai has only one wish: to protect his little stutterer forever. 1. Both are reborn; mutual unrequited love turns sweet. Older top, SC, HE. 2. A sharp-tongued bottom who gets nervous and stutters around his husband × a devoted, fatherly top. 3. See the author's completed novel of the same type, My Ex-Boyfriend and I Joined a Dating Show After Our Contract Relationship, on the author's page. [Warnings] 1. The show's premise is pretty intense, and it's different from real-life dating shows. 2. The bottom has reasons for stuttering, and the story will reveal them gradually. He'll grow and get better, and the stutter will improve too. If you're impatient, please think carefully before reading, sweeties. Kisses. 4. If you don't like relationship angst, this story may not be for you. 5. They both pursue each other. The bottom calls the top "Gege." 6. The typos in a few chapters aren't being left uncorrected on purpose. I'm afraid fixing them might get the chapters locked. 7. This is fiction, not reality, so please don't compare it to real life. 8. This is an early work, so some aspects may be a little rough. Please bear with me. A preview of my next story, coming soon. Limited-Time Heartbeat Sharp-tongued doctor bottom × foul-mouthed racer top Yan Ruixing × Wen Xiaomian || Queen × Hound || Rivals to lovers || HE Yan Ruixing had only pinned on his "Attending Physician" badge that morning. By the afternoon, he had received his own diagnosis: chronic myeloid leukemia. His last patient before the end of his shift was his old middle-school nemesis, the idiotic mutt he'd spent five years fighting with: Wen Xiaomian. "Bilateral acoustic neuromas, now encasing the brainstem and anterior inferior cerebellar arteries, and tightly adhered to the trigeminal nerves." Yan Ruixing glanced over the scan. "In plain language, you can start preparing your last wishes." Wen Xiaomian: "...There's really no hope?" "There is." Yan Ruixing rapped on the desk. "Get on your knees and beg me, and I'll graciously operate on you." "…" Wen Xiaomian turned and left. Staying another second would be an insult. After visiting several hospitals, he got the same conclusion each time: the chance of a successful surgery was under ten percent, and conservative treatment was recommended. But conservative treatment meant waiting to die, and that wasn't the life Wen Xiaomian wanted. In the end, Yan Ruixing came to him of his own accord. "You really won't let me try?" Wen Xiaomian: "Why should I trust you?" Yan Ruixing smiled frankly. "I won't live much longer, but I'm not trying to take a mutt down with me." Four weeks before the surgery. Wen Xiaomian: "How sure are you, exactly?" Yan Ruixing: "Sure enough to make sure you die without suffering." Wen Xiaomian: "…" One week before the surgery. Wen Xiaomian: "If I don't wake up, can you do a yangko dance on my grave for three days?" Yan Ruixing: "...I'll hire a senior citizens' dance troupe to perform for you." "That wouldn't be half as nice to look at as you." "…" Get lost. "Wait, I haven't finished listing my last wishes." Wen Xiaomian grabbed the man who was about to leave and tilted his head to look at his face. "This young master is about to die without even having his first kiss. How about some end-of-life care from Dr. Yan?" The day of surgery. Before the anesthesia took effect, Wen Xiaomian suddenly tugged down his mask. "I have one last wish." Yan Ruixing, unusually, didn't get angry. "What?" "If I wake up, can I kiss you one more time?" Yan Ruixing put his mask back on and looked at the man who had already fallen asleep... Then live for me. You gave me a new life. I want to spend the rest of mine repaying you. [Reading Guide] 1. SC, HE, and they both survive! May they live long, healthy lives to a hundred years old!!! 2. A funny, sweet story. Trust me!!! 3. Rivals to lovers, mutual devotion. They bicker more the more they love each other, and encourage one another as they fight the illness together: a pair of idiots in love. 4. Chronic myeloid leukemia is different from the acute leukemia most people think of, and can generally be effectively controlled with targeted drugs. But the author writes absolute "fairy tales," so the top and bottom must be completely cured by the end. Theme: Become the best version of yourself, and save the one you love most.