Volume 1, Chapter 60: Wife, What Do You Do for a Living?

Looking at Lin Chen, who was earnestly washing and massaging her feet right in front of her, Xu Mi couldn't help saying, "Lin Chen, you're so good!"

"I think I'm pretty great myself." Lin Chen flashed a cheeky grin. "Since I've done so much for you, Wifey, aren't you going to show some gratitude?"

Xu Mi nodded.

Gratitude? It was far more than just gratitude!

Perhaps when Lin Chen first came to the hospital to keep her company and talk to her, gratitude was indeed all she felt in her heart.

Yet, after spending this period of time together, her heart had quietly and irrevocably fallen to Lin Chen.

It was more than just being grateful; it was a profound sense of being moved, intertwined with a deep and abiding love.

Lin Chen picked up a soft towel, gently dried Xu Mi's feet, and continued, "I know you're grateful, but just saying it with words won't cut it. Shouldn't you show it with a little practical action?"

Xu Mi froze for a second, her pretty face turning flushed. "Then... then come closer."

Breaking all expectations, Lin Chen shook his head. "I don't want a kiss."

Even though he hadn't quite gotten enough of it just moments ago, and his precious wife willingly offering her sweet lips had indeed felt utterly amazing to him, he had other plans in mind right now.

Looking puzzled, Xu Mi asked, "Then what do you want?"

"What I want is very simple." Lin Chen said with a serious expression, "Stop calling me by my name from now on. Call me Husband. Deal?"

They were clearly a legally wedded husband and wife who had already obtained their marriage certificate, yet Xu Mi insisted on calling him by his full name, Lin Chen, stubbornly refusing to utter even a single "Husband."

He felt quite aggrieved about it, thank you very much!

There was a poignant sense of grievance in feeling like he was perpetually denied his rightful title.

A deep blush spread across Xu Mi's face.

Lin Chen pressed on, "Unwilling?"

"I..." Lowering her head, Xu Mi bit down hard on her lower lip, utterly unable to get the words out.

She simply couldn't bring herself to say that form of address.

It was just too embarrassing!

Lin Chen instantly put on an aggrieved look. "It's just a term of address, why won't you say it?"

"We've been married for so long, and I always call you Wifey, so why won't you just call me Husband once?"

"Good wife, I'm begging you, just say it once, won't you?"

While speaking, his gaze drifted down to Xu Mi's fair, delicate feet, and a mischievous thought suddenly popped into his mind. He began to tickle the soles of her feet.

Startled, Xu Mi gasped before bursting into laughter. "No... don't do that! I'm ticklish! Let go of me right now!"

"Call me Husband and I'll stop."

"Hahahaha, it's so ticklish, stop it!"

"Call me Husband!"

"No..."

Suddenly, Xu Mi broke into a fit of coughing, coughing with intense violence.

***

Lin Chen's expression shifted drastically in an instant. He lunged forward, panicking, "Wifey, are you alright? I'm sorry, it's all my fault! I knew your health wasn't good and yet I still messed with you."

"Don't scare me like this! Wifey, I swear I'll never dare do it again. How are you feeling right now? Do we need to go to the hospital?!"

Flustered, he grabbed his phone, intending to dial the emergency services.

Who could have guessed that right at this moment, Xu Mi—who had just been coughing nonstop—suddenly slipped her hand inside his clothes, grabbed the ticklish spot on his waist, and began to tickle him back.

This caught Lin Chen completely off guard.

Tall and handsome as he was, he had one fatal weakness.

He was incredibly ticklish!

Now that Xu Mi had launched this counterattack, he instantly crumbled into helpless laughter.

"Hahahaha, Wifey, I was wrong, hahaha, you... hahahahaha, stop tickling me, I'm begging you!"

"Quickly, hahahahaha, stop right now! I can't take it anymore, hahahahaha!"

Tears of laughter streamed down Lin Chen's face.

Yet, mindful of Xu Mi's frail health, he didn't dare to put up a fight, and he was even afraid to run away lest he accidentally knock into her or hurt her.

A young man over six feet tall could only lie there obediently, laughing until he cried.

Tickling him relentlessly, Xu Mi asked, "Do you dare treat me like that again?"

"I won't dare, I really won't, hahahahaha, please stop already!"

Amidst Lin Chen's repeated pleas for mercy, Xu Mi finally withdrew her hands.

Regaining his composure at last, Lin Chen's very first reaction was to pull Xu Mi straight into his arms in a tight embrace. "You are not allowed to do that again!"

Pouting playfully, Xu Mi scolded, "Who told you to bully me first? To think you're so ticklish—if you dare bully me again next time, I'll tickle you again!"

Lin Chen shook his head. "I don't mean the tickling. I mean you aren't allowed to fake being sick to scare me like that."

Holding her tightly, his heart still racing from the scare, he said, "Do you have any idea how terrified I was just now when I saw you like that!"

"Your health is already poor to begin with, and when you started coughing so violently just now, I thought... anyway, you're never allowed to do that again!"

Then, he added contritely, "Of course, what I did today was wrong too. I shouldn't have teased you like that. It won't happen again."

Xu Mi froze.

Lifting her eyes to look at the genuine worry written all over Lin Chen's face, an unprecedented wave of warmth surged from the depths of her heart.

She had originally assumed Lin Chen simply hated being tickled, never expecting that he was actually worried about her health!

"I'm sorry."

Xu Mi offered a solemn and sincere apology, wrapping her arms around Lin Chen's waist and murmuring into his chest, "Husband, don't worry, I won't do it again."

"Mhm." Lin Chen nodded.

The very next second, he sprang completely upright. "Wifey, what did you just call me?!"

"Did you just call me Husband?"

Tilting her head innocently, Xu Mi replied, "You misheard."

"No, I didn't! You definitely called me that!"

"You simply misheard."

***

"Wifey, good wife, say it again, will you?"

"I certainly will not!"

"Wifey, I'm begging you, just say it one more time!"

"No, no, I'm tired and I'm going to sleep."

With that, Xu Mi wriggled out of Lin Chen's embrace, burrowed under the covers, and closed her eyes.

After calling out a few more times and seeing that she refused to make a peep, Lin Chen could only let out a long sigh of resignation.

Oh well, no need to rush it for now. We'll take it slow!

Throughout that entire night, Lin Chen tossed and turned in his dreams, fixated entirely on the issue of what she called him.

"Wifey, just say 'Husband' for me to hear!"

Awakened by his muttering, Xu Mi listened to the sleep-talk coming from beside her and curved her lips into a smile.

Then, she wrapped her arms around Lin Chen, pressing her face gently against his chest.

The familiar, steady heartbeat filled her with an unprecedented sense of peace and security.

"Husband, I love you."

***

The next day.

Aunt Zhou arrived early as usual to prepare breakfast.

Sitting across from each other, Lin Chen and Xu Mi chatted idly while enjoying a delicious bowl of chicken soup noodles.

Suddenly, Lin Chen thought of the books in the study.

Looking somewhat puzzled, he asked, "Wifey, do you read books?"

"I do! Why do you ask?"

"The books in the study—are those yours?"

Lin Chen's words caused Xu Mi to instantly snap to attention.

Those books were the ones from her own study that she had previously had movers bring over.

Since she wasn't going to the office these days, aside from handling some administrative duties online, the rest of her time was spent reading and studying.

After all, the world was changing with each passing day; even the chairperson of a major corporation had to work hard to acquire new knowledge so as not to be left behind.

Yet, she hadn't anticipated that Lin Chen would grow suspicious of those books!

Observing the curiosity on Lin Chen's face, Xu Mi smiled and said, "You mean the books in the study? Those belong to the landlord; he said I could read them freely."

"Is something wrong?"

Lin Chen shook his head. "It just struck me as a bit odd. I took a look at them last night, and they're all finance books—awfully complicated stuff."

"Speaking of which..."

He turned his gaze toward Xu Mi. "Before you got sick, what kind of work did you do?"