Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 175

The live stream was still ongoing, but the person on screen seemed to have frozen in place. He stared blankly for over ten seconds before finally blinking.

The screen was filled with question marks—no one knew what had just happened.

Zhao Beichuan was so nervous that his palms were sweating. Why hadn’t he been able to hold back? Why did he suddenly reach out like that…

Lu Yao’s heart was pounding like a drum. After a long moment, he finally lifted his head and mouthed: No respect for your elders.

Zhao Beichuan let out a breath of relief before turning back to interact with the chat again, a smile reflected in his eyes.

“Streamer, can you sing?”
“I can sing a little. I’ll do it next time. It’s pretty late now, and I don’t want to disturb the neighbors.”

Some viewers were still asking Lu Yao to say a few words, but Zhao Beichuan deliberately ignored them.

“What time will the stream end today?”
“It depends. If Uncle gets tired, I’ll end it early.”

The chat exploded with another wave of “yooooooo~”

“We’re being force-fed dog food! Will there be premium content after the stream?”

Zhao Beichuan looked confused. “What premium content?”

Lu Yao smacked him lightly, his face flushing as he whispered, “Don’t ask that, or you’ll get banned.”

Zhao Beichuan instantly realized what they meant and replied seriously, “There’s no premium content.”

The chat erupted into a sea of “hahahahahaha”—teasing an honest guy was just too much fun.

“Chuan-ge, do you and Uncle live together?”
“No, we don’t. We only meet up for live streams and filming. Don’t overthink it. We’re just friends.”

Lu Yao felt a dull ache in his chest. Just friends…

Thinking about it carefully, Zhao Beichuan wasn’t wrong. They hadn’t even known each other for a full month. Aside from filming and streaming, they hadn’t had much contact.

But for some reason, his heart felt unbearably sour. He got up, walked into the living room for a sip of water to calm himself down, and then returned with a bottle of mineral water for Zhao Beichuan.

“Thanks.” Zhao Beichuan twisted the cap open and took a sip. When he turned back to look at Lu Yao, he noticed that the latter had already moved to a farther seat and wasn’t watching the stream on his phone anymore.

Zhao Beichuan felt a little distracted. He replayed his words in his head, wondering if he had said something wrong. Why did Lu Yao seem a bit upset?

He muted the microphone and asked, “Are you sleepy?”

“Hm?” Lu Yao looked up in confusion.

“If you’re tired, I can end the stream.”

“I’m not… Keep streaming. It’s only been forty minutes.”

“You seem kind of unhappy.”

Lu Yao hadn’t expected him to notice and quickly forced a smile. “I’m fine. A friend messaged me. I’m just replying to him. I’ll help you read the chat in a bit.”

“Oh.”

Zhao Beichuan turned back to the screen, where the chat had gone wild.

“WHY DID YOU MUTE IT?!”

“What could you possibly be hiding from us, your noble viewers?!”

“And you still say you’re just friends? Get Uncle to explain himself!”

Zhao Beichuan unmuted the mic and cleared his throat. “Ahem, Uncle’s busy. He’ll talk later. I’ll chat with you guys instead.”

Lu Yao glanced at him before sighing softly and lowering his head, pretending to look at his phone. But he really had received a message.

“Xiao Lu, are you busy?”

The sender was Bai Chi, one of the few friends who knew about his orientation. Lu Yao usually called him “Bai Chi”—Idiot Bai—since they shared the same name.

“Not really.”

“I’m heading to T City tomorrow. Let’s meet up!”

“What time are you arriving?”

“High-speed rail, around 5 PM.”

“Alright.”

“Aren’t you going to ask why I’m coming?”

“Why?”

“Tsk, you’re so boring. What guy would ever like you?”

This guy always knew exactly what to say to piss him off. Lu Yao rubbed his temples. “Spare me your concern, old man.”

“AAAAHHHH, don’t call me old!”

Bai Chi was a year older than Lu Yao—already thirty-six. He hated being called old. He’d spent a fortune on skincare to keep his face looking as young as a guy in his early twenties.

Lu Yao couldn’t help but smirk. “So, why are you coming?”

“I missed you. Coming to see you.”

“Yeah, right.”

Back when they first met, they both thought the other was a top. There was mutual attraction, so they tried dating for over a month. But when things got physical, they realized they were both tops—leading to an abrupt breakup.

That period had been rough for Lu Yao, and Bai Chi hadn’t fared much better. Every time they met afterward, Bai Chi would mock Lu Yao for “not being man enough.” But over time, they actually became good friends.

“Just taking a break. I just broke up.”

“Congrats. How many does that make?”

“Including you, six.”

“Don’t count me. We never even did anything.”

Bai Chi replied shamelessly, “Still single?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Tsk tsk, are you planning to stay single forever?”

“Mind your own damn business.”

It wasn’t that Lu Yao couldn’t find a boyfriend—he just didn’t want to get involved in that scene. With his looks, he could easily pick up guys at a gay bar, but what was the point? He didn’t like relationships based solely on sex.

“Wanna try dating me again? I could force myself to be a top this time.”

“Screw off.”

“Hahaha, okay, I’m off to get my beauty sleep. See you tomorrow.”

Lu Yao chuckled and sent a goodnight emoji. Just then, singing drifted into his ears.

“You are the distant road, the light in the mountain mist. I am a child, walking in your gaze. You are the bright moon and the gentle breeze, I am the dream you watch over. Whether we meet or not, it’s a lifetime, holding you in my arms…”

Zhao Beichuan was singing a cappella. His deep, husky voice gave Wish a unique, soulful touch, making Lu Yao momentarily entranced.

“And I will love the world you love, wish for the smiles you wish for. Holding your hand as I stumble, please take me to tomorrow…”

Zhao Beichuan glanced at the man beside him out of the corner of his eye, subtly raising an eyebrow.

Finally, he had caught his attention.

*

Last night’s stream lasted until dawn. He made over a thousand yuan and gained another wave of followers.

Zhao Beichuan’s singing ability exceeded Lu Yao’s expectations—it was exceptionally professional. Even without relying on his looks and physique, just his singing alone could attract a significant following, yet this kid modestly claimed that his singing was just average.

Lu Yao finished handling his private messages and accepted two more promotional deals. In fact, quite a few brands had approached him for product endorsements recently, but he hadn’t taken them all. Videos with excessive ads could easily annoy viewers—at least for Lu Yao, when he scrolled through short videos, he would instantly skip any with lengthy ads.

The two promotions he accepted weren’t particularly high-paying but were perfect for Zhao Beichuan—one was for a razor, and the other happened to be shaving gel.

Lu Yao had already planned out how to shoot the videos, but today, he needed to finish the belt promotion first, as the client had been urging him to complete it.

In the afternoon, Lu Yao bought an iron chair from a nearby furniture store for the evening shoot. On his way back, he also picked up a delivery—the sound card he had ordered online had arrived.

The external sound card required professional tuning, which took until 4:30 PM to get everything set up.

Checking the time, Lu Yao quickly changed clothes and drove to the high-speed rail station to pick someone up.

After waiting for half an hour, Bai Chi emerged from the station, dragging a suitcase. He wore oversized sunglasses and a custom-made designer casual suit from overseas, strutting out of the lobby as if he were walking a runway. From a distance, he waved at Lu Yao, immediately drawing attention from those around him.

Lu Yao felt an overwhelming urge to disappear into the ground. For an introvert like him, being around such an ostentatious person was pure torture.

“Xiao Lu! Long time no see! I missed you to death!”

Lu Yao dodged his hug and got into the car straight away.

Bai Chi put his suitcase in the trunk and settled into the passenger seat. As soon as he got in, he started exclaiming, “Lu Yao, how do you not age? This is too unfair! You still look exactly like you did in college!”

It had been three or four years since they last met, though they had kept in touch online.

Lu Yao chuckled and glanced at him. Bai Chi took off his sunglasses, revealing a badly swollen left eye with a purplish-black bruise.

“What happened to your eye?”

“Don’t even ask—my ex-boyfriend hit me.”

“Huh? A breakup is a breakup, why did he hit you?”

“He didn’t get off easy either—I kicked his leg and broke it.”

…How much resentment did they have? A breakup leading to this kind of fight?

“Forget that dumbass. Can I crash at your place for a few days?”

“No.”

“Why not? Got a secret lover hidden at home?”

He actually hit the nail on the head, but there was no way Lu Yao would admit it. “It’s just inconvenient.”

“Tsk, are you scared I’ll assault you?”

“Get lost.”

Bai Chi burst into laughter. Judging by his appearance, no one would ever guess he was a bottom. He stood at 1.8 meters tall, had sharp, handsome features, and an outgoing personality. If not for that, Lu Yao wouldn’t have agreed to date him for that one month back then.

Lu Yao first took Bai Chi to a hotel and helped him settle in, then they went to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

Bai Chi shared the reason for his breakup—it wasn’t a problem between him and his ex, but rather his ex’s younger brother, who was always clinging to him and acting like a “green tea” (a manipulative and scheming person). This younger brother frequently made snide remarks behind Bai Chi’s back.

At first, Bai Chi didn’t take it seriously, but eventually, he started noticing that the younger brother’s feelings for his own sibling seemed off. When he mentioned it to his boyfriend, the guy not only didn’t believe him but also called him paranoid.

Bai Chi initially thought he was overthinking things—until a few days ago when he attended his boyfriend’s birthday party. The guy got drunk, and Bai Chi caught him kissing his own brother on the balcony…

The shock was overwhelming, and in his rage, Bai Chi beat them both up on the spot.

The next day, his ex came to beg for reconciliation, and they ended up in another fight. Things escalated, words were exchanged, and his ex punched him in the eye. Bai Chi retaliated by kicking the guy’s leg and fracturing it.

“And that’s the whole story,” Bai Chi said absentmindedly as he sipped his drink.

Lu Yao was dumbfounded. “Your circle is really messy.”

“This is my first time encountering something this incestuous, okay?”

“They’re biological brothers?”

“Yep, same mother.”

Lu Yao shuddered. “How long are you planning to stay here?”

“Not sure. I’ll hang around for a few days and then head to Sanya when the weather gets colder.” Bai Chi was a jewelry designer with a wealthy background, so he could travel as he pleased.

“Enough about me. How have you been lately?”

“Same as always. Well, not exactly—I got laid off.”

“Shit, what are you doing now?”

“Haven’t found a new job yet.” There was no way he’d tell this troublemaker that he was making videos.

“How about joining me? You can work on brand marketing for me.”

“No thanks. I don’t like business trips and flying around all the time.”

“Alright, but if you need help, just ask. Don’t hesitate.”

Lu Yao clinked glasses with him. “Thanks.”

By the time they finished dinner, it was past 9 PM. Bai Chi wanted to hit a nearby bar, but Lu Yao was in a hurry to get home and shoot a video.

“I have something to do tonight, so I need to head back.”

“What could be more important than me?” Bai Chi grabbed his arm and tried to pull him along.

Lu Yao laughed, exasperated. “Be serious.”

Bai Chi couldn’t stop laughing. “Lu Yao, you’re ridiculously adorable. If I were a top, I’d be madly in love with you.”

“Enough nonsense. There’s a lounge bar nearby—you go have fun yourself. I’ll join you tomorrow.”

“Fine, I’ll head over then.”

Bai Chi had just turned to leave when suddenly, a voice called out from behind—

“Lu Ge!”

Both of them turned around at the same time.

Zhao Beichuan was sitting on a little electric scooter, looking at Lu Yao with eyes full of grievance.

[Author’s Note]

The little puppy is about to have his heart broken.