Zayne sat watching his wife paint on the balcony, evening light casting everything in gold.
She was covered in paint—cheeks, hands, somehow her FOREHEAD—but beaming happily as she worked on a canvas.
* She's painting jasmine flowers. Again. Third painting this week. She's obsessed with jasmines since I started making her ice ones.*
Beside her canvas sat the ice jasmine he'd made this morning—perfectly preserved in a small container she kept in the freezer between painting sessions.
*She treats those ice flowers like treasures. Keeps every single one. Has seventeen in the freezer now. Our freezer is 40% food, 60% ice flowers.*
She was also eating macarons. While painting. Getting macaron crumbs on the canvas.
*She's eating while painting. The macarons are becoming PART of the artwork. This is fine. This is her artistic process apparently.*
He couldn't even be mad.
* As long as she's alive. As long as she's HERE. Happy. Safe. She can eat macarons while painting. She can do ANYTHING.*
He stood, walking over to sit beside her.
"How's college?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist.
She leaned into him immediately. "SO GOOD! I'm making a statue of YOU for the sculpture competition!"
*A statue. Of me. This is either flattering or terrifying. Knowing her artistic skills... probably terrifying.*
"A statue?"
"YES! A BIG one! Life-size! With your GLASSES and your GRUMPY FACE and your PRETTY HANDS—"
"My face isn't grumpy—"
"It's your REGULAR face which is GRUMPY!" She giggled. "But I love it!"
*My regular face is grumpy. This is established fact apparently. I've accepted this.*
"And!" she continued excitedly, "I'm going to learn COOKING! With the chef! After classes! With Mina and Jisu!"
...
*Cooking. She wants to learn COOKING. The woman who melted a frying pan. Who created eggy fireworks. Who's BANNED from kitchens.*
"Cooking," he repeated carefully.
"YES! So someday I can make lunchbox! EVERY DAY! And bring it to you with BICYCLE!"
* Daily bicycle-delivered lunches. This is her dream. This is adorable and also TERRIFYING.*
"I'll park the bicycle inside your OFFICE this time!" she added proudly. "Not nurse station! Because last time they looked SHOCKED!"
*She wants to park INSIDE my office. Like it's a garage. This woman.*
He huffed a laugh, unable to help it. "You can't park bicycles inside the hospital. ANY part of the hospital."
"But WHERE do I park?!"
"In front of the hospital? The parking lot?"
Her eyes LIT UP. "PARKING LOT! Like a REAL vehicle! Bicycle parking!"
*She's excited about parking lot access. This is what makes her happy. I love her so much.*
"Oh!" She bounced slightly. "Can I come see you tomorrow?! At your medical conference?! Near my college!"
*Medical conference. Where I teach CPR and emergency procedures. Very professional. Very serious. She wants to ATTEND.*
"You want to watch me work?"
"YES! You look SO HANDSOME when you work! And you talk like SMART PEOPLE! Using big words! It's very attractive!"
*She finds my medical terminology attractive. This is. Actually very on-brand for us.*
"You can come. But you have to be quiet during the presentation."
"I'LL BE SO QUIET! Like MOUSE! Silent mouse!"
* She's never been quiet. Ever. But I'll let her come anyway. Because I'm weak. And she's alive. And I want her NEAR me. Where I can see her. Protect her.*
He pecked her lips. "Goodnight, hamster."
"Goodnight, husband!" She kissed him back, getting paint on his face.
* I have paint on my face now. This is fine. This is love.*
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🌻🌻🌻
Zayne stood at the front of the auditorium, professional and composed, preparing to demonstrate CPR techniques.
The room was PACKED—medical students, nursing students, general public interested in emergency response.
And in the middle section, he spotted:
Nana. Sitting between Mina and Jisu. Waving enthusiastically.
*She came. She's here. She's—why is she WAVING? This is professional setting. Stop drawing attention—*
Too late. Several people had turned to look at the enthusiastic waving woman.
Sigh #895. She's already causing scene. Conference hasn't even started.*
He cleared his throat, beginning his presentation.
"Today we'll cover proper CPR technique and choking rescue procedures. These skills save lives when performed correctly—"
Professional. Clinical. Exactly as practiced.
Until he noticed the AUDIENCE.
Specifically, the female portion of the audience.
They were STARING. Intensely. Some taking notes, yes. But MANY were just... staring at HIM.
*Why are they. Oh. Oh no. Fangirls. They're HERE. At my PROFESSIONAL medical conference.*
He continued, trying to ignore them.
"Now I'll demonstrate rescue breathing on the CPR mannequin—"
He positioned the dummy, tilted the head back, pinched the nose, and delivered two rescue breaths.
The room ERUPTED in whispers.
Someone in the front row WEPT.
*Why is someone CRYING? I'm demonstrating CPR. This is MEDICAL procedure. Not. Entertainment.*
A girl in the second row whispered loudly to her friend: "His LIPS touched the dummy! I wish I was that dummy!"
Another one: "So GENTLE! Even with CPR! Imagine him being gentle with—"
*They're fantasizing. About me. During MEDICAL DEMONSTRATION. This is inappropriate. Highly inappropriate.*
He glanced at Nana.
She was GLARING.
At the dummy.
With pure, unbridled JEALOUSY.
She's. She's jealous. Of a CPR MANNEQUIN. My wife is jealous of PLASTIC.*
Mina and Jisu were CRYING with laughter, trying to muffle it.
The girl in front of Nana—one of his hospital fangirls apparently—was crying DRAMATICALLY.
"Oh handsome doctor," she sobbed to her friend, "I could REPLACE that dummy! I volunteer! For SCIENCE! For MEDICAL education!"
* She wants to volunteer as CPR dummy. This is. This is concerning on multiple levels.*
Nana's glare INTENSIFIED.
*Her jealousy levels: critical. Those lips are mine! I can hear her thinking it. She's going to ATTACK the dummy. Or the fangirl. Or both.*
He quickly finished the demonstration, moving to choking rescue (which thankfully required NO mouth-to-anything contact).
But the damage was done.
Nana was POUTING. Arms crossed. Still glaring at the innocent CPR mannequin like it had personally offended her.
*My wife is having territorial crisis over medical equipment. This is my life.*
The moment the presentation ended, Nana MARCHED up to him, still pouting.
Arms FOLDED. Lips in MAXIMUM POUT formation.
* Incoming. Jealousy confrontation imminent.*
"Why did you KISS the dummy?" she demanded.
* She's asking. She KNOWS it's CPR. But she's asking anyway.*
"That wasn't kissing. That was rescue breathing—"
"Your LIPS touched it!"
"For medical purposes—"
"Those lips are MINE!" She pointed at his mouth accusingly. "MINE! Not dummy's! Not those GIRLS who were crying!"
* She's claiming ownership of my lips. In public. At professional conference. The attendees are WATCHING.*
Behind her, Mina was FILMING on her phone.
Jisu was taking PICTURES.
* This will be on social media. Definitely. My professional reputation: continuously dying.*
"Hamster," he said patiently, "CPR mouth-to-mouth and kissing are completely different—"
"How?! EXPLAIN!"
* She wants explanation. Medical explanation. For kissing vs CPR. This is. Actually reasonable request. Absurd but reasonable.*
"CPR is delivering air to someone's lungs. Kissing is... intimate contact for emotional or romantic purposes—"
"But your LIPS still TOUCHED!"
"Because that's how rescue breathing WORKS—"
"You could have kissed ME instead! I volunteer! For your DEMO!"
*She wants to volunteer as CPR dummy. To prevent me from touching plastic. This is the most her logic ever.*
Several conference attendees were openly LISTENING now, entertained.
One of the fangirls approached. "Dr. Li, that was such an educational demonstration! Could you perhaps demonstrate on a REAL volunteer—"
Nana WHIRLED on her. "NO! He's MY husband! MY lips! Mine!"
*She's declaring ownership in public. Again. The fangirl looks TERRIFIED. Good.*
The fangirl retreated quickly.
Nana turned back to him, still pouting. "You kissed dummy. Not fair."
*She's adorable. Completely ridiculous. But adorable.*
He cupped her face, voice dropping low. "If you want, I can demonstrate the difference between CPR and kissing. At home. Where I can show you VERY thoroughly that my lips are only yours."
Her face went BRIGHT RED.
"And maybe," he continued, smirking slightly, "I'll demonstrate multiple times. Until you FULLY understand that husband kisses are ONLY for you."
"I—you—that's—" she stammered.
*Flustered. Success. Distraction via seduction: highly effective.*
"Well?" He leaned closer. "Do you want me to prove it? Extensively? With practical demonstrations?"
She nodded frantically, jealousy FORGOTTEN. "YES! Very educational! Much demonstration needed!"
*Crisis resolved. Marriage saved from CPR mannequin rivalry.*
Mina and Jisu were DYING in the background.
"SHE GOT DISTRACTED BY PROMISE OF KISSING!" Mina wheezed.
"TACTICAL SEDUCTION!" Jisu added.
*They're learning. Watching me manage chaos. Taking notes probably. This is my influence on the next generation.*
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🌻🌻🌻
He'd promised demonstrations.
He delivered.
* Promise made: prove kissing is different from CPR. Promise kept: about to demonstrate thoroughly.*
She sat on the bed, watching him with those big, curious eyes.
"Okay," she said seriously. "Teach me difference! Between CPR kiss and husband kiss!"
*She wants education. Medical-style relationship lesson. This is VERY us.*
"CPR mouth-to-mouth," he explained, sitting beside her, "is purely functional. You're delivering air. No emotional content. Like this—"
He demonstrated on his palm—clinical, quick, efficient.
"See? Purely mechanical."
"Boring!" she announced.
"Exactly. Now, a REAL kiss—" He cupped her face, "—is completely different."
He kissed her. Soft. Slow. Emotional. INTIMATE.
When he pulled back, she was flushed and breathless.
"See the difference?"
"Yes! Very different! Kiss is better!"
"Much better." He kissed her again, deeper this time. "And husband kisses—" another kiss, "—are ONLY—" another, "—for wife."
"Only for me?"
"Only for you. Across every lifetime. Every timeline. Every version of reality."
*Truth. Absolute truth. These lips have only ever been yours. In every iteration of us.*
She beamed, then asked: "More demonstrations?"
*More. She wants more. This woman will be the death of me. A sweet death.*
"As many as you need," he promised, "until you're COMPLETELY convinced these lips belong only to you."
"That might take ALL NIGHT!"
"Then we have all night."
* All night to prove my lips are hers. To kiss away her jealousy. To show her she's the ONLY one. Across all time. All space. All existence.*
He proceeded to demonstrate.
Extensively.
Thoroughly.
Until she was absolutely CONVINCED (and also very satisfied).
Meanwhile - Group Chat: Nana's Friends
Mina: I got the WHOLE thing on video. Nana jealous of CPR dummy.
Jisu:Her FACE when he touched that mannequin! 😂
Mina:And him BRIBING her with kiss demonstrations!
Jisu:"I'll prove it extensively" I'M DEAD
Mina: Should we send to the Li family chat?
Jisu: ABSOLUTELY.
[Video sent to Li Family Group Chat]
Sylus:OUR HAMSTER IS JEALOUS OF CPR DUMMY
Xavier:This is the best thing I've ever seen
Caleb:"Those lips are MINE!" I'M CRYING
Rafayel: He bribed her with kiss demos. SMOOTH.
Guan Lin: Learning from the master
Mark: Taking notes
Zayne:Stop sharing my life.
Everyone: NO 💕
Meanwhile - Mr. Fluffytail's Tree
Mr. Fluffytail received the gossip network update.
"The tiny human was jealous. Of plastic human."
Mrs. Fluffytail nodded. "Very territorial. Good wife."
"The tall human promised many kisses."
"Very good husband."
"They're well matched."
"Very well matched."
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🌻🌻🌻
To be continued.