After the Divorce, I Went Back to My Hometown, Pregnant and Became the Sheriff - Chapter 14

The air seemed to freeze. Nearby drivers craned their necks with curiosity, drawn by the sudden commotion.

He Xianxing, however, ignored them entirely. He launched a rapid-fire barrage of accusations at the bewildered Jiang Xu. “I followed you the second I graduated! I wasted years of my youth on you, enduring humiliation and heavy burdens! But what about you? Your wife does nothing but give you the cold shoulder! How is she better than me? Tell me!” At the climax of his performance, his almond-shaped eyes were wide and rimmed with red, brimming with tears that threatened to fall at any moment.

Jiang Xu marvelled at the man’s effortless ability to cry on command. He played along. “When did I ever say I didn’t want to marry you?”

“How much longer are you going to play me for a fool?!” He Xianxing wailed, covering his face as he stumbled backward.

Jiang Xu nearly broke character and laughed. He watched as He Xianxing sobbed and retreated toward Zhou Lexuan and Ye Xihang, pretending to be utterly oblivious until he slammed right into the two men.

“Hey!” Ye Xihang was the first to shout, swerving to the side with a look of pure disgust.

This was exactly what He Xianxing wanted. He spun around and fell headlong into Zhou Lexuan. Caught off guard, Zhou Lexuan was knocked to the ground. The half-finished energy drink in his hand rolled away, spilling every last drop onto the pavement.

“You bastard!” Zhou Lexuan’s face turned green with rage. He raised a fist, ready to strike.

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Xu said quickly, grabbing Zhou Lexuan’s wrist. “He didn’t do it on purpose. It’s our fault for ruining your clothes. If you like, please leave your contact information; I’ll buy an identical set and send it to you as an apology.”

“Get lost!” Zhou Lexuan tried to shake off Jiang Xu’s grip but failed. “Let go of me!”

“Lexuan, calm down!” Ye Xihang hurried over to check on him. Seeing this, Jiang Xu released his hold.

But Zhou Lexuan was still fuming. Ignoring Ye Xihang, he spat out a curse about his “rotten luck,” brushed the dust off his clothes, and stormed away. Left standing there, Ye Xihang glared at Jiang Xu before following after Zhou Lexuan.

A few bystanders were still lingering. He Xianxing put on a fierce expression and barked, “What are you looking at? Never seen a couple fight before?” The crowd quickly dispersed, grumbling as they went.

Jiang Xu walked over and reached down to pull He Xianxing up. “Are you alright?”

He Xianxing reached down and snatched up the discarded energy drink can. He expertly drained the remaining dregs and stuffed it into his jacket pocket before climbing to his feet. Every movement was seamless.

“How was that?” He flashed a bright, sunny smile, though the tears from his act still clung to his face.

Jiang Xu used a tissue to wipe the wet face, chuckling ruefully. “Breathtaking.”

“Still, I feel like things went a bit too smoothly.” He Xianxing exhaled a puff of warm air. The mountain chill was making his lips turn pale.

Jiang Xu nodded. “Regardless, let’s get back to the track.”

The road down the mountain was temporarily blocked; they had to wait for all the racing groups to finish before they could leave. As they walked back together, the third group was already preparing to start. Zhou Lexuan was among them.

“Speaking of which, what would you have done if Zhou Lexuan actually demanded you pay for the clothes?” He Xianxing asked teasingly.

“What else? I’d try to get the finance department to reimburse it.”

“Those clothes aren’t cheap. Finance would probably refuse to recognize the claim.” He Xianxing kicked a stone on the ground. “This time we almost lost the bait and the hook.”

“True,” Jiang Xu adjusted his glasses. “I should wait until this is over and ask the Team Leader for a full reimbursement.”

The two laughed as the referee continued to wave the flag diligently. After the countdown ended, a whistle shrieked, startling the birds in the mountain that hadn’t yet settled for the night. But after the flutter of wings, the familiar roar of engines failed to follow.

None of the cars at the starting line moved.

Jiang Xu instinctively looked at the black Mercedes-AMG at the front. Sensing a disaster, he grabbed He Xianxing to turn and leave, but more than a dozen thugs armed with clubs had already surrounded them.

Zhou Lexuan stepped out of his car with a mocking smirk. “I really didn’t expect that joining the Public Security Bureau required a background in acting. Officers, that was a fine performance.”

“What are you talking about?” He Xianxing smiled, pulling the zipper of his jacket all the way to the top. “I’m just waiting to watch my boyfriend race.”

Zhou Lexuan gave an impatient click of his tongue. “Facing death and still so addicted to the drama!”

He jerked his head to the side. The thug closest to He Xianxing lunged forward immediately.

Instead of retreating, He Xianxing ducked forward, slipping under the man’s arm. He spun around and delivered a sharp elbow strike to the man’s back. As the thug cried out, He Xianxing’s long leg swept out, kicking the man squarely in the face and sending him crashing to the ground.

Seeing their comrade go down, several other thugs charged at once.

Jiang Xu grabbed one man’s wrist and snapped it backward, following up with a kick to the back of the man’s knee. As the man’s legs buckled, Jiang Xu used him as a human battering ram, throwing him into the crowd. Several thugs were knocked flat, howling in pain.

“Not a bad set of moves, Jiang Xu!”

“You still have the heart for small talk?!” Jiang Xu shot He Xianxing a sharp look.

He Xianxing performed a spinning kick against a thug sneaking up from behind and nimbly jumped back to stand behind Jiang Xu. Although they held the upper hand for now, Zhou Lexuan had brought too many men. If they kept fighting this war of attrition, they would eventually run out of stamina.

Jiang Xu used a shoulder throw to floor another man. Before he could catch his breath, he saw someone swinging an iron rod toward the back of He Xianxing’s head. Without time to think, he reached out and violently yanked He Xianxing toward him.

The iron rod descended with a whistling sound, striking Jiang Xu squarely on the shoulder. He let out a muffled groan. The intense pain caused his entire arm to go numb instantly, and his body slumped. He staggered forward, and the glasses on the bridge of his nose fell to the ground, where they were crushed to pieces in the chaos.

“Hey!” He Xianxing gasped. He intercepted the iron rod from the attacker and laid the man out before rushing to check Jiang Xu’s injury. But Jiang Xu grabbed his hand tightly, pulling him toward the edge of the crowd.

“Jiang Xu!”

“Don’t just stand there! Run!”

“Your shoulder!”

“I’m fine!”

Jiang Xu gripped He Xianxing’s slender wrist and swung a captured iron rod at any thug who tried to get close. They fought and retreated until they reached the observation deck. Below them lay a pitch-black forest of dense trees and wild grass. Jiang Xu looked back at the closing crowd and said immediately, “Jump!”

“What?” Before He Xianxing could finish, he was pulled over the edge by Jiang Xu.

The steep slope was covered in loose gravel. It was impossible to keep a steady footing. He Xianxing was dragged along by Jiang Xu, stones clattering down into the darkness beneath their feet. The air was thick with the scent of decaying vegetation. He suddenly remembered that day on the rooftop; Jiang Xu had been exactly like this, sliding down a rope to chase a criminal without a second thought.

Distracted for a second, He Xianxing’s foot slipped. He stumbled, nearly falling down the steep incline.

“Don’t lose focus!” Jiang Xu steadied him. His hand was large and warm.

Vines whipped against their faces, leaving a stinging heat on He Xianxing’s skin. His world was reduced to the heavy darkness and the broad silhouette of Jiang Xu’s back.

“Jiang Xu…” He called out the name suddenly. In the dark, he couldn’t even tell if the other man had turned his head. “Aren’t you afraid?”

The hand on his wrist paused. Jiang Xu’s answer was as rugged as the mountain wind. “How could a person not be afraid?”

“Then why did you take that hit for me?”

“A momentary impulse of justice, I suppose.”

Looking at Jiang Xu’s back, He Xianxing suddenly felt a surge of resentment. He knit his brows but quickly forced them to relax. When he spoke, his voice carried a hint of a sob. “But what is this ‘sense of justice’ anyway? Do the people who always talk about fairness and justice think they’re so special? Do they think they’re heroes? Do they think they can save everyone?”

The sound of their heavy breathing was like a thunderstorm in the endless night.

Jiang Xu stopped walking, then pulled He Xianxing forward again. “I don’t know,” he answered quietly. “Because I used to think that way too.”

“So did you become a hero?”

“No. I’m just an ordinary person.”

They spoke no more. The sounds of the pursuit had long since vanished. They seemed to have entered a massive labyrinth, wandering without direction, unable to count how long they had been running.

By the sparse light of the moon, they finally found a gentle slope to sit and rest. Their heavy breathing echoed through the dense woods, but the peace didn’t last long.

“The game of cat and mouse is over.”

Out of the deep gloom, a man appeared holding a crackling high-voltage stun baton. The blue sparks flickered like ghost fire, illuminating the terrifying graphic on the hood of the black Mercedes-AMG behind him.

Support After the Divorce, I Went Back to My Hometown, Pregnant and Became the Sheriff