After the Divorce, I Went Back to My Hometown, Pregnant and Became the Sheriff - Chapter 20

Back at the staff dormitory, Jiang Xu and He Xianxing were about to part ways when He Xianxing suddenly grabbed him. He looked sheepish. “Jiang Xu, I don’t know how to take this dress off.”

Jiang Xu frowned. “Didn’t you put it on yourself?”

“Yeah, but it was a huge hassle to get into. It’s even harder to get out of.” An innocent light shone in He Xianxing’s eyes. “How about you come into my place and give me a hand?”

“Fine. Let me get Tongtong home first.”

As soon as Jiang Xu opened his door to let Tongtong inside, He Xianxing pulled him into the neighboring apartment.

He Xianxing shut the door with a grin. He let his arms hang at his sides, and the loose knit cardigan slid down his shoulders, pooling around his slender, strong ankles.

“Jiang Xu,” he stepped over the sweater and leaned in close. His voice was teasing. “Do I look good in this?”

Jiang Xu glanced at He Xianxing’s smooth shoulder line and pushed him back slightly. “Why are you asking that?”

“Do I look good or not?”

“I thought you were in a hurry to take the dress off,” Jiang Xu said, refusing to take the bait.

He Xianxing pouted. “Ugh, you have no romance in your soul!” He threw his hands up in frustration. “Fine, forget it. Just take it off!”

Jiang Xu walked around to the man’s side and unzipped the dress, then gripped the hem to pull it up.

However, the neckline was narrow; the dress got completely stuck once it reached his neck. Jiang Xu gave it a tug, making He Xianxing cry out, “Whoa! Jiang Xu! Are you trying to kill me?”

“Inspector He, you’re being too loud.”

Looking at He Xianxing, whose head was completely engulfed by the fabric, Jiang Xu thought he should have removed the wig first. The sight was so ridiculous that Jiang Xu suppressed a laugh and gave the fabric a hard yank. Ignoring He Xianxing’s yelps, he pulled both the dress and the wig off over the man’s head.

He Xianxing finally saw the light again, his hair a tangled mess. “Jiang Xu, be honest,” he said, rubbing his neck. “Have you been holding a grudge against me for a long time?”

“Don’t say such depressing things.” Jiang Xu shook out the dress and noticed a button had popped off. A hidden clasp at the back of the collar hadn’t been undone.

He picked up the discarded wig. He Xianxing leaned over him, grumbling. “Come on, tell me. I don’t stay mad.”

“Tell you what?” Jiang Xu felt a slight itch from He Xianxing’s hair. He looked down at the man, who was now wearing nothing but his underwear. It was hard to imagine that this was the figure beneath that soft, feminine dress.

He Xianxing gave a low, muffled laugh. His long fingers reached down to hook into the belt at Jiang Xu’s waist.

Jiang Xu pinned the restless hand. “Stop it. I need to go back and make dinner for Tongtong.”

“But I haven’t eaten either!” He Xianxing shook Jiang Xu’s arm. Jiang Xu pushed him away. With a huff, He Xianxing let go and snatched up the jeans he’d shed that morning, pulling them on and zipping them up.

“Hey, Jiang Xu.”

“Mhm?” Jiang Xu smoothed out the frizzy wig. He Xianxing beckoned him closer, and Jiang Xu leaned in to listen.

“I bought a new box,” He Xianxing winked skillfully. “Strawberry flavored. What do you think? Do you like it?”

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow. “What if I don’t?”

“Hmph, you definitely will.” He Xianxing hugged Jiang Xu from behind, sliding his hands beneath the other’s shirt. His hot palms pressed against the defined muscles of Jiang Xu’s abdomen, moving slowly.

“Mmm…” Jiang Xu let out a muffled groan. His waist felt flushed from the friction.

He turned to look at He Xianxing. In the dim light, He Xianxing’s amber eyes were half-closed, his long lashes casting flickering shadows on his pale face.

“Wait… stop.” He pulled one of He Xianxing’s hands away, but the other man immediately interlaced their fingers.

“I worked really hard today,” He Xianxing said, pulling back just a fraction.

“Didn’t you just say you had a lot of fun?” Jiang Xu called his bluff.

“How can you take my polite small talk as the truth?”

“Then how do you want me to repay you?” Jiang Xu tried to withdraw his hand, but He Xianxing gripped it tight.

“Give me a kiss.” He Xianxing tilted his face up, his eyes sparkling in the yellow light. “Think of it as my wages for today.”

He had a habit of dragging out the ends of his sentences when talking to Jiang Xu. Jiang Xu leaned in and gave the upturned corner of his mouth a quick, fleeting peck.

He Xianxing’s eyes widened. By the time he registered what happened, Jiang Xu was already at the door. He shouted, “Hey! That was a sneak attack! It doesn’t count!”

But the door had already slammed shut.

He Xianxing touched the corner of his mouth and instinctively licked it. He immediately felt like a pervert for doing so, frustratedly tousling his messy hair before collapsing backward onto the sofa.

The next day, near the end of the shift, Jiang Xu went to the fifth floor to submit files, but Shen Yucheng wasn’t in his office. He left the stack on the desk, checked the time, and decided to pick up Tongtong from the after-school center first.

When he arrived, the teacher told him the child had already been picked up.

Jiang Xu’s heart dropped. “Who picked him up?”

Seeing Jiang Xu’s expression, the teacher panicked. “It was a tall, handsome man. Blue eyes, wearing a suit.”

“Blue eyes…”

“Yes, blue eyes! Mr. Jiang, I didn’t just hand him over to anyone! He said he was the father. I had my doubts, but Tongtong looks exactly like him! It was like they were made from the same mold. And… he didn’t look like a bad person. Mr. Jiang, what should we do? The child was in our care…”

“Alright, I understand. Stop.”

Jiang Xu cut off the rambling teacher. Seeing she was about to cry, he didn’t scold her further. He simply said, “The person who took Tongtong is indeed a friend. Don’t worry. But in the future, if I don’t give you prior notice, don’t let anyone take Tongtong, no matter who they are. Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes! Thank goodness! I understand, Mr. Jiang. I’m so sorry for the trouble.”

Jiang Xu left the center with a dark expression and flagged a taxi.

He had a rough idea of where the apartments for high-level officials like Shen Yucheng were located. But when exactly had Shen Yucheng discovered Tongtong’s existence?

He pulled out his phone and opened his messaging app. Shen Yucheng’s name wasn’t far down the list. Jiang Xu opened the chat, typed out a string of text, and then deleted it all.

“Bastard…” he cursed under his breath.

Before he could lock his screen, the status bar showed “Typing,” and then a room number was sent over.

Jiang Xu resisted the urge to call and scream at him. He placed the phone face down on the seat.

The taxi arrived quickly. Jiang Xu found the unit Shen Yucheng had indicated. This was the most expensive residential area in G-City, consisting of large, luxury apartments with only one unit per floor.

Jiang Xu stood before the door. He reached for the electronic doorbell but changed his mind mid-air and slammed his hand against the metal door instead. He pounded several times, fueled by suppressed rage.

The door opened quickly. Shen Yucheng stood there in casual clothes, holding Tongtong.

When Tongtong saw Jiang Xu, he reached out and called “Daddy” in a soft voice.

The insults Jiang Xu had prepared died in his throat. He softened his expression and took Tongtong into his arms. “Daddy’s here.”

“Daddy, Daddy!” Tongtong said excitedly, hugging Jiang Xu’s neck. “There’s a new Mommy! A new Mommy!”

Jiang Xu helplessly pinched Tongtong’s cheek. “Tongtong, don’t call every blue-eyed person you see ‘Mommy’ from now on, okay?”

Tongtong gave an uncertain “Oh.”

Shen Yucheng crossed his arms and finally spoke. “Who else has he called Mommy?”

“You don’t need to know.” Jiang Xu turned to press the elevator button.

“He is my child.”

“Don’t flatter yourself!”

“How is it flattering myself?” Shen Yucheng stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Xu’s shoulder. “He looks almost exactly like me!”

Jiang Xu shook off his hand. “So what? We’re divorced. If we go to court, the chances of me getting custody are far higher than yours.”

“Jiang Xu, I know far more people in the Prosecutor’s Court than you do.”

“What? Is the law-abiding Special Envoy Shen Yucheng planning to abuse his power and break the law?”

“…Your attitude is terrible.”

Jiang Xu stepped into the elevator. “You should have expected this attitude the moment you took Tongtong away without a word.”

“He is our child.” Shen Yucheng followed him in.

The elevator doors began to close. Jiang Xu hugged Tongtong tight, his jaw tensing. “No,” he took a deep breath. “Tongtong is my everything.”

“Jiang Xu,” Shen Yucheng reached out to block the closing doors. “Let’s talk properly. Not in front of the child.”

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