Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Her boyfriend is back; he should make way.

Xu Jingmo slowly shifted his gaze. Unlike the youth, he showed no sign of agitation, remaining exactly where he stood.

The dark entrance door opened, and Ling Xiao stepped inside, dressed in casual wear. He clearly hadn’t expected to run into both Chen Kongqing and Xu Jingmo at the door and instinctively took a step back. “Ge… you haven’t gone back to rest yet?”

Chen Kongqing remembered the scene of himself and Dr. Xu interlocking fingers just moments ago. Seeing Ling Xiao now, he felt an indescribable sensation—an awkwardness so intense he wanted to vanish on the spot.

In contrast, Xu Jingmo appeared perfectly composed. He merely lifted his eyelids to glance at Ling Xiao, saying nothing.

For a moment, Chen Kongqing felt the air around them turn strange and sharp. This tension only grew thicker as the silence stretched on.

“Cousin was just about to leave. I… I was seeing him out,” Chen Kongqing spoke up, cutting through the silence.

“Sorry for the trouble, Ge,” Ling Xiao finally stepped fully into the room, never once looking at Chen Kongqing. “I’ll treat you to dinner in a couple of days.”

Xu Jingmo still didn’t speak. He pursed his lips and looked down slightly, catching a glimpse of the youth’s neck, which had long since turned deep red.

Ignored by his cousin, Ling Xiao let out two awkward coughs.

Chen Kongqing could feel the abnormal sensation at his neck—hot, suffocating, and itchy. He held his breath and cautiously looked up. Xu Jingmo was watching him, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

However, the man soon turned toward the door with an expressionless face, finally speaking: “I’m off.”

Ling Xiao offered a polite, casual farewell: “Sure, Ge. Drive safe.”

The youth swallowed nervously and stammered, “Cousin… be, be careful on the road.”

Xu Jingmo seemed to nod, but he didn’t turn back, quickly disappearing from their sight.

Chen Kongqing felt that Dr. Xu seemed a bit angry, though he couldn’t pinpoint why he felt that way. It wasn’t until Ling Xiao closed the door that he snapped out of his dazed state.

Ling Xiao glanced at the youth. He looked a bit sickly, yet his face held a certain radiance, like a green plant that had just been watered; he didn’t look as terrible as expected.

“You’re back,” Chen Kongqing gathered his thoughts and gave Ling Xiao a smile, trying his best to look energetic.

“Yeah.” Ling Xiao still didn’t look pleased as he walked further into the apartment. “Is your illness better already?”

“Not entirely,” Chen Kongqing followed him. “Did you come back specifically to see me?”

He sat on the sofa near Ling Xiao, wanting to get just a little closer. If Ling Xiao were willing to hold his hand or hug him, he wouldn’t need to use that kind of “treatment” out of desperation. Thinking this, he nudged himself closer to the man.

A scent of mint suddenly filled his nose—likely a mint-scented body wash.

“Did you change your body wash?” the youth asked casually.

The man beside him had an unnatural shift in expression and quickly moved away. “No, the scent hasn’t changed. You must have smelled it wrong.”

Chen Kongqing didn’t take Ling Xiao’s withdrawal to heart; after all, Ling Xiao did this often. He leaned in and sniffed again. “I didn’t smell it wrong. It’s definitely different.”

He could usually distinguish between various herbs with similar scents, so he was certain Ling Xiao’s scent had changed.

Ling Xiao stood up abruptly from the sofa, his tone turning harsh: “Don’t crowd me.”

“I…” Chen Kongqing pursed his lips, a layer of disappointment clouding his eyes. “I didn’t go to the lab today. I shouldn’t have any… herbal scent on me. You haven’t hugged me in a long time, Ling Xiao.”

He rarely spoke so directly to Ling Xiao. Only once or twice before, when the episodes were truly unbearable, had he mentioned it subtly. Today, he was being blunt.

He wanted Ling Xiao’s love so badly. If love was too difficult, even superficial affection would do. That way, he wouldn’t have to scavenge for “scraps” in such a strange way. Furthermore, if things continued like this, he didn’t know if his body would start demanding even more.

He summoned his courage and stood up, intending to hug Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao moved away quickly. He wasn’t sure if he could remain 100% rational toward Chen Kongqing’s body, so the best way was to stay distant. After all, if something actually happened, this guy would cling to him forever. Besides, he had someone he was more interested in now; there was no need to let this “little cabbage” who always waited for him in the same spot tie him down.

“I’m exhausted. I’ve barely closed my eyes during training these past two days. Can you stop bothering me?”

“I’m not bothering you. Aren’t we a couple? I just wanted…” Looking at the man’s back, Chen Kongqing felt a wave of numbness in his chest. It was coming again—that unbearable feeling of constriction. He instinctively chased after him, grabbing Ling Xiao’s arm. “My condition is acting up. I really need some physical contact.”

“I told you, if you’re sick, go see a doctor. If you really want it that bad, should I just buy you a massager online?”

His hand was violently shoved away.

Chen Kongqing was stunned for a moment, and then his heart felt like it had been shattered. He didn’t know if it was because of Ling Xiao’s decisiveness when pushing him away, or because of those insulting words.

The atmosphere in the living room dropped to freezing point.

“Ling Xiao, saying that… is really over the line.” Chen Kongqing felt as if a thousand-pound boulder were pressing on his chest, making it impossible to breathe. He couldn’t stay here any longer.

He looked at Ling Xiao’s eyes—the phoenix eyes he loved most. But now, he was crying while looking at the very eyes that often appeared in his dreams. He didn’t want to look weak, so he wiped his face messily and turned to leave. “I’m going for a walk.”

Ling Xiao looked at the thin back as it moved away, and his throat felt a bit dry. He had forgotten that Chen Kongqing was sensitive. Feeling a bit annoyed at himself, he moved to follow.

Just then, the phone in his pocket rang. The man stopped, frowning as he pulled it out. The caller ID read: “Chengjing.”

At that moment, the sound of the door closing echoed in the hallway.

…

Chen Kongqing had actually fantasized about Ling Xiao chasing after him to apologize. But it was just a fleeting fantasy.

He sat on a flowerbed below the apartment building to get some air. Although there wasn’t much sun, his heart felt much calmer. Memories of his school days kept resurfacing.

[“Chen Kongqing, are you so quiet because your dad died and your mom didn’t want you?”] [“I heard his dad died because he went to pick him up from school.”] [“Your tongues are quite long. Want me to pull them out for you?”]

He still remembered the sunset that day, and the handsome face of the boy standing in that light. If Ling Xiao hadn’t helped him back then, perhaps he wouldn’t feel so miserable now.

The candle that had once lit his way was now burning him.

Once he had finished being sad, he suddenly thought of Xu Jingmo, who had taken care of him. Had his words earlier, which sounded like he was chasing the doctor away, “burned” someone else too? Dr. Xu certainly looked unhappy when he left.

As the wind blew, he wondered if he should send a message.

…

The wind today was indeed very strong, and it was making Xu Jingmo irritable. The man lay on his bed; despite having barely slept all night, he couldn’t fall asleep now. He blamed the sound of the wind outside.

But when he closed his eyes, he didn’t hear the wind. He heard the youth saying to Ling Xiao: “Cousin was just about to leave. I’m seeing him out.”

Cousin. To leave. Seeing him out.

But what was wrong with that? The boyfriend was back; naturally, he should leave. He should make way.

The innocent, dark bedsheets were gripped into irregular ripples by his hands. Just then, the phone by his pillow went ding-ding.

Assuming it was a message from the hospital, the man frowned and turned on the screen. The next second, the tension in his brow instantly vanished.

Azurite: [Dr. Xu, are you home yet?]