Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: “What car accident?” asked Xu Jingmo, who rarely spoke.

“Cousin… you too?” Xiao Bao was clearly a bit tipsy, his tongue thick with surprise. “You’re so tall and handsome… you completely don’t need to be [a virgin]?”

The man tilted his gaze and smiled at Xiao Bao. “Work keeps me quite busy.”

However, in his peripheral vision, he was still focused on that little “red tomato.” The corners of his lips curled upward uncontrollably.

Chen Kongqing finally felt like he could breathe again. He wasn’t sure if Dr. Xu had been looking at him just now, nor did he understand why he felt so suffocated. Was it out of surprise that Dr. Xu was also… a virgin?

He found it strange, so he instinctively shifted his gaze toward Ling Xiao. The man seemed to be talking to Gu Chengjing; they were clinking their glasses together. Ling Xiao’s expression was no longer harsh; he looked softened, even docile. It seemed Ling Xiao was nice to everyone—except for him. With him, Ling Xiao’s temper was always explosive.

The flush on Chen Kongqing’s face slowly receded, and his clear willow-leaf eyes regained that faint, cool distance.

“Ling Xiao, it’s your turn. Stop drinking.” Xiao Bao, truly drunk now, shouted so loudly that everyone’s ears rang.

Chen Kongqing slowly withdrew his gaze, taking a sip of the cold liquor in his glass. He seemed to have grown accustomed to the taste; it wasn’t as piercing as the first sip.

Ling Xiao spoke, casually mentioning something uninteresting, and the people following him weren’t particularly bold either. Until it reached Xiao Song.

Xiao Song thought for a long time before speaking. “I… I have a steel plate in my body that hasn’t been removed yet.”

Mu Mu: “Damn, I just had mine taken out this year.”

Chen Kongqing reacted reflexively, reaching for his glass before remembering that he also had a steel plate in his leg. He silently set the glass back down.

Xiao Song, acting like a detective, widened his eyes. “Kongqing, I caught you! Quick, drink.”

“I have a steel plate in my leg too. It hasn’t been removed yet,” Chen Kongqing explained, not trying to dodge the drink.

“Was it from that car accident?” Zhang Cheng knew about the incident.

Chen Kongqing pursed his lips and nodded. Ling Xiao’s face instantly turned ashen, and he downed a glass of liquor in silence.

“What car accident?” Xu Jingmo, who had barely spoken, opened his mouth. His tone was very stern.

“Ah… it was just…” Chen Kongqing didn’t know why he suddenly started stammering.

“Ling Xiao was crossing the street, and a driver fell asleep at the wheel and sped toward him. Kongqing saw it and rushed out. Ling Xiao was fine, but Kongqing’s leg was crushed,” Zhang Cheng said, putting an arm around Ling Xiao’s shoulder. “You really have to treat Kongqing well. For us athletes, you know how hard it is to fix a broken leg.”

Ling Xiao, pinned by the arm, forced a smile but didn’t dare look at Chen Kongqing across from him.

“Kongqing, you’re too good.” Xiao Song, moved after hearing the story, patted the youth’s thin shoulder. “You’re a friend worth having. Let’s add each other on WeChat.”

Chen Kongqing smiled faintly, feeling a bit embarrassed. “It was nothing. It’s just like my normal leg now.” He hadn’t thought much of it at the time; it had happened in an instant. He just didn’t want Ling Xiao to get hurt. He was thinking of Ling Xiao’s basketball dreams.

At that moment, Xu Jingmo’s phoenix eyes grew exceptionally dark, and the temperature around them seemed to drop. Suddenly, a cold, hard voice sliced through the air.

“What do you mean ‘it was nothing’? You have a steel plate in you, and you call that ‘nothing’?”

He sounded like an elder disciplining a junior. Without needing to shout, he commanded natural authority. Not only did Chen Kongqing’s heart tighten, but the others also broke into a cold sweat.

The youth felt helpless, his misty eyes lifting slightly to see Dr. Xu’s tense jaw before quickly dropping again. His gaze darted around with nowhere to settle. The chaotic background music contrasted with the dead silence at the booth—it was incredibly eerie.

Even the mood-maker, Zhang Cheng, didn’t know how to break the tension. He could only watch as the atmosphere stretched like a taut string.

Xu Jingmo kept a cold face, his jaw clenched. After quickly regulating his breathing, he softened his tone. “Apologies. I am a doctor. I take these matters very seriously.”

“Hahaha, under… understandable,” Zhang Cheng spoke up quickly, taking the offered out. He was about to change the subject.

“Which leg was injured? What material is the steel plate? When is it scheduled for removal?” Xu Jingmo seemingly tried to hold back, but failed.

Zhang Cheng swallowed the new topic he was about to start. Fine, fine… how did this turn into a doctor’s consultation?

Chen Kongqing was stunned for several seconds before he started reporting his medical history right there in the bar booth. “Left leg… it’s a titanium plate… to be removed in a year and a half…”

Zhang Cheng shot Ling Xiao several sharp looks. Ling Xiao pursed his lips and finally spoke. “Ge… about this matter, I will definitely take responsibility.”

“Responsibility?” Xu Jingmo smirked, a hint of a laugh escaping his breath. Ling Xiao, knowing he was in the wrong, didn’t say more.

“You can’t entirely blame Ling Xiao for this. It’s not like Ling Xiao asked Kongqing to block the car for him,” Gu Chengjing cut in.

What was previously just a cold atmosphere was now ignited with sparks. Hearing those words, Chen Kongqing’s lashes trembled as he looked at Ling Xiao.

“I really… didn’t intend for Chen Kongqing to get hurt for me,” Ling Xiao scratched his head, looking very troubled.

“Actually, no one wanted this to happen. All the responsibility shouldn’t be dumped on Ling Xiao…” Gu Chengjing was still speaking when his gaze met Xu Jingmo’s in the shadows. Even in the dim light, he felt as if he were being pinned to the seat by an unmasked warning. Gu Chengjing was instantly frozen by that look, the words catching in his throat.

Chen Kongqing listened to Gu Chengjing’s words and lowered his eyes, clutching the fabric over his knees again. It felt as if acid were flowing into his heart, corroding and burning. It was both painful and numb.

He really wanted to ask Ling Xiao: Is it only because of my leg injury that you’re willing to be with me? But that was never his intention. He didn’t want Ling Xiao to think that way.

Refusing to stay silent any longer, he summoned his courage and spoke in front of everyone. “Ling Xiao, I never thought about using this incident to make you responsible for me. At that time, I only thought that your match was coming up and you couldn’t get hurt. I wasn’t thinking, ‘If I help you, you have to be good to me and be with me.’ I never thought that.”

The youth spoke word by word, neither humble nor arrogant, staring at Ling Xiao who refused to look up. “I have never said anything like ‘I got hurt for you.’ Never. Being together afterward was something you proposed.”

Chen Kongqing didn’t know why, but his voice trembled toward the end. After a few seconds, Ling Xiao still hadn’t responded.

He stood up, trying to stabilize his emotions. “Sorry, everyone. I just remembered I have an assignment to finish. I’ll head out first.”

He didn’t look back or look at anyone, walking away with hurried steps. Behind him, he heard someone calling his name, telling him not to go. But he felt he had to leave. If he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to breathe.

The atmosphere at the booth dropped to freezing. Zhang Cheng nudged Ling Xiao with his elbow. “Go after him!”

The one who stood up, however, was Xu Jingmo. Without pausing, the man left only a brief sentence: “I have something to take care of as well. Enjoy your evening, everyone.”