Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Two-timing?

“Hurry…” Zhou Mujun’s voice suddenly weakened. “Wait… wait a second. Let me wrap my head around this…”

What do you mean… he’s with his boyfriend?

Zhou Mujun scratched his already short hair, feeling like the guy in front of him was surely pulling his leg. “Are you messing with me?”

If anyone else had said this to him, he would have thought they were serious. But if it was Xu Jingmo?

Give him a break. Let alone “stealing someone’s partner,” the last time they went on a picnic, this guy told everyone they couldn’t even pick the wild vegetables growing in the public green belt.

The man didn’t speak. He simply stubbed out his nearly finished cigarette into a porcelain ashtray.

“Crap, are you for real?” Zhou Mujun’s tone was shocked. “Don’t just stay silent. You’re making me incredibly nervous.”

The crisp click of a lighter echoed in the room again. Xu Jingmo still didn’t speak, simply lighting another cigarette. The living room only had the hallway lights on, providing insufficient light, which made the spark at the end of the cigarette look exceptionally piercing.

Zhou Mujun glanced at the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts and couldn’t help but feel a chill. “This… he has a boyfriend, right? Not a husband. I think…”

“You think it’s feasible?” Xu Jingmo finally spoke.

Zhou Mujun braced himself and tried to empathize. “I think so! If you have the ability to win them over, that’s a skill in itself, right?”

Xu Jingmo: “You’re truly shameless.”

“Holy—” Zhou Mujun rubbed his head aggressively, genuinely annoyed. “Xu Jingmo, you—”

Xu Jingmo looked at him sideways, leaning his neck against the back of the chair, a smile curving his lips. “I’m even more shameless.”

For a moment, Zhou Mujun felt like he had a bone stuck in his throat. “No… how is it that you’re the one saying all the lines?”

Xu Jingmo fell silent again, staring at the white smoke rising from the ember. There was a touch of mockery in the curve of his lips—mockery aimed at himself.

Zhou Mujun could faintly tell this wasn’t just idle talk. He knew Xu Jingmo had a smoking habit when he was studying abroad, but he had quit instantly upon returning. Usually, he touched neither tobacco nor alcohol; after work, he was either at the gym or at home grinding through research.

He had never seen him smoke like this, as if he were trying to smoke back every cigarette he’d missed over the last two years.

“I thought about not disturbing him. But he isn’t living well,” Xu Jingmo turned his gaze toward the window. Night had fallen, dark and heavy.

Zhou Mujun was still thinking about how to respond. That sounded far too much like an excuse.

“But I also thought… even if he were living well,” Xu Jingmo added slowly after a few sharp car horns faded outside, “I probably still wouldn’t be able to stop myself from disturbing him.”

Zhou Mujun: “…” What am I supposed to say to that?

“I don’t have an objection anyway; I was already shameless to begin with,” Zhou Mujun pondered for a while before deciding to abandon his conscience. He pointed at the blue stone on the table. “Stop smoking. If you have time for this, hurry up and go use that thing to play the attentive suitor.”

“Do you know Professor Jin? The orthopedic expert,” Xu Jingmo suddenly pivoted the conversation.

Zhou Mujun blinked. “Yeah, why?”

Xu Jingmo: “Help me ask him something…”

…

“Master, I wanted to ask… those Trumpet Vines I planted. I’ve been keeping them indoors lately. They have sunlight, and the temperature and humidity are fine. Why… why does it still look like they won’t make it?” Chen Kongqing had finally caught his master, Old Xia, who was usually busy giving lectures, at the pharmacy.

“Trumpet Vines are climbers. They bloom in spring and summer and aren’t cold-resistant. Since they’re in pots and can’t climb a wall, it’s normal for them not to survive the winter,” Old Xia said, adjusting his reading glasses. “You seem to really like Trumpet Vines. After the New Year, I’ll find some good seedlings for you.”

It’s normal for them not to survive.

This sentence echoed in Chen Kongqing’s mind. After a few seconds, he forced a smile that wasn’t very sweet. “Thank you, Master.”

But those pots of Trumpet Vines were the ones he and Ling Xiao had chosen together. Even though he had been the only one responsible for the actual gardening afterward, he still felt the meaning was different.

“Stop grinding that Panax powder. Don’t you have a class this afternoon? Go to class,” his master urged, stepping forward to take the mortar from his hands.

“Oh, right.” Chen Kongqing realized it was getting late. He hurriedly threw on his backpack and left the pharmacy. Fortunately, the pharmacy wasn’t far from school.

Winter in Kun City was icy. The cold wind plastered itself against his face, making his nose turn red. But he was used to it; back in his freshman year, he had a part-time job as a tutor off-campus. He had to ride his bike there, and his fingers used to ache from the cold. At least now, he could get back to campus in a few steps. It was already much better.

Chen Kongqing hurried to his classroom and finished a lecture on Basic Theory of Chinese Herbal Medicine. He didn’t go straight back to the apartment; instead, he went to the gymnasium.

Since they had reconciled over the phone, he and Ling Xiao hadn’t actually managed to meet. When he went home, Ling Xiao was already at training; later, he was busy with lab work. They kept missing each other.

However, compared to before, Ling Xiao was now taking the initiative to send him messages. Not many, but at least they existed. He thought they could go back together today, and he would cook some of Ling Xiao’s favorite dishes.

The gym was crowded. Backpack on his shoulders, the youth walked light-footedly through the venue looking for him. He circled the basketball courts but didn’t see a sign of Ling Xiao.

Strange… He pulled out his phone to call Ling Xiao, but no one answered.

“Kongqing?” a voice called from behind.

Chen Kongqing turned around. It was Zhang Cheng. The man was in sports gear, dribbling a basketball. “I knew it was you just from your back.” After all, in a gym, the youth’s scholarly aura was far too distinctive.

“Captain Zhang,” Chen Kongqing greeted with a small smile.

“Looking for Ling Xiao?” Zhang Cheng approached.

Chen Kongqing nodded. “Yeah. Is he… not here? My calls aren’t going through.”

“He left,” Zhang Cheng replied, pulling the basketball to his chest. “Left quite early.”

“Really?” Chen Kongqing couldn’t help but feel confused. He had received a message from Ling Xiao before class saying he might be training until late.

“Then he probably went home first,” he said, pursing his lips and not thinking much further.

Zhang Cheng, however, seemed to hesitate for a long while before adding: “He left with Gu Chengjing. They probably didn’t go home.”

The youth in front of him looked bewildered; those eyes were simply too clear. It made Zhang Cheng feel like he didn’t know how to continue. But if he didn’t speak up, he felt it would be a sin.

“I’ll call him again later to ask,” Chen Kongqing nodded, preparing to say goodbye.

But Zhang Cheng spoke again. “Kongqing, I’ve known Ling Xiao for a long time. This guy… he has a lot of flaws. The fact that you can tolerate him, I should thank you on his behalf. But, if you ever find you can’t tolerate him, I’d think that’s perfectly normal too.”

“Ling Xiao does have a bit of a temper sometimes,” Chen Kongqing said, not quite understanding the underlying meaning, offering a lukewarm response.

Zhang Cheng hesitated. “If it were just his temper, I wouldn’t say anything. I’m a person who values principles. If there’s a problem with principles, then…”

“Captain Zhang… I don’t quite understand,” Chen Kongqing blinked. He had intended to just exchange pleasantries and leave, but now he didn’t even know how to brush this off.

Zhang Cheng gave a couple of awkward laughs. “Nothing, nothing. The wind is quite strong today. Be careful on the way back.”

“Okay…” Chen Kongqing licked his lips, wanting to ask more, but ultimately felt too embarrassed. “Then I’ll head out first, Captain Zhang.”

Leaving the gym, the youth headed toward the subway against the cold wind. For some reason, he felt like Zhang Cheng’s words were loaded.

Principles. Problems with principles.

He dialed Ling Xiao’s number again. “Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”

[“He left with Gu Chengjing. They probably didn’t go home.”]

Problems with principles. Two-timing?

When those words crashed into his mind, his breath seemed to catch in his throat.