Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: An Unrestrained Hum Escaped His Tightly Pressed Lips

Chen Kongqing held the cardboard box, looking as if he had been petrified on the spot.

Did he… just hear that correctly?

Dr. Xu… Dr. Xu asked him to take off his pants?

Take off… his pants??

He knew he had to take off his shoes before entering, but why the pants?

In the next second, a pair of clean men’s slippers was placed by his feet.

The man maintained a cold expression, yet his voice couldn’t hide its warmth: “Did you fall just now? Did you hit the leg that was originally fractured?”

So, he wanted him to take off his pants just to check the injury?

But… how did Dr. Xu know he fell?

While he remained silent, Xu Jingmo was already standing before him, his gaze like a torch.

Chen Kongqing instinctively looked away. Inside the cardboard box, the kitten opened its two round eyes and let out a “meow meow” at him.

At that moment, Xu Jingmo naturally reached out to take the box: “Change your shoes.”

“Okay…” Chen Kongqing nodded, leaning over obediently to switch shoes.

However, the simple act of bending over inevitably pulled at his leg, causing a wave of pain.

He let out a small, sharp intake of breath.

Xu Jingmo turned on the heater. He placed the babbling, whimpering kitten—still in its box—onto the warm carpet.

Then, he turned back to tend to the “rabbit” who didn’t know how to cry out.

The silent “rabbit” limped slowly into the living room.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

As he spoke, Xu Jingmo walked back to his side.

“A little.” Chen Kongqing pursed his lips, wondering if his limp was really that obvious.

Xu Jingmo: “Where did you fall?”

“On my leg. I might have scraped some skin off,” Chen Kongqing answered, instinctively tugging at the fabric on his thigh.

Luckily he was wearing casual pants today; if they had been tight, the friction against his skin would have been even more painful.

“It’s… it’s no big deal. I’ll handle it in a bit,” the young man said, moving as if to set up a bed for the kitten.

But before he could take a step, his wrist was suddenly gripped.

The grip wasn’t heavy, yet Chen Kongqing felt instantly pinned in place.

“Take off your pants so I can see,” Xu Jingmo repeated in a serious tone.

It was the exact same tone a doctor used during childhood when getting a shot in the backside: Take off your pants.

“No… it’s fine.” How could he have the nerve to take off his pants in front of Dr. Xu?

Chen Kongqing felt the tips of his ears start to burn again; this time, the heat was spreading to his face and heart.

His gaze darted around in panic, accidentally colliding with Xu Jingmo’s eyes once more.

That look… how should he describe it?

It looked as if the man was about to step in and do it himself the next second.

Chen Kongqing panicked even more, his wrist twitching slightly within the man’s grasp.

Two seconds later, staring at the face that was turning as red as a tomato, Xu Jingmo silently released the slender wrist. He softened his voice: “Roll them up so I can see the injury. I have a first-aid kit; I can help you clean it.”

Only then did Chen Kongqing nod. He leaned down and began to roll up his left trouser leg.

One fold, then another.

Xu Jingmo lowered his eyes. The first thing that came into view was an ankle so thin he could wrap his hand around it.

The ankle bone pressed against thin skin, and further up was a soft, white, and straight calf.

Chen Kongqing rolled the pant leg up past his knee. He saw the injury himself: the knee was flushed red, and there was an abrasion in the popliteal space behind the knee. The red marks were raw, with tiny beads of blood seeping out.

“Sit down, I’ll apply the medicine.” Looking at the wound, Xu Jingmo’s brow furrowed even tighter.

Chen Kongqing moved slowly to a lounge chair and sat down, extending his leg.

The man approached with the medical kit and knelt down.

Dr. Xu was more than half a head taller than him; usually, Chen Kongqing had to crane his neck to speak to him. This was the first time he was looking down at the man like this.

Dr. Xu’s features were naturally deep, and his brow line was sharp.

Even though the man was usually polite and modest, he carried an innate “do not approach” aura.

However, looking down at him now, the deep brow and sharp contours of his face seemed to soften.

For some reason…

He felt a sense of familiarity.

As if he had dreamed of this a long, long time ago.

During that moment of distraction, Xu Jingmo had already taken a bottle of iodine and medical cotton swabs from the kit: “Why didn’t you say anything when you fell?”

“It didn’t hurt much just now… so I forgot,” Chen Kongqing snapped back to reality and replied softly.

It really hadn’t hurt much earlier; it was just a bit numb, so he hadn’t paid it much mind.

Xu Jingmo gently pressed the iodine-soaked swab against the young man’s soft calf: “How did you fall?”

The man’s touch was very light. He didn’t go straight for the broken skin; instead, he dabbed the surrounding reddened area first, giving Chen Kongqing time to adjust.

“I just… my foot slipped.” Chen Kongqing felt that the way he fell was a bit ridiculous.

Tripping on flat ground was just embarrassing.

“Did you fall face-up?” Xu Jingmo asked, switching to a new swab.

Chen Kongqing: “Mm…”

Xu Jingmo: “Are there injuries anywhere else?”

Anywhere else…

Wasn’t he asking if he had landed on his butt?

Even if he had, he wasn’t going to admit it.

Yeah.

Chen Kongqing drifted off into his own thoughts again.

Until the cold iodine touched the wound.

Xu Jingmo: “It might sting a bit, bear with it.”

Chen Kongqing had always felt he was particularly sensitive to pain. Even though Dr. Xu was being incredibly gentle and iodine is the mildest disinfectant, he still couldn’t help but let out two small whimpers.

They were very thin, very light—like a tiny wisp of air caught in a breath.

The man’s fingers holding the swab paused slightly. A dry heat suddenly rose in his throat.

Before him was the young man’s pale, fair leg.

Chen Kongqing’s legs were thin, but not scrawny; they were well-proportioned, straight, and long.

“I’ll be gentler,” he said, quickly averting his gaze slightly.

“It’s okay, it only hurts a little.” Chen Kongqing bit his lower lip, trying to hold back any more sounds.

But he didn’t know that the sounds he tried to suppress were even harder to withstand.

The Adam’s apple of the man kneeling on the floor bobbed up and down.

The dry heat in his throat didn’t improve; instead, it seemed to intensify.

Suddenly, a loud ringtone broke the silence.

Hearing it, Chen Kongqing pursed his lips and pulled his phone from his pocket.

The caller ID read: “Ling Xiao [Pink Heart]”.

Xu Jingmo glanced up slightly. He had no desire to pry into others’ privacy.

But that pink heart on the display was simply too eyesore.

Quickly, he withdrew his gaze, his jaw tightening.

Chen Kongqing answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear: “Hello… what is it?”

“Hey… I’m coming back early tonight. Are you home?” the male voice on the phone asked.

“I… I’m not home,” Chen Kongqing replied.

Ling Xiao asked again: “Oh, then where are you? When will you be back?”

Chen Kongqing was at a loss for words.

He hadn’t planned on saying he was at Dr. Xu’s house.

Besides, he currently had his pant leg rolled up…

It felt quite strange to explain.

It was at that exact moment that a cold sensation accompanied by a sharp sting hit his leg.

He couldn’t help it; an unrestrained hum escaped from his tightly pressed lips.