Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: His Back Molars Felt Sour and Swollen

Chen Kongqing hurriedly suppressed his voice, casting his gaze downward toward his leg.

Xu Jingmo was leaning over his thigh, his hand pressing against a piece of medical dressing.

It turned out that the sudden sensation of cold and pain was because Dr. Xu was applying a dressing to the wound.

The man kept his eyes down, focused intently on securing the bandage.

Ling Xiao still caught a bit of the noise and asked over the phone: “What happened?”

“N-nothing…” Chen Kongqing pursed his lips and let out a light cough to cover it up.

In truth, there was nothing wrong with telling the truth. It was just that explaining the situation would be far too troublesome.

“Are you still at that herb warehouse? It’s raining pretty hard; do you want me to pick you up?” Ling Xiao didn’t seem to care much. He appeared to be in a good mood, rare for him to offer a ride, and his tone was noticeably upbeat.

Chen Kongqing bit his lip: “No… no need. I’ll be a bit later.”

“And when is that, babe? I’m craving that braised pig’s trotter you make.” The male voice on the phone was flippant and light.

Chen Kongqing was petrified.

Babe.

Ling Xiao had never called him that before.

If this were in the past, he would have been overjoyed—so happy he’d want to take a rocket home just to braise pig’s trotters for Ling Xiao. He might have even wanted to stew every fragrant pig’s trotter in the world for him.

But now…

He wasn’t particularly happy.

In fact, he felt a bit… uneasy.

He kept thinking back to the things Zhang Cheng had said to him.

Ling Xiao laughed: “Babe? Are you listening?”

Chen Kongqing pressed the receiver tightly against his cheek, instinctively not wanting Dr. Xu to hear: “I know…”

But he didn’t realize that in such a quiet space, the volume from the earpiece was practically the same as a speakerphone.

Xu Jingmo’s face remained expressionless as he finished dressing the wound. Yet, for some reason, his back molars felt sour and swollen—as if he were grinding them in frustration.

His gaze was suddenly drawn to a scar.

It was a physical scar on the “rabbit’s” ankle.

The full scar was likely hidden beneath the sock line, so only a few centimeters of the tail end of the scar were exposed to him.

When he was injured… when he had surgery… how much must it have hurt?

Xu Jingmo suddenly stood up and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling panoramic window in the living room.

Chen Kongqing’s eyes followed him.

The man stood before the glass, hands on his hips, taking several deep breaths.

Xu Jingmo was nearly 190cm tall with excellent proportions. Standing there with his hands on his waist, he was unintentionally putting his physique on full display.

“Is your signal bad? Why’d you go quiet again?” Ling Xiao’s loud voice pulled Chen Kongqing’s attention back.

“Mm… I’ll be back in a bit. If you want pig’s trotters, remember to buy some at the shop downstairs.” Chen Kongqing finally spoke.

He noticed something new.

Ling Xiao was quite noisy. He had always been very noisy.

Ling Xiao said irritably: “Can’t you buy them?”

Chen Kongqing: “The shop will definitely be closed by the time I get back.”

Ling Xiao: “Fine.”

As if to express his displeasure, Ling Xiao hung up abruptly.

A series of “beep-beep-beep” busy tones filled Chen Kongqing’s ear.

He was used to it, though. He was used to the speed at which Ling Xiao hung up the phone. Thus, he tucked his phone away without much thought.

Chen Kongqing’s gaze drifted back toward the window.

The man was still standing there, his back turned to him.

Yet, for some reason, Chen Kongqing felt as though he could see Dr. Xu’s expression. It must be very stern. Perhaps even angry. He didn’t know why he was imagining it that way.

The young man pursed his lips, moved his injured leg, and prepared to stand up.

Before his seat could even leave the chair, Xu Jingmo turned around.

“Stay seated.”

Those two words were incredibly stiff—much harder than the material of the lounge chair.

“I just applied the dressing. Rest for a while.” Realizing his tone was too harsh, the man softened his voice to add the explanation.

Chen Kongqing didn’t dare move: “Okay…”

The kitten, having slept in the cardboard box, was now fully revitalized by the surrounding warmth. It was currently scratching at the box and letting out “meow meow” cries.

Xu Jingmo walked over and crouched down, tapping the kitten’s head.

It was a tuxedo cat with two patches of black fur and one patch of white on its face. Its fur had been soaked; though it was dry now, it wasn’t completely fluffy yet and still looked a bit dusty.

But on its soft white “gloves” were pink, tender little paw pads. Once washed, it would likely look like a fresh, fragrant little towel.

“Meow!” The little kitten had quite a temper. Despite not having all its teeth yet, it hissed at him.

Xu Jingmo curled his lips into a slight smile. He found a clean, soft towel and began gently wiping down the feisty little tuxedo.

Chen Kongqing didn’t stay idle either; he started browsing online for cat beds and litter boxes. He had never owned a cat, but he knew these two were essentials.

“Dr. Xu, I ordered a bed and a litter box online, but the earliest they’ll arrive is tomorrow. It’ll have to make do with the cardboard box for tonight,” Chen Kongqing said, scrolling through the app.

“Alright, I’ll line the box with some soft towels to keep it warm,” Xu Jingmo replied in a casual tone.

Yet, for some reason, Chen Kongqing still felt like Dr. Xu was angry.

Xu Jingmo cleaned the dusty kitten and fixed up its makeshift bed. Chen Kongqing sat in the chair, not knowing how to help, so he just sat there awkwardly.

A few minutes later, he suddenly remembered: “Dr. Xu, is that stone here? I can take a look at it now.”

This was likely the only thing he could actually do to help.

Xu Jingmo rose from the carpet: “It’s here. I’ll go get it.”

The man walked to the other side of the TV wall.

This was a large, flat-layout apartment. The space was spacious and minimalist, styled in a purely modern aesthetic. Every piece of furniture, from the color to the material, had clearly been chosen with care.

Chen Kongqing used to think the apartments in Tianyue Community were quite large, but compared to this “flat-floor” unit, they seemed tiny.

Xu Jingmo took the blue stone down from a hollowed-out storage wall behind the TV and placed it on the round coffee table next to Chen Kongqing.

Chen Kongqing’s gaze was instantly glued to the blue-green stone.

He extended an index finger, white as a scallion, and lightly tapped the hard surface of the stone with his knuckle.

Knock, knock.

It was hollow.

He ran his fingertips lightly over the surface and then stared at the stone, examining it from all angles.

“I might need to lift it up,” Chen Kongqing said, looking at the owner of the stone for permission.

Xu Jingmo warned him: “It’s a bit heavy.”

“It’s fine,” Chen Kongqing said, cupping the stone with both hands.

He expected it to be heavy, but in fact, it felt as though he could lift it with one hand. He held the stone and shook it.

A clear sound of flowing water reached his ears.

“It is Kongqing (Hollow Green).” Like an old traditional doctor making a critical diagnosis, the young man gave a firm answer. “There is liquid inside.”

Xu Jingmo: “If there’s water, it’s Kongqing?”

“Yes, if there’s water inside, it’s Kongqing; if not, it’s Zengqing (Layered Green),” Chen Kongqing explained patiently. “Kongqing is used to treat blindness. You drill a hole to extract the liquid, then mix it with a bit of Fritillaria to make eye drops. It’s very effective.”

“So that’s how it works,” Xu Jingmo listened intently.

He noticed that this “rabbit” only seemed to become a bit more lively and talkative when discussing these subjects.

He looked a bit like he did when they were kids.

“Brother! Let’s go play in the park this afternoon, okay?”

“Brother, can I borrow your game console to play with my classmates?”

“Brother! Where are you going? Why aren’t you taking Xiaoman with you!”

Chen Kongqing felt something was slightly off.

The gaze Dr. Xu was casting toward him had suddenly become scorching and somewhat… thick. It was an indescribable feeling.

But quickly, that burning gaze was withdrawn.

Chen Kongqing blinked and continued his summary: “In short, Kongqing is a rare and excellent medicinal material. It’s very precious; you can hardly find it nowadays.”

Xu Jingmo: “It is indeed precious.”

Of course it was precious.

“Meow, meow, meow!” The kitten, which had been quiet in the box for a while, seemed to be seeking attention, letting out a couple of “fierce” cries.

In reality, it was just a tiny kitten voice.

“Should we feed it some milk?” Chen Kongqing suddenly thought of this vital task. They had forgotten to feed it.

“Right, I have milk powder at home. I’ll go fix some for it.” Xu Jingmo realized as well and turned to head to the kitchen.

Chen Kongqing couldn’t sit still any longer. He stood up, carefully lifting his leg. The dressing on his leg felt cool and was quite effective at dulling the pain. There was a slight pull when he moved, but it was much better than before.

He walked to the box and leaned down slowly to look at the cat.

The black-and-white patterned kitten looked like a baby version of “Black Cat Detective,” though its eyes weren’t quite as wise; instead, it looked a bit dazed.

He wanted to reach out and pet its soft head, but his hands were always cold in the winter. So, he blew a puff of warm air into his palms before stroking the kitten.

The kitten seemed to recognize him. It pressed against his palm obediently, and even its meows became soft and sweet.

Chen Kongqing felt his heart melting. He responded softly: “Little Kitty.”

“Doesn’t it hurt to squat?” Xu Jingmo had returned with the milk. Seeing the young man half-squatting, he couldn’t help but frown.

“This dressing is so comfortable. It feels much better after putting it on.” Chen Kongqing tapped the kitten’s head twice more before reluctantly withdrawing his hand and standing up.

“It has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. You can take it off this time tomorrow.” Xu Jingmo held a small nursing bottle.

The bottle contained a small amount of pure white milk. The man even professionally dripped some onto the back of his hand to check the temperature.

Chen Kongqing was momentarily stunned.

He looked far too much like an experienced “nanny-dad.”

The man knelt down and began feeding the kitten: “I’ll give it a little first. Kittens like this shouldn’t have too much at once; it causes diarrhea easily. I’ll take it to the hospital tomorrow for a check-up, and then I’ll buy some specialized kitten milk powder.”

The kitten flailed its tiny paws, its mouth powerfully latching onto the nipple as it sucked greedily.

“It’s starving,” Xu Jingmo said softly, his lips curling into a faint smile.

Chen Kongqing stood to the side, watching the tall, strong man feed the kitten.

It was quite a contrast.

And… it was a bit too professional. Even the way he spoke sounded like a “Daddy.”

And who keeps baby bottles and milk powder at home? Surely only a household with a child.

Could it be that Dr. Xu… was married? And even had a child?

But he hadn’t heard anything about this before. In fact, when they were playing games at the bar, Dr. Xu had mentioned he had never even been in a relationship.

His mind was filled with question marks, and then, as if possessed, he blurted out:

“Dr. Xu… do you have a child?”