Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: “It Smells Very Good. I Like It Very Much.”

The consultation room wasn’t large, so Chen Kongqing’s words were very clear. They leaped, word by word, into a certain someone’s eardrums.

After Chen Kongqing finished speaking, he felt a sense of relief. Even his brown pupils remained fixed on Dr. Xu’s gaze with a newfound confidence.

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and his gaze shifted back to the computer screen with a hint of flustered displacement.

Chen Kongqing thought Dr. Xu would say something, but to his surprise, Dr. Xu simply gave a flat, “Mm” in response. It was hard to read.

Xu Jingmo stared at the characters on the screen, but suddenly, it was as if he no longer recognized Chinese. He couldn’t understand a single word, nor could he type a single character. His fingers stayed suspended over the keyboard, refusing to descend.

No one knew how many seconds of silence accumulated in that quiet space.

The crisp sound of typing eventually restarted in Chen Kongqing’s ears, and Dr. Xu finally spoke again: “How do you feel after the breakup? Do you feel relieved, or… very sad?”

Sad?

Chen Kongqing lowered his gaze slightly and began to think seriously. Since the breakup, he hadn’t actually considered whether he was heartbroken. He had been too busy doing experiments and organizing his things.

Now that he was still, he realized he wasn’t very sad. Instead, he felt relieved—the feeling of finally ending something that was no good.

“I’m not sad,” Chen Kongqing replied, the corners of his lips curving upward. “Actually, I feel relieved. If I have to name a negative emotion, it’s just… a tiny bit of an empty feeling in my heart.”

Xu Jingmo nodded. “Do you have any expectations or hope for a reconciliation?”

Chen Kongqing didn’t understand what these questions signified in psychological terms; he simply cooperated and answered truthfully.

“No. I don’t have that thought at all.”

The rabbit in front of him shook his head with absolute certainty.

“Good.” Xu Jingmo continued typing, but he couldn’t suppress a faint, shallow curve at the corner of his mouth. “Extricating yourself from an unhealthy romantic relationship will definitely help stabilize your condition. Therefore, at this stage, we don’t need to take any other interventional therapies. We’ll observe the changes first before adjusting the treatment methods.”

Chen Kongqing listened intently, nodding like a chick pecking at grain to show his agreement.

“Take this slip to get your medicine.” The man handed over the prescription.

“Okay.” Chen Kongqing took it, not forgetting the dinner invitation. “Is Dr. Xu free tonight? I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

“Yes. I have one more patient after this,” Xu Jingmo answered. “I finish at five.”

“Great, I’ll go get the medicine first.” Chen Kongqing responded with a light tone and stood up to leave. “Contact me when you’re off work, Dr. Xu.”

The man in the white coat nodded, watching the youth leave. It wasn’t until the door opened and closed that the man slowly retracted his gaze and looked out the window.

The sky was gloomy, and dark clouds swallowed the light. It was the kind of overcast day he used to hate most. For some reason, looking at it today, it wasn’t so bad.

…

“I hate this…” Chen Kongqing stood under the hospital entrance’s porch, listening to pedestrians complain about the fickle weather.

There had been sun in the afternoon, but now it was pouring rain. The weather forecast had only sent an alert two hours ago. Naturally, he hadn’t had the foresight to bring an umbrella.

In Kunming’s winter, a cold rain is enough to freeze one’s nose off. However, it was fine—he was waiting for Dr. Xu anyway, so it wasn’t a waste of time.

Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated. After unlocking it, he saw a string of messages from Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao: [When are you moving your stuff?] Ling Xiao: [Didn’t you say you were moving out?]

Azurite: [There’s a lot of stuff. I’ve already taken some.] Azurite: [I’ll come move the rest tomorrow.] Azurite: [Don’t worry, I’ll get it all out as soon as possible.]

Ling Xiao: [Come back once right now.]

Azurite: [Now?] Azurite: [I don’t have time.]

He didn’t want to go back now because he didn’t want to see Ling Xiao. Besides, he had already asked Dr. Xu to dinner; it wouldn’t be right to break the appointment.

Ling Xiao: [You organized most of the things in the house.] Ling Xiao: [You need to tell me where things are.] Ling Xiao: [And your plants and flowers are taking up too much space.]

Chen Kongqing frowned at the messages. He didn’t actually keep many plants. Aside from those two Trumpet Creepers he had already thrown in the trash, there were only two spider plants. Those two had always grown well, and he intended to take them. If left in the apartment, Ling Xiao wouldn’t bother with them at all.

Azurite: [I’ll come over tomorrow then.]

Ling Xiao: [Do it today. I won’t be home tomorrow. You need to hand over the keys to me.]

Chen Kongqing looked at the chat bubbles, feeling a bit helpless.

Azurite: [Fine.] Azurite: [I’ll come over now.]

Ling Xiao: [Mm.]

He exited the chat with Ling Xiao and tapped into the interface with Xu Jingmo.

Azurite: [Dr. Xu, I’m so sorry.] Azurite: [Something came up unexpectedly. I can’t do dinner tonight.] Azurite: [I’m truly sorry.]

He waited a while after sending the message, but there was no reply. The rain showed no signs of stopping. He decided not to wait anymore. Putting his phone back, he prepared to dash into the rain to catch a taxi outside the hospital gates.

Just as he was about to step onto the rain-soaked stone steps, a black umbrella suddenly covered his head.

“I’ll drive you.” The speaker was Xu Jingmo.

The man had taken off his white coat. Over his formal shirt, he wore a leather jacket—not an old-fashioned style, but one with a designed button-up stand-up collar, layered with a plaid shirt and a dark tie.

Chen Kongqing’s eyes were instantly fixed. He had always felt that this “within-the-system” formal style looked ordinary on most people, often making them look older or, if they didn’t have a good physique, even greasy.

But… on Dr. Xu, those problems didn’t seem to exist. It only brought out a steady, mature temperament; every movement was full of grace.

“There was a meeting in the city today… so I dressed like this. Don’t mind it.” Xu Jingmo naturally noticed the rabbit’s gaze fixed on him. Curse today’s seminar—wearing this surely made him look… older.

“It’s not strange at all. It looks very good,” Chen Kongqing said sincerely, his eyes curving. “You’re off work, Dr. Xu.”

“Mm. I was in the elevator when you messaged me.” Xu Jingmo was nearly undone by that “looks very good,” so much so that even the arm holding the umbrella faltered.

But this time, the rabbit didn’t dodge his umbrella. The two of them naturally sheltered under the single canopy, walking through the pitter-patter of the rain.

He suddenly loved rainy days. “Where are you going? I’ll drop you off.”

“I… have to go back once unexpectedly.” Chen Kongqing pursed his lips. “To pack some things and move out.”

Xu Jingmo: “Back to Tianyue Apartments?”

Chen Kongqing nodded.

“It’s on my way. I’ll take you.” Xu Jingmo pursed his lips. “Where are you planning to move? The school?”

“The school… I probably can’t move in until next semester. And I want to bring Black Cat Detective over, so I’ll probably rent a place.” The umbrella wasn’t small, but it was still a bit cramped for two people. Consequently, the two were almost pressed against each other.

Chen Kongqing tucked in his neck and arms, trying to compress himself into a smaller shape. He didn’t look up to see that the black umbrella above was already tilted significantly toward him.

Meanwhile, a certain someone’s right shoulder was being soaked, drop by drop, by the rain.

“Have you rented a place yet?” Xu Jingmo continued to ask.

Chen Kongqing answered vaguely, “Mm… I’m still looking. Almost found one.”

Xu Jingmo: “Then where are you planning to stay for now?”

He admitted to himself that this persistent questioning was strange, but… he couldn’t help but ask. A few seconds passed.

“I’m staying with a Senior for now, just for a transition.” Chen Kongqing wasn’t very good at lying, so he buried his head even lower. He didn’t want to say he was staying in the lab; it felt too embarrassing, even though he personally found sleeping in the lab quite comfortable.

The male voice beside him suddenly turned a bit cold: “Senior? Which Senior?”

Chen Kongqing was dazed for a few seconds. Which Senior? Dr. Xu probably wouldn’t know any of them…

“Just a Senior from my research group… he’s quite warm-hearted.” The rabbit blinked blankly.

Xu Jingmo repeated: “Warm-hearted… he certainly is quite warm-hearted.”

“…” Chen Kongqing didn’t know how to respond. Besides, Dr. Xu’s tone… didn’t sound like a compliment. In fact, it was a bit chilling.

The rabbit coughed twice uncomfortably. “Yes… he’s a very good person.”

“Do you have a cold?” Xu Jingmo keenly caught those two coughs. He finally switched back to a normal tone, looking down at the rabbit huddled in his down jacket.

From this angle, the rabbit’s head looked even rounder. A few strands of chestnut hair were blown up by the wind at his crown. He really wanted to reach out and run his fingers through that soft hair. His fingertips would surely be drenched in that faint medicinal scent of the rabbit’s.

Chen Kongqing felt a sudden tingling sensation on the top of his head. He didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just the wind. “No, the wind is just a bit strong.”

The rain weakened slightly, and the sound became less noisy, gaining a touch of softness. Chen Kongqing looked at the wet ground beneath his feet, pursing his lips and wondering if he should say something to find a topic. Why is this path so long? Why haven’t we arrived yet?

At that moment, the familiar scent of Earl Grey flooded his nose, mixed with the damp moisture. It was a very fresh smell. Smelling it, a thought suddenly struck him.

He was so close to Dr. Xu that he could smell him; Dr. Xu could surely smell him too. Ling Xiao’s voice suddenly intruded into his memory:

[“Go shower quickly, you stink.”] [“The herbal smell on him is disgusting.”] [“You smell like medicine, stay away from me.”]

His heart suddenly felt as if a stone were pressing down on it. He braced himself and whispered, “I stayed in the lab for a long time today. Is the herbal smell on me… very unpleasant? I’m sorry, Dr. Xu.”

Then, there was a long silence. This silence, proportional to time, piled up against the rabbit’s heart like one heavy stone after another.

It was in this moment that a steady, cherished male voice reached his ear:

“It smells very good. I like it very much.”