Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: “Chen Kongqing, can I hug you?”

The air was unknowingly wrapped in a persistent layer of damp gloom.

Chen Kongqing held the kitten and turned slightly with some hesitation. It was a cloudy day; the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room were undraped, but the lights weren’t on, so the lighting was meager.

Xu Jingmo sat there alone on the long sofa, looking dark and gloomy, and he wasn’t speaking. It was indeed a bit strange. The injuries on his face had subsided significantly since last night, far less noticeable than the dark circles under his eyes.

The rabbit held his breath, inevitably feeling tense. “Dr. Xu… are you okay? Is the wound inflamed?”

The man on the sofa lifted his gaze slightly. He didn’t look well at all.

Chen Kongqing walked over with the kitten. Black Cat Detective seemed to sense a strange magnetic field; unwilling to get too close to the “ghostly” man, it wriggled out of the rabbit’s arms and ran away.

Chen Kongqing didn’t chase after it, letting the cat go. After all, currently, Dr. Xu’s state required much more attention than the kitten’s. He advanced toward this “drenched statue,” eventually sitting down beside it to inspect the wound up close.

To the naked eye, the wound looked better than last night; it was slowly healing into a scab, with no redness or pus. It shouldn’t be inflamed.

Then… is it a fever?

The youth reached out and naturally touched the man’s forehead with his palm and the back of his hand to check. It didn’t feel hot.

“You don’t have a fever,” Chen Kongqing said, dropping his hand in confusion. “Dr. Xu, is there somewhere else you’re feeling unwell?”

Xu Jingmo: “I’m fine.”

Indeed. Just a second ago, the “statue” that seemed sealed in place had been unsealed by the rabbit’s soft, warm palm.

“I just didn’t rest well last night, that’s all.” The gloom on the man’s face finally softened, and his gaze slowly drifted down toward the rabbit beside him.

“Is it because the wound hurts?” The rabbit knit his brows.

The man managed a smile, his tone light. “No, it’s just a small injury. It doesn’t hurt.”

The more Dr. Xu acted like this, the more Chen Kongqing felt it must be the pain. The rabbit bit his lip. “Should I apply the medicine again?”

Xu Jingmo nodded slightly. “If you’re free, you could.”

Hearing that, who could say they weren’t free?

“I am. It’s Saturday; I’m free all day.” As he spoke, the rabbit had already stood up to get the medical kit. Having the experience from last night, he was much more proficient today.

Chen Kongqing’s movements remained gentle, unhurriedly applying the ointment to the corner of the man’s mouth. “Is there anything you want to eat, Dr. Xu? I said I’d treat you to a meal tonight.”

A certain someone tilted his head slightly, his eyelids drooping. His gaze narrowed as he stared at the rabbit right in front of him. “Braised pork trotters.”

Hearing this answer, Chen Kongqing suddenly remembered that Dr. Xu had mentioned “braised pork trotters” several times now.

“Right, right… you mentioned that. I almost forgot again.” The rabbit smiled somewhat sheepishly.

“Let’s eat at home. Since you know how to cook, I want to taste your skills, Student Chen.” The man opened his lips slightly. “Besides, with this face… I should stay home for a few days so I don’t go out and scare people.”

“It’s not like that. It’s not scary at all.”

Chen Kongqing truly didn’t think the injury was scary. To be precise, he had never seen anyone injured so… appropriately. It wasn’t ugly at all. Instead, it added a sense of fragility and brokenness to that deep, chiseled face, neutralizing his usual intimidating aura.

Xu Jingmo: “It doesn’t make me look old and ugly?”

Chen Kongqing organized the medical kit and closed it. Hearing the question, he couldn’t help but curve his lips, his willow-leaf eyes crinkling. “Why would you think that, Dr. Xu?”

As if finally reaching the main point, Xu Jingmo paused for a moment, his voice turning slightly tense. “Don’t you think I’m old?”

The rabbit couldn’t stay idle for a second; he stood up to return the medical kit to its place. “Old? You’re the youngest doctor I’ve ever met.”

Those were his honest words. It was the first time he had encountered such a young doctor.

Xu Jingmo: “I’m eight years older than you.”

Eight years older.

Chen Kongqing’s footsteps faltered. Eight years older.

For some reason, his brain felt like it had been triggered by a keyword. There was a momentary short-circuit, a blank space. After the blankness came a bit of dizziness. His steps became unsteady.

The “statue” on the sofa lunged up and moved forward. “What’s wrong?”

The rabbit steadied himself and shook his head. “Nothing, my eyes just went blurry for a second. I’m okay now.”

Xu Jingmo retracted the hand he had reached out, his brow furrowed deeply. “Has this happened before? Is it low blood sugar?”

“It’s not low blood sugar,” the rabbit denied, explaining, “When I was little, I had a very high fever that made my brain foggy. When I woke up, my intelligence wasn’t affected, but I forgot a lot of things. Occasionally, my brain feels ‘rusty,’ and it catches for a moment… like just now. But it’s very brief, so it’s not a big deal.”

Suddenly, a gentle force covered his arm.

“Uhm…” Chen Kongqing’s gaze followed his supported arm upward. It was the man who had already walked over to his side.

“Go sit down first.”

With no room for refusal, he was led to the sofa. The rabbit said weakly, “I’m really fine…”

“You said you had a fever as a child. Do you remember how old you were?” Xu Jingmo acted as if he hadn’t heard, handing him a glass of warm water.

Chen Kongqing: “When I was ten.”

At the mention of age ten, the rabbit’s bright willow-leaf eyes suddenly turned gray and dull.

Xu Jingmo recognized that look. It was the same look from the day they reunited at the hospital—sad and insecure. And the year the rabbit was ten was exactly the year they were separated.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked so much.” Although he desperately wanted to know what happened that year and if the rabbit had forgotten him because of that high fever, seeing those gray eyes made him want to ask nothing more.

Hearing this, the rabbit lifted his gaze, the corners of his mouth tilting up. “It’s okay; there’s nothing I can’t say. Actually, I lived with my grandmother when I was little. When I was ten, she passed away suddenly. I had a high fever afterward. When the fever broke, I had forgotten many people and things from my childhood.”

He had even forgotten what his grandmother looked like and the days they spent together. He couldn’t remember a thing. This was what saddened him most.

Xu Jingmo: “When you were ten.”

The man’s tone wasn’t a question, nor was it a statement. It was a repetition. Ten. So, that was why the little rabbit had forgotten him. He hadn’t forgotten him on purpose.

Chen Kongqing wasn’t sure if the man was asking him something, so he just nodded.

Xu Jingmo looked at the thin rabbit before him. At ten, he had left the rabbit. The grandmother had left the rabbit. The rabbit had a high fever, forgot the things that caused him pain, and then walked this long road alone for ten long years. How hard must it have been? He didn’t dare to imagine.

The man’s gaze was practically glued to the rabbit, his lips pressed tight. “Afterward… who did you live with?” He almost didn’t dare to ask.

“I lived with my mother for a while, but then she remarried. I went to a boarding school and didn’t go home much.” Chen Kongqing took a sip of the warm water, his tone casual.

Xu Jingmo: “Boarding school starting in elementary school?”

The rabbit nodded, his eyes gradually clearing of the gray mist. Conversely, a layer of shadow was beginning to cloud Dr. Xu’s eyes.

“Boarding school… was it good?” The man felt a dryness in his throat.

“It was pretty good. The teachers, classmates, and the cafeteria ladies were all nice. They just served noodles all the time, which is why I don’t really like noodles now.” Distant memories felt like strands of noodles weaving through his brain. “I used to eat them with fermented bean curd; it was very tasty. Hiss… I haven’t had fermented bean curd in a long time.”

He actually missed it. Chen Kongqing decided he would buy a jar when he went to the market for the pork trotters. Then he started thinking about which brand to buy and whether the East Market was better for pork trotters…

It wasn’t until a scorching heat ignited on his face that the rabbit slowly came back to his senses. He realized Dr. Xu had been staring at him with those bottomless phoenix eyes.

“How many people shared a room at school?”

“I think eight. Since it was elementary school, we were all pretty small, and the beds were small, so it worked.” Dr. Xu was asking such detailed questions that it made him remember many small things. He recalled a funny story about sleeping on the top bunk and couldn’t help but smile.

The man asked again, his tone very gentle: “What are you thinking about?”

It was the kind of tone that made one drop all defenses. Chen Kongqing felt it was something he could share, so he spoke: “When I was little and slept on the top bunk, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I don’t know how I stepped, but I stepped right on the face of the classmate in the bottom bunk. He was furious, but I panicked, missed my footing, and fell. Then he said it was his own fault for having such a soft face.”

Xu Jingmo: “You fell? You fell off the bed?”

The man’s tone was incredibly tense, causing the rabbit to blink in surprise. “I’ve forgotten a bit… anyway, it should have been fine.” He tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “It must have been fine, otherwise I wouldn’t be here now, haha.”

But… why wasn’t Dr. Xu laughing? Not only was he not laughing, but his expression was exceptionally solemn.

The rabbit retracted his increasingly awkward laugh. “Not very funny, huh? Haha.”

The man still didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “From elementary school onward, you were always in boarding schools?”

Chen Kongqing nodded. “Yes.”

After that, there was a long silence. Until many, many seconds later.

“Chen Kongqing, can I hug you?”