Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: “How about I spend the New Year with you?”

Chen Kongqing didn’t look back at the person behind him and walked straight downstairs. Gao Tianyou was waiting for him at the stairwell.

Gao Tianyou could tell that Chen Kongqing was unhappy, but he assumed it was because he couldn’t accept that the person he had liked for so many years was such scum.

“Sigh, Ling Xiao… he’s just pathetic. I really regret setting you two up… but Kongqing, I truly didn’t know he was that kind of guy.” Gao Tianyou sighed several more times. “Don’t think about him. Let me treat you to a big meal. Let’s skip the cafeteria—how about hot pot?”

The youth beside him responded somewhat lifelessly, “Okay…”

Gao Tianyou led him to a newly opened hot pot restaurant near the school. Even while eating, the rabbit looked distracted. Gao Tianyou kept putting food into his bowl. “Eat more. Look at you, you’re as thin as a cat.”

Chen Kongqing nodded, eating the steaming beef rolls in his bowl, yet he couldn’t seem to taste anything. He suddenly spoke up: “Tianyou.”

The man, who was buried in his food, looked up. “Yeah?” He thought Chen Kongqing wanted to talk about Ling Xiao.

“How do people in your hometown celebrate the New Year?” The rabbit didn’t know why he asked. He had seen some videos of northern New Year celebrations, and they looked lively and fun.

“Us?” Talking about this, Gao Tianyou’s face lit up with the happiness of going home soon. “In our parts, we just wrap dumplings. Everyone gathers for a reunion dinner. It’s probably similar to what you do, but I’m from the countryside, so we can set off firecrackers and fireworks whenever we want. It’s pretty great.”

“It must be very lively. It sounds… fun.” In just a few words, Chen Kongqing could already feel the holiday atmosphere. He had no such memories. Perhaps he did before the age of ten, but he had forgotten them.

“It is lively. After you finish your New Year’s at home, you can come visit me. It snows a lot where I am… you’ve probably never seen anything like it…”

Gao Tianyou didn’t know that he wasn’t going home, so he asked about their rituals. Chen Kongqing could only vaguely say it was about the same. After all, he had forgotten what a traditional family New Year was like. He only remembered that when he spent it alone, he would buy a few pounds of beef to stew with carrots. He wasn’t good at wrapping dumplings, so he didn’t eat them often. As for anything else… there was nothing special.

He spent the New Year the same way he spent any other day. So, was a person like him destined to always spend it alone?

The rabbit knew Ling Xiao’s words were meant to hurt him. He knew they made no sense. But still… he was sunk in a strange sense of loneliness and sadness. After all these years, he should have been used to it. Perhaps he just needed more time to adjust.

…

Chen Kongqing carried that mood all the way back to the apartment. The period before the New Year was always the busiest. Dr. Xu was also very busy, often leaving early and returning late.

Black Cat Detective was sleeping, and Dr. Xu wasn’t back yet… The rabbit sat on the sofa in a daze. He wasn’t thinking about anything in particular; he was just staring into space. But after a while, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to the New Year.

Actually, he wouldn’t be completely alone this year. He had Black Cat Detective. Thinking this, he wondered what kind of gift he should get the kitten. Maybe a New Year’s Eve “feast” made of canned cat food? And some new teaser wands.

Ding-dong.

While lost in thought, the doorbell rang. He stood up in confusion. Since moving in, the doorbell had almost never rung because both he and Dr. Xu knew the code. Could it be a friend of Dr. Xu?

He walked to the door and slowly pushed down the handle. The heavy door opened to reveal a tall figure. Xu Jingmo, wearing a cashmere overcoat, was holding a large courier box.

“My hands are full. Glad you’re home.” The man stood at the door, looking wind-blown.

“Oh, Dr. Xu, come in and change your shoes.” Chen Kongqing reached out to take the large box.

“Thanks.” The man naturally let go of the box. It was large but surprisingly light.

Chen Kongqing moved the box into the entryway and set it aside. Though curious, he didn’t ask. “Should I leave it here for now?”

“That’s fine.” Xu Jingmo had already changed into his slippers and was taking off his dark overcoat.

The rabbit looked back as the man hung the coat on the rack. It seemed Dr. Xu had an infinite supply of these coats. Gray, black, beige… but each one had subtle differences in cut and fit his frame perfectly.

“What are you looking at?” Xu Jingmo turned around. Seeing the rabbit staring at his coat, he asked, “Do you like overcoats?”

“I rarely wear them,” the rabbit replied. “I just think you look very fit in them, Dr. Xu. You have quite an aura when you walk.”

If only I could have such an aura.

“Mine would probably drag on the floor if you wore it. I’ll take you to the shop I frequent to get one tailored in a few days.” Xu Jingmo stepped forward and naturally ruffled the rabbit’s round head. “What’s for dinner?”

Hearing the description, Chen Kongqing felt that if he wore the coat, he’d look like he was wrapped in a large burlap sack. He took a moment to register the question. Having been trapped in Ling Xiao’s words, he had forgotten about dinner. “…I don’t have many groceries. Should I go buy some now?”

He remembered telling Dr. Xu he would help with the cooking. But lately, he hadn’t done much; sometimes he even ended up eating whatever Dr. Xu made…

“Don’t bother.” Xu Jingmo rolled up his sleeves. “How about braised noodles? I bought some fresh noodles that haven’t been finished.”

The rabbit nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Then go play with the kitten for a bit.” The man was already heading for the kitchen.

Chen Kongqing followed. “Let me help.”

Xu Jingmo: “It’s just noodles. Nothing to help with. Go rest.”

The man rejected him with a tone that left no room for argument and closed the glass kitchen door. The rabbit had no choice but to sit back down in the living room. Black Cat Detective was now awake, its “Cazal” eyes wide, meowing away.

The kitten had been with them for exactly a month and a week. It had changed a lot. It no longer looked like a tiny puffball; its legs were longer, its coat was sleek and glossy, and its eyes were rounder. Its personality was becoming more and more “tuxedo-like”…

For instance, right now, the kitten was possessed by a sudden burst of energy, bouncing off the rug, onto the sofa, and over to the balcony.

Chen Kongqing: “…”

He finally caught the hyperactive kitten. He couldn’t bear to hit it, so he settled for a verbal lecture. “You can’t do that, Mimi.”

Yes, they hadn’t really given the kitten a name yet; it was either “Black Cat Detective” or “Mimi.”

“It’s dangerous, you know?” The rabbit was trying to reason with a tuxedo cat. “What if you fall? What if you knock something over?”

“Meow~” The cat used its “high-pitched” voice. “Meow~~” (Human, I know I was wrong.)

The rabbit’s heart softened instantly. He pulled the cat into his arms. “I’m not scolding you, I’m just reasoning with you. Don’t hold a grudge…”

“What are you reasoning about?” Xu Jingmo came out of the kitchen to find the rabbit mumbling to the cat. Listening closer, he smiled. “Is Black Cat Detective breaking the law again?”

“He was running and jumping around wildly.” Chen Kongqing played with the kitten’s soft ears. “He should understand now. He won’t do it again, right?”

The kitten echoed obediently, “Meow~”

“Wash your hands for dinner. I’ll ‘reform’ him later.” Xu Jingmo looked at the rabbit and the cat sitting on the rug. This scene was something that used to only exist in his dreams.

“Okay.” Chen Kongqing let the cat go and washed his hands.

A pot of braised noodles was already on the table. As Chen Kongqing sat down, Xu Jingmo ladled a bowl for him. “A colleague taught me this recipe. See how it tastes.”

The rabbit took a large bite and gave a high evaluation: “It’s delicious!”

“Then eat more.” Xu Jingmo pushed a plate of fried eggs toward him. “Soft-boiled eggs. They taste good mixed into the noodles.”

The rabbit was too busy slurping noodles to talk and could only nod in agreement. As he ate, his mind began to drift again. It was quite embarrassing, really. Lately, Dr. Xu had been the one feeding him; he felt his face getting a bit rounder. Moreover, his condition had been very stable lately. Aside from some slight discomfort before bed, he hadn’t had a “breakdown.”

He’d felt a bit of that “strange taste” while dazing on the sofa earlier. But then Dr. Xu came home and the kitten woke up, and that feeling vanished.

After dinner, the rabbit sat back on the rug to play with the cat.

“Do you have a moment?” Xu Jingmo drifted over.

Chen Kongqing looked up. “Of course. What is it, Dr. Xu?”

Xu Jingmo: “I want you to help me unbox that big courier.”

“Sure!” The rabbit felt a sense of duty and stood up from the rug. He walked over to the long box lying on the floor. However… the sealing tape on the box had already been cut. Isn’t it already open?

He looked at the man beside him in confusion. “Isn’t it already open?”

The man looked down at him. “Open it and see.”

Still confused, the rabbit crouched down and pulled open the cardboard box. As the box opened, a carrot body pillow as tall as he was appeared before his eyes.

The rabbit’s eyes sparkled. He picked up the soft, comfortable carrot. “This is…”

He turned his head slightly and met Xu Jingmo’s gaze. The man’s eyes were deep. “Your New Year’s gift.”

A New Year’s gift.

A wave of softness rose in the rabbit’s heart, seemingly drowning and diluting all the accumulated bitterness regarding the holiday.

“I… I really like it. I’m so happy to have it with me for the New Year.” Chen Kongqing didn’t know how to express his emotions and became a bit incoherent.

Xu Jingmo looked at the rabbit, who was holding the carrot but looked even softer than the plush itself. Something flickered in his gaze. He pursed his lips and said solemnly:

“How about I spend the New Year with you, along with the carrot?”