Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: “Can You Touch My Ears?”

His fragile and sensitive earlobe was being kneaded repeatedly.

Under this rhythmic motion, the earlobe had long since been dyed a striking shade of deep crimson, carrying a temperature that didn’t belong to it.

Chen Kongqing pursed his lips; his heart rate had spiraled into chaos at some unknown point.

In his ear was Xu Jingmo’s slightly heavy breathing, carrying a faint trace of alcohol.

Chen Kongqing felt as if he were becoming a little intoxicated himself.

After a pause, Xu Jingmo continued to ask: “Why aren’t you talking again?”

“I’m not…” The Rabbit bit his lower lip hard and turned his face away.

In doing so, his cheek brushed against the man’s hand that was pressed against his ear.

The Rabbit’s cheek was very soft.

Round and tender.

As the back of the hand pressed against it, there was a slight sense of clinginess.

Chen Kongqing quickly flinched away again. His willow-leaf eyes tried to look up, but ultimately cast downward.

The man’s broad, warm hand retracted somewhat gloomily, slowly letting go.

The Rabbit’s bright red earlobe was finally liberated.

After a few moments of internal struggle, Chen Kongqing finally mustered the courage to look at the nearby Xu Jingmo.

Even though Dr. Xu was drunk and not quite lucid, he felt he still had to answer seriously: “Of course you can… Dr. Xu, I’m very happy that you can spend the New Year with me.”

No one had ever asked him that before.

Can I spend the New Year with you?

A wave of softness rose in the Rabbit’s chest.

It felt warm.

Though he didn’t know how the years to come would pass, at least this year, he was no longer a solitary rabbit.

Xu Jingmo seemed to grow even more “drunk,” leaning back against the pillow with dazed eyes.

Chen Kongqing worried Dr. Xu hadn’t heard him clearly.

In the next moment, the man spoke in a casual tone, sounding like a drunken ramblings: “Is it… a bit better having me spend the New Year with you than Black Cat Detective?”

Hearing this, Chen Kongqing’s eyes curved into a smile.

It must be a drunken comment; otherwise, why would Dr. Xu compare himself to a kitten?

He thought about humoring the drunk man.

Just as he was about to speak…

The fluffy kitten rubbed against his trouser leg again: “Meow~”

This…

Chen Kongqing paused.

After weighing it for a few seconds, the Rabbit thought that since the kitten couldn’t understand, he should just coax the drunkard.

“Yes…” But he couldn’t think of anything more eloquent to say, so he just agreed with a soft sound. Feeling a bit flustered, he picked up the nearly cold sobriety soup: “Hurry… drink some soup, it’s getting cold.”

He picked up the spoon again, scooped up some soup, and fed it to the man’s lips.

The shape of Xu Jingmo’s lips was very handsome and well-defined.

The Cupid’s bow was sharp, looking as if a sculptor had carved it stroke by stroke—deep and upright.

This time, the man finally opened his mouth to drink.

His expression still looked somewhat pained, so the Rabbit fed him the soup with careful attention.

After sitting on the sofa for a while longer, Xu Jingmo looked like he was about to fall asleep, eyes narrowed and his Adam’s apple rolling slightly.

A faint flush remained on his cheeks.

He was very good-looking.

Chen Kongqing didn’t know how to describe this kind of beauty; it was the contrast of a normally serious, upright, and naturally ascetic face suddenly showing a faint trace of desire.

It was very, very light.

Yet it felt like a hook tipped with a soft feather, grazing his heart almost imperceptibly.

The Rabbit swallowed hard: “Go sleep in the bed.”

Xu Jingmo used his hand to block the light from the ceiling: “Tired…”

The sobriety soup didn’t seem to have much effect; Dr. Xu still appeared to be in a daze.

“I’ll help you up,” the Rabbit said warm-heartedly. “Sleeping on the sofa isn’t comfortable.”

Xu Jingmo: “Thank you…”

Hearing that “thank you,” Chen Kongqing remembered a phrase he’d seen online—that one’s behavior while drunk reflects their true character.

He remembered how Ling Xiao used to come home drunk and use the alcohol as an excuse to lose his temper. He was very hard to approach.

Dr. Xu, when drunk, just seemed a bit childish.

A rather cute kind of childish.

It was just that this “child” was a bit too large.

When he helped the man up again, that feeling of weightiness returned.

On flat ground, it was fine. But lugging this “iron plate” up to the second floor was a significant challenge.

Chen Kongqing put in a lot of effort to move the man a few steps.

He was really heavy…

Fearing they would fall on the stairs, he thought it over and decided to haul the “iron plate” into his own bedroom instead.

The “iron plate” was finally unloaded onto a soft, large bed.

The man on the bed closed his eyes, appearing completely out of it.

Chen Kongqing, still panting for breath, explained: “Dr. Xu… the sheets were just changed. You can sleep here for now.”

Wait… he realized there was no need to emphasize that Dr. Xu himself had been the one to change them.

The man didn’t speak or even change his position, appearing to be in a deep sleep.

The Rabbit turned and went into the bathroom, bringing out a basin of warm water to wipe the man’s face.

When he came back, the man had changed positions.

His face was buried deep into the pillow the Rabbit usually slept on, leaving no gap at all.

Chen Kongqing set the basin aside: “Wash your face. Wash your face before you sleep.”

The man buried in the pillow didn’t budge. It took the Rabbit quite a bit of effort to flip the drunkard over.

He lightly wiped the man’s handsome face with the warm towel, then his neck… his hands…

But he felt too embarrassed to take off Dr. Xu’s clothes, so he just let him make do.

Before leaving the room, he tucked Dr. Xu in.

He was about to head to the sofa for the night when his hand, hanging at his side, was caught.

His fingers were gently gripped: “Where are you going…”

Chen Kongqing felt he really was like a child, so he said softly: “Just outside. I’m not going anywhere.”

The man on the bed murmured: “Why… not stay here?”

Chen Kongqing: “I… I’m going to rest.”

Xu Jingmo opened his eyes slightly: “Can’t you… rest with me?”

Chen Kongqing: “…?”

The words sounded like they shouldn’t be a problem, yet they felt like a huge problem.

The Rabbit was momentarily speechless.

In the dim room, the man’s Adam’s apple moved imperceptibly before he released the Rabbit’s soft fingers.

Chen Kongqing looked back.

The man on the bed seemed to have fallen completely asleep, his breathing becoming long and steady.

Only then did the Rabbit creep out of the bedroom.

The door closed with a very, very soft click.

The man on the bed, eyes closed, slowly opened them.

Forget it.

No rush.

The Rabbit is timid; he will get scared and hide.

At least for now, he was lying in the bed the Rabbit had slept in.

In a bed soaked with a faint herbal fragrance, surrounded by one old and one new carrot plushie.

Xu Jingmo reached out and stroked the plushie, as if he could feel the Rabbit’s presence.

Chen Kongqing slept on the sofa.

Before sleeping, perhaps out of a sense of guilt toward the cat, he played with it for a long time.

He even gave the kitten an extra can of food as a treat.

The kitten was very good and stayed by his side while he slept.

The living room sofa was very comfortable, both in material and elasticity, and there was plenty of space.

When he woke up, he found that somehow he had returned to his bedroom bed. Dr. Xu was not there.

Did I sleepwalk?

Where did Dr. Xu go?

He only found the answer when he saw several messages on his phone.

Lnk: [There was an emergency with an inpatient. I have to go to the hospital to handle it.] Lnk: [Giving the bed back to you.] Lnk: [Sorry for taking your bed.]

So… did Dr. Xu carry him back?

Did he carry him in his arms? Or over his shoulder?

How did he have no memory of it at all?

His earlobes began to heat up, and the Rabbit subconsciously reached out to rub them.

As he did, he remembered… the feeling of Dr. Xu rubbing his earlobes last night.

It was very itchy, and very hot.

Great.

Now it wasn’t just his earlobes; his cheeks were heating up too.

It was a very strange feeling.

He couldn’t quite name what it was.

After a long pause, the Rabbit started typing on the screen.

Azurite: [Okay.] Azurite: [It’s no problem.]

After that, Dr. Xu didn’t reply. He was likely busy.

The Rabbit calmed down, got up to wash, had a simple breakfast, and headed to the lab.

It was the holiday season, so the campus was very quiet. Chen Kongqing was the only one in the lab.

Wearing gloves, the Rabbit applied the Angelica juice he had been studying onto a slide to observe its morphology. He stayed in the solitary lab for an unknown amount of time.

In the afternoon, the sun set early.

By 5:00 PM, the sky was already dark.

Only then did he check his phone for messages.

Almost all were from Dr. Xu.

Lnk: [Have you had lunch?] (Sent at 12:05 PM) Lnk: [I’m still not finished yet.] Lnk: [But I shouldn’t have to work late tonight.] Lnk: [Are you home?] (Sent at 4:30 PM)

Azurite: [I’m not home.] Azurite: [I was doing an experiment and didn’t see my phone.]

Lnk: [No problem. Are you getting ready to head back?] Azurite: [Mm-hmm.] Lnk: [Then let’s go together. I’m passing by Kun University on the way.]

Chen Kongqing bit his lip: [Thank you, Dr. Xu.]

He felt… like he and Dr. Xu had become a bit closer.

“Closer” didn’t seem quite right. Looking at their chat history, Chen Kongqing didn’t know how to judge the relationship between them.

It was polite, yet possessed a certain intimacy.

He couldn’t put his finger on it.

Chen Kongqing packed his things, locked the lab door, and headed downstairs.

His ears felt a dull, itchy sensation.

It felt like his symptoms were acting up slightly.

The Rabbit squeezed his earlobe hard with his hand, but it felt like treating the symptoms rather than the cause.

He waited downstairs for about ten minutes.

The familiar pure black S-Class Mercedes pulled up in front of him.

Chen Kongqing opened the door and sat inside.

The man held the steering wheel and glanced at the Rabbit who had just gotten in.

The Rabbit’s face was flushed, and his hand gripping the seatbelt was trembling slightly.

“Did you wait in the wind for a long time? Sorry.” Xu Jingmo thought he was cold and turned up the heat.

The Rabbit just lowered his head, twisting the seatbelt in his hand.

His ears still felt very uncomfortable.

His skin hunger had never manifested on his ears before.

Before, he wanted to hold hands or hug.

Now… he wanted his ears pinched…

Why was it getting weirder and weirder?

“What’s wrong?” Xu Jingmo finally noticed something was off. “Are you feeling unwell again?”

Chen Kongqing gripped the seatbelt tighter. He realized for the first time how sharp a seatbelt could be; as he squeezed, a pang of pain hit his palm.

But even the pain couldn’t make his symptoms better.

“Dr. Xu… can you…” Though extremely embarrassed, the Rabbit couldn’t help but speak.

Xu Jingmo: “What?”

Chen Kongqing: “Can you touch my ears… like you did last night?”