Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: “I Beg You, Stop Being So Good to Me.”

Hearing Xu Jingmo’s words, Chen Kongqing shook his head hurriedly, wanting to say he didn’t find it dull at all.

Zhang Cheng took the chance to cut in: “About that… no need to pick him up. I’ll send Kongqing back myself when we’re done. No need to trouble you, Cousin.”

As he spoke, Zhang Cheng reached out to hook his arm around Chen Kongqing’s thin arm hidden under the cotton coat.

The Rabbit froze for two seconds. In those two seconds, someone’s gaze had already turned sharp and predatory.

At that moment, the Rabbit snapped back to his senses and quickly dodged, sliding his arm out of Zhang Cheng’s grasp. “That… Captain Zhang, let’s… let’s forget about today.”

“What’s wrong? Do you have a date tonight?” After another physical avoidance, Zhang Cheng couldn’t help but feel defeated, but he maintained his dignity and asked aloud.

“Yeah… I have plans to eat with another friend tonight,” Chen Kongqing made up a lie on the spot. He didn’t care if the excuse sounded fake; he just wanted to reject Zhang Cheng quickly.

“Alright… fine then.” Zhang Cheng remained smiling and didn’t push further. “Then let me drive you home.”

Chen Kongqing opened his lips, the words “no need” already at the tip of his tongue.

“No need, Kongqing can take my car. Drive safe, Captain Zhang.” Xu Jingmo seized the conversation, finishing the rejection without leaving any room for negotiation. He then leaned in and whispered to the Rabbit, “I’ll go bring the car around.”

Chen Kongqing nodded and said obediently, “I’ll wait for you here.”

“Good.” Xu Jingmo turned to leave, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Cheng almost imperceptibly as he went.

The top-tier Green Tea man was actually throwing him a mocking look.

Zhang Cheng was fuming. He put his hands on his hips and let out a helpless laugh.

The oblivious Chen Kongqing blinked, thinking Zhang Cheng was angry about the internet cafe: “Captain Zhang, I’m sorry. Let’s do it next time? When the semester starts and Tianyou and the others are back, we’ll all go together. Today… was a bit too rushed.”

“It’s fine, really. I’m not mad, Kongqing.” Zhang Cheng waved it off, deciding to fight fire with fire and mimicking Xu Jingmo’s “tea” style. “I’m just a little sad that you won’t let me drive you back.”

“Ah, no…” Chen Kongqing hurriedly explained, “It’s because Dr. Xu and I… live very close to each other. It’s not that I won’t let you drive me.”

He thought about it but still didn’t say outright that he was currently renting at Dr. Xu’s house. It felt… quite strange.

A black S-Class Mercedes pulled up smoothly at the edge of the plaza. Chen Kongqing waved goodbye to Zhang Cheng: “I’m leaving now, Captain Zhang. Let’s hang out another day.”

Zhang Cheng’s eyes followed the Mercedes. Compared to that watch on Xu Jingmo’s wrist, this car was actually considered “low-profile.” But… it was the exact model he had wanted to buy for a long time but couldn’t justify.

Chen Kongqing had already turned around and jogged to the car. Zhang Cheng stood frozen in the cold wind, questioning his life—and the possibility of defeating a 190cm tall, wealthy, handsome, top-tier Green Tea man.

…

Meanwhile, the Green Tea man was driving, his peripheral vision filled with the Rabbit who was watching the snow again. The Rabbit had his head tilted up, leaning against the window. The snow had stopped earlier, but now it was drifting down again, flake by flake, falling into the Rabbit’s eyes.

“Shall we go eat?” Xu Jingmo arched an eyebrow.

The Rabbit turned his head back: “What?”

“Didn’t you say… you have a dinner date with a friend?” The man’s eyebrow arched even higher.

Chen Kongqing widened his eyes. Did people actually believe such a clumsy excuse? And how did it turn into a situation where the person who should believe didn’t, and the one who shouldn’t did…

“I… I don’t have a date,” the Rabbit muttered softly.

Xu Jingmo feigned confusion: “Then why did you say that just now?”

He wanted to hear the Rabbit say it himself. Say that he didn’t want to go to the internet cafe with Zhang Cheng, so he lied.

Chen Kongqing bit his lip, feeling embarrassed: “I just… well, I didn’t want to go to the internet cafe.”

Xu Jingmo: “What if he had invited you to dinner instead of the internet cafe?”

The Rabbit tucked in his neck and said honestly: “I still wouldn’t have wanted to go.”

“Why? You don’t like Zhang Cheng?” The man asked one question after another, but it didn’t feel intrusive.

The Rabbit shook his head: “Captain Zhang is a good person, but… we aren’t close. I feel a bit awkward, so I didn’t… didn’t want to go together.”

A few seconds after those words fell, Dr. Xu stopped talking. Chen Kongqing looked up slightly. The traffic light turned red, and the car came to a smooth stop.

Xu Jingmo turned his head slightly. Those deep phoenix eyes stared at the Rabbit: “Then… what if you went to dinner with me right now?”

“Wh… what?” The Rabbit’s willow-leaf eyes flickered.

The man issued an invitation, word by word: “If you go to dinner with me, would you not want to?”

The Rabbit shook his head. There was almost no hesitation; it was like a reflexive response from his body.

Xu Jingmo: “You don’t want to?”

“No!” the Rabbit said urgently. “It’s not that I don’t want to. It… it means I can, it means I wouldn’t ‘not want to’.”

As the words escaped his mouth, Chen Kongqing realized… something felt off. Why was he so certain? Why did he answer without even thinking? Why did he feel awkward with Zhang Cheng but so relaxed with Dr. Xu that he could fall asleep on his shoulder?

Chen Kongqing belatedly realized something. His heart felt messy again, like a tangled ball of twine.

Hearing the Rabbit’s answer, Xu Jingmo’s lips curled up. He quickly turned back to focus on driving: “Good… then let’s go eat.”

Chen Kongqing: “We’re really going?” Xu Jingmo: “Why wouldn’t we?”

True. Let’s go then. Why not? If I’m dependent, I’m dependent. At least for now, Dr. Xu is by my side, right? At least for now, I won’t be alone.

During the New Year holidays, he stayed with Dr. Xu every day. They often made food together—they even successfully baked a chiffon cake. Sometimes they did nothing at all, just stayed in the same space quietly, reading books, studying materials, or watching foreign films together.

Every time he sat on the sofa, a plate of sliced fruit would be on the coffee table—never containing a single fruit with anthocyanins. Sometimes before he even felt thirsty, the man would hand him warm water.

His condition stabilized to an unprecedented degree. Normal physical contact no longer triggered extreme reactions. The itchy, prickling skin sensations rarely occurred, and that desperate hunger for physical touch had faded.

Dr. Xu said that after the holidays, his course of treatment could end, and he could slowly stop taking the medication. Chen Kongqing knew this was a good thing, something to be celebrated.

But… did that also mean that soon, he and Dr. Xu would lose another connection? Then he would have to find a new place to rent, move out, and stop bothering Dr. Xu.

And then? Then, he and Dr. Xu would return to their separate orbits. He would continue to see those phoenix eyes in his dreams. Dr. Xu would likely continue being a dedicated, responsible doctor.

“What are you thinking about?” Xu Jingmo walked over to the Rabbit, who was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.

The Rabbit had just showered and was wearing his cotton pajamas with a carrot pattern. He smelled faintly of body wash with a hint of herbs.

“No… nothing,” Chen Kongqing snapped back to reality. “I was just cleaning the litter box for Black Cat Detective.”

The cat was currently lounging on the cat tree, lazily wagging its tail: “Meow~~”

“Come to the hospital with me tomorrow.” As Xu Jingmo spoke, he picked a stray hair off the youth’s shoulder.

“To the hospital?” Chen Kongqing paused. “Is it… a follow-up? Are you back at work tomorrow, Dr. Xu?”

“No.” Xu Jingmo shook his head, rolling the thin hair between his fingers. “It’s to look at your leg. I know a German orthopedic surgeon who happens to be in the country these few days. I’ll take you to see him.”

“My leg?” Chen Kongqing had almost forgotten about his leg injury. Aside from occasional numbness in his ankle after too much walking or jumping, it rarely hurt anymore.

Chen Kongqing subconsciously pinched the fabric over his left leg: “No… it’s not necessary. It’s fine now. I’ll just get the plates removed later.”

“Let’s go anyway. He came back specifically for this,” the man said, his gaze dropping to the Rabbit’s injured ankle. “It’ll put my mind at ease.”

The pant leg covered it, so nothing was visible. But he had seen it before. He had seen that scar—not thick, but long. Even though it had healed, it still looked shocking to him. How much must it have hurt? A cold light flickered in the man’s eyes; he hated Ling Xiao to death. And he hated himself, too.

“It’s okay, really…” No need to go to the trouble.

Before Chen Kongqing could finish, Xu Jingmo interrupted: “Just do it for my peace of mind.”

The Rabbit fell silent. After a few seconds, he nodded and agreed.

…

The next day, Xu Jingmo took him to a private hospital. This hospital was famous in Kun City; the equipment and staff were top-tier, but the fees were staggering.

Chen Kongqing was first sent for an X-ray and then led into a consultation room. Inside was a doctor with blond hair and blue eyes.

“Kohl, long time no see!” The foreign doctor rose excitedly from his chair, speaking Mandarin with a slight accent.

Chen Kongqing guessed “Kohl” was Xu Jingmo’s English name. Kohl. It sounded nice, though he didn’t know what it meant.

“Long time no see, Sam.” Xu Jingmo shook the man’s hand, and they shared a brief shoulder bump.

Sam didn’t forget Chen Kongqing, greeting him with a smile: “Hello, your eyes are very beautiful.”

Such a direct compliment. Chen Kongqing froze, the tips of his ears turning red: “Thank you, Sam.”

“Hahaha,” Sam laughed heartily. “You are so shy.”

Xu Jingmo whispered in his ear: “It’s okay, Sam likes to joke.”

Then Sam said something in another language—it didn’t sound like English, maybe German. Chen Kongqing couldn’t understand. Xu Jingmo replied in German as well. Sam shrugged and switched back to Chinese: “I’ve seen the X-rays, no problems. Let me look at the ankle. I need to check above and below it too.”

Chen Kongqing nodded and sat on the medical bed, leaning over to take off his shoes.

“Let me help you.” Xu Jingmo leaned down and knelt on one knee.

Chen Kongqing didn’t have a chance to refuse. Those large hands already held his left foot, smoothly removing his shoe and then his sock. The Rabbit’s feet weren’t large; his toes were cute and pinkish.

He rolled the Rabbit’s pant leg up a couple of turns, revealing the long, thin scar. Looking at the scar, Xu Jingmo’s expression darkened.

Sam stepped forward: “Let me see.”

Sam dropped his casual demeanor and became instantly serious. He examined the scar and then had Chen Kongqing rotate his ankle. The Rabbit followed the instructions, feeling nervous. He didn’t know why, but whenever he was nervous, he wanted to find Dr. Xu. Just like how he had to hold his old carrot plushie before bed.

“It’s okay.” Xu Jingmo stood close to him, reaching out to rub the Rabbit’s fluffy hair.

“According to my observations…” Sam paused for effect before smiling and continuing in broken Mandarin, “There are no major issues. The wound has recovered well. Just get the plates removed when the time comes.”

“Is there anything he needs to watch out for?” Xu Jingmo asked urgently. He looked more concerned than the patient himself.

Sam: “Just protect the ankle and avoid strenuous exercise.”

Xu Jingmo: “Are there any supplements? For bone strengthening and nourishment?”

“Hahaha, Kohl, you really are… Fine, I’ll prescribe some for you,” Sam shook his head with a laugh. “But supplements… their biggest effect is a ‘soul massage’.”

“Prescribe something that tastes good. He’s afraid of bitterness.” Xu Jingmo didn’t seem to care if it was just psychological comfort; he pushed for more.

Chen Kongqing sat on the bed, his eyes fixed on Xu Jingmo’s back as he talked to the doctor.

Something that tastes good. He’s afraid of bitterness.

The Rabbit couldn’t help but think back to over six months ago. His first follow-up after the leg injury. Back then, he could barely walk, and Ling Xiao had accompanied him. But the registration, the queuing, the medicine—the whole process had been handled by the limping Rabbit himself. Ling Xiao was there, but he rarely helped. He hadn’t even asked the doctor about the injury.

He remembered that day—after the appointment, Ling Xiao left immediately, saying the basketball team had an emergency. It was hard to get a taxi near the hospital, so he had to limp to the subway. His leg had throbbed for days afterward.

Now, his leg didn’t hurt anymore. But someone had appeared who would kneel before him and gently take off his shoes and socks. Someone who would pester the doctor for supplements that wouldn’t be bitter because he was afraid of bitterness.

The Rabbit lowered his eyes. For some reason, a wave of sourness rose in his heart. Sour, bitter—and tinged with a bit of fear. He didn’t know what he was afraid of.

On the way back, he kept thinking about what he was fearing.

Finally, they returned to the apartment.

Xu Jingmo said cheerfully: “I’m back at work in two days. Come and register. I’ll finish your course of treatment. I’ve been observing your state lately; you can stop the medication. Your leg is fine too, it just needs time to recover. It’s all good news.”

He was genuinely happy. The Rabbit was finally being nursed back to health by him.

But the Rabbit stood with his back turned, not speaking, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window. He could feel the Rabbit’s ears drooping.

“What’s wrong?” He stepped forward.

Chen Kongqing didn’t know what was wrong with him. The moment he heard Xu Jingmo say the treatment was ending, the sourness in his heart exploded into a tearing pain.

Ending. Everything was supposed to end. Why was Xu Jingmo being so good to him? He was going to be alone again eventually—if he got used to this, being alone would be so painful.

“Are you unhappy?” Xu Jingmo had reached his side, speaking softly. “How about I make some carrot and vegetable soup?”

Why is he still being so good to me? Why is he still coaxing me?

No, it couldn’t go on like this.

Chen Kongqing bit his lip, a mist rising in his downcast eyes. His arms went stiff: “I saw a room… it’s very suitable for me and Black Cat Detective to move into.”

Xu Jingmo frowned at the sudden change in topic: “What? Why are you suddenly moving? Is it not good living here?”

The Rabbit kept his eyes down and shook his head slightly: “It’s very good.”

Xu Jingmo: “If it’s good, why move?”

“Because it’s too good,” Chen Kongqing muttered very, very softly.

Xu Jingmo didn’t hear clearly: “What?”

“I said it’s too good!” Chen Kongqing suddenly looked up, his willow-leaf eyes filled with tears.

“Xu Jingmo, I beg you, stop being so good to me.” The Rabbit said this through tears.