Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: “You can consider breaking up.”

“Sorry…” As expected, it really was impossible to lie in front of a psychologist.

Chen Kongqing wailed internally, his palms involuntarily tightening around his trouser fabric. “The situation lately… has indeed not been very good.”

“In what way is it not good? Have the specific symptoms changed, or has the frequency of episodes shifted?” The man in the white coat spoke in a peaceful tone, as if merely tossing out a few routine questions. “Does your partner know?”

At the mention of the word partner, the youth’s eyes seemed to go hollow, losing their focus.

He didn’t intend to hide anything from Dr. Xu anymore, so he admitted directly: “He doesn’t know. We… Dr. Xu, you know, our relationship isn’t actually as close as ordinary couples. He… he’s been very busy with training lately, and we aren’t together much.”

After saying this, his vision gradually cleared. Those willow-leaf eyes curved slightly, but the smile couldn’t hide the deep exhaustion beneath. “The symptoms are actually alright, no major changes. It’s just that it’s harder to fall asleep at night. Even taking the medicine before bed doesn’t control it well.”

Xu Jingmo looked into those eyes, feeling as if a massive boulder had been placed on his chest. “Sleep quality is affected. What about your diet?”

If certain psychological conditions progress, they begin to impact the body in various physical ways.

“Eating is fine. I can eat quite a bit in one sitting.” His master had returned from a business trip a few days ago and mentioned he looked thinner, too. Thinking of this, Chen Kongqing pushed his own cheek. “I think I’m okay.”

He didn’t feel much of a difference himself; there was still a bit of “meat” on his cheeks.

“You’ve lost weight,” Xu Jingmo said, his voice rich and magnetic.

Sometimes when Chen Kongqing couldn’t sleep, he would listen to the radio. He felt that Dr. Xu’s voice was good enough to be a professional broadcaster—it was exceptionally pleasant to the ear. It even felt… nicer than Ling Xiao’s voice.

Right. Part of the reason he liked Ling Xiao so much was that he was a bit of a “voice fanatic.” Compared to Ling Xiao, Dr. Xu’s voice was more mature, his pronunciation clearer, and his tempo more relaxed. Just listening to him speak gave one a sense of security.

“Are you sure your appetite hasn’t decreased?”

While he was spacing out, Dr. Xu had already begun tapping on his keyboard to record the progress of the case.

“Appetite is fine. It’s probably just because of the lack of rest and irregular eating habits,” Chen Kongqing replied. His coursework had been incredibly heavy lately, plus he was working part-time at the pharmacy. Now that his master was back, he’d spent half the previous day being grilled on memorizing texts.

The crisp sound of typing stopped abruptly. Xu Jingmo paused, then simply said: “Eat well.”

The youth nodded obediently and waited for him to finish the medical record.

“I’ve adjusted the dosage slightly. Take it on time when you get back. I’ll send a few questionnaires to your phone; you can contact me anytime if anything comes up,” Xu Jingmo instructed, handing over the prescription slip from the printer.

The youth’s fingers seemed a fraction more slender than his own. His skin was jade-white, and the crescents on his fingernails were faint and barely visible.

“Okay. Thank you, Cou… Dr. Xu.” He almost forgot the man’s reminder and called him “Cousin” out of habit. Chen Kongqing stood up and took the slip. “I’ll be going now.”

“Alright. Be safe on the road.” Xu Jingmo waited two seconds, nodding, his gaze flickering toward the window.

It was a pity—it was a bright, sunny day with clear skies. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing he felt a “pity” about.

Chen Kongqing’s hand was already on the door handle. With a click, he pulled the door open a crack.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him:

“Actually, you could consider breaking up.”

A few strands of golden sunlight crawled through the crack. The youth’s hand froze on the sharp lines of the handle. He lowered his head and gave a slow, delayed nod.

He neither agreed nor disagreed.

The youth’s thin silhouette was eventually blocked by the closing door. The man’s gaze remained frozen on that spot for a long time, unable to hide his feelings any longer in the silence.

…

Because he had to rush to the pharmacy to register the remaining herbs, Chen Kongqing splurged on a ride-hail car. He chose a fixed-price ride so he wouldn’t have to worry about traffic jams. This allowed him to zone out, the suggestion Dr. Xu just made circling endlessly in his mind.

Break up.

His mind was a mess, even more cluttered than the aged herbs piled in the warehouse. He ruffled his hair and pulled out his phone, clicking into the chat with Ling Xiao.

They had barely spoken the last two days. Ling Xiao said he had a mock game coming up and would be busy with training. Chen didn’t dare send too many messages, fearing Ling Xiao would find him annoying.

But leaving things cold wasn’t a solution either. He liked Ling Xiao—even if Ling Xiao’s own cousin, his doctor, told him to consider breaking up. He wanted to try a little harder. After all, it had taken years to make this much progress. He wanted to hold on a bit longer.

As for the illness… it was okay. It could still be controlled with medicine for now.

Azurite: [Are you coming back for dinner tonight? I’m making sweet and sour pork ribs.] Azurite: [Your favorite.]

After sending the message, he couldn’t help but unlock his phone every few minutes to check, but there was no reply. Even after he finished his overtime at the pharmacy, there was still nothing.

Chen Kongqing didn’t wait any longer and went back to the apartment alone. Before starting dinner, he called Ling Xiao. The man sounded like he was still training, his breath a bit heavy. “What is it?”

His tone was unusually calm, even carrying a hint of softness. The youth’s ears turned red for no reason. “Nothing… just wanted to ask if you’re coming home for dinner? I’m making… those ribs you like.”

It was quite quiet on the man’s end—rare for a basketball court.

“No need. Eat by yourself. I… I’m not done with training yet. Don’t wait for me.” Ling Xiao’s tone remained soft.

Chen Kongqing pursed his lips as he listened to the voice on the phone. “Okay… don’t push yourself too hard.” The voice on the phone agreed, and then the call ended.

Still immersed in Ling Xiao’s rare gentleness, he clutched his phone and smiled sillily for a few minutes before happily heading to the kitchen to make himself a cup of instant noodles. Since Ling Xiao wasn’t coming back, he could just throw something together for himself.

After dinner, he tended to the Trumpet Vines. Their blooming season had passed, but because he cared for them diligently, the leaves hadn’t withered in the deep autumn. Instead, they stood proud and stubborn.

Trumpet Vine (Ling Xiao): Bignoniaceae vine. Pungent, slightly cold. Enters the Liver and Pericardium meridians.

He thought that if he could endure the “pungency” and “bitterness” of it, he would eventually taste the sweetness.

He had originally planned to stay up until Ling Xiao returned to try and move their relationship forward while the mood was good, but… he fell asleep. He wasn’t sure what time it was; perhaps because he hadn’t rested well lately, his eyelids started fighting as soon as he hit the bed. When he woke up, Ling Xiao still hadn’t returned.

While rushing for his morning class, he called the man, feeling worried. Fortunately, someone picked up.

“Where did you go?” Chen Kongqing asked softly. He didn’t want Ling Xiao to feel like he was interrogating him; he just wanted to show concern.

“Training finished too late yesterday, so I went back to the dorm with Old Gao and the guys.” Ling Xiao’s voice was very raspy; he had likely just woken up.

Ling Xiao’s family was well-off. For convenience, he rented this apartment and didn’t usually stay in the dorms. After Chen Kongqing injured his leg, Ling Xiao let him move in so he could look after him. Although Ling Xiao didn’t actually know how to care for someone, those days of recovery were enough for Chen Kongqing to cherish for a long time.

Confirming the man was okay, Chen Kongqing breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright. Don’t be too tired. Come back for dinner today so I can nourish you properly.”

Ling Xiao: “We’ll see. I have training today too, the intensity is high lately.”

“Okay,” Chen Kongqing replied obediently. He gave Ling Xiao a few more reminders before rushing to class.

The morning class was taught by his master. His master loved to cold-call him, and if the questions were too obscure and he couldn’t answer, his master would punish him. Fortunately, the victim this morning was his senior, Du Song—he was ordered to copy a prescription for migraines fifty times.

“Sigh, if the experiment doesn’t show results today, I’m dead meat,” Du Song lamented.

Chen Kongqing packed his bag and headed to the lab building with Du Song. “It’s okay, Senior. I’ll help you later. My data is almost done.”

Du Song clutched his heart in drama. “Say no more, Junior! I’m buying you coffee later! Starbucks!”

Chen Kongqing said sincerely, “I’d rather have the scallion pancakes from the gate.”

“Deal! Let’s go eat first, then enter the ‘prison’.” Du Song reached out to drape an arm over his shoulder, but as soon as he leaned in, the youth suddenly dodged.

Chen Kongqing felt his flinch was a bit too obvious, but it was a reflex. He couldn’t get close to people. When they were near, their body heat seemed to stick to his skin, triggering his condition and making his skin itchier.

Du Song didn’t mind, assuming his junior was just a bit of a germaphobe. “Let’s go, I’m buying.”

Chen Kongqing nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness his senior didn’t ask anything.

…

For the next few days, he was either in the lab or the teaching building, so busy he almost slept in the lab. Ling Xiao was also busy—so busy he rarely even replied to messages.

The one who occasionally messaged him wasn’t Ling Xiao, but Dr. Xu.

Lnk: [How is the situation lately?] Lnk: [Eat well.]

When Dr. Xu asked, Chen Kongqing realized his last meal had been in the morning, and it was already dark outside. He felt a bit sheepish and politely sent back a voice message that was slightly “embellished” (lied about eating).

He didn’t know if God heard his lie or if he had simply worked himself to the bone, but he suddenly fell ill. It was very sudden. He had returned to the apartment planning to sleep for an eternity, but he began to run a fever in his daze. Ling Xiao had been training and hadn’t come home for two days.

He struggled to get out of bed, leaning against the wall as he felt his way to the living room to take some medicine. He didn’t even have the strength to walk back to the bedroom, so he collapsed on the sofa and drifted off again.

He didn’t know if it was a hallucination, but through his sleep, he heard a knock at the door.

Knock, knock. Knock, knock.

After several rounds, Chen Kongqing opened his blurry eyes and painfully sat up. He thought Ling Xiao must be back—sometimes Ling Xiao forgot his keys. He put his hand on the door handle; his vision was hazy and his legs were so weak he felt he would collapse the next second. Just the simple act of opening the door felt like it required an immense amount of effort.

Click.

Chen Kongqing pushed the door halfway open. Through his blurred vision, a tall figure appeared. Because of the fever, his sense of smell was dull, yet he still caught a faint scent of Earl Grey tea.

This wasn’t Ling Xiao’s scent.

He instinctively gripped the handle tighter to pull the door shut. Suddenly, a powerful force grasped the edge of the door, and Chen Kongqing couldn’t budge it no matter how hard he pulled.

“Chen Kongqing, it’s me.”

It sounded like… Dr. Xu’s voice.

Chen Kongqing finally let down his guard and released the handle. The heavy entrance door was pushed open.

He found it difficult even to lift his eyelids. Without the door handle as support, his weak legs gave out. He spoke feebly: “Cou… Cousin.”

Before he could finish his sentence, his vision dissolved into total darkness. In his daze, it felt as if his body had finally been rescued from ice water and was wrapped in a warm, protective touch.