Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Biting Hard Into Chen Kongqing’s Snow-White Neck

Only then did Chen Kongqing see Xu Jingmo, who had appeared out of nowhere.

Xu Jingmo walked straight toward them, reaching out his hand to take the backpack. Chen Kongqing paused while pulling at his shoulder strap, clearly surprised. “How did you get here?”

Xu Jingmo spoke warmly, his expression and movements carrying a subtle hint of cautiousness. “I came to pick you up for dinner after class, but it’s fine if you want to go with Captain Zhang.”

“Oh… I…” Chen Kongqing took off the backpack, but before he could even offer it, Xu Jingmo had already reached over and claimed it.

Zhang Cheng wasn’t blind; he saw everything clearly. A total “green tea” manipulator, he thought. Pretending to be so understanding, yet he’s faster than anyone when it comes to snatching that bag.

Zhang Cheng glanced at Xu Jingmo, put his hands on his hips, and let out a soft snort. “Then Kongqing should just come with me. Don’t you have to go back to the lab after eating? The cafeteria is more convenient.”

“Captain Zhang is right, the cafeteria is more convenient,” Xu Jingmo echoed, pulling out his phone. “I’ll just tell the restaurant to cancel my reservation.”

“You made a reservation?” Chen Kongqing asked. “Is it too much trouble to cancel?”

Xu Jingmo: “It’s nothing…”

Zhang Cheng ran a hand through his hair. He had never encountered someone with this level of “maneuvering.” Xu Jingmo kept saying it was nothing, yet he showed zero intention of putting the backpack down.

“How about… Captain Zhang,” Chen Kongqing turned and spoke to Zhang Cheng with a hint of apology, “Let’s eat another day? I’m so sorry…”

Zhang Cheng laughed and waved it off, a few crows-feet appearing at the corners of his eyes. “No worries! What’s there to be sorry about? We can just set it for tomorrow, or any day. We’re both on campus anyway.”

He didn’t believe for a second that, with the advantage of being close by, he wouldn’t be able to catch Chen Kongqing eventually.

Xu Jingmo held the backpack, staring at Zhang Cheng with a neutral expression.

“Okay, then we’ll reschedule. I’m heading out first, Captain Zhang.” Chen Kongqing gave Zhang Cheng a polite smile, then turned to Xu Jingmo. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Xu Jingmo replied, raising an eyebrow. “We’re leaving first, Captain Zhang.”

Even though the arch of his eyebrow didn’t even move a centimeter, Zhang Cheng saw a mountain’s worth of smugness in that tiny gesture.

Chen Kongqing nodded to Zhang Cheng and followed Xu Jingmo. Looking at their departing figures—one tall, one short—the contrast in their height actually looked quite matching.

Zhang Cheng pursed his lips and gritted his teeth.

…

Chen Kongqing didn’t look back. He looked up at the man beside him. “Why did you come so suddenly? How did you know I was here?”

“You told me when you showed me around before that this was the building where you had classes.” Xu Jingmo glanced at him, and the hand closest to Chen Kongqing took the opportunity to seize his.

The palm was hot as always, with a thin layer of calluses. Chen Kongqing had actually been curious for a while: why did a psychiatrist have calluses? It’s not like they performed surgery. Because of this thought, he forgot they were on campus and just naturally let himself be led by the hand. “Why do you have calluses on your hand?”

He had wanted to ask before, but felt it was too awkward. But now he surely could, right? He had “official status” now.

“Does it rub you the wrong way?” Xu Jingmo asked.

But his stroking didn’t stop, his thumb brushing against the soft skin at the base of Chen Kongqing’s fingers over and over. “I like going to the gym, and for a while, I was into rock climbing. My hands got a bit rough.”

“So that’s it.” Chen Kongqing felt a bit of an itch from the friction. “It doesn’t hurt, I can just feel it.”

It certainly didn’t hurt; it was just a thin layer of callus, not the thick, prickly kind. Xu Jingmo nodded, only gripping his hand tighter.

Chen Kongqing shifted his gaze from the man’s face to the path ahead. The trees, the grass, and the passing students outside the teaching building entered his vision. Only then did he realize he was still in school.

It was likely part of the DNA of every East Asian student—the feeling that holding hands in school was a bit strange. Even in university… Chen Kongqing instinctively tried to pull his hand away.

“Can’t we hold hands, Qingqing?” Xu Jingmo asked, looking at him with those phoenix eyes again, appearing very much like he was making a sacrifice. He let go. “Is it because you don’t want others to know?”

Chen Kongqing was momentarily speechless. He just wasn’t used to this on campus. Even back when he was dating Ling Xiao while sick, he never would have engaged in public displays of affection at school. How did Xu Jingmo conclude he was trying to hide it?

“It’s not that…” Chen Kongqing licked his dry lips to explain. “It’s not that I don’t want people to know.”

“It’s okay. I can wait until the day you feel it’s appropriate.” Xu Jingmo maintained that low-profile, almost humble stance.

It was so humble it made one’s heart ache. Chen Kongqing suddenly began to analyze him like a psychiatrist would. He concluded it was because Xu Jingmo was too insecure. Some people deal with insecurity by demanding reassurance, while those truly devoid of security don’t even dare to ask for it.

The rabbit released his lower lip, which he had licked damp, and reached back to grasp the hand that was much larger than his own. “It’s not that I want to hide it. We’re dating, not committing a crime. I was just thinking about being in school, but… I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

Every word from the rabbit felt like a firework exploding in Xu Jingmo’s heart. Chen Kongqing could feel Xu Jingmo’s gaze becoming several times hotter than before—it was sticky and intense, as if it could set him on fire. He didn’t dare meet it; he felt like if he did, he’d be glued to it forever.

Suddenly, Xu Jingmo, no longer satisfied with just looking, leaned down and whispered very softly in his ear: “I want to kiss you.”

Chen Kongqing’s body gave an involuntary shudder. His face clouded. “No!”

Luckily… no one was passing by right then.

Xu Jingmo was relentless: “When will it be okay?”

“Definitely not now, anyway!” During class today, his roommates had already asked him why his lips were so red. In school, holding hands was fine—but kissing? Absolutely not!

Xu Jingmo was only teasing the rabbit, of course. Although he wanted the whole world to know he was dating Chen Kongqing, he didn’t actually want to kiss him in public. Because when Chen Kongqing kissed, his eyes would grow hazy and his breathing would turn ragged. Those lips were so small and soft; after being pried open and sucked, they would swell into a deep red, and he wouldn’t be able to keep his saliva in, with crystalline drops occasionally overflowing from the corners of his mouth.

He didn’t want anyone else to see that Chen Kongqing. He wouldn’t allow it.

…

Xu Jingmo had booked a private dining room. The dishes were light but the ingredients were incredibly fresh—exactly the kind of food Chen Kongqing liked. It was close to the school, making it easy to return.

“Didn’t you say you had to work overtime today?” Chen Kongqing asked as he ate the shrimp Xu Jingmo had peeled for him.

“I guessed you wouldn’t eat properly, so I wanted to eat with you before going back.” From the moment the food arrived, Xu Jingmo was busy peeling shrimp and deboning fish for him, not taking a single bite himself.

The rabbit pouted, wanting to protest, but couldn’t find the words. He indeed hadn’t eaten lunch. “How did you know I didn’t eat…” he finally mumbled.

Xu Jingmo: “I guessed when you told me you had a club meeting at noon.”

Chen Kongqing’s eyes widened. “How did you guess from that?”

“Because back when I was a student, if I had a meeting at noon, I wouldn’t eat.” Xu Jingmo added more plump shrimp to the rabbit’s bowl.

Chen Kongqing said weakly: “Then you weren’t eating properly either…”

“Which is why my stomach is bad now. Do you want to be like me?” Xu Jingmo stared at the face stuffed with food.

The rabbit shook his head, swallowing as his bulging cheeks gradually flattened. “Your stomach is bad? In what way?”

“Minor issues,” Xu Jingmo said, placing a piece of tender, deboned fish into Chen Kongqing’s bowl.

“You should eat too, don’t just keep serving me. I can be careful with fish bones myself.” Chen Kongqing hurriedly pushed his bowl a bit further away. “Exactly what’s wrong? I know a bit about pharmacology; I can help you regulate it.”

Xu Jingmo laughed. “Help me regulate it?”

“Yes.” Chen Kongqing put down his chopsticks and said seriously, “Herbal medicine is very effective for regulating the spleen and stomach.”

“Alright, alright. Eat first. I’ll tell you all about it after we eat,” Xu Jingmo replied, as if coaxing a child. It worked, though. The rabbit began to eat seriously.

…

It wasn’t until they finished dinner and were sitting in the car that Chen Kongqing realized Xu Jingmo still hadn’t given him the details.

Chen Kongqing grew a bit anxious again. “You still haven’t told me your specific symptoms. How exactly do you feel unwell? Oh, my professor is great at taking pulses; I can ask him to take a look… it’s definitely useful. An expert appointment with him at the provincial hospital costs 500 yuan.”

He emphasized this, fearing that Dr. Xu, trained in Western medicine, wouldn’t believe in it.

Xu Jingmo: “Do you know how to take a pulse?”

Chen Kongqing shook his head honestly. “I can’t get it right. I study herbal medicine; pulse-taking wasn’t a required course for me.” His major focused more on the combination of plant research and medical theory, not entirely traditional Chinese medicine logic.

“My illness isn’t difficult,” Xu Jingmo raised an eyebrow, suddenly dropping this line. He reached over and pinched Chen Kongqing’s soft cheek. “Dr. Chen should be able to treat it.”

The rabbit’s face seemed to have rounded out slightly—though the change was infinitesimal. Chen Kongqing didn’t get angry at the cheek-pinching, but he wasn’t used to the title. He was the one who usually called Xu Jingmo “Doctor”; hearing Xu Jingmo call him that… and in that raspy, dry voice…

Ignoring the heat at the tips of his ears, Chen Kongqing pressed on: “How can I help you?”

Xu Jingmo’s gaze flickered, brushing over Chen Kongqing’s eyes and nose. “Are you willing to help?”

Chen Kongqing felt that was a completely redundant question. “Of course.”

At those words, the hand pinching Chen Kongqing’s chin suddenly applied pressure. Those soft, chubby pink lips were easily pried open.

“Mph…” With his lips pinched, he couldn’t speak, only making small, broken sounds.

Xu Jingmo stared at those lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing, looking completely determined. “Eating this will make it better, Qingqing.”

“Mph!”

Chen Kongqing’s lips were sucked hard, but he couldn’t speak, only letting out a hum.

“Open your teeth, Qingqing,” Xu Jingmo said, half-coaxing, half-commanding.

Chen Kongqing’s eyes grew watery. He let out two hums but didn’t release his teeth.

“If I hadn’t shown up today, you would have gone to dinner with Zhang Cheng, wouldn’t you?” Xu Jingmo suddenly pivoted back to that.

Chen Kongqing froze, but with his mouth still pinched, he still couldn’t talk.

Xu Jingmo: “Don’t eat with others, okay?”

The words were phrased as a question, sounding humble and aggrieved. But the man’s teeth showed zero weakness as they bit down hard onto Chen Kongqing’s snow-white neck.