Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 74

Chapter 74: The Lumbar Dimples

Gao Tianyou was the first to speak, grinning broadly. “Even if he’s your boyfriend, he’s late, so he has to be punished. Dr. Xu, what’ll it be? Red or white?”

“He drove here, he can’t drink.” Chen Kongqing led Xu Jingmo to the empty seats, blocking the drinks for the suddenly silent man.

Xu Jingmo was silent because, just moments ago, he had heard it clearly. He heard exactly what Chen Kongqing said:

“I’d like to introduce everyone. This is my boyfriend, Xu Jingmo.”

He didn’t know if the others heard it clearly, but he had heard it with absolute certainty. The warm touch against his arm was pressed tight against his skin. This was a moment he had waited for a long, long time. It felt as if the rabbit had personally tucked him into a giant jar of honey; he couldn’t quite snap out of the sweetness.

It wasn’t until Chen Kongqing gave his sleeve a small tug that he returned to his senses.

Qi Chuan asked, “Really not a drop? It’s no fun if we’re the only ones drinking.”

“It’s fine, I can drink. I’ll just call a designated driver later,” Xu Jingmo said, snapping out of it and unscrewing a bottle of Western liquor. “I’ll start with a penalty drink for being late.”

The others were actually just joking. Seeing Xu Jingmo seriously preparing to down a drink, they tried to stop him.

Gao Tianyou said, “Dr. Xu, a token gesture is enough! If you drink that much and get drunk, Kongqing will lecture us later.”

Zhu Mingtian also chimed in with a smile, “Exactly. This is a gathering among friends. It’s fine to just drink juice.”

Chen Kongqing had never seen Xu Jingmo drink and didn’t know his tolerance. He leaned close to the man’s ear and whispered, “It’s okay, you don’t have to drink.”

Xu Jingmo felt a puff of warm air brush against his ear. He lowered his eyes and smiled, lifting the glass of amber liquid. “I’m very happy that Kongqing introduced me to all of you. I must have this drink.”

The man pressed his lips to the glass, and the amber liquor tilted back, pouring into his mouth. Chen Kongqing had tried Western liquor before; the taste was harsh and the aftertaste wasn’t to his liking. But after Xu Jingmo downed half a glass, his expression didn’t change at all. He must have a high tolerance, Chen Kongqing thought, deciding not to worry about it further.

Xu Jingmo must have notified the restaurant before entering, as a waiter soon arrived with a food cart. This was a high-end Chinese restaurant in Kun City; every dish exuded refinement. The atmosphere was harmonious as everyone chatted.

During the meal, Xu Jingmo had several more drinks. Since Zhu Mingtian’s current research was leaning toward herbal medicine and he had a personal interest in modern medicine, he and Xu Jingmo stayed locked in a professional conversation.

Meanwhile, Chen Kongqing was busy eating carrots. The menu today had been pre-ordered by Xu Jingmo—almost all the restaurant’s specialties were served, including a pot of beef brisket stewed with carrots. The carrots were incredibly fragrant and sweet. They were indeed much tastier than standard store-bought ones.

Du Song, sitting next to Chen Kongqing, leaned over and whispered, “This partner of yours… he’s decent.”

Actually, Du Song had the strongest reaction when he first found out Chen Kongqing was dating a thirty-year-old psychiatrist. His concerns weren’t entirely baseless. His reasoning was: first, he’s too old; second, a psychiatrist sounds like a total pervert.

At the time, Chen Kongqing had thought to himself: In some ways, Du Song’s intuition is actually quite accurate…

Chen Kongqing ate a piece of beef Xu Jingmo had placed in his bowl and whispered back, “You’ve only had a few bites and you’re already bought off?”

“Tsk,” Du Song sipped his drink. “Am I that superficial?”

Gao Tianyou joined the “sub-group” chat. Xu Jingmo and Zhu Mingtian were in a deep discussion and didn’t notice the small huddle behind them.

“I told him the price of that watch on your boyfriend’s wrist, and he suddenly thought it was okay,” Gao Tianyou grinned. “Talk about superficial.”

“Hey, hey, that’s not it,” Du Song denied, whispering rapidly. “I see his manners and character are good. Besides, when Kongqing told me a ‘thirty-year-old doctor,’ I could only imagine a guy with a ‘Mediterranean’ bald spot and a beer belly sitting in an office. Who knew he’d look like this? If he looks like this… and has money, it’s a win.”

“Junior brothers, what are you whispering about over there?” It was Zhu Mingtian who first noticed the three huddled together.

Xu Jingmo also turned his gaze over. He first noticed Chen Kongqing’s empty bowl and moved his chopsticks to refill it. “What are you three secretly talking about?”

Chen Kongqing turned his face, thinking of Du Song’s description. Mediterranean bald spot, beer belly. He tried to imagine the elegant Xu Jingmo looking like that.

“What are you thinking about?” Xu Jingmo saw the rabbit dazing off—specifically, dazing off at him in a silly way.

Chen Kongqing’s willow-leaf eyes curved into crescents. “I’ll tell you later.”

Xu Jingmo picked up a thin pancake, wrapped a piece of Peking duck with some cucumber slices, and placed the roll in Chen Kongqing’s bowl. “Where is Zhang Cheng?”

“He said he had something to do and couldn’t make it,” Chen Kongqing answered, stuffing the roll into his mouth.

“I see.” Xu Jingmo didn’t say more, but those two words carried a profound, meaningful undertone.

…

The meal lasted nearly two hours. Xu Jingmo called taxis to send the others back to school. As the two stood in front of the restaurant watching the cars leave, Chen Kongqing instantly relaxed. In front of so many classmates, he had been too embarrassed to be too intimate. Now, he immediately grabbed the man’s arm and leaned in. “I saw you drink a lot. Do you feel okay?”

“I’m fine, just a bit dizzy.” Xu Jingmo turned his hand to hold the rabbit’s soft hand. “Why are your hands so cold?”

“It’s because your hands are hot.” For some reason, their grip shifted into an interlaced, ten-finger lock. Every knuckle was wrapped in warmth.

They strolled down the tree-lined boulevard outside the restaurant. It was spring, the season of rebirth. Looking up, the great trees that had slept through winter were now surging upward. The surroundings were quiet with no passing cars—only the synchronized sound of their footsteps and the occasional rustle of the night breeze through the branches.

Xu Jingmo looked down. “What were you and your classmates saying earlier? Were you talking about me?”

“Seems like you’re not drunk at all,” Chen Kongqing kept his head down, watching the sidewalk. A few pale yellow jasmine petals had fallen onto the pavement.

“You were talking about me.” Xu Jingmo watched the round head beside him.

Chen Kongqing pouted. “If we were talking about you, it was all good things. Saying you’re handsome.”

Xu Jingmo: “Surely there was more than that.”

“Mm…” Chen Kongqing lifted his head to meet Xu Jingmo’s eyes. “They said before they met you, they thought you’d be a guy with a bald spot and a big belly.” At this, his eyes curved again. “I was just imagining what you’d look like without hair and with a big stomach.”

Xu Jingmo reached out with his free hand and pinched the boy’s cheek. “And that made you laugh so happily?”

With the pinch, the rabbit laughed even harder. His eyes turned into crescents, and his cheek was like dough in Xu Jingmo’s hand, being squeezed and rubbed. “Would you still like me if I turned into that?”

Chen Kongqing’s laughter faded into a smile. Originally, he was going to say yes. He knew that when it came to their relationship, Xu Jingmo was actually quite fragile and needed constant reassurance. But… Xu Jingmo was also a psychiatrist.

The rabbit asked innocently, “Can psychiatrists tell when someone is lying?”

“…” Xu Jingmo couldn’t help but smile, a soft laugh escaping his nose. “If you ask that, I already know you’re about to lie.”

Chen Kongqing blinked, looking a bit embarrassed, and the flesh of the cheek being pinched was squeezed a bit tighter.

“Hmph…” Chen Kongqing let out a small huff of pain.

Xu Jingmo: “So you only like the handsome version?”

“Well…” Chen Kongqing paused, then muttered a small protest. “It’s not like I’m supposed to like an ugly version…”

Xu Jingmo felt that asking this was childish, but he still wanted to know: “Am I more handsome, or is Zhang Cheng?”

The rabbit, still being pinched, blinked as if processing the information. Because his face was being squeezed, his voice was muffled. “Why Zhang Cheng again… I told you, he likes girls.”

“Mmh.”

His lips, pinched into a pout, were heavily pecked by Xu Jingmo as the man leaned down.

We’re on the street! How can you be so reckless!

Chen Kongqing instinctively struggled, trying to escape. But at that moment, his lower back was caught. What started as a peck suddenly changed flavor. The rabbit still tried to pull away, but the constraint on his lower back tightened. He had no room to struggle.

Xu Jingmo was no longer satisfied with a surface-level touch. His flexible tongue drove straight in. With his cheeks still being pinched, Chen Kongqing’s teeth were already parted. His mouth was instantly invaded. The wet tongue swept through the soft oral cavity, plundering every inch as if to claim every corner as his own.

“Mph-mph.” Chen Kongqing hadn’t forgotten they were in public. Even if there was no one on the street at this hour… no!

Furthermore, the large hand Xu Jingmo had on him was not behaving either, wandering over his cotton shirt. Finally, it pressed down hard right on his lumbar dimples.

The rabbit, who had been tense with nerves, instantly went limp. He collapsed into Xu Jingmo’s arms, helplessly enduring the long kiss. His lips grew numb from the suction, and his tongue was being slowly entangled, tasting a faint hint of alcohol. The oxygen in his lungs was being depleted bit by bit.

Finally, he was on the verge of losing his breath. The rabbit in his arms whimpered piteously.

Xu Jingmo finally showed mercy and let him breathe. The moment his lips were released, Chen Kongqing gasped for air through his red, glistening lips, leaning weakly against Xu Jingmo’s shoulder. “We’re on the street… you…”

“I know.” Xu Jingmo was unapologetic, his deep eyes staring at Chen Kongqing’s red, swollen lips. “I’m your boyfriend. Kissing you is perfectly justified.”

Perfectly justified. Those words. He had waited a long time to say them.