Did My Wife Break Up With Me Today? - Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Extra 1 — Study Abroad Chronicles (VI): “I will always put your mind at ease.”

Chen Kongqing curled his body inward, frantically covering his mouth with his hand, terrified that any sound he made might be detected by Jen outside the door.

But the world before him was still swaying; he was uncontrollably pushed forward. Chen Kongqing instinctively tried to turn back to stop him, but as he twisted his neck, his slender arm was pulled back. He attempted to push the man behind him away, only to have his wrist seized in a firm grip. His shoulder was pinned back, leaving him completely powerless to resist.

“Azurite?” Jen, outside the door, hadn’t given up; his voice was full of confusion.

Chen Kongqing used his free hand to seal his lips tight. Behind him, Xu Jingmo seemed to have gone deaf to the outside world, focusing entirely on gripping Kongqing’s wrist and driving into him with relentless intensity.

The rabbit’s beautiful eyes filled with a misty haze. Unable to hold back a small whimper, he bit down hard on the back of his own hand, hoping the pain would help him stay focused and quiet.

A second later, the phone discarded on the sofa suddenly lit up, vibrating against the leather. Every cell in Chen Kongqing’s body shuddered along with the vibration; his heart leaped into his throat.

The screen displayed a voice call notification: “Jen”.

Chen Kongqing obviously wouldn’t answer. He felt a fleeting sense of relief—thankfully the phone was on silent, or Jen would have heard it through the door. But Xu Jingmo suddenly released the boy’s wrist, leaned down to pick up the vibrating phone, and pressed it close to Chen Kongqing’s ear.

Because of this movement, the depth of their connection pushed even further. “Baby, you have a call,” Xu Jingmo whispered against his ear.

Chen Kongqing couldn’t hold on anymore; his body went limp. Xu Jingmo circled an arm around his lower abdomen, lightly nibbling his earlobe. “Will you answer it? Baby.”

Chen Kongqing’s voice was broken and staggered. “I won’t… won’t answer…”

“Why not?” Xu Jingmo asked, his hot breath fanning against the rabbit’s earlobe, which was already red enough to bleed.

Chen Kongqing felt Xu Jingmo was asking a question he already knew the answer to. Angered, he hissed, “How can I answer like this!” Yet, he still instinctively kept his volume low.

Suddenly, the world that had been shaking violently came to a halt. Everything returned to a temporary, agonizing stillness. Xu Jingmo remained pressed against his ear. “Answer it.”

Before Chen Kongqing could protest, Xu Jingmo pressed the green “accept” button.

Jen’s slightly anxious voice came through the speaker: “Oh, Azurite, you finally picked up. Are you not home? Why won’t you open the door?”

Chen Kongqing’s breathing was erratic. He glared at Xu Jingmo with eyes full of resentment, his lower lip bitten swollen—either by Xu Jingmo or by himself.

“Azurite, did something happen? Why aren’t you speaking?” the voice on the phone grew more urgent.

Chen Kongqing had no choice but to respond. He suppressed his voice as much as possible to hide the abnormality. “Jen…” But the moment he spoke, his voice was incredibly raspy.

He pursed his lips and tried to weave a calm lie: “I’m… sorry. I suddenly have a bit of a fever. I can’t cook tonight… maybe… maybe tomorrow.”

“A fever? Is it serious? Do you need help? You sound like you’re in a bad way,” Jen asked quickly, sounding genuinely concerned.

At that exact moment, Xu Jingmo drove into him with a sudden, forceful thrust.

Unprepared, a broken sound escaped the rabbit’s clenched teeth. His eyelashes, wet with tears, clumped together.

“What was that? Azurite?” Jen asked immediately.

“Nothing… I’m fine.” Chen Kongqing grabbed the large hand resting on his stomach and bit down on it with a “crunch” to steady himself. “I’ve already taken medicine. I just need to sleep it off.”

“Don’t just tough it out, Azurite. I can take you to the hospital,” Jen offered warmly.

“No need, really. I’m going to rest now…” Unable to take it anymore, Chen Kongqing hurriedly hung up the phone.

Xu Jingmo continued his rhythm. Chen Kongqing, shedding physiological tears, cursed through his teeth: “You bastard.”

“Mhm, I am.” Xu Jingmo wasn’t angry; he simply increased the power and speed.

Chen Kongqing held onto that large hand and bit it again in retaliation. Xu Jingmo didn’t pull away, letting him bite. Chen Kongqing left deep teeth marks on the back of his hand and the webbing of his thumb. Then, unsatisfied with just the hand, he vengefully bit Xu Jingmo’s neck, collarbone, arms, and chest—leaving marks everywhere, especially on the Adam’s apple. That one was the deepest, looking as if a fraction more force would have drawn blood.

…

Chen Kongqing only noticed these marks the next day when he woke up. Once sober, he felt he might have gone a bit overboard. They were very obvious bite marks—the kind anyone could tell were human.

When he woke, Xu Jingmo was still sleeping. Memories of last night were fragmented. He remembered that after one round, Xu Jingmo had cooked him something, but he could only manage a few bites before exhaustion claimed him. He had tried to hide like an ostrich under the covers, but he hadn’t escaped being dragged back out by Xu Jingmo. After that, things were a blur, except for the feeling of being washed in warm water.

Now that he was awake, he noticed the sheets had been changed. The messy clothes strewn across the floor were gone. On the nightstand, their phones, watches, and his jade pendant were neatly arranged. It was no wonder Xu Jingmo hadn’t woken up; he had spent the night being a “Snail Boy” (housekeeper).

Not wanting to wake him, Chen Kongqing shifted slightly and stared at the ring of bite marks on the man’s Adam’s apple. He wondered if Xu Jingmo had brought any turtlenecks to cover that up…

The phone on the nightstand vibrated. Chen Kongqing didn’t want to deal with it, but it buzzed repeatedly. Worried it might be a notification from the university during finals week, he reluctantly reached out a bare arm to grab it.

He unlocked the phone and read the messages while nestled in Xu Jingmo’s arms.

Jen: [Azurite, has your fever broken?] Jen: [I made some porridge. Should I bring some over?] Jen: [Reply when you see this, or I’ll worry you’ve fainted from the fever.]

Chen Kongqing tapped out a reply: [I’m fine, the fever is gone.] Azurite: [You don’t need to worry, Jen.] Jen: [That’s good.] Jen: [I made claypot porridge. Let me bring you some.]

As Chen Kongqing thought of how to refuse, the hand on his belly moved upward, lightly pinching the sensitive skin below his collarbone.

Xu Jingmo had opened his eyes. His deep phoenix eyes were filled with a lazy haze, but after seeing the chat on the screen, his gaze darkened. “Claypot porridge? You want to eat it?”

Chen Kongqing shook his head. “I’m not eating it.”

Xu Jingmo’s hand was still moving, his grip neither light nor heavy—not exactly painful, but very “itchy.”

“Stop it…” Chen Kongqing whined, forgetting about the message. He tried to pull the hand away. “If you keep doing this, I’ll bite you again.”

Xu Jingmo nodded, accepting it readily. “You can, baby.” It was as if it were a reward rather than a punishment.

“Stop, it hurts!” Chen Kongqing protested. Usually, he didn’t speak in such a tone, but whenever he was with Xu Jingmo, his voice became particularly lively and emotive.

Xu Jingmo finally showed some mercy and let go. “It is a bit swollen. I put some soothing ointment on earlier; I’ll apply more later.”

“Where did you get ointment?” Chen Kongqing was confused; he didn’t have that kind of medicine in his apartment.

Xu Jingmo said shamelessly, “I brought it with me.”

It took a moment for Chen Kongqing to realize the implication. Brought it with him? So he knew he’d need it? He had planned to “break” him from the start?

Chen Kongqing angrily bit Xu Jingmo’s neck again, but since he was sober, he held back and didn’t bite too hard. After some tossing and turning, they eventually cuddled back together.

“What do you want to eat? I’ll cook,” Xu Jingmo said.

“Claypot porridge,” Chen Kongqing teased with his eyes closed, his eyebrows arching mischievously.

“Chen Kongqing,” the man warned, pressing a finger into the rabbit’s sensitive waist.

Chen Kongqing laughed. “Alright, alright. You’re so old, why are you still such a jealous type?”

This hit Xu Jingmo’s sore spot. “Old? How old am I?”

Chen Kongqing choked and quickly smoothed the “wolf’s” fur. “Um… not old. Thirty is the most charming age for a man.”

Xu Jingmo gave a cold smile.

And so… Chen Kongqing didn’t get to eat breakfast. Forget claypot porridge—he didn’t get any porridge at all.

It wasn’t until nearly 3 PM that Chen Kongqing got out of bed, his mind blank. He couldn’t stay in bed any longer; this place was too dangerous. He ordered Xu Jingmo to dress him, brush his teeth, and wash his face. Xu Jingmo complied, serving him perfectly.

Finally, they left for Chinatown. It was far from W University, so Kongqing rarely went, but he craved authentic Chinese food. They ordered five dishes, intended to pack the leftovers home.

As Xu Jingmo peeled shrimp for him, Kongqing watched him. The man was indeed wearing a turtleneck, but it still couldn’t quite hide the deep bite mark.

“Does it hurt?” Chen Kongqing asked.

Xu Jingmo placed a shrimp dipped in vinegar into Kongqing’s bowl. “What?”

“Your neck. Did I bite you too hard?”

“It hurts, hurts like death,” Xu Jingmo raised an eyebrow. “It won’t hurt if baby kisses it.”

“…” Chen Kongqing ignored him and ate his shrimp.

After dinner, they strolled through the streets. “How did you get leave? Didn’t you use it all when I first moved?”

“I swapped shifts. I worked a long stretch before this.”

“That’s tiring. You didn’t have to come; I’m coming home soon anyway.”

“I couldn’t wait,” Xu Jingmo squeezed his hand, transferring his warmth. “I missed you too much.”

The evening wind was chilly, but Chen Kongqing’s heart was warm. “Fine, fine.”

Xu Jingmo arched a brow. “Just ‘fine’?”

“Okay, okay!” Chen Kongqing teased.

“Do you want me to kiss you right here?” Xu Jingmo threatened playfully. They were on Rodeo Drive, surrounded by tourists. Chen Kongqing’s face turned red; he knew Xu Jingmo was bold enough to actually do it.

“I missed you too, I missed you too,” Chen Kongqing finally relented. The man beside him smiled with satisfaction.

That night, while Xu Jingmo had a video meeting and Kongqing was reviewing for exams, Kongqing remembered he hadn’t replied to Jen. He checked his messages.

Jen: [Azurite?] Jen: [You keep going offline.] Jen: [Fine, message me if you want some.] (That was from the morning.) Then, near evening: Jen: [I’ve been meaning to ask.] Jen: [I don’t want to be rude, but are you still with that boyfriend from home?] Jen: [I haven’t seen him since the semester started, so…]

Chen Kongqing read them all. Xu Jingmo finished his meeting, took off his headphones, and saw Kongqing on his phone. “I thought you were studying?”

“Replying to a message,” Chen Kongqing said.

Xu Jingmo’s eyes darkened. He remembered the messages from that morning. “Replying to what?”

“Replying to Jen. Want to see?” Chen Kongqing offered the phone.

Xu Jingmo acted reserved, but when Kongqing started to pull the phone back, he snatched it. He pulled Kongqing into his side on the sofa and read the screen.

He saw the “concerned” messages from the man—tactics Xu Jingmo himself had used years ago. He smirked and scrolled to Chen Kongqing’s reply.

Azurite: [We haven’t broken up.] Azurite: [He’s right here beside me.] Azurite: [He’s just very busy with work, so he can’t visit often.] Azurite: [Jen, if you have feelings for me, please forgive me if I’m mistaken.] Azurite: [If you do, I want to say that my relationship with my boyfriend is very strong. To me, he isn’t just a boyfriend, but a life partner.]

Xu Jingmo felt his empty heart fill up piece by piece. Chen Kongqing rested his legs on the man’s lap, tucking his cold feet into Xu Jingmo’s sweater for warmth.

“Liebling, are you at peace now?” He used the German word for “darling” that Xu Jingmo liked.

Xu Jingmo set the phone down and wrapped his warm hands around the cold, soft feet. “Why are they so cold?”

“My constitution is just cold. I tried to treat myself, but it didn’t work,” Chen Kongqing mumbled. “It’s not that I’m bad at medicine; even my teacher said some constitutions are hard to change.”

Xu Jingmo rubbed the boy’s fair arches. “It’s because you love ice water. You’ve been drinking plenty of it abroad, haven’t you?”

Chen Kongqing pouted. “Just warm my feet and stop talking.”

“Yes, Master,” Xu Jingmo laughed.

Late that night, as Chen Kongqing drifted into sleep, his earlobe was gently bitten. A soft voice whispered into his ear: “Xiaoman, stay by my side forever. Always put my mind at ease.”

Half-conscious, Chen Kongqing murmured from his soul: “Forever… I’ll always put your mind at ease.”