Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Xing He and I Have a Divorce Certificate.

Chen Xia looked troubled. She and Xing He were roughly the same age, but having grown up in the city, she didn’t know how to whistle—she had never even seen it done in person.

Fan Hua pursed her lips and blew a whistle at Chen Xia.

“There. Now I’ve whistled at Xiao Xia, too.”

Xing He was incredulous. “You’re cheating.”

Fan Hua shrugged. “Is there a rule saying it doesn’t count if I do it now?”

Her “elderly” heart taking a massive hit, Xing He looked to Chen Xia to uphold justice. But when she met Chen Xia’s eyes, the younger woman looked away guiltily, remaining silent.

Xing He seemed to lose all strength and tactical options. “I don’t have one.”

Fan Hua looked like a victorious general, her tail practically wagging in the air. “Drink up, loser.”

Xing He, like a balloon suddenly pricked, deflated and downed another glass.

Perhaps Fan Hua felt that bullying a “lightweight” was getting boring, so she let Chen Xia set the topic for this round. Chen Xia thought seriously for a long time before finally deciding.

“I have proposed to Xiao Hua.”

Even Xing He’s eyes widened in shock. These two had already proposed?

Had Xing He ever proposed to Qing Meng? The answer, of course, was no.

Forget a proposal; the two hadn’t even exchanged rings. Qing Meng’s father didn’t care much for formalities; after they registered the marriage, he simply organized a family dinner, and that was considered a successful conclusion to that major life event.

At that time, the higher-ups had decided to send Xing He to Country M for the quinquennial International Special Forces Skills Competition. She had been busy beyond belief, and the matter of a ceremony just faded away.

It was somewhat ironic; Xing He always believed she hadn’t lacked in providing for Qing Meng materially, yet after four years of marriage, they didn’t even have rings.

Without needing Fan Hua to remind her, Xing He poured herself a glass and gulped it down. Beside her, Qing Meng didn’t miss a single flicker of her expression, finishing her penalty drink thoughtfully.

Actually, Qing Meng didn’t care about winning or losing, but Xing He tended to take things seriously. Having lost several rounds in a row, she was looking quite gloomy.

Qing Meng didn’t want to see Xing He unhappy. Making Xing He fall in love with her was difficult, but winning a round of a game was easy.

When the initiative returned to their side, Xing He noticed Qing Meng leaning forward. The other woman’s eyes were asking her if she could set the topic this time.

In Xing He’s view, even though they had been bound together for four years, that marriage consisted mostly of debt and separation. Facing a couple as deeply in love as Chen Xia and Fan Hua, there was little hope of winning. Though she didn’t know why Qing Meng was suddenly so proactive, based on her knowledge of her, she wouldn’t come up with any shocking topics anyway.

Xing He nodded in agreement.

And so, the Qing Meng she trusted so much uttered the most extraordinary sentence with the most ordinary expression:

“Xing He and I have a divorce certificate.”

Divorce certificate… divorce certificate… certificate…

Those words struck everyone present like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. Silence lasted for at least a minute.

Xing He: “…” Fan Hua: So scandalous! Lingering feelings, broken mirror reunited, chasing the wife in the crematorium—I love it. Chen Xia: Everyone is silent. Should I say something?

Qing Meng looked at Fan Hua and Chen Xia with total seriousness, then turned to meet Xing He’s gaze without flinching. Her face was flushed, and her eyes lacked their usual controlled ease; instead, they were misty, making her look like a lost little deer.

Xing He realized immediately: she was drunk.

Such a version of Qing Meng was too rare. Xing He’s heart softened instantly. She lowered her voice and asked, “Qing Meng, are you drunk?”

Not hearing clearly, Qing Meng tried to lean closer. “What did you say?”

The world was spinning in her head. Having lost her sense of balance, even a simple movement to get closer took all her strength. She gestured in the air as if trying to steady the Xing He in front of her.

Xing He coaxed her gently, “Shall we go rest?”

Qing Meng nodded. “I’m not sleepy yet, but if you want to rest, I can accompany you.”

Xing He laughed in spite of herself, slowly hoisting the “not-at-all-sleepy” person up from her seat. Once they were steady, Qing Meng frowned, looking at Fan Hua and Chen Xia hesitantly.

“What is it?” Xing He asked patiently.

With Xing He asking, Qing Meng acted like a child with adult backing. She raised her hand to “report” them, though she pointed in a direction completely opposite to where the two “losers” were sitting.

“We won.”

Right. She was still thinking about the game.

Looking at the drunkard who was so out of it she couldn’t tell north from south, Fan Hua covered her face. She really couldn’t connect this disheveled mess with the reserved and aloof Qing Meng of the daytime.

The honest Chen Xia cleared her throat. “Indeed, we lost. I’ll take the penalty. Xiao Hua’s stomach isn’t great, so I’ll drink for her.”

So, Qing Meng watched with dead seriousness as Chen Xia finished both glasses.

Asking Chen Xia and Fan Hua to clean up the mess, Xing He carried Qing Meng upstairs. She intended to put her straight to bed, but the drunk woman insisted on showering first. Unable to win the argument, Xing He waited outside the bathroom, terrified she would slip.

Fortunately, Qing Meng emerged in one piece. Xing He blow-dried her hair and tucked her into the duvet.

This was the first time Xing He had seen this hidden side of Qing Meng, but she didn’t find it troublesome. She felt lucky—lucky that the one standing here was her, and not some random passerby.

“I’m going to shower. You go to sleep. If you feel unwell, call me.” “Mm.”

Xing He showered quickly, but for a drowsy drunk person, the time wasn’t exactly short. She expected Qing Meng to be asleep, but when she returned, she found the woman staring wide-eyed at the bathroom door.

Xing He knelt by the bed and touched Qing Meng’s forehead; it was warmer than usual.

“Do you feel sick?”

Qing Meng seemed to dislike having her head touched; she pushed Xing He’s hand away and shook her head.

“Then why aren’t you sleeping?”

Qing Meng’s voice was soft and weak. “Waiting for you.”

Xing He couldn’t resist the urge to tease her, gently poking her cheek. This time, Qing Meng didn’t resist, letting Xing He mess with her face.

“Why did you tell Fan Hua and the others we have a divorce certificate? Did you want to win that badly?”

Knowing a clouded mind wouldn’t answer logically, Xing He asked with a smile, more like talking to herself. To her surprise, Qing Meng spoke with total sincerity.

“It wasn’t that I had to win. But you were unhappy, so I didn’t want to lose.”

Xing He froze.

Qing Meng was a strong-willed person, but that didn’t mean she had to be first in everything. On the contrary, she was never someone who would expose her own “failure” or private distress to outsiders just for a game.

Only because Xing He wanted to win, only because Xing He was unhappy, she had stood there and said plainly: “Xing He and I have a divorce certificate.”

It wasn’t exactly a beautiful, poetic line of love. But like a scene from a drama, Xing He felt as if sand had suddenly blown into her eyes, blurring her vision instantly.

Drunk people are emotionally sensitive; sensing Xing He’s silence, Qing Meng became cautious. “Did you… not want people to know about our relationship? I’m sorry. I won’t say it next time…”

Xing He shook her head, suppressing the tightness in her throat. “No, we won. I’m very happy.”

A drunk person’s sadness comes and goes quickly. Hearing that Xing He was happy, a smile immediately broke across Qing Meng’s face. She was so well-behaved, not like a drunkard but like a doll at someone’s mercy. When Xing He dried her hair, she sat still; when given water, she drank every drop; when her hand was tucked back under the covers, she just watched Xing He with her beautiful eyes.

It felt as though if Xing He asked, she would answer anything. Whatever Xing He did, she would accept. And tomorrow morning, she would forget everything said and done.

Xing He felt a surge of restlessness. In twenty years, she had never felt a more urgent need to confirm something, to hear an answer from someone’s lips.

“Qing Meng.”

The alcohol was winning; Qing Meng’s eyelids were drooping, but she forced herself to look at Xing He. The sheer sincerity and trust in her gaze made Xing He’s “shameful” thoughts feel exposed. She didn’t want to take advantage, but ultimately, impulse overrode reason.

Xing He became a “despicable” person.

“Who is the person you like?”

As if a secret had been discovered, Qing Meng’s eyes went wide. Panic flashed across her refined face, looking quite adorable. “I don’t like anyone!”

To be more convincing, she sat up and shook her head vigorously, but she forgot a major rule: drunk people shouldn’t make sudden movements. The dizziness intensified, followed by a wave of nausea. Qing Meng paid the price, her brow furrowing from the acid reflux in her stomach.

Xing He sighed and gently patted her back until she looked less pained, then helped her lie back down.

“You don’t like anyone?”

Xing He’s voice was slightly husky, carrying a strange magic, as if luring a goddess down to the mortal realm. Qing Meng was less resistant now, repeating after her.

“I don’t like Xing He…”

Xing He thought that was the closest she would get to an answer, but then Qing Meng spoke again. Her expression was cautious, more like a sleep-talker than someone in a conversation.

“No… I don’t want to tell a lie, even a fake one. I like her so much. So much.”

For some reason, Xing He’s throat felt parched. She unconsciously licked her lips. Her half-closed eyes and the flash of moisture on her lips added a layer of desire to the quiet room.

“Like… what?”

“I like Xing He so much.”

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