The Husband From the Original Pairing is Now Divorced - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Accident – “Sheng Jia, Save Your Dad!”

“Mr. Sheng, the repayment deadline is almost here. Do you have the money ready?”

When Sheng Qianlong was brought before the man, he had just thrown his last chip onto the gambling table. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was drenched in sweat. He had thought that after losing so many times, his luck would finally turn, but he had ended up losing everything once again.

Pinned to the ground, Sheng Qianlong struggled desperately, crawling to the man’s feet and grabbing his legs, begging piteously.

“Give… give me a few more days! I can get the money ready soon!”

“Or just lend me one chip! Just one! I can win it all back in the casino very quickly!”

He wept until mucus and tears covered his face; his withered, sallow old face was a sickening sight.

“If you can’t pay it back in three days, you can go to jail. You know, there are plenty of gamblers in prison who owed us money and couldn’t pay. I’m sure they’d be very happy to have you settle the debt in… other ways.”

The man kicked Sheng Qianlong to the ground, laying out the threat clearly.

Watching Sheng Qianlong tremble and promise to pay while being dragged away by subordinates, the man finally exhaled. He ran behind the screen in the room and bowed toward the person sitting there:

“Young Master Zhou, rest assured, we have already filed a lawsuit against him. Sheng Qianlong should receive the court summons in a few days.”

“As for the prison later, do you need us to… further…”

The man knew clearly that the distinguished guest before him intended to ruin Sheng Qianlong completely. His mention of contacting debt-ridden inmates wasn’t just an empty threat.

Zhou Zifei chuckled. He stared at the casino owner and replied nonchalantly, “If I only wanted him to suffer some physical pain, why would I have you find a way to send him to prison? I could have just hired someone to give him a beating.”

The man was stunned, not quite understanding Zhou Zifei’s meaning.

“Since he loves gambling so much, let him keep that hobby alive in prison.”

Zhou Zifei checked the time and realized it was almost time to pick up Zhou Jiayi from school. He stood up and left without another word.

After seeing Zhou Zifei off, the man thought carefully about his words.

One’s life feels especially hopeless when destroyed by one’s own hand. Zhou Zifei wanted Sheng Qianlong to die within the dead end he had created himself.

…

“Teacher Sheng! Let’s go out and play tomorrow since it’s the weekend!”

Ever since Sheng Jia, Zhou Jiayi, and Zhou Zifei went to the amusement park together, Zhou Jiayi had been constantly thinking about going out again.

“Sure, where does Yiyi want to go?” Sheng Jia knelt down and asked with a smile.

“I want to eat pizza!”

“No problem. Teacher Sheng will treat Yiyi and Uncle to pizza tomorrow.”

Sheng Jia hooked pinkies with the boy just as Zhou Zifei arrived.

“Teacher Sheng, I’ve arrived right on time today.”

Zhou Zifei seemed to be in a good mood. He took Zhou Jiayi’s backpack from Sheng Jia and asked what they were chatting about.

Sheng Jia told him about tomorrow’s plans. Zhou Zifei readily agreed, joking, “Then Teacher Sheng better watch his wallet. Zhou Jiayi and I can eat quite a lot.”

“Eat as much as you want. I’ll make sure you both walk out of that restaurant with full bellies.”

Sheng Jia laughed. Zhou Zifei’s lack of formality actually made him feel more comfortable.

Watching this from a distance, Jiang He couldn’t help but frown.

Since Sheng Jia returned from his two-day leave, it seemed this red-haired young man was always chatting with Sheng Jia for a long time at pick-up.

While Jiang He knew it was normal for parents to communicate with teachers, he still felt a twinge of resentment. His gaze fell on Sheng Jia’s crescent-moon eyes and flushed lips…

Sheng Jia had changed a lot recently.

His cheeks were no longer pale and haggard; he no longer spent his breaks staring blankly with a dim expression. Whenever Jiang He sent weekend dinner invites, Sheng Jia would always reply, “Sorry, I have plans with someone else.”

Jiang He wanted to pry, but Sheng Jia would only smile and say he was “with a friend,” without revealing more.

Jiang He felt helplessly that Sheng Jia was drifting further away. Though they still ate lunch together and chatted occasionally, Jiang He knew that new people and things were entering Sheng Jia’s life, slowly occupying his full attention.

Sometimes he couldn’t help but think darkly: It would be better if Sheng Jia were still alone and depressed like he was right after the divorce. That way, I would be the only one he could confide in.

But…

Seeing Sheng Jia get better and better, Jiang He let go of that thought.

Let those hazy feelings remain at the level of friendship. He was the one who chose not to take a step further back then, so it was only natural for Sheng Jia to move toward someone else now.

“Teacher Jiang, I’m getting ready to leave. Want to walk together today?”

Sheng Jia’s voice suddenly rang in his ear, snapping Jiang He out of his thoughts.

He forced a familiar smile and waved his hand. “Go ahead, Teacher Sheng. I still have a few parents who haven’t arrived yet.”

…

“Zhou Jiayi, are you done eating? If so, let Auntie take you home for a nap. You have an enrichment class this afternoon; don’t fall asleep in class.”

Seeing Zhou Jiayi poking his pizza with a fork as if he couldn’t eat another bite, Zhou Zifei prepared to send the child home so he could walk Sheng Jia back and chat more.

“Is Yiyi taking an enrichment class?”

Sheng Jia saw Zhou Jiayi into the car and turned back to ask Zhou Zifei.

Zhou Zifei glanced at a message on his phone: “The target has run out of the casino and is heading toward Mr. Sheng’s house.”

He replied to the message while answering Sheng Jia.

“It’s Taekwondo. Good for his physical fitness. Otherwise, he won’t be able to fight back if he’s ever cornered or kidnapped.”

The phone reply was: “Let him over. Just have the neighborhood security stall him a bit.”

Although Sheng Jia had already realized the Zhou family was extraordinary, he hadn’t expected “kidnapping” to be a real concern.

“Do people still do things like that? Aren’t they afraid of going to prison?”

Hearing this, Zhou Zifei turned to smile at him as the light turned red. “Some people will do anything for money. I encountered it once before. If it weren’t for a kind person’s help, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

“You were kidnapped?” Sheng Jia asked, his voice filled with surprise.

“Yeah, I almost died. Fortunately, someone saved me.”

Zhou Zifei didn’t seem to care much about the incident, speaking with no fear and a gentle tone.

Sheng Jia expressed his sympathy and wanted to ask more, but the car had already reached the entrance of his complex.

“Teacher Sheng, invite me up for a glass of water. Autumn is so dry; my throat gets parched easily.”

Zhou Zifei asked for water without any awkwardness, making Sheng Jia remember the first time Zhou Zifei came over and gulped down two glasses. He couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“Sure. Forget one glass—you can have as many as you like.”

The two went upstairs and entered the apartment. Zhou Zifei wandered to the balcony with his glass and noticed that several pots of Little Hibiscus they had bought at the flower market had bloomed.

“Teacher Sheng, how did you take care of these? They’ve bloomed quite beautifully.”

Sheng Jia stood on the balcony with him, talking about loosening soil, watering, and fertilizing. The autumn afternoon balcony was bathed in bright light, making one feel joyful just looking at the flowers and the blue sky.

Zhou Zifei kept the conversation going. Sheng Jia didn’t realize at all that Zhou Zifei was stalling for time—until there was a sudden, violent pounding on the door.

“Sheng Jia! Are you home? Save your dad! Quick, save your dad!”

Hearing that voice, Sheng Jia’s entire body shuddered instinctively, and the color drained from his face instantly.

“Teacher Sheng?”

Zhou Zifei immediately grabbed Sheng Jia’s cold hand, looking at him with a worried gaze.

The door was being pounded so hard it sounded like thunder; the whole apartment seemed to be shaking.