The Husband From the Original Pairing is Now Divorced - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Permission – “Teacher Sheng, let me pursue you.”

It was a brilliant, sunny weekend. When Sheng Jia arrived at the backstage of the racetrack, Zhou Jiayi was clinging to Zhou Zifei, clamoring for candy.

“Zhou Jiayi, get down this instant! When Teacher Sheng gets here, I’m going to tell him to discipline you—”

Zhou Zifei’s hair, which he had meticulously styled that morning, had been ruffled into a mess by Zhou Jiayi. He felt like swatting the kid, but he was terrified the boy would tattle to Sheng Jia.

Standing in the doorway, Sheng Jia caught Zhou Zifei’s desperate, bedraggled gaze and stifled a laugh with a light cough. Then, putting on a serious face, he spoke up: “Yiyi, why are you pestering your uncle?”

Zhou Jiayi’s energetic back stiffened instantly. He turned around, his chubby cheeks wobbling, but the joy of seeing his favorite Teacher Sheng quickly took over. He hopped off Zhou Zifei and lunged straight for Sheng Jia’s legs.

“Teacher Sheng! I missed you!”

Sheng Jia leaned down and swept the boy into his arms. He playfully pinched the child’s nose, his tone light: “Teacher Sheng missed Yiyi too.”

“Zhou Jiayi, didn’t you just see Teacher Sheng on Friday? It hasn’t even been a full day yet!”

Zhou Zifei wanted to hold Sheng Jia and say he missed him too, but knowing he didn’t have the same “immunity” as Zhou Jiayi, he could only take a few verbal swipes at his nephew.

“Uncle, you don’t understand. Because I love Teacher Sheng so much, even if we’re apart for a tiny bit, I miss him incredibly much!”

After shouting his declaration, Zhou Jiayi planted a big kiss on Sheng Jia’s cheek.

Hit unexpectedly by the child’s unreserved love, Sheng Jia’s eyes curved into crescent moons. He kissed Zhou Jiayi on the forehead, telling him he loved him too.

Zhou Zifei had completely lost to his five-year-old nephew. Watching the two of them hugging and saying “I love you” made his teeth ache with jealousy.

“How dare you say I don’t understand? Does a five-year-old even know what love is?”

Zhou Zifei reached out to tickle Zhou Jiayi’s armpits, making the boy squirm like a little piglet in Sheng Jia’s arms.

The playfulness only stopped when a staff member came to hurry them along.

“Teacher Sheng, it’s windy in the stands today. Why don’t you stay in the backstage lounge with Zhou Jiayi to watch the race? After it’s over, I’ll take you out to experience racing for yourself.”

As Zhou Zifei took off his jacket to change into his racing suit, he gave Sheng Jia instructions.

“But… I don’t know how…”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. Those cars are specifically for visitors to try out. Just treat it like a game.”

Sheng Jia hesitated, but his curiosity was piqued.

Since the issues with Sheng Qianlong had been resolved, Sheng Jia’s passion for life was slowly rekindling. Though the flame was small, it was gradually illuminating the world that had once been dim and gray.

“I’ll take that as a yes, Teacher Sheng.”

Zhou Zifei closed the deal with a smile, then turned to Zhou Jiayi, who was chanting “I want to go too.”

“Stay put, Jiayi. You’re too small. If you sit in there, you’ll break your arms and legs.”

Zhou Zifei pinched the boy’s arm lightly, scaring him so much he buried his head in Sheng Jia’s chest, not daring to ask again.

“Teacher Sheng, I’m heading out?”

“Mhm…”

Just as Zhou Zifei was about to close the lounge door, Sheng Jia suddenly called out to him.

Hearing his name, Zhou Zifei looked back. Under the lights, Sheng Jia’s black hair fell softly over his shoulders, a faint pink flush on his pale cheeks, and his gaze was tender. Holding Zhou Jiayi, he looked like a wife who couldn’t help but offer words of concern before her husband left the house.

“Zifei, good luck with the race.”

Since Zhou Zifei’s confession, Sheng Jia hadn’t called him by his name like that in a long time. But this time, he spoke softly.

He always remembered the high-spirited young racer on the track—an image of a life he never had and secretly admired. He hoped that this version of Zhou Zifei would always remain vibrant on the track.

Zhou Zifei gazed at Sheng Jia silently. He didn’t understand how someone could have such a grip on his heart. Every word, every expression, could so easily make his heart skip a beat.

“Teacher Sheng, with you here, I am invincible.”

Before Sheng Jia could react, he was pulled into a tight embrace by Zhou Zifei, causing Zhou Jiayi to let out a muffled “Ouch!” from between their chests.

Zhou Zifei’s warm palm pressed gently against Sheng Jia’s shoulder before he let go. Leaving Sheng Jia with a bright smile, he turned and walked away with a brisk stride.

…

“We can see that Driver No. 9, Zhou Zifei, is currently leading by half a lap. His momentum today is incredibly strong.”

“That’s right. Since last season, Zhou Zifei has been on a roll. Whether it’s practice sessions or today’s official race, his performance has been top-tier.”

As the commentary reached the final lap, Sheng Jia stared tensely at the screen, his hands tightly clasped at his chest, his red lips pursed. Meanwhile, Zhou Jiayi was bouncing up and down, shouting, “Go Uncle, go!”

Soon, that familiar race car crossed the finish line in a dominant fashion. Zhou Zifei’s name sat firmly at the top of the giant screen, and the announcer shouted congratulations.

“He won!”

“Uncle won!”

Sheng Jia knelt on the floor to high-five Zhou Jiayi. They hugged and cheered while looking up at the screen. Sheng Jia’s eyes were sparkling, and his cheeks were flushed with excitement.

Zhou Zifei finished his post-race interview rapidly. Within twenty minutes, the lounge door was pushed open.

“Let’s go, Teacher Sheng! I’m taking you to play!”

He was still carrying his helmet, his red hair damp with sweat and sticking to his forehead, but his gaze burned with an honest love that almost scorched Sheng Jia.

…

Zhou Jiayi was left with a trusted assistant. Sheng Jia and Zhou Zifei then headed toward the experience center near the track.

Sheng Jia had assumed that a young man in his early twenties would want to show off his skills in front of someone he liked, but Zhou Zifei was surprisingly cautious. He hired a coach to explain the basics and admitted naturally that he wasn’t the best person for the job:

“I’m afraid I won’t be detailed enough. I’ve never taught anyone before, and I’d worry about you getting hurt on the track. It’s safer to have an experienced coach.”

Once in the car, the coach drove them for a few laps to familiarize them with the track before teaching Sheng Jia how to start the ignition and shift gears. Through the process of learning while driving, Sheng Jia slowly got the hang of it.

At first, Zhou Zifei wasn’t comfortable letting Sheng Jia drive alone. However, he noticed that his presence made Sheng Jia more nervous—like a small animal in a nest with a stranger. Sheng Jia’s grip on the wheel was stiff, and his foot hovered over the accelerator as if it were a bed of nails.

Seeing that the sports car was moving slower than a person walking, Zhou Zifei helplessly stepped out.

Without a professional racer by his side, Sheng Jia finally let loose. He tentatively increased his speed, eventually slamming the pedal down. The sensation of being pushed back into his seat as the car surged forward made him feel an involuntary rush of excitement.

There were no obstacles ahead—only the need to accelerate, accelerate, accelerate!

As he rounded the corners, the swaying of the car brought a brief dizziness, like a prelude to entering another world.

Sweat dripped from Sheng Jia’s forehead, but he didn’t care. It felt as if all his troubles were being left behind in the car’s wake. Lap after lap, he felt lighter. He had never felt so free or relaxed.

Eventually, his aching arms and the voice from the car’s intercom snapped him back to reality.

“Teacher Sheng, you’ve been driving for a long time. You should take a break, or your body will be sore tomorrow.”

Sheng Jia slowed down and brought the car to a stop at the end of the track.

“Was it fun, Teacher Sheng?”

Zhou Zifei smiled and reached out a hand to Sheng Jia inside the car. Sheng Jia didn’t refuse, taking Zhou Zifei’s palm. As he opened the door, he realized his arms and legs were trembling slightly, forcing him to lean on Zhou Zifei to climb out.

“Phew—”

Sheng Jia took off his helmet and breathed in the fresh air before answering, “It was fun. I just didn’t expect it to be so physically draining.”

“It is. That’s why I’m in such great shape. Even if Teacher Sheng runs out of strength, I’ll still be able to hold you steady.”

Zhou Zifei smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Sheng Jia was confused for a moment before catching the flirtatious undertone. His face, already red from the heat, flushed even deeper, like a ripe persimmon.

The two chatted idly. Zhou Zifei produced two cans of cola from somewhere, and they leaned against a car parked outside the track to rest.

“I feel like my life before was too simple. I didn’t know there were so many fun things to do,” Sheng Jia mused. His eyes were bright, his hair damp, and he radiated a vitality he hadn’t possessed just months ago.

“What was your life like before?”

“Before? Wake up, make breakfast for two, go to work at the kindergarten, go to the supermarket after work, rush home to cook dinner, and at night… do nothing. Just lie in bed, read, or stare at the ceiling.”

“What about weekends?”

Zhou Zifei glanced at Sheng Jia and noticed that he spoke of his life before the divorce with a calm face—no sadness, no longing. It was as if he were describing someone else’s life.

“On weekends, I’d clean the house, prepare lunch and dinner, and take them to the front desk of my ex-husband’s company. Occasionally he’d come down and say a few words; most of the time, he’d just send a ‘received’ message.”

Sheng Jia lightly shook the cola can. Talking about his days with Yu Xianghang now, he realized the only things he had to say were about the mundane routine of three meals a day.

His younger years had become a blur, and even the sweet moments had lost their flavor after being chewed over so many times during the marriage. He found it hard to remember what they actually felt like.

Sheng Jia suddenly felt lost. When was the last time he remembered Yu Xianghang with love or longing?

He realized he couldn’t remember. It was as if the memory of loving Yu Xianghang was blurry, and the memory of falling out of love was just as vague.

Did I ever really love that person? Sheng Jia suddenly found himself pondering this question.

Seeing Sheng Jia fall silent, Zhou Zifei broke the tension by asking about his signature dish. Sheng Jia’s attention shifted quickly.

The conversation drifted from cooking to food dislikes, then to favorite fruits, and eventually veered into a weird theory about humans evolving from fish—and whether eating fish was technically eating their ancestors.

“Anyway, sometimes I feel the world is so big. There are so many things I don’t know and haven’t experienced. Just thinking about it makes me feel that life is quite fascinating,” Sheng Jia concluded, no longer wanting to discuss the fish-ancestor problem.

Zhou Zifei looked at Sheng Jia’s profile as he gazed up at the sky.

His hair flutters in the wind, his long lashes, tender eyes, straight nose, and curved red lips…

Perhaps Sheng Jia didn’t know that when he stared at the sky like that, he looked like an untainted youth—soft and pure.

Zhou Zifei’s heart stirred. He shifted his feet, and his hand resting on the car hood crept closer to Sheng Jia’s.

Then, he spoke in a gentle tone:

“Teacher Sheng, there are indeed many things in this world you haven’t experienced, but I’m willing to do all of them with you.”

“So, I want to ask… could you give me a qualification?”

They stood on the grass by the track, leaning against the car door with cola cans in their hands. In such a casual setting, after a conversation about nothing in particular, Zhou Zifei had suddenly become serious.

Sheng Jia turned his head in surprise. Zhou Zifei simply looked back with a smile.

His love for Sheng Jia always became intense in small, unremarkable moments. Although he was someone who couldn’t hide his emotions, because the object of his affection was the precious Sheng Jia, he was always looking for the right moment to take a step closer.

And right now, standing next to a happy, relaxed Sheng Jia, he felt this was it. It was time to blow the bugle for his romantic charge.

“What qualification?”

“The qualification to pursue you.”

Sheng Jia froze, his eyes widening as he stared at Zhou Zifei without blinking.

After saying it, as if that wasn’t enough, Zhou Zifei leaned in closer and spoke with absolute sincerity.

“Teacher Sheng, let me pursue you.”