The Husband From the Original Pairing is Now Divorced - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Staying the Night – Wanting to do “Bad Things”

After the onset of autumn, a weekend arrived with rare, pleasant temperatures and clear skies. At Zhou Jiayi’s insistence, Sheng Jia and Zhou Zifei took him to a nearby wetland park for a picnic.

“So, Teacher Sheng’s ex-husband wants to get back together now?”

Zhou Zifei asked as he sat on the picnic mat. Not far away, Zhou Jiayi was squatting in a pile of fallen leaves, playing happily.

Sheng Jia traced the yellow checkered pattern of the mat with his fingertip, his tone bewildered: “I don’t know. He hasn’t said it outright. I don’t know what he means.”

Over the past few weeks, Yu Xianghang’s texts have been constant. One night, he had even called, but Sheng Jia was at the badminton hall with Zhou Zifei and missed it. When he tried to call back later, Yu Xianghang wouldn’t pick up. Sheng Jia was completely confused but didn’t pay it much mind.

Though Yu Xianghang quieted down for a few days after that, he soon started messaging Sheng Jia like a madman again, saying he wanted to meet and that he couldn’t endure it anymore.

“I advised him that if he’s really struggling, he should talk to a therapist or confess to his boyfriend that he can’t handle the breakup. But he just kept asking if I hate him.”

Sheng Jia mused that Yu Xianghang was likely just lonely after his recent breakup and was looking for comfort from him. But all he could offer were those few simple words of advice.

Lately, even Sheng Jia was surprised by his own reaction. He had poured nearly ten years of love and care into Yu Xianghang, yet facing him now, his heart felt like a dried-up stream. All emotion had ceased to flow naturally toward that man.

“Does Teacher Sheng hate him, then?”

Zhou Zifei’s eyes were focused. The bright autumn scenery of the park couldn’t distract him for a second; his gaze remained fixed on Sheng Jia.

Hearing this, Sheng Jia answered almost without hesitation: “No, of course I don’t hate him.”

“Maybe I did a little right after the divorce, but slowly, that hatred faded. Thinking of him now feels like…” He paused to find the right words before continuing: “…like someone I’ve known for a long time. We went through a lot. I remember that he saved me and gave me warmth, but I also remember that he hurt me and caused me pain. Now, looking back, I just feel like those things were experiences I went through.”

A fiery red maple leaf drifted in the wind and landed on Sheng Jia’s knee. He picked it up by the stem and placed it in the box Zhou Jiayi used for collecting leaves.

Everyone meets people they can’t forget and experiences things that pierce the heart. But once it’s over, it’s over. They get stored in a corner of memory; though they can’t be thrown away, they won’t affect the next chapter of life.

“Mhm. People have to move forward. Your ex will understand that sooner or later. You don’t need to worry about it, Teacher Sheng,” Zhou Zifei summarized, breezing past the topic.

“Uncle, look! These are two leaves grown together, just like Teacher Sheng and me! We’ll be together every day!”

Zhou Jiayi ran over joyfully and threw himself into Sheng Jia’s arms, resting his head on Sheng Jia’s lap to show them the connected leaves.

“Together every day?” Zhou Zifei took the leaves and looked at them, adding mischievously: “Zhou Jiayi, you’re starting primary school next year. After that, the person who gets to be with Teacher Sheng every day is me.”

He handed the leaves back to Sheng Jia, his tone playful: “Right, Teacher Sheng?”

“I… I haven’t said I’m going to be with you yet…” Sheng Jia’s face flushed. He whispered his protest, looking down to avoid Zhou Zifei’s gaze.

Zhou Jiayi pounced on Zhou Zifei, tugging at his sweater and shouting “No!” But Zhou Zifei kept teasing him about having to “clear out” of Teacher Sheng’s class next year, making the boy’s lip tremble as if he were about to cry.

Sheng Jia quickly pulled Zhou Jiayi close to comfort him: “It’s okay, Yiyi. If you want to see me later, just ask your uncle to bring you. We can see each other every weekend.”

“Exactly, Zhou Jiayi. So you have to make sure Teacher Sheng agrees to stay in touch and see me often. Otherwise, if our relationship goes bad, you won’t get to see him either.”

Zhou Zifei pushed his luck. Sheng Jia gave him a toothless glare and told Zhou Jiayi not to listen to his uncle’s nonsense.

But Zhou Jiayi had clearly taken it to heart. Wiping away tears, he pleaded with Sheng Jia: “Teacher Sheng, you must be with my uncle in the future. That way, when I’m in primary school, Uncle can bring me to see you every day. Teacher Sheng, stay together every day, stay together forever, okay?”

Zhou Zifei was so thrilled he wanted to praise his nephew for being so sensible on the spot. He arched an eyebrow at Sheng Jia, silently urging him to answer.

Sheng Jia ignored Zhou Zifei, using a tissue to wipe the child’s tears and repeatedly promising they would meet again. But Zhou Jiayi kept sobbing and asking about them “being together.”

“Okay, Teacher Sheng promises you. We’ll be together every day.” Helpless, Sheng Jia gave in.

Even though Zhou Zifei knew Sheng Jia didn’t mean it that way, he was giddy for the rest of the afternoon. Whatever Zhou Jiayi wanted, he gave him. Whenever Sheng Jia took a sip of water, he was right there to take the cup or hand him a napkin.

As the sun set and the temperature in the park dropped, the three of them left.

“Teacher Sheng, I’ll drop Jiayi off at his mom’s first, then take you home.”

Sheng Jia nodded. Through the car window, he saw a long-haired woman pick up Zhou Jiayi at the door of a villa. Zhou Jiayi’s mother had returned to the country recently. Sheng Jia had heard from Zhou Zifei that her trip abroad was to settle the custody issues. Now that things were finalized, Jiayi would stay with his mother, and the man who had cheated and committed domestic violence walked away with nothing.

The drive back hit the evening rush hour. While stopped at a red light, Sheng Jia noticed the sky was overcast. Sure enough, shortly after they got stuck in traffic, raindrops began to patter against the car. By the time they reached Sheng Jia’s apartment complex, it was past eight o’clock.

“Why don’t… you have dinner at my place? Otherwise, you won’t get home until nine.” I’m worried you’ll be hungry on the way.

Sheng Jia didn’t say the second half. Sitting in the passenger seat, even though he was the one offering, he kept his head turned toward the window, looking a bit forced. But Zhou Zifei had excellent vision; even in the dim light of the car, he clearly saw the tips of Sheng Jia’s ears turning red.

“Sure thing.” Zhou Zifei replied brightly. Not giving Sheng Jia a chance to take it back, he immediately opened the car door to get out.

The two shared an umbrella back to the apartment, their shoulders getting a little damp. Once inside, the first thing Sheng Jia did was hand Zhou Zifei a dry towel. In this rented apartment, it was the first time Sheng Jia had cooked, eaten, and washed dishes with someone else. He was a bit distracted and nervous, stealing glances at the other man, while Zhou Zifei acted as naturally as if he were in his own home.

“The rain still seems quite heavy,” Zhou Zifei remarked casually while washing the dishes after dinner.

Sheng Jia had a sinking feeling he had made a mistake, but it was hard to kick someone out now. He remained silent.

“Teacher Sheng, with rain this heavy, it might not be very safe for me to drive back tonight, right?”

As expected.

“Teacher Sheng, how about I stay over tonight? I see your sofa is plenty big for one person. I’ll just sleep here for the night. Of course, if you want me to sleep with you—Watch out!”

Sheng Jia nearly dropped a bowl, but luckily Zhou Zifei caught it with lightning reflexes.

“If Teacher Sheng doesn’t want me to stay, I can leave right now. But protesting by breaking dishes is a bit much—Eh?”

Sheng Jia tossed the dishcloth at Zhou Zifei and began pulling off his gloves. After silently rinsing his hands, he walked out of the kitchen.

“Teacher Sheng? Teacher Sheng? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to look for a change of clothes and a pillow and blanket. If you’re staying, finish washing all the dishes.”

The surprise came out of nowhere. Holding the dishcloth, Zhou Zifei stared blankly at Sheng Jia’s back as he disappeared into the bedroom. It wasn’t until he heard the sound of rucking through cabinets and Sheng Jia’s huffy voice asking, “Is it okay if you wear my pajamas?” that he snapped out of it.

“Yes!” Zhou Zifei shouted back. There was no more talking from the bedroom. He lowered his head and slowly scrubbed the dishes; after a while, he couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

“You sleep in the bedroom tonight. I prefer sleeping in the living room.” Sheng Jia brought out a set of pajamas he had bought on a “buy one get one free” deal and placed the pillow and blanket on the sofa.

“How can that be? I’m the guest, you’re the host. How can the guest let the host sleep on the sofa?” Zhou Zifei disagreed. Seeing Sheng Jia insist that he didn’t like sleeping alone in the room and preferred the living room, he sighed.

“Teacher Sheng, can’t we just sleep in the room together? That way you don’t have to sleep on the sofa, and I won’t be an impolite guest.”

Sheng Jia was still reluctant, but his gaze wavered. He stammered for a while but couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

“Don’t worry, Teacher Sheng. I won’t do anything to you. I’m a very well-behaved sleeper. Besides, it’s raining tonight; won’t it be cold sleeping in the living room alone?”

As if to prove his point, the rain outside suddenly intensified. A cold wind whistled through a gap in the balcony window, and Sheng Jia felt a shiver run down his spine. Zhou Zifei’s eyes were sincere, his tone serious.

Sheng Jia’s stance softened. He spoke hesitantly: “Well… okay then. But you can’t… you can’t do any ‘bad things,’ or I won’t sleep with you.”

Sheng Jia tried to maintain a stern face, but his features were naturally soft and beautiful. Even when trying to look tough, he appeared more like a kitten showing its claws to Zhou Zifei—not scary, but adorable.

What was even more fatal was what Sheng Jia said. “You can’t do any bad things, or I won’t sleep with you”—it only made Zhou Zifei’s imagination run wilder.

Zhou Zifei looked at Sheng Jia’s cheeks, which had become rosy under his care lately. Because he was pursing his lips seriously, that tiny dimple was peeking out. He couldn’t help but swallow hard. Even before they had gotten into bed, he already felt like doing “bad things.”