The Husband From the Original Pairing is Now Divorced - Chapter 28.2

Chapter 28.2: The Appearance of “Baby, who is it?”

But he acted like a child throwing a tantrum, half-hanging off the doorknob, his knees on the ground and his arm squeezed into the gap. The door couldn’t be closed.

Just as Zhou Zifei was about to kick him away, Sheng Jia spoke.

“Yu Xianghang, you don’t look well. You should go home and rest first.”

Sheng Jia simply squeezed Zhou Zifei’s arm gently, and Zhou Zifei relaxed his grip, making way for Sheng Jia. However, he remained like a loyal guard, one arm around Sheng Jia’s shoulder, staring at Yu Xianghang with vigilance.

“Whatever it is, let’s talk over the phone next time. Today… isn’t convenient.”

Sheng Jia looked at the person before him with a complex gaze. He wasn’t entirely unmoved.

In his dark memories of the past, Yu Xianghang had saved his pathetic self countless times. If Yu Xianghang was in trouble, he thought he would still reach out to help.

Although Yu Xianghang’s life and his had long since diverged, and Sheng Jia didn’t want to have too much entanglement with this man, looking at this exhausted and bewildered Yu Xianghang made him instinctively remember the years they supported each other.

Sheng Jia admitted he was a sentimental person. Rather than being unable to forget a person, he was unable to forget the sincerity someone had once given him.

He received so little, so even a tiny bit was enough for him to repay it in full.

But today was different.

Sheng Jia looked at Zhou Zifei’s smooth jawline along the large hand on his shoulder.

The burning warmth this man gave him made Sheng Jia realize—no matter how he denied it—that he had indeed fallen for him.

Whether it was out of a desire for warmth or some harder-to-admit longing…

Sheng Jia needed Zhou Zifei. He needed his meticulous and comforting care, and his companionship.

If Sheng Jia had to make a choice at this moment, he still selfishly wanted to choose Zhou Zifei.

He wanted to continue that kiss with Zhou Zifei on this autumn morning. Even if only for a moment, Sheng Jia wanted to be a hedonist who escaped all problems.

It was enough to enjoy being in Zhou Zifei’s arms, being held tightly, touched, and kissed. He didn’t want to think about anything else.

And Sheng Jia truly, for the first time, put himself first. He chose to lean against Zhou Zifei’s broad chest and tell Yu Xianghang that he didn’t want to meet or talk right now.

“What…” “You… you want me to leave…?”

Yu Xianghang stammered in panic, looking incredulously at the Sheng Jia who had always submissively accepted everything.

He had already cast aside his dignity, begging Sheng Jia so humbly to stay—

Was that still not enough?

Even if the original love was truly gone, was Sheng Jia unwilling to give even a shred of soft-heartedness or pity?

Yu Xianghang was suddenly drenched in sweat, his shirt visibly soaked.

Like a bankrupt man who had lost his last piece of gold, he knelt on the ground searching carefully, fearfully overturning rocks and digging through dirt, trying to find the only wealth he had left not long ago.

Yu Xianghang’s gaze searched Sheng Jia’s face, but there was nothing. The reluctance and love he once possessed and took for granted had vanished.

“It’s you… it’s you!”

Zhou Zifei was caught off guard as Yu Xianghang grabbed his collar. The half-open door was pushed wide, and a face distorted by sweat drew near.

“You stole it! You snatched it away!” “Give it back to me! Give him back to me! How can you steal what belongs to me!”

Yu Xianghang’s fingers were white from gripping so hard. Like a demon climbing out of hell, he questioned Zhou Zifei with a hideous face, his tone filled with bone-deep hatred and loathing.

“Yu Xianghang! Let go! What are you doing!”

Just as Zhou Zifei grabbed Yu Xianghang’s wrist to twist it and push him away, Sheng Jia threw himself forward anxiously.

“What nonsense are you talking about? This has nothing to do with Zifei. Don’t touch him—”

Sheng Jia’s hand pulled at Yu Xianghang’s arm. The warmth from his fingertips passed through the fabric to the skin. Yu Xianghang’s arm muscles tensed, then loosened with a tremble.

It had been too long since he had any contact with Sheng Jia. Even this tiny bit of familiar strength and warmth made his eyes heat up with nostalgia, and a tear fell directly onto the back of Sheng Jia’s hand.

“I said today won’t work. Don’t be like this. Can’t we talk about what you want to say later? Today is really not convenient…”

Sheng Jia didn’t notice that Yu Xianghang was crying. After Yu Xianghang let go, his eyes were fixed on the red marks on Zhou Zifei’s neck from his collar being pulled. He immediately stood on his tiptoes to check.

“Are you okay, Zifei? Let me see your neck. Lean down. Are you hurt?”

Zhou Zifei obediently leaned his head down, letting Sheng Jia pull open his collar while his fingers moved over it to check.

Yu Xianghang was ignored once again. He staggered back a few steps, still unable to believe in his heart that Sheng Jia was already with someone else.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He watched the two people in front of him being so intimate in a self-torturing way. This piercing image turned into a sharp knife, slicing his heart bit by bit.

“Sheng Jia, just five minutes, okay?” “Just five minutes of talking. After we’re done, I won’t come looking for you again.”

The raspy voice spoke. The heavy pain in the tone finally brought Sheng Jia’s attention back to Yu Xianghang.

After Yu Xianghang finished speaking, he just stared at Sheng Jia silently. He looked very carefully, very seriously, as if today was the last time they would see each other.

After an unknown amount of time, Sheng Jia nodded.

Perhaps less than a minute had passed, but to Yu Xianghang, every second now felt like it would never end, so long that it suffocated him.

“Let’s talk downstairs.”

Sheng Jia didn’t want Yu Xianghang to enter this home.

…

“Put on my sweater for now, and wear my coat too.”

Zhou Zifei picked up his sweater and had Sheng Jia raise his arms. He helped him into the thick sweater, tidied the flattened hair, and draped a coat over those thin shoulders.

“Your friend seems emotionally unstable. If there’s any problem, just call me. I’ll go downstairs immediately.” “Teacher Sheng, if that person makes any unreasonable demands, you must put your own feelings first. Don’t be too embarrassed to refuse.” “Actually, I think it’s best if I go downstairs with you. I won’t eavesdrop; I’ll just stand not far away. Wouldn’t that be better?”

Zhou Zifei knelt down to button Sheng Jia’s coat, rambling on, but suddenly, a light weight was placed on his head.

“You’re ten years younger than me, yet you’re treating me like a child. What, do I look like I can’t handle things?”

Sheng Jia’s gentle and amused voice came from above. Zhou Zifei stopped talking and looked up at the person bathed in sunlight.

The upturned red lips, the pale and elegant face, the moist and bright eyes…

These formed a face that would never be erased from Zhou Zifei’s memory.

“I’m worried. I’m always afraid something will happen to you when I’m not by your side.”

Zhou Zifei reached out his arms and hugged the slender waist. Since it was inconvenient while squatting, he simply knelt on one knee on the floor.

His red, fuzzy head pressed against Sheng Jia’s soft upper abdomen. Zhou Zifei couldn’t help but bury his face there, taking a deep breath of the scent of fabric softener and laundry detergent. He spoke muffledly: “Teacher Sheng, do you really have to talk to Yu Xianghang alone?”

Sheng Jia didn’t speak. His fingers moved slowly through Zhou Zifei’s coarse hair, finally stopping at the back of his head. He spoke hesitantly.

“He… he’s not just a friend. He’s my ex-husband.” “I know.” “Y-You know?” “Mhm. He was hostile toward me. He got angry because I said I was Teacher Sheng’s lover.”

Hearing this, Sheng Jia rested both hands on Zhou Zifei’s shoulders and pushed him away slightly. He took a deep breath, about to say something, but Zhou Zifei pulled him down by the shoulders and neck, blocking his lips.

A light, very gentle kiss landed on Sheng Jia’s lips, carrying Zhou Zifei’s body heat and warm breath.

Sheng Jia’s eyes widened in surprise, and he couldn’t help but grip the smooth fabric under his palms.

“I know I’m not yet, but just for today, give me the right to protect you openly, okay?” “Teacher Sheng is too lovable; you definitely need a protector. So before you agree to my pursuit, let me take this position, okay?”

Zhou Zifei’s tone was soft, his gaze focused and full of love as he looked into Sheng Jia’s eyes.

Sheng Jia looked at Zhou Zifei wordlessly. For the first time, he stared at this person without any avoidance, tension, or shyness.

After the divorce, the impulse to be companioned, cared for, and loved had made Sheng Jia allow Zhou Zifei to get closer again and again.

The high wall in his heart had long since collapsed—not because Zhou Zifei had smashed it, but because he had broken it himself.

Perhaps from the moment he started feeling shy to look at Zhou Zifei’s face, from when his thoughts upon waking and sleeping were no longer about the past but about meeting this man—he had wanted to walk out of those ruins and into a new world.

“Is that enough?”

Sheng Jia touched Zhou Zifei’s cheek with an unreadable expression, his tone flirtatiously soft. Zhou Zifei was stunned and then instinctively nodded.

He thought Sheng Jia was checking if he was being too greedy, so he emphasized again: “That’s enough. I won’t pressure you.”

“Alright.”

Sheng Jia withdrew his hand, his eyes curving into a smile as he rubbed Zhou Zifei’s hair. He walked toward the door, the hem of the coat slipping from Zhou Zifei’s hand.

A second before opening the door, he turned back and gave Zhou Zifei a radiant smile.

“Wait for me at home. I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry, I can solve this myself.”

Zhou Zifei was still kneeling on the ground. He watched blankly as Sheng Jia closed the door, then looked down at his empty hands. A strange sense of loss grew in his heart.

It felt as if he had suddenly missed a very important and rare opportunity.

…

The atmosphere in the hallway was completely different from inside the house. Yu Xianghang waited anxiously, looking down and constantly tearing at the hangnails on his fingers. It seemed only that momentary sting could bring some feeling back to his numb senses.

It wasn’t until all ten fingers were bleeding that there was movement at the door.

Yu Xianghang immediately stood up. He pursed his lips uneasily, his dry throat bobbing as he rasped Sheng Jia’s name.

Sheng Jia was wearing an obviously oversized black coat over a light-colored turtleneck sweater that covered half of his chin, making his pale face look no bigger than a palm.

“Let’s go. What do you want to say?”

As Sheng Jia drew closer, Yu Xianghang caught a faint scent of men’s cologne—a stranger’s citrus scent.

Sheng Jia was wearing that man’s clothes, enveloped in that man’s scent, even his red lips were…

Yu Xianghang didn’t dare think about it. He closed his eyes and took a difficult breath, following Sheng Jia downstairs.

They stood in a small sheltered pavilion in the residential area. Although the autumn morning was chilly, it was a beautiful sunny day, making one feel warm.

“Why… why didn’t you answer my calls all morning?”

Yu Xianghang looked at Sheng Jia’s quiet profile and blurted out the question. But as soon as he spoke, he began to regret it, blaming himself for seeking out pain.

Sheng Jia turned his head. His gaze moved from Yu Xianghang’s blood-stained fingers to his thin, filthy shirt, and finally to the man’s haggard, pale face.

Though his gaze was brief and detached, he couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.

“Yu Xianghang, I have my own life. I can’t answer your calls every single moment.” “Probing into my life doesn’t mean much to you. Did you find me just to know these things?”

Yu Xianghang was left speechless by Sheng Jia’s gentle questioning. His lips moved a few times before he uttered a weak: “I was worried something happened to you.”

“I’m fine. Including when you asked me how I was doing lately—I’ve told you many times, I’m doing very well.”

Sheng Jia put his hands into the coat pockets. The soft, warm feeling reminded him of being led by the hand by Zhou Zifei.

His expression softened slightly, and he couldn’t help but rub his chin against the collar of Zhou Zifei’s sweater.

“Is that so… you’re doing well…”

Yu Xianghang repeated the answer mechanically. Suddenly he stepped closer, staring intently into Sheng Jia’s eyes, and asked again.

“Who is that person? The person in your house.”

That red-haired man named Zhou—young, handsome, and extremely hostile toward him.

“Didn’t he already tell you?”

Sheng Jia calmly raised his eyes to meet Yu Xianghang’s gaze.

This gaze, which didn’t even cause a ripple, made the string in Yu Xianghang’s brain snap. He impulsively stepped forward and grabbed Sheng Jia’s arm, leaning down to plead with a trembling voice. His eyes, which Sheng Jia used to love so much, shone with an unnaturally feverish light.

“I want to hear it from you, Sheng Jia. I only want to hear it from you…” “I won’t believe it unless you say it. I don’t believe it. Tell me, who is that person? Please don’t lie to me…”

Please don’t lie to me. Don’t tell me he’s your lover. Please lie to me. Tell me he’s nobody.

Sheng Jia didn’t dodge. He stood there and told Yu Xianghang seriously, word by word.

“Yu Xianghang, he is my lover. We are in a relationship.”

Yu Xianghang’s fingers tightened and then slowly loosened. The light in his eyes faded inch by inch.

“A relationship… How long have you been together?”

Yu Xianghang stepped back, leaning against the pillar behind him. He lowered his head, and his raspy voice sounded like a murmur.

“Did you kiss? How many times has he kissed you? Does he know you like being held tightly when you kiss?” “What about sex? Have you slept together? What does he think of the scars on your body? Does he know you like being pinned down by a man?”

Sheng Jia frowned, a look of being offended appearing on his face. Just as he was about to speak, Yu Xianghang suddenly looked up.

His expression was like a drowning man grasping at a final straw, causing his facial muscles to twitch almost imperceptibly.

“Does that person know about your father? Has he protected you? Has he saved you? Has he taken a beating or a knife for you?”

Yu Xianghang took a breath, holding his forehead where veins were bulging, and continued hoarsely:

“Why would he like you? Have you thought about it? You haven’t been through anything together. Can his ‘love’ be trusted?” “Sheng Jia, why are you with him? Does he look like a decent person? Aren’t you afraid of being played?!”

Sheng Jia couldn’t listen anymore and interrupted him with suppressed anger.

“Stop it.”

Yu Xianghang looked at him and retorted: “Why can’t I say it? What, did my words sting you? You—”

“Yu Xianghang, we are already divorced.”

Sheng Jia spoke sharply, his face turning cold, his eyes carrying a distance Yu Xianghang had never seen before.

He emphasized the established fact to Yu Xianghang once again.

Yu Xianghang stared at the familiar yet strange face, unable to speak for a moment.

Although Sheng Jia only said one simple sentence, Yu Xianghang read his true meaning.

Sheng Jia was saying: None of this has anything to do with you anymore.

…

Nothing to do with me. Do we truly have nothing to do with each other anymore?

Yu Xianghang suddenly burst into laughter. He bent down, holding his knees, laughing louder and louder while Sheng Jia watched in confusion. He laughed until his back shook, his eyes burned, his throat choked, and tears suddenly rolled down.

Ten years of love—and now, only five months after it ended, had Sheng Jia severed all their ties?