The Husband From the Original Pairing is Now Divorced - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Divorce — He is Like a Scrawny Black Cat

When the phone rang, Sheng Jia hadn’t woken up yet. It wasn’t until the person on the other end persevered without hanging up that he finally knitted his brows and opened his eyes.

He had spent the entire night sleeping on the floor and was now aching all over. Tear streaks still marked his face, dark circles hung under his eyes, and the corners of his eyes and tip of his nose were a flushed red. His pale face was a picture of exhaustion.

“Hello?”

Sheng Jia’s voice was hoarse. The person on the other end immediately became anxious.

“Teacher Sheng, why aren’t you here yet? The children have all arrived! And your voice—”

Sheng Jia covered the mouthpiece, coughed softly a few times, and interrupted.

“I’m sorry. I’m feeling a bit unwell. Could you help me ask the Principal for a leave of absence?”

“How are you unwell? Are you sick? Is it serious?”

The young male voice continued to chatter. Because Sheng Jia hadn’t rested well, his head was throbbing painfully. He gave a few brief replies and hung up.

He wasn’t one for socializing and had a mediocre relationship with his colleagues at the kindergarten. Only this male teacher, who had arrived a few months ago, constantly sought him out for conversation.

Occasionally, Sheng Jia felt he could make a friend out of him, but for a long time, the notion that “I am a terrible person” had been deeply rooted in his mind. Consequently, it was hard for him to trust anyone other than Yu Xianghang.

After all, only Yu Xianghang had stepped in to help him in the past. Only Yu Xianghang didn’t dislike or loathe his introverted, almost gloomy personality. Only Yu Xianghang gave him tenderness and care.

Thinking of this, Sheng Jia’s mood sank again.

They were going to finalize the divorce today. Yu Xianghang would no longer be someone he could trust.

Sitting on the floor, Sheng Jia sent a meeting time to Yu Xianghang and began looking at apartment listings. However, by the time he settled on a place—nearly noon—Yu Xianghang still hadn’t replied.

Though Sheng Jia had briefly wondered if Yu Xianghang would regret it, the man’s impatient, disgusted expression from the day before served as constant proof: Yu Xianghang truly had nothing left to salvage in this marriage.

With two hours left until the appointment, Sheng Jia leaned dejectedly against the bedside, staring at his ring finger. He had long, thick eyelashes; when he lowered his gaze like this, it masked all emotion. His naturally curved “smiling eyes” flattened, revealing a hint of gloom.

The glass window of the hotel room reflected his image. His shoulder-length black hair had come undone at some point, revealing his fair nape where a small bone protruded. His spine was also sharply visible through the fabric of his shirt.

Sheng Jia didn’t bother with his messy hair. He simply hugged his legs, resting his cheek on his knees with a vacant stare. He looked like a scrawny black cat curled in a corner—insecure and lonely, using his tail to bundle himself up just to feel a bit of warmth.

When it was finally time to leave, Sheng Jia rose sluggishly. After washing up, he changed into clean clothes. He didn’t know when he had become so thin; clothes that used to fit perfectly now hung loosely on his frame, and the waist of his jeans was significantly too large.

When he arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, he realized Yu Xianghang wasn’t there yet. He could only stand and wait patiently.

Back when they were dating, Yu Xianghang was often late. He was scatterbrained and always forgot things, resulting in him arriving a bit later than planned. Back then, Sheng Jia felt that every second spent waiting was a form of happiness.

But now, as they were about to divorce and part ways, Yu Xianghang was still late.

It seemed that every meeting with Sheng Jia was never a “big deal” that required punctuality for Yu Xianghang. Dating, late; divorcing, late. Thus, Sheng Jia was always waiting—even when it was likely the last time they would see each other in this life, he was still waiting.

Twenty minutes later, Sheng Jia saw a man step out of a black sedan parked across from the Bureau.

The man wore a dress shirt and trousers, his collar slightly open. It was Yu Xianghang.

He had arrived long ago but had stayed in the car without coming over.

As Yu Xianghang approached, Sheng Jia noticed red marks on his neck. The roots of his black hair were slightly damp, and his cheekbones were flushed.

In an instant, Sheng Jia understood.

Yu Xianghang had come with that young man. They knew Sheng Jia was waiting at the door, yet they had stayed in the car to be intimate.

Sheng Jia thought that demanding the divorce yesterday was his most painful moment, but everything Yu Xianghang did today truly felt like a knife to his heart.

He had cried until he lost his voice and struggled to breathe last night, while Yu Xianghang was still able to dally with his lover.

Did Yu Xianghang hold this marriage in such contempt? After ten years of emotion, was he unwilling to even grant it a decent ending?

“Why aren’t you going in?”

Yu Xianghang asked, his breathing still slightly uneven. Seeing that Sheng Jia didn’t speak, he started to walk inside, but was grabbed by the person beside him.

“You… you were here a long time ago?”

Sheng Jia gripped Yu Xianghang’s sleeve tightly, the words practically squeezed out of him.

“I’m here now, aren’t I? Does it matter if I was early or late?”

That was Yu Xianghang’s only response.

Sheng Jia turned his back to him and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to suppress the metallic taste of blood rising in his convulsing throat.

Yu Xianghang yanked his sleeve away and asked impatiently, “Are we doing this or not?”

“Yes.” “I’m doing it.”

Sheng Jia opened his eyes and walked through the doors of the Bureau.

Yu Xianghang had expected Sheng Jia to regret or shrink back; he hadn’t expected that even at this stage, the other party wouldn’t yield an inch. Yu Xianghang’s heart sank.

“Are you sure?”

The staff member confirmed with both of them. Sheng Jia nodded. Yu Xianghang hesitated.

After a moment, he asked, “Did you come home early yesterday and see?”

Sheng Jia hadn’t asked about him getting out of someone else’s car today, but Yu Xianghang didn’t believe Sheng Jia truly didn’t care.

Previously, whenever he caught Yu Xianghang cheating, Sheng Jia’s eyes would well up, and he would force a pathetic smile, pretending to know nothing. But today, he was so calm.

In the ten minutes it took to process the paperwork, Yu Xianghang finally understood why Sheng Jia’s attitude was so resolute. It could only be that Sheng Jia had seen or heard something with his own eyes that killed his heart.

Thus, the husband who had been quiet, submissive, and tolerant of everything since their marriage could no longer lie to himself.

Sheng Jia didn’t answer; he only tilted his head to look at Yu Xianghang.

He looked very carefully, very earnestly, making Yu Xianghang feel a sudden pang of reluctance.

Yu Xianghang sought young lovers for passion, but being silently watched by his “boring” husband at this moment made him miss that lukewarm love. He couldn’t help but recall standing here six years ago with Sheng Jia, both in white shirts, taking their happy photo against a red background.

“I…”

Under Sheng Jia’s gaze, a small thought sprouted in Yu Xianghang’s heart: Should I really get divorced? Does the passion and pleasure brought by a lover truly outweigh the simplicity and peace of this marriage?

“Xianghang, I wish you happiness after the divorce.”

Sheng Jia’s voice was still gentle, but this sentence killed all of Yu Xianghang’s hesitation.

It’s fine. Sheng Jia still loves me in his heart. Even after the divorce, Sheng Jia still needs me, so it’s fine. Even if we divorce, if I regret it later, Sheng Jia will surely be willing to come back.

Yu Xianghang shook off those strange doubts. Carrying this thought, he maintained his usual dominant posture in front of Sheng Jia.

After they walked out of the Bureau, Yu Xianghang asked the person beside him, “Sheng Jia, do you have a place to stay?”

He intended to use the opening to let Sheng Jia move back in, but to his surprise, Sheng Jia nodded and said he had already rented a place.

The window of the black sedan across the street rolled down. The man in the driver’s seat waved across the road. Yu Xianghang’s attention was instantly diverted.

“Fine. I’m off then. We’ll talk if anything comes up.”

He spoke casually, ending the “divorce” as if it were a trivial errand.

Sheng Jia didn’t even have time to say “goodbye” before the man across the road got out of the car and walked toward Yu Xianghang. He swallowed the farewell.

Their marriage had begun so solemnly, yet in the end, Yu Xianghang practically couldn’t wait to run to the next person. Regarding the “infidelity,” he offered no explanation and said nothing.

Everything concerning Sheng Jia and Yu Xianghang was like a poorly written play with a bad ending. All that love, along with years of shared history, stopped abruptly here.

Sheng Jia stood in place, watching Yu Xianghang embrace that person and get into the car hand-in-hand. Only then did he belatedly turn to leave.

He went to the hotel to retrieve his luggage and check out, then took a taxi to the location he had agreed upon with the real estate agent.

“Mr. Sheng, right?”

At the entrance of the residential complex, a man saw Sheng Jia with his suitcase and ran over.

“I thought I should show you the house first. If you’re happy with it, we’ll sign the contract.”

Agent Xu wiped the sweat from his forehead and led Sheng Jia inside.

“Mm… I have to finalize it today.”

In the summer heat, Sheng Jia wore long sleeves and pants, yet he didn’t look like Agent Xu, who was drenched in sweat; only the tip of his nose was slightly damp.

They entered the apartment. At a glance, Sheng Jia saw that although the place wasn’t large, it had a balcony with excellent lighting.

“Agent Xu, this is the one. Did you bring the contract?”

Sheng Jia turned to ask from the balcony. Agent Xu nodded repeatedly and pulled the contract from his briefcase.

“Why is the price so much lower than what we initially discussed?”

Seeing the price on the contract, Sheng Jia looked at the man in confusion.

Agent Xu gave a sheepish smile and explained, “Oh, this… it’s because the landlord is in urgent need of money, so they told me to rent it out at a low price.”

Thinking of the “Young Master” who had suddenly called him last night and told him to give Sheng Jia a low price, Agent Xu wiped his forehead again.

Seeing that Sheng Jia still seemed uneasy, Agent Xu added: “Mr. Sheng, don’t worry. We’ve known each other for years. Didn’t I arrange the housing for you and Mr. Yu before without any issues?”

“So, don’t think the house is bad just because the price is low. There’s definitely nothing wrong with it!”

Hearing Agent Xu mention the past, Sheng Jia lowered his eyes.

When he and Yu Xianghang first got married, they couldn’t afford a house and had to rent. They had no connections in this unfamiliar city, and most agents they found were unreliable because they were outsiders. After that, Agent Xu had taken the initiative to contact them.

Agent Xu had always been very enthusiastic, checking in every few months to see if there were issues. Even the house they bought three years ago was found with Agent Xu’s help, who got them the lowest price so they could finally settle down.

“Hey, by the way, Mr. Sheng, why are you suddenly renting a place? Did you… have a fight with Mr. Yu?”

Sheng Jia’s thoughts were interrupted. He shook his head and replied calmly, “I divorced him.”

“Di… Divorced?!”

Agent Xu was shocked and instinctively asked why.

“No particular reason. It was just… not a good fit.”

Sheng Jia didn’t mention the infidelity to an outsider, nor did he want to talk about it further. He began to sign the contract in silence.

“Oh, oh. Well, it’s not a big deal. If it’s not a fit, it’s better to leave than to drag it out.”

“Mr. Sheng, you’re still young. You’ll meet someone better in the future.”

Agent Xu’s gaze landed on Sheng Jia. This tenant had pale skin and a small face; when he spoke, his eyes always seemed to carry a smile. It was as if six years of marriage hadn’t left a single mark of time on him. Sheng Jia looked exactly the same as the fresh university graduate in his memory.

No—there was a change.

Agent Xu looked with a complicated expression at Sheng Jia’s protruding wrist bones, where a thin layer of skin clung to the bone.

Compared to six years ago, Sheng Jia was much thinner. His cheeks were slightly sunken, and his complexion was no longer rosy, but pale and haggard.

It seemed this marriage truly hadn’t been good.

Sheng Jia put down the pen and murmured softly, “Not young anymore. I’m already thirty-two.”

Agent Xu didn’t hear him clearly and asked “What?”, but Sheng Jia shook his head and handed him the contract.

“Thank you, Agent Xu. I thought I’d have to stay in a hotel for a while. I didn’t expect you to find me a place so quickly.”

Sheng Jia thanked him sincerely. Regardless, he now had a place he could tentatively call “home.”