The Husband From the Original Pairing is Now Divorced - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: This Person… Doesn’t like being called “Baby” at all…

After locking eyes with Zhou Zifei, Sheng Jia quickly lowered his gaze. His long lashes veiled his expression, but his tightly pursed red lips betrayed his unease.

Yes.

He truly did hope that Yu Xianghang would live a miserable, terrible life.

“Am I… being a bit wicked?”

Sheng Jia loosened his grip on Zhou Zifei’s shirt. His voice was tiny, and he kept his head down, his long hair shielding his cheeks, revealing only the tip of his nose. He looked like a child who had done something wrong.

Yu Xianghang had betrayed him, but he had also been the only savior to reach out a hand during Sheng Jia’s dark past.

Yet now, there were moments when the mere thought of this man made Sheng Jia hope—from the bottom of his heart—that Yu Xianghang would be plagued by guilt and receive more and more punishment.

But was this too much? Was it too cold-blooded?

Sheng Jia had always tried his best to be gentle toward the world. Only in this matter did he find himself harboring a dark, vengeful psychology he had never felt before.

Zhou Zifei bowed his head, his gaze landing on the small, pert tip of Sheng Jia’s nose. That speck of white held the most adorable curve.

“Wicked?”

Sheng Jia’s face was cupped, and a warm, rough sensation guided his head upward. Zhou Zifei’s steady, magnetic voice came from above, making him instinctively hold his breath.

“Not wicked. You are a very well-behaved, very good little kid.”

Zhou Zifei pressed his forehead against Sheng Jia’s. His slightly cool nose brushed against Sheng Jia’s in a nuzzle—the way a canine expresses affection and love—and his eyes shone with the same light as he looked at him.

“L-Little kid?”

The term startled Sheng Jia so much that he froze, forgetting the abnormally intimate distance between them. He only stared with wide eyes, his lashes fluttering in a panic and brushing against Zhou Zifei’s eyelids.

It was like a feather brushing against a heart, sending a numbing tingle through Zhou Zifei’s soul.

He smiled and nodded, his fingertips affectionately pinching Sheng Jia’s soft cheek, leaving a faint red mark that quickly faded.

“Only little kids worry about whether wanting revenge on those who bullied them makes them ‘wicked’ or ‘bad’.”

“Only a well-behaved and kindhearted little kid like Teacher Sheng would think that feeling angry or wronged is a mistake.”

As Zhou Zifei spoke, his moist, warm breath puffed against Sheng Jia’s cheeks, making his face burn. Yet, he found himself unable to look away from the other man’s gaze.

“I’m not a little kid… and… don’t call me that…”

Teacher Sheng had been a preschool teacher for so many years; he was always the one calling others “little kids.” He had never been called such a name by a man ten years younger than him, especially not with such a teasing smile.

He was both shy and flustered, momentarily forgetting what he had originally intended to say to Zhou Zifei.

“Then what should I call you?”

“I can’t call you ‘little kid’… then how about ‘Baby’? Or ‘Good boy’?”

Zhou Zifei pulled the bundled-up man into his arms, swaying in place like a large penguin holding a small penguin.

“Do you like being called ‘Baby’ or ‘Good boy’?”

Two strong, powerful arms encircled Sheng Jia’s waist. Zhou Zifei playfully squeezed him as he swayed. A flush bloomed on Sheng Jia’s cheeks, and his white teeth bit into his soft red lip as he let out a soft “Mm” under Zhou Zifei’s seemingly casual yet firm embrace.

“Don’t call me those ridiculous things…”

Sheng Jia struggled to prop his elbows against Zhou Zifei’s chest in protest.

Zhou Zifei loosened his grip slightly, let out a muffled laugh, and said “Okay.” He then ran his fingers through Sheng Jia’s hair, smoothing out the slightly messy ends.

“Then let’s stick with ‘Baby.’ I know Teacher Sheng likes it when I call him ‘Baby,’ don’t you?”

Sheng Jia’s ears burned. He peeked through his lashes at the man holding him.

When Zhou Zifei said the word “Baby,” the end of the sound was light and his lips curled upward, making his sharp features appear much more tender.

That kind of handsome charm, so different from his usual fierce demeanor, was something Sheng Jia found impossible to resist. He could only stare at him, face completely flushed.

“Well? Answer me, Teacher Sheng.”

Zhou Zifei leaned in closer. In his eyes, Sheng Jia looked like a ripe peach—pink-cheeked and sweet-scented, as if a single squeeze would make the juice overflow.

I don’t. I don’t like being called “Baby” by you at all.

Sheng Jia clenched his hands into fists against Zhou Zifei’s collarbone and shrank back. However, this only fully exposed his slender neck and small, rounded Adam’s apple, making him look even more tempting to bully.

Just as he was about to retort with a red face, Sheng Jia’s nose suddenly itched. He let out an unexpected sneeze, followed by a string of several more.

“Let’s get inside quickly—”

“It’s my fault. I knew it was cold out, I should have brought you in sooner.”

Zhou Zifei immediately stopped teasing. He led him through the door, found some socks to hand to Sheng Jia on the sofa, and turned to the kitchen to pour some hot water.

“I’m fine… achoo!”

Sheng Jia was quick to grab Zhou Zifei’s sleeve. He had barely spoken when he lowered his head and sneezed again.

He rubbed his nose and looked up. His eyes were watery and the tip of his nose was red, making him look as if he had just had a long cry.

Zhou Zifei froze for a moment upon seeing this. As if realizing something, he followed Sheng Jia’s pull and sat back down on the sofa.

“Teacher Sheng…”

“Divorce is a mutual decision between two people. No matter what happened between you in the past, at the very least, it proves that you can no longer live together.”

“Being unable to live together means you have dissatisfaction, even resentment and anger toward each other. Those ‘bad’ emotions are normal.”

After a pause, Zhou Zifei’s voice became very soft. “I heard you say you could solve this matter yourself, and later you admitted you felt very wronged. Actually, I’m very happy.”

Sheng Jia’s fingertips twitched. He turned his body, looking at the man with confusion and bewilderment. Meeting that focused gaze, he hurriedly looked down.

In the morning light, Zhou Zifei gazed at the fine, fuzzy down on Sheng Jia’s profile. Suddenly, his own eyes felt hot.

He thought, I really do love Sheng Jia.

Suppressing the lump in his throat and the aching tightness in his heart, Zhou Zifei smiled, not wanting Sheng Jia to see his loss of composure.

“Because you are very strong.”

“The person I love is actually so strong—able to face the person who once made him want to give up on life, able to open his heart and share his hidden thoughts even after being hurt by someone he truly loved.”

Fated connections are so difficult to come by, yet his beloved had the courage to bid farewell to a ten-year relationship and the guts to choose a pursuer he had known for barely five months.

Heaven only knows how much Zhou Zifei wanted to knock Yu Xianghang down with a single punch and kick him down the stairs when he saw him asking for a private talk. He didn’t care what Yu Xianghang had to say; he didn’t want him touching Sheng Jia ever again.

But when he realized that Sheng Jia preferred to settle the matter himself, Zhou Zifei held back.

He couldn’t strip Sheng Jia of his right to make a choice just because of a momentary impulse.

And in truth, Sheng Jia was much stronger than Zhou Zifei had imagined. His heart had never wavered from the start; he hadn’t felt a single moment of hesitation or retreat because of what Yu Xianghang said or did.

“You are so good, and the way you love someone is so beautiful. How could you not be allowed to feel wronged?”

“To meet you in this lifetime and to be loved by you once is already the greatest luck. The person who failed you should live with regret forever.”

Zhou Zifei’s words gradually drew Sheng Jia’s full attention. The undeniable tenderness in his tone made Sheng Jia look up, slowly focusing on the man before him.

The indentation in the sofa deepened as Zhou Zifei sat closer. He first touched Sheng Jia’s cheek with the back of his hand. Finding that the cool temperature from outside had dissipated and the skin was now warm and delicate, he continued.

“I read a quote once. It said that a person’s heart is expanded by the ‘wrongs’ they endure; without pain and grievance, there is no way to grow.”

“But actually, I don’t want you to endure any grievance or pain. I want you to cry when you want to cry and be angry when you want to be angry. I don’t want your heart to grow that big—”

Zhou Zifei turned his hand over and gently pressed his palm against the left side of Sheng Jia’s chest, feeling the heartbeat lingeringly.

“I want your heart to be smaller, even smaller. That way, as long as I can squeeze inside, I’ll take up the whole thing by myself. Your heart will never have room for anyone or anything else.”

“I also want you to never have to grow up. I want you to be the little kid who can throw a tantrum whenever they want, the baby who only needs to be pampered.”

Sheng Jia could never predict what Zhou Zifei’s next sentence would be. Just as his face flushed and his heart raced, thinking the speech ended there, Zhou Zifei’s tone shifted.

“All of that is ‘if it were possible.’ In reality, I cannot do that, nor should I hope for that.”

Zhou Zifei gazed at Sheng Jia earnestly. His palm slid down to hold Sheng Jia’s hand resting on his knee.

“You are an independent person. I cannot guarantee that I can protect you every single moment. Although I will try my best, natural disasters or human accidents—any single thing could separate us.”

“I can accompany you, listen to all your thoughts, help you, and go through the storms with you. But I cannot take away your opportunity to feel pain.”

“To place you solely under my wings just to satisfy my possessiveness and protective desire would be irresponsible to you.”

Zhou Zifei covered the hand with his other one. His warmth flowed steadily from the back of Sheng Jia’s hand through his entire body.

“Happiness and peace are wonderful. But seeing that you have the ability to support yourself, that you can solve life’s problems alone—though it makes my heart ache, it makes me even happier.”

The heat on his face faded, and Sheng Jia looked at Zhou Zifei with shimmering eyes.

He had never heard such words before.

Though he was unwilling to compare Zhou Zifei to Yu Xianghang because they were different people, at this moment, Sheng Jia instinctively remembered something Yu Xianghang had once said:

“You just need to stay obediently behind me. With me here, I will protect you forever. What are you worried about?”

But what if you aren’t here anymore? If you are gone, what should I do?

Sometimes, such thoughts would sharply emerge in Sheng Jia’s mind.

Now, Sheng Jia finally knew.

If Yu Xianghang wasn’t there, he had to face everything he used to fear by himself.

But, it wasn’t always a journey for one.

Perhaps on a certain dusk, he would meet a young man with red hair.

That man is a famous racer, younger than him, with a personality completely different from his own, yet he has helped him many times.

Fishing him out of a cold bathtub, taking him to an amusement park to escape the turmoil, stopping his hysterical impulse to kill…

Telling him he is beautiful and lovely.

Telling him he is worthy of being loved.

This person also saved him, also said he would go through the storms with him, yet was happy because he could face hardships alone.

Clearly, no eternal promises were made. Clearly, this time he didn’t receive the so-called “protection.” Yet, it gave him a peace of mind he had never felt before.

Sheng Jia’s breathing trembled. He closed his eyes, and tears rolled from beneath his moist lashes.

They were as crystal clear as the tears he shed many years ago in that basement, when he looked at the dust falling from the footsteps of countless pedestrians outside the tiny window and prayed from his heart that someone would appear and be his companion.

Twenty-odd years passed in a flash…

Why did the person he wanted from the very beginning only appear now?