The Husband From the Original Pairing is Now Divorced - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Holding Hands — “Silly, we’re going home.”

Zhou Zifei waited for a long time without seeing Sheng Jia return. Feeling a surge of anxiety, he started walking toward the restrooms at the other end of the mall.

There, at the corner of the corridor, he found a man and a woman surrounding Sheng Jia, who was kneeling on the floor, gasping violently in pain.

Zhou Zifei’s body reacted faster than his brain. He shoved the two people aside, using his strength to pull Sheng Jia up into his arms.

The person in his embrace had his eyes half-closed, his lashes soaked with moisture. His face had turned a cyanotic blue from lack of oxygen, and his lips were dark purple. The shoulder-length hair that Zhou Zifei had carefully smoothed with his fingers before they left was now a mess, clinging pathetically to his cheeks with sweat.

Sheng Jia gripped the fabric over his chest with one hand, his thin chest rising and falling weakly. His mouth was wide open, and saliva trailed from the corner of his lips down his chin. He was trying desperately to breathe, but could only produce sharp, short whistling sounds, like a dying bird.

The moment Zhou Zifei saw this, it felt as if someone had stabbed him through the back of the head; the pain radiated to his temples, making his veins bulge.

Sheng Jia had been perfectly fine before they parted. He had been looking at Zhou Zifei with bright, shy eyes and flushed cheeks, so full of life…

How could Sheng Jia have turned into this just because he hadn’t followed him for a few minutes?

The person in his arms was shaking uncontrollably. The body that had been warm and soft to the touch was growing cold, his limbs stiff and immobile.

The agony of being unable to breathe caused tears to roll continuously from the corners of Sheng Jia’s eyes, disappearing into his hair and onto Zhou Zifei’s palm as he supported the back of his neck.

Zhou Zifei’s palm flinched at the heat of the tears. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down so he could provide aid.

Zhou Zifei was adept at handling such emergencies, and because the person was Sheng Jia, he was exceptionally meticulous. Since Sheng Jia started working at the kindergarten, Zhou Zifei had ensured the school arranged annual physical exams for employees, and a copy of Sheng Jia’s report was always sent to him.

He knew Sheng Jia’s health was fragile, which was why he had learned various first-aid measures early on.

“Don’t cry, Baby. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Nothing is going to happen.”

Zhou Zifei wiped the tears from Sheng Jia’s face with his fingers and used his sleeve to clean the saliva from his chin and lips. His gaze suppressed the panic within, showing only a reassuring tenderness.

Seeing Sheng Jia slowly return to normal, his breathing leveling out and his hand finally releasing his shirt, Zhou Zifei’s heart finally settled.

Brushing the sweat-drenched hair away from the man’s face, Zhou Zifei leaned down and kissed Sheng Jia’s forehead tenderly. Sheng Jia huddled into his chest and let out a small “Mm,” as if responding to tell him he was okay.

“W-What happened to him?”

Hearing this question, Zhou Zifei finally remembered that others were standing there.

The tenderness that filled him a moment ago instantly transformed into ferocious hatred and rage. He didn’t answer. He patted Sheng Jia’s back and wiped the sweat from his forehead. In these small acts of comforting Sheng Jia, the hatred gradually subsided, leaving only a cold, sharp anger.

They must have done something, otherwise Sheng Jia wouldn’t have suddenly collapsed like this. The last time this happened was when Sheng Jia faced Sheng Qianlong.

Zhou Zifei didn’t care about them, but he cared about what they did and the harm they inflicted on Sheng Jia.

“Hyperventilation caused by emotional distress.”

“What did you do to him?”

As he spoke, he looked up at the two people.

One glance made Zhou Zifei’s gaze freeze.

He had seen one of them before—the person Yu Xianghang had cheated with. And the other… a woman who shared sixty to seventy percent of Sheng Jia’s features, including those naturally curved, smiling eyes.

Zhou Zifei didn’t want Sheng Jia to stay here a second longer.

“How can this be… Jiajia… Jiajia never had this problem before!”

Upon hearing Zhou Zifei’s words, Lu He’s expression turned to one of sheer panic. Whatever she was thinking of, she stepped forward, wanting to check on Sheng Jia’s condition.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Zhou Zifei held Sheng Jia and moved away from the woman’s reach. He coldly took off his overcoat and gently draped it over Sheng Jia. With one hand, he pressed Sheng Jia’s face against his chest; with the other, he covered Sheng Jia’s ear.

Lu He paused. Just as she was about to speak, Zhou Zifei looked up and asked softly, “Did you think I was going to say it that way?”

“What…?”

Zhou Zifei let out a cold laugh, his voice dropping even lower. “Don’t you know why he’s like this?”

“Since you chose to abandon him back then, don’t suddenly start acting like you care now.”

“Disgusting.”

Zhou Zifei whispered those last two words, but his sharp eyes were locked on Lu He, making his loathing crystal clear.

Lu He’s body trembled, her expression went blank, and her lips moved several times, but no sound came out.

“And what do you know?”

Chen Lekang didn’t understand the full situation yet, but he instinctively spoke up for Lu He. He didn’t recognize Zhou Zifei as the man Sheng Jia had been looking at in the cafe that day; he only thought the man looked somewhat familiar and was inexplicably full of malice.

Zhou Zifei stood up, holding Sheng Jia. He spared a fleeting, dismissive glance at Chen Lekang. Seeing the two standing together and noting their similar features, it only took a moment for him to guess their relationship.

“I don’t know as much as Jiajia, and no one knows better than Jiajia himself.”

“But I am his partner. At the very least, I am more reliable than you people who show up halfway through his life pretending to care.”

Zhou Zifei looked down and saw a pale hand slowly tightening its grip on his shirt. Sheng Jia’s hair, tangled between his fingers, shifted slightly. He took a deep breath and turned away.

“Today was just a chance encounter. From now on, stay out of each other’s lives.”

His back to Lu He and Chen Lekang, Zhou Zifei didn’t wait for a reaction. He started to walk away quickly.

“Wait—”

Lu chased after him and grabbed his arm.

“Jiajia… Jiajia, is he… is he living well?”

The woman’s sobbing voice came from behind. Zhou Zifei felt a surge of annoyance, but the body in his arms shuddered again.

Even with his right ear listening to Zhou Zifei’s steady heartbeat and his left ear firmly covered, Sheng Jia could still faintly hear the exchange. He closed his eyes, hearing Zhou Zifei say “It has nothing to do with you” and “Stay out of each other’s lives.” Tears flowed uncontrollably, and he buried his face deep into Zhou Zifei’s embrace.

If only he were still a child. He could throw a tantrum on the floor and shout:

Mom, why did you leave me? Why did you choose to take him instead of me? I’m not over it. Why haven’t you come looking for me all this time?

But he was an adult. He had been an adult for a very long time. He had long passed the age where he could vent his emotions in such a way.

“The hardest times are already over. Does asking this now have any meaning?”

Zhou Zifei’s thumb wiped a stray tear from Sheng Jia’s eye, his voice calm.

During the hardest times, you never asked once. Now that so many years have passed, no matter how hard it was, he’s used to it. It’s all in the past.

Lu He’s face turned white, as if she heard that exact meaning behind his short sentence.

“I…”

“Jiajia, can you… can you leave a contact number? Later, we—”

Impatience flared in Zhou Zifei’s heart. He frowned, ignored Lu He, and pulled his arm away to leave.

But his sleeve was pulled slightly. That tiny bit of force made Zhou Zifei focus entirely on the person in his arms.

“What is it?” he asked, his voice softening.

Sheng Jia slowly turned his head to speak. His face was still a ghostly, frozen pale that made Zhou Zifei’s heart ache.

“He has the contact info. If it’s not urgent… don’t contact me.”

“Let’s… just pretend we didn’t meet today. I hope you live well in the future.”

His voice was weak, but he had regained his usual gentle tone.

Regarding the love for family—even if you are wounded and want to rip it out of your heart, there will always be a split second where you linger for it. There was much disappointment and a bit of hate, but it was simply too hard to say “I don’t want you” once and for all.

It was helpless, painful, and made him feel useless, but the choice to evade the conflict was always easier than the choice to sever ties completely.

The last memory Sheng Jia left for Lu He today was half of a snow-white face, like a phantom, and a pair of smiling eyes identical to hers. Those eyes lifted to look at her for a fleeting second before quietly looking down.

Perhaps, before meeting Lu He today, Sheng Jia could forgive her based on any reason for her leaving. After meeting her, he realized he wasn’t actually that broad-minded. In front of Lu He, he would always be that child who hoped his mother would choose him and take him away.

Zhou Zifei tightened his hold and carried him out of the mall without another word.

On the way back, Sheng Jia remained silent. Seeing him leaning stiffly against the seat, Zhou Zifei was filled with worry.

Finally reaching a red light, Zhou Zifei reached out and took Sheng Jia’s cold left hand.

“Baby, it’s a red light. Let’s hold hands for a bit.”

Sheng Jia looked at him. Zhou Zifei was wearing a gentle smile. Sheng Jia’s gaze drifted down to their intertwined fingers. He stared blankly.

Zhou Zifei’s hand was larger than his, warm and dry. Every time they held hands, his own hand was completely enveloped. This time, the grip wasn’t tight, but it was lingering; every inch of Sheng Jia’s palm and fingers caught that warmth.

For some reason, Sheng Jia slowly tightened his fingers on his own accord.

“Where are you taking me?” Sheng Jia suddenly asked.

Zhou Zifei was momentarily stunned. Then, his eyes crinkled with a smile. He lifted Sheng Jia’s hand with helpless adoration and kissed the back of it.

“Silly, we’re going home.”