Ex-Husband's CallChapter 1

Tong Qiu was in the middle of a call when the movers arrived.

Two of his students were secretly dating and their relationship had been discovered by their parents. Their families had gathered together and had started arguing like there was no tomorrow, so his student had gone to the bathroom to hide and had dialed his number to ask for help. YOH4LP

“Tong-ge, save me!”

The student was Feng Kaiwen, the class president of his class who was a good-looking kid with good grades. His girlfriend was called Kan Yue, a member of the literature committee who was in the same class. Her marks were pretty good as well and she always placed in the top five for exams. Amongst the student population, the talented pair were a match made in heaven. Relationship goals, if you will.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Tong Qiu, as the homeroom teacher in charge of their class, had purposely turned a blind eye. He, too, had been their age, and understood that they were at the peak of their adolescence, a time when emotions ran high and first loves came and went. And as long as it didn’t impact their studies, he didn’t think it was much of an issue.

This was Tong Qiu’s own perspective, but he knew parents tended to think differently. qWO7fo

His two students usually went to the local library together on weekends. Kan Yue’s parents, however, were protective to the extreme and decided to secretly follow their daughter to confirm if she was seeing anyone. And once they found the evidence they needed, they waited until Kan Yue and Feng Kaiwen were walking hand in hand before leaping out of their hiding place to confront the two lovebirds.

After their discovery, the pair’s families decided to hold a meeting to resolve the issue. Although Tong Qiu was well aware of his students’ affairs, their parents had not sought him out so it wasn’t in his place to interfere.

“What do your parents think?” Tong Qiu asked Feng Kaiwen. He stood in the living room and watched as Huo Zhixing instructed the movers to be careful with the items they were moving.

“They’re still arguing but can’t get to the bottom of it. Right now they’re stuck on whether it was me who was fooling around with Yue-Yue or if it was Yue-Yue who seduced me.”

Tong Qiu massaged the space between his brows. If it were any other day, he would have found the time to pay a visit himself to soothe the parents’ ruffled feathers and have a proper sit-down with the children. However, today was his moving day – his move-out day, to be precise – and he couldn’t just leave his ex-husband and head out on his own.

Even if Tong Qiu were to rush out on his own, he knew Huo Zhixing wasn’t the type to comment on it.

“Why don’t you hand the phone over to your dad and I’ll have a few words with him.”

“Tong-ge, my old man’s super mad right now. I bet he’ll beat me until my butt bursts open when we get home later. Are you sure you want to speak to him?” aockd3

“Weren’t you the one who wanted me to save you?”

“What I meant was, can you please come over and kidnap me and Yue-Yue so we can get out of here?

“No can do,” Tong Qiu replied. “I’m busy.”

He glanced over and watched as Huo Zhixing headed towards the movers, Tong Qiu’s suitcase in hand. When he reached the front door, Huo Zhixing paused and turned around to look back at him. 3eZqB1

“Hurry up,” Tong Qiu said into his phone. “I already said I’m busy right now.”

Tong Qiu spent the next ten minutes speaking to Feng Kaiwen’s father, first diffusing his rage and then successfully convincing him to switch sides, and finally gave him the task of persuading the three other parents.

Those who have never been parents have never experienced the feeling of “I don’t care how important you are or how much money you have, but the words of a teacher must be respected.”

Despite his young age – Tong Qiu was only in his thirties – he was one of the most well-known and respected teachers in the city. During his first year as a teacher, a student he taught became one of the top scorers for the university entrance exams. Ever since then, there were hoards of parents every year trying to get their child into his class. He was well-liked by his students and also had their parents complete trust, which was why they all listened to him. 6Rs70

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Tong Qiu hung up once he had resolved the issue and when he took another look around, he discovered that the place was already half emptied. He realized with a start that, after a year of being married to Huo Zhixing, his belongings had taken over more than half of their shared domain.

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“Tfjt, sbe’gf gluta.” Kbcu Hle aegcfv jcv tfjvfv abkjgvr atf yfvgbbw. “Tbe rtbeiv ajxf j ygfjx. P mjc mjggs la vbkc wsrfio.”

Tong Qiu entered the room and lifted the box, shifting it a little in his hands. It was actually kind of heavy. 1 BXdn

“Let me carry it,” Huo Zhixing came over and made to take the box, but Tong Qiu refused.

“No, it’s too heavy. Your arm won’t be able to take it.” Tong Qiu still remembered that Huo Zhixing had injured his arm a few days ago while catching a thief.

Huo Zhixing shrugged, then stepped out of the way.

And just like that, all of Tong Qiu’s belongings were cleared out and nothing was left behind. rD lXh

They went downstairs together and after Tong Qiu had placed the last box on top of his suitcase, he turned to face Huo Zhixing and said his goodbyes.

“Remember to take good care of yourself.” Huo Zhixing had had a night shift the day before and began helping Tong Qiu pack that morning as soon as he returned. It took some effort to stay alert and suppress his yawns in front of Tong Qiu.

“You too.” Tong Qiu reached out and they shook hands. “I’ll head out then. Go inside and get some good rest.”

Tong Qiu paused, then added, “If you ever find yourself in any sort of trouble, remember that your own safety is more important.” p6NRUY

Huo Zhixing nodded, then stepped back and watched as Tong Qiu boarded the moving van.

Tong Qiu squeezed himself in between the two movers and gazed at Huo Zhixing from the rearview mirror. Huo Zhixing waved at him; he flashed a faint smile in return. The engine started and as Tong Qiu watched the man in the mirror grow smaller and ever more distant, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment.

And just like that, his relationship with Huo Zhixing was over. They were only married for a year, which wasn’t a very long time, but to a certain degree, it hadn’t felt all that short either.

Huo Zhixing was a good man and one could say their sort of marriage was the kind where each held the other in the highest regard, as if the other was an honoured guest with whom they shared a home. 1Tc8Gu

But it wasn’t the kind of marriage Tong Qiu wanted.

To him, marriage was like a container and the relationship between a married couple was the liquid that filled said container. Other people’s containers might be filled with hard liquor or maybe even fizzy soft drinks, but the container he shared with Huo Zhixing was filled with bland, tepid water.

He wasn’t afraid to lead an ordinary life, but he was afraid of a life that held not a hint of love between them.

A marriage without love was a sham of a marriage, not to mention exhausting. And just as they agreed upon at the beginning of their marriage, if they weren’t suited for each other, then they may as well go their separate ways. jn1ZLE

Of course, Tong Qiu didn’t think the topic could be brought up before they received their marriage certificate but now, he felt it was more or less the right time. And so, one night after dinner, he had said casually, “Zhixing, let’s file for divorce.”

Huo Zhixing had stared blankly at him for a moment, but had eventually nodded.

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His easy acceptance was a shock and it was Tong Qiu who had to take a moment to recover.

Before getting married, Tong Qiu had always lived with his parents. But after his divorce, he didn’t return and instead found a one-bedroom apartment near work. Not only was it an easy commute but it meant he didn’t have to listen to his mother’s nagging. ZVKPs

The movers helped him carry his boxes, both large and small, to his new home and the small living room was soon stuffed to the brim.

Tong Qiu paid and graciously bought two packs of cigarettes for the movers, then saw them to the building’s front door. On his way back, his cell phone suddenly started ringing.

“Tong-ge, save me.” It was the little brat from his class again.

Tong Qiu didn’t bother heading home. He left his apartment complex, hailed a cab and went straight to the police station. gC68y9

Even though he was only a teacher in name, Tong Qiu felt as if he were playing the role of both father and mother, what with the way these brats constantly ran to him for help. It was always “Tong-ge, save me!” with these kids every time they called.

Today was the day he had officially moved out and he should have been spending the time reflecting on his newfound bachelorhood. Instead, he was out cleaning up messes and didn’t even have time to clean up his own place, forget self-reflection.

After dragging Feng Kaiwen out of the police station, he asked, “Did you eat yet?”

“No.” Lg Bak

“Then go home and eat.”

“Tong-ge, I don’t want to go home.” Feng Kaiwen squatted on the side of the road and tilted his head back to gaze up at his teacher. “Yue-Yue’s mom is making us break up but I don’t want to.”

Tong Qiu stared back at him impatiently. “Do your parents even know where you are? Do they know that you got into a fight?”

“I told them I went to look for you.” e7ZnVd

Exasperated, Tong Qiu pulled him to his feet. “Let’s eat first.”

Feng Kaiwen wanted to go to Pizza Hut. Tong Qiu had no choice but to follow.

The two sat inside Pizza Hut and you would think Feng Kaiwen hadn’t eaten in days, with the way he was wolfing down his food.

“Tell me, Tong-ge, why is it that two people who love each other can’t be together?” Qxc3fu

Tong Qiu mentally laughed and thought, ‘what does a brat like you know about love?’

It was one thing to think such things, but another to say it out loud. And as a teacher, he had to be extremely careful of what he said to his students.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

“You should have said, ‘Why can’t the current me be with Kan Yue even though we love each other?’”

“That works too. So why not?” nCU8kj

Tong Qiu nibbled on his straw, then said in an unhurried tone, “It’s because you’re both too young. I can’t say you don’t understand the concept of love at your age, but love isn’t just about liking someone and having the feeling reciprocated. It’s more like a responsibility, and the two of you aren’t ready to bear the weight of such a responsibility.”

Feng Kaiwen dropped his gaze, mulling over his thoughts. Across from him, Tong Qiu tilted his head towards the window next to him and gazed out. The skies were almost dark and he could only see his own reflection in the glass.

Although he was in his thirties, Tong Qiu looked much younger. His hair was neatly trimmed and his wire-rimmed glasses made him seem gentle and refined, though there was little life to his features.

Not that he had any liveliness to spare. He had spent the last few days looking for a new place and packing his belongings and had, from time to time, been disturbed by that bunch of brats. Tong Qiu hasn’t slept properly in ages. xvVUn9

Feng Kaiwen suddenly looked up. “Tong-ge, did you get divorced?”

Tong Qiu was in the middle of sipping his milk tea and wallowing in a bout of self-pity and almost choked when he processed the words.

“Who did you hear that from?” Back when Tong Qiu had gotten married, Feng Kaiwen, acting as the class president, had especially arranged a celebration for him. He had even invited a dozen or so other students and they all went to a karaoke joint to sing “We’re Getting Married Today” and deliver well-wishes like “til death do you part” and “may you birth sons” to the newlyweds.

“A few days ago I saw you and shimu leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau,” Feng Kaiwen replied. “It’s not like you two had any other reason to be there, asides from filing your divorce papers.” TAMKjD

What could he say? Sometimes, students were too smart for their own good.

“Why did you get divorced?” Feng Kaiwen asked. “Weren’t the two of you getting along pretty well together? Plus, shimu look great in uniform!”

“Every couple has their own difficulties. Outsiders can only see what’s on the surface,” Tong Qiu replied with a tap on his head. “Don’t worry about other people’s problems.”

“Wait, did he hit you?” Q6OtBz

Tong Qiu clicked his tongue and told him to stop talking nonsense.

Feng Kaiwen gazed back at him. “But you’re still wearing your ring.”

At his words, Tong Qiu glanced down at the wedding band on his finger. He and Huo Zhixing had bought the ring together before their wedding and it was simple in its design – the only decoration was their names engraved on the inside of the wedding band. Neither of them were particularly flashy so something low-key with a simple design was more appropriate.

Tong Qiu took a large sip of his tea and told Feng Kaiwen to hurry up and finish his food. 7SzoJ8

Night fell and Tong Qiu sent Feng Kaiwen home. He urged Feng Kaiwen not to pick a fight with his parents – he was still young with his whole life ahead of him, and if he really loved Kan Yue, he should do his best to get into a good university, at which point there would be no one stopping them from dating again.

Feng Kaiwen obediently went home. Before he left, he turned to Tong Qiu and said, “Tong-ge, it might take a while to get over a heartbreak but don’t feel too bad. There are good men everywhere and I’m sure there’s someone waiting for you out there who’s even better than shimu.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Tong Qiu laughed and sent the brat on his way.

He made his way back to his apartment and spent the whole way home staring at the ring on his finger. In the end, he took a picture of his hand under the moonlight and sent the photo to Huo Zhixing. bckzTn

I forgot to return this to you.

It took a long while before he received a response from Huo Zhixing. It was five simple words that said:

Hold onto it for now.