Tong Qiu had purposely asked to meet up with Chu Yao.
Over the past little while, Fang Baicheng had stopped bothering him but in the last few days, the man had resumed his incessant messages and asked after Tong Qiu eight hundred times a day. He knew Fang Baicheng had good intentions and was genuinely concerned, but to Tong Qiu, kindness demonstrated in the wrong way was actually quite distressing.
Tong Qiu had already told Fang Baicheng that he disliked this type of interaction but his words had little effect. He had no choice but to go to Chu Yao and see if she might be able to help out.
“I went out to attend a meeting that day as the school’s representative and when I got back, my head hurt like crazy. And yet he still came looking for me to ask me out for dinner so I said I had a headache and wanted to go home and sleep.” Tong Qiu began complaining as soon as he saw Chu Yao. “I set my phone to silent while I was sleeping and when I opened my eyes, there were 29 missed calls and 17 text messages. The last message said that he was downstairs waiting for me and I have to admit, in that moment, I was completely dumbfounded.”
“Downstairs?” Chu Yao said, her face full of shock. “How did he find out where you live?”
Even Chu Yao hadn’t known where he lived after he moved out after his divorce.
“No idea. It’s unbelievable,” Tong Qiu said. “And when I called him back he really had been waiting downstairs the whole time. He even had two giant bags of food and I honestly didn’t know what to say at that point.”
Chu Yao rolled her eyes. “Oh god, why is he like this?” She regretted making the introduction and would never have done it if she had known just how crazy Fang Baicheng was.
“I feel bad saying it but it was honestly kind of terrifying,” Tong Qiu said. “When you didn’t give him my contact number he just came directly to my school. And after that, he somehow found my home address. What does he even do for a living? His investigative skills are even more insane than my ex-husband’s.”
Chu Yao couldn’t help but feel guilty – after all, she was the one who had introduced Fang Baicheng to Tong Qiu. “Tong-ge, this is all my fault. I honestly got along with Fang Baicheng pretty well and before all this, I didn’t get the sense that he was so…unhinged.”
“I’m not blaming you. Your heart was in the right place,” Tong Qiu replied. “All I’m saying is, can you pass a message along to him when you get the chance? Tell him we’re not compatible and that he shouldn’t waste any more time on me.”
“Did you tell him yourself yet?”
“I did, but he said he wasn’t pursuing me at all and just wanted to be friends. What else could I say?” Tong Qiu responded, his face forlorn. “It made it seem like I was the one chasing him, how annoying.”
“Alright, I got it.” Chu Yao propped her chin on her hand and gazed at him with pity. “Maybe you should find a real boyfriend. If you have someone at your side, he would naturally give up the chase.”
“What boyfriend? Are boyfriends that easy to find?” Tong Qiu nibbled on his drink straw. “Finding a partner is even harder than finding a job, I swear. There are too little options.”
“I think your ex is alright,” Chu Yao said. “You just couldn’t stand the fact that he was horrible in bed. Why don’t you just put on your ‘teacher’ hat and give him a few lessons? Problem solved.”
Tong Qiu glared at her. “Sis, I think I finally get it. In your mind, I’m just a thirsty, sex-obsessed degenerate. But we didn’t get divorced just because we weren’t compatible in bed. It’s not that simple.”
It really wasn’t that simple.
Tong Qiu had been thinking it over recently and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that they had been too careless about the whole marriage business. They barely understood each other and he had agreed to get married solely because of Huo Zhixing’s uniform. And what about Huo Zhixing? What was his reason?
Tong Qiu hadn’t felt an ounce of passion during their marriage. Even if they had been able to keep it up for five or eight years, a marriage like that was bound to end at some point.
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.
“I just think you two should bare your souls and sit down for a nice, long chat,” Chu Yao said. “Both of you have too many secrets.”
But who didn’t have secrets?
Leave it be for now, Tong Qiu thought, and just let fate decide.
—
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Technically speaking, Tong Qiu didn’t have to participate in the wedding planning. He could just go as a regular guest, but given that the rest of the Huo family still didn’t know the truth about him and Huo Zhixing, he decided to attend as Huo Jiao’s saozi and help out where he could.
Rbcf bo atfw tjv wemt lc atf kjs bo fzqfglfcmf ktfc la mjwf ab qijcclcu j kfvvlcu. Ktfs kfgf jii yers klat atlr jcv atja, jcv rlcmf Leb Itlzlcu kjr alfv eq klat kbgx, wbra bo atf ajrxr ofii ab Kbcu Hle. Kbcu Hle kjr gfrqbcrlyif obg mbcolgwlcu atf qgbugjw vfajlir klat atf kfvvlcu nfcef jcv fcvfv eq jrxlcu tlr wjgglfv oglfcvr obg j ofk qblcafgr.
On top of taking care of his students, he had to deal with trifling wedding matters – it was almost as if he was still the Huo family’s son-in-law.
“Then where should we meet?” Huo Zhixing asked over the phone as soon as he left the police station. The two had agreed beforehand to meet up on Sunday afternoon.
Tong Qiu was at home dealing with a few work issues and couldn’t leave the house. After thinking it over, he replied, “Why don’t you just come directly to my place? Do you remember how to get here?”
Of course Huo Zhixing remembered. Even if he couldn’t find his way back to his own home, he’d still be able to find his way to Tong Qiu’s.
“Sounds good, I’ll come over then. What do you want to eat? I’ll grab something downstairs and bring it up.”
Tong Qiu was a little surprised – how did Huo Zhixing know he hadn’t had lunch yet?
“Anything’s fine, you decide.”
“Alright then.”
Huo Zhixing hung up, his mood lifting considerably. Zhao Heyu just so happened to drive past and noticed his shifu’s blissful, radiant face. He opened the car window and asked with a smile, “What’s up? Are you going on a date?”
“Mind your own business.”
Huo Zhixing was waiting on the curb for a cab and Zhao Heyu called out, “Shifu, hop on. Your beloved disciple will give you a ride.”
Zhao Heyu had ulterior motives for offering to give Huo Zhixing a lift. He felt that something was off about his shifu these days. Huo Zhixing’s mood had been a bit too good, to be honest.
Recently, a problem had come up during a case because of a careless mistake, and based on past experience, the ‘Wild Tiger’ should have turned up to tear them apart. Huo Zhixing normally would have lost his temper, sparing no one, but the terror they anticipated never came to pass – Huo Zhixing had remained calm and simply told them to fix it.
The last time this happened was back when Huo Zhixing was still a newlywed.
“Shifu, are you dating someone?” Zhao Heyu asked. “Who is it? Someone new or an old flame?”
Huo Zhixing was in the middle of sending a message to Tong Qiu and he gave Zhao Heyu the side-eye, “What is it? Spit it out.”
“It’s nothing! I’m just looking out for you,” Zhao Heyu replied. “Just curious about the person that’s got you in a good mood all the time. It’s like you’re constantly basking in sunshine – I’m not really used to it.”
“Not used to it? Then starting tomorrow, you’re to stay at your post for 24 hours with no break. Will you get ‘used to it’ then?”
“Hey, spare me. Pretend I didn’t say anything.” Zhao Heyu stole a glance at Huo Zhixing’s phone but the screen was too reflective so he couldn’t see a thing. “Shifu, you really like this person, don’t you?”
Huo Zhixing shot him a look but didn’t speak.
“Ah, must be nice to go on a date. It’s spring already – I wish I could go on a date too!”
—
When Huo Zhixing arrived at Tong Qiu’s apartment, he was once again taken aback by the piles of boxes in Tong Qiu’s living room. It had been over a month since he was last here and the boxes had lain unopened then. He didn’t expect that the boxes would be in the exact same state a whole month later.
“Just hold on for a minute.” After opening the door for him, Tong Qiu rushed back to his room. “I have to send a document to the principal first.”
“That’s fine, do what you have to do.” Huo Zhixing set the food down on the coffee table and after a beat, he called out to Tong Qiu, “Do you mind if I help you sort out the boxes?”
“Huh? What?”
“Your stuff, I mean. These boxes still haven’t been unpacked.” Huo Zhixing circled the room and found a box cutter. “ Go finish up your work. I’ll help tidy things up a bit.”
Tong Qiu was a bit embarrassed and rushed back to the living room as soon as he sent the email. “Don’t worry about it, I can’t let you clean up my mess.”
“You’re finished with work?”
“Mm-hm. Let’s eat first.”
Huo Zhixing set down the box cutter and the two discussed Huo Jiao’s wedding as they ate. Once they were finished eating and chatting, Huo Zhixing started eyeing the boxes once more.
Despite his earlier insistence, Tong Qiu still ended up unpacking the boxes along with Huo Zhixing. He felt embarrassed and a bit ashamed – the image he had carefully maintained in front of Huo Zhixing had well and truly collapsed.
Huo Zhixing opened a cardboard box. Inside was a picture frame and a few small, miscellaneous items. He pulled out the wooden frame. It was the photo of the two of them standing in front of the Bureau of Civil Affairs the day they received their marriage certificate.
He smiled and said to Tong Qiu, “I was looking for this at home. Turns out you brought it with you.”
Tong Qiu stretched his neck and leaned over to take a look. He flushed in embarrassment, “I wasn’t paying attention when I packed it.”
Huo Zhixing glanced around the apartment and eventually placed the picture frame next to the TV.
Asides from the picture frame, they also discovered a few other couple items while unpacking: a pair of couple slippers, a set of couple pajamas, a couple mug, a couple sweater…
There were signs of their marriage no matter where they looked. Normally, when a couple broke up or got divorced, they would simply throw out all their couple belongings. Tong Qiu hadn’t packed the couple items because of any lingering feelings or because he wanted some keepsakes to remember his ex by. He just felt that it would be wasteful to just throw it all out – it was just frugal living!
Being frugal was one thing but now that his ex-husband had found out, Tong Qiu felt a bit embarrassed just looking at it.
“This……” Huo Zhixing was rifling through a box and managed to find a vibrator inside a pillowcase.
Tong Qiu saw it and almost fainted on the spot.
“Is it yours?” Huo Zhixing had to suppress a grin as he spoke. It was quite the unexpected find.
Tong Qiu swallowed, his brain whirring. “A friend asked me to buy it for them and I forgot to give it to them.”
Huo Zhixing choked back his laughter and didn’t expose him. He pulled out the vibrator and set it to the side. “Does it work well?”
“No, it doesn’t.” Tong Qiu regretted his words as soon as they came out of his mouth. He quickly tried to salvage the situation and added, “…I’m guessing.”
Huo Zhixing couldn’t hold back his smile and nodded. “That’d be my guess too. I mean, this kind of thing doesn’t quite compare with what we’re naturally born with.”
Tong Qiu felt that their conversation was starting to veer off track so he quickly changed the subject. “Oh right, did Jiao-Jiao pick a wedding dress yet?”
“Mm-hm, she’s going with the one she tried on the other day, the one with the sweetheart neckline.”
Tong Qiu nodded his head. “Good choice.”
Huo Zhixing continued digging through the cardboard box and after rifling through it a bit, he suddenly fell silent.
“What is it?” Tong Qiu had a bad feeling about it and leaned over to take a closer look. Inside the box were a dozen pairs of thongs that were lying innocently at the very bottom of the box.
“I get it,” Huo Zhixing said, “you helped your friend buy these too.”
Tong Qiu let out an awkward laugh as beads of sweat dripped down his back. “Yep, these all belong to…my friend.”
—
The author has something to say:
Tong Qiu: Shoutout to this particular friend for taking one for the team!
He should just stop trying 😆
Thanks for the chapter!!
Ahaha unfortunately, Tong Qiu still has his pride;;; Thank you for reading! 😀
+1
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Mate
Tch! I scrolled down too fast. Uwu….. I want to binge read them and immerse in their world…
Thanks so much for reading! More chapters are on the way~
Hahaha. A friend, right. You could stop lying, Tong Qiu… Huo Zhixing knows the truth. Fufufu
Thanks for the chapter!
Haha yes, Tong Qiu isn’t fooling anyone 😉 Thank you for reading! :))
It’s nice that you’ve such a pal to take one for the team, but maybe tell your “friend” to stop storing their things in your cardboard boxes; your ex just keeps getting the wrong idea. ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌
looool yes he really should have a few words with his ‘friend’ 😉 thanks so much for reading!
Huo Zhixing hit the jackpot with those thongs and vibrator. Good material for realistic wet dreams lol.
Thank you for the update!!
You bet!! Officer Huo’s imagination is probably running wild 😉 Thanks so much for reading! 😀
I mean… what does he have to pretend for? They’re divorced already.. just say it’s yours. The porn, the toys, the thongs. Lmao
loool thankfully Huo Zhixing knows what’s up! Thank you for reading! 😀
Thank you for the chapter! There’s a TL note with like a paragraph of the chapter stuck inside 😅. It’s the one for saozi
Fixed! Thanks so much for reading and for letting me know! 🙂
Np!😊
TQ needs to up his lying game lol HZ knows what’s up lololol
Thanks for the chapter!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 RIP Teacher Tong
Thanks for the chapter ❤
Thank you so much for the chapter!(๑´>᎑<)~❤
Tong Qiu just…no. 😂 On another note I will never know peace until this stalker subplot is resolved. 😑 Every time he turns up I’m like “SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE( AND ASK FOR HIS EX-HUSBAND!!)”
Whenever HZX finds something embarrassing, TQ goes: it’s my friends!!!! I told you it’s my friend’s!!!!!!!!! stop looking at me like that!!!!
skskskksksks fricking hilarious I love them
TQ, just come out already..🤭
o TQ… entiende, es necesario ser descarado con tu pareja… por eso fallaste.
Jajajajaja… que lastima que no se descubriera el solo mientras estaban casados, es cierto, que todos tenemos secretos querido, pero tú ocultaste al verdadero tú de tu esposo y él hizo lo mismo, eso es estúpido en un matrimonio y no se trata de ser o no ser adulto, de sociedad o nada.
Your /friend/ asks you to buy a looott of stuffs. HAHAHAHAHA
When you’re a sex kitten but have to pretend otherwise because you’re afraid your husband will be disappointed 😳😭🥺😂
All the blame will be yeeted to that friend till Xiao Qiu admits lmao
Gosh Tong Qiu 🤣😀 throw your “friend” under the bus every time.
Enjoying the story, kudos to the author. And kudos to the translator too 🙏🏼
Pffttthahahahaha why do you even struggle?!….I can’t….
hahah. honestly, its so funny haha XD
I mean, he knows what was inside those boxes… LoL, I hope he tries one for his ex-husband convenience
Fang Baichen it’s start to getting quite scary. I don´t know, he doesn’t give me a good vibe
😂😂😂😂😂😂
The “friend”: ._.
That’s what friends are for….. right??? 🤣🤣🤣
His husband knows him too well that he is lying lol!
I starting to think that FBC is mentaly unstable…
Thank You for the chapter (੭ु´･ω･`)੭ु⁾⁾❤
My gosh I’m getting my face palm grrrr hahahahaha