Ex-Husband's CallChapter 18

They were thirty-one years old when they met, thirty-two when they married and thirty-three when they filed for divorce.

Tong Qiu and Huo Zhixing’s understanding of each other was limited to those photo albums buried at the bottom of the drawer, or whatever topic that happened to come up in conversation. Tong Qiu suddenly realized that despite having the appearance of intimacy, they were actually quite distant in reality. bJkPm1

Tong Qiu could recite dozens of Huo Zhixing’s day-to-day habits – Huo Zhixing liked sleeping on his right side, and preferred harder bristles on his toothbrush. He disliked peppermint-flavoured toothpaste and a certain brand of laundry detergent. This list went on…

However, there was a lot more that he didn’t know about Huo Zhixing.

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He didn’t know why Huo Zhixing had left the criminal investigation task force, or how Huo Zhixing had sustained his injuries while on duty. Although he had noticed numerous scars on Huo Zhixing’s body during their year of marriage, none of them indicated an injury so severe that he could never return to the task force.

Tong Qiu didn’t know why but he felt as if their entire marriage was a blank, empty space. 8yicsd

“What’s wrong?” Huo Zhixing asked. “What are you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing.” Tong Qiu looked away and said softly, “I was just thinking that what you said just now was a bit subtle, that’s all.”

It was extremely subtle because Huo Zhixing had said ‘even more’.

Tong Qiu figured Huo Zhixing had probably spoken the words unintentionally. Had this man ever loved him? It didn’t seem as if there was ever any love between them. The most they had were positive impressions of each other, so you couldn’t use ‘even more in love’ to describe it.

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Besides, the two of them had already missed too many opportunities and later on, they hadn’t truly made an effort to understand each other. Perhaps that was the real reason their marriage had reached the end of its road.

However, if Huo Zhixing knew that he wasn’t actually a hard-working, considerate, conservative and calm kind of person, would Huo Zhixing have considered marrying him in the first place?

To Tong-laoshi, this particular question was more difficult than any question on the university entrance exam.

Unfortunately, Tong-laoshi was stumped and could only throw back drinks like a madman in the hopes that the alcohol would clear up his confusion. yrsEeI

Huo Zhixing had always thought that Tong Qiu’s alcohol tolerance was fairly good, so he hadn’t expected that the man would drink himself dizzy.

He half-held, half-dragged Tong Qiu out of the bar while Tong Qiu was still sulking. The truth was, he had realized early on that Tong Qiu wasn’t the sort of efficient oil lamp that was easy to deal with, at least on the inside. However, once this lamp was lit, it truly was irresistible.

In the time that Huo Zhixing had gone to the bathroom to take a call, a random man had inexplicably struck up a conversation with Tong Qiu and Tong Qiu was leaning drunkenly against him. Tong Qiu was chattering away happily and had taken off his coat. The wide collar of his t-shirt had been casually tugged to one side, exposing his enticing collar bones. The man he was leaning against had even placed a hand on Tong Qiu’s waist. QswiGN

Huo Zhixing’s anger had roared to life. If he hadn’t held onto reason and remembered that as a police officer, he couldn’t casually raise a hand, he really would have walked up and thrown a punch at the man.

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.

After suppressing his burning rage, Huo Zhixing had tugged Tong Qiu out of the man’s grasp and scowled as he coldly informed that man that Tong Qiu already had company.

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In the end, Tong Qiu had simply leaned against his chest and laughed.

At Tong Qiu’s laugh, Huo Zhixing couldn’t come up with a single reason to blame him, so he ended up paying the bill and leaving the bar with Tong Qiu in his arms.

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As they stood outside in the cool, night air, the tipsy Tong Qiu sobered up a little. However, his feet still felt as if they were walking on clouds and he slumped against Huo Zhixing’s body. “What kind of booze was that? God…I’m so dizzy,” he muttered quietly.

Huo Zhixing also felt that Tong Qiu’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t as bad as it seemed. When he thought back, he suddenly remembered that when he had come back from the bathroom, there was a drink on the table that Tong Qiu hadn’t ordered. It all made sense to him now. Uy68Kj

“You’re lucky I was here today.” Huo Zhixing waved down a taxi and stuffed Tong Qiu inside. He climbed in as well and pulled Tong Qiu back into his arms. The still-muddled Tong Qiu also took advantage of the opportunity to lean into his embrace.

Huo Zhixing hesitated, then gave the driver his own address. The whole way home, he held onto a restless Tong Qiu who couldn’t sit still. It almost felt as if Tong Qiu was a small animal that needed to be pet, so Huo Zhixing made gentle noises to soothe him.

Tong Qiu was feeling uncomfortable and was so dizzy he could barely keep his eyes open. However, he was still conscious and had a death grip on the front of Huo Zhixing’s shirt. He murmured from time to time, just like a little kitten.

“Looks to me like you were just asking for trouble.” Despite his grumbling, Huo Zhixing still felt a lingering fear in his heart. If he hadn’t been there tonight, who knows what kind of predator would have lured Tong Qiu away. JudR2f

Huo Zhixing bent his head to look at Tong Qiu while his hand gently patted Tong Qiu on the shoulder to comfort him. He thought about what Tong Qiu had been planning to do tonight. With the way he was dressed, he was probably trying to hook up with someone, right?

At the thought, Huo Zhixing suddenly glanced at Tong Qiu’s pocket and a silver, square-shaped package caught his eye.

He reached over and pulled it out. It was a condom, as he had suspected, which meant Tong Qiu really had come to find a hookup.

For some strange reason, Huo Zhixing suddenly felt a sense of deja vu. He suddenly recalled the time right after their divorce. The day after Tong Qiu had moved out, he had gone out to ‘make trouble’. The same thing had happened last time – if Huo Zhixing hadn’t been there, Tong Qiu probably would have gone home with that Fang Baicheng. mZMKaf

Huo Zhixing could understand Tong Qiu’s need to ‘make trouble’. After all, they were men and were also single. However, after what had happened tonight, Huo Zhixing felt a stronger sense of urgency. If he didn’t quickly reel Tong Qiu back in, the little wildcat was bound to let loose. And once he had a taste of the many pleasures that the world offered, it would be even more difficult to curb his wild instincts.

Huo Zhixing lowered his head and whispered against Tong Qiu’s burning ear. “I’m confiscating your condom.”

“Huh?” Tong Qiu was still woozy and when he turned his head, he nearly kissed Huo Zhixing.

Huo Zhixing grinned and gave Tong Qiu’s cheeks a pinch. He was filled with a mix of fondness and anger – he wanted to use a bit of force but couldn’t bear to hurt Tong Qiu, but if he didn’t dole out a punishment, his heart couldn’t rest easy either. TfaWsI

It was late so there was barely any traffic on the roads and they quickly arrived.

Tong Qiu was very familiar with his current surroundings. After all, he had lived here for a year. When Huo Zhixing helped him out of the car, he didn’t feel that anything was amiss. He simply draped himself over Huo Zhixing and whined about how awful he felt.

He felt weak all over but his body still burned terribly. 2vPVRo

“Something in the drink…” Tong Qiu let Huo Zhixing pull off his shoes and coat. When Huo Zhixing tucked him under the bedcovers, he even grabbed onto Huo Zhixing’s hand and mumbled, “We shouldn’t go to that bar anymore…”

Cold sweat covered Tong Qiu’s palm and when Huo Zhixing felt the slight chill in Tong Qiu’s grip, he wished he could peel off Tong Qiu’s clothes and dump him into the bathtub for a nice, steaming bath.

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The only problem was, there was no bathtub in his apartment.

Moreover, he couldn’t just casually peel off someone’s clothes, even if that someone happened to be his ex-husband. eAKELh

Not only did Huo Zhixing have a strong sense of professional ethics, but he also had his own moral baseline. Of course, the main reason he refused to undress Tong Qiu was because he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from breaching those very moral and ethical baselines.

After all, who could resist the sight of a little wildcat with deliciously soft and tender skin, whining and moaning while lying stark naked on the bed?

It was impossible to resist so he may as well avoid the dangerous brink of temptation altogether.

Huo Zhixing withdrew his hand and went out to get two large glasses of water. He helped Tong Qiu up and forced Tong Qiu to drink it all despite his complaints. However, half of it still ended up spilling on Tong Qiu’s indecent clothes. vBch1I

Huo Zhixing had a good grasp of what had happened at the bar. There must have been something in the drink that the stranger had brought over, and they must have kept track of Tong Qiu’s orders so that they could make their move and take Tong Qiu away.

This kind of thing was a common occurrence.

Tong Qiu seldom went to bars alone so he never kept his guard up about these things. What Huo Zhixing couldn’t figure out was that, no matter how you looked at it, Tong Qiu was a thirty-something year old teacher who wouldn’t casually drink whatever was given to him. He should have had a basic sense of self-preservation.

Furthermore, when Huo Zhixing had returned, Tong Qiu was already very dizzy and had even mistaken the stranger for Huo Zhixing. 6Q1RH

There was definitely something suspicious going on.

Officer Huo was furious. Whoever was responsible had gotten his people involved, and were practically begging him to barge in with his team for a surprise inspection. If it weren’t for the fact that he was otherwise preoccupied dealing with a certain little kitten, Huo Zhixing would have immediately called someone to search the bar.

“Here, lie down. I’ll go get some more water for you,” Huo Zhixing said. However, Tong Qiu grabbed a tight fistful of his shirt and looked rather pitiful, with his eyes squeezed shut as he gasped loudly. He almost looked like he was drowning.

Huo Zhixing made an attempt to get up but to his surprise, the half-drowned Tong Qiu suddenly found the strength to pull him onto the bed and wordlessly looped both arms around his neck. AZt1dD

Tong Qiu struggled to open his eyes. He wasn’t sure what this feeling was, exactly. His body felt as light as a feather but he was still conscious. And in the depths of his heart, he could feel something like desire gradually swelling within.

He knew who was in front of him, and he also knew what he wanted to do.

The strange drink he had consumed wasn’t an aphrodisiac but it had made him bolder. Or rather, it had successfully allowed instinct to overcome reason.

Tong Qiu had one arm wrapped around Huo Zhixing’s neck and his other hand was pressed against the back of Huo Zhixing’s head. Without giving Huo Zhixing a chance to speak, he took the lead and gave him a passionate kiss. IMbsYS

Startled, Huo Zhixing held Tong Qiu’s face and angled his head slightly rather than break away completely. He furrowed his brows and asked, “Tong Qiu, who am I?”

It wouldn’t do if Tong Qiu had no idea who he was even kissing.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Officer Huo still had his pride and he needed acknowledgement.

Tong Qiu couldn’t wait any longer and hooked his leg around Huo Zhixing. He said impatiently, “Huo Zhixing! Hurry up!” TMYEKN

He wanted to be kissed, to be held, and if it were anyone else, he’d be too scared to act. But the person before him was his ex-husband so Tong Qiu had completely let go.

Huo Zhixing was thrilled – he didn’t think he’d actually get such a satisfying answer. He bit down hard on Tong Qiu’s lip and while Tong Qiu was groaning and begging, he pressed his mouth against Tong-laoshi’s ear and said, “Remember, this is what you wanted. I’m not taking advantage of you.”

Officer Huo was an upstanding citizen and would never exploit someone’s weakness. In this situation, he was clearly the one being forced and he certainly wasn’t feigning innocence.

Huo Zhixing surged forward and they kissed fervently, their limbs tangling together. The darkness surrounding them was perfect and the air between them was full of promise. Huo Zhixing fumbled around and eventually found the condom that he had confiscated from Tong-laoshi not long ago. XyPknv

A few minutes later, however, the burning passion was put out by a splash of cold water – the person wrapped in his arms had fallen asleep.

Huo Zhixing was stunned yet again and gave Tong Qiu’s face a few pats. “Hey, are you really asleep or just pretending?”

The person he was patting gave no reaction whatsoever and was already fast asleep.

“…Shit, what the hell was in those drinks – was it really fucking tainted?” 3PguVe

Huo Zhixing had no choice but to get up and tug the bed covers over Tong Qiu’s sleeping form. He sat on the edge of the bed, smoked two cigarettes and thought resentfully, ‘I’m definitely going to raid that bar tomorrow’.

Translator's Note

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31 comments

  1. Okay, now I’m both angry and worried. Angry, cos I thought I’d get pa pa pa but got cut off. And worried because I do hope Tong-laoshi wouldn’t have adverse effects if he was really drugged.

    Thank you for the update!

  2. Hahaha, HZX is like, “How dare they drug TQ!” one moment, and “Did they even drug you properly?” the next. Save the condom for next time. 😂

  3. Bwhahahahaha!!!! I don’t even know who to pity anymore. 😂😂 i’m glad i found this.

    Thank you for translating

  4. TQ should be absolutely sober anyhow, lest he delude himself into thinking he dreamed up his ex-husband’s bed skills. On another note my money is on the stalker pulling some shit again.

  5. Wow someone dared to roofie an officer’s husband.

    Am I the only one relieved they didn’t do the deed while he was drugged? Just because the author states he knows who is in front of him and is willing doesn’t change the fact that he was drugged and not 100% there. If it’s not a choice he’d make sober, it’s not his choice really.

    Too bad it’s another day of blue balls for officer huo. Ehehe it’s going to be so awkward in the morning~~

  6. It’s good they saved the night of passion for next time. When Tong Qiu is totally aware of what’s happening.

    Thanks for the chapter!

    • I’m hoping so. 😂. Although, I think just like Tong-laoshi, he held it all back and was super gentle and vanilla because of the fake front they put up in front of each other. I just can’t believe they kept up that front for so long! 🤣

  7. Poor officer Huo😂😂😂😂😂

    Thank you so much for the chapter!(๑´>᎑<)~❤

  8. Querido oficial, es entrañable su acción de no querer actuar y lo aplaudo, pero…

    cuando esté sobrio, duro contra el muro y deja de ser tan “bueno” o no recuperarás a tu esposa.

    Ahhh… tal parece… que tendrá que esperar, para mostrar a su esposa que no es un mala cama… mientras, en serio asalta al bar.

  9. HZX: finally im going to eat my fill today(〃 ̄︶ ̄)人( ̄︶ ̄〃)

    author: teehee~~ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ

    HZX: 🧍‍♂️

  10. That’s scary. ML has a bottomline and did not have seggs with his unconscious ex. Imagine if that had been the person who drugged MC, he would not have cared if the other party was unconscious. 😱

  11. I know this is a slow burn, but i just want to light up a fire between them

    I thought i could handle this slow burn, but I’m already desesperate