Tong Qiu has experienced his fair share of awkward moments in his lifetime, but in the thirty odd years of his existence, all the awkward moments combined couldn’t hold a candle to the awkwardness of this one, single moment.
In his ex-husband’s eyes, he was supposed to be composed, mature and reserved. And yet a refined gentleman such as himself had been caught with a copy of a Western pornstar’s DVD, and one with a uniform-theme too…
It was almost suggesting that……
Tong Qiu could practically hear the sound of Huo Zhixing’s worldview shattering into a million pieces.
“That-” Tong Qiu began, “My friend asked me to buy it for them.”
Huo Zhixing didn’t feel like exposing him so he smiled a little and put the DVD back down. “Do you mind asking your friend if he’s willing to lend it to me once he’s done with it?”
“Huh?”
“Thought I’d watch it myself and learn a few moves,” Huo Zhixing said casually. “It’s never too late to learn.”
Tong Qiu smiled awkwardly and squeezed out a ‘mhm’ through gritted teeth.
Huo Zhixing had a good grasp of his limits and knew he couldn’t go too far when teasing Tong Qiu, which is why he decided to let Tong Qiu off easy today. However, when he turned his head, his gaze fell on Tong Qiu’s underwear that was drying beside the window – it wasn’t just regular underwear, it was a pair of thongs.
Tong Qiu followed his gaze and when he saw what Huo Zhixing was staring at, his head pounded even harder.
“Seems like you’ve been busy these days,” Huo Zhixing said, grinning at him. “You haven’t had a chance to tidy anything up.”
What’s he getting at? Tong Qiu thought, feeling as if his brain was about to explode.
Huo Zhixing let him off the hook once again and decided not to interrogate Tong Qiu about the thongs. After all, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
His eyes swept across Tong Qiu’s little apartment unit – the boxes he had helped Tong Qiu pack for the move lay mostly unopened. Only a few had been unboxed, probably so that Tong Qiu could find whatever he needed to use immediately. Everything else lay untouched.
Tong Qiu felt that he must have lost a bunch of brain cells because of his migraine – how could he invite anyone over when his apartment was a total mess? Although he wasn’t diligent by nature, he had kept up the pretense throughout the entirety of their marriage. But with one single visit, he had been completely exposed.
“You haven’t eaten anything today so I’ll go make a little something for you,” Huo Zhixing said, rising to his feet. “Go lie down if you’re not feeling well. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
He started to walk towards the refrigerator and Tong Qiu had half a mind to stop him, but it was already too late.
Huo Zhixing stood in front of the fridge and burst into laughter. The refrigerator was brand new and the cord hadn’t even been plugged into the electrical outlet.
Huo Zhixing could tell that between the two of them, Tong Qiu has had it worse after their divorce. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of sympathy – the past year of pretending must have been tough on Tong Qiu.
“I’m fine, really. You don’t have to look after me,” Tong Qiu said. “Are you hungry? Why don’t we order takeout?”
Huo Zhixing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He suddenly felt as if the perfect, domestic life they had led was all in vain. Perhaps it was because Tong Qiu’s acting had been too good, or perhaps it was because he himself hadn’t taken it to heart, but in that instant he felt a bit remorseful about their marriage.
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.
He walked over and ran his fingers through Tong Qiu’s hair. “Why don’t you go lie down while I run downstairs?”
“Qf mjc pera ufa ajxfbea.”
“Gbc’a kbggs jybea la, P’ii yf delmx.” Leb Itlzlcu rilqqfv bc tlr rtbfr jcv ugjyyfv atf xfsr bc abq bo atf rtbf gjmx. “Zlcv lo P ybggbk atlr?”
Kbcu Hle cbvvfv tlr tfjv, atfc jvvfv, “P’ii ub klat sbe, atfc.”
“Gbc’a qert sbegrfio. Tbe’gf rlmx rb pera rajs tfgf jcv kjla obg wf.”
Huo Zhixing left and Tong Qiu padded to the balcony. He downed his medicine and some water, all the while watching Huo Zhixing walk through the courtyard and out of the apartment complex. An indescribable feeling rose in his chest. There was clearly no chemistry between them but why had his ex-husband set his heart aflutter?
It was probably because he was sick, which made him especially vulnerable and easily moved by simple gestures of kindness. ‘Don’t let it get to you, Tong Qiu!’ he reminded himself.
Huo Zhixing bought a few ingredients and some snacks and when he returned, he found that the apartment was unusually quiet. He guessed that Tong Qiu was asleep so he quietly tiptoed to the bedroom to check.
Tong Qiu was sprawled carelessly atop his bed, his slipper was still half-dangling from one foot. Huo Zhixing stepped closer and gingerly removed the slipper and set it down on the floor. Once that was done, he carefully pulled the blankets over Tong Qiu.
Tong Qiu was a light sleeper and stirred. “Oh, you’re back?”
In his half-conscious state, Tong Qiu almost thought he had travelled back in time. It was as if he had returned to those evenings when Huo Zhixing would come back home in the middle of the night after a late shift.
“Keep sleeping, I’ll come get you when dinner is ready,” Huo Zhixing whispered softly against his ear. He gave Tong Qiu a few gentle pats, then tucked the covers around him.
Tong Qiu’s head was just starting to feel better after taking the medicine. The apartment was cold, but after being covered by the blankets, his feet didn’t feel quite so frozen. It was warm and cozy under the covers and Tong Qiu didn’t feel like getting out of bed.
He let out a muddled hum of agreement – Huo Zhixing smiled faintly then rose to turn off the lights, closing the door on his way out.
After Tong Qiu moved to his new apartment, he only used the kitchen a handful of times, usually to cook noodles. However, he had bowls and cutlery, as well as the usual staples like salt, oil, soy sauce and vinegar. Huo Zhixing organized the food he had bought, placed a few items in the fridge, and took the rest into the kitchen. After closing the kitchen door, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
The truth was, Huo Zhixing hadn’t cooked a proper meal since their divorce. When he was alone, he’d whip up something simple and eat whatever just to get by.
Tong Qiu hadn’t turned on the gas so Huo Zixing made do with the electric stove. Huo Zhixing made a few simple dishes and then placed them on the table. After washing his hands, he went to Tong Qiu’s room to wake him.
Tong Qiu hadn’t slept well over the past few days because of his headache and would often wake up a few times throughout the night. Perhaps it was because the medication was finally working, but there was a slight flush on Tong Qiu’s sleeping face. Huo Zhixing felt a sudden urge to take a bite out of his rosy cheeks.
“Xiao-Qiu, wake up. It’s time to eat.”
Tong Qiu rolled over and grabbed hold of Huo Zhixing’s hand.
Huo Zhixing almost couldn’t bring himself to wake him. However, he knew Tong Qiu hadn’t eaten in a while and had thrown up a few times already. He was worried that Tong Qiu would get even more sick on an empty stomach.
“Do you want to get up?” To tell the truth, Huo Zhixing wasn’t very good at taking care of people when they were sick. He figured if Tong Qiu didn’t want to wake up, he may as well leave him be and let him sleep. Worst comes to worst, he could just wait around until Tong Qiu woke up and then reheat the food if needed.
Tong Qiu was actually awake but he didn’t want to move and it took a while for him to come to his senses. He suddenly realized that he was acting like a spoiled child in front of his ex-husband, and his embarrassment flowed from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
“Ah, I’m awake.” Tong Qiu quickly released Huo Zhixing’s hand and ducked underneath his covers in embarrassment.
Huo Zhixing smiled. “Do you want to eat now?”
“Alright.” Tong Qiu really was hungry and even from the bedroom he could smell the fragrant aroma of food. As if on queue, his stomach let out a few grumbles in anticipation.
He climbed out of bed and was surprised to find that his head felt a lot better. The nausea was gone too and he trailed after Huo Zhixing into the living room to eat.
Isn’t this blurring the lines a little too much? thought Tong Qiu. They were divorced already but why did it feel like they were still a couple?
Thoughts still muddled, Tong Qiu snuck a few glances at Huo Zhixing as he ate. He couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the type of person that Huo Zhixing would eventually choose to take his place.
Huo Zhixing left after they finished their meal. If this was an idol drama, he probably would have stayed the night and had a few ‘impassioned exchanges’ with Tong Qiu.
However, they were grown men in their thirties already and weren’t fit to act in an idol drama – a family drama was probably more suitable. The story line of a family drama would be warmer and the romance would be more slow burn, which meant that certain R-rated scenes wouldn’t be written into the script at all.
The truth was, Huo Zhixing already felt extremely impatient, but he was too afraid of scaring Tong Qiu away.
As he was about to leave, Tong Qiu said to him, “I’ve really troubled you today. I promise I’ll treat you to dinner another time.”
“Sounds good.” Huo Zhixing stood in the doorway to prevent Tong Qiu from following, for fear that the cold air outside the apartment would make him more sick. “Sleep early tonight, alright? And if anything happens, call me.”
Tong Qiu nodded. He watched the elevator doors slide shut and felt a slight pang of disappointment.
Turns out habits really were difficult to break. He had gotten into the habit of living together with Huo Zhixing and even if it wasn’t a particularly exciting habit, at least his days hadn’t felt so quiet and lonely. Now that today’s excitement had passed, the quiet had returned and he couldn’t hold back the sigh that escaped from his lips.
Tong Qiu went back inside and when he opened his fridge, he discovered that Huo Zhixing had stuffed it to the brim with food. He took out a yoghurt drink, squatted down, and took a noisy sip.
—
The countdown to the university entrance exams had officially begun. For the third year students as well as the third year teachers, their nerves were stretched taut and their days off were few and far between.
“Tong-ge,” Feng Kaiwen complained to Tong Qiu. “We’re only getting one afternoon off a week on Sundays. Is that really fair?”
“It’s not,” Tong Qiu replied, flipping through his book. “Take your complaints to the school principal then.”
Feng Kaiwen let out a long wail. Tong Qiu nudged him a little and said, “Be quiet, don’t make a fuss in the bookstore.”
“Yes, sir!” Feng Kaiwen was browsing the bookstore with Tong Qiu, backpack slung over his shoulder. He babbled on and said, “I saw ex-shimu yesterday.
Tong Qiu tilted his head and glanced over at him. “Were you out fooling around yesterday?”
“You’re totally missing the point, old man! If you keep that up, you’re gonna fail your exams,” Feng Kaiwen said. “I was just buying a pencil case for Yue-Yue and stopped by to get her a snack too to cheer her up. When I passed by the back alley, I saw shimu catching a thief. He looked real handsome.”
Of course Tong Qiu knew Huo Zhixing was handsome, especially when he was out chasing after criminals and serving justice in his policeman uniform. That type of heroic, honourable handsomeness would forever be mesmerizing to Tong Qiu.
“So what?”
“So…” Feng Kaiwen said, “So…nothing! I just wanted to give you an update.”
Tong Qiu smiled, then took a book off the shelf in front of him and handed it to Feng Kaiwen. “If you have nothing better to do then go read this.”
“What?” Feng Kaiwen dropped his gaze to book. The words ‘Shut Up, Stupid Humans’ were printed across the cover.
Although Tong Qiu acted as if he didn’t care, he was actually very curious about what Huo Zhixing had been up to. Almost a week had passed since their last encounter at his apartment, and aside from a few WeChat messages between them, they hadn’t had a chance to met up in person.
Tong Qiu was planning to treat Huo Zhixing to dinner as thanks but Huo Zhixing had declined because he was swamped with work. Apparently, things were quite hectic at the station so they couldn’t schedule a time that worked for the both of them.
Despite not being able to meet up, Huo Zhixing still asked after him everyday like clockwork. Every afternoon, he would send Tong Qiu a message to check if he was still having migraines. It was one message a day, no more, no less.
Fang Baicheng, on the other hand, sent message after message after message until one day, Tong Qiu became so fed up that he told Fang Baicheng, “you’re being really disruptive”.
Fang Baicheng had backed off for a few days after his outburst. The past two or three days had been relatively quiet and Tong Qiu was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Hey hey hey!” Feng Kaiwen suddenly ran towards Tong Qiu and grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt. He pulled Tong Qiu behind another bookcase and said, “Look who’s here!”
Tong Qiu looked over in the direction Fang Kaiwen was pointing at and saw Huo Zhixing with a beautiful woman beside him. They stood in front of a bookshelf and were whispering in each other’s ears.
Fang Kaiwen glanced up at the sign above Huo Zhixing’s row of books and read it aloud. “‘Family and Parenting.’ Tong-ge, that can’t be right.”
“Hm? What can’t be right?”
Feng Kaiwen gnawed on the cuff of his sleeve and gazed at Tong Qiu with sympathy. “I finally understand the real reason you divorced shimu. That heartless bastard! Just because you can take it lying down doesn’t mean I can too. Today, your devoted disciple is gonna teach that piece of trash a lesson!”
Feng Kaiwen was about to leap forward but Tong Qiu was faster. He moved to stand in front of Huo Zhixing and the woman before Fang Kaiwen could make a scene.
“Hey, what a coincidence.”
Huo Zhixing and the woman turned. When the woman caught sight of Tong Qiu, she beamed and said, “Saozi! I’ve missed you sooo much!”
—
The author has something to say:
Feng Kaiwen: Sorry, my bad.
[T/N: Hopefully the underwear emoji I chose for the Discord server makes a little more sense now haha]
Feng Kaiwen is such an adorable baby!!
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
He’s a great kid ahaha! Thanks so much for reading! 😀
Lol did Teacher Tong wear a thong when he go to the club or when he works???
Thanks for the chapter ❤
Guess we’ll find out 😉
Thank you for reading! :))
Thank you so much for the chapter!(๑´>᎑<)~♥️
Thanks so much for reading! <3
I totally get how they lived together for a year and never acted like themselves. I had a friend stay with me in my house for a while, and it was always like we were a host and a guest, even though she was technically my roommate. It was very hard to break the wall for both of us and almost ended our friendship entirely; I imagine a marriage with similar issues would make it even more difficult. I love how realistic their conflict feels in this story! Thank you for the chapter!
Yeah, I totally get you! I’ve felt the same way about a previous roommate as well and it’s definitely easier to hold back and just act polite/courteous, even if it ends up creating more distance…thank you for reading and commenting! :))
a…………sister-in-law.. so… they gonna try and hide the divorce from family still or there will be a new meddler~??? 🙂
That year of marriage Tong Qiu even got to hide his thongs?! I’m astonished. 😅
Thanks for the chapter!
I feel second hand embarrassment for TQ…poor guy all his facades were broken with just one visit…though in reality he was already seen through because of the phone call.
I haven’t laughed this hard reading bl lmaooo if the dvd was funny then the underwear incident is 10x funnier
Damn I guess I’m going to die from second hand embarrassing while the reading is novel 😭😭☠️☠️
Feng Kaiwen! your so adorable!😚
Thank You for the chapter (๑˙❥˙๑)