MWED Ch6: Things of the Past

“—Hello, sir.”

Right at that moment, the waiter’s voice sounded behind Yan Xun.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Yan Xun froze. When he straightened up and turned around, he found the waiter staring at him with a look of high alert. Beyond that, he also noticed the gazes of the other customers in the cafe.

In a flash of realization, something clicked in his mind.

Yan Xun suddenly came to his senses—

Anyone who saw a man in a hospital gown burst in and aggressively pin another person into a corner would probably not associate it with anything good.

The most likely assumption was that a patient had escaped from a psychiatric ward.

“I apologize.”

Realizing this, Yan Xun immediately stepped back. With his left leg still in a cast, the movement was incredibly inconvenient and rather unsightly.

Tap—

Chu Tingyun suddenly set the stack of documents onto the table and stood up, simultaneously catching hold of Yan Xun’s wrist.

Yan Xun had run all the way here in the rain, and his exposed skin was almost freezing. In stark contrast, the hand supporting him felt exceptionally warm, almost scalding.

But this physical contact lasted only a fleeting few seconds. By the time Yan Xun recovered his wits, the man had already smoothly pressed him down into the chair beside him.

Chu Tingyun withdrew his hand and spoke to the waiter in a gentle tone:

“Please bring a glass of hot milk and a serving of millet sponge cake.”

The waiter was momentarily stunned before immediately realizing he had misunderstood the situation.

“Oh, right away, please wait a moment.”

Yan Xun unconsciously rubbed his wrist a few times. When he looked up, he happened to meet Chu Tingyun’s appraising gaze.

The other man had sat back down. His posture was relaxed, yet his lower back was pressed flush against the chair, exuding an aura of leisurely languor mixed with impeccable elegance.

This was the first time the amnesiac Yan Xun was seeing Chu Tingyun in person. Time seemed to have favored this man exceptionally well; he looked even more breathtaking than in that marriage certificate photo from years ago.

Only, his eye color wasn’t as light as it was in the photo, but much deeper. Coupled with the shielding of his lenses, at a normal social distance, they presented a profound, elegant shade of ink-blue.

At this moment, those excessively beautiful peach-blossom eyes carried a hint of a smile. The soft cafe lighting rippled within them, reflecting his own face.

Yan Xun didn’t understand why Chu Tingyun showed absolutely no interest in the thick stack of medical reports on the table, and instead kept staring directly at him.

Carelessly, taking him in from head to toe.

Such an almost explicit gaze made Yan Xun a little nervous, his Adam’s apple bobbing slowly and unnaturally.

It was hard for him to discern what hidden meaning lay within Chu Tingyun’s eyes at this moment; he just felt uncomfortable. So, after holding eye contact for three seconds, Yan Xun proactively looked away.

…Some people with beautiful eyes are just like that, looking deeply affectionate even when staring at a telephone pole.

Yan Xun was never the type to flatter himself, so he didn’t assume this gaze represented longing or affection.

He attributed it all to the fact that the other party was impeccably and exquisitely dressed, while he himself looked like a wretched mess and had almost been mistaken for a mental patient.

Truthfully, Yan Xun didn’t need a mirror to know how awful he looked right now.

Whether in front of someone they like or an ex, no one wants to appear battered and embarrassed.

Only, Yan Xun didn’t know if Chu Tingyun should be considered the former or the latter right now.

Most likely… he should be the latter.

After all, they were about to get divorced.

Divorce.

The word circled in Yan Xun’s mind once more. He unnaturally adjusted his clothes and explained:

“I’m sorry. I should have changed my clothes before coming to see you.”

But by the time the test results came out, it was already 5 PM. Yan Xun simply had no time to buy new clothes and had to come wearing the hospital gown.

“It’s fine.”

This was the first sentence Chu Tingyun spoke directly to Yan Xun. His tone was incredibly gentle, like a completely different person from the one who was just on the phone with his secretary.

He seemed entirely unbothered, and as he spoke, he handed over the trench coat draped next to him.

“Don’t catch a cold.”

Chu Tingyun’s voice was very pleasant to the ear, carrying the magnetic resonance unique to mature men.

Yan Xun subconsciously declined: “Thank you, but it’s not necessary. It’s just a light drizzle.”

Chu Tingyun didn’t respond, merely tilting his head slightly. This subtle body language drew Yan Xun’s attention to the surrounding gazes.

—Many people were looking at him.

Clearly, a rain-soaked hospital gown was rather eye-catching.

“…Thank you.”

Yan Xun eventually reached out to take it, not because he had been rained on, but because his appearance was causing Chu Tingyun the trouble of being stared at by onlookers.

During the brief exchange, his gaze paused for a split second on the ring finger of the man’s left hand.

—There was a ring there.

It didn’t look particularly exquisite or expensive, just a plain platinum band. It seemed completely out of place with President Chu’s noble and reserved aura, let alone looking like a precious wedding ring.

Yet it blatantly encircled Chu Tingyun’s ring finger, occupying the spot that symbolized marriage.

Yan Xun suddenly thought of the ring finger on his own right hand.

There was a faint ring mark there, too.

No one knew that Yan Xun’s heart skipped a beat in that instant. But it didn’t show on his face, nor did he look any longer. He just swiftly put on the man’s trench coat.

Although Zhou Ze said Chu Tingyun was eight or nine years older than him, this mature, older marriage partner wasn’t as tall as Yan Xun. But the trench coat had a loose cut, so it fit him perfectly.

Yan Xun rarely wore other people’s clothes. In his memory, he had only worn his adoptive father’s old jacket when he was very young, and he still remembered it smelling of a mix of laundry detergent and sawdust.

That smell gave the young Yan Xun a strong sense of security.

As for Chu Tingyun’s coat… one touch was enough to know it was highly valuable. And once he put it on, Yan Xun quickly caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent, similar to lychee.

But it was very subtle, not quite like perfume.

This feeling of wearing someone else’s clothes left Yan Xun at a slight loss. He fell silent, his muscles subconsciously tensing up.

Fortunately, the waiter arrived to serve the food at this moment, providing a distraction.

“Hello sir, here is the milk and millet sponge cake you ordered.”

“Give it to him.”

Chu Tingyun tapped his index finger lightly on the table, gesturing for the waiter to place it in front of Yan Xun.

“?”

Yan Xun was slightly surprised.

He had thought that with Chu Tingyun so resolute about getting a divorce, and after being stood up for over four hours, the man should at least be quite displeased, if not downright furious.

But right now, Chu Tingyun’s attitude and actions were completely contrary to Yan Xun’s expectations.

It seemed his future marriage partner had a very good temper.

No, it should be considered exceptionally good.

Or perhaps, the man simply had excellent breeding, so good that he could maintain such polite consideration even when facing his soon-to-be ex-husband.

“Thank you.”

He lowered his head and took a sip of the milk. The warm, mellow liquid slid down his throat, warming his stomach along with it.

Because he had to get his blood drawn, he hadn’t eaten breakfast, and while waiting for the results, he hadn’t been in the mood for lunch either.

So up until now, this piece of millet sponge cake and this glass of milk were the very first things Yan Xun had eaten all day.

Perhaps he was truly starving, but he actually found both of them incredibly delicious.

“It’s very good.”

“Is it?”

Chu Tingyun leaned against the back of his chair, his head slightly tilted, gazing at the young man in front of him for a long time.

This posture and expression gave him an indescribably tender and deeply affectionate look.

President Chu smiled: “I thought you wouldn’t like it.”

“No.”

Yan Xun shook his head, his tone unconsciously relaxing a bit.

“I like it a lot.”

“Hm?”

Yan Xun thought he hadn’t heard clearly, so he looked at Chu Tingyun and repeated:

“I like it very much.”

He must have heard it clearly this time, for Chu Tingyun smiled again.

This smile was a bit deeper than the last one, his lips curving up without showing his teeth, revealing obvious amusement. It was excessively beautiful.

Good-looking people look even better when they smile.

—Especially when that person knows exactly how to smile.

Yan Xun was stunned for a few seconds, then abruptly lowered his head and took another bite, as if he truly adored this delicious dessert.

The brief exchange confirmed that the man in front of him wasn’t angry about his tardiness, nor was he dissatisfied with his earlier recklessness and breach of etiquette.

From the looks of it, his marriage partner must be a very gentle person.

And now, Chu Tingyun was in no rush to bring up the divorce, merely watching Yan Xun eat, as if the person who had waited four hours just to get a divorce wasn’t him at all.

Delicious as it was, Yan Xun only took a few bites, because Chu Tingyun hadn’t waited four hours just to treat him to a meal.

“Here’s the situation, Mr. Chu.”

Yan Xun sat up slightly straighter.

“Although this is a bit hard to believe, after I woke up, I lost part of my memories, so…”

“—So you don’t remember me.”

Chu Tingyun nodded, picking up the thread very naturally. Seeming completely unsurprised, he continued,

“No need to over-explain. I’ve already learned the full situation from your attending physician.”

Yan Xun paused slightly.

“Oh, I see…”

He had thought the amnesia would be hard to explain, even coming up with many speeches to convince Chu Tingyun. It turned out the other party already knew, but just didn’t seem to mind, nor did he seem to care.

“Yan Xun, your amnesia won’t affect our divorce.”

Chu Tingyun’s words made the young man’s movements halt. He looked up, watching the man unlock his phone, pull up a photo, and slide it over.

—It was a divorce agreement.

“Even though you don’t remember, you’ve already signed the divorce agreement.”

Yan Xun zoomed in on the signature at the bottom, staring at the handwriting for a long time.

He had indeed signed it himself.

In that moment, he understood Chu Tingyun’s underlying implication. The other party had arranged to meet him today solely to complete the final step of the divorce—to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and get the certificate.

So it seemed there was absolutely no room for negotiation in this matter.

After looking at it for a moment, Yan Xun pushed the phone back:

“Rest assured, since it was already agreed upon, I won’t go back on my word. But…”

He wanted to ask but could we wait a little longer, or if there was any room for discussion regarding the divorce, or if there had been some kind of misunderstanding between them in the past.

But Chu Tingyun didn’t let Yan Xun finish.

“—You won’t go back on your word?”

President Chu let out a soft chuckle. He raised his hand and glanced at his watch. Although he didn’t say anything else, the implication of the gesture was clear enough.

Yan Xun was four hours late, and the Civil Affairs Bureau was long closed for the day. Today was Friday, and the bureau was closed for the weekend on the next two days.

Naturally, they couldn’t get divorced today.

So it looked an awful lot like Yan Xun had deliberately shown up late because he didn’t want to get divorced.

Yan Xun keenly caught the mockery and suppressed anger in the other party’s few short words. He suddenly realized—this person was actually angry inside.

This discovery made Yan Xun feel that Chu Tingyun had a bit of human warmth to him. It felt much more real than the gentle, modest, and elegant demeanor from just now.

But since the other party was so angry, it most likely meant he was desperate to get the divorce finalized immediately.

So the question Yan Xun hadn’t been able to ask just now received its answer right then—

Chu Tingyun didn’t want to wait anymore. There was no leeway. Even if there were misunderstandings between them, this man didn’t want to discuss it any further.

The young man fell silent for a moment before speaking again:

“Then next week…”

“—Next week I am going on a business trip.”

Chu Tingyun interrupted him expressionlessly.

At some unknown point, the smile on the man’s face from earlier had completely vanished into thin air.

Yan Xun opened his mouth, but found he had no better remedy. He could only lower his head:

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

After this sentence, neither of them spoke again.

Whoosh—

The rain outside grew heavier, and the sky turned completely dark. Through the dim curtain of rain, only the sweeping headlights of passing cars could be seen.

The atmosphere stagnated for a moment, but ultimately, it was Yan Xun who broke the deadlock. He didn’t want to argue with Chu Tingyun, so he didn’t bring up the divorce again and instead changed the subject.

“Mr. Chu, could you tell me about… our past?”

“Our past?”

President Chu stared straight at him for a few seconds before suddenly speaking:

“You didn’t call me that in the past.”

“…Ah?”

This answer caused Yan Xun’s expression to freeze for a split second.

He hadn’t considered at all that for a simple “can or cannot” question, Chu Tingyun would provide a third type of answer.

The man replied to him, saying—

“Yan Xun, you never used to call me ‘Mr. Chu’.”

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