“——Hello, sir.”
Just then, the waiter’s voice sounded behind Yan Xun,
“Is there anything you need help with?”
Yan Xun froze, straightened up, and turned around, only to find that the waiter was looking at him with a wary expression. Additionally, he noticed the other customers in the café staring at him.
In a split second, something seemed to flash in his mind.
Yan Xun suddenly snapped back to reality——
Probably anyone who saw a man in a hospital gown suddenly burst in and corner another person against the wall wouldn’t think anything good was happening.
The most likely assumption was that a patient had escaped from a mental hospital.
“Sorry.”
Realizing this, Yan Xun immediately stepped back. His left calf was still in a cast, making his movements awkward and ungraceful.
Thud——
Chu Tingyun suddenly placed the documents he was holding on the table and stood up to support his wrist.
Yan Xun had run here in the rain, and the exposed skin was almost cold to the touch, making the hand holding him feel particularly warm, almost hot by comparison.
But the contact lasted only a few seconds. By the time Yan Xun came to his senses, he had already been guided into the nearby chair by the man.
Chu Tingyun withdrew his hand and gently told the waiter,
“Please bring a cup of hot milk and a serving of millet cake.”
The waiter was stunned for a moment but quickly realized he had misunderstood.
“Oh, alright, please wait a moment.”
Yan Xun unconsciously rubbed his wrist a few times and, when he looked up, happened to meet Chu Tingyun’s gaze.
The man had already sat back down. His posture was relaxed, but his back was straight against the chair, giving off a sense of leisure and grace.
This was the first time Yan Xun had seen Chu Tingyun in person since losing his memory. Time seemed to have treated this man well; he looked even better than in the marriage certificate photo from a few years ago.
However, the man’s eyes were not as light as they appeared in the photo; they were darker. Combined with the lenses, they appeared to be a deep and elegant dark blue at a normal social distance.
At this moment, those excessively beautiful almond-shaped eyes held a slight smile, soft light reflecting in them, and his own face was mirrored in those eyes.
Yan Xun didn’t know why Chu Tingyun seemed completely uninterested in the stack of examination reports on the table and instead kept staring at him.
Casually, from head to toe.
Such an almost blatant gaze made Yan Xun a bit nervous, his Adam’s apple moving slowly and unnaturally.
He found it difficult to discern the deeper meaning in Chu Tingyun’s gaze at this moment; it only made him feel uneasy. So after holding the other’s gaze for three seconds, Yan Xun voluntarily looked away.
…Some people with beautiful eyes are just like that; they look at a lamppost and seem full of emotion.
Yan Xun was never one to indulge in wishful thinking, so he didn’t believe such a gaze signified longing or affection.
He attributed it all to the fact that the other was impeccably dressed, while he himself was disheveled, nearly mistaken for a mental patient.
To be honest, without even looking in a mirror, Yan Xun knew how bad he must look right now.
Whether in front of someone you like or an ex, no one wants to appear disheveled and embarrassed.
The only thing Yan Xun didn’t know was whether Chu Tingyun should be considered the former or the latter.
Most likely… the latter.
After all, they were about to get divorced.
Divorce.
That word circled in Yan Xun’s mind again. He awkwardly adjusted his clothes and explained,
“Sorry, I should have changed before coming to meet you.”
But by the time the report came out, it was already five o’clock in the afternoon. Yan Xun didn’t have time to buy new clothes and could only come in the hospital gown.
“It’s okay.”
This was the first thing Chu Tingyun said to Yan Xun, and his tone was so gentle, completely different from how he sounded when talking to his secretary earlier.
He seemed utterly unconcerned and even handed over the trench coat draped over the side,
“Don’t catch a cold.”
Chu Tingyun’s voice was pleasant to hear, with the magnetic quality typical of a mature man.
Yan Xun instinctively declined, “Thank you, but there’s no need. It’s just a little rain.”
Chu Tingyun didn’t respond, merely tilting his head slightly. This subtle body language made Yan Xun notice the surrounding stares.
——A lot of people were looking at him.
Clearly, the rain-soaked hospital gown was quite eye-catching.
“…Thank you.”
In the end, Yan Xun reached out to accept it, not because of the rain but because his appearance was causing Chu Tingyun to be the center of unwanted attention.
During the brief exchange, his gaze paused for a moment on the man’s left ring finger.
——There was a ring there.
It didn’t seem particularly exquisite or expensive, just an ordinary platinum band. It seemed out of place with Mr. Chu’s refined demeanor and didn’t look like a precious wedding ring.
Yet, it openly encircled Chu Tingyun’s ring finger, occupying that spot signifying marriage.
Yan Xun suddenly thought of his own right ring finger.
There was a faint mark there, too.
No one knew that in that moment, Yan Xun’s heart skipped a beat. But his face remained calm, and he didn’t linger on the sight, quickly putting on the man’s trench coat.
Although Zhou Ze had mentioned that Chu Tingyun was eight or nine years older than him, this mature older spouse wasn’t taller than Yan Xun. But the trench coat’s loose fit made it suit him just right.
Yan Xun hadn’t worn someone else’s clothes much before. The only time he remembered was when he was very young, wearing his adoptive father’s old coat, which had the scent of laundry detergent mixed with wood shavings.
That smell had given young Yan Xun a great sense of security.
As for Chu Tingyun’s clothes… you could tell at a touch that they were expensive. And after wearing it, Yan Xun quickly caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent, somewhat like lychee.
But it was faint and didn’t seem like cologne.
Wearing someone else’s clothes made Yan Xun a bit uneasy. He remained silent, his muscles unconsciously tensing up slightly.
Fortunately, the waiter returned with their order, providing a timely interruption.
“Sir, here’s the milk and millet cake you ordered.”
“It’s for him.”
Chu Tingyun lightly tapped the table with his index finger, indicating for the waiter to place it in front of Yan Xun.
“?”
Yan Xun was a bit surprised.
He had thought that since Chu Tingyun was so resolute about getting a divorce and had been stood up for over four hours, the other person, if not furious, would at least be somewhat unhappy.
But now, Chu Tingyun’s attitude and actions were entirely contrary to Yan Xun’s expectations.
It seemed his future spouse had a very good temper.
No, it should be particularly good.
Or maybe it was just that he was so well-mannered that even in the face of an imminent ex-husband, he could remain so polite and considerate.
“Thank you.”
He took a sip of the milk, the warm and rich liquid sliding down his throat, warming his stomach.
Since he needed to have blood drawn, he hadn’t eaten breakfast, and he hadn’t felt like eating lunch while waiting for the results.
So now, this piece of millet cake and this cup of milk were the first things Yan Xun had eaten all day.
Perhaps he was starving; he found both to taste particularly good.
“It’s quite good.”
“Is it?”
Chu Tingyun leaned back against the chair, tilting his head slightly as he looked at the young man in front of him.
This posture and expression made him look inexplicably gentle and affectionate.
Mr. Chu smiled a bit, “I thought you wouldn’t like it.”
“No.”
Yan Xun shook his head, his tone unconsciously more relaxed,
“I like it quite a bit.”
“Hmm?”
Thinking he hadn’t been heard, Yan Xun looked at Chu Tingyun and repeated,
“I like it very much.”
This time, it seemed to be heard, and Chu Tingyun smiled again.
This smile was deeper than the last, with his lips curved but not showing his teeth, clearly expressing joy, and it was excessively beautiful.
Good-looking people look even better when they smile.
—Especially when they know how to smile.
Yan Xun was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly lowered his head and took another bite, as if he really liked this delicious dessert.
The brief exchange confirmed that the man in front of him was neither angry about his lateness nor dissatisfied with his earlier rudeness and impoliteness.
It seemed that his marriage partner was probably a very gentle person.
At this moment, Chu Tingyun wasn’t in a hurry to bring up the divorce either; he just watched Yan Xun eat, as if he wasn’t the one who had been waiting for over four hours to talk about the divorce.
The food was delicious, but Yan Xun only tasted a few bites, because Chu Tingyun hadn’t waited four hours just to invite him to dinner.
“Well, Mr. Chu.”
Yan Xun sat up a bit straighter.
“Although it’s hard to believe, I lost part of my memory after waking up, so…”
“—So you don’t remember me.”
Chu Tingyun nodded and naturally continued the conversation. He didn’t seem surprised and went on:
“There’s no need to explain too much. I’ve already learned everything from your attending physician.”
Yan Xun was slightly stunned.
“Oh, I see…”
He had thought that explaining the memory loss would be difficult, even preparing many excuses to convince Chu Tingyun. But it turned out that the other party already knew and didn’t seem to care at all.
“Yan Xun, your memory loss won’t affect our divorce.”
This statement from Chu Tingyun made the young man pause. He looked up and saw the man unlock his phone, opening a photo and handing it over.
—It was the divorce agreement.
“Although you don’t remember, you’ve already signed the divorce agreement.”
Yan Xun enlarged the final signature and stared at the handwriting for a long time.
It was indeed his signature.
At that moment, he understood the implication behind Chu Tingyun’s words. The other party had arranged this meeting today simply to complete the final step of the divorce—going to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get the divorce certificate.
So, it seemed there was no room for negotiation.
After a moment, Yan Xun pushed the phone back:
“Don’t worry, since it’s already been agreed upon, I won’t go back on my word, but…”
He wanted to say, but could we wait a little longer? Is there any room for discussion about the divorce? Or was there some misunderstanding between us before?
But Chu Tingyun didn’t let Yan Xun finish his sentence.
“—You won’t go back on your word?”
Mr. Chu let out a light laugh and glanced at his watch. Although he didn’t say much, the meaning behind the action was already clear.
Yan Xun had been four hours late, and the Civil Affairs Bureau had long since closed. Today was Friday, and the Civil Affairs Bureau was closed over the weekend.
Naturally, they couldn’t get divorced.
So, it seemed as if Yan Xun had deliberately been late because he didn’t want the divorce.
Yan Xun keenly sensed the sarcasm and anger in the man’s few words. He suddenly realized that this man was, in fact, angry.
This realization made Yan Xun feel that Chu Tingyun had become a bit more human. It was more genuine than the gentle, graceful demeanor from earlier.
But since the other party was this angry, he was probably eager to get divorced immediately.
So the question he hadn’t asked earlier was now answered—
Chu Tingyun didn’t want to wait, there was no room for negotiation, and even if there was a misunderstanding between them, this man didn’t want to discuss it anymore.
The young man was silent for a moment before speaking again:
“Then next week…”
“—I’ll be on a business trip next week.”
Chu Tingyun interrupted him without expression.
At some point, the smile on the man’s face had completely disappeared.
Yan Xun opened his mouth but had no better way to make amends, so he could only lower his head:
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
After this, neither of them spoke again.
The rain outside gradually intensified, and the sky grew dark. In the dim rain, only the headlights of passing cars could be seen.
The atmosphere was tense for a moment, but eventually, Yan Xun broke the silence first. He didn’t want to argue with Chu Tingyun, so he changed the subject instead of bringing up the divorce again.
“Mr. Chu, could you tell me about… our past?”
“The past?”
Mr. Chu stared at him for a few seconds and suddenly spoke:
“You didn’t call me that before.”
“…Huh?”
This response caused Yan Xun’s expression to freeze for a moment.
He hadn’t even considered whether he could or couldn’t, but Chu Tingyun offered a third answer.
The man replied,
“Yan Xun, you didn’t call me Mr. Chu before.”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA i am on my knees for this type of power dynamic, and chu tingyun’s short povs is sooooo eugh (fond). Looking forward to how they develop, thank u so much for translating!!