Contractual Love: Mistaken for True - Chapter 56 - We Are Already Divorced

Xu Xiaoyou stayed at the hospital every day to take care of Xia Chen. Mom Xia visited once, and seeing how attentive Xu Xiaoyou was with Xia Chen, she decided to come less often. As long as Xiaoyou was there, Xia Chen would be fine. When Chen Zihan came to visit, he saw Xu Xiaoyou feeding Xia Chen. He was surprised to see her; when did she come back? Why hadn’t anyone told him?

Chen Zihan cleared his throat and walked in with some fruit. Seeing that Xia Chen looked better, he joked, “Looks like you have a beautiful person by your side. You don’t need me as your buddy anymore.”

Xu Xiaoyou blushed as she went to wash the fruit, leaving the two of them to chat.

“So, are you feeling better?” Chen Zihan asked. He couldn’t figure out why Xia Chen seemed reluctant to be discharged from the hospital when he didn’t appear to have any major issues. Was it just to keep Xu Xiaoyou around? That didn’t seem like a good reason.

“Not yet. Look at my hand; it’s still not healed,” Xia Chen replied, holding up his right hand for Chen Zihan to see.

“Come on, I know all your little tricks,” Chen Zihan said, glancing at Xu Xiaoyou who was washing the fruit. He leaned in and whispered, “I have a way to make sure Xu Xiaoyou won’t leave you.”

Xia Chen leaned closer and asked, “What’s the plan?”

Chen Zihan whispered a few sentences in Xia Chen’s ear. Xia Chen looked at him incredulously. That didn’t seem like a good idea. If Xu Xiaoyou found out, she would be angry.

“Just trust me; it will work,” Chen Zihan said, standing up and patting Xia Chen on the shoulder. He turned to Xu Xiaoyou and said, “I have something to do, so I’ll take off now.”

Xu Xiaoyou came out holding the fruit basket and asked, “You’re leaving so soon? Don’t you want to eat some fruit?”

“No, I have things to do. I won’t disturb you two,” Chen Zihan replied as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

After Chen Zihan left, Xu Xiaoyou placed the fruit on the table and asked, “What did Chen Zihan say to you?”

Xia Chen picked up an apple and took a bite, saying, “He didn’t say anything.”

Xu Xiaoyou didn’t believe him. She clearly saw Chen Zihan lean in and say something to Xia Chen. How could he dare to lie to her? She threw the fruit knife down and said, “If you’re not going to tell me, I’ll go see if Mom is here.” With that, she turned to leave.

Xia Chen quickly grabbed Xu Xiaoyou’s hand, pulling her to sit next to him. “Chen Zihan just said he wanted to take me out to have some fun. I told him I wouldn’t go anywhere with you here. That’s all.”

Xu Xiaoyou looked at Xia Chen with a gaze that seemed to question the credibility of his words.

“Sweetheart…” Xia Chen began to act cute again. “I want to go outside for a bit. Can you push me out to enjoy some sunshine?” He started to change the subject.

Xu Xiaoyou stood up without expression, making Xia Chen think she was really going to leave. He tightly grasped her hand and asked, “What are you going to do?”

“Are you asking me to push you out in a wheelchair to bask in the sun? Do you think you can walk out on your own?” Xu Xiaoyou looked at Xia Chen with disdain. Was this a side effect of the accident? He seemed almost dazed from being hit.

Xu Xiaoyou pushed Xia Chen out of the hospital room. After being cooped up for several days, he felt uncomfortable not getting any sunlight. Now that he could get out for a bit, enjoy the sunshine, and breathe in some fresh air, it felt unbelievably refreshing.

After awakening, Xia Chen stayed in the hospital for another two weeks before finally going home. At first, he was reluctant to be discharged because he feared that Xu Xiaoyou would leave him again as soon as he stepped out. In secret, he even approached the doctor, hoping the doctor would refuse to let him go, but the doctor insisted that Xia Chen had recovered and no longer needed to remain in the hospital. Left with no choice, Xia Chen had to leave and return home.

The car didn’t head back to their old house; instead, it was going to Maple Forest Villa. Xu Xiaoyou looked at Xia Chen in confusion and asked, “Why are we going to Maple Forest Villa? Is it ready already?”

Xia Chen nodded and replied, “Yes, it’s completely ready. We can move in.”

Xu Xiaoyou fell silent, staring out of the window in a daze. They were going to live together again, but they were already divorced. What reason did she have to move in? She couldn’t let a moment of weakness harm Xia Chen.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Chen asked, wrapping an arm around Xu Xiaoyou’s shoulders.

Xu Xiaoyou shook her head, saying nothing.

“Sweetheart…”

“I’m not your sweetheart,” Xu Xiaoyou yelled. “I’m not your wife. We’re already divorced.”

Xia Chen frowned. “I didn’t sign the divorce agreement, so we’re not really divorced. You’re still my wife.”

“No… that’s not true. We’re no longer a couple…” Xu Xiaoyou shook her head. “We were only in a contractual marriage, and when the time came, we would naturally separate. Xia Chen, I can’t delay you or affect the Xia family.”

“Delay me? Affect the Xia family?” Xia Chen found it absurd. “Sweetheart, you leaving me is what delays me and affects the Xia family. Do you know what it’s been like for me these past few months? I haven’t been eating well or sleeping well. I spend all my time thinking about you and can’t focus on work. I even got into a car accident. If you leave me again, who knows when I’ll see you next?”

“Bullshit.” Xu Xiaoyou glared at him. “I won’t allow you to say things like that. Who would curse themselves like this?”

“If you don’t leave me, none of this will happen,” Xia Chen seized the opportunity to say.

Xu Xiaoyou looked at Xia Chen, tears streaming down her face. What should I do, Xia Chen? How can I face the entire Xia family?

“Why are you crying?” Xia Chen said, his heart aching as he wiped her tears away. “You’re too grown up to be crying like this.”

“Ah Xia…”

“Don’t say anything,” Xia Chen interrupted Xu Xiaoyou. “Just let the past go, okay? Let’s start over.”

After Xia Chen had been resting at home for more than a month, Chen Zihan came to visit. He couldn’t keep managing Tianchen alone; it was such a big company, and he was stretched thin. Shu Yuqing was pregnant, and he couldn’t abandon her to focus solely on Tianchen. Now that Xia Chen was recovering, it was time for him to go back to work.

However, when Xia Chen heard that Chen Zihan wanted him to return to the office, he immediately pretended to still be unwell, claiming he needed more time to rest.

Chen Zihan rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Xia Chen, you can’t do this to me. I have a wife to take care of as well.”

“I have a wife too, and I haven’t even reconciled with her yet. I definitely can’t go back to work right now.” Xia Chen refused to agree.

During this time, Xu Xiaoyou stayed at home without going anywhere and ignored Xia Chen. Her days were filled with watching television or browsing the internet, and she never called anyone. Sometimes, Xia Chen wondered what she was up to.

“How can you still not have reconciled with Xu Xiaoyou? That’s hard to believe,” Chen Zihan said. They had been together for so long; surely everything that needed to be said had been said by now. How could they still be at odds?

“Honestly, Xu Xiaoyou has been completely indifferent toward me,” Xia Chen admitted, feeling particularly troubled and unsure of what to do.

“Didn’t I tell you about that method? Didn’t you try it?” Chen Zihan asked.

“I… I was too scared…”

“Scared?” Chen Zihan stared at Xia Chen in disbelief. “Is there really something you’re afraid to do?”

“Well, what difference does it make? If you had been brave enough to do it in the first place, would Shu Yuqing have left you for all those years?” Xia Chen scoffed at Chen Zihan.

That evening, after Xu Xiaoyou finished tidying up the kitchen, she prepared to head upstairs to rest. Although they were living under the same roof, they weren’t sleeping together. Xu Xiaoyou insisted that since they were no longer a couple, there was no reason for them to share a bed.

Seeing Xu Xiaoyou about to go upstairs, Xia Chen hurriedly called out to her. When she turned to ask what was wrong, he cleared his throat and said, “I… we need to talk.”

Xu Xiaoyou nodded. “Yes, we do need to talk.”

She sat down across from Xia Chen, but he remained silent. Noticing his lack of response, she warned him, “If you don’t say anything soon, I’ll just go upstairs.”

“Wait…” Xia Chen grabbed Xu Xiaoyou’s hand. “Don’t leave yet; I haven’t finished what I wanted to say.”

Xu Xiaoyou sighed and said, “If I sit here and you don’t speak, what else can I do but go upstairs?”

“Xu Xiaoyou, tell me, what do I need to do for you to acknowledge me again so we can go back to living like we used to?” Xia Chen looked at Xu Xiaoyou, hoping for an answer.

“It’s impossible for us to go back to how things were. I’m only living here now because you’re still recovering. Once you’re better, I will leave,” Xu Xiaoyou replied, looking down.

“What? You’re actually going to leave me? Then… I’d rather remain unwell for the rest of my life.”

“You can’t say that,” Xu Xiaoyou looked up at him. “Tianchen needs you, and the Xia family needs you too.”

“But without you, what’s the point of continuing to live? You tell me, if the person you love can’t be by your side, living becomes meaningless.”

“Ah Xia…”

“Xu Xiaoyou.” Xia Chen moved closer, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Even without a child, we can still be together. My mom never minded that you couldn’t get pregnant. Do you remember? She prepared medicine for you every day, and deep down, she knew you wouldn’t be able to have children.”

“She had hope too, but after she realized you still couldn’t conceive, she told me to take good care of you and not to treat you poorly.”

“As for the Xia family, you don’t need to worry about them at all. If we can’t have our own child, we can always adopt one. What’s the big deal? My dear, you can’t just abandon me as your husband just because you can’t have kids.”

Xu Xiaoyou sat in silence, her heart in turmoil. Spending time with Xia Chen had made her increasingly reluctant to separate from him. Yet, when she thought about the topic of children, she felt conflicted. How could she put her own desires above Xia Chen’s feelings?

As Xia Chen saw her remain silent, he became anxious and worried that Xu Xiaoyou still intended to leave. What would he do then?

“Ouch…” Xia Chen dramatically placed a hand on his head, groaning.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Xiaoyou rushed to him, noticing his furrowed brow and pained expression. “Is it your head again?” He had been complaining of headaches lately; was he still not well?

“Yeah…” Xia Chen responded softly, “Ouch… it hurts so much…”

“What can we do? I… I’ll take you to the hospital,” Xu Xiaoyou said urgently, moving to drag Xia Chen out.

“No need,” Xia Chen stopped her. “I just need to rest for a bit. Can you help me upstairs?”

“Okay.” Xu Xiaoyou, unaware that it was a trap and thinking Xia Chen was genuinely in pain, helped him upstairs.

As soon as they entered the room, Xia Chen locked the door, then wrapped his arms around Xu Xiaoyou and kissed her deeply. It was only then that she realized she had been tricked. She pushed against him, unwilling to let him succeed, but the strength of a man and a woman was not equal, and Xu Xiaoyou naturally couldn’t match Xia Chen’s force.

As he kissed her passionately, she closed her eyes, silently telling herself to just give in and indulge this once.