Chapter 123 - Getting Divorced

"Didn't you say you were hungry?" Qing Chen asked. "Should we talk over dinner?"

"Great!" she said. "But we don't have food right now. I remember I made you watermelon cupcakes back at… my cake shop," she muttered the last word and looked away, embarrassed. 

"It's okay. We can have something delivered. What do you want?"

"I think I'm in need of burgers. Double patties—"

"No pickles, extra cheese, fries, and extra large pineapple juice. I got it," he smiled kindly at her and walked over to the telephone. "You should wash up. Let's meet back here in the kitchen."

After placing the call, Qing Chen had taken a bath, scrubbing every inch of his body. His clothes, he put in a plastic bag. Once he was in a fresh shirt, he went back down. Feng Xuan was already there with the food.

"Do you need help with that?" he asked as she was straining to see her stitches on the outer side of her leg.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could help me with that." She transferred from the seat to the top of the table, putting a foot on the surface. Qing Chen sat in front of her and took a cotton ball to clean it with. "Do you mind if I eat first?"

"Go ahead."

"So," she said ever so casually that Qing Chen felt his stomach tighten. There was a smile in her voice when she spoke. "You're my husband."

He couldn't help the chuckle that went out of his lips. "Yes, I am."

"I knew I was bound to be married to a mafia lord's son but I didn't really expect it to happen. What's the real reason why we got married?"

Qing Chen recounted the night he had learned that he was set to marry Feng Xuan, his father called a family meeting and told them about an ongoing rumor that someone was going to try to infiltrate the Chengshi mafia. Their families needed to put up a strong front for the enemies.

"Ah," Feng Xuan sighed as Qing Chen started to wrap her leg with a thin layer of gauze. "Wuming… Wei… he's an assassin?"

Qing Chen nodded.

"Would be a shame if we were the ones who got married," Feng Xuan laughed. "I'm so glad you're the one I ended up with."

Qing Chen felt warm in his chest. "Should I help you with your hand?"

Feng Xuan gave it to him and bit on her burger. There was an ugly cut right in the middle. She said the glass she used against the senator had cut her first. "You knew all along who I really am. Yet you still married me."

"Yes," he answered.

"You had no objections?"

"None at all."

Feng Xuan leaned back and studied his face. "Father said you had wanted to tell me the truth this entire time, but he kept on holding you back. Why did you want me to know?"

"I thought you deserve the truth. You needed to make a decision for yourself."

"If I decide to leave," she wondered. "Would you stop me? Would you follow me?"

Qing Chen clipped the gauze in her hand. Qing Chen was quiet for a long time, but he had known what his answer would be. "I won't," he said. "If you want to go and seek revenge for your mother, I won't stop you. But my family is already involved with The Zookeeper. We're also bent on finding and ending him. We can help you with it."

Feng Xuan looked down at her half-finished burger. "I'll consider it. I'll have to hear everything else on the meeting tomorrow."

"Of course."

Feng Xuan moved back to a seat and Qing Chen started cleaning the wound at the back of her head. It was an inch and a half long. He couldn't imagine his relief when the doctor said Feng Xuan didn't need additional stitches.

"What's your plan?" Feng Xuan slurped at her juice.

"We'll have to make him appear in Chengshi. We have to bring him here, to leave him no choice but to play the game in the place we know most about."

"How?"

"We'll talk about that tomorrow." Qing Chen finished and wrapped another gauze at her head. Finally, he sat down in front of her. The smell of the burger made his stomach grumble. It was just now that he realized he had been starving. "What else do you want to know about?"

Feng Xuan crumpled the wrapper and tossed it inside the paper bag. "I want to know about our relationship."

Qing Chen forced himself to swallow. Of course, along with Feng Xuan's regained memories, the ground that they were standing on seemed to crack. When he said he was afraid to lose her, it wasn't just about her moving away. It was losing his wife. But the real Feng Xuan wasn't really his wife. "Right," was the only word that left his lips.

"As you can see I'm not longer your cooking-and-baking-loving wife. Do you want to file for divorce?"

"What?" Qing Chen almost choked. "Are you thinking of getting divorced? If that's what you want, you can have it. I don't want to tie you down in a life you do not want."

Feng Xuan burst out laughing. "You should've seen your face! I was just joking! I'm not going to divorce you. If my memory is correct, you had been nothing but good to me. But, on the other side of things," she bit her lip, looking unsure. "We used to kiss. Like a lot. Lately. Do you think we could put that on-hold for the mean time?"

Qing Chen's cheeks felt warm. He had never blushed. But when she mentioned the kissing… "Of course, of course," he said quickly. "No rushing." He saw it coming, either he lose his wife completely or they start from square one. "Let us get to know each other better. This time, honestly."