Yang Restaurant is just a small eatery, a husband-and-wife shop. Because the couple is friendly and the prices are reasonable, with good skills too, business in this area is quite good.
So, even though it’s past meal time now, the restaurant is almost full.
The restaurant isn’t big, and as soon as Chen Feng enters, he quickly spots Kong Tianlu, and is momentarily taken aback, because there are several scratch marks on Kong Tianlu’s face, and his face is swollen, indeed drawing attention.
After regaining his composure, Chen Feng walks over and sits across from him.
"You’re here. Sorry, I started drinking first."
Kong Tianlu is still as polite as he used to be.
Chen Feng smiled and said, "It’s okay, actually I just finished lunch. Whether I drink or not doesn’t matter. Mainly, I feel like I’ve declined your invitation many times before, so this time since I’m free, I didn’t think it’s fair to refuse again."
Kong Tianlu shook his head with a smile and said, "You’re as straightforward as ever. Honestly, I invited you several times before and seldom did you come out, it was really aggravating. If I didn’t have a good impression of you, I would’ve long stopped bothering."
Chen Feng chuckled and directly asked, "So, tell me, you’re inviting me for drinks now, and looking all beaten up—did something happen? Did you have a fight with Tang Yue?"
Kong Tianlu gave a wry smile, "You’re sharp, you guessed it right. However, there’s a slight correction. It wasn’t a fight between us, but she personally beat me up."
Chen Feng wasn’t too surprised to hear him say this, as he somewhat knew about Tang Yue’s temper from Shen Lin, who used to complain a lot about Tang Yue’s bad temper after returning from work.
"Though Tang Yue is bad-tempered, she shouldn’t have beaten you this badly without reason, right? Did you do something to betray her?" Chen Feng asked without holding back.
It’s not hard to guess, considering both his and Tang Yue’s character, his current expression, and his drunken attempt to drown sorrow, it’s easy to deduce.
Kong Tianlu could only smile wryly again, downed a glass of wine, wiped his mouth, and then said, "You guessed it again. Yes, I did something to betray her. I cheated."
He seemed calm as he said this, but Chen Feng didn’t know how he truly felt inside.
Though Chen Feng somewhat expected it, hearing him say it out loud was still surprising. After all, they had started dating in high school and continued through university, working in the same unit, eventually marrying, their years of relationship couldn’t have been fake.
In the past, they were seen as a very sweet and happy couple by others, envied by many.
Shen Lin had often expressed her envy, frequently comparing Kong Tianlu to him, saying how good Kong Tianlu was to Tang Yue, how much he cherished his wife.
And now, Kong Tianlu had cheated!
Indeed, issues within a marriage are hard to speak of; even between the couple, they may not be entirely clear, let alone others.
"You’re something else!"
After pondering for a moment, Chen Feng could only give him a thumbs-up.
Kong Tianlu hiccupped from the alcohol with a bitter smile, shook his head, and said nothing for a while, just lowered his head to eat.
After eating for a while, he opened a bottle of beer and handed it to Chen Feng, saying, "Since you’re here, have a few drinks with me."
Seeing this, Chen Feng did not refuse, took the bottle, grabbed a glass, and poured himself a drink.
"Cheers! For it’s been so long, and yet here we are, rare chance to drink together."
Kong Tianlu’s statement made sense; it was indeed rare for them to sit together and drink now.
In Xiu Zhou, Chen Feng only had Qin Zhen as a male friend; Kong Tianlu was half one before he and Shen Lin divorced, but after the divorce, they barely counted as friends.
It’s precious that they now sit together, regardless of whether they could remain friends in the future, this life encounter was quite moving.
They both downed a glass at once, and after drinking, they exchanged smiles. Sometimes, between men, things get settled over a drink.
Then, the two picked up their chopsticks and started eating together.
There were quite a few dishes on the table, six plates, a mix of meat and vegetables.
After a while of eating, Kong Tianlu put down his chopsticks and asked, "Chen Feng, can you tell me why you got divorced back then? I’ve always been quite curious."
Chen Feng looked up at him and retorted, "Then why don’t you tell me your story first? Why did you cheat?"
Kong Tianlu wasn’t angry upon hearing this, nor awkward. He sought out Chen Feng this time, actually to vent while drinking, and didn’t mind him spreading the story around afterwards.
"Alright. Then let me tell you about my own story first. Actually, if I say I didn’t cheat intentionally, you might think I’m hypocritical. But that’s really the truth. The first time I had an affair with her, it was under very accidental circumstances, and she has been very understanding and accommodating towards me since, loving me silently and waiting for me for years.
You know, with such a considerate and compliant woman, who seeks nothing in return, can we men truly remain cold towards her without softening? Surely not. So, then there was a second time, and many more times. I actually tried very hard to control myself.
But everything pales in comparison to comparison itself. You should know Tang Yue’s temper; her temper wasn’t good to begin with, and moreover, these two years we’ve been trying for a child but haven’t succeeded. Her temper worsened, and she’d get mad at me over little things. At home, she’s like a pampered lady, barely doing any housework herself. We’ve been together so long, and she’s always been .
Before, I thought she’d get better after getting married, but she only got worse, often taking her frustrations out on me, scolding me like a child in public and private settings, you know? Doesn’t a man need his pride? The more tolerant I was, the more excessive her behavior became. I tried to endure, planning to endure as much as I could.
But man proposes, and God disposes. She found out herself and beat me up in front of many colleagues at work.
To be honest, after being beaten up by her, I actually felt relaxed, like a sense of release." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
Saying this, Kong Tianlu poured himself another glass of wine and downed it in one gulp.
"Alright, your turn. Tell me why you got divorced back then? Is it like what Tang Yue said last time, that you cheated too?"
"Of course not." Concerning his own innocence, Chen Feng immediately denied it.
"Then why did you get divorced? Did you really initiate it?" Kong Tianlu was genuinely curious.
Moreover, now that he’s facing similar issues himself, he hoped to learn from Chen Feng’s experience.