The 99th Divorce

The man looked very young. He had a tall build and was very fit and handsome. He was carrying a basket of fruit in one hand and a bouquet of fresh flowers in the other.

He looked radiant and roughly 25 years old. It was none other than Shen Zhilie.

Ye Qianqian was stunned. She looked at him in disbelief and exclaimed, “Shen Zhilie?”

Anyone would have been surprised to see Shen Zhilie in such a place at such a time.

Shen Zhilie caught sight of Ye Youyou from a distance and immediately waved his hand at her in greeting. “Hi!”

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“I’m here to visit my sister-in-law,” Shen Zhilie said. “It’s this room, isn’t it?”

“Yes…” Ye Qianqian glanced behind him. “Shen Luo’an didn’t come?”

At the mention of Shen Luo’an, Shen Zhilie began to feel uneasy. At the end of the day, Shen Luo’an was still Ye Youyou’s husband. Yet, throughout this whole period, Shen Luo’an had stayed at home to take care of Shen Manting. It was almost as if Shen Manting were his lawfully wedded wife.

With an awkward cough, Shen Zhilie said, “My brother has been pretty busy lately, so he couldn’t come. But, I am here on behalf of my brother.”

Ye Qianqian laughed humorlessly when she heard that. “Here on behalf of your brother? A man doesn’t want to take care of his wife, and he sends his younger brother in his stead? And, you! You really take your duties seriously! Your brother must be so proud!”

Shen Zhilie couldn’t find a retort. Feeling a little wronged, he lamented, “I have no say in that! It’s just too bad that I’m the younger brother. I have to do whatever he tells me to. I just took Grandma back to the Capital, so I rushed over here. Why are you scolding me? Can’t we just get along?”

Ye Qianqian knew that her admonishment was a little overboard. With a purse of her lips, she took the fruit basket from him and asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

“No. I came right from the airport,” he said.

“There were no meals on board?” Ye Qianqian asked.

“Oh please! Are the meals on board even edible?” Shen Zhilie asked. “You’ve eaten?”

“No. Go on in. I’ll buy some food,” she said.

“Sure. I’d like a stir-fried eggplant, Moo Shu pork…”

“You don’t get to choose. If you don’t like what I buy, you can go hungry!” Ye Qianqian didn’t bother with courtesy in front of Shen Zhilie and took the fruit basket in. She quickly turned and left.

Shen Zhilie chuckled and turned to face Ye Youyou, who was lying on the bed. “Sister-in-law.”

When Ye Youyou heard what he called her, her lips lifted in a sardonic smile. She looked that the young man that resembled Shen Luo’an in appearance and greeted back, “Brother-in-law.”

“Are you feeling any better?” he asked. “I’d gone on a vacation with Grandma. I just brought her back.”

“It’s fine. Thank you for coming to visit me.” Ye Youyou was smiling, but it was evidently forced.

Shen Zhilie looked at the lifeless expression on Ye Youyou’s pale face. His heart ached for her. He made his way to her bedside and sat on the chair. With a sigh, Shen Zhilie said, “Sister-in-law, I’m sorry.”

This sudden apology made Ye Youyou turn her head in befuddlement.

“The Shen family owes you too much, Sister-in-law. I’m sorry,” Shen Zhilie said.

The look in Ye Youyou’s eyes darkened, and her smile ebbed off.

“My brother has been very busy lately, so he couldn’t find the time to visit you,” he said. “But, he specially instructed me to check on how you were doing. When he’s done with his business, he’ll come visit you.”

Ye Youyou’s eyes brightened up. She looked up at Shen Zhilie and asked in hopeful disbelief, “Really?”