The 99th Divorce

He was finally gone. Following Shen Luo’an’s departure, Shen Manting’s heart felt empty. In the darkness, the decadent scent of sex pierced her nostrils. She laid spread out on the soft, big bed as tears trickled out of the corners of her eyes.

It’s about time he went to Ye Youyou. I’ve had enough of living my life this way.

–

Yu Lili’s steps were hurried. She turned her head back. When she saw that Shen Luo’an had returned to the room long ago, she let out a sigh of relief. She picked up her phone and gave Ou Ming a call. The call connected quickly. He sounded very alert. It was obvious that he wasn’t asleep yet. “Hubby, where are you?” she asked.

Ou Ming’s surroundings were quiet. The rice timbre of his voice came through the phone. “I’m at the office. You can sleep with Granny Shen tonight. I’ll sleep here.”

Yu Lili had not recovered from her shock. When she heard Ou Ming’s voice, she felt victimized as she said, “How could you leave without telling me? I knocked on your door just now, and it was Shen Luo’an who came out. I had such a fright!”

“Huh… Didn’t you go out with Granny Shen? I didn’t want to spoil your fun either,” Ou Ming replied. “After all, Shen Manting was once my fiancée. I felt that it would be inappropriate for all of us to be under one roof, so I came to the office to work overtime.”

Ou Ming very rarely gave such a detailed explanation. After he spoke, he felt that he had said too much. “Let’s go up the mountain tomorrow.”

“OK…” Yu Lili pouted her lips. “Come pick me up tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Ou Ming chuckled as he said, “Go to sleep. It’s late. I can’t talk for long, I still have some work to do.”

“Sleep early. Don’t stay up too late working,” Yu Lili said.

“Yes, my dear and honorable wife,” Ou Ming replied.

Upon hearing her husband’s carefree and playful tone, Yu Lili’s nerves settled. She called out, “Hubby…”

“Hmm?”

“Good night.”

“Mm.”

…

The next day, Ou Ming got up early. He drove an Audi A8 that had the license plate of the Capital, and he reached the Shen residence at 8 a.m.

Yu Lili had just woken up when she received Ou Ming’s call. She hurried to wash herself up. By the time she was done, more than half an hour had passed.

When she emerged from the bedroom, she found Ou Ming in the dining room partaking in breakfast. His face broke out in an affectionate smile when he saw her approach, and he quickly waved at her.

Yu Lili quickened her steps as she headed toward him. She saw what was prepared for breakfast. There were buns with various condiments, as well as noodles and millet porridge. She was a typical northerner, and these dishes did nothing to whet her appetite. She asked, “Is it tasty?”

“It’s alright.” Ou Ming held out the bun that he had already taken a bite out of. “Would you like some?”

Yu Lili turned her head away in disdain. The maid quickly asked, “Miss Wen, what would you like to eat? Let me serve it to you.”

“I’ll have some millet porridge. Thanks,” Yu Lili answered. She turned her head to look around and asked, “Where’s my dad?”

“Mr. Wen has gone out with Sir and Madam. He said to tell the both of you to have fun,” the maid said as she ladled the porridge into a bowl. “Young Master will be home later to bring you around. If there’s anywhere you’d like to go, you can have him take you there.” The young master she was talking about had to be Shen Zhilie.

Yu Lili nudged Ou Ming inconspicuously and said, “I think it’s better if we go on our own. I don’t feel good about making Shen Zhilie take us around…” Just the thought of having Shen Zhilie accompany them to the temple to pray for a child was enough to make her cringe with awkwardness.