The 99th Divorce

In the sacred church, a figure of Jesus was nailed to the cross in the middle of the hall. The minister stood beneath it and announced the newly wedded couple.

The excitement in the air was palpable. Everyone had a smile on their faces. But, Ye Qianqian’s heart was hiding a secret.

“Qianqian, what are you thinking about? Lili is about to toss her bouquet!” A colleague nudged the distracted Ye Qianqian.

Ye Qianqian broke out of her reverie and caught sight of Yu Lili’s slender frame.

At that moment, Yu Lili’s back was facing them as she called out, “One, two, three! Catch it!”

Just as Yu Lili yelled out the last two words, all the girls began screaming as one. Every wedding was incomplete without the bouquet-tossing ceremony. According to legend, whoever caught the bouquet would be the next one to get married. Regardless of whether or not that was true, it was still a fun activity for all.

However, despite the midst of the eager struggle and jostling, the bouquet finally landed on an individual right at the back who wasn’t even actively participating to begin with.

Everyone turned to look at Ye Youyou as she held the bouquet in her hands in surprise. When she saw all the eyes on her, she grew embarrassed and said, “I…”

Ye Youyou had been inconspicuous from the time she had arrived at the celebration. Now that she was the catcher of the bouquet, all the attention was directed to her.

Many people looked over at her. Their eyes sparkled as they murmured among themselves, “Who is that? She’s so pretty.”

“She looks so much like Ye Qianqian. She’s probably Ye Qianqian’s younger sister. But she looks a lot more gorgeous than Ye Qianqian.”

“Hey, she looks familiar. Is she an actress?”

…

Li Jinnan stood among the crowd and saw the bashful Ye Youyou. The corners of his lips turned up. She was adorable.

Su Qianci was holding the hands of both her kids. When she saw Li Jinnan’s subtle but clearly noticeable expression, she knew what that meant.

She mischievously nudged him and teased, “You’ve fallen for her?”

Li Jinnan glanced at Su Qianci. Her familiar face carried the smile that he was only all too familiar with. He didn’t nod, but he didn’t shake his head either. The smile on his lips widened imperceptibly.

Su Qianci understood at once and remarked, “This girl is indeed not too bad. She looks pretty and is of a good character. But, I recall hearing that she’s married.”

If a married woman caught the bouquet, did that mean she was headed for a second marriage?

Su Qianci was suddenly shocked when that thought occurred to her.

Her second marriage wouldn’t be to her brother-in-law, would it? That was impossible!

Her rational mind told her that superstitions weren’t real, and that it was all just for fun. But, Su Qianci herself had experienced a rebirth. Her view toward such matters was that it was better to be safe than sorry.

The smile on Li Jinnan’s face slowly dissipated. Without another word, he walked over to where Ye Youyou was standing.

Su Qianci’s heart skipped a beat when she witnessed that. She inwardly exclaimed, “Oh no!”

Her brother-in-law indeed harbored romantic intentions toward Ye Qianqian’s sister. How was that going to work out? She subconsciously looked toward Ye Youyou and found that she was looking right back at her.

Su Qianci felt a little awkward. She smiled politely and quickly turned her head away.

Ye Youyou looked away. Her heart felt a little disappointed.

Li Jinnan had fallen in love with a woman he could never have.