The 99th Divorce

“Why are you still lying then?” Ye Qianqian sounded indignant. “The terms would be different for another company.”

“Well…” Shen Zhilie held his wife close to him. “You do have a point. But I think there must be some misunderstanding between her and my brother. My brother has been quite depressed lately. Now he’s busy taking care of his child and rarely works in the research laboratory.”

Ye Qianqian noticed the change in him too.

But was it appropriate to lie to Shen Manting?

“What if she thinks we conspired to lie to her? Won’t that place Big Brother in an awkward position?”

Shen Zhilie thought her point made sense.

But once the deed had been done, could they take it back?

It was too late.

It was now up to Shen Manting to decide whether to accept the offer or not.

Shen Zhilie was tired. He closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep with his wife in his embrace.

On the other hand, Ye Qianqian felt invigorated, having only woken up from her slumber.

She scrolled through her social media feed on her phone. Recently, the misdeeds of a famous male celebrity with an immaculate public image had been exposed by a woman.

She accused the male celebrity of cheating on her and plundering her wealth.

She read the comments below. The commenters unanimously agreed with the accusations and believed his ex-girlfriend’s words.

Ye Qianqian couldn’t help noticing how readily the netizens attacked people.

She was lost in thought when she received a message: Hello, I’ll come to the capital in a few days.

The sender was Shen Manting.

Ye Qianqian was overjoyed. She nudged Shen Zhilie, exclaiming, “Look, dear! Shen Manting replied!”

Shen Zhilie was a light sleeper. He had already been jolted awake when he detected Ye Qianqian’s first signs of excitement.

He asked, “What did she say?”

“She said she’ll be coming to the capital in a few days!”

–

In fact, Shen Manting arrived at the capital the next day.

She booked a cheap hostel room on the internet. She brought her own bedding and toiletries.

The room cost one hundred yuan a day. The price was considered relatively affordable in the capital.

The neighborhood seemed a little shabby, but it was fairly safe.

She had not settled down since leaving home. She lived a nomadic life, working odd jobs to support herself.

She roamed the Jiangnan region discreetly like a backpacker.

She submitted her resume to companies every day.

She received frequent phone calls and WeChat messaging requests from them.

But either the salary offered was too low, or the job prospects were mediocre.

Her return to the capital was not only motivated by the attractive employment benefits the recruitment manager promised, but also another important factor – she wanted to see her child.

She wouldn’t stay for long.

She would come and leave quietly.

After sorting her belongings, Shen Manting changed into another outfit and took the subway to the area near the Shen family residence.

The laid-back neighborhood was dotted with office buildings, so there was considerable foot traffic.

Shen Manting disguised herself and sat on the park bench with her phone in her hand.

She wanted to send a message to Shen Luo’an, but felt uncomfortable doing so.

She gave up her child as she refused to live with Shen Luo’an.

Yet, blood is thicker than water.

Their mother-son bond was not something she could easily sever, even if she wanted to.

Little Moon had constantly been on her mind all this while.

She missed him even in her dreams.

But she was reluctant to set her ego aside and admit defeat.

Shen Manting hesitated and turned off her phone.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

Shen Manting picked up her phone and glanced at the screen. It was Shen Luo’an.

Shen Luo’an: Is that you?

Shen Manting was stunned. Her phone buzzed again.

Shen Luo’an: So it’s really you.