The 99th Divorce

Shen Luo’an had only closed his eyes briefly when he heard his phone vibrating.

Manting: Let’s meet!

Shen Luo’an was stunned for a moment after reading the message.

After staring at the screen for a while, he instinctively wanted to reply: OK.

But his gaze moved upward and he noticed the chain of messages above as he scrolled through the chat window.

Every single message he had sent was contained in a green speech bubble.

He had sent her so many messages, yet she didn’t reply to even a single one.

He felt anger rising in his chest and erased the response he had typed, replacing it instead with: Anything?

Looking at his choice of words tinged with indifference, Shen Manting could almost imagine the expression on his face if he were to appear in front of her.

He would surely stare at her with a cold gaze.

A cold, piercing gaze reserved for enemies.

Shen Manting started to hesitate.

If she asked to meet up with him, he would mock her yet again.

If she were to mention the baby, he might taunt her, saying: I gave you a chance, but you decided to abandon the baby.

Would he deploy such a taunt to dismiss her?

Shen Manting felt her heart growing heavy in her chest.

She stared long and hard at his response before replying: I think we need to talk.

Shen Luo’an: I have nothing to say to you. The child is mine.

Shen Manting’s felt her heart turn cold.

This man was unbelievably ruthless.

Shen Manting: I gave birth to him!

Shen Luo’an: You didn’t want him, remember?

The conversation turned out as she expected – a pointless exchange.

But his words left Shen Manting in a stunned daze.

Shen Manting sat on the bed and felt a devastating sadness wash over her. She was losing hope.

Her phone pinged.

She received a WeChat notification.

Shen Luo’an: I’ll treat you to a proper meal if you cannot afford to have one. I’ll take the child out for a walk at 11 o’clock tomorrow morning. Come along if you want to dine together.

The message cheered Shen Manting up. She immediately replied: Deal!

After a while, Shen Luo’an replied: Are you really so poor that you’re willing to give up your dignity for a meal?

Shen Manting felt a sting in her chest, but she didn’t bother replying.

She threw her phone aside and proceeded to wash herself up.

The next morning, Shen Manting woke up at 7 o’clock.

It would take an hour and a half to get there. That meant she still had an hour to prepare herself.

She took out one of her prized dresses. The long-sleeved dress was suitable for the spring weather.

She put it on, only to realize that the dress was now too loose for her.

It hung loosely from her thin frame and looked ill-fitting.

But she didn’t have any better dresses to wear.

She carefully took out her makeup products. They had been out of use for a while, but they likely haven’t expired yet.

Ever since she left the Shen family, this was her first time dressing up this immaculately and applying makeup so meticulously.

She looked into the mirror and felt her mood lighten up at the sight of her well-groomed self.

She was satisfied with her new look. It was perfect.

The child was growing up. What if he remembered her?

Even if she couldn’t stake her claim on the baby, she wanted to leave a good impression on him.

Shen Manting left her room and headed for the subway.

Today was different. Many people on the subway paid attention to Shen Manting this time around.

Upon arriving at the designated place, she walked to the park, clutching her bag in her hands.

It was 10:50 am.

It was a fine day. There were senior citizens taking a stroll or exercising together.

The flowers and greenery were teeming with life.

Shen Manting sat on the same bench as she did the day before. She couldn’t help looking around anxiously for fear that she might miss the sight of Shen Luo’an.

Only after waiting for twenty minutes did she see Shen Luo’an.

But Shen Luo’an was alone.