The 99th Divorce

“Shen Manting.”

Shen Luo’an suddenly called out as he fixed his gaze on her.

Shen Manting ignored him. She flipped the switch on the small cabinet and rolled down the shutter that kept out the sunlight.

“Don’t you hear me calling for you?”

Shen Manting grunted as she turned around to retrieve the diapers. “What for?”

“Come here.”

“Why do I have to pander to you?”

“Because of what you did to me last night,” Shen Luo’an stood up and walked towards her. “I remember I was wearing layers of clothes last night, but when I woke up in the morning, I was stripped down to my underwear. Did you take advantage of me?”

Shen Manting sneered at him indifferently. “Don’t you feel ashamed of yourself? I was busy fussing over you last night. You couldn’t get up from the bathtub and applied bath lotion on your hair. Don’t you remember?”

Shen Luo’an immediately furrowed his brow. Did he really do that?

“That’s impossible.”

There’s no way he could have done such things!

Impossible!

Shen Manting sneered and turned around.

“Why wasn’t I wearing any clothes?”

“I was kind enough to bathe you and remove your soiled clothes for you.”

“I have no underwear on, either.”

“Do you prefer wearing underwear in the bath?” Shen Manting gave him a strange look. “You should be grateful. I didn’t even question you about your drunken state last night, yet you’re blaming me for your foolish acts?”

Shen Luo’an stared at her in disbelief. He furrowed his brow and said in a serious tone, “I think you’re accusing me.”

Shen Manting was speechless.

She ignored him and turned around to leave the room.

Shen Luo’an gave up arguing as he watched her walk away.

His head was still in pain. He turned around and lay down in bed.

He slept until late in the afternoon.

Shen Luo’an woke up to find that the infant was not in the crib. He yawned, feeling much better after a long rest.

After washing up, he walked out of the room and saw Mother He watching television with the infant in her arms.

Shen Luo’an frowned. “Where is she?”

“She’s taking a nap. She didn’t sleep well last night. The dark circles around her eyes are comparable to a panda’s.”

“She’s not in the room. Where is she sleeping?”

“In her room, of course. The nanny’s room.” Mother He pointed in the direction of the nanny’s room. “Look at you and your drunken misbehavior. We’ve waited so long for Miss Shen to finally come back. If you drive her away again, I don’t know how you’re going to persuade her to return this time around.”

Shen Luo’an didn’t say anything, but he looked upset.

“She has her own bed to sleep in. Why is she sleeping in the nanny’s room?”

Mother He shook her head. “She promised to come back because you took her in as a nanny, didn’t she? It’s only right for her to sleep in the nanny’s room. Last night, she had to take care of you and the baby. It’s time for her to rest.”

“Is the nanny’s room comfortable to sleep in?”

“Exactly the contrary. It’s damp and stuffy. Aunt Zhang complained about it before. It’s rather uncomfortable.” Mother He raised her eyebrow and glanced at him. “But there are no more spare rooms in the house for now. Miss Shen’s room has been converted into a storeroom for the baby’s toiletries. She intends to turn it into the baby’s room. She’s furnishing it. She mentioned that she’ll no longer work here as a nanny when the baby turns one. She’ll find another job.”

“Did she really say that?” Shen Luo’an felt his anger rising. “Have I ever mistreated her?”

Mother He pretended not to notice his anger and said matter-of-factly, “Well, she didn’t sign a contract to be hired as a nanny, so she’s not obligated to stay. She’s free to leave whenever she wants. She’s kind enough to be willing to take care of the baby for a year. After all, she’s only a nanny.”