The 99th Divorce

That voiced harbored self-blame, it harbored guilt, and it harbored pain. The sadness and tears embedded in that sound elicited discomfort in whoever heard it.

Despair. Palpable despair.

When Yu Lili heard Ou Ming’s voice, her steps stopped at the entrance.

The door was ajar, and from the angle that Yu Lili was standing, she could see Ou Ming’s bed.

On the hospital bed sat Ou Ming cross-legged. His face was buried between his legs, and his head was bandaged. From Yu Lili’s position, all she could see were Ou Ming’s ears.

Even his left hand was bound in a cast.

Ou Ming’s parents were standing at his bedside. Jiao Ziqing was leaning on her husband’s shoulder, her back quivering with sobs although no sound could be heard.

“If you see her, help me tell her that I’ll be spending the rest of the New Year at home. And after the festivities, I’ll be going abroad for work. I’ll visit her when I’m back.”

His voice was no longer as hysterical as before. What replaced the hysteria was instead entreaty and sorrowful despair.

Ou Ming raised his head after speaking. His face was pale and wrapped in bandages, and his situation looked bad. What affected Yu Lili the most, however, were his eyes, those pair of eyes that had utterly subdued and mesmerized her. Those pair of bright eyes that were as beautiful as the night sky revealed themselves when he lifted his head.

Except now, his eyes were unfocused and empty. They looked like the eyes of a wax figure.

When she saw his eyes, her already aching heart shattered into a million pieces, and her eyes welled up with tears. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, and Yu Lili did her utmost to clamp her mouth shut so as to not to let any sound escape.

Wen Fenglin looked towards the entrance. When he saw Yu Lili standing there, he gave her a slight shake of his head.

She understood what he meant. He was telling her not to go over.

“Mom, please help me pass the message to her, will you? Don’t let her know the state that I’m in now. Don’t let her know that this happened to me. You mustn’t ever let her know.”

His voice carried the sound of restrained sobs, his empty eyes glistened with unshed tears.

In the depths of such despair hid a lonely, proud, and fragile soul.

Was he afraid to let her find out because his pride couldn’t handle it?

Did he find the situation he was in embarrassing? Did he not want her to find out in a bid to preserve his dignity?

Was this proud Ou Ming unable to put aside thoughts of his own image even in such a situation?

What an idiot!

Jiao Ziqing calmed herself, and in a choking voice said, “I’ll send someone to look for her now and tell her exactly what you said, OK? Rest well. Sleep for a while. Perhaps you’ll recover quickly. You won’t need long. My son has always had good karma. This will all pass.”

Ou Ming didn’t speak as Jiao Ziqing helped him lie back down on the bed.

After a long moment, he finally said, “Mom, lend me your phone for a moment. Let me give her a call. If you’re the one to relay the message, she definitely won’t believe it. Let me be the one to tell her.”

When Yu Lili heard that, she looked at her drained cell phone, then turn and ran to the information desk.

She borrowed a phone charger from the nurse and powered her phone on. Just as the screen lit up, a call came in.

Unknown number.

Yu Lili picked it up immediately, “Hello?”