The 99th Divorce

Bringing her back to the family had been a gamble in itself. That had been a knot in Old Mrs. Shen’s heart from the beginning. With a sigh, she said, “It’s not too late to meet you now. I’m glad I met you.”

“Thank you, Grandma,” Yu Lili said.

Old Mrs. Shen nodded her head and looked at Yu Lili. Biting back a smile, she said, “You’re a good kid. When Ou Ming’s hand recovers, come to the Capital together. You are welcome any time.”

Before Yu Lili could reply, Ou Ming answered first, “OK.”

“It’s settled then. Whenever you’re coming, give us a call,” Old Mrs. Shen said.

The food arrived quickly. Perhaps it was because of her good mood, but the old lady ate a lot. As she shoved food into the mouth, she didn’t neglect to nag at Yu Lili to eat a little more.

Yu Lili felt her heart warm up. It was a comforting and relaxing emotion.

After breakfast, Yu Lili and Ou Ming packed their luggage and sent Shen Zhilie and Old Mrs. Shen to the airport. After seeing the pass the security inspection, Yu Lili put her hand in Ou Ming’s. She was a little sad to part with the Shens.

Looking up into Ou Ming’s handsome face, Yu Lili commented a little forlornly, “They’ve left.”

“Yeah. They’ve left.” Ou Ming eyes turned down. He looked at Yu Lili. In a gentle voice, he said, “When we’re done with our errands, we’ll go to the Capital.”

“All I have to do is draw for work. I don’t have anything much to do. You, on the other hand, have to wait for your hand to recover.” Yu Lili glanced at his hand. “Does it still hurt?”

“No,” Ou Ming allowed her to hug onto his whole arm as she walked forward. “Who says you have nothing to do when we get back? Leave your work aside for a while. When we get back, we need to pay a visit to the Bureau of Civil Affairs.”

Bureau of Civil Affairs… Those few words made Yu Lili’s heart soar. She looked up and into his eyes.

At the same time, Ou Ming look down at her. Both of them gazed at each other. Their respective reflections were visible in the eyes of the other.

Yu Lili said, “Your mother…”

“Shush. We’ll act first, and report it later,” Ou Ming unapologetically said. “When all is said and done, regardless of how she objects, it’ll be useless. She can’t very well force us to get a divorce if we’re unwilling to.”

“But, if you’re mother finds out, won’t she be dreadfully angry?” Yu Lili asked.

“She’ll survive. I’ve done worse than this before.” Ou Ming wriggled his lips. “Furthermore, my mother doesn’t dislike you as much as you think she does. Her bark is a lot worse than her bite, but she does actually have a pretty good temper.”

When Yu Lili heard that, she twisted her lips and sarcastically asked, “Just like you?”

“No. My mother’s temper is better than mine. I take after my father’s temper. Don’t be fooled by my father’s appearances. When he’s angry, he’s really fierce. He’s even hit me many times with a feather-duster before when I was young.” Ou Ming shuddered as he recounted the memory.

Yu Lili laughed out loud and hit him playfully. “Don’t scare me. I’ll suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Ou Ming chuckled and said, “Don’t worry. My dad and Uncle Wen both like you very much. They won’t be fierce toward you. They’ll only be fierce to me.”

“Really?” Yu Lili asked.

“Yeah. Really.” Ou Ming nodded his. “Also, not only do we have to settle my parents and the marriage, most importantly, we need to make a trip to F Town.”

F Town, the place where the woman who gave birth to her and abandoned her resided.

The smile on Yu Lili’s face faded away. She looked downcast, “Will it be of any use? My biological parents were willing to spend money on a surrogate mother, but, in the end, they didn’t take me back. Perhaps they’ve been dead for a long time already.”