The 99th Divorce

“My older brother is…” Li Jinnan took a moment to do the math, “34. His wedding will be at the end of the month. After he’s done, it’ll be our turn.”

That statement took Ye Youyou completely by surprise. She raised her head and looked at Li Jinnan. He was focused on eating his breakfast.

When he sensed her gazed, he looked to meet it and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You really want to marry me?” Ye Youyou found it too sudden. Everything was moving at a pace too fast to comprehend.

Li Jinnan gave her an incredulous expression and said, “If I had no intention to marry you, having sex with you, no strings attached, would make me a douchebag. If my grandfather were to find out, it’d be corporal punishment for me! That whip is really thick.”

As he spoke, he lifted two fingers as a comparison. “Not only is it thick, it’s dipped in oil too. Getting lashed by it is no joke! Back then, it was all thanks to this object that I ended up in hospital for a few days! It was so unbearably painful!”

Ye Youyou felt her mouth go dry and asked, “Your family is so strict in their teachings?”

“You’ve got to be joking!” Li Jinnan couldn’t bear to recall that incident. The mere thought of that whip was enough to send shivers down his spine.

“What did you do in the past to warrant the corporal punishment?” Ye Youyou rested her chin on her hand and looked at him in curiosity.

Li Jinnan took a sip of soy milk and replied, “I retired from the military because I didn’t want to continue. My Old Man got so infuriated that he gave me over 10 lashes.”

That statement was made offhandedly, but Ye Youyou could tell that it wasn’t as simple as he made it out to be. She bent her head and continued with her breakfast. She took another bite, but her mind was elsewhere.

Li Jinnan saw her expression and found it hilarious. He looked at her in exasperation and asked, “You didn’t intend to marry me?”

Ye Youyou paused in the middle of chewing and looked up at him. She replied, “I just got divorced. I didn’t expect it to be so soon.”

The laughter on Li Jinnan’s face ebbed off. He gently said, “All we’re missing now is that piece of paper. We’re already engaging in everything else a married couple does!”

The bluntness of this statement made Ye Youyou feel conflicted. She replied, “It’s not that simple, GM Li.”

Li Jinnan put his chopsticks down. His expression darkened as he looked at her. “What did you just call me?”

Now that she has eaten her fill, she wants to institute some distance? In her dreams!

Ye Youyou sensed there was something amiss in his demeanor and was silent for a moment before saying, “It was out of habit.”

“Change it.” Li Jinnan’s tone bore no allowance for objection. “You cannot make that slip in front of my grandfather. Moreover, I don’t like it.”

“OK…” Ye Youyou took a mouthful of soy milk but couldn’t bring herself to drink it. After a moment’s thought, she opened asked, “You mentioned that your grandfather knows about it, but do your parents know? Do they know that I am divorced?”

“No.” Li Jinnan did not hide it from her. “They don’t even know that I’m seeing someone now. They’ll know sooner or later, but we just have to concentrate on the old one first. The rest will be settled in due time.”

Ye Youyou had no comeback to that and replied, “Your grandfather seems like someone reasonable, yet you’re scared of him?”

“It’s not that I’m scared. I’m pulling him over to our side beforehand,” Li Jinnan explained in all seriousness. “Actually, the hardest one to deal with isn’t my grandfather. It’s my mom.”