The 99th Divorce

Old Mr. Li turned his head away and harrumphed. He said, “I don’t have the last say. That decision is your mother’s. My opinion doesn’t count for anything!”

When Li Jinnan witnessed his grandfather’s reaction, he knew that his grandfather’s impression of Ye Youyou was positive and decided to quickly strike while the iron was still hot. “Grandfather, you’re the head of the family. If your opinion doesn’t count for anything, whose would? Even if my mom objects, it’ll probably be more for show than anything else. What’s most important is that the authority still lies in your hands. Come, have some tea.”

Li Jinnan offered up the freshly brewed tea with both hands and said, “This is a premium black tea. It’s your favorite, Grandfather.”

The old man turned his head away from the tea with a smile on his face. The aroma of the tea wafted over, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He reached out and took the teacup from Li Jinnan.

“You’re always so full of trouble!” he remarked.

“I wouldn’t dare…” Li Jinnan smiled at him with squinted eyes.

Ye Youyou observed the atmosphere and opened her handbag. She reached into her bag and retrieved a red box. She said, “This is a small token I brought for you. I was thinking that you probably wouldn’t lack anything, so this isn’t exactly expensive.”

She opened the box. Inside it was an elegant and beautiful beeswax statue. The statue was of an orange-yellow color. It was glossy, bright, and delicately smooth. The lines were seamless. It looked prestigious.

The image was that of a young man. Judging from the dressing, it looked very much like Old Captain Li when he was young.

Captain Li looked at it. His eyes, which were clouded with age, suddenly lit up in pleasant surprise. He saw Ye Youyou holding it out and hurried to receive the statue.

His eyes studied it keenly. “It’s really good. You had this custom made?”

“Yeah. I saw a black-and-white picture of you in my father’s room, so I snapped a shot of it and had a craftsman make this.” Ye Youyou replied with a smile.

“It’s beautiful. How thoughtful of you.” Li Xun’s impression of this lady grew even better. He laughed out loud and said, “Your name is Youyou, isn’t it? You’re a smart lady. Come, have some tea.”

The moment Li Xun made that comment, Li Jinnan quickly handed Ye Youyou a teacup and whispered to her, “You hid it really well. How did I not know that you had this made? It looks pretty good.”

“There’s a lot that you don’t know. You didn’t even remind me to bring a little something! If I hadn’t remembered to do so on my own, how impolite it would have been!” Ye Youyou’s voice was soft, but it carried a hint of accusation.

Although their voices were low, the old man heard the exchange clearly.

Ye Youyou took the cup from Li Jinnan, but she didn’t drink from it. Instead, she stood up and said, ” Liu Sao, please have some tea.”

Liu Sao was astounded at the favor she was shown. She rushed up to take the teacup from Ye Youyou’s hands and profusely thanked her. “Thank you! Thank you. Please have some yourself.”

“I will.”

…

Ye Youyou and Li Jinnan sat for a while and had lunch with Old Captain Li before leaving.

Li Xiao and Qin Shuhua weren’t home for this period of time, and the house was cold and silent.

Li Jinnan made a phone call to Li Sicheng. The call was answered very quickly.

“Are you finally coming back to work?” Li Sicheng’s first statement upon answering the call had killed the conversation before it even started.

Li Jinnan rubbed his nose and replied, “That’s not possible. I’m at the old manor now. Lately, Grandfather has only had Liu Sao at home for company. You should take the kids over some time.”

Li Sicheng narrowed his eyes when he heard that and asked, “Whose kids do you think those are?”

Li Jinnan was unrepentant and laughed aloud. “I’ll be a little more straightforward. Bring the kids over some time soon.”