The 99th Divorce

On the third day after running away from his wedding, Shen Luo’an still hadn’t contacted anybody. He hadn’t even left word with a single family member.

His mobile phone had been shut off the entire time. He despised himself for running away.

He placed the beer mug down and gathered the beer bottles together at the corner of the bed. A strong scent of alcohol permeated the air. It was harsh on the nose.

Shen Luo’an retrieved his mobile phone and turned it on. In less than a minute, various alerts and chimes sounded in succession.

He had been expecting that. He picked the phone up and glanced at it in passing. A grave piece of news caught his eye.

[Dad]: Queye is dead. Where are you?

[Shen Zhilie’s mother]: Luo’an, something bad has happened to Queye. Why aren’t you coming back yet? How long do you intend to hide in such a situation?

[Uncle Guan]: If you dare come back, I’ll have your legs broken!

…

Various text messages and WeChat messages kept coming in. Shen Luo’an opened each of them one by one. As he read them, a chill passed through his spine.

Looking through the messages, his initial thought that it was a prank. That quickly dissipated and was replaced by an indescribable sense of heaviness.

Guan Queye is dead?

Now that his cell phone was switched on, Shen Luo’an gave Shen Zhilie a call. It was some time before he answered the call.

The moment the call was answered, Shen Zhilie’s voice exploded over the phone. “You finally switched on your phone! Where on earth did you run to the past few days? Do you have any idea what happened?”

Shen Luo’an’s demeanor was suspicious. Still harboring a little flicker of hope in his heart, he asked, “What is going on with Guan Queye?”

Perhaps it was just a group prank after all. Or, perhaps this was their way of tricking him into returning. After all, it was undeniable that his disappearance on such an important day would indeed have a huge effect on the girl.

Any hope that Shen Luo’an harbored was immediately shattered.

Shen Zhilie’s voice was solemn as he stated, “Guan Queye is dead.”

Shen Luo’an’s heart immediately sank.

“Ye Youyou poisoned her. After she ingested it, she was sent to the emergency ward, but the rescue was ineffective. She died in the hospital.” Shen Zhilie took a deep breath and asked, “Brother, if you had no intention to marry her, why did you agree to it in the first place? Guan Queye was still so young! A precious young life was cut short all because of you. Are you able to answer to your conscience?”

Shen Luo’an had no answer to the question. Shen Zhilie continued, “You let Ye Youyou down. You let Older Sister Manting down too. Now, even Guan Queye is dead because of you. Do you feel any guilt at all?”

“Zhilie, You must be joking. How is it possible that Guan Queye is dead?” Shen Luo’an finally spoke up. It was apparent his mood was very low,

Furthermore, Ye Youyou had caused it?

“Although Ye Youyou and Guan Queye had a previous grudge against each other, she’d never do something like that. Zhilie, it’s impossible that it was caused by Ye Youyou. She’s not that sort of person,” Shen Luo’an confidently said. “There must have been some misunderstanding somewhere. Otherwise, there must have been some mistake.”

Shen Zhilie was silent for a moment before he answered. “That’s exactly what I think. Ye Youyou isn’t that sort of person, but the evidence is so solid. Every piece of evidence points toward her. Furthermore, there were so many people present to bear witness that it was only after Ye Youyou had been alone with her in the room that the incident occurred. Also, Guan Queye personally accused Ye Youyou of harming her. Many people heard it. After that, Guan Queye lost consciousness and was sent to the hospital. The medical intervention was unsuccessful, and she died.”