The 99th Divorce

The next day, after a long day at work, Ye Qianqian returned to the apartment only to find that Shen Zhilie wasn’t home.

Fang Tongtong wasn’t in either. After Ye Qianqian raced to complete everything at work, she was surprised to be greeted by an empty home.

She called Shen Zhilie on his cellphone. The call connected quickly. She soon heard his voice over the line.

“Hello?”

“You’re not back yet?” Ye Qianqian’s tone carried a hint of coquettishness in it. “I thought I’d be able to have dinner the moment I got back.”

“Yeah. I’m working a little late today. One of my patients isn’t doing too well. I was so busy that I forgot to let you know. Why don’t you eat out with your best friend for dinner tonight?”

“Oh. Alright, then. Take care. Come back soon.”

“Yeah.”

Ye Qianqian hung up the phone and dialed Fang Tongtong’s number next.

Fang Tongtong was chilling alone at a café. When she received Ye Qianqian’s call, she answered it leisurely, “Hi, Qianqian. Where are you?”

“I’m at home. Where are you? Shen Zhilie is working overtime today and isn’t home yet. I haven’t had dinner.”

“I’m at Industrial Plaza. Why don’t you come over? We can go for some hotpot.”

“Hotpot? It’s such a hot day today…”

“My treat.”

“I’ll be there in a moment!”

Fang Tongtong burst out laughing and disconnected the call before she resumed surfing the net on her phone.

“The guide for a short vacation in Kingstown.”

Ye Qianqian and Fang Tongtong had hotpot together for dinner. Afterward, they took a walk around and bought clothes.

In addition to many pieces or undergarments and outerwear, they also bought sleepwear. By the time they returned home, it was past 10 p.m.

Shen Zhilie was in sitting on the couch in his sleepwear looking through some documents. He gave them a quick glance when he saw that they had returned. He bent his head back down as he asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

“Yes. We bought many clothes too.” Ye Qianqian raised the shopping bags in her hands. “What did you have for dinner?”

“I haven’t had dinner. Why don’t you go on and take a shower? I’m a little busy.” Shen Zhilie stared at the documents with an intense frown on his face. “There have been many women attempting suicide lately.”

“What’s going on?” Fang Tongtong was a little curious. She placed her shopping bags on the couch and sat down to face Shen Zhilie.

Ye Qianqian merely glanced at him as she closed the main door. She remarked, “How busy were you that you even skipped dinner? I’ll cook you a bowl of noodles.”

“Alright. Don’t add parsley.”

Ye Qianqian made a face at him before heading into the kitchen.

Fang Tongtong repeated her question out of curiosity. “What did you mean when you mentioned ‘suicide’ just now?”

“Well, this is what happened. The female patient was educated overseas and worked as an executive at a large corporation. After being pursued by a suitor during one of her business projects, she entered a relationship with the guy. However, the guy’s wife suddenly appeared and gave her a good beating, calling her a homewrecker while at it. She even had her car scratched and wrote many horrible things on it.”

“OK. What happened after that?” Fang Tongtong listened to the gossip with interest. She rested her face on her hands as she looked intently at Shen Zhilie.

“Well, the woman went to look for the man to get even. Throughout her entire relationship with him, she never knew was still with his wife. When she met him, the man begged her not to break up with him and promised to divorce his wife soon. In the end, he didn’t keep his word because his wife was from a rich and powerful family. In the meantime, this female patient became pregnant.”

“Oh my god! What a melodrama!” Fang Tongtong looked horrified. “What happened next?”

“After that, the wife had the woman beaten up again, which caused her to miscarry. After word of it got out, the woman was fired by her company, and the man disappeared without a trace. She lost everything and became the subject of people’s insults. She couldn’t bear the pressure and slit her wrists at home.”

“She didn’t die?”

“She didn’t die, but she’s no longer mentally stable. We’ve been dealing with this woman’s case for a while now. My subordinates couldn’t handle it, so I had no choice but to take it over.”