The 99th Divorce

Yu Lili blinked and instinctively looked around. There were many other small boats nearby. Some were shared among strangers, and others were lovers like themselves. A few others were small families.

They must have been noticeable because many people looked over. Yu Lili’s face reddened considerably. She wanted to push Ou Ming off, but he held her head in place and deepened his kiss.

“Let…” Yu Lili smacked him out of frustration before he finally released her and acted as if nothing had happened.

When Yu Lili saw the looks of everyone around her, she blushed and looked down, not daring to look up.

Ou Ming, on the other hand, was at ease, and he commented, “Look. The two ducks behind you are so in love.”

Yu Lili turned her head to look, saw two little birds with green necks and white feathers swimming together. “Those aren’t just ducks. Those are mandarin ducks!”

“Oh… Those are mandarin ducks*.” Ou Ming grinned. “You know so much.”

For some reason, Yu Lili felt that there was a deeper meaning to his words. She glared at him but quickly looked away, resolving not to look at him. When she turned away, she saw a pair of lovers sitting together.

The woman was seated on the man’s thigh. They were in an embrace. The two lovers were close to each other smiling sweetly and brightly at each other. Soon after, the lovers began kissing. The man placed his hand on the woman’s bosom.

Yu Lili blushed at that sight. It was broad daylight. That couple were indeed daring. But, she had to admit that such a good-looking couple was a pleasant sight for the eyes.

Without realizing it, she suddenly found Ou Ming leaning over. He asked, “What are you looking at?”

When Yu Lili turned her head back. Ou Ming took the opportunity to steal a kiss from her. She shrunk her head into her shoulders and shook her head.

She couldn’t resist looking at the couple again from the corner of her eyes. They weren’t kissing anymore, but the man’s hand remained on the woman’s bosom.

“Tsk. You’re not being honest.” Ou Ming bent his body over and kissed Yu Lili on the lips. “Shall we go ashore?”

“So quickly?” Yu Lili looked at the time. “It’s not even been half an hour!”

“Yeah. I find the boat-ride boring,” Ou Ming said. “Let’s go for a walk.”

A walk? Yu Lili felt very happy. He had always hated taking walks. In his words, “Such a boring activity is a waste of one’s life. Instead of walking, it’d be better to work!”

Now, because he was injured and “blind,” he could finally take a proper rest and didn’t have to work anymore.

Yu Lili’s lips lifted in a smile. She nodded her head. “Let’s go.”

When they reached the shore, Yu Lili held Ou Ming’s hand as they walked around the park. They were surrounded by architecture distinctive of the southern Fujian style. With an air of antiquity, the surrounding landscape were very well designed.

Most importantly, there were many other lovers walking about. The New Year had just passed, so many young lovers who hadn’t started the school term were holding their dates at the park. Throughout the entire trail, there were many different couples. Some were crazily in love. Some were jesting with each other. Some were fighting. It was very lively.

Yu Lili’s eyes were tinged with a little envy as she looked around at the different couples.

Ou Ming held her close to himself with one arm. Speaking softly into her ear, he asked, “What expression is that on your face?” It looked like an expression of envy. “You have a boyfriend, too. Don’t look at them; look at me.”

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*The Chinese words for “mandarin duck” and “an affectionate couple” are homonyms. Both are pronounced “yuan yang.”