The 99th Divorce

Zhen Xianlang was the man who had married Chi Xian, only to marry another woman not long after Chi Xian died.

He was also Yu Lili’s father. She knew that in her heart, but she couldn’t help but feel conflicted when it came to him.

He had never loved Chi Xian, but he married her, nonetheless, allowing Wen Fenglin to live out the rest of his days in loneliness. Yu Lili resented him for that.

She sat down and looked at him. With a smile, she concurred, “Yes, we meet again.”

The waitress poured Yu Lili a cup of tea and quickly disappeared.

Nobody spoke first. The atmosphere was very quiet.

Yu Lili took a sip of her tea and looked down, not knowing what to say.

“Lili, why don’t you place the order? We’re not familiar with this restaurant and have no idea what’s good here.” Wen Fenglin placed the menu on the lazy Susan and rotated it to her.

Yu Lili took the menu and placed it between herself and Ou Ming, choosing the dishes together with him.

“Are there any foods you avoid?” Yu Lili looked up and looked to Wen Fenglin before looking at Zhen Xianlang. “Do you take seafood? What about sashimi?”

Zhen Xianlang looked at her and replied, “I’m allergic to seafood. I can’t eat too much.”

Yu Lilli looked regretful and said, “What a pity. Seafood is delicious. Uncle Wen, you have no issue with seafood, do you?”

“Yeah, I’m fine with anything. I’m not picky,” Wen Fenglin took a sip of tea and smiled. Two dimples appeared in his cheeks, giving him a mesmerizing bearing.

“It’s fine. Go ahead and order seafood. Lao Wen loves seafood. Every time we eat out together, he’ll eat lots of seafood. I’m able to eat a little too.” Zhen Xianlang laughed. “But, my son is allergic to seafood as well. Are you able to eat seafood?”

“Yeah, I am,” Yu Lili looked at all the pictures of seafood and sashimi in the menu, all of which she had no problem ingesting. “Hubby, could you help me call the waitress over?”

The waitress came over very quickly. Yu Lili ordered the dishes. As an afterthought, she added a portion of barley drink.

During the meal, Zhen Xianlang and Wen Fenglin were in continuous conversation. Ou Ming joined in too. Yu Lili, however, wasn’t sure of what to say.

It was inevitable that when men got together at a meal, there’d be cigarettes and booze.

Zhan Xianlang took out a packet of cigarettes. He offered one to Wen Fenglin and another to Ou Ming.

Wen Fenglin accepted it. Although he lit it, he didn’t inhale. Ou Ming, on the other hand, rejected it outrightly, saying, “Thank you, Uncle Zhen. We’re in the midst of trying to conceive, so it’s better if I don’t smoke.”

Zhen Xianlang nodded his head. With an unreadable expression on his face, he turned to Ou Ming and asked, “The both of you are already married?”

“Yes. Our marriage has been registered. The banquet is next month. We’re still in the middle of our preparations.” There was a smile on Ou Ming’s face. As he spoke, his gaze toward Yu Lili was full of warmth and love.

“I see. That’s really soon. To think I knew nothing of it. Lao Wen, did you know about this?” Zhen Xianlang asked, the unspoken accusation present in his tone.

Wen Fenglin looked a little vexed. He patted his own head and said, “Just look at me. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about it. It’s not too late for you to find out about it now. At the ceremony next month, you can still play your part as her father and put Yu Lili’s hand into Ou Ming’s.” As Wen Fenglin spoke, his smile waned a little. He continued, “It’ll be good for Yu Lili to have a family send her off at her wedding. It’s almost works out perfectly.”

Zhen Xianlang laughed when he heard that, but the expression on his face remained obscure.

He took a heavy puff of his cigarette and said, “Xian’er has been gone for over 20 years now. No one knew that Xian’er had a daughter who’s all grown up. She never mentioned anything to me all those years ago…”