The 99th Divorce

The place was a romantic tourist attraction. All around were people of different colors and ethnicities. By the time Ye Youyou reached the hotel, it was already the next morning.

She had signed up for an easy holiday package that covered accommodations and meals. She was assigned a huge sea-facing double room. Upon checking in, she arranged her clothes inside the wardrobe and changed out of what she was wearing before heading to the beach.

The sky and sea were vast. The turquoise-blue sea gurgled. The light rays from the sun reflected off the water’s surface, landing on the people walking past, and enveloping them in a warmth.

Ye Youyou was wearing a maxi-skirt and beach slippers with a sunhat and pair of shades. As she watched the tourists milling about, she could feel her mood improving.

She ordered a glass of fruit juice and found a lounge chair by the sea to relax in. She hiked her skirt up a little just as the tide came in and washed over her feet. The water was very cool. Given the current weather, it felt very comfortable.

Ye Youyou used her feet to splash the water for a bit before leaning back on the chair and closing her eyes. Only after approximately 10 minutes did someone come over to say, “Miss Ye, here is the drink you ordered.”

However, it wasn’t said in the fluent English that she had heard before. It was in perfect Mandarin. The voice was confident and familiar.

When Ye Youyou heard it, she abruptly opened her eyes and turned her head. She found herself staring at the resolute face of a man.

Li Jinnan was wearing a pair of shades. He was dressed in a cream-colored linen shirt. It gave his already prominent muscles even more of a sexual appeal.

“What are you doing here?” Ye Youyou jerked upright and looked at him in disbelief. “Were you stalking me?”

“Not at all. Have you forgotten? I registered for the same package as you did!” Li Jinnan replied primly, without any sense that he’d been seen through. He looked very natural and unaffected as he sat by Ye Youyou’s side. “We even came here on the same flight? Did you not notice that?”

Ye Youyou found that his explanation didn’t make sense. She looked at him asked, “How is that possible? You must have been stalking me! There’s no way it could be such a coincidence!”

“I have no idea how such a coincidence happened either.” Li Jinnan suddenly leaned over and murmured, “Perhaps this is what fate is. Regardless of wherever you are, my body won’t be able to control itself and automatically follows after you.”

Ye Youyou laughed in exasperation when she heard that and said, “Nonsense! Fate like that does not exist! You must have been stalking me!”

Li Jinnan whipped his shades off his face and chuckled. “Yeah. I followed you. But, I did it honorably and openly. You’re the one who didn’t realize it. You can’t blame me for that.”

“Excuses,” Ye Youyou replied.

Li Jinnan wiggled his brows. He raised the drink glass in his hand as he said, “It’s a vacation. Of course you need to enjoy it with someone. If you’re alone, it’ll just become a bore after some time.”

Ye Youyou didn’t want to pay him any more attention. She snatched her drink and sucked the straw forcefully. Still seated on the lounge chair, she stared ahead, huffing with anger.

Li Jinnan sat with her and stared ahead too.

The golden hue of the sunset sparkled on the surface of the water. It was a beautiful sight. Seagulls flocked together and energetically flew over the sea. Everything was just perfect.

It was rare for Li Jinnan to feel that relaxed. He turned to face Ye Youyou and asked, “It’s so boring to just sit here. Shall I take you out to have some fun?”

–

Author’s note: Divorce certificates used to be green. They were later changed to dark red.