The 99th Divorce

To marry at twenty-eight years old. To have a mishap at twenty-eight years old. Twenty-eight years old… Everything was supposed to happen at twenty-eight years old.

Ye Qianqian clung to Shen Zhilie’s neck and said softly in a slightly fearful voice, “Old Shen, I’m afraid of death.”

Unexpectedly, Shen Zhillie stared at Ye Qianqian and replied somberly, “Don’t worry. Only beauties are ill-fated. Women like you live to a ripe old age.”

When Ye Qianqian heard this, her eyes grew dark. She gritted her teeth and reached out and pinched him on his waist.

“Ouch!” Shen Zhilie howled, half in jest and half in seriousness. He gripped her wrist tightly and pulled her closer before holding her in place between his legs. “Are you not planning on sleeping? That hurts!” he said.

Ye Qianqian released him immediately, but she still found it hard to relax. She was exhausted before, but now she felt as if she were on steroids; her eyes were wide open.

The two of them chatted in bed for a long while. It was almost two-thirty in the morning when Ye Qianqian finally felt her eyelids close, and she drifted off to sleep. Shen Zhilie’s heart felt heavy. He didn’t feel like sleeping at all.

All of a sudden, Shen Zhilie’s cellphone rang. The caller wasn’t in his contact list, but the district code revealed that it was from Kingstown.

Filled with a sense of foreboding, Shen Zhilie glanced at Ye Qianqian, who had finally fallen asleep, and, moving as gently and quietly as he could, pushed her off before answering the call.

“Is this Mr. Shen?” A cacophony could be heard over the phone. Shen Zhilie could hear the distinct sounds of sirens and intercom communications.

Shen Zhilie released the breath he had been holding and replied in the affirmative. “Speaking. May I know who’s calling?”

“You’re from the capital?” The caller had subconsciously recognized his accent, but he quickly returned to the main topic at hand. He said, “I’m Inspector Lin from the police force. We’re currently on the ground floor of your apartment building. Is it possible for you to make a trip back now?”

“At this hour?” Shen Zhilie lowered his voice as much as he could. When he heard the request, he instinctively turned to look at Ye Qianqian, who had just fallen asleep. He replied softly, “Can you tell me briefly what’s going on? My girlfriend is asleep at the moment. She suffered a huge shock today.”

Inspector Lin was sympathetic. He thought for a moment before responding, “We didn’t manage to catch him, but the scene of the incident was badly damaged. We suspect that he will return again. Right now, we need you to come down and identify the exact extent of the damage.”

Shen Zhilie had been expecting this news, but when he heard it, he still couldn’t help but feel heavy-hearted. Everything had happened so suddenly. Ye Qianqian was loud and boisterous on the outside, but inwardly, she was naïve and innocent in her way of thinking. It was likely that she would link this matter to the various fortune-telling sessions a few days prior and be frightened into falling in line with it.

“It’s not that urgent, is it? I’d prefer to go tomorrow instead,” Shen Zhilie said in a whisper.

“I guess we’ll just have to do that. It’s indeed quite late now,” Inspector Lin said after checking the time. “Get some rest and console your girlfriend. Try not to leave her on her own.”

“Got it. Thanks, Inspector Lin.”

“You’re welcome.”

…

Shen Zhilie disconnected the call and slowly tiptoed back into bed. Just as he was about to lay down, Ye Qianqian unexpectedly reached out to hug him.

Shen Zhilie stiffened and turned to look at her. He found Ye Qianqian’s eyes open and shining as she looked at him. She asked, “Old Shen, was that the police giving you an update?”

“Yeah. They wanted us to go over to the house. We’ll go tomorrow.”

“Has that person been caught yet?” Ye Qianqian asked.

Shen Zhilie pursed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. “No. But we’re safe here.”

…