The 99th Divorce

Shen Zhilie’s voice sounded low and it was apparent.

It sounded as if he was very depressed.

When Shen Luo’an heard Shen Zhilie’s voice, the piece of good news that he was about to share was instantly stuck in his throat. “Are you alright?” Shen Luo’an asked.

“Did Grandmother tell you about it already?” asked Shen Zhilie.

“What’s the matter?” Shen Luo’an probed. He could vaguely sense that something was amiss. “Is there something that Grandmother should have told me about? I’m outside with Manting and we’ve yet to reach home,” he answered.

Shen Zhilie felt extremely down and when he heard what Shen Luo’an said, he merely gave a dull reply, “I see.”

“Are you in a bad mood? Did you argue with your wife?” Shen Luo’an continued to question. Shen Zhilie had always been a happy-go-lucky person and Ye Qianqian was the only possible reason as to why he would suddenly be so depressed.

Shen Luo’an had a feeling that his hunch was right and so, he tried to console Shen Zhilie and said, “Arguments are common among married couples. You should carry yourself well and apologise to Qianqian. There’s nothing that you guys can’t put behind you.”

Shen Zhilie remained silent.

Shen Luo’an became even more certain of his guess. To avoid aggravating Shen Zhilie’s unhappiness, he attempted to switch the subject and he said, “I went out with Manting today. We went to the Bureau of Civil Affairs.”

Shen Luo’an took one glance at Manting and rather joyfully, he said, “We got married.”

When Shen Manting saw how lighthearted and happy Shen Luo’an seemed, she was inevitably influenced by his mood.

She looked down at the two tiny red booklets that she had been holding in her hands and felt very elated.

When Shen Zhilie heard what he said, he felt a mix of emotions.

Shen Zhilie gave a forced laugh before he replied, “You guys finally entered this stage of the relationship. Is Sister Manting by your side?”

“Yup,” said Shen Luo’an. Exhilarated, he continued, “I took her out for a joyride.”

“I see. Congrats, are you making preparations for the wedding?” Shen Zhilie asked.

As Shen Zhilie spoke, he could feel Ye Qianqian turn on the hospital bed to look at him.

Ye Qianqian seemed to have guessed what had happened and asked, “Getting married?”

Shen Zhilie nodded his head and said, “Yes. They went to the Bureau of Civil Affairs today.”

“I see. That’s great. Congratulate him on my behalf,” Ye Qianqian replied, her voice was barely audible and sounded slightly hoarse. “His efforts finally paid off,” she said.

“Go get some sleep,” said Shen Zhilie as he gently caressed her hair. “I’ll go buy us some dinner. We’ve yet to have our dinner,” he said.

“Is everything ok?” Shen Luo’an asked. He had finally caught on and realised that something was wrong. “You guys didn’t fight, did you? Did something happen to Qianqian?” he asked.

Shen Zhilie’s heart ached slightly when he heard Shen Luo’an’s question.

After he tucked Ye Qianqian in and said to her, gently, “I’ll make a call outside. Wait for me to come back.”

“Ok,” replied Ye Qianqian and closed her eyes.

Shen Zhilie turned the lights off and closed the door behind him. After giving some instructions to the nurse, he walked out of the hospital.

All the while, Shen Luo’an had been patiently waiting on the other end of the line and felt a slight sense of foreboding.

“Something terrible happened to us,” said Shen Zhilie.

“What happened?” Shen Luo’an questioned anxiously.

“We met some human traffickers. They drugged Qianqian and bashed her up. We then found out that… she was pregnant,” Shen Zhilie trailed off.

Shen Luo’an was astounded and tensed up, cautiously, he asked, “The child…?”

“It’s gone,” Shen Zhilie replied in a very deep voice.

It was so deep that it sounded as if he was on the brink of despair and it would pain anyone to hear his tone.

Shen Luo’an fell silent.

The initial look of joy was instantly wiped off his face.

When Shen Manting noticed how he suddenly became solemn, she could not help but ask, “Darling, what’s wrong?”

Shen Luo’an shook his head gently and asked Shen Zhilie, “Did you manage to catch those people?”

“Yes, Ou Ming’s handling it,” Shen Zhilie replied.

“- but my child’s lost forever,” Shen Zhilie thought.

Shen Zhilie’s heart felt like it was as heavy as lead.

Shen Luo’an reversed the car into the backyard of his house and parked it before turning off the ignition.

“Does mom and dad know about this?” Shen Luo’an asked.

“I’ve yet to break the news to them,” Shen Zhilie replied before he let out a deep sigh. “Grandmother called me earlier on. She’s getting on in years and I’m afraid to upset her. Could you help me to cook up an excuse to prevent worrying her further?” he asked.