The 99th Divorce

Her son’s sincere invitation put a smile on her face.

His generosity touched Shen Manting deeply, but she had to refuse his offer; so, as she ruffled his hair, she gently declined, “Mommy can’t ride on it. Mommy is an adult. This is for kids.”

“But, you rode on it previously!”

“That was different! The amusement park is for adults too. However, this ride is meant only for children.”

“Oh…” Shen Yuexiao trailed off, he did not understand what she meant but let it go, wanting to go on the ride as soon as possible. Soon, Shen Luo’an was whirling him around in circles.

The gurgling sound of his laughter filled the air, mingling with the merry giggles of the other children around him.

As Shen Manting watched her son go round and round, she could not help but smile at his glee.

However, everything around her suddenly began to feel distant.

A dazzling white flashed before her eyes, shocking her; in a daze, she reached out to Shen Luo’an in an attempt to steady herself.

Shen Luo’an turned to glance at her, worried and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

As Manting’s vision continued to become increasingly white, she subconsciously felt someone tugging her. She opened her mouth, in an attempt to speak but she could not utter a single word.

Eventually, she couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed, everything around went black as she crumbled into Shen Luo’an’s arms.

Shen Manting did not know what was going on, she was extremely confused and slightly terrified. All she could see was a blinking white light, anywhere she turned, it greeted her.

Dazed, she continued walking aimlessly for some time until she eventually caught sight of what seemed to be a small figure.

The little girl’s complexion was yellow and her face was thin. The little girl looked no older than ten.

She was dressed in clothing way too big for her, making it evident that it had been passed down generation to generation then, she realised that it was the clothes she used to wear in the orphanage back when she was 12. The cloth was faded and the girl looked scruffy.

He Yuncun was sitting in a corner, staring blankly at an unidentifiable gadget.

She seemed to sense her presence and raised her head to look at her.

When Shen Manting saw her 12-year-old self, her emotions bubbled up, overwhelming her.

Slowly, she walked over. “You’re finally here,” He Yuncun said to her with a smile, “I’ve been waiting for a long time for you.”

Shen Manting stared at her, deeply confused and suddenly, her surroundings began to warp.

She realised that she was dreaming.

In this world, everything felt different, nothing made sense at all – it felt so foreign compared to when she had been unconscious.

Yet, at the same time, she could somewhat sense that this was another of her many personalities, and she was trying to meet her to communicate with her.

That was how she met He Yuncun.

Her surroundings changed again and she seemed to be transported back to something that had happened when she was very, very young. She was in the orphanage with her good friend, Zhang Meifang, and they had secretly drawn on the wall.

When the director of the orphanage discovered it, he stomped around, looking for them with a stick in his hand, ready to give them a beating.

The two girls were full of mischief but were extremely terrified of the consequences to come, they ran off, in an attempt to escape from their doom but their eyes glinted as they did.

After some time, she was suddenly pushed up against the washstand, and Shen Luo’an’s face was filled with raging desire.

Her heart hurting, Shen Manting backed away.

The scene changed again, and she was pinned down under a man’s body. In complete darkness, he gasped and panted in her ears as he spoke in an almost lamentable cry.

“Manting, I love you,” he said over and over.

“Manting, stop hating me, please.”

…

Her body was in pain but her heart was in greater agony.

Suddenly, the voice whispering in her ear suddenly disappeared, and a huge force pushed her down to the ground. He Yuncun’s face suddenly appeared before her very eyes, and her face was contorted, she was seething as she yelled, “Go to hell, you thief!”

“Go to hell!”

“Go to hell!”

“Go to hell!”

He Yuncun’s chant continued, her anger becoming even more fiery with every word she screeched.

Shen Manting felt as if she were standing at the edge of a cliff and had been pushed over. She awakened with a violent jerk.

Her eyes shot open, and what greeted her was complete darkness.

Her body was covered in perspiration.An arm held her gently and was patting her as a gentle voice rang out, “Don’t be afraid. It was just a dream.”