The 99th Divorce

Even though she dreaded his answer, Yu Lili asked, “Are you … at your mother’s house?”

Ou Ming answered lightly, “Yes, I am still here. Remember to go to bed early and don’t forget to take your medicine.”

Yu Lili’s heart dropped. Her mind felt numb and her mouth so dry that she could not say anything for several minutes.

Finally, she said, “I know, I will. I’ll let you get back to what you’re doing.”

“Goodnight!”

“Goodnight!”

Yu Lili hung up the phone. The room was as silent as the grave. It was as if Ou Ming had hollowed out all of her happiness from the past few days. She was left feeling empty and alone. She laid down and looked at the ceiling for a long time before she threw her cell phone across the room and covered her head with a quilt.

Another sleepless night.

…

There was a ton of leftover food from last night’s dinner. Yu Lili didn’t have much money, so the dinner servings were prepared perfectly for Ou Ming and herself. Since he hadn’t been there to eat his, more than half of the food was still in the refrigerator. She threw the dish into the microwave oven and ate what she could.

Yu Lili had a slight headache, but she didn’t feel sleepy. She thought that some exercise would make her feel better. She changed into her sportswear and went out for a run.

Ou Ming’s apartment was in one of the most elegant and prestigious neighborhoods in the city. There were many parks and squares nearby, but Yu Lili could still hear the sounds of the bustling city waking up to start the day.

It was just past nine o’ clock by the time Yu Lili returned to the apartment. She had trotted around the city square twice and was feeling a little wheezy as she waited for the elevator.

Yu Lili heard someone with a rolling suitcase coming up behind her, but she didn’t care. There was a sudden cry of surprise and the man shouted, “Is it you?”

Yu Lili didn’t know if she imagined it, but she felt like she had heard his voice before. She turned around to see a man in his mid-twenties standing not far behind her. He looked immaculate. He was wearing a pink suit, his hair was in a trendy style, and he was smiling brightly at her. As Yu Lili looked at him, she had a feeling that she had seen him somewhere before, but she could not remember when or where.

He was looking at Yu Lili in surprise. He stretched out his hand, pointed at her, and said, “It really is you! Damn it! You cheated me miserably! You little liar!”

Did I see this man when I was a bartender?

Was he the person that I had cheated?

Yu Lili immediately turned her face away from him and pretended to be calm as she said, “You must have the wrong person. I don’t know you.”

“Are you sure? I know I have seen you before. You are the one… The… what was the name? Li Xiaoyu? Right? It has to be you!” Shen Zhilie looked at her and said firmly, “I’m sure that it was you. Li Xiaoyu must be your pseudonym. What’s your real name?”

Yu Lili felt annoyed. She turned back to him and scolded, “Are you an idiot? I don’t know you!”

“Are you sure? I still have that 82 of Lafite.” Shen Zhixian was more interested now and continued, “Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble. I just want to be friends with you. Let’s start over. Hello, my name is Shen Zhilie, I’m 26 years old, and I just moved into the building. Do you live here?”

Yu Lili didn’t want to offend him, nor did she want to talk to him. She ignored him as best she could. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she went in without another word.

Shen Zhilie followed her into the cramped space. As he pressed one of the buttons, he said, “Which floor do you live on? The house I just rented is on the 20th floor.”