The 99th Divorce

Yu Lili was astonished when she saw the very youngish-looking man standing outside her door. Ou Huojin and Ou Ming resembled each other a fair bit in looks. If not for the fact that she knew he was Ou Ming’s father, she would have guessed that he was his brother. Just from outward appearances alone, it was hard to tell them both apart.

Yu Lili was lost in thought momentarily, but she quickly regained her wits and tapped on the screen to open the door. “Come on in, Uncle,” she called out.

Ou Huojin did not expect Yu Lili to react that way. He’d expected her to coldly blame him and question what he was doing there. In order to prevent his wife from being humiliated, he had deliberately prevented Jiao Ziqing from coming with him. Evidently, this girl was nothing like what he had imagined.

His eyes slightly flashed. Satisfaction filled his heart as he strode in. “Do you live alone?” he asked.

Yu Lili was surprised by the question. She quickly shook her head and replied, “No, not alone. I live with my colleague.”

“Oh, I see.” Ou Huojin walked in. “Do I need to remove my shoes?”

“You don’t have to, Uncle. Just come right in. Please have a seat. Can I get you some coffee?” Yu Lili asked.

“You’re being too courteous. Actually, I have a reason for coming today,” Ou Huojin said. He had walked in, but he didn’t look like he had any intention of sitting down.

Yu Lili had already roughly guessed his reason and cautiously asked, “Does it have to do with Ou Ming?”

“Yes,” Ou Huojin looked at Yu Lili, paying attention to her reaction as he elaborated. “My son was in a car accident yesterday. I’m sure you know about it. The situation is not looking good.”

When Yu Lili heard that, she balled her fists up and asked, “How is he?”

“As of now, he is unable to see temporarily due to loss of blood. The doctor said that as long as he keeps his spirits up, there’s a chance of recovery. But, lately, Ou Ming has been in a really bad mood.” Ou Huojin paused for a moment. He realized that Yu Lili showed no sign of surprise or shock. “I hope that you will pay him a visit.”

“Uncle,” Yu Lili interrupted, “Your wife seems to have very strong objections toward me. Yesterday, at the entrance to Ou Ming’s ward…”

“Xiao Jiao is very apologetic regarding what happened yesterday. What she said was out of line. But, Miss Yu, please believe that everything we did was motivated by our desire to want the best for our child. My wife might have had some misunderstandings about you. Why don’t you go with me, and we can all have a good chat face to face.” Ou Huojin smiled at Yu Lili with eyes that looked identical to Ou Ming’s.

Yu Lili gave the matter some consideration. She knew that he was also worried that she would hurt Ou Ming. “How is Ou Ming doing today?”

“He’s still hospitalized, in very poor spirits, and refuses to eat. He hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday. He’s been relying on the intravenous drip, but if this continues, we’re worried that his body won’t be able to take it.” As he spoke about his son’s situation, Ou Huojin felt a sense of helplessness. “He wants you to come. He’s been looking for you since yesterday. Let’s go over together.”

Yu Lili said, “Then, Ou Ming’s mother…”

“This was her idea.” Ou Huojin knew the reason for her hesitation. “She knows that she went overboard with her words yesterday. You should know Ou Ming’s temper well since you’ve been with him for such a long time. His mother’s temper is identical to his. In reality, their bark is worse than their bite. She doesn’t really mean you any harm.”

Yu Lili nodded her head and said, “OK.”