The 99th Divorce

Yu Lili pushed him away and reverted to her original volume as she admonished him, “You pervert! How can you want everything?”

Ou Ming laughed as he pulled her close and replied, “Because it’s you.”

Faced with such a comeback, all the anger in Yu Lili dissipated.

The smile on Ou Ming’s face deepened, making his eyes curve to become two beautiful crescents. But, his eyes still remained unfocused and empty.

Yu Lili sat down and asked unhappily, “Do you know who I am?”

“You’re my Yu Lili,” he said

“Who’s yours?” she asked.

“You are,” he replied.

Yu Lili became even more annoyed with him and sneered. Seeing the bandage around his head, she softened her words and asked, “Does it still hurt?”

“Yeah, it hurts.” Ou Ming answered truthfully. “But, I’m really hungry. Let’s eat.”

Yu Lili snorted with disbelief as she turned to open the lunch boxes. “You really haven’t eaten anything since yesterday?” she asked.

Didn’t they agree they would put on a show? Did Ou Ming actually do it for real?

“Yeah.” Ou Ming’s eyes lacked focus as they appeared to just stared into the distance. He still turned his head toward Yu Lili and asked, “Was it my dad who went to get you just now?”

“Yeah.” Yu Lili opened the paper lunch boxes and retrieved the thermal flask inside.

“What did he say?” Ou Ming asked.

“Nothing much. He just asked a few questions. For example when we met, and how old I was,” Yu Lili said.

“What did you tell him regarding how we met?” he asked.

Yu Lili paused and separated a disposable chopstick into two. Her eyes darkened a little as she replied, “I told him the truth.”

Ou Ming was surprised by that answer and asked, “You did?”

“Yeah,” Yu Lili said.

“I thought you wouldn’t,” Ou Ming said.

After all, from Yu Lili’s point of view, the chain of events was nothing to be proud of. Every time any of her friends asked, she wouldn’t lie, but neither would she tell the truth. As time passed, Ou Ming understood how she felt about it.

But, she actually told my father the truth? That was way too far out of Ou Ming’s expectations. Wouldn’t hiding the truth from him and embellishing the story be the proper way to deal with his father?

Yu Lili brought the thermal flask over and said, “Frankly speaking, even if I didn’t tell the truth, your dad would be able to find it out for himself sooner or later.”

If she hadn’t told the truth, being caught in her lie would be infinitely more awkward.

She scooped a spoonful of soup and blew on it. “Drink some soup first. Be careful, it’s hot.”

Ou Ming remained motionless, so Yu Lili brought the spoon to his lips. He felt the hot steam and opened his mouth slightly, drinking the soup.

“Drink some, too,” he said. “Our chef prepared it. It’s delicious.”

Based on the aroma alone, Yu Lili knew the soup would be delicious. When she took a spoonful for herself and tasted it, her eyes lit up. “It’s awesome!”

“She once worked as a chef specializing in soups. Later on, because my mom loved her skill, my dad poached her over to become our private chef. It’s been a few decades since,” Ou Ming said.

Yu Lili suddenly thought of Ou Ming’s mother and her temper, as well as Ou Ming’s father and his temperament. Was Ou Ming’s mother’s temper the result of his father’s doting love toward her?

It was true that Ou Ming’s father possessed a very good temperament. But, she never expected him to be so affectionate when it came to matters of the heart.

A hint of envy passed through Yu Lili as she scooped another spoonful of soup for Ou Ming. “Wouldn’t you get tired of having the same taste for so many years?”

“Not at all. Everyone in my family treasures nostalgia. We don’t really like change,” Ou Ming said. “Once we’ve gotten used to something, we keep with it. My dad is like that, and so am I.”