The 99th Divorce

“No way! How can you take a shower now?” Jiao Ziqing asked. “The doctor said that you were already pushing it by getting discharged before recovering from your injuries. Stop being willful!”

In the midst of her nagging, she had already nudged Yu Lili aside and was supporting her son up the stairs. Yu Lili followed behind and heard Ou Ming say, “It’s fine. Yu Lili can just help me wipe by body. Mom, don’t worry about me. Go to sleep.”

“What are you talking about?” Jiao Ziqing voiced her disapproval. Her back was toward Yu Lili. She had no intention of hiding what she was about to say from her. “She’s a lady after all. How can you let her wipe your body? Even if she has a really good relationship with you, she’s still an outsider at the end of the day. Won’t you be more sensible?”

An outsider… She was indeed an outsider. Nevertheless, having it declared out loud made Yu Lili feel a little uneasy.

“She’s my woman, not an outsider,” Ou Ming said. “Mom, stop minding me.”

He turned to Yu Lili and said, “Yu Lili, come over here.”

Yu Lili made her way to Ou Ming’s side quickly and answered, “I’m here.”

“Take me upstairs. It’s time to shower and sleep,” he said.

“I’ll do it.” Jiao Ziqing held on to Ou Ming’s hand and refused to let go. She looked at Yu Lili with displeasure in her eyes. “The two of you may be close, but you’re still not married. How can the both of you sleep in the same room? Your room is to be shared with your wife in future! How could you just allow anyone in?”

Yu Lili wasn’t stupid. What Ou Ming’s mother said was clearly a warning directed at her. In other words, she was making it clear that Yu Lili would never marry Ou Ming, so she wasn’t allowed to sleep in Ou Ming’s room. And, Yu Lili should just give up whatever hope she harbored.

Since even Yu Lili understood the underlying meaning, it went without saying that Ou Ming did as well.

How awkward… The situation made Yu Lili feel that she was sticking out like a sore thumb. Yu Lili hated that feeling.

Her heart twisted a little. She decided to take lead of the conversation, “Auntie, Ou Ming, I never had any intention of staying here. I didn’t even bring a change of clothes. I’ll leave now.”

Now that she had said that, it was Jiao Ziqing’s turn to feel awkward.

Now… Now why did it sound as if Jiao Ziqing had chased her off?

She just didn’t want her son to be mingling too much with this woman. The thought of this woman tainting her son, in Jiao Ziqing’s own home no less, made her feel very uncomfortable.

But, she’d never intended to chase Yu Lili away!

After all, she’d been the one who extended the invitation for Yu Lili to stay with them in the first place. She’d even cleared out the guest room for her. But, Jiao Ziqing couldn’t bring herself to explain.

Her personality had always been unyielding, and Jiao Ziqing couldn’t bring herself to soften her words. Seeing her son’s expression darken, she began to regret her actions a little.

Ou Ming looked upset, but he didn’t say a word. He flung Jiao Ziqing’s hand off and headed up the stairs on his own. It was better to walk off than bear such humiliation and hear his mother say such words.

He pursed his lips into a thin line. Even though he was blind, he had no trouble climbing the stairs of his own home. He reached the top soon enough. He turned to the left and walked straight ahead to his room, closing the door with a loud slam.

Yu Lili had reached the main entrance when she heard the door to Ou Ming’s room slam. She felt her heart shatter along with it. Indeed, she didn’t fit in well with this family.