The 99th Divorce

Shen Zhilie’s heart skipped a beat, and he bellowed, “Grandma!”

But there seemed to be no end to the abyss in front of him; Shen Zhilie couldn’t even hear the sound of anything landing.

“Old Shen? Old Shen?”

He seemed to hear Ye Qianqian’s voice vaguely in the distance. Shen Zhilie turned around swiftly and caught sight of Ye Qianqian.

Ye Qianqian was standing by the cliff, and she was holding a young child’s hand. When Ye Qianqian saw Shen Zhilie, she smiled at him.

Shen Zhilie bent his head down and shifted his gaze subconsciously toward the child by Ye Qianqian’s side. The child was wearing a cute outfit of plaid suspenders over a white shirt, and his hair was cut in the shape of an inverted bowl. He was short and cuddly and looked very cute, but Shen Zhilie couldn’t see his face. It was as if his face were covered by a layer of mist and bright light, which easily obscured Shen Zhilie’s vision.

“Old Shen, it’s time to go home to cook! I haven’t eaten yet.” It was Ye Qianqian’s voice.

Shen Zhilie didn’t know what to think. He looked at Ye Qianqian and replied, “There’s no more rice at home.”

With her hand still holding the little child’s, Ye Qianqian’s expression changed. She suddenly turned around in a huff and pulled the child over before pushing him over the cliff.

Shen Zhilie was horrified and rushed forward as he yelled, “Ye Qianqian! What are you doing?”

Ye Qianqian didn’t speak. She turned to face Shen Zhilie and balled her hands into fists. Shen Zhilie suddenly felt something tighten around his ankle, as if someone were dragging him down. He lowered his eyes, only to see a whitish-green hand that was weathered with age.

Shen Zhilie was caught off guard, and before he knew it, was dragged down. Reeling from the shock, Shen Zhilie immediately opened his eyes. When he regained his senses, he found that his whole body was covered in perspiration.

“You had a nightmare?” It was Ye Qianqian’s voice.

Shen Zhilie hadn’t fully recovered from the shock yet, and suddenly spun his head around. Ye Qianqian was looking at him in fright. Her eyes widened, and she looked uncertain.

Shen Zhilie regained his wits about him and took a deep breath. Ye Qianqian reached out to touch his forehead, and her hand was instantly soaked in his sweat. She pulled her hand back in disgust and complained, “Ew!”

Shen Zhilie looked around; his surroundings were dim. The curtains weren’t drawn. The sky outside was slowly turning bright in the east. The sun was about to rise soon.

Still lying in bed, Shen Zhilie turned his head toward Ye Qianqian and asked, “You mentioned before that you had a weird dream where I threw a kid over a building. Could you tell it to me in more detail?”

Ye Qianqian blinked her eyes and asked, “You dreamed of that, too?”

“Yeah. It’s really weird. I seldom dream, but on the rare occasion that I do, it happens to be a similar dream to yours.” Shen Zhilie wiped the sweat off his brow and sat up. He removed his pajamas, which were drenched in perspiration, and said, “Tell me a little more about what your dream was about.”

Ye Qianqian thought for a moment, and her brows furrowed together. After a long while, she said, “How am I supposed to remember? It’s been so long. Who would remember something like that? What did you just dream of?”

“It was really bizarre. I feel like I dreamed about many things, but I can only remember one thing.”

“You threw the kid over?”

“It was you who threw the kid over.” Shen Zhilie tapped Ye Qianqian on her forehead. “Why did you throw the kid over?”

“I didn’t! D*mn it. Don’t you dare malign me because of your dream.”

Shen Zhilie burst into guffaws. “You can finally understand how I feel now!”

“Did you manage to see what the child looked like?” Ye Qianqian asked suddenly.

Shen Zhilie’s smile ebbed away, and he gently shook his head.

…