The 99th Divorce

This dilemma alone had landed him in a quandary.

Shen Luo’an scratched his head irritably. Then, he stood up and asked, “Where did she go?”

Mrs. Shen shot a look at him and scoffed, “She bolted out of the house some time ago. Do you think she wants to be found?”

Shen Luo’an picked up his phone at once and dialed Shen Manting’s number.

He could hear Shen Manting’s phone ringing from inside the room.

The ringtone sounded melodious, but it did nothing to calm Shen Luo’an’s agitation and intensified it instead.

Shen Luo’an tossed his phone aside and rushed out the door.

It was dark outside when he opened the door.

The dim streetlights provided the only source of illumination for the pitch-black night.

Shen Manting was only dressed in casual attire when she left the house. She didn’t even bring her phone along, let alone her ID card and money!

The night was getting late and she had nothing on her. Where could she go?

Shen Luo’an was desperate. He ventured outdoors and shouted, “Shen Manting!”

She wouldn’t have gone far by now.

The silence of the night was punctuated by the sound of crickets chirping in the yard. Shen Luo’an ran outside, looked around, and finally dashed along the street to his left.

But he couldn’t find her after a long search.

Shen Luo’an felt a little frustrated. He stopped and stood on the side of the road to catch his breath.

Shen Luo’an tried hard to think. He ran through a mental list of the places she might have gone to, or the route she could have taken when she’s in a foul mood.

Shen Luo’an identified three locations after deliberating for a long time.

The first possibility was the bar.

But she had no money with her at the moment, so she wouldn’t have gone there for a drink or two.

The second possibility was her friend’s house.

She didn’t have many friends in the area. The few friends she had included a former classmate and a socialite from the capital.

It’s unlikely that she would stop by at the socialite’s residence. On the other hand, it was highly likely that she could have ended up at her former classmate’s place.

But she didn’t even carry her phone with her, so this possibility could be dismissed first.

The last possibility was that…

She was still wandering nearby, not far from this neighborhood.

Shen Manting had a faux poetic sensibility. Whenever she was feeling down, she would most likely… sit on a swing?

Shen Luo’an was confounded by his sudden idea.

He somehow thought of the swing in the neighborhood park where the children went to play.

The swing could barely fit children, let alone adults.

Yet, Shen Luo’an felt compelled to head for the park.

The swing in the park was empty under the dim, warm-hued streetlights. There was no one there.

Shen Luo’an scoffed at his own ridiculous idea. His heart sank.

Just when he was about to turn around and walk away, he caught a glimpse of a shadow on the basketball court.

A figure was curled up beneath the hoop post, casting a long shadow under the dim lights.

Shen Luo’an was standing a distance away and was unable to make out clearly the identity of the figure due to his shortsightedness.

Nevertheless, he was prompted by his gut feeling to take gentle steps towards the figure.

Shen Manting was crouched against the hoop post, looking lost in the cool evening air.

She felt a tinge of sorrow within her.

Tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably. She felt aggrieved and helpless.

She buried her face between her knees and sobbed softly.

All of a sudden, she heard the faint sound of footsteps behind her.

She turned around to see Shen Luo’an standing behind her!

Shen Manting was shocked. She immediately rose to her feet and staggered backward.

Upon seeing her expression, Shen Luo’an stopped in his tracks and said, “Let’s talk.”

The conflict within her grew.

Shen Manting took a few more steps back. “I have nothing to say to you.”