The 99th Divorce

The man hadn’t expected such a development. He took a step back in horror as he felt the heat of the burning flames.

“Arghhh!” Screaming in terror, the man nevertheless didn’t lose sight of his original goal and pounced toward Shen Zhilie.

Shen Zhilie sidestepped him easily and stuck his leg out, sending him sprawling to the ground. The sound of many footsteps followed behind him. The ruffian was surrounded, and he could hear the sound of multiple guns being cocked at the same time.

The addict’s face was horrified. He lay on the ground and desperately put the flames on his body out. Before he realized it, he was stopped by a gun to his head. His eyes were full of hatred as he stared at Shen Zhilie. Clenching his jaw tightly, he said, “How dare you play me!”

Shen Zhilie was covered in cold sweat, and when he heard the man’s words, he laughed chillingly. However, he inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

…

The police swept through Songyun South Street, and a total of fifteen people were arrested. By the time everyone returned to the police station, it was already afternoon. Before Shen Zhilie could even step inside, he heard Ye Qianqian’s footsteps from afar.

Upon seeing Shen Zhilie, Ye Qianqian embarrassingly burst into tears in full view of everyone. She pounced on Shen Zhilie and couldn’t stop wailing.

When Inspector Lin witnessed this, he found it hilarious and heart-wrenching at the same time. He patted Shen Zhilie on his shoulder and said, “Your girlfriend was absolutely petrified. Console her well.”

Shen Zhilie felt his heart melt. He tightened his arms around Ye Qianqian and whispered, “It’s fine. Stop crying. Everyone’s looking.”

Ye Qianqian felt even further aggrieved by his words and bit him hard on his shoulder. The bite was painful, and he howled, partly in exaggeration, and partly in pain, and said, “Oh my god! Are you out to commit mariticide?”

Ye Qianqian responded by adding more force to her bite. After sobbing a few more times, she pushed him away and marched out of the police station.

Shen Zhilie knew that he was in trouble and quickly gave chase. “I managed to the man,” he cajoled. “You won’t have to live in fear anymore. Isn’t that a pleasant surprise? Isn’t that unexpected? Aren’t you touched?”

Ye Qianqian’s lips wobbled, and she started wailing again in earnest.

Shen Zhilie was horrified, and he quickly pulled her into his arms as he consoled her, saying, “All right, all right. Don’t cry anymore. I was in the wrong. I’ll admit my mistake.”

Ye Qianqian held him tightly and admonished angrily, “How could you not say a word before going off to do something so dangerous? What would you have expected me to do if I woke up and received word that you had been killed by the roadside?”

“Well, I’m fine,” Shen Zhilie replied helplessly. “Besides, how can you curse your boyfriend that way? All right, all right. Please stop crying.”

Ye Qianqian didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t stop her tears from spilling out. Her eyes were already swollen red, and still she couldn’t suppress her urge to cry.

Shen Zhilie was at a loss for what to do and whispered, “Let’s go home, shall we?”

“No. I want to go back to the hotel.”

The smile disappeared from Shen Zhilie’s face as he pulled her along. “Come on. Let’s go.”

These were the two longest days that Ye Qianqian had experienced in her life. Everything else she had experienced were happy memories in comparison.

After staying in the hotel for a few days, the couple began to move their belongings to the new house. Notice of a change in ownership had been put up at the apartment, and Ye Qianqian and Shen Zhilie started to move in.

The police force presented Shen Zhilie with a banner of recognition. On it were two lines: Bold and courageous. An exemplary citizen.

The words were grandiose yet simple. Ye Qianqian disdainfully shoved the banner under the bed. When Shen Zhilie asked about it, Ye Qianqian’s reply was a simple: “In the trash.” There was nothing Shen Zhilie could do about it.

Finally, when the dust had settled, a piece of bad news came from the capital. Due to his absence from work without a legitimate reason, Shen Zhilie had been demoted and suspended.