The 99th Divorce

This wasn’t just something that would puzzle Ye Qianqian for the present. It was something that she would continue to be puzzled by for a long time to come.

Over the past few days, Ye Qianqian hadn’t been able to get enough rest.

At that moment, while chatting with Shen Zhilie, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

When evening came, Shen Zhilie woke Ye Qianqian up for dinner, but she was still half asleep when she got up. After she brushed her teeth and washed her face, she realized there was an array of her favorite dishes waiting for her on the dining table.

After eating her fill, Ye Zhenhua suddenly had the urge to take them mountain climbing.

Yun Town wasn’t big, but it was home to a famous mountain that people there called Mount Ling. Although Mount Ling was referred to as a mountain, in reality it was only a hill that happened to be taller than most.

Because it was the New Year festival, a lot of other people also went to the mountain at night. Ye Qianqian had intentionally worn a pair of flat-soled shoes, but she was ready to throw in the towel when she was barely halfway up the mountain.

Although the mountain wasn’t steep, it was slippery and didn’t have many grooves. It would be easy for someone to slip and fall if they weren’t careful.

Ye Qianqian froze in place and didn’t dare to move. She looked at her father, who was ahead and above her, and cried out pitifully, “Dad, I can’t go any higher!”

Ye Zhenhua, who was clearly very spry and energetic, turned back to glance at Ye Zhenhua and said with a laugh, “You’re a young woman, and yet you’re losing to an old man like me? Come on! Hurry up!”

“Bullsh*t! How are you an old man? You’re still as young and fit as ever!” Ye Qianqian said complainingly, but she still did as he asked and climbed up a few more steps.

She was panting away and perspiring all over. The same went for Shen Zhilie, who was beside her. He took a deep breath and said, “Keep up. Come on. I’ll pull you along.”

Ye Qianqian reached for Shen Zhilie’s outstretched hand and slowly made her way forward, step by step.

Ye Zhenhua observed their interaction, and remarked good-naturedly with a sigh, “In the past, this was where people used to come with their whole family. I used to be so embarrassed coming alone. Ha ha ha!” Ye Zhenhua chuckled as he gazed below him. “It’s been a long time since I last came here. It feels good to come with my daughter and son-in-law.”

Ye Qianqian felt her heart wrench when she heard this. Work took up a lot of her time, and she was only able to come to visit a few times a year.

In the past, when Gramps was still alive, her father at least had company, but now that Gramps was gone, he was all alone at home, which caused Ye Qianqian to worry about him from time to time. It was fortunate that he was fit and healthy so she didn’t have to worry that he’d contract a sudden illness.

Ye Qianqian huffed and puffed as she went along, relying on Shen Zhilie’s strength, and finally caught up. She said, “Dad, I’ll come back every weekend to keep you company. What do you think?”

“Ha! I don’t need you to keep me company.”

Ye Zhenhua continued his climb and said between breaths, “Kingstown isn’t exactly near Yun Town. It’s almost a two hour drive. It would be really tiring for you to shuttle back and forth every weekend.”

“Not at all!” she protested.

“Forget it! Concentrate on your work. Working hard and getting promoted will be your greatest gift to me,” Ye Zhenhua smiled. “If you get promoted, I’ll be able to show off when I introduce you to people. How awesome would that be?”

Although his words were sweet, the sight of his lone figure climbing the mountain was a little bleak. He looked so lonely.

Ye Qianqian’s lips wobbled, and she almost burst into tears. Her eyes reddened, and she bit her bottom lip.

Shen Zhilie silently squeezed her hand. “Come on,” he whispered.

“All right.”