The 99th Divorce

Shen Zhilie chuckled at Shen Manting’s candid observation.

Shen Luo’an’s face turned gloomy. He grabbed her by the waist, lifted her, and placed her on the bed.

He stared at Shen Manting for a while and eventually blurted, “Because I’m your man!”

“Ah…” Shen Manting’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

Shen Zhilie intervened and held Shen Luo’an back. “Be careful not to frighten her, Big Brother. Leave her to me. Take a break outside.”

“No way.” Shen Luo’an grabbed a stool and sat down. “Carry on with your business. I’ll sit here.”

“I don’t think this works…” Shen Zhilie was about to protest, furrowing his brow. However, he gave in when he noticed Shen Luo’an looking upset. He cleared his throat and pursed his lips. “Very well. Father, do you mind leaving the room with Little Moon to give us some space?”

Shen Longyue understood the gravity of the situation. He nodded and ushered Little Moon out of the room. “Let’s go, Little Moon.”

Shen Yuexiao resisted. He gazed at Shen Manting with his bright, round eyes and a heavy heart. “Mommy,” he called out to her.

The revelation startled Shen Manting. She exclaimed, “No way! Why is he calling me his mother? When did I ever give birth to a son?”

Shen Longyue’s heart ached for her.

He glanced at Shen Manting and sighed. “Let’s go, Little Moon. We’ll come back to visit your mother later.”

Shen Yuexiao obeyed reluctantly. “Mommy, I’ll be back to visit you tomorrow,” he muttered.

The raw, unadulterated emotions in his utterances tugged at Shen Manting’s heartstrings.

Shen Manting noticed that his voice sounded oddly familiar.

She seemed to recall hearing those words every day.

She felt a dull ache in her heart, but the next minute, she felt as though she had walked into a nightmare.

She sat silently before the two men facing her.

Shen Luo’an picked up his recording pen and pressed a button to start recording. He instructed, “Now, I’m going to ask you some questions. You’ll answer them truthfully one by one. Tell me everything you know. Is that clear?”

“Yes.” Shen Manting blinked shifted her gaze from Shen Luo’an to Shen Zhilie. She blurted, “Uncle, is your brother really paying for my medical bills?”

Shen Zhilie chuckled, “How did you guess he’s my brother?”

“I heard you calling him your elder brother and that older man your father. Furthermore, both of you look alike, which implies you’re brothers, sons of that older man.” Shen Manting smiled smugly, as if satisfied with her astute observations. Then, she ran her hand across her stomach. “I’m starving. I’m so hungry I don’t have any strength left.”

Shen Zhilie was relieved.

At least she had some degree of intellect left in her.

Shen Zhilie took some notes and replied, “I’ll get you something to eat later. Answer my questions first.”

“All right.”

“How old are you this year?”

“I’m twelve years old.”

“You think you’re twelve years old and you’re calling me Uncle? Do I look that old?” Shen Luo’an blurted in a frustrated tone.

Shen Zhilie almost burst into laughter.

Shen Luo’an seemed to be deeply bothered about being addressed as “Uncle.”

He cleared his throat and warned, “Please keep quiet, Big Brother.”

Shen Luo’an fell silent. Shen Manting added, “You look almost thirty. I don’t think you’re older than that, but you appear to be much older than me!”

Shen Manting indeed believed she was twelve years old.

Shen Zhilie scribbled in his notebook before proceeding to the next question. “Do you remember what happened before you fell into a coma?”

“Of course I remember.” Shen Manting looked pensive and continued, “The head warden sent me on an errand. I was asked to buy a bottle of soy sauce for cooking. I slipped and fell on my way back, breaking the bottle of soy sauce. I was roundly whipped by the head warden’s wife. When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital.”

Shen Zhilie frowned. He looked at her and asked, “Do you remember your name?”

“He Yuncun.”

“Do you remember the characters that make up your name?”

“The characters that mean ‘why do you deserve to live’ in a sentence.”