Did My Ex-Wife Agree to Remarry Me Today? - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: How Did This Marriage Happen?

“Biscuit, you’ve really put on a lot of weight. Did you sneak out for snacks in the middle of the night?” Chi Yun sat on a low stool in A-Mei’s courtyard, rubbing the puppy’s round belly and head with a playful smile.

Biscuit lay on Chi Yun’s lap, four paws in the air, pads twitching as she squinted in pure bliss.

A-Mei chimed in from the side: “I’m a witness! Biscuit crawls out every night to eat snacks she hides under my bed.”

Chi Yun’s eyes crinkled as she looked at the little creature. Ever since she’d claimed her as a “daughter,” all hostility had vanished. “Being chubby is cute. Eat more, grow up fast. When you’re big, we mother and daughter have to form a united front against the outside world, okay?”

“What’s a ‘united front’?” A-Mei asked, confused.

Chi Yun waved it off and asked about Li Zhou specifically, what time she had left. A-Mei hadn’t seen her since yesterday and shook her head.

Chi Yun looked down at Biscuit, who seemed perfectly content at A-Mei’s house, and held her tiny paws. She pouted at the pup. “Mama left, and you didn’t even bite her pant leg to make her stay. If she finds you a stepmother, you’ll have to change your name to Dried Fish, Dried Kelp, or Dried Grape. Are any of those better than Biscuit?”

Biscuit let out a pitiful whimper, her expression seemingly saying: I’m tiny! What could I have done?

A-Mei, missing the tension entirely, giggled. “I think ‘Dried Fruit’ sounds pretty good. If I had a dog, I’d call it… Dried Plum!”

“No,” Chi Yun insisted. “She can only be Biscuit.”

Wang Fang, the only one who actually knew what was going on, walked into the yard carrying a plate of freshly pan-fried dumplings. She set them on the low table in front of Chi Yun. “Xiao Zhou went to Rong City to pick up Hang Hang. Hang Hang broke her leg being a ‘hero’ at school. Xiao Zhou went to look after her.”

She handed Chi Yun a pair of chopsticks. “Haven’t had lunch, right? Have some dumplings. I just made them.”

“Hang Hang?” Chi Yun held Biscuit loosely, blinking up at Wang Fang. Who is this ‘Hang Hang’ that suddenly appeared?

Wang Fang went back to the kitchen, brought out a small dish of vinegar, and said matter-of-factly, “Hang Hang is Xiao Zhou’s sister. You didn’t know?”

Her tone carried a hint of judgment. How did these two ever get married? You’re her wife and you don’t even know her sister?

Chi Yun truly didn’t know. Li Zhou had never mentioned her. Panicked, she tried to fish for more info. “A blood sister?”

Wang Fang shook her head. “No, Xiao Zhou took her in. Hang Hang is an orphan. Xiao Zhou sponsored her schooling. They’re as close as real sisters, maybe closer.”

Not a blood sister. That did nothing to soothe Chi Yun’s sense of crisis. If they were blood sisters, A-Li being a pear tree would mean Hang Hang was also a pear tree. Was the world full of pear spirits?

“How old is this Hang Hang?” Chi Yun asked.

“Eighteen,” Wang Fang replied. “Almost finished with university. She’s studying law enforcement. Says she wants to follow her sister out to sea and protect the ocean.”

Something is wrong. Very wrong.

Chi Yun tried to recalibrate her “rival radar,” telling herself not to let emotions cloud her judgment. But despite her efforts, the needle on the dashboard swung violently toward the “Danger” zone.

“She’s a university student, an adult. She has a broken leg, not a broken brain. Why does she need Li Zhou to take care of her?” Chi Yun couldn’t wrap her head around it. A-Li was meant for greatness—every hour she spent playing nurse was an hour the “evil whaling ships” weren’t being toppled.

Chi Yun picked up her chopsticks and dunked a dumpling into the vinegar, rolling it around until it was soaked through.

“She’s not there to be a nurse,” Wang Fang explained, recalling what Li Zhou had told her. “Hang Hang has been in treatment for a few days and is being discharged. They haven’t seen each other in a long while; it’s just a chance to reunite. Rong City is fun, and Xiao Zhou hasn’t had a break in ages. It’s good for her to relax for a couple of days.”

Chi Yun ate three vinegar-soaked dumplings in a row. Just as her mouth began to pucker from the sourness, she received a reply to her text. Her expression darkened.

Li Zhou: I don’t know.

What does “I don’t know” mean? That you’re not coming back? That you’re staying in Rong City?

Li Zhou was the master of planning and efficiency. She could find days to spend with a patient, but couldn’t find ten minutes for a meeting?

Chi Yun called her immediately. The phone rang once, and Li Zhou hung up.

She rejected my call.

The vinegar in Chi Yun’s stomach began to churn uncomfortably. Li Zhou had the right to refuse, of course. The “exchange conditions” were just opportunities to show sincerity; they weren’t a binding contract. But that didn’t stop Chi Yun from feeling desolate.

Imagine if she worked herself to the bone picking up every scrap of trash on the beach, booked a table, ordered a feast, and waited… only for Li Zhou to simply not show up.

Chi Yun realized that her progress depended entirely on Li Zhou’s subjective will. It depended on whether Li Zhou wanted to hear her voice, wanted to see her. Yesterday, Li Zhou was willing. Today, she wasn’t.

Was it because of this Hang Hang?

In reality, Li Hang was studying Marine Law Enforcement the same school and major as Chang Qi.

Li Zhou had come to Rong City because she had found a lead in the data recovered from the Black Pearl 0739 a few blurry frames of a ship. The drone had been sunk by water cannons almost as soon as it got in range, but the camera had captured the hull color and some vague outlines.

Chang Qi had taken the images to her colleagues in the technical department for restoration, but no existing ship in the harbor database matched the specialized hull shape. Chang Qi suggested checking her alma mater’s archive, which housed the world’s most comprehensive database of maritime vessel designs.

Li Zhou agreed. Since the Black Pearl was gone, she needed to design a better, stealthier submersible anyway.

Meeting Li Hang was a total accident. While Li Zhou was walking across campus, Li Hang who was being carried toward her dorm by two classmates after being discharged spotted her.

“Sister!” she shouted, hopping toward Li Zhou on one leg. “I was just about to call you! Are you here to pick me up?”

“No,” Li Zhou said bluntly. “I’m here for the archives. I’m leaving once I’m done.”

The doctor had told Li Hang she could put some weight on her leg, but she preferred hopping. “I’m coming with you then! My professor gave me an assignment, and I need to use your printing equipment anyway. How long will your research take?”

“I’m not sure,” Li Zhou replied. Considering the massive workload and the fact that Li Hang already knew her true identity, Li Zhou “conscripted” her on the spot. “Come with us.”

When Chi Yun’s message arrived, Li Zhou was staring at five massive stacks of vessel blueprints. She truly didn’t know when she’d be done. She hung up on Chi Yun simply because she was busy and had no interest in “romance” at that moment.

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