Did My Ex-Wife Agree to Remarry Me Today? - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Breakdown

The three of them spent the entire day in the archive room, their eyes blurring from the endless variety of ship types. Finding the model of a vessel based on a single, blurry silhouette was it like searching for a needle in a haystack?

Surely, it had to be simpler than that.

According to the records, there were only a few hundred registered ship types. Even with dozens of sub-models for each, it was a finite number. It seemed impossible to flip through everything and find nothing. Were they looking at it wrong? Had they misidentified the key features?

Just as they were about to start over, Li Hang, having quickly regained her fighting spirit, suggested a different approach. “Sister, show me the un-restored footage. Sometimes the raw, blurry stuff is easier for me to ‘feel’ out.”

Li Zhou played the original video. As Li Hang watched, her brow furrowed into a tight knot. “Tell me… could this be a massive submarine instead of a ship? Maybe the part above the water is just a tiny fraction of it.”

“Like, this part only extends when it’s operating at the surface and retracts when it dives. That would explain the irregular shapes on the edges.”

Li Zhou and Chang Qi leaned in. The more they looked, the more Li Hang’s theory made sense. They had been looking for a whaling ship in the wrong category entirely.

Over the past few days, Chi Yun had been frequenting Shazhou at every opportunity, delivering meticulously organized plastic bottles and white trash. While her employees merely separated caps from bodies, Chi Yun went a step further flattening every bottle, sorting them by material and size, and packing them beautifully.

She had a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder; since these were going to Li Zhou, they had to be neat and aesthetic. But even as the sacks piled up from a corner to half the yard, Li Zhou still hadn’t returned.

Chi Yun sent a photo of the yard to Li Zhou every day, tallying her “talk time” credits, but she said nothing else. She had learned her lesson: until she understood why Li Zhou’s attitude had shifted, she shouldn’t waste her hard-earned opportunities.

On a weekend evening, the beach was crowded. The sea breeze was gentle, and the ocean, dyed red by the setting sun, sent waves rippling toward the shore like folds in silk. Couples strolled in the sunset.

Chi Yun sat a distance away on a bench along the sightseeing path, cradling Biscuit. Looking at the sea veiled in twilight, she sighed. “Looks like we’ve both been abandoned, kiddo.”

Suddenly, Biscuit stirred. She wagged her tail, propped herself up on Chi Yun’s shoulder, and barked toward the end of the road. Then, she squirmed out of Chi Yun’s arms and hit the ground running.

Chi Yun had been dazed, but as her gaze followed the small, bouncing ball of fur, she froze. Only one person could make the puppy this excited. Only one person could make her stand up instantly, eyes locked on the horizon.

The moment she saw Li Zhou, Chi Yun felt a surge of raw grievance. These few days had felt like years. Her longing was a torrential flood, yet time moved like a slow crawl. She missed her so much it hurt.

But as her vision cleared, she saw that Li Zhou wasn’t alone. Walking beside her was a fair-skinned girl pulling a suitcase. The mist in Chi Yun’s eyes quickly receded, replaced by a sharp sting.

The two walked side-by-side from the distance. They were walking slowly, unhurried, talking and laughing. Then, Biscuit joined them. Li Zhou scooped her up, and the fair-skinned girl switched her suitcase to the other hand so she could lean over and rub the puppy’s head playfully.

Chi Yun felt she had been wrong earlier. They hadn’t both been abandoned. Only she had.

She pulled a cigarette from her case, lit it, and sat back down. Her expression went numb. Looking at the fading twilight, she exhaled a thin plume of smoke. The sightseeing path she sat on and the road they walked were separate; they wouldn’t cross paths.

But, being the “troublemaker” she was, she had parked her car right in front of Li Zhou’s gate again. Just like last time, if Li Zhou wanted to get in, she’d have to ask her to move it.

Chi Yun waited silently for her cigarette to burn out.

Near Li Zhou’s gate, Li Hang grumbled at the “unscrupulous driver” blocking the way. “Who parks like this? Right in front of someone’s gate! The nerve!” She almost wanted to kick the tire.

Li Zhou glanced toward the ocean, then turned back to restrain Li Hang. “It’ll be gone soon. We can just go in through the back door.”

“We should call the police! I’m taking a picture of the license plate!” Li Hang was fuming.

“Ignore it. Go focus on your assignment. I need the 3D printer for my exhibition tomorrow morning, so when will you be finished?”

As they walked toward the back, they passed the yard. Li Zhou naturally saw the neatly piled sacks.

“I’ll pull an all-nighter. I’ll be fast.”

“The faster the better,” Li Zhou said. “And don’t touch the materials in the yard. Use the ones from the warehouse.”

Li Hang knew her sister was strict. “Got it, got it!”

At the back door, Li Zhou unlocked the gate. Biscuit struggled to get down. Li Zhou set her on the ground, and the puppy immediately bolted back toward the road.

“Where’s she going?” Li Hang asked as the suitcase clattered over the pebbles.

“Probably to find A-Mei next door,” Li Zhou said.

Li Hang looked at the neighbor’s house, then back at the road. “But… wouldn’t the back gate be faster? Why run the long way around?”

“She likes running. Let her be,” Li Zhou said tonelessly.

Biscuit wasn’t looking for A-Mei. She went back for Chi Yun. Chi Yun was shrouded in the bitter scent of tobacco, unresponsive. Biscuit barked twice, and seeing no reaction, she nipped at Chi Yun’s pant leg and tugged hard.

This finally snapped Chi Yun out of her trance. She looked down. Biscuit was inviting her back, her black eyes bright and expectant.

Chi Yun pouted and pulled her leg back. She patted the puppy’s head and shooed her. “Go back to her. I’m not going.”

Biscuit sat firmly by her feet, tilting her head as if to ask: Why? The person we’ve been waiting for is home. Why won’t you see her?

“She definitely doesn’t want to see me,” Chi Yun said dejectedly. “She won’t even talk to me now.”

Biscuit bumped her furry head against Chi Yun’s calf. Chi Yun waved her off again. “It’s dinner time. Go back and eat.”

Thinking of Biscuit’s meals made Chi Yun feel even worse. Last time, Biscuit had shown off her bowl—a metal basin she’d dragged out from Li Zhou’s house. There was a single softened kibble left in it. Chi Yun had sniffed it and realized the kibble had been soaked in pear juice.

Her heart turned sour. Even the dog lived better than she did. She couldn’t even beg for a drop of pear juice, let alone a conversation.

Under Biscuit’s persistent gaze, Chi Yun waved her away one last time. The puppy, now significantly larger than before, ran off, looking back every three steps.

The evening stars appeared. The crowds were gone. The ocean tore off its peaceful mask and began to surge violently. Chi Yun pulled out another cigarette.

When the entire coast was swallowed by a deep blue night, Chi Yun finally went to move her car. It wasn’t right to block the gate forever.

She parked near the bench where she had sat and stood by the car, staring at Li Zhou’s yard. Several things flashed through her mind: the lit windows, the two people entering together, the white suitcase…

Is that girl staying at A-Li’s house tonight?

Her brows knitted tight. She didn’t want to accept the theory forming in her head. That girl is the “Hang Hang” Grandma Wang mentioned? Her “sister”? So she lives with A-Li? Did they live together before too?

She didn’t care about the past the fact was, the girl was an adult now. Why live with A-Li? If she couldn’t afford a place, Chi Yun would gladly buy her a house just to get her out.

Chi Yun was busy plotting a three-step plan to move in herself, only to be hit by the fact that someone else had entered so easily. She admitted it: seeing that “sister” follow Li Zhou inside had broken her composure.

So, when she saw Li Zhou’s silhouette appear in A-Mei’s yard a few minutes later, Chi Yun didn’t care about the consequences. She stepped forward and intercepted her.

Support