"'Today is an important day. I'm single again...'"
Su Shui lay on the desk, writing a diary entry for the first time in ages. After all, it was his first day divorced—a day worth putting on paper.
He hadn't written more than a few paragraphs when his little fountain pen ran out of ink.
He stood up and searched the desk for ink, but the ink bottle seemed to have hidden itself. No matter how hard Su Shui looked, he couldn't find it.
"Wife, the ink..."
Out of habit, he called for his wife. But seeing the empty room, Su Shui suddenly remembered—they were divorced!
Unable to find it, he gave up on the diary. It wasn't that important anyway.
That night, lying in bed, he felt lonely sleeping alone on the double bed.
The bedroom light was off. Su Shui tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Even with no one beside him, he habitually curled up on one side of the bed.
"Seriously, why can't I sleep!"
Su Shui sat up, rubbing his hair with a frustrated expression.
He climbed out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and gazed at the crescent moon in the night sky. Lin Ning's face kept appearing in his mind. Memories of their life together flooded his thoughts in an instant.
"I don't miss her at all!"
Su Shui tried hard to push Lin Ning out of his mind. But the more he tried not to think of her, the clearer her face became in his head.
Late at night, Su Shui tossed and turned under the covers, unable to sleep. Just as he finally felt a bit drowsy, hunger struck.
Too sleepy to keep his eyes open, Su Shui still stumbled into the kitchen.
He opened the fridge, pulled out two slices of bread, and cut two pieces of ham. Standing right there, he started munching. Then he spotted a few cans of beer inside.
With trembling hands, he took out a can and placed it gently on the table.
Normally, he wasn't even allowed a sip of beer before bed. Lin Ning strictly limited him to one glass—no more.
"This... this is a historic breakthrough in my life!"
Su Shui opened the beer, tilted his head back, and chugged the entire can in one go.
"This is the feeling of freedom after divorce!"
Like Adam tasting the forbidden fruit, Su Shui lined up all the beer cans from the fridge on the table. He took sips from one can, poured from another. Soon, his head felt heavy, and he collapsed onto the table, falling into a deep sleep.
...
...
Lin Ning sat on the sofa at Liu Shuang's place, hugging a small pillow and curled up into a ball.
The table was covered with snacks, and a Stephen Chow comedy played on TV. But she had no appetite for the treats. Her eyes stared blankly at the screen, lost in thought.
"What's wrong? Still thinking about your ex?" Liu Shuang asked, sitting beside Lin Ning with a glass of juice, whispering in her ear.
"W-what? Impossible!" Lin Ning shot up from the sofa like a cat caught by the tail, shouting, "We're divorced! Why would I think about that bastard!"
"Alright, alright. Our Lin Ning wouldn't think about that bastard~" Liu Shuang waved her hand gently, comforting her like a child.
"Who'd think about that guy? He's greedy, lazy, doesn't work. Cooking all day counts as labor for him..."
Lin Ning sat there, rattling off Su Shui's flaws nonstop. The pillow in her arms was twisted into strange shapes.
Watching Lin Ning perk up at the mention of Su Shui, Liu Shuang sipped her juice quietly, listening.
After talking for a while, Lin Ning finally stopped. She grabbed a glass of water from the coffee table and gulped it down, feeling much better inside.
"Done? You're just rubbing it in for a single woman like me!" Liu Shuang clutched her chest, pretending to be heartbroken.
"Seriously, I'm not rubbing it in. These are just built-up frustrations! The hardships of my marriage!"
"But I feel like you're showing off. Showing off your husband!"
"He's not my husband. He's my ex!" Lin Ning slammed the table, emphasizing the words.
"Alright, alright, your ex~"
Liu Shuang shrugged and headed to the kitchen.
"You haven't been over in ages. Let's make something to eat~"
"I'll help! I need to learn how to cook too!" Lin Ning, hugging a small plush toy, followed Liu Shuang into the kitchen, eager as a puppy.
...
...
They sat at the dining table, staring at the plates of charred dishes.
"You... can't cook either?!"
Lin Ning looked at Liu Shuang, whose skills matched her own. She wondered why Liu Shuang had been so confident entering the kitchen.
"This... was an accident. How about we order takeout~"
Liu Shuang expertly opened a food delivery app and started browsing options.
"Takeout~ takeout~"
Lin Ning excitedly scrolled through the dazzling array of dishes on her phone, searching for her favorites.
"Why so excited over takeout?" Liu Shuang asked curiously.
Without looking up, Lin Ning kept scrolling and complained, "That Su Shui never let me order takeout. I had to eat his cooking every day~ I'm so sick of it~"
"You're just blessed with problems!" Liu Shuang said with a bitter smile.
Under Lin Ning's eager gaze, the delivery guy finally arrived with their order.
They opened the elegant packaging to reveal beautifully arranged dishes.
Don't be fooled—it was takeout, but the price was no cheaper than dining out.
Lin Ning grabbed a container, picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork with her chopsticks, and put it in her mouth.
"Ptooey! So gross!"
She spat it out after barely chewing.
"That can't be. I order from this place all the time~"
Liu Shuang also picked up a piece, puzzled, and tasted it.
"It's fine. I think it's pretty good~"
"What's good about it? Overcooked, and the sauce is awful~" Lin Ning poked at the dish with her chopsticks, wearing a look of disgust.
"How can you be such a picky eater when you can't even cook?"
"It's just that my Su..." Lin Ning stopped mid-sentence, covering her mouth. "It's just that bastard always bragged about his cooking after making it."
"Oh~ My Su what?" Liu Shuang asked with a mischievous smile.
"My... my... my uncle! Yes, my uncle!"
"You call your uncle 'bastard'~" Liu Shuang pressed on, zeroing in on the slip.
"Yes, my uncle's nickname is Bastard!"
Watching Lin Ning sacrifice her uncle to cover her tracks, Liu Shuang silently pitied the unseen uncle.
"Whatever. I'll just make some noodles. This food is terrible."
Lin Ning went to the kitchen and soon returned with a bowl of noodle soup.
"Try it!" She placed the bowl on the table, hands on hips, chest puffed out proudly.
"Smells amazing! You can cook this?" Liu Shuang looked at her in surprise.
"Of course! That bastard was the only one who taught me how to make this!"
...
...
Late at night, Lin Ning and Liu Shuang slept together.
Lin Ning tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Normally, she'd sleep draped over Su Shui. Now, with Liu Shuang, she couldn't do that.
"I wonder if that bastard is asleep. He's probably out cold. Heartless guy!"
...
...
As time ticked by, the divorced couple lay awake at the same time.
