Chapter 338: Chapter 338: You Might as Well Get a Divorce Sooner
Renee Jennings saw the live comments, raised an eyebrow, and explained with a smile, "Iām not signed with an agency. When I mentioned KPIs, I was referring to the four cats at home waiting to be adopted."
[Are they the ones from your profile?]
[A tabby, an orange cat, a calico... whatās the fourth one?]
"Looks like the smart ones have already figured it out." Reneeās lips curled as a smile reached her eyes. "The last one is a little tabby kitten."
[I just peeked at your profile. Three of the cats are already pretty big. Do they still warm up to people?]
[Iād still rather raise one from a kitten.]
"Of course they will. Iāll communicate with them," Renee said. "And potential adopters will need to get the catās approval to be officially qualified to adopt."
āI have to be responsible for the cats. Itās not like just anyone who says they want a cat can adopt one.ā
[Oh, I see!]
[*tentatively raises paw* Can I adopt the little tabby? Iāve wanted a cat for so long!]
[Iām getting tempted, too. A cat thatās communicated with the host must be really well-behaved!]
[How do we sign up?]
Seeing so many people interested in adopting the cats, Renee Jennings felt a surge of confidence. "Anyone interested in adopting a kitten can send me a direct message. Iāll reply to them one by one after the stream. Spaces are limited, so itās first come, first served."
Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly heard a faint noise behind her.
Renee turned her head and saw the cats and dogs appearing at the doorway to the study.
She raised an eyebrow. "What are you all doing here?"
Blueberry meowed in a deliberately cutesy voice, "Renee, can we watch you stream?"
"Sure," Renee nodded, looking amused.
Blueberry led its companions to a spot, where they all sat down.
Renee picked up her phone, flipped the camera around, and showed the scene to her viewers. "And hereās todayās live audience."
[Whoa, so many fur babies!]
[So cute!!!]
A moment later, Rhea Dempsey came into the study holding a terrarium, a look of exasperation on her face. "As soon as Blueberry and the others came upstairs, the turtle got restless and started making a racket. I figured he wanted to come up too. He settled down as soon as I picked him up."
"Youāre amazing, Mom." Renee smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. "You figured that out, too."
"Heh, I suppose I am." Rhea Dempsey replied, her modest tone tinged with a hint of pride.
She didnāt leave, either. Instead, she grabbed a bag of sunflower seeds and sat down on the sofa. "You go on with your work, Renee. Donāt mind us."
The fur babies all nodded in agreement.
"Alright." Renee turned her attention back to the live stream camera. "Okay, Iām ready to take a call."
The call with "Miles" connected, and a man with a scruffy beard appeared in the split-screen. His short, curly bangs hung over his eyebrows, and he wore a pair of rimless glasses. He had a weary, rundown look about him.
He seemed not to have expected the call to go through, staring blankly for a moment before reacting. "Oh, itās me."
"Thatās right," Renee said softly. "How can I help you?"
[Whoa, an older guy just showed up in the stream!]
[I didnāt know people his age watched this host, lol.]
[There are even older people, like my grandparents! I got them hooked, and now theyāre watching it cast on the TV! And Renee streams so late, but they refuse to go to sleep. They insist on staying up to watch!]
[My parents too, lmao]
Miles glanced at the live comments, then ran a hand through his hair, his voice tinged with exasperation. "Am I really that old? Iām only thirty-three..."
[Sorry~ You look like youāre 43.]
[Itās probably the beard, haha.]
[You know, I actually think this guyās beard is kinda sexy.]
The live comments made Milesās ears burn. He cleared his throat and said, feigning composure, "Iāll just shave the beard off later."
He paused, glanced at the live comments again, then quickly averted his eyes and looked earnestly at Reneeās face. "Host, thereās something Iād like to ask for your help with."
Renee: "Go ahead."
A flash of hesitation crossed Milesās weary face. After a few seconds of internal struggle, he took a deep breath and said, "My wife and I have been living in two different places ever since we got married."
[Whoa, the older guyās married? I just DMād him... my bad, just pretend I never sent that!]
[Heās 33. Itās perfectly normal for him to be married.]
Miles sighed. "Weāve been married for five years."
Renee was rather surprised to hear that. "Does that mean youāve been living apart for five years?"
"Yes." Miles nodded. "To be precise, we started living apart in our second year of dating. We were long-distance for about a year and a half."
[But why?]
[Long-distance while dating, living apart after marriage... why not just break up?]
Renee asked gently, "Was there a reason?"
"In our second year of dating, she passed the exam to become a civil servant in another city." Miles looked down. "Of course I supported her career, and I was planning on moving to her city to work when the time was right."
Renee looked at the split-screen, confused. "Then why did you keep living apart after getting married?"
Miles gave a bitter smile. "I donāt get it either. After we got married, I brought up moving to her city for work, but she wouldnāt have it. She flew into a rage."
"And the reason she was angry?"
Miles: "She said I lacked ambition, that I was willing to abandon the career I had painstakingly built for years in Zenvia just so we could be together."
[Uhh... but youāre married. It canāt be good to always be apart, right?]
[And you were willing to compromise... I just canāt wrap my head around your wifeās logic.]
[Iāll be blunt, you guys probably shouldnāt have gotten married...]
[Iāll be even more blunt: youād be better off just getting a divorce.]
"Divorce..." Miles murmured. "Iāve actually brought it up. I just canāt stand the pain of being apart like this."
"And what happened?"
"My wife wonāt agree to it." A bitter smile touched Milesās lips. "She wonāt let me move there, and she wonāt agree to a divorce."
[Is your wife nuts or something?]
[I canāt even. This is making me so mad!!!]
[Are you telling the truth or just making this up...]
Miles saw the comment questioning him and said calmly, "Itās true. Not a single word of it is a lie."
"Then what do you need my help with?" Renee asked.
Miles pursed his lips, seemingly struggling with himself again.
After a full minute, he finally spoke. "Iāve come across your stream before, and an idea immediately popped into my head."
[Get a pet to spy on her for you?]
[So what would you have done if you never got to call in?]
"I waited for the host to go live every day," Miles said. "I believed Iād get to call in sooner or later. This day just came much sooner than I expected."
"What pet did you get?" Renee asked.
Miles: "I got a small turtle for her to take to her company dorm. I just picked it up last weekend."
He held a small terrarium up to the camera and explained, "The turtle I got is pretty small. She doesnāt like other animals, so this was my only choice."