You're my wife, don't doubt it!

"No, there aren't any movies," Xiao Yao said with an awkward laugh.

"I'm disliking you more and more," Shen Jie declared.

“No, please,” Xiao Yao took Shen Jie’s hand again, and she did not refuse: “Actually, I always thought black socks were ugly, but I didn’t expect them to look so good on you.”

“If you’re good-looking, you’ll look good in anything,” Shen Jie said with a smile.

“I think so too,” Xiao Yao agreed.

The two turned a corner and entered a small path along the river. Ahead was Yu Luying's house.

Xiao Yao suddenly felt a little guilty.

"Actually, you know, I went to primary and junior high school in Jiangsu Province. After coming to Shanghai, I found that many places are really different."

"For example?" Shen Jie said, "Oh, don't hold my hand anymore, your palms are all sweaty."

Xiao Yao obediently released the girl's hand, rubbing his palm against the seam of his pants: "For example, where I'm from, girls aren't allowed to have long hair, but after coming here, I found that nobody cares."

"Are you crazy?" Shen Jie said, "Girls don't keep their hair long, but boys do?"

“Then they definitely won’t let us stay,” Xiao Yao said. “Also, when I first came to Shanghai, I found it strange to see girls wearing pantyhose to school. We definitely wouldn’t allow that back home.”

"Isn't it normal to wear a skirt with pantyhose?" Shen Jie asked curiously.

“No, they won’t allow it.” Xiao Yao shrugged. “Also, 80% of the girls in our area wear flesh-colored short stockings for 80% of the year, only wearing cotton socks when it’s coldest.”

"What?" Shen Jie could hardly believe her ears.

"So when I arrived in Shanghai, I found it strange that 10 out of 10 girls there always wore white cotton socks."

Xiao Yao and Shen Jie walked past Yu Luying's house, but fortunately, they didn't bump into Yu Luying.

"Flesh-colored short stockings, aren't those what aunties wear?"

"No, that's how all the girls in my area dress," Xiao Yao said.

"I can't imagine it, so what shoes would I wear with it?"

"Anything is fine, sneakers, canvas shoes, sandals, anything..."

Shen Jie silently made a gesture of gouging out her own eyes: "Who wears socks with sandals? Sandals are meant to be worn barefoot, right? That's ridiculous."

“There’s nothing I can do, you Shanghainese are just more fashionable,” Xiao Yao shrugged. “Anyway, I’m a country bumpkin.”

"Oh dear..." Shen Jie didn't know what to say, so she shook Xiao Yao's hand.

"So, you've never worn it?" Xiao Yao asked.

"What? Flesh-colored stockings?" Shen Jie thought for a moment: "I've worn pantyhose, but not short ones."

"You can try it next time," Xiao Yao encouraged. "I'm suddenly curious to see what you would look like in it."

“I refuse,” Shen Jie said without hesitation.

"Oh, just wear it for me once in a while."

“Ugly, lotus root, ugly.” Shen Jie held up one finger.

“If you’re good-looking, you’ll look good in anything,” Xiao Yao reminded her.

The two went down the bridge, passed a triangular pavilion, turned left into a narrow path, and the gate of St. Francis Middle School was not far ahead.

"I'll stop here. If I leave and someone finds out, I'll be in trouble. Be good at school today," Shen Jie stopped and said as if she were instructing a child, "The exams are coming up soon, so pay attention and don't play on your phone all the time. If your teacher Song confiscates the new phone I bought you, I'll beat you to death."

"Okay," Xiao Yao said sullenly, "Then remember to send me a message during the day."

"Ugh, I know, I know, this is so annoying."

This feeling of parting reminded Xiao Yao of when he first started kindergarten and his mother dropped him off at the kindergarten gate.

"Hey, Brother Yao!" A familiar voice came from behind.

Xiao Yao and Shen Jie looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhang Jialong, Daiyu, and Chen Lu walking towards them.

……

“This is…my…my friend in class.” Standing in front of the school gate, Xiao Yao introduced, “This is Zhang Jialong, the top dog in our class, this is his best friend, Dai Yu, and this is Chen Lu, our class monitor and Zhang Jialong’s girlfriend.”

Then, he looked at Shen Jie: "This is mine..."

"My name is Shen Tianyun, Xiao Yao's cousin." Shen Jie interrupted Xiao Yao, naturally taking on another role.

A question mark flashed across Xiao Yao's forehead.

"Hello." "Hello." "I often hear Xiao Yao mention you."

Everyone greeted each other politely, but Daiyu's gaze towards Shen Jie was somewhat fixed.

“Xiao Yao told me that you guys usually take good care of him in class,” Shen Jie said, taking Xiao Yao’s hand and bowing 90 degrees to the three of them, her long hair hanging down. “I hope you will continue to take good care of me in the future.”

Ribbonfish was flattered and waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't be like that, we're all brothers, there's no need for special treatment, just say the word."

"Don't worry," Zhang Jialong said in a deep voice, "With us here, no one will dare to bully him."

A large hand slammed down on Xiao Yao's shoulder.

What a heartwarming scene, Xiao Yao thought.

Xiao Yao looked up and saw that the side door of the church across from the school was open inward. Then, Yu Luying, wearing a school uniform, walked out, followed by another girl.

The girl was a few centimeters shorter than Yu Luying, and not as sickly thin as Yu Luying, but she was still very tall and thin. She wasn't wearing a school uniform, but a long, light blue dress that reached her feet, and her appearance did bear a slight resemblance to Yu Luying.

This girl was very beautiful, though it's hard to say she was more beautiful than Yu Luying and Shen Jie, but she had a completely different style—

That aura reminded Xiao Yao of the Virgin Mary in church murals.

The atmosphere between Yu Luying and the girl seemed tense, as if they were arguing about something. The girl with the saintly demeanor took two steps closer to Yu Luying and reached out to tug at her sleeve, but the latter impatiently shook her off.

At this distance, it was impossible to hear what the two of them were arguing about. While arguing with the girl, Yu Luying glanced at Xiao Yao, and then her gaze swept over Xiao Yao and Shen Jie's clasped hands.

Xiao Yao turned his face away guiltily. When he looked back at the church, he saw Father Yu, wearing a t-shirt, come out and put his hand on a girl's shoulder, as if he was trying to persuade her.

Xiao Yao heard the electronic music of the morning reading preparation bell coming from inside the school.

"It's getting late, I have to go." Shen Jie seemed to have also seen Yu Luying and the other person. She ended her intimate chat with Chen Lu and hurriedly walked away in another direction.

"Hey, you—" Why so suddenly?

"Goodbye." "See you next time." Zhang Jialong, Daiyu, and Chen Lu walked into the school gate.

Just as Xiao Yao was about to follow, he saw Yu Luying and the girl walking towards the school gate together. Feeling it would be wrong to pretend he hadn't seen them, he waved to Yu Luying.

"Is that Shen Jie?" The girl with the saintly demeanor stared at Shen Jie's retreating figure in disbelief, muttering to herself.

"You know Shen Jie?" Yu Luying looked at her, somewhat surprised.

“So, you two are…” Xiao Yao extended the index fingers of his left and right hands, pointing at the two people respectively.

"My name is Yu Yage, and I'm Yu Luying's cousin." The girl who called herself Yu Yage had a smile as warm as the sun, and the two sisters had a striking contrast in temperament.

"surface……"

Why would cousins ​​share the same surname? Ah, right, if Yu Luying took her father's surname, then they would be half-sisters.

Wait, Yu Luying took her father's surname...

Having known each other for almost a year, this was the first time Xiao Yao had thought about this question: Why did Yu Luying take her mother's surname?

Judging from Yu Luying's mother's circumstances, she doesn't seem like the kind of family that would take in a son-in-law!

It's strange that I've never thought about this before.

Could it be that Yu Luying's deceased father also happened to have the surname Yu? But Yu isn't a very common surname...

"I'm going in first." Yu Luying turned to Xiao Yao: "Aren't you coming?"

"Let's go, let's go. Goodbye, Yu... uh, cousin." Xiao Yao and Yu Luying walked into the school gate together.

The school gates slowly closed, and the student council members who were late walked out of the teaching building. Yu Yage's gaze followed Yu Luying the whole time, with a mysterious smile on her face.

"What are you arguing about with your sister?" Xiao Yao quickened his pace to catch up with Yu Luying.

"Don't ask about our family matters." Yu Luying pursed her lips and pulled up the shoulder strap of her backpack.

Today is Tuesday. The final exams for this semester begin on Thursday. There will be no classes these two days; instead, we will use the time for self-study and Q&A sessions.

Chen Lu didn't need to worry too much about discipline during self-study sessions, because Song Haijian sat in the classroom the whole time, which cast a shadow of oppression over the otherwise joyful and restless atmosphere of the class as summer vacation approached.

Xiao Yao also wanted to study hard, but he seemed to know all the questions and had memorized all the books. He really didn't know where to start.

In the end, he had no choice but to read "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," which he had borrowed from the library, by tucking it into his workbook.

Occasionally, when Song Haijian wasn't looking, he would take out his old phone and send a few text messages to Shen Jie, but he didn't dare to talk to her for long.

After all, he didn't want Song Haijian to take away either the old or the new phone.

When he got tired of reading novels, he would look out the window. Song Haijian moved his seat to the back corner of the classroom, next to the window, where he had no deskmate. This allowed him to see the blue sky and white clouds very clearly, and to imagine the clouds in various different shapes.

In her battle at the "Parent-Child Education Center," Yu Luying imagined herself as a caged bird. And what about me? I am a caged bird too.

Xiao Yao rested his chin on his hand, tilted his head at a 45-degree angle, and thought melancholically.

Each and every one of us is.

Two birds whose species Xiao Yao couldn't identify fluttered past the window, chirping merrily.

He assumed they were a male and a female, which made him miss Shen Jie even more.