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

Xiao Yao gave Shen Jie a general account of what had happened that day, how Wang Ming had provoked him twice, what his plans were, how he had told Zhang Jialong and Daiyu, and how Zhang Jialong and Daiyu had cornered Wang Ming behind the arcade and given him a good beating. He recounted the whole story.

“You,” Shen Jie sighed, “this is what you meant by patching a tire?”

"Does that tire need patching?"

"He didn't even tell me he was going to fight with his classmates. He talks about being a wife all the time, but he's still as headstrong as a fool and does whatever he wants," Shen Jie complained.

"Uh... are we just going to let it go like this? Or should we go and complain to Song Haijian?"

Shen Jie was silent for a while: "Sigh, I don't know either. Our family members can't be bullied by others for nothing, but I don't want... I don't want you to become like Zhang Jialong and Daiyu. I'm afraid that if you hang out with them for too long, you'll really become a hooligan... Sigh, it's such a dilemma."

"So what do you want me to do?" Xiao Yao asked. "I won't offend others unless they offend me. What would you do if you were in this situation? What if you were being bullied?"

"I...I don't know either." Shen Jie thought for a moment and said, "I don't think I've ever been bullied?"

"..." Xiao Yao shrugged as he lay there: "Are you feeling any better now?"

"It's alright, I can't really say," Shen Jie said.

"So you don't like me associating with Zhang Jialong and Daiyu, do you?"

"No, not at all. Didn't I tell you to play ball with them?"

“My birthday is coming up soon, and I’d like to invite them over for a meal to celebrate.” Xiao Yao turned to the side and gently put his arm around Shen Jie.

"Okay, is it just them?" Shen Jie asked.

Xiao Yao then realized that this matter had been done without prior consultation: "Let me think... I haven't asked Zhang Jialong, Daiyu, Chen Lu, Xiong Jihua, Ang Shen Bin, or Ouyang Qianqian, my god-sister. I'll see if she's willing to come. Brother Bo is very busy, I don't know if he'll be willing to come. And... and... if you agree..."

"If I agree, there's also Brother Bo's niece, right?" Shen Jie asked calmly.

"That's just what I said. If you don't think it's appropriate, then don't call her." Xiao Yao suddenly felt a little timid.

Shen Jie was silent for a few seconds: "Why at home? It's such a small room, where will the guests sit? Let's book a private room outside."

“I want Tianyun to be with us too,” Xiao Yao explained. “It’s the only way for the three of us to celebrate this birthday together.”

Shen Jie also turned to the side, and in the darkness, her large, somewhat cunning eyes gleamed again: "I thought you wanted some alone time for just the two of you, or for the three of us to spend time together as a family?"

"Hmm..." Xiao Yao pondered, thinking about how to explain it to her.

"I'm fine with anything. It's your birthday, you can invite whoever you want, and you can celebrate however you like. I'll do my best to cooperate," Shen Jie stated.

“You’ve been a little too agreeable lately, and I’m starting to get a little nervous,” Xiao Yao said.

Shen Jie didn't respond to his question: "Suddenly I don't know what birthday present to prepare for you?"

Xiao Yao shook his head: "I don't want to."

"Are you still being polite with me?"

“That’s precisely why I don’t want it. You brought a lot of money, but it’s only so-so, right? What if you spend it all on buying this and that? You’ve already bought me so many things, I don’t want to spend any more money on gifts—we need to plan our spending as a family.”

"So, you're just taking my money for granted as yours?" Shen Jie teased him.

Xiao Yao was startled: "That's not what I meant!"

“But this is, after all, the first birthday I’ve celebrated with you. Don’t you artsy young people always care about a sense of ceremony?” Shen Jie touched her cheek.

"If I have to give it to someone, I'll take you." Xiao Yao hugged her even tighter.

"Me? How am I supposed to deliver it? Crawl into a cardboard box, tie it with a ribbon, and have someone mail it to me? Cough cough." Shen Jie laughed.

"That sounds good, but it's too much trouble, and these kinds of things need to have a surprise element, right?"

"So what do you want?" Shen Jie deliberately pouted.

"Or else, fulfill your duties as a wife?" Xiao Yao said in a half-joking tone.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yao regretted it. Experience told him that although joking around wouldn't usually lead to anything serious, it would most likely result in a beating.

At this moment, the two of them are squeezed onto a narrow single bed, and it is extremely difficult for them to defend themselves and dodge.

Therefore, making such jokes casually may result in you getting hit a couple of times, but it shows a complete lack of consideration for others.

"..."

The expected punches and kicks did not come, and the girl in his arms did not move at all.

This only made Xiao Yao more panicked: "Uh, I just wanted to drive—"

"Xiao Yao," Shen Jie interrupted him, "I might not be mentally prepared for this yet. Let's talk about it later... in a while?"

? ?

Xiao Yao was a little confused.

What was originally just a teasing prank that was meant to provoke a fight turned into a serious response from the other party who said "I'll think about it seriously" and "I'll definitely do it next time."

I really don't know how to do that!

Xiao Yao felt a sense of embarrassment, like a rogue harassing a respectable woman only to be told by her to bring his household registration booklet to the Civil Affairs Bureau the next morning: "No, um, I..."

"Let's choose something else?" Shen Jie didn't give him a chance to argue.

After the initial embarrassment subsided, Xiao Yao felt happy.

Even though subconsciously she knew it might just be an empty promise, the girl's acceptance of his "legal claim" was enough to make a boy of that age happy for a while.

Then he remembered something he had read in a book—for example, if you say, "This room is too dark, let's put a skylight here," everyone will definitely object. But if you advocate tearing down the roof, they will come to your rescue and agree to put a skylight.

However, Shen Jie was still sick, and there were some things she really couldn't say: "Alright, go to sleep early. The best birthday gift you could give me is if you could get better before my birthday."

"Whether I'm better or not," Shen Jie said weakly with a smile, "it doesn't really matter. It's just hosting a get-together with classmates at home, right?"

"I was just about to tell you. Our literary society is going to Zhouzhuang for a field trip on July 1st. I originally wanted to take you with me, but if you're not fully recovered by then, I'll ask for leave and not go."

“What’s so great about Zhouzhuang? I can go with you anytime you want. I’m not even in your literary club—” Shen Jie stopped mid-sentence because she suddenly realized that Xiao Yao might take literary club activities very seriously: “Okay, okay, I’ll try to get better as soon as possible before then?”

"Thanks, baby," Xiao Yao said sincerely.

"Isn't it Mommy Meow?"

"If we go then..." Xiao Yao thought for a moment, then leaned close to Shen Jie's ear and whispered a few words.

"Huh? No." Shen Jie gave Xiao Yao a light punch this time: "Are you a pervert?"

I'm sorry, Lao Yu, but in the end, I couldn't escape it.

"You, you, you, let me think about it, cough cough cough," Shen Jie said.

Huh? Really?

"Cough cough cough, alright," Xiao Yao quickly stopped while he was ahead: "What time is it? Aren't you going to sleep or not?"

"..." The girl curled up even tighter: "Doggy, I can't sleep."

"What's wrong, getting carried away chatting?" Xiao Yao laughed. "Close your eyes and go to sleep. Want me to hum a lullaby for you?"

“Okay,” Shen Jie said.

This is a bit awkward, because Xiao Yao doesn't know how to hum lullabies.

"Doggy," the girl called out again.

"Ok?"

"I feel like I'm feeling unwell again." The girl's teeth chattered a couple of times.

"It's okay," Xiao Yao touched Shen Jie's forehead again, "Take another quick-acting pill, and quickly close your eyes and go to sleep."

"Um……"

Xiao Yao got up to get Shen Jie her medicine, poured her some hot water, fed it to her, then stepped over the girl's body and lay down on the inside of the bed: "Goodnight!"

"Dog..." the girl sobbed again, "I miss my mom."

“Good girl, good girl,” Xiao Yao hugged Shen Jie’s head, “Mommy’s here.”

“You are Daddy Wang…”

Only at times like this did she finally stop acting like a little adult, Xiao Yao thought.

Xiao Yao drifted off to sleep and had a dream in which he and Shen Jie sat together in the hall of a very tall Gothic building, warming themselves by a fireplace.

The fireplace fire grew larger and larger until it burned Xiao Yao's hand. Xiao Yao's hand was burned, and he tried to pull it back, but he couldn't move it at all.

Then, Xiao Yao was shaken awake.

"I can't sleep! I feel terrible!" Shen Jie's voice was trembling with tears. "I need to go to the hospital! Cough cough cough cough cough cough!"

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yao was startled. She was perfectly fine before going to sleep, but now—

The girl's body was burning hot; Xiao Yao could tell, without even touching her forehead, that something terrible was about to happen.

His gaze fell on the clock in the room; it was almost four o'clock.

I slept for three hours? I thought I had only fallen asleep for ten minutes.

Xiao Yao jumped up, wrapped the blanket around the girl, haphazardly put a pair of slippers on her, and pushed her out the door.

The two went down the stairs, Xiao Yao squatted down, picked up Shen Jie and ran towards the outside of the alley.

On the deserted street, I waited for several minutes but didn't see a taxi come by.

"Wait here for me!" Xiao Yao put Shen Jie down from his back, but she plopped down on the ground.

"Cough cough cough cough, cough cough cough."