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

"Sigh, I haven't been in a relationship for two weeks," Ouyang Qianqian complained. "I really want to hug a little white... Brother, please find me a gentle guy who has never been in a relationship before."

“Soft-hearted,” Xiao Yao raised his left hand and hooked it towards his nose: “Never been in a relationship, just a young boy.”

Ouyang Qianqian shook her head seriously: "That won't do. You are the elder brother, and an elder brother is like a father."

"Of course! Even if you change boyfriends every two weeks, it'll never be my turn," Xiao Yao thought to himself.

"I can introduce you," Xiao Yao said irritably, "but are you going to pay a referral fee?"

"Really?" Ouyang Qianqian muttered, handing two red bills to Xiao Yao. "Is this enough? If not, there'll be more after it's done..."

"No, no, no," Xiao Yao backed down, "I was just joking with you, you actually took it seriously."

"Here you go." Ouyang Qianqian stuffed the bill into Xiao Yao's hand: "Consider it a deposit. Don't you have a date tomorrow? You can't be shy."

Xiao Yao scratched his head; he had indeed mentioned this matter to Ouyang Qianqian.

Speaking of which, last night I asked my grandma for money because I was going out with Shen Jie, and she only gave me 50 yuan, acting like she was afraid I'd take it to an internet cafe...

“Okay,” Xiao Yao put the banknotes away, his eyes fixed on the texture of the corridor floor. “Thanks, I’ll find a way to pay you back as soon as possible—”

"Introduce me to a handsome guy as soon as possible. Not only will you not have to pay back the money, but you can also get the final payment." Ouyang Qianqian put away her crocodile skin wallet, her tone genuinely concerned for him: "These days, young girls... be careful not to be taken advantage of and get played with."

"Don't worry, it won't happen." Xiao Yao waved his hand.

Suddenly, Ouyang Qianqian pointed at Xiao Yao: "Speaking of which, who exactly is the girl who agreed to go on a date with you?"

“Uh… her… it is…” Xiao Yao stammered.

"Oh, hurry up and tell me, I'm so worried that you've run into a honey trap (Note: Shanghai dialect, generally referring to a scam)." Ouyang Qianqian suddenly took a step closer, and a faint fragrance of orchids entered Xiao Yao's nostrils.

"Hey, why are you bringing this up over and over again? She's from another school. I met her while playing Bloodline II."

"Be careful with online relationships, they might not last once they meet in person. Go back and get ready," Ouyang Qianqian said calmly, reaching out to straighten Xiao Yao's collar. "If you're going to wear this on a date, ugh—"

"I know, I know."

Ouyang Qianqian took a half step back, gently flaring her nostrils: "In this hot weather, how long has it been since you took a shower?"

“You know,” Xiao Yao said awkwardly, “my place doesn’t have facilities for daily showers, but I always have towels and hot water—”

"Where are your underwear? Have you changed and washed them?"

When school ended, Xiao Yao didn't see Yu Luying. Several classmates were winking and grinning at him, but he didn't care about the reason.

After eating at home, he went to the "public bathhouse" to take a shower and scrub his back.

I hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't bring myself to buy the exfoliating scrub and sea salt.

Xiao Yao got up very early the next day. The forest park was located in Yangpu, which was an hour or two away, but Xiao Yao arrived at 8:30.

"It's good to be this enthusiastic about studying," Grandma said.

On the way, he sent Yu Luying a text message, asking her what happened yesterday, as he hadn't received a reply after leaving the station.

Oh right, she should be at that "St. Francis Amateur School" today... It doesn't seem like the right time to call.

Just then, the phone rang, but before Xiao Yao could take out his phone, it was hung up again.

Xiao Yao glanced at the number, didn't recognize it, but knew he had made an appointment with Shen Jie, so he didn't dare to delay and quickly called back.

However, no one spoke when the call went through. Xiao Yao hung up and redialed several times before finally giving up.

He sent Shen Jie a text message: "I've arrived."

Failed to send.

Resend.

Failed to send.

What's going on... Xiao Yao muttered as he dialed the number.

Hello, your phone bill is overdue. Please top it up promptly. Sorry.

What's going on? How can a text message that costs only one cent be sent to the point of being disconnected?

Thinking about it carefully... I did post a bit too much this week.

The early summer sun was already high in the sky, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Yao's neck.

This area is so desolate, I can't buy a phone recharge card here.

Xiao Yao was panting a little from running, and could even faintly smell the stench of his own sweat.

The clock on my phone had already turned 9:23, and there were only 7 minutes left until the agreed time.

There was no way to recharge, and I couldn't contact Shen Jie for half a day... She should leave soon, and then she'll be very angry...

Xiao Yao felt unwell: palpitations, tension, and unconsciously tightening his anus due to the urge to defecate.

It's like this: when you're taking a final exam and you've only written half of it when the proctor reminds you to hand in your paper in 10 minutes.

Just as he was getting anxious, his phone started vibrating violently.

"Shanghai Mobile reminds you: Your recharge of 100 yuan has been credited to your account..."

Then, he received a call from Shen Jie.

"Where is it?" The girl's voice was calm, without a trace of displeasure or anxiety.

At 5:53, Xiao Yao and Shen Jie met at the main entrance of Gongqing Forest Park.

Shen Jie didn't wear a ponytail today; instead, she styled her long hair into a bun at the back of her head. She wore a gray casual top and trousers, gray "N"-shaped sneakers, and carried a parasol.

"I'm...I'm...I'm sorry..."

“I’m not blaming you,” Shen Jie said gently. “Anyone can have unexpected problems.”

"Is this your number?" Xiao Yao opened his phone and showed Shen Jie the call that had just come in.

Shen Jie glanced at it and said confidently, "+852 is Dongzhu's number. Do you know anyone in Dongzhu?"

"Ah, no, no." Xiao Yao didn't have the courage to admit that he had just been scammed out of his phone bill, so he just laughed it off and took out another 100 yuan.

"Here's the money, take it."

"Why don't you just top up 20 or 30? 100 yuan in phone credit is enough for me to use for almost half a year!" Xiao Yao muttered to himself.

Shen Jie did not refuse and put Xiao Yao's brand-new 100 yuan into his own purse.

"I'll go buy the tickets!" Xiao Yao began to worry whether the 150 yuan he had left in his pocket would be enough.

"100 for full price, 70 for students." The ticket seller had a look of utter despair on his face, as if to say, "What is the purpose of life anyway?"

Great, just right, I'll have ten yuan left to buy her a drink later.

"Student ID?" Shen Jie shook her head at Xiao Yao's outstretched hand: "Does your school check student IDs often? I don't even remember where I put my student ID."

Xiao Yao gazed meaningfully at Shen Jie's bewildered expression, then placed his hand on his forehead.

Chapter 15 The Forest (Part 1)

2023-07-31

"Who painted this world? And painted you and me, so that we could love and depend on each other like this; who made us cry? And then gave me surprises, so that I could... uh?" Xiao Yao forgot his lines: "Love and depend on each other?"

"You have a nice voice, it sounds great." Shen Jie clapped her hands as she sat on the back of the tandem bicycle.

"I'm a bad singer, I always sing off-key," Xiao Yao said, a little embarrassed. This Shen Jie is just... a little too understanding, isn't she?

"Don't be modest, it's me who always sings off-key," Shen Jie insisted. Her hands gripped the handrails on the back of the row tightly, and she pressed down hard on the pedals: "I don't know who wrote this song, but it's a bit of a drag on you. Your voice isn't suited to such a weathered tune."

Did I really not sing off-key just now? Did I perform exceptionally well?

"This is Xu... Hey, I just sang it offhand. Do you have any favorite songs? I'll sing one for you."

Xiao Yao was in a good mood, partly because of Shen Jie behind him: this girl was simply a perfect sweet girlfriend, which made the nervousness of the first date disappear without a trace; and partly because of the surrounding environment.

He hadn't known what was so fun about the "Forest Park" before, but now he wanted to applaud Shen Jie for choosing this place.

At this moment, they were in a vast green field, with hardly any trace of human intervention except for the road they were riding on. The air was fresh, the still-damp earth smelled sweet after the rain, and the wind was gentle... As far as the eye could see, there were only those towering trees in the distance, and behind the trees were undulating hills... or mountains? Xiao Yao wondered.

“But I don’t think I’ve heard any of the songs you sang before,” Shen Jie added. “Are they all old songs?”

"It's not that old..." Xiao Yao said, "I mainly like these campus folk songs, and I don't really like the current pop songs."

"School songs?"

"It's not a campus song, it's a campus folk song, a genre of music... Campus songs don't have so much romance between men and women." Xiao Yao carefully explained: "Representative artists include Lao Lang, Pu Shu, Shui Mu Nian Hua, Ye Bei... The song you just sang is by Xu Wei, which can also be considered a folk song."

"So that's it."

This park is nice, but it's too expensive—the entrance fee is already quite high, and renting a bicycle costs money, charged by the hour, and requires a deposit.

Having given up resistance, Xiao Yao allowed Shen Jie to pay all the expenses.

Around noon, they had lunch at the barbecue area in the forest park.

"Don't we need to return the bicycle first? We're still calculating the cost." Xiao Yao regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth.

Sure enough, Shen Jie shook her head: "No need, it's too much trouble, and we'll have to walk over there."

Inside the pitched tent, Shen Jie squatted beside Xiao Yao, placing the freshly skewered meat on the charcoal grill to roast.

"Let me do it..." Xiao Yao reached out to take the iron skewer, but the girl pushed him away.