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

"Yes, I've never been married yet." Shen Jie chuckled, trying to lighten the mood: "What kind of prince is Xiao Yao? He's just a nobody."

Yu Luying smiled and continued, "Sister—Shen Jie, you just asked me if I still like him. To be honest, I don't know."

“No, not at all,” Shen Jie said.

“What is liking and what is disliking? Anyway, I haven’t started to hate him yet,” Yu Luying thought seriously. “At the beginning, I didn’t even know that I liked him. Instead, I kept avoiding him.”

"Mm," Shen Jie said.

“Later, I realized I liked him and wanted to give it a try,” Yu Luying said, “but by then, he already had you.”

"I'm sorry," Shen Jie said earnestly.

"Later I thought, this is actually not so bad," Shen Jie felt that Yu Luying looked like she was trying hard to convince herself: "As long as you treat him well and don't hurt him, I have nothing to be unhappy about."

Yu Luying's remarks made Shen Jie feel that she was really making a big show of herself as Xiao Yao's parent or ex-girlfriend, which made her a little unhappy.

“So when you ask me if I still like him, I really can’t answer,” Yu Luying said, without looking Shen Jie in the eye. “If you say I don’t like him anymore, my feelings haven’t changed much; if you say I like him, it’s not like what’s described in books—nothing like being unable to forget him, something that will eventually come back to you, any sadness or regret, anything like being unable to let go…”

"OK, OK," Shen Jie interrupted her: "わかりました."

"What?" Yu Luying asked.

“I said, I understand,” Shen Jie said.

The two girls looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before Shen Jie spoke again: "Luying, let me help you change into your wedding dress."

Yu Luying shook her head without moving, looking directly into Shen Jie's eyes: "Shen Jie, I've answered your question, now it's your turn to answer mine."

"What's the problem?" Shen Jie was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

Then, the two of them spoke at the same time:

"Of course I like him! He's my husband, of course I like him!"

Do you like him? What do you like about him?

Shen Jie was caught off guard by this sudden probing question: "What do I like about him... what do I like about him... does liking someone need a reason?"

Yu Luying, upon hearing her refer to her "boyfriend" as "husband," assumed she lacked self-respect and showed a slightly disgusted expression: "I need it."

Shen Jie suddenly remembered that a similar conversation had happened between her and Xiao Yao.

At that time, she had just made up her mind to reject the dating request from this so-called "future husband" who did not meet her expectations. On the phone, Xiao Yao begged her to reconsider...

Shen Jie closed her eyes, feeling a pang of guilt and heartache—could feeling heartache for someone be considered liking them?

“You and he are not from the same world,” Yu Luying pointed out.

“Yes, you and him are from the same world, I am not,” Shen Jie blurted out, “So I told him, why don’t we each get what we need, but he refused.”

Shen Jie herself couldn't tell how much of her words were out of spite and how much were a test.

Now it was Yu Luying's turn to be stunned.

She wouldn't actually agree, would she, and then say to me, "Then I'll help my sister persuade him" or something? Shen Jie shook her head, trying to dispel this absurd thought.

"So," Yu Luying finally spoke, "you really told him this?"

Shen Jie was taken aback: "He really told you this?"

……

The two girls sat on the ground, each hugging their knees, and giggled again.

Even they themselves didn't know what was contained in that laughter.

“Let me tell you what I like about Xiao Yao,” Shen Jie said.

"You said."

"Although Xiao Yao is... well," Shen Jie recalled, "his facial features were just average, his height and weight were healthy, his academic performance was hopeless, his hobbies were extremely strange, and his athletic ability was terrible..."

“Poor emotional intelligence, bad at socializing, lack of self-control, clingy and persistent,” Yu Luying continued.

“Sometimes you have to be brave. But artsy types don’t understand fashion and have outdated tastes,” Shen Jie said.

“They’re unhygienic and slovenly,” Yu Luying said.

"Male chauvinist, controlling, love-obsessed, and has a fetish."

"...What is fetishism?"

Shen Jie was taken aback: "Uh, that's not important. What's important is that although he has so many flaws, he has a heart..."

"A heart of gold." "A heart of sincerity?"

The two girls spoke at the same time, and then high-fived.

“He is truly the kindest person I have ever met. Although he is not very capable, he is willing to risk his life for others,” Shen Jie recalled the scene when she faced the giant Sekir in Teacher Yao’s hall: “Otherwise, I would have been crushed by Sekir and turned into a vegetable long ago.”

“He is a person with ideals, his own beliefs and pursuits,” Yu Luying said, though she was reluctant to praise Xiao Yao in front of her love rival. “And even if he hits a wall, he won’t turn back.”

"He can empathize with the suffering of others and truly understand their situation. Although he is not doing well, he still has compassion for others in difficult circumstances... He can put himself in their shoes and empathize... For example..."

"I'll reserve my opinion on that for now," Yu Luying retorted, then sneezed several times in a row.

“Moreover,” Shen Jie said with a motherly smile.

"and?"

"He really likes me," Shen Jie declared triumphantly.

“Ah, soga.” Yu Luying was a little disappointed. Influenced by Shen Jie, she also started speaking Japanese.

Then, not to be outdone, she retorted, "But are you sure he really likes only you?"

Shen Jie's lips drooped slightly, but she quickly regained her composure: "That makes sense, this one doesn't count—what's so precious about the affections of such a womanizer?"

"Besides, there must be a lot of people who like Shen Jie, right?" Yu Luying speculated.

“There are even more people who like our Luying.” Shen Jie started the mutual flattery mode.

"No way," Yu Luying said, blushing.

“For example, I’ve always really liked Luying,” Shen Jie said gently.

"what??!"

“You have all the good qualities that guy has, and you’re even better than him, and you don’t have his flaws. Why wouldn’t I like you?” Shen Jie smiled and pinched Yu Luying’s cheek. “It’s just a pity that you’re a girl too.”

“…I didn’t like you at first, Shen Jie.” Yu Luying lowered her head and thought for a while before raising her head to say this.

“I understand,” Shen Jie nodded.

"But it's not because you're close to Xiao Yao!" Yu Luying suddenly realized something, then frantically waved her hands, "It's just that at first I thought you were that kind of... that kind of..."

"Go ahead and say it," Shen Jie encouraged.

“At first I thought you were the kind of person who was very outgoing,” Yu Luying said somewhat shyly. “I even told Xiao Yao that you were a high-level player and that you were just playing around with him, and that he shouldn’t take you too seriously.”

Shen Jie nodded again and said, "So that's how I am in Lu Ying's heart."

"No, no, no," Yu Luying quickly waved her hands and said, "That's only because I don't understand you, sister! I... I said those things to him simply because I was afraid he would be hurt by you again..."

Shen Jie reached out and hugged Yu Luying: "Do you still have this worry now?"

“No, that’s all…” Yu Luying said, “I can tell, at least you’re serious about him, although I still don’t really understand why.”

Shen Jie reached out and flicked Yu Luying's nose: "Little girl, there are still many things you don't understand."

"Besides, doesn't my sister have a heart of gold?" Yu Luying sniffed and hugged Shen Jie back. "Even though we weren't that close, she still risked her life to save me in the mirror back then..."

"That's so cheesy~" Shen Jie pretended to struggle: "No matter if Xiao Yao is a white horse, a black horse, or a gray horse, you and I can still be good friends, right?"

What white horse, black horse, red horse, gray horse, are you one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Yu Luying looked at Shen Jie for a few seconds, then nodded emphatically: "Yes!!"

“So, in a sense,” Shen Jie let go of her and stood up, “the three of us can really stay together forever.”

“If we’re just dating, then there’s no need for that…” Yu Luying protested softly.

"You wish!" Shen Jie laughed loudly, "This is the only thing I absolutely cannot give to you."

“…Mm.” Yu Luying nodded.

"As compensation, I'll introduce you to a high-quality man next time, the kind that's tall, rich, and handsome."

"No way! My mom won't let me date someone outside the church, and besides, I never intended to date anyone during high school; he was just an accident—"

"Ahhh," Shen Jie exclaimed, clutching her head dramatically, "Who isn't! I didn't even plan to date in high school!"

"Love is an accident." Yu Luying stood up again, and if she didn't move, she could still stand steadily.

"These shoes really suit you," Shen Jie said. "You should get used to wearing high heels sometimes; they really accentuate your figure. And do those middle school student conduct rules apply outside of school?"

"No way," Yu Luying muttered, "Besides, I can't afford this Jimmy Choo, it must cost over ten thousand yuan, right?"

"These limited edition shoes can't be bought for ten thousand yuan," Shen Jie thought.

"Oh, you still recognize Jimmy Choo?" Shen Jie immediately regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth, feeling that they were somewhat disrespectful.

Fortunately, Yu Luying didn't mind and just nodded and said, "Yes, my mother has a pair, but she never wears them."

"Then you must have heard a saying," Shen Jie said with a smile.

"What?"