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

Chen Lu said before that girls need to be coaxed.

As for going to Song Haijian's place this afternoon, if it doesn't work out, I won't go. I'll just say I'm not in Shanghai. How could he possibly be absent from the trial?

Can you...?

Xiao Yao was a little flustered.

I really should go there, right?

But I'm really afraid that Shen Jie will run away with my belongings when I go out.

I'm even afraid she'll run away with her valuables when I go grocery shopping.

It's a dilemma.

Xiao Yao sat there blankly for a while, then heard a noise coming from the wardrobe and hurriedly looked up.

The cabinet door was pushed open as if by ghostly force, lightly and slowly, almost as if it had been blown open by the wind.

Immediately afterwards, a beautiful little foot, encased in a crystal-clear skin-colored stocking, emerged.

Xiao Yao craned his neck to look, and behind the small feet was a long and sturdy leg.

Tall and slender? Then it's alright.

Shen Tianyun was wearing a green T-shirt and white denim shorts. Xiao Yao thought she looked like she had gotten a tan in the last couple of days.

The girl's pretty face was filled with displeasure.

"Hi." Xiao Yao greeted his daughter with a slightly awkward expression.

Shen Tianyun pouted, walked to Xiao Yao's bedside, and picked up Shen Jie's pillow: "Mom told me to put all her things in my room."

Xiao Yao clicked his tongue.

From an optimistic perspective, this is good news, because Shen Jie doesn't plan to move out for the time being.

From a pessimist's perspective, this is bad news because Shen Jie is really moving out.

Xiao Yao didn't speak, but Shen Tianyun saw the questioning look in his eyes.

“Mom has been crying ever since she came back,” Shen Tianyun told the boy.

"What?" Xiao Yao felt a pang of heartache. He tried hard to search his memory. In the month and a half since he met Shen Jie, the girl had always been confident and strong. He had never seen her cry.

So she really misplaced her trust? No, that can't be.

“So don’t go in now,” Shen Tianyun added, “Mom doesn’t want you to see her like this.”

"Okay." Xiao Yao nodded.

Shen Tianyun began sorting through Shen Jie's clothes on the mountain of clutter piled on the sofa, starting with the pantyhose.

"What does your mother mean now?" Seeing that Shen Tianyun didn't intend to continue, Xiao Yao had no choice but to ask.

Shen Tianyun raised her eyelids to look at him, but did not say anything.

"Your parents are getting a divorce, who will you live with?" Xiao Yao joked with her.

“Don’t worry, she won’t leave,” Shen Tianyun shrugged. “Mom just spoke to Mom on the phone, and she managed to persuade her to stay.”

That's a bit of a convoluted statement, though I can understand what it means.

Xiao Yao felt a little relieved.

“But she still wants to calm down for a while,” Shen Tianyun continued.

"How long is 'a period of time'?"

Shen Tianyun shrugged again and didn't say anything.

Three hours, three days, three months, and three years all fall under the category of "a period of time," but moving everything over... is not a problem that can be solved in a day or two.

"Don't pack anymore," Xiao Yao stopped her. "Just pack what you need right now. You don't need to move everything over. You can come and get whatever you need anytime."

Shen Tianyun thought for a moment, then nodded, as if agreeing with Xiao Yao's words.

She was holding pillows, clothes, and socks in her arms, with a few pieces of clothing occasionally falling from her hands.

The girl didn't go back to the wardrobe, but stood still, staring at Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao suddenly realized that Shen Tianyun was eerily quiet and calm today.

He bent down and picked up the clothes from Shen Tianyun's feet. He held them in his hands and then reached into Shen Tianyun's arms to take some more, intending to help her carry half of the load.

Shen Tianyun pulled her arms back, showing no intention of letting Xiao Yao help her carry the things: "Xiao Yao, don't you have anything you want to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Xiao Yao asked, puzzled. "Just ask me what you want to know."

What did you do to upset my mom this time?

"? So she didn't tell you after all?" Xiao Yao was surprised.

"No," Shen Tianyun shook her head and said, "So what exactly happened? Did you assault her last night?"

“What the hell? She took the initiative—” Xiao Yao stopped mid-sentence.

Shen Tianyun stared wide-eyed at Xiao Yao: "You..."

Xiao Yao thought to himself, since Shen Jie was unwilling to tell the child, she must have her own reasons. How could he unilaterally put the pressure on Tian Yun?

"Children shouldn't ask too many questions about adult matters." In the end, Xiao Yao had no choice but to say this.

Shen Tianyun walked forward, kicked Xiao Yao in the shin, then stepped on Xiao Yao's foot and rolled it over.

What are you doing?!

"It's that Yu Luying again, isn't it?" Shen Tianyun asked through gritted teeth, "You were caught red-handed raping a woman?"

Xiao Yao was taken aback, suddenly remembering that on the bus to Zhouzhuang, Yu Luying had asked him to help find out how she was doing in the future: "You know Yu Luying, right? How was she in '34?"

"Don't know her? You really care about her, huh?" Shen Tianyun withdrew her foot and answered bluntly, "I've never seen that woman except in this shabby room of yours. I only know she's your old flame. I remember when we were kids, Mom argued with you several times about that name—I never imagined you two were like this 30 years ago? I'm already an adult! She's good-looking, but she's not any better looking than Mom, is she? You..."

"Wait a minute, old flame?" Xiao Yao keenly caught the word and interrupted Shen Tianyun's incessant chatter: "Didn't you say that I was... well, a lifelong single until I was 30?"

Shen Tianyun realized she had misspoke and stamped her foot, saying, "Hey, why are you nitpicking? You know what I meant, don't you?"

Xiao Yao touched his chin. Since he met Shen Tianyun, this was the first time he had begun to consider the possibility that the girl wasn't telling the truth.

After all, which child tells their parents the whole truth?

However, at this critical juncture, we absolutely cannot afford to offend Tianyun again; we must win her over to our side.

"Anyway, just help me take good care of Shen Jie and your mother..."

“Xiao Yao, I’m warning you,” Shen Tianyun interrupted Xiao Yao, “break up with that Yu Luying immediately.”

“No, it’s me,” Xiao Yao said with a wry smile.

“I see how your stepmother treats you every day. If you continue to… if you keep acting like this, I, I,” the girl carefully chose her words, then stamped her foot: “I won’t be your friend anymore.”

"?" Xiao Yao was confused.

"Didn't you ask me who I would live with after my parents divorced?" A few small dewdrops appeared on Shen Tianyun's face. "I'll tell you, I'll live with my mother."

"?" Xiao Yao pondered the meaning of her words: "You mean—"

“No,” Shen Tianyun held the clothes in both hands again, wiped her tears with her upper arm under her shoulder, and forced a smile: “If your fate is over, then mine is over too. Besides, I brought this on myself, so why should I stay with you?”

After saying this, she turned around and stepped into the wardrobe.

Xiao Yao returned to the photo room, opened the old refrigerator, and found that there was still frozen pork inside, but the green peppers were gone.

After thinking it over, since Shen Jie wouldn't run away anytime soon, he felt relieved and went out to buy groceries.

He rarely went to the market, as he considered it a dirty place. He also didn't understand why Shen Jie, this young lady, had always been willing to go there with her uncle.

It was past noon, the usual time for grocery shopping, and the market was deserted. Many stall owners had packed up their stalls and were taking a nap in the shade.

As he passed a fish stall at the entrance of the market, the stall owner was using a hose to wash away the blood and entrails around the stall. A few drops of water splashed onto Xiao Yao's bare instep, causing him to instinctively jump up.

Xiao Yao knew this stall owner. His surname was Gao, and he looked to be around 40 years old. He had been selling fish here for many years, and the neighbors affectionately called him Brother Qiang.

Qiang Ge was a warm-hearted and efficient man who was also honest in his business dealings. He had curly hair and a kind smile, and even though Xiao Yao rarely came to the market, he still had a good impression of him.

When Qiang Ge saw that he had dirtied Xiao Yao's shoes, he apologized to Xiao Yao, but he was less honest and dutiful than before and more arrogant.

Xiao Yao naturally wouldn't argue with him, but he didn't plan to buy any fish either. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he went inside.

When Xiao Yao arrived at the market, his mind wasn't on buying groceries. The more he thought about Shen Tianyun's words, the more uneasy he felt.

When Shen Tianyun first arrived, she said she had never been in a relationship before the age of 30. Just now, she mentioned that Yu Luying was her "old flame." There are two possibilities:

The first possibility is that Shen Tianyun was lying before.

The second possibility is that this is just a matter of description and definition. Indeed, some people may very carelessly refer to all other people of the opposite sex with whom they have had romantic entanglements as "old flames".

Also, what does "My parents are divorced, and I'm with my mom" mean?

Will Shen Jie and I get divorced in the future? Will Tian Yun go with Shen Jie?

The statement, "If you two break up, I'll be gone too," felt like an attempt to make amends after an impulsive slip of the tongue.

But it's hard to say for sure, Xiao Yao thought.

If I really do divorce Shen Jie in the future, whether it's voluntary or involuntary, then the future Shen Jie will definitely hate me to the core. Why would she still instruct her daughter to match me up with Xiao Shen Jie?

Is it possible that this brat who talks nonsense is falsely conveying imperial edicts?