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

But when I think about all the awful things I did to that girl's daughter last night...

Brother, forget it.

Shen Jie's father lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and the smoke filled the air, making his face look a little blurry.

The smoke was very pungent, and Xiao Yao had to breathe slowly and carefully to avoid coughing.

"You're still a minor... Xiao Xiao, are you sixteen or seventeen this year?"

"Sixteen."

“Oh, a little younger than Xiao Jie,” Mr. Shen nodded. “When I was your age, I also didn’t like being disciplined and often went against my parents.”

Xiao Yao chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

"How long have you known Xiaojie?"

"It's been... a little over a month." Xiao Yao decided to tell the truth—when he didn't know how much information the other party had, telling the truth was the only way to avoid completely backfiring.

Mr. Shen was somewhat surprised: "...How did you two meet?"

“Right outside their school gate.” Xiao Yao answered methodically, carefully avoiding revealing any unnecessary information: “I struck up a conversation with her.”

"Really? Come on, Xiao Yao, sit up straight and don't move." Shen Jie's father abruptly took out his phone and snapped a picture of Xiao Yao.

"The advancement of technology these days is truly amazing." Shen Jie's father looked at the photos displayed on his phone, as if he were talking to Xiao Yao, or perhaps he was talking to himself.

"Back in our day, if you wanted to take a picture, you had to go to a photo studio. Those cameras were huge and heavy. It took forever to turn them on and take a picture, and you didn't even know how it looked until you developed it. Look how convenient it is now! This little thing in the palm of your hand can do the same thing quickly and well. Look how clear it is!"

"Uh, yes, that's right." Xiao Yao thought to himself, if you want to keep this record for me, you don't have to go through all this trouble. I'll just cooperate.

Mr. Shen suddenly changed the subject: "But progress has also brought new problems. I've heard that some teenagers are using these devices to secretly take photos, which are hard to detect. They use the photos to blackmail girls, taking advantage of their young age and not even fearing the law. In the past, this would have been called hooliganism, punishable by death, regardless of whether your father is an official or a soldier."

What do you mean by shooting someone for secretly filming? Where did this idea come from? Xiao Yao felt that Shen Jie's father's thoughts seemed to have wandered into places he couldn't keep up with. He blinked and didn't dare to say anything.

"The government's hand is getting softer and softer these days, tolerating too many arrogant bastards. I'm thinking, if these people fall into my hands, breaking their legs and throwing them into the deep mountains seems like a good idea. Xiao, what do you think?"

Xiao Yao glanced at Johns behind him. He didn't seem to be moving, but Xiao Yao felt a breeze behind his head.

Did Shen Jie's father see himself as a scoundrel who used despicable means to threaten Shen Jie into submission?

How could he have such an idea?

However, since I haven't done anything wrong, I shouldn't have taken the bait.

"Uncle, you may have misunderstood what I meant by 'hitting someone up.' That day at the school gate was truly the first time I met Shen Jie. I may have been abrupt, but it wasn't what you're thinking."

“Is that so?” Mr. Shen lowered his head and thought for a few seconds, then looked up and said, “However, Xiao is indeed very handsome, isn’t he, Johns?”

Shen Jie's father's words seemed to be directed at Johns, who was standing behind Xiao Yao, but Xiao Yao clearly realized that these words were definitely not meant for Johns.

"No, I'm not very good-looking, and I was quite surprised that she gave me this... opportunity to get to know her." Of course, Shen Tianyun's matter could not be mentioned, but stating the incomplete facts was always safer than fabricating them completely: "Later, I kept looking for her. Shen Jie is a nice person, so she always politely replied to my messages and answered my calls, and would occasionally come out to hang out with me. Later, maybe I was keeping too close an eye on her, and in the end, she still gave me the friend card."

"Really? Hehe. This child is kind-hearted, just like her mother." As if recalling some amusing incident with Shen Jie, Shen Jie's father's smile narrowed his already small eyes behind his glasses into slits.

Xiao Yao also took the opportunity to secretly catch his breath and straighten his stiff back.

“I only have one daughter… Xiao Jie has been spoiled by me since she was little. She’s very pampered and sometimes lacks tact, often behaving excessively. She’s been staying with you these past few days, and she must have caused you a lot of trouble, right?”

It's not a big deal, it's just that he likes to kick people while sleeping, likes to hit people during the day, and has a bit of a temper when he wakes up...

Just as Xiao Yao was about to answer "No trouble at all," a loud "click" came from the direction of the wardrobe, startling him. However, neither Shen Jie's father in front of him nor Johns standing behind him moved an inch.

Could it be that Shen Jie is trapped inside the closet? Otherwise, what is making that noise?

At this moment, Xiao Yao, having regained his focus, realized the trap that Shen Jie's father had hidden in their seemingly casual conversation. If he had simply said it wasn't troublesome, wouldn't that have been tantamount to admitting that Shen Jie did indeed live there?

Anyway, your wife and kids are hiding in 2034, so even if you have superhuman abilities, you can't catch them!

“Uncle Shen, Shen Jie and I are just ordinary friends, and she has made that clear to me. Besides, men and women shouldn't be so close, how could she possibly live here with me? Look at my place, it's so small and shabby.”

Mr. Shen waved his hand and said, "Xiao Xiao, you've misunderstood. I'm not a materialistic person. As long as you two are sincere, I have no objection to your relationship with Xiao Jie. After Xiao Jie comes home, you're welcome to ask her out or come to our house as a guest."

He pointed to the thick envelope again: "Consider it as activity funds. Xiao Jie has been spoiled since she was a child, so don't let her suffer any grievances."

If Shen Jie's father is so understanding, this is certainly a very attractive suggestion.

He glanced at the wardrobe instinctively.

Mr. Shen keenly noticed this subtle movement, and a confident smile appeared on his face.

Too bad, I don't believe you for a second. You're a really bad old man!

If you were so easy to talk to, would Shen Jie have needed to run away from home?

The old man is definitely bluffing me. Once Shen Jie gets home, well... hehe.

"I'm honored that you say that, really." Xiao Yao clasped his hands together and shook them. "But we've only known each other for a little over a month. She's clearly rejected me about dating, and there's no way she'd be living in my house. I understand your concern for your daughter, but isn't there some misunderstanding?"

"Is that so?" Shen Jie's father's tone was calm, but his face clearly darkened.

He stood up, threw away and stubbed out the cigarette he had barely taken two puffs of, and said to Xiao Yao, "Xiao Yao, you weren't back earlier, so it wasn't convenient for me to touch your things. Now that you're back, since you said Xiao Jie doesn't live here, would you mind if we looked for her?"

Looking for someone? Even the police need to show a search warrant.

However, it's clear that the law doesn't apply to those who illegally trespass on private property.

Besides, didn't you look for me before I came back? This room is so small, how could someone hide here?

Xiao Yao really wanted to complain, but he didn't dare. He could only adopt a "do as you please" attitude, since it wouldn't make a difference if he said he couldn't look for them now.

Moreover, what puzzles him most now is where all of Shen Jie's clothes and belongings in the room went.

Then, Johns, the butler who had been standing behind Xiao Yao, stepped forward and began to act, while Shen Jie's father stood still, staring at Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao had assumed that Johns would go straight to the wardrobe, because in this room, the only places where a person could hide, besides under the bed, were the wardrobes.

But to his surprise, he walked to the bedside, lifted the sheets, and began to check them layer by layer.

Next, there's the writing desk and drawers.

Is this a search for someone? This is a search!

Xiao Yao wanted to protest, but Johns was quick and efficient. The sheets and blankets that had been pulled back, the tables and drawers that had been inspected, were all tidied up by him with extremely professional methods.

Now, the bed and desk in front of Xiao Yao were more orderly than ever before, which left Xiao Yao speechless with protest.

Fine, if you want to watch, then watch as much as you want.

But as Johns worked on the sofa, Xiao Yao suddenly remembered something very scary.

Before he could make a move, Johns had already taken a tin box from the armrest.

This box was originally a sewing box, but now it contains the socks that Shen Jie gave him.

As Johns opened the sewing box, Xiao Yao's blood ran cold. If it weren't for Shen Jie's father being there, he would have pounced on him and snatched it back.

But Johns simply opened the box, glanced at himself, closed the lid, and began the next inspection.

Xiao Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, laughing at himself for making a fuss over nothing.

After all, they're just socks; you can't always tell if they're men's or women's socks without looking closely.

Even if you notice that they are women's socks, you can't immediately associate them with Shen Jie, right?

Even her biological father and the butler who watched her grow up couldn't remember the style of every pair of socks the young lady wore, could they?

……

Johns's inspection was finally coming to an end.

Only then did he bend down and check under the bed, then shook his head at Shen Jie's father.

Shen Jie's father stood at the door of the wardrobe.

He seemed to be performing a ritualistic victory as he slowly opened the wardrobe door, and inside, unsurprisingly, there was nothing but a few of Xiao Yao's old clothes.

After Johns repeatedly confirmed that there was nothing there, Shen Jie's father became visibly anxious, his earlier confidence completely gone.

He directly demanded that Xiao Yao tell him where his daughter was, but naturally, he only received three denials from Xiao Yao.

The boy then vaguely realized that Shen Jie's father was certain that Shen Jie was in this room, either under the bed or in the wardrobe.

He may have deliberately ignored these two places, trapping Shen Jie while he sat here waiting for Xiao Yao to appear.

His purpose in talking with Xiao Yao was neither to get Shen Jie's whereabouts from Xiao Yao nor to test Xiao Yao's character and conduct, but to force Xiao Yao to betray Shen Jie, thereby making Shen Jie feel disappointed and thus completely taking Shen Jie's heart away from Xiao Yao.

Old man, you've mastered the art of killing by attacking someone's spirit.

Thinking about this, and recalling the questions Shen Jie's father had asked earlier, which were almost full of traps, Xiao Yao felt a chill run down his spine and a wave of fear washed over him.

The adult world is too scary; I'd better just stay a student.

In the meantime, Shen Jie's father had also composed himself, apologized to Xiao Yao and took his leave, not forgetting to promise that providing information about Shen Jie's whereabouts would bring him wealth and honor. Xiao Yao repeatedly said that he would keep an eye on it.

After seeing the guests off, Xiao Yao was about to go into the mirror when, unexpectedly, the door to the photo booth rang again.

He hesitated for a few seconds, but finally reluctantly opened the door.

"Zhang Zhengkai?!" Xiao Yao exclaimed in surprise.

Why don't you two team up? Are you going to play a tag-team game?

If nothing unexpected happens, this kid is probably the one who informed on this crisis.

Xiao Yao instinctively reached out to close the door, but the little bastard lowered his head, slipped under his armpit, and barged straight into the inner room.

?