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

He recalled himself when he wore two stripes.

I remember myself as someone who was responsible for shouting "Stand up!" after the teacher shouted "Class begins!"

I was one of the first to wear the red scarf.

The self who was awarded the title of "Three Good Student".

Xiao Yao pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table, where his high school textbooks were neatly arranged in front of him.

The dining table was tidied up by Shen Jie's housekeeper yesterday; I wonder what he thinks of these brand-new old books.

However, Xiao Yao only wanted to laugh, not at others, but at himself.

Ever since Xiao Yao absconded from the 7 Days Inn and Song Haijian began to make things difficult for him, everyone around Xiao Yao—his lover, friends, elders, teachers, classmates, and even his children—has been worrying about his future and offering advice.

The person who should be most worried, working tirelessly, and doing everything in his power—Xiao Yao himself—seems to have done nothing at all, and is even using the guise of justice to prevent others from doing anything.

Xiao Yao suddenly realized that he was just like the kind of man in many stories who spent his days drinking and gambling, doing nothing, yet still considering himself the head of the family. One day, he got into trouble, but then he became a coward and left the problem to his parents, wife, and children.

“But there really is no other way…” Xiao Yao muttered to himself.

The man in the story eventually got rid of the trouble and returned to his hedonistic life, until one day, while hanging out with his cronies at a brothel, he picked up his own daughter as a masseuse.

"Did I try my best? Did I really try my best?" Xiao Yao asked himself.

The best time to do the right thing is always "at the beginning".

I wonder when Xiao Yao, who will be 30 and finally marry—well, whatever—marrying Shen Jie, will start doing the right thing.

But for Xiao Yao, who has already missed the "beginning," every moment is a new beginning.

He reached for the textbook and opened it to the very first page.

The books lay open in the sunlight, exuding an aura that was once unfamiliar but now invigorates him—the scent of youth.

……

When Xiao Yao looked up from his book again, the sunlight on his desk had shifted to the corner. He stood up and stretched. He had gradually begun to understand the logic of classical mechanics and had memorized quite a few chemical formulas. He felt much more fulfilled at that moment.

Even mathematics has become a kind of beginner's illusion.

Compared to yesterday, when he couldn't even read those strange symbols, Xiao Yao today seemed full of wisdom, and his comprehension ability had improved significantly.

Perhaps what the teachers said, "He is actually very smart," wasn't a lie.

A noise came from inside the wardrobe, as if someone was inside but dared not come out rashly.

"Come out, I'm here," Xiao Yao shouted into the closet.

The wardrobe door was carefully pried open a crack from the inside, and a short-haired girl peeked out with her round little head.

Seeing that Xiao Yao was actually studying, the girl's eyes widened in surprise: "Cramming at the last minute?"

"Hmm," Xiao Yao replied calmly, "Even if it's not fast, it still shines."

"Doggy," Shen Jie said, "I'm so hungry—is your cold any better?"

"What do you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you." Xiao Yao stood up.

"Stir-fried green peppers with shredded pork? I want you to make it for me." Shen Jie's tone and expression clearly indicated that she wasn't fully awake yet.

"I'll burn it," Xiao Yao reminded her.

"Oh, never mind, you go buy it, anything is fine," Shen Jie jumped down from the closet and explained, "If I go out, I'll have to disguise myself again, which is quite troublesome."

“Okay.” Xiao Yao nodded and said, “There’s one more thing. You asked me to recall this morning whether there had been any instances of the symbiotic relationship weakening before. I have some clues.”

"How so?" Shen Jie suddenly perked up, her previously sleepy eyes widening in surprise.

“Maybe, yes,” Xiao Yao told Shen Jie. “I just didn’t pay much attention at the time because I didn’t even think about it that way.”

"When?"

Chapter 138 The Reasons for the Weakening of Symbiosis

2023-03-19

In the end, Xiao Yao did not go out to buy food.

“Back then, you and I were together at that parenting education center, in that birdcage,” he recalled while munching on a piece of original recipe chicken, “and you got into a fight with Yu Luying, do you remember?”

"I remember, Ice Tin Can, it was through symbiosis that she broke through her defenses," Shen Jie said with a resentful expression. "I thought it was some strange rule of the Shadow World, I never imagined you two had this connection?"

“I’m so sorry for keeping this from you,” Xiao Yao apologized sincerely to the girl again. “But I don’t know if you’ve noticed a detail, but actually in Teacher Yao’s hall, my right hand was always injured and I couldn’t use it. This was because I smashed the mirror with my hand in the love hotel room—but Yu Luying, whom we met, was obviously not injured.”

“Of course I remember,” Shen Jie nodded. “At the time, I thought you were so reckless—oh well, okay, I won’t say anymore, you can continue.”

"But when we later turned against each other and started fighting, the symbiosis was clearly effective. So can we assume that the symbiosis was ineffective when I injured my hand before?"

This was a bit of a convoluted question, and Shen Jie's eyes widened in an "@@" shape: "...When did you hurt your hand?"

"Didn't I just tell you? After I separated from her and the teddy bear, I was trapped in a weird room. Later, I broke a mirror to return to reality, and that's when I injured my hand."

"There are just too many possibilities. The affairs of the Shadow World are inherently complicated." Shen Jie rubbed her temples vigorously. "It could be..."

"If it stops working once others know about it, we would have told Yu Bo a long time ago. We can't possibly investigate blood relations again, can we?"

"So, after we went into the mirror, before we found Yu Luying, were you injured again?"

"If you ask me that, it seems there really isn't one? Don Quixote's armor may look sloppy, but it's actually quite effective."

“Alright, let’s go back in time… Starting with our encounter with Yu Luying in Teacher Yao’s Hall, where we used symbiosis to gain the upper hand, let’s recall when was the most recent, clear symbiotic reaction?”

“…Ah ...

"You mean, she should be able to taste what you're eating?"

"Isn't that right?" Xiao Yao retorted.

“Not necessarily,” Shen Jie shook her head and said, “People have only tasted the flavor, but haven’t seen the actual product, so it’s normal that they can’t figure out what it is.”

“What you said makes sense—oh right, I’ve got it! The day before, Thursday night, I was splashing water in the fountain in the park when she slapped my hand hard on the back of my hand.”

"Are you sure?" Shen Jie said, "You weren't electrocuted, were you?"

"...I really can't remember. Oh right, I think she had a cello performance or rehearsal on Thursday night. Anyway, I felt my fingers pressing the strings that night, that sensation, that pain..."

"Okay, let's assume Thursday Symbiosis is still around. Now, go through the events that happened while I wasn't there. Recall everything, don't miss any details."

Xiao Yao began to seriously recall and recount his experiences during that period.

Shen Jie focused mainly on eating, only occasionally making a few sounds like a straight man, trying her best not to interrupt Xiao Yao's train of thought.

Having finished telling Xiao Yao's story, Shen Jie wiped her mouth, took out a notebook, and began the testimony questioning phase.

"You said you and Yu Luying took the subway to Qian Gui?"

"Yes."

"Did nothing happen on the road?"

"We ran into a little bear."

"No, no, when it was just you and Yu Luying on the subway, nothing happened, right? A man and a woman riding together on crowded public transportation..."

"Big sister, you know it's public transportation."

Who are you calling "big sister"?

"I was wrong."

"You mean, if it's not public transportation, something will happen to you?"

"We weren't dating back then."

"You were already pursuing me back then."

"You already rejected me back then."

"We were on a break, right?" Shen Jie sneered. (Author's note: This reference is from Friends.)

"What, Brick? Okay, I was kicked by Yu Luying back then."

"What did you do that made them kick you?"

"I...she..."

"If you don't tell me the truth, I really won't give you another chance, you know that, right?"

"Actually, there weren't many people on the bus. I let Yu Luying sit while I stood, and that's when I saw her chest..."

"Ha!" Shen Jie was indeed displeased: "And then?"

"In public, what do you expect to happen next?"

"Did Yu Luying react? Didn't you say that you could communicate with each other when you were in symbiosis?"

"Ah, yeah, she kicked me in the shin, it's all bruised... Yeah, it hurt, but she didn't seem to feel any pain herself. Holy crap!"

"It really is selective amnesia."

“But it’s possible she’s gritting her teeth and enduring it,” Xiao Yao pointed out.

"That's true. Silly girl is really good at enduring things. On the bus to Qingpu, someone stepped on her foot, but she didn't make a sound at all. You, a grown man, screamed like a ghost."

"..."