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

"I can say it too. Whoever gets up first speaks first, and whoever goes to sleep first speaks first."

"Okay, sure," Shen Jie nodded.

“You have to reply to my messages. Don’t be like before, always just reading and not replying,” Xiao Yao continued.

"I can't possibly be on my phone 24/7, replying to your messages instantly, can I?" Shen Jie frowned slightly.

“I’m not asking you to reply instantly all the time,” Xiao Yao explained. “Just reply when you see it. Don’t always go seven or eight hours or three or five hours without replying. That’s not an unreasonable request, is it?”

"I'll try my best." Shen Jie's tone sounded somewhat reluctant.

“You should also take the initiative to reach out to me. I can’t always have to be the one to initiate contact,” Xiao Yao said. “You can share more about your life and what you’ve seen and heard with me, and also ask what I’m doing… and things like that.”

"I understand." Shen Jie nodded and said, "If this is what you expected."

“You should answer my calls,” Xiao Yao thought for a moment and said, “Don’t always keep your phone on silent or without vibration. If it’s inconvenient for you to answer, you can hang up and then reply to my QQ or text message, tell me what you’re doing, and then call me back when you’re free.”

"...What if I'm sleeping? And what if I'm at school, in class, taking exams?" Shen Jie asked him, "When I'm practicing karate, my phone is always aside, and when I'm studying, I might be very focused—"

“It’s okay,” Xiao Yao told her. “For example, if you need to take a shower, go to sleep, practice karate, or have an exam, just let me know in advance. That way, I’ll know when you won’t be able to reply to messages or answer the phone. Then you can tell me when you’re done.”

"Is dating always this complicated?" Shen Jie pouted and leaned back on the bus seat. "I've never seen my friends' relationships like this."

“…I don’t know,” Xiao Yao scratched his head, “I’ve never talked about this before.”

“Doggy,” Shen Jie gently patted Xiao Yao’s head, “you really lack a sense of security.”

"..." Xiao Yao didn't know how to respond to that.

"I'll get used to it gradually." Before Xiao Yao could think of a reply, Shen Jie made this promise.

"Then... one last question," Xiao Yao asked Shen Jie, "how often should we meet after you go back?"

"I don't know," Shen Jie shook her head and said, "How often would you like to see each other? Once a week?"

“I think,” Xiao Yao touched his nose, “one Thursday…” He glanced at Shen Jie’s expression and quickly corrected himself, “three…two times, how about that?”

Shen Jie took a long breath.

“I just wanted to discuss this with you,” Xiao Yao shook her arm. “Didn’t you just say that everything is something to discuss?”

The girl didn't speak.

The bus slowly pulled over to a stop, some people got off, and some people got on.

The carriage became slightly crowded, and the boy's mood changed from clear and bright to depressed.

Yes, she's going home. That's obvious; didn't I already know that?

But why does my chest feel so tight, like someone has put a lead ball in my heart?

The car bumped and jolted forward.

Shen Jie remained silent for about five minutes before suddenly speaking, "Doggy."

"Mm," Xiao Yao replied somewhat nervously.

“Like I just said,” Shen Jie said slowly, “I won’t draw conclusions unilaterally; I will definitely discuss it with you.”

"Ah."

“Now I want to discuss something with you,” Shen Jie reached out and took Xiao Yao’s arm. “You don’t have to agree, but don’t get angry first. Let’s discuss it calmly, and you can listen carefully to my thoughts, okay?”

Xiao Yao knew that this meant Shen Jie was about to say things that would anger him.

He nodded nervously, "Okay, I promise you."

"Hmm..." Shen Jie hummed through her nose for a long time without saying anything.

Although Xiao Yao felt uneasy and somewhat anxious, he held back and did not urge the girl.

“Hmm,” Shen Jie finally came up with her opening line: “I was very angry, extremely angry, about what you kept from me before, so I wanted to leave you.”

Xiao Yao's heart skipped a beat.

“Therefore, I need you to formally apologize to me.” Shen Jie made this request seriously.

The boy felt a little relieved.

He placed his hands on the girl's shoulders, turned her face towards him, and looked into her eyes: "Shen Jie, look at me."

“Hmm.” Shen Jie looked into his eyes.

"I, Xiao Yao, sincerely apologize to you for this matter and promise never to do it again," Xiao Yao said in a deep voice.

"I, Shen Jie, hereby formally accept your apology and formally forgive you." Shen Jie solemnly extended her right hand to Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao grasped the girl's warm hand and shook it up and down.

"So, let's put this matter behind us," Shen Jie said.

“Okay,” Xiao Yao nodded and said, “Thank you. And again, I’m sorry.”

"So, what I'm about to discuss with you has nothing to do with the things you lied to me about." The girl's true intentions were revealed.

Xiao Yao's heart, which had just relaxed, tightened again.

"Don't be nervous." Shen Jie reached out and took Xiao Yao's arm.

Xiao Yao reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Hmm..." The girl hesitated for a moment again.

"Just say what you have to say, okay? You've been building up the tension for long enough." Xiao Yao finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"What did you say to Yu Luying on the bus to Zhouzhuang earlier?" Shen Jie added, "Well, what were you two planning to do about your future relationship?"

"?" Xiao Yao didn't understand what Shen Jie was trying to say: "Be friends, good friends."

“What my silly sister told me,” Shen Jie said, tugging at Xiao Yao’s shoulder, “is to be friends for life, special friends.”

"?" Xiao Yao was a little doubtful. Was that what they said back then? "Anyway, I don't remember the exact words, but it was something like that, because of the special connection between her and me—"

“I’m thinking,” Shen Jie said, “is there a possibility that at this stage, you’re better suited to be with Sha Mei? We could be special friends for life—or rather, for life.”

Xiao Yao felt a wave of suffocation. He grinned widely and turned his face away: "I understand. All that buildup boils down to two words: break up."

"You promised you wouldn't get angry, so let me finish," Shen Jie reassured him.

The boy maintained his bright smile, not for her sake, but simply because he wanted to smile.

We've only been back from the boat resort for a few days, and this is already the umpteenth time we've broken up?

Xiao Yao felt a bit numb, and he felt a sense of weariness.

He was disappointed in Shen Jie, and also disappointed in himself.

When we first started dating, we agreed that no matter how big the argument was, we wouldn't easily mention breaking up.

Xiao Yao felt somewhat unsure about Shen Jie's self-control and paid even more attention to her desire to leave.

The boy's soul felt weary—this never ends, who can take it?

The confidence that had just been boosted by her charm plummeted again.

"You still say I don't feel safe," the boy said in a hoarse voice. "How can anyone feel safe when you're like this? Just because I asked you to reply to my messages properly, answer the phone properly, and meet with me twice a week, you start all over again?"

“It has nothing to do with this,” Shen Jie insisted. “Can you let me finish what I have to say?”

"Go ahead," Xiao Yao said, shaking off Shen Jie's arm and looking out the window.

“First of all, I will still marry you according to the original timeline,” Shen Jie said. “And I will not date or have any intimate contact with other men.”

Xiao Yao sneered through his nose: "Fifteen years later, you want to rekindle your romance, huh? — Do you think you're the Condor Heroes?"

"Then, if you send me a message, I will reply. If you call, I will definitely answer if I can." Shen Jie continued to promise, "You don't need to worry about meeting. I will definitely come to see Tianyun often, not very often. And if you want to go out and have fun, or go for a walk in Waitan, I can go with you."

"..." Xiao Yao continued to look out the car window, sneering without saying a word.

He suddenly had an impulse to get off the bus gracefully and walk away when it stopped at the next station.

“Even, even,” Shen Jie said, seeing that Xiao Yao was unmoved, she offered an even more tempting offer: “You want to touch me, you want to… be intimate,” Shen Jie’s voice grew softer and softer: “As long as silly sister doesn’t mind, I won’t object.”

"What exactly does she have to do with this?" Xiao Yao asked through gritted teeth.

"I want you two to be together," Shen Jie said.

"Are you sick in the head?" Xiao Yao turned his face away: "With you contacting each other, meeting up, and even letting... you touch me, what's the difference between you and a boyfriend and girlfriend? What's the point of this breakup?"

"The point is that once we're good friends, you can be with Silly Girl," Shen Jie said softly. "And it will be easier for me too. After all, if we're friends, we don't have to say good morning and good night every day, reply to messages instantly, answer calls immediately, or go on dates like we're completing a task... This way, both of us can relax a bit, right?"

"You still say your breakup wasn't because of these things?" Xiao Yao's tone was comparable to "Chang Wei, you still say you don't know martial arts?"

“It’s really okay, Xiao Yao, listen to me.” Shen Jie shook Xiao Yao’s arm.

Xiao Yao ignored her, so Shen Jie stretched out her hands, turned his face around, and pecked him on the lips.

"..." Xiao Yao touched his lips, somewhat stunned. "What exactly do you want to do?"

“Xiao Yao, look at the people on these buses,” Shen Jie pointed to the crowded carriage: “At each stop, people get on and people get off.”

"?" Xiao Yao thought to himself, "So what?"

“Our lives are like that too, like a bus that stops at a station from time to time. Some people get on, and some people get off.” Shen Jie stared blankly in the direction of the bus door.

"Isn't being an artsy young man part of my persona?" Xiao Yao said.

“And all of this is full of randomness,” Shen Jie told him. “Look at that old lady with the vegetable basket who just went downstairs. We just happened to meet her, and then we’ll never see each other again.”