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

"Use a hair dryer; it's practically a dryer anyway."

……

"So, shall we pack our things and head back to the city?" Xiao Yao's stomach rumbled.

"Let's stay until tomorrow—we've already renewed the room fee anyway," Shen Jie said casually.

"Huh?" Xiao Yao was taken aback. Shen Jie was certainly not the kind of person who would change her itinerary for that little bit of money.

“It just suddenly occurred to me that living in a university town without actually going to university is pretty good,” Shen Jie explained. “It’s like two people occasionally going on a weekend getaway. Since we’re already here, let’s stay an extra day.”

"Okay." Xiao Yao nodded vigorously.

Postponing the separation by another day, Xiao Yao felt like a traveler who had run out of money and found a few coins by the roadside.

Although it couldn't solve all the problems, his whole heart was filled with joy.

The underwear dried quickly in the summer sun. Xiao Yao got dressed and went out with Shen Jie.

Our first destination was the No. 1 canteen at Tsinghua University.

The campus of T University during the day has a unique charm compared to at night.

The heavens were kind enough to block out the scorching sun with thick clouds.

Shen Jie folded up the parasol in her hand and, like a cane, slowly walked along the road.

As they passed the "net bridge" from yesterday, the two stopped simultaneously, stood with their hands behind their backs, and looked up at the sky.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of last night, there are very few people passing by the bridge now, creating a strangely quiet and solitary environment.

"Shen Jie, I've made up my mind." Xiao Yao's voice was soft but firm.

"Decid what?" The girl turned to look at him, somewhat puzzled.

“Yes, it’s the suggestion you made on the bus about becoming friends,” Xiao Yao said.

"Hmm." Whether it was just her imagination or not, a hint of nervousness appeared in the girl's expression.

"As I said in the cafeteria earlier, I hope you can go home as soon as possible and prepare for the competition with all your might." Xiao Yao said what he had thought of while taking a shower last night.

Uh, it was the first time I took a shower, when I was showering alone.

"Ah."

"As for whether we should act as lovers or good friends after you go back, I think that's a false question—it doesn't matter at all."

"Ok?"

“Miss, you are my future wife, and no one can change that fact—that is the only thing that matters. Whether we are friends or boyfriend and girlfriend now is just an insignificant title, to put it bluntly, it's like playing house, and it's not worth getting hung up on. Whatever you think it is, that's what it is.”

Shen Jie opened her mouth to speak, but Xiao Yao continued on his own: "You should go back early tomorrow and study hard. Let's keep in touch, whether we meet or just keep in touch in a way that's comfortable for you."

"..."

"Eight years or sixteen years, Yang Guo can wait for Xiaolongnu, and I can wait for you. I will quietly grow up slowly, quietly wait for you to come back, quietly wait for the day we reunite, quietly..."

"Uh……"

"Really, wife," Xiao Yao felt that he had spoken a bit too poetically, as if he was not planning to see her again for eight years, so he quickly took it back: "You, just go back to your studies. I won't bother you, and I don't need you to say good morning or good night. Do whatever makes you comfortable. I won't bother you often. If you are tired from studying and want to come see Tianyun, you can come. Just spend a little time with me and I will be satisfied."

"How you want to treat me is entirely your personal freedom."

Xiao Yao originally wanted to add a line like, "After you go out, if you meet someone you like, be with them. It's okay, as long as you remember to come back in the end," to show off his noble sentiments. But then he thought about it and was afraid that if he was polite to the other person, the other person would be impolite to him. So he swallowed this nonsense.

"There is only one thing I cannot promise you, and you have no right to force me to do it—that is, I will not date Yu Luying or any other girl."

"Why?" Shen Jie asked somewhat impatiently.

"This isn't just about whether or not I'm being a scoundrel, nor is it simply about me being responsible for you—"

“Please,” Shen Jie said seriously, clasping her hands together, “please don’t include that matter in your considerations. I don’t need it.”

"If I go to Yu Luying for a while, does that mean you can go to someone else too?" Xiao Yao blurted out, "Double standards are not my style."

"I'll focus on my studies. Life isn't just about romance, okay?" Shen Jie looked into the boy's eyes and said, "I already made that very clear yesterday afternoon on the bus. You have my word."

“That’s right, life isn’t just about romance,” Xiao Yao said urgently, turning the steering wheel and speaking with deep affection. “All of the above is nonsense. The real core issue is that my heart is already full of you, and there’s no room for anyone else. Life isn’t just about romance. For me, Xiao Yao, to be in love with just you is enough.”

"You..." Shen Jie's expression and tone were very complicated, making it difficult to discern what she was implying.

However, Xiao Yao felt that there seemed to be no emotion involved.

The situation is not good.

"Didn't you promise me everything last night?" Shen Jie asked anxiously. "I thought you had agreed, so I let you... and then you changed your mind today?"

"What are you talking about?" Xiao Yao's heart sank. "I didn't change my mind. What I meant was..."

Xiao Yao knew that he actually knew what Shen Jie was talking about.

"Oh..." Shen Jie covered her forehead with her right hand and turned her face away.

"This is my answer, this is my stance," Xiao Yao announced, forcing a smile. "Whether you like it or not, this is my honest opinion—of course, as you've always emphasized, this is just..."

……

The girl sat down on the bridge pier.

Xiao Yao stood silently beside him with his hands at his sides.

The scorching sun pierced through the thick clouds, casting its dazzling heat upon the earth.

Xiao Yao took the parasol from Shen Jie's hand, opened it, and held it above her head, while he himself stood in the sunlight.

"Phew..." The girl let out a long sigh, stood up, casually took the boy's arm, and pulled him into the umbrella: "Come on, let's go eat."

Xiao Yao looked at the girl's face; her expression was calm, and he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Xiao Yao looking at her anxiously, the girl turned her face and smiled at him: "It's nothing, let's eat—I know everything you said."

Chapter 161 Post-coital Spicy Hot Pot

2023-04-14

Since it was past lunchtime, Xiao Yao and Shen Jie wandered around the cafeteria twice, but they still had no appetite for the leftovers.

Shen Jie wanted to eat the stir-fry on the second floor or the Fat Master's rice bowl, but Xiao Yao had his eye on the "Bald Head Barbecue and Spicy Hot Pot" next to the cafeteria. The two played rock-paper-scissors, and Xiao Yao won the final victory.

Xiao Yao thought for a moment and figured Shen Jie was probably still hurting, and also harboring resentment. He decided to flatter her and be accommodating: "How about I give in to you, and we'll just have the stir-fry?"

"I don't need you to give in now!" Shen Jie said fiercely, "I'm having spicy hot pot today!"

For some reason, Xiao Yao found her rather cute.

“You know, the names of the shops in this university are terrible,” Xiao Yao complained as he led Shen Jie into the mala tang restaurant. “Bald Head Mala Tang, Fat Master Rice Bowl, they have no artistic vibes of a prestigious university at all.”

As they were talking, the bald man himself appeared. His scalp was sealed with wax, and his shiny bald head rubbed his hands together, beaming as he took the menu and placed it on the table in front of them: "Classmates, what would you like to eat? Everything on the menu is available."

Shen Jie seemed preoccupied throughout, remaining silent with a hint of annoyance on her face.

Xiao Yao knew very well that his answer on the internet had not won the heart of the beauty.

"Okay," Xiao Yao shook the arm of the pretty girl opposite him, "I'll listen to you, let's be friends then."

Shen Jie didn't move, she just turned her face away.

Xiao Yao's original intention was to coax her, but seeing her acting so dramatic, he felt more and more aggrieved and angry the more he thought about it: "Break up, break up now, let's break up right here."

Shen Jie glanced at him, noticing his excited tone.

"We're breaking up! Whether we should create a romantic atmosphere, we can talk about it when we're thirty. Better to forget each other than to cling to each other in hardship. Happy breakup, my love! I wish you happiness! You can find someone better. Leaving an old love is like taking a slow train; once you see things clearly, your heart will be filled with sunshine..."

Damn it, how come I never realized before that breaking up is such a liberating thing?

Shen Jie chuckled and said, "Forget it, why are you singing now?"

Xiao Yao put on a straight face and said seriously, "Don't laugh, be serious! -- I want to break up, I don't want you anymore, Daddy Wang doesn't want you anymore, I'm going to abandon you after starting something."

"Tch," Shen Jie curled her lip, "Don't think you can..."

Shen Jie's mala tang was served at this time. It was neither numbing nor spicy. A few vegetable leaves and white fish balls floated in the soup, highlighting its health benefits.

“Young man,” the bald man slapped Xiao Yao’s shoulder heavily, “I’m going to meddle in other people’s business—don’t talk to your girlfriend like that. We men should have a sense of responsibility. Any conflicts can be resolved through communication…”

"?"

"Did you hear that? A sense of responsibility!" Shen Jie followed her boss's lead, a mischievous smile creeping across her face. "Thank you, boss."

“It’s you who won’t let me take responsibility for you…” Xiao Yao stammered.

"Stop!" Shen Jie pointed a chopstick at Xiao Yao.

"Sigh." Xiao Yao immediately shut his mouth.

The bald man patted Xiao Yao's shoulder again with a grin, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Don't be silly! Such a beautiful girlfriend is a blessing from your past life, so pamper her a bit!"

"I understand," Xiao Yao said sullenly, "I'll try my best."

With the bald man's enthusiastic intervention, the atmosphere between the two eased considerably.

"Alright, I'm not angry," Shen Jie said quietly. "Let's do as you said on the bridge. But regarding the silly girl's matter, I advise you to be cautious—"

"You're eating so little again?" Xiao Yao interrupted her. "You'll be putting more of mine in later."

"What, you're not convinced?" Shen Jie raised her eyebrows and smiled.