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

Without hesitation, he turned and lunged at the phone.

The text messages could be sent by a fish or by a telecom company, but in my QQ friend list, there were only two people: Shen Jie and Yu Luying.

He excitedly opened his QQ app and saw the familiar avatar of oO舒荷Oo flashing.

"I'm home safely. I talked with my dad for a long time. My phone was dead and I've been charging it. I just saw your message."

"My father and I have reached an understanding and are getting along well."

"You and your silly sister should study hard, and you're not allowed to lay a hand on her!"

Xiao Yao breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease, and quickly replied:

"He didn't make things difficult for you, did he? Thank goodness, I'm relieved that everything's alright."

On second thought, I deleted that sentence and changed it to "I understand".

Just as I was about to press send, I changed my mind and stopped, putting my phone aside.

"Study hard," he said to Yu Luying with a smile, turning his head.

"Oh, okay." Yu Luying sat on the hard sofa in the room, somewhat dazed.

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying cleaned the dining table together and wiped it clean with a cloth.

"Tianyun...didn't you eat enough?" Yu Luying asked with some concern.

"Serves her right!" Xiao Yao took out the stack of Song Haijian's inheritance papers: "She brought this on herself, so she deserves to go hungry for a few meals."

Yu Luying smiled somewhat reluctantly, "Don't blame Tianyun. If I were in her shoes, I might be even worse than her... even worse, what do you mean?"

"I'm sorry you had to go through all this," Xiao Yao said apologetically.

Today's test was on chemistry—actually, Xiao Yao was quite good at chemistry in his third year of junior high school, but after coming to Shanghai, he seemed to have fallen out of touch with the curriculum, as if he had entered a completely different system, leaving him at a loss.

They were surrounded by thick stacks of test papers, diligently working on the same set of exams. The afternoon sun shone through the thin curtains onto the table, and the surroundings were very quiet, with only the faint sounds of papers turning and pens scratching across the papers, and the humming vibrations of the old air conditioner.

Xiao Yao glanced at Yu Luying unintentionally. She was focused on writing, a strand of hair swaying gently across her forehead as her fingers moved across the test paper. Xiao Yao couldn't help but be drawn to her profile, a wave of tenderness washing over him.

He secretly observed her, as if trying to find something in her expression. Were her eyes a little red? But her expression remained calm and focused, without any fluctuation.

Her short, jet-black hair was held back by a red headband, emitting a faint fragrance that made him want to bury his nose in it and take a deep breath. Xiao Yao noticed that her headband was rather old.

Oh, right, I almost forgot.

Xiao Yao picked up his phone, pressed the send button, and sent the message "OK".

The reason I deliberately delayed sending it was to avoid making Shen Jie feel that I was just wagging my tail at her while holding my phone.

Perhaps I should learn to control my emotions and stop constantly nagging others; after all, as the saying goes, "distance makes the heart grow fonder."

Xiao Yao continued to focus on the test paper in his hand until he heard several sniffles from a girl.

The boy felt water running down his face, looked up in confusion, and was then taken aback.

Yu Luying's face was covered with tears, but she forced herself not to make a sound.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Xiao Yao hurriedly grabbed a tissue from the table and frantically tried to wipe the girl's face.

Yu Luying looked up, subconsciously wiping away her tears with the back of her hand before reaching out to take the wad of tissues from Xiao Yao's hand. Her weak voice betrayed her deep sorrow: "It's nothing, just let me be by myself for a while."

Xiao Yao certainly wouldn't just "let her stay by herself for a while."

He gently took the girl's hand and said tenderly, "Tianyun was wrong to bully you. I apologize to you on her behalf."

Hearing Xiao Yao say that, Yu Luying's tears started to well up again. She buried her head in her shoulder, leaned on the table, and sobbed softly.

Xiao Yao stood up, walked behind her, gently hugged her, comforted her, and let her vent her sadness in his arms.

He felt the warmth and softness emanating from her, her body temperature and breath, and the scent of soap on her.

He could sense her emotions and feelings, and due to the symbiotic effect, he became just as sad as she was, tears streaming down his face onto the girl's fair neck.

"Tell me what happened," Xiao Yao said, his voice trembling with emotion.

“It’s nothing, I just suddenly feel very… pathetic,” Yu Luying said softly. “I suddenly don’t know how I, Yu Luying, have become like this.”

"What do you mean?" Xiao Yao asked.

“It’s like being someone’s concubine…” The word “concubine” was so soft it was almost inaudible: “Or like being someone’s stepmother. Even though we’re all about the same age, even though we’re peers, I’m being bullied by my ‘stepdaughter’ and I have to put on a smiling face… I feel so wronged.”

Xiao Yao wiped his face: "I'll deal with her properly later."

“Absolutely not,” Yu Luying shook her head. “If you two quarrel and become discordant because of me, it will only make me feel even worse. Don’t you understand?”

Xiao Yao didn't say anything more, but just patted her head: "I'm really... sorry."

Yu Luying suddenly turned around and hugged him tightly.

!

……

In this quiet environment, they nestled together, silently feeling each other's presence. Gradually, Yu Luying's emotions stabilized. She slowly left Xiao Yao's embrace, her face still flushed: "Thank you, Xiao Yao."

"Thank me my ass..." Xiao Yao said.

They gazed at each other, their eyes seemingly sharing a new understanding and tacit agreement.

"I'm done freaking out," Yu Luying said, handing over a used tissue to wipe Xiao Yao's face. "Let's get back to our work!"

"Okay! Time to do the problems!" Xiao Yao sat back down in his seat.

Chapter 177 Business or Fun?

?

2023-04-30

An afternoon passed quickly. Xiao Yao finished a physics test paper with Yu Luying's help. After the corrections and explanations, he immediately started working on the third math test paper without taking a break.

This time, Yu Luying's requirement was for Xiao Yao to complete the test independently, and the papers would be collected according to the exam time, which was equivalent to a mock exam.

"Time's up." After the alarm on Yu Luying's phone rang, she immediately put down her pen and grabbed one side of the test paper with both hands.

"Give me just one more minute, almost done..." Xiao Yao pressed down on the test paper, his forehead covered in sweat.

"During the college entrance exam—delaying the submission of your paper will be considered cheating and will result in your score being canceled!"

Is this happening?

Xiao Yao had no choice but to let go, watching Yu Luying grade the papers with unease in his eyes.

"7." Yu Luying wrote the number on the top of the paper with a red pen. When Xiao Yao saw this, his eyes widened and he was so happy that he almost jumped up.

Yu Luying glanced at Xiao Yao thoughtfully, then wrote a "4" in front of the "7" and finally drew two lines below it.

"Ahhh!" Xiao Yao covered his face and said, "I thought I could pass this time."

“Not bad,” Yu Luying said with a smile. “Teacher Yao always said you were smart, and I’ve always known that. It wasn’t just a polite remark.”

"?" Xiao Yao's forehead creased with three black lines: "My teacher Yao isn't dead yet!"

“This test paper isn’t the easiest one,” Yu Luying said, her hand trembling as she dropped the papers. “I remember you only scored in the 20s in your midterm math exam, but after just two tests you’re almost at 50. I have a feeling you’ll pass in less than a week!”

“If one course takes up a whole week…” Xiao Yao held his head in his hands and slumped onto the table.

As the sun began to set, its afterglow gradually faded from the bedroom, making the room even darker.

“I have to go,” Yu Luying said, standing up. “Let’s continue our tutoring sessions at the coffee shop. I don’t really want to have any more conflicts with Tianyun…”

"Wait for me." Xiao Yao said, opening the wardrobe door and diving inside.

The good news is that the wardrobe door across the street wasn't blocked; the bad news is that no one was in the room across the street either.

Hopefully it's just a normal outing.

Xiao Yao returned to his room: "She's not here."

“Oh,” Yu Luying said.

Xiao Yao picked up his phone, which was charging nearby, and nervously opened QQ on his phone.

The last message was—Don Quixote: Understood.

He checked his text message inbox again, but there were no new messages from that person.

Xiao Yao let out a long sigh. This mother and daughter were truly beyond words.

Don't ever expect her to message you first again in this lifetime.

Everything became the same as before she ran away from home and came to him with a black plastic bag.

As for a person's personality...

Xiao Yao shook his head vigorously, trying his best not to take it too seriously.

A man should be carefree! I don't care!

With a slightly unpleasant feeling, well, a little stronger than slightly unpleasant, Xiao Yao looked at Yu Luying, who was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine.

Today, Yu Luying wore an elegant white dress, the hem falling just below her knees, revealing a pair of long, fair legs. Her short, chin-length hair was neat and tidy, and a red headband accentuated her fresh and lovely temperament. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes were like stars. It was this face that had haunted Xiao Yao's dreams for the past year, or rather, nine months.

The girl wore a pair of soft, comfortable cotton socks, white with pink flowers and green leaves printed all over them. A pair of small bows at the top reminded Xiao Yao of ribbons on beautifully wrapped gifts. The socks hugged her calves comfortably, making one want to touch their softness.

Clearly, Yu Luying did not obey Shen Jie's orders.