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

“My brother told me,” Yu Lihua finally broke the silence, “that you’re getting baptized next Easter?”

Three black lines appeared on Xiao Yao's forehead: "I did say that..."

“That’s great, that’s great,” Yu Lihua said with a smile. “Yu Bo will teach you catechism during the summer vacation, and after your baptism next Easter, you can start premarital counseling…”

"Mom!" Yu Luying's face turned red all the way to the roots of her neck: "There's not enough time for tutoring, what's the point of continuing with theory lessons? He's going to have to repeat a grade!"

Xiao Yao could only manage an awkward chuckle.

“That’s true,” Yu Lihua frowned. “Let’s catch up on our studies first. If you repeat a grade, you won’t be in the same class anymore, and you won’t be in the same school in the future. Long-distance relationships are not good for your relationship.”

Xiao Yao: ?

Just then, Xiao Yao's phone beeped twice, followed by a series of MMS notification sounds.

Xiao Yao decided to ignore it, but Yu Luying suddenly chimed in, "Take a look."

"No," Xiao Yao said.

"Look." Yu Luying gently pushed him.

Xiao Yao took out his phone and opened the MMS message. In order to prevent Yu Lihua from seeing it, he deliberately tilted it towards Yu Luying's side.

The MMS messages contained photos of Shen Jie's dinner that evening.

The dinners at this wealthy family were truly elaborate; each dish looked like a work of art created by the chef himself.

The first photo shows a golden-brown, crispy roast suckling pig, arranged on an elegant roasting platter, surrounded by a ring of green vegetables, with an apple dangling from its mouth—a sight that immediately conveys the dish's allure…

Damn, I'm craving it! I've never seen a real roast suckling pig in my life; I've only ever seen pigs running around in the countryside.

The second photo shows a colorful roast duck with a crispy, glossy skin, garnished with scallions and pancakes, making the dish look even more refined. The third photo shows a cold jellyfish salad, its red and green colors complementing each other, seasoned with sesame seeds, minced garlic, and vinegar, making it look very appetizing.

Next up was a fish I didn't recognize; just by looking at its presentation, I knew it wouldn't be cheap.

There's also a tempting-looking dish... creamy fried shrimp? Golden and crispy, paired with...

Seriously, why are you sending me all this? I can't even afford to eat it... Wait, didn't I ask her to take these pictures for me?

The home-cooked dishes that Yu Lihua prepared could be considered to be of excellent color, aroma and taste, but compared with these photos, they could only feel ashamed of themselves.

As Xiao Yao flipped through the MMS messages, he met Yu Luying's half-smiling gaze, which seemed to be mocking him, saying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xiao, my family has not been hospitable."

"Cough..." Xiao Yao secretly reached out and pinched her hand under the table.

He kept clicking "next page," and then a photo of himself and Shen Jie appeared on the screen. It was a photo that Shen Jie had secretly taken of him on the bus back to Shanghai from Zhouzhuang, when he was sleeping with his head on her shoulder.

Who would have thought that the girl who secretly took these photos would break up with him just an hour later?

It's unclear whether Yu Luying saw the photo—she probably did, as Xiao Yao quickly snatched his phone back.

Speaking of which, no matter how you look at it, Yu Lihua is the prime suspect for the suspect who sent that tip-off text message, right?

But right now, there's no way to confront them directly.

"Alright," Yu Lihua said, "Let's eat. You young people always like to play on your phones while eating. Hurry up and finish your meal so you can start studying."

After dinner, the Yu mother and daughter cleared the table. Xiao Yao went to help, but was firmly sent back to the sofa, making him extremely restless.

Tonight's task is to correct the math test paper that scored 47 points. With Yu Lihua present, Xiao Yao felt the atmosphere was very tense. However, this was also good, as it would make it less likely for him to be distracted or chat idly, and his learning efficiency should be a bit higher.

Yu Lihua selected the two largest peaches that Xiao Yao had bought, washed them, peeled off the skins, and placed the white peaches on an iron tray before bringing them to the two of them.

"Thank you, Auntie," Xiao Yao said, bowing slightly.

"Be careful not to drip on the test paper."

After a while, Yu Lihua brought out two more glasses of freshly boiled milk.

Xiao Yao felt very warm and at home. Or rather, it reminded him of his own mother—who had once been like him. Therefore, when he expressed his gratitude, it came from the bottom of his heart, and Yu Lihua's face even began to look friendly.

Yu Luying was getting impatient, annoyed by her mother's constant nagging: "Don't you have anything else to do?"

“Well,” Yu Lihua was surprisingly easy to talk to, almost like a different person from before. She said cautiously, “I’m going out for a walk, you two don’t cause any trouble.”

What trouble could he possibly cause? Xiao Yao wondered.

After Yu Lihua left, her high heels clicking away, Xiao Yao couldn't help but say, "Yingying, isn't it a bit much to kick your mother out like that? Besides..."

Yu Luying answered him by turning the test paper over and saying, "Xiao Yao, I have something to tell you."

"?"

"When you come to my house in the future, don't pray to that photo."

"Oh, may I ask why?" Xiao Yao had also wanted to ask her about this: "Is it because we can only worship God? Uh..."

“It’s because,” Yu Luying said calmly, her eyes fixed on the questions on the exam paper, “that man is still alive.”

--split line--

"Yunxuan, let's eat, why are you taking pictures?" Shen Jie's father, Shen Hongsheng, stood in his family's dining room.

The restaurant's high ceiling is adorned with exquisite ceiling paintings, and a central chandelier hangs high, illuminating the entire room. The walls are decorated with large, gold-framed mirrors and antique paintings, and the curtains are bright red.

A snow-white tablecloth covered the rectangular dining table. Gold cutlery was placed on one side of the table, while crystal wine glasses and plates were on the other. In the center of the table was a bouquet of flowers and a candlestick with a lit candle.

The servants are setting out tonight's dishes on the table one by one; this is the feast to welcome our daughter home.

A girl in white is opening the lids of the dishes one by one and taking pictures with her device.

Shen Hongsheng couldn't help but frown slightly. Based on his more than 20 years of experience in the business world, he was convinced that this kind of ostentatious and extravagant behavior was a ritual that summoned misfortune.

"Xiao Jie asked me to take these photos." The girl was wearing a white casual outfit, her hair tied in a ponytail, neatly pulled back, making her look very fresh and natural. Her skin was fair and delicate, her eyes bright and clear, and her smile curved like a crescent moon, revealing youthful vitality and healthy beauty. Her smile radiated a sunny aura. From any angle, she looked like a female college student in her early twenties.

Shen Hongsheng walked to the table and sat in the chair that the girl called Yunxuan had arranged for him, and asked, "Where is Xiaojie? Is she still crying in the room?"

Yunxuan tiptoed and sat down on the table next to Shen Hongsheng, crossing her legs: "You're such a big girl, and you still spank me? You won't even let me cry?"

"When have you ever seen me hit her before? Now that she's all grown up, she's run away from home like everyone else, and she's been gone for so long, causing chaos at home. And she comes back and casually says she just went to a hostel to clear her head, thinking she can get away with it?" Shen Hongsheng reached out and gently pinched Yunxuan's thigh. "Her? Sleeping in a hostel? Don't hostels require ID cards?"

Yunxuan raised her hand and lightly slapped Shen Hongsheng's restless hand, making a loud "smack," and said, "So that's how you have to hit him?"

"What can I do if I don't hit him? Throw him into the Yellow River? I keep telling you to keep an eye on him, but you always play the good cop." Shen Hongsheng withdrew his hand, rubbing his hands together helplessly.

"Let me manage? How am I, as a stepmother, supposed to manage? She's called a stepdaughter, but in terms of age, I can only call her 'sister'," Yunxuan said, swinging her legs down from the table and walking behind Shen Hongsheng to massage his shoulders and back. "The owner of this business is ultimately surnamed Shen. As an outsider surnamed Luo, shouldn't I try to get along well with the future mistress?"

"Let's not talk nonsense here today," Shen Hongsheng said, taking Luo Yunxuan's small hand from his shoulder and helping her sit in the chair next to him. Looking into her eyes, he asked, "How much of what Xiaojie said today is true?"

Luo Yunxuan tilted her head and thought for a moment before replying, "You've already hit me, so it's already considered lying."

Shen Hongsheng shook his head and said, "I know Xiao Jie, and Xiao Jie knows me. She knows very well what kind of lies she can tell that I can accept, but she still came up with this set of nonsense that I would never believe to fob me off. There must be some reason for it."

"You mean, part of her story is the truth that she had to tell, and that's why she can't lie about everything?" Luo Yunxuan leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, deep in thought.

"Yes, what exactly is she hiding?" Shen Hongsheng frowned, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, making a "tap" sound.

Luo Yunxuan said, "Could it be that you were bullied outside but didn't dare to tell you?"

Shen Hongsheng still frowned: "Why don't you dare to say it? Obviously, it's not because you're afraid I'll spank you."

He reached out and took Luo Yunxuan's hand, holding it between his own: "You really need to put in a lot of effort this time. After all, you are the mistress of this house."

Luo Yunxuan also leaned forward, placed his hand on Shen Hongsheng's hand, and said seriously, "Now that everyone has returned safely and the lesson has been taught, pursuing the deeper reasons behind it is not only exhausting but also meaningless. As you always say, it's good to be confused sometimes."

"That's true, but she's still my own daughter, so it's hard not to feel resentful," Shen Hongsheng sighed. "Besides, she came back safe and sound this time, but what if she comes back heavily pregnant next time?"

Luo Yunxuan chuckled and said, "Isn't it you who's always wanted to have a grandson?"

Shen Hongsheng: "...Don't joke around."

Two servants brought over a large metal tray. Upon seeing this, Mr. and Mrs. Shen Hongsheng stood up and had them work together to place the tray in the center of the long table.

Watching the servant's departing figure, Luo Yunxuan whispered in Shen Hongsheng's ear, "From what I've observed, Zheng Kai probably won't be too bothered by that."

“This isn’t about what Zheng Kai thinks.” Shen Hongsheng shook his head, walked to the dish that had just been placed on the table, and reached out to grasp the handle of the dish cover: “Closed to the outside world, I can pretend to be ignorant, and District Chief Zhang can probably pretend to be ignorant too. I can say that there’s fish in here, or bear’s paw, or even fish cooked with bear’s paw…” He gently turned the handle, and the friction between the dish cover and the tray made a “sizzling” sound.

Then, he lifted his hand, and the metal dish cover was lifted, revealing a golden-brown, crispy roast suckling pig. It was placed on an exquisite roasting platter, surrounded by a ring of green vegetables, with an apple in its mouth. The restaurant was instantly filled with a delicious aroma.

Shen Hongsheng said to Luo Yunxuan in a deep voice, "However, once the lid is opened and exposed to the light of day, neither he nor I can pretend to be confused anymore."

Luo Yunxuan picked up her phone, took a few pictures of the roast suckling pig, and sent them to Shen Jie: "So that's why you wouldn't lift the lid. What do you need me to do?"

Seeing that Luo Yunxuan had finished taking pictures, Shen Hongsheng gently closed the lid again and sat down: "Since you are happy to be a good person, then continue to do so. You and Xiaojie are about the same age. If you get along well, she should tell you more about things."

Luo Yunxuan sat on Shen Hongsheng's lap and said coquettishly, "I'm a whole twelve years older than Xiaojie, how come we're the same age?"

Shen Hongsheng patted her back and gently removed her from his lap: "Is it my fault for praising your youth? Get me some more truth from him. Pay special attention to that guy surnamed Xiao... I don't know how he got together with Xiao Jie, they seem to be very close. In any case, I have to give District Chief Zhang a satisfactory explanation."

"Okay, I'll go and try to coax her some more." Luo Yunxuan shrugged and walked towards the stairs.

Shen Hongsheng then instructed her as she walked away, "Tell her to come down and eat quickly. Tell her I've calmed down."

"understood."

“Oh, right,” Shen Hongsheng said, “…Ah, never mind.”

Luo Yunxuan turned around, her face beaming with a smile: "If you want to see what's inside the lid first, I can have a couple of drinks with her in a couple of days, and then we can find out what's going on. That way, you'll have a better idea of ​​what's inside, okay?"

"It's alright if it falls...?" Shen Hongsheng said.

Chapter 180 The Young Lady's Family Banquet II

2023-05-03

With Luo Yunxuan's personal support, Shen Jie limped down the stairs and arrived at the restaurant.