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

Shen Hongsheng, wearing a scarf around his neck, sat at the head of the table. Luo Yunxuan helped Shen Jie to sit to his right, then she herself sat opposite Shen Jie. To Luo Yunxuan's left sat Johns, who wore gold-rimmed glasses. Such a long table, so many dishes, yet only these four people were enjoying the meal.

Two waiters stood on either side of the long table. They were dressed in black suits, white shirts, and black ties, their clothes perfectly tailored, the buttons on their shirts and the knots in their ties neatly tied. Their shiny shoes reflected the light, and they carried silver plates and cutlery, ready to serve at any moment.

Their presence was very discreet, as if they had blended into the environment. Their movements were fluid and skilled, their expressions serious and focused, and they would occasionally glance at the four people on the table, ready to seize any opportunity to meet their needs.

As Shen Hongsheng picked up his cutlery, the meal began in silence. Shen Jie lowered her head, looking aggrieved, and stole glances at her father's expression, while Shen Hongsheng pretended not to notice.

The usually confident, composed, elegant, and powerful Miss Shen reveals a side of herself that she only shows in front of Shen Hongsheng—a side like a little lamb.

Shen Hongsheng finally spoke: "Have you missed the food from home while you've been away?"

Shen Jie forced a smile: "I brought money with me, so I can buy whatever I like to eat. There are still a lot of delicious things to eat in Shanghai."

Luo Yunxuan said, "When it comes to food, taste is only one aspect. In this day and age, people don't lack nutrition. The key is cleanliness and hygiene, because illness can enter through the mouth."

Shen Jie could only nod repeatedly: "Yes, yes."

Shen Hongsheng chimed in, "It's a good thing for a person to have the ability to endure hardship. Our family isn't royalty or nobility; we can't afford to raise a princess."

Shen Jie frowned and retorted in a low voice, "I'm not the Princess and the Pea. A youth hostel is already pretty good. I wouldn't be afraid to sleep under a bridge."

She remembered the dilapidated bridge archway through which people entered and exited the "hall of ceremonies".

Luo Yunxuan laughed and said, "That's right, that's right. Our Xiaojie is not a princess. Xiaojie has been able to survive for so many days in a youth hostel, a place full of all sorts of people. She can be called an indestructible, tough, and resilient pea."

“It’s hard to go from extravagance to frugality,” Shen Hongsheng put a large piece of roast meat on Shen Jie’s plate. “Back then, our family was just an ordinary small household with no special living conditions. But when I was in Lingnan in 73, I frowned when I entered the house arranged for me by the villagers.”

As Shen Jie listened to Shen Hongsheng recount his experiences of being sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her mind wandered elsewhere, but outwardly she appeared to be listening intently and with great interest.

"Alright," Shen Hongsheng sighed, ending the "bitter memories and sweet memories" session: "If you were really as tough as your Aunt Luo said, that would be fine. But I'm afraid you're not only a princess, but also a mermaid princess, and in the end, all that's left is foam."

"Old Shen, don't talk nonsense," Luo Yunxuan scolded Shen Hongsheng, then said with a smile, "How could Xiao Jie fall for such an ungrateful man? Even a prince wouldn't do. Don't you think so?"

“Of course,” Shen Jie quickly replied, “The Xiao Yao you met is the guy I dragged along that day to annoy Zhang Zhengkai. We don’t have any special relationship.”

"I'm sorry, dog, it's just a temporary measure, a temporary measure." Shen Jie apologized to Xiao Yao silently in her heart.

"Who taught you this unorthodox method?!" Shen Hongsheng suddenly slammed his hand on the table, startling Shen Jie into shrinking back, and Luo Yunxuan also shut her mouth tightly.

“I know I was wrong,” Shen Jie murmured, “but Zhang Zhengkai…”

Shen Hongsheng softened his tone and said, "I know you don't like Zheng Kai very much. He's younger than you and exceptionally immature. In the message I sent you, I said that this matter is negotiable—don't think that I said this just to trick you into coming back. I haven't gone back on my word."

"Okay." Shen Jie was genuinely happy to hear this.

"But no matter what you and Zhengkai choose in the future, that child has done nothing to wrong you. No matter who you get engaged to, you can have fun, but you still need to have a bottom line, a bottom line I've emphasized to you repeatedly. When you're out, you need to remember that you represent the Shen family, and the face of the Shen family. If you continue to run away from home without saying goodbye, or do anything that makes us a laughingstock, I will be extremely disappointed in you."

Shen Jie could roughly understand the weight of this "very, very disappointed" feeling, and nodded again, saying, "Dad, I understand."

Let's take a step by step.

Shen Hongsheng let out a long sigh, leaned back in his high chair, and looked at Luo Yunxuan.

Luo Yunxuan understood immediately: "You should rest well today. You've been wasting a lot of time lately. Johns has already arranged four tutors for you. In the next month, you should catch up on the lessons you've missed and not go running around."

"I understand." Shen Jie said dejectedly.

"You didn't pass the AP exam, and neither your father nor I said anything about it, did we?" Luo Yunxuan said calmly. "If you don't pass the ACT either, and you have to study for another year, wouldn't that just make the Shen family a laughing stock?"

"No, wait a minute," Shen Jie had just recovered from her shock, "What do you mean I shouldn't go out for a month if I don't have anything to do? Is this house arrest?"

"What do you mean by house arrest? This is called confinement. If you do something wrong, you should always be punished according to family rules."

Shen Hongsheng said loudly.

"Isn't this enough?" Shen Jie shouted, pointing to her face.

The girl's eyes were still red and swollen, with tear stains remaining at the corners, and her lips trembled slightly. A large bruise had swollen up on her right cheek, and a faint...handprint could even be seen there.

The girl was trembling all over.

"Xiao Jie, don't worry," Luo Yunxuan quickly advised, "Old Shen..."

Shen Hongsheng waved his hand and said, "There's no need to persuade her anymore. You keep spoiling her. Look at what she's become!"

“You should know that I have a habit of jogging every morning,” Shen Jie told Shen Hongsheng.

“I remember Johns also had a habit of jogging in the morning,” Shen Hongsheng said.

“Boss,” Johns pushed up his glasses, “you’re making my relationship with Miss worse and worse.”

“One week,” Luo Yunxuan insisted.

“…Three weeks,” Shen Hongsheng conceded.

“Two weeks,” Luo Yunxuan said.

“Sir,” Johns said, joining in the admonition.

There was a knock on the restaurant door, and then Shen Hongsheng's assistant quickly walked in, leaned down and whispered something in his ear.

Shen Hongsheng stood up: "I'm full, please continue eating."

Shen Jie, Luo Yunxuan, and Johns stood together to see them off.

Shen Hongsheng walked to the restaurant entrance, took a hot towel from the waiter, wiped his hands, and returned to Shen Jie's side.

He reached out the back of his finger and touched his daughter's face.

Shen Jie instinctively shrank back, then made herself stay still.

Shen Hongsheng gently stroked Shen Jie's cheek: "Does it still hurt?"

Genuine concern was evident in the man's eyes.

"It's much better now," Shen Jie replied softly, looking at the table.

"Two weeks," Shen Hongsheng finally said.

He left the restaurant, and the two waiters came back in. The atmosphere in the entire restaurant became relaxed and cheerful after the host left.

“Xiao Jie…” Luo Yunxuan stood up, walked around Shen Hongsheng’s seat, sat down next to Shen Jie, and gently patted the girl’s shoulder.

"Thank you, Aunt Luo." Shen Jie composed herself and looked at the woman who looked only a few years older than her.

“You know your dad,” Luo Yunxuan said. “Be good these next few days, and if anything happens, tell Auntie…”

--split line--

"You mean that man is still alive?" Xiao Yao asked cautiously.

“It means exactly what it says. My biological father is still alive.” Yu Luying told him succinctly, “Don’t tell anyone. The only reason I’m telling you is because… I feel like we’ve reached a certain level of intimacy.”

"I guarantee it will stay inside you." Xiao Yao made a zipping motion with his mouth.

Since she emphasized "biological," Xiao Yao thought she probably didn't like this father very much.

"Don't tell your sister either," Yu Luying added.

Xiao Yao's first thought was, "How much did I suffer last time to help you keep your secret?" However, since this was purely a family matter, she nodded and said, "I understand."

“So…” The boy cleared his throat, his gaze falling on the black-and-white photograph on the prayer altar: “This isn’t a memorial service, but some kind of… curse?”

"If you insist on understanding it that way, then it's not impossible," Yu Luying said somewhat embarrassedly.

“Your uncle said that Christians can only bless, not curse,” Xiao Yao said, scratching his head.

“Yes, that’s what my uncle said to my mom too,” Yu Luying’s gaze fell on her “biological father’s,” uh, black and white photo: “Then my mom argued, ‘So what? Can’t I put it here to pray for him and repent?’”

"Is it to pray for his repentance?" Xiao Yao corrected.

"Yes." Yu Luying stuck out her tongue slightly.

“However, it’s no use deceiving the priest,” Xiao Yao said thoughtfully, “because you can’t deceive God.”

“Yes,” Yu Luying sighed, “My uncle said the same thing.”

“Your scripture says to love your enemies, but in the end, how many can actually do that?” Xiao Yao sighed. “Ah, I’m not mocking your faith; I’m just lamenting—”

"I know you don't need to be nervous," Yu Luying shook her head and said, "Not many people can do it, but ideals are always beautiful, right?"

Xiao Yao thought for a few seconds and said honestly, "To be honest, I still prefer the righteous indignation in the Old Testament."

"The Old Testament must be fulfilled in the New Testament." Yu Luying seemed reluctant to discuss this topic: "Are we still doing the exercises?"

"Let's do it, let's do it," Xiao Yao said.

Yu Luying urged Xiao Yao to bury himself in his test paper. After Xiao Yao had only written a few questions, she spoke up again, "But... I don't think you were very surprised when I said this? You already knew?"

“Why should I be surprised?” Xiao Yao continued to keep his eyes on the test paper, twirling his pen in his hand. “Your surname is Yu, and your mother’s surname is also Yu. If it were just your father’s death, who would change their daughter’s surname? Even your mother—such an outstanding woman—I don’t think she would do that.”

Actually, Xiao Yao was still surprised, but in order to show off, he pretended to be calm.

Xiao Yao had wondered why Yu Luying took her mother's surname after her father's death, but he never asked her to avoid offending her.

He considered some possibilities, such as Yu Luying's father being a son-in-law who married into the family, but the Yu family didn't seem very wealthy; or Yu Luying's father simply being... a... what was that word Tianyun mentioned again, a bastard? So the daughter took her mother's surname.

However, even though Xiao Yao has been reading "The Emperor of Science Fiction" since the fifth grade of elementary school, his imagination is not that rich as to "lie that his husband has passed away and hold a memorial service for him at home after divorcing him."

“Oh,” Yu Luying said.

"What happened to him? Did he cheat on me?" Xiao Yao continued to bury himself in the exam paper, unable to concentrate on any of the questions. "I'm just asking. You can say it if you feel like it, or not if you don't."

“Xiao Yao,” Yu Luying rested her chin on the glass tabletop, “I think you’ve really matured a lot in the last two months.”

"Why... why did you suddenly say something like that?" Xiao Yao said.

“In the past, you wouldn’t have spoken like this, um, afraid of offending others,” Yu Luying said.