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

He didn't think Yu Bo really intended to ask him to "be baptized next year." Such a big matter definitely needed to be treated with care; otherwise, it would be irresponsible to himself and the church.

Ultimately, in Yu Bo's eyes, he was probably just another hooligan in the same batch who needed "re-education."

After all, "healthy people don't need doctors"...

The problem is Yu Lihua's attitude.

This is certainly not to say that Yu Lihua's attitude was bad: the problem is that she was too good to him, and she became more and more enthusiastic and better and better.

The hardest thing to bear is the kindness of a beautiful woman—one day Yu Luying showed Xiao Yao a photo of her mother when she was a teenager. She was indeed a beautiful flower, full of youthful energy. Although she was wearing an ill-fitting military coat, the happiness and vitality in her smile almost overflowed from the frame.

Xiao Yao looked at the photo, then at the vibrant Yu Luying in front of him, and thought that the mother and daughter looked remarkably alike. He couldn't help but lament that Yu Lihua had met the wrong person; a beast of a man had ruined a perfectly beautiful young woman into the fierce-looking middle-aged woman she was today.

and many more!

If I'm destined not to marry Yingying in the future, isn't that also bad luck for her? Isn't it also... meeting a beast?

Is Yingying destined to follow in her mother's footsteps?

The murderer was himself!

Xiao Yao stared blankly at Yu Luying's delicate, flower-like face, his back covered in cold sweat that soaked his clothes.

To be honest, Xiao Yao has been quite proud of having two such outstanding "good friends" lately.

Deep down, he intentionally or unintentionally ignored the fact that "there was no future for him and Yu Luying".

But pretending the problem doesn't exist solves nothing, and the inevitable outcome will eventually come coldly to Xiao Yao.

Even if everyone knew and agreed, how could I possibly be doing this to Yingying, such a wonderful girl, the best?

Yu Luying felt a little shy under his gaze and pushed him away, saying, "What are you staring at so intently for? Haven't you ever seen me before?"

Xiao Yao's lips twitched a few times, as if he wanted to say something witty, but his tongue felt like it was filled with lead and wouldn't obey him.

Knowing that he was unlikely to marry Yu Luying and that he was "playing the fool," the better the Yu family treated him, the heavier his psychological burden became. Guilt and remorse weighed heavily on his heart.

For this reason, from that day on, he tried his best to avoid going to Yu Luying's house again, and instead made the Madier Café his main place of activity. He also became much more disciplined with Yu Luying on weekdays—relatively more disciplined, and dared not make any more teasing remarks or touch her inappropriately.

Unexpectedly, although running away was shameful, it was actually useful. As a result, Yu Luying was delighted by his respect, and Shen Jie was much less jealous. She praised him quite a bit, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

He and Shen Jie developed a tacit understanding. Every night around 11 o'clock, Shen Jie would say "Call for a divination?" and Xiao Yao would say "Come" or "Divination," and Shen Jie would call.

If there's something to say, they'll talk at length; if not, they'll keep it short. The phone call will last from 30 minutes to about an hour, and then everyone will wash up and go to bed before midnight.

It was as precise as some kind of daily religious ritual.

Over the course of the week, the redness and swelling on Shen Jie's buttocks gradually subsided, and she was able to wear a mask to go for a morning run with Uncle John—of course, Xiao Yao was still completely unaware of Shen Jie's "injury."

That evening, Xiao Yao was on the phone with Shen Jie as usual.

“We’ll be able to meet in another week,” Xiao Yao said happily. “Shall we go get some Häagen-Dazs ice cream then?”

"What's so great about Häagen-Dazs?" Shen Jie asked dismissively.

“You have no idea, your silly sister had her period, and I didn’t dare to eat ice cream for a week,” Xiao Yao told Shen Jie. “I was finally allowed to eat ice cream a couple of days ago. I bought a tub of ice cream and ate half of it in one go. It was so refreshing.”

"Even a silly girl can eat half a bucket?"

"No, my partner put it in her fridge."

"..."

"Honey? Are you still there? Why aren't you saying anything? Hey, did the call drop?"

“Logically speaking, mine should have arrived by now, but it hasn’t…” Shen Jie’s voice sounded somewhat lacking in confidence: “It’s already two or three days late.”

"It's only two or three days, that's normal," Xiao Yao said dismissively. "It's not like you're always on time—are you always on time?"

“Not by much,” Shen Jie told Xiao Yao.

Chapter 189 Tianyun arrived ahead of schedule? How could that be!

2023-05-12

That evening, Xiao Yao was on the phone with Shen Jie as usual.

"Mommy, did you miss me today?"

"I miss it terribly." Shen Jie's tone didn't sound like she missed it terribly.

"How much do you want to?" Xiao Yao persisted.

"I miss it so much that I can't eat or sleep well," Shen Jie replied in a very mechanical voice. "When I sleep, I feel so empty next to me, it's so desolate."

"Really?" Xiao Yao said in a very touched voice.

"It's just a standardized script to appease you," Shen Jie said, her voice sounding somewhat tired.

"Sleep well! Don't tell anyone!" Xiao Yao shouted.

“Oh, so it’s true.” Shen Jie said mischievously.

"Thank you," Xiao Yao said, "but I really think the world is just so unfair."

"Come on, you and that silly girl are always together, you don't have time to think about me." Shen Jie chuckled.

"Your silly sister and I sat obediently in the Madier Cafe all afternoon, doing so many practice problems that our brains were about to explode." Xiao Yao rubbed his temples, looking exhausted. "At that time, I was thinking, 'Wife, you're being bombarded by four tutors in turn, and I feel so sorry for you.'"

"You're kind enough to have a conscience~ Studying is really tiring!" Shen Jie's voice became more lively, no longer like a telephone customer service representative.

"Are you missing the days of being a wife and mother?" Xiao Yao teased her.

"Hmph! Ha!" Shen Jie sneered twice.

“We’ll be able to meet in another week,” Xiao Yao said happily. “Shall we go get some Häagen-Dazs ice cream then?”

"What's so great about Häagen-Dazs?" Shen Jie asked dismissively.

“You have no idea, your silly sister had her period, and I didn’t dare to eat ice cream for a week,” Xiao Yao told Shen Jie. “I was finally allowed to eat ice cream a couple of days ago. I bought a tub of ice cream and ate half of it in one go. It was so refreshing.”

"Even a silly girl can eat half a bucket?"

"No, my partner put it in her fridge."

"..."

"Honey? Are you still there? Why aren't you saying anything? Hey, did the call drop?"

“Logically speaking, mine should have arrived by now, but it hasn’t…” Shen Jie’s voice sounded somewhat lacking in confidence: “It’s already two or three days late.”

"It's only two or three days, that's normal," Xiao Yao said dismissively. "It's not like you're always on time—are you always on time?"

“Not by much,” Shen Jie told Xiao Yao.

"Uh..." Xiao Yao hesitated for a while, "Have you been too tired lately?"

"I think so?" Shen Jie said, "It's too much trouble."

"Go to bed early, don't stay up late all the time." Xiao Yao said this indifferently, but necessary, pointless remark.

It's like your girlfriend complaining about her menstrual cramps, and you can't be there for her. All you can do on the phone is offer superficial advice like "drink more hot water," which doesn't really help. You might get yelled at for saying that, but what else can you do? You can't exactly suggest surgery... well, you know, a permanent solution, right?

"I know," Shen Jie said, "I'm a little tired, so how about we stop for today..."

Xiao Yao's eyes darted around, and he suddenly blurted out, "Do you think it's possible that Tian Yun arrived early?"

"What?!" Shen Jie's tone was tinged with anger and embarrassment. "Are you sick in the head?!"

Xiao Yao quickly replied, "I was just kidding—we've never done *that*, how could that be?"

"You knew it was impossible, yet you still said it?"

……

"Go to sleep," Shen Jie broke the silence. "Don't overthink it, go to sleep early."

“That’s impossible,” Xiao Yao said. “After all, we didn’t do anything.”

“Yes, that’s impossible,” Shen Jie agreed.

"Wife, I love you," Xiao Yao said.

“I love you too,” Shen Jie said.

Xiao Yao mumbled a few more words, but seeing that the other side was silent, he held his phone up to his face and realized that the other side had already hung up.

Really unpleasant.

Even though he knew that he and Shen Jie hadn't done anything, Xiao Yao still couldn't help but knock on his daughter's closet door.

"What time is it?" Shen Tianyun grumbled sleepily.

Xiao Yao looked his daughter over and, seeing that she hadn't aged much, casually asked, "Tianyun, you haven't gained anything... right?"

"You're such a fool," Shen Tianyun rolled her eyes and said, "Well, what have you two done?"

"I haven't done anything wrong." Xiao Yao fled in panic.

The situation regarding his future children remained unchanged, but this did not bring Xiao Yao any comfort.

Xiao Yao didn't fall asleep until two or three in the morning.

After finally falling asleep, I had nightmares for half the night.

He first dreamed that Shen Jie, with her round belly, was ruthlessly taken away from him by his father-in-law.