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

"Then you paused for a moment, said 'Merry Christmas' to me, and then left in a hurry," Xiao Yao told Yu Luying.

"Is there anything special about this?" Yu Luying asked him.

“You hadn’t spoken to me for months, but that day you replied with ‘Merry Christmas.’” Xiao Yao said happily, “Just those four words made me happy for a week, because you finally spoke to me again.”

“You…” Yu Luying was momentarily moved.

In fact, the girl remembered very clearly that on Christmas Eve, when she saw Xiao Yao, her scalp tingled.

At that time, she even begged her uncle to have him dragged out.

My uncle said that the church doors are open to everyone. People come to celebrate the Savior's birthday. What would it look like to kick them out?

I remember telling my uncle Yu Bo at the time, "You know very well who he's after."

When Xiao Yao came over and said "Merry Christmas" after Mass, I wanted to turn around and leave immediately.

But it was in a church, and it was Christmas Eve, so he reluctantly replied with "Merry Christmas" before leaving.

At the time, she was secretly relieved that the boy didn't chase after her and pester her anymore.

I never expected that just four simple words, such a small act of kindness, could make the boy in front of me happy for a whole week.

Actually, many times, what boys want is very simple and pure; it's just that they're too stingy.

Yu Luying felt her heart rapidly melting away with guilt.

She hugged the boy in her arms even tighter.

Perhaps exchanging a perfect first kiss on this lake wouldn't be so bad?

Even though the other person is no longer there, it doesn't matter.

……

"When did you stop rejecting me?" Xiao Yao suddenly asked this question.

The boy was gently stroking the girl's face when he asked this question, but the girl was startled and instinctively pulled away from him.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yao was a little confused, not understanding what was wrong with his question.

Xiao Yao's question reminded her—yes, when did I stop rejecting him? Yu Luying frowned, lost in thought.

No matter how hard I try to trace back to my memories, this feeling of "no longer rejecting" is hard to pinpoint to before May.

So... before the symbiosis appeared? Before Shen Tianyun appeared?

After saying "Merry Christmas" to him on Christmas Eve, Yu Luying's attitude towards Xiao Yao softened slightly—really only slightly.

But as she became a little more... socially polite, Xiao Yao's persistence gradually decreased.

Although the two had not communicated, they seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement: "If you are respectable, we can both be respectable."

Or, to put it another way, "give each other a way out, and let each other save face."

So... I was able to start talking to him properly again at the beginning of this year, but when did I truly stop "rejecting" him, truly start caring about him, and truly treat him as my friend again?

Yes, May...?

Was it in May, around the time symbiosis appeared?

When Teacher Yao told me that Xiao Yao was about to repeat a grade, I volunteered without thinking twice to tutor him.

Although I wasn't aware of the existence of symbiosis at that time, it was definitely after symbiosis, right?

This wasn't the first time Yu Luying had asked herself this question, but she had always dismissed it lightly.

Because once you think about it carefully, it becomes terrifying.

Whether it's my kindness towards him, my admiration, my concern, or my decision to stop rejecting him, is it truly from my "true heart"?

Am I still "me"?

For some reason, Yu Luying recalled the speech Xiao Yao gave to her mother a week ago.

It also touches on reflections on the concept of "self"...

"Little Apple, what's wrong?" Yu Luying's random thoughts were interrupted by Xiao Yao: "You suddenly stopped talking."

"No, it's nothing..." Yu Luying held her forehead with her right hand: "You, you should call someone to tow the boat."

Xiao Yao could tell that Yu Luying didn't really want to answer his question, and her reaction was quite strong. Although he didn't understand what she was thinking, he felt it wasn't appropriate to press her, so he climbed to the bow of the boat and made a call for help.

After the phone call, Yu Luying's mental state seemed to improve somewhat.

"Big Rabbit," the girl hugged her knees and looked at him earnestly, "I want to ask you something, is that okay?"

"What? Just ask," Xiao Yao said.

"Hmm...maybe this is a strange question," Yu Luying asked hesitantly, "Have you noticed any unusual changes in yourself recently?"

"What changes?" Xiao Yao laughed. "I've changed a lot lately—after all, I've been through so much."

"Hmm...hmm..." Yu Luying pondered, realizing that her question was indeed a bit too deliberate: "It's just that, is there anything you didn't like before but have recently started to like, like writers, singers, actors, etc...?"

Xiao Yao didn't quite understand what Yu Luying wanted to ask, but he still cooperated and thought of something: "Yes, Zhang Ailing should be one."

“Zhang Ailing?” Yu Luying said.

“Yes, Eileen Chang.” Xiao Yao plopped down on the bow of the boat. “Don’t you really like Eileen Chang? You even gave me a copy of ‘Love in a Fallen City’ when school started.”

"Mm." Yu Luying nodded.

“But actually I couldn’t really get into it. How should I put it, I didn’t really like that writing style,” Xiao Yao explained. “And there’s that kind of excessive delicacy that’s unique to female writers, so I put it down after flipping through a few pages.”

“Oh, I thought boys would be more interested in stories about war—how about I get you a copy of ‘Red Rose and White Rose,’ which I recently finished reading?” Yu Luying asked.

"No, I recently stumbled upon that book again, and I'm finding it increasingly enjoyable. Does that count?" Xiao Yao said.

"A single piece of evidence is not enough," Yu Luying thought to herself.

This alone is not enough to prove that symbiosis affects a person's thinking.

I've had the experience of reading books I couldn't stand before, only to come to really enjoy them after time passed and my mindset changed. The same goes for songs.

Xiao Yao has indeed experienced a lot in the past two months, and has also encountered "red roses and white roses" in reality. There are too many variables, making it difficult to draw a definite conclusion.

“That’s great,” Yu Luying forced a smile. “We have another writer we both like, so we can talk about Eileen Chang more often in the future.”

“Great, great,” Xiao Yao laughed. “Look, the tugboat is here.”

Yu Luying looked in the direction Xiao Yao was pointing and asked, "Tell me, if it weren't for Shen Tianyun, would you dare to pursue a girl like Shen Jie?"

"?" Xiao Yao was somewhat bewildered by Yu Luying's sudden leap in thinking.

First, they don't answer their own questions, then they start asking questions from one place to another, and then from there back to this place.

He was already troubled by Shen Jie's disappearance, and Yu Luying's question further aggravated his anxiety: "We're the two of us now, why are we talking about her?"

“That’s not right,” Yu Luying said. “There are three of us together, and we all know what’s going on. Wouldn’t it be better to be more honest?”

Actually, I had discussed this issue with Shen Jie in the bathtub of the "Wei Ai Hotel" in Zhouzhuang that day.

The final conclusion is that there is a high probability that they will not dare to pursue it.

However, Xiao Yao felt that if he told the truth, it would definitely upset Yu Luying.

"Oh, you don't dare to pursue her, but you dare to pester me. Does that mean she's much better than me?"

Whether she says it out loud or not, Yu Luying will definitely have this thought.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I'd dare to pursue her," Xiao Yao replied with a smile, suppressing his inner unease.

"Really?" Yu Luying tilted her head.

"Nonsense, I dared to pursue you, so why wouldn't I dare to pursue her?" Xiao Yao explained to Yu Luying, "I'm a very brave person, or you could say I'm thick-skinned, or you could say I'm stupid, whatever you want to say. Anyway, no matter who I like, whether you're a fairy from the heavens or the mayor's daughter, I'll confess first. There's no harm in pursuing her, so what's there to be afraid of?"

"So you're casting a wide net, huh?" Yu Luying frowned. "Just how many girls have you been pursuing? I thought you really liked me!"

Xiao Yao knew this was just her being difficult. He smiled tolerantly, about to say something to coax her, when a rope hook flew over and snagged on the hook at the bow of his boat.

"You guys, you guys..." The staff member who came was the same one from the dock who had tried to help Yu Luying: "Really."

"What is it? Your engine is broken!" Xiao Yao said irritably.

"That means it's out of power. You're not listening to the power indicator, are you? Didn't we say there's no time limit, but if the power's almost gone, you have to come back and change boats?" the staff member said irritably.

Chapter 193 Yu Luying's Interrogation

2023-05-17

After being pulled ashore from the center of Swan Lake by the administrator, Xiao Yao went to get his deposit back and then took Yu Luying out for lunch.

Prices inside the park are two to three times higher than outside. Xiao Yao and Yu Luying sat in the open-air area outside the restaurant, where there were many small wooden tables and plastic chairs.

Yu Luying still seemed to be in low spirits, slowly sipping a large bottle of chilled 7UP that cost ten yuan.

The semi-open-air restaurant in the park is surrounded by trees and flowers, and some tourists are strolling and taking pictures in the distance. The afternoon sun broke through the clouds and, after filtering through the thick shade of the trees, became less harsh. A gentle breeze blew, and the air was fresh and pleasant, making people feel comfortable and relaxed.

Regarding Yu Luying drinking a ten-yuan 7UP, the following additional information can be provided: While it was described as a large bottle, it actually only contained about 500-600 milliliters, stored in a plastic bottle. The girl sat on a plastic chair, one hand supporting her chin, the other holding the beverage bottle. Her brow was slightly furrowed, as if she were pondering something, appearing somewhat troubled.

Xiao Yao was also troubled and reached out his hand to her.

Yu Luying casually handed him the beverage bottle, and Xiao Yao tilted his head back and gulped down two big mouthfuls.

The boy's eyes were fixed on his phone screen. Shen Jie was still nowhere to be found. He couldn't find her through text messages or QQ. This was the root of Xiao Yao's troubles.