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

While rapidly typing on his phone, Xiao Yao handed the empty drink bottle back to Yu Luying. Without hesitation, she took the 7UP and took another sip from her cherry-like lips.

The boy then realized that his action was somewhat subtle, looked up from the screen, and glanced at Yu Luying. The latter also realized what had happened, her face flushing.

However, neither of them said anything.

Xiao Yao watched as the girl stood up, threw her empty drink bottle into a nearby trash can, and then slowly walked back.

“Little Apple,” Xiao Yao said, “come and call your sister.”

"Huh?" Yu Luying paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, okay."

“She’s been out of contact all day,” Xiao Yao explained before Yu Luying could even ask. “This isn’t unusual, no, it’s very unusual.”

Yu Luying pouted: "It's not like girls are going to follow you around 24/7. I just hate it when you're too clingy."

……

“Okay, I’ll do it.” Yu Luying said as she sat back down on the plastic chair.

Xiao Yao was extremely anxious. He had been holding it in since morning and was now at his breaking point.

A whole day! Despite his attempts to send text messages and QQ messages, he received no response. His mind raced with various possibilities, imagining the predicaments Shen Jie might be facing, and his anxiety and unease grew.

"However, one of them has already started to turn black," said the elusive flower girl, whose true nature was unclear.

If she were human, she would surely be a witch.

"A flower that's fully bloomed will soon wither." These inexplicable words kept echoing in my ears like the whispers of a demon.

Xiao Yao kept checking his phone, hoping to see any message from Shen Jie. His fingers tapped incessantly on the screen, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with anxiety and worry. He felt his heart pounding faster and faster, and his breathing became rapid.

Despite his attempts to calm himself, telling himself it might just be Shen Jie… he couldn't come up with a plausible reason. He couldn't find peace; fear and despair gripped him, and he worried that the worst had already happened. He felt powerless to cope with this uncontrollable situation, his heart filled with helplessness and anxiety.

If it weren't for Shen Jie's explicit prohibition against him calling her, and his concern that Yu Luying would be jealous, Xiao Yao wouldn't have waited until now to ask Yu Luying to make the call.

If it's Yu Luying's number... well, she's a girl, so it should reduce the risk to some extent, right?

“It’s connected,” Yu Luying put down her phone, “but no one answered.”

"It's not that you hung up, or that you turned off the phone, it's just that no one answered, right?" Xiao Yao confirmed.

“That’s right,” Yu Luying nodded.

"Attack again," Xiao Yao ordered.

“We’ve already hit three.” Yu Luying did not follow Xiao Yao’s instructions.

"Fine," Xiao Yao said dejectedly.

"Don't overthink it," Yu Luying tried to comfort Xiao Yao, placing her hand on the back of Xiao Yao's hand. "She probably forgot her phone. She's at home, what could possibly happen to her? Just wait a bit longer, nothing will happen, okay?"

As she spoke, she squeezed the back of his hand twice.

Yeah, he's at home, and he didn't bring his phone. Does that make sense? Xiao Yao absentmindedly replied, "Thank you—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spoil your mood with this..."

"No, no," Yu Luying said, feigning reluctance. "This is a matter between the three of us—you should have told me sooner."

Actually, Yu Luying was a little annoyed—but not entirely unable to understand. These eloquent words earned her even more respect from Xiao Yao.

"Are you full? Let's go," Xiao Yao stood up casually, even stretching. "Where are we going to play next?"

“It seems like…” Yu Luying also stood up and pushed the plastic chair towards the wooden table: “Is that all there is to War Park? Let’s walk around a bit more and then head back—you still need to do another worksheet tonight!”

Just as Xiao Yao was about to speak, a shiny black cat suddenly darted past his and Yu Luying's feet.

The black cat had shiny fur and looked very healthy and strong. It was long and slender, and moved nimbly, quickly passing by their feet and disappearing into the grass.

Although it was just a fleeting moment, Xiao Yao felt the black cat watching him, and its sudden appearance gave him a strange sense of oppression.

"Is the black cat the witch's servant?" Xiao Yao's expression suddenly turned serious, and he felt an ominous premonition.

He knew that black cats were generally considered unlucky symbols, representing disaster, misfortune, or bad luck. In the past, he wouldn't have taken such nonsense seriously, but now he had formed a conjecture that the flower girl was a witch, and the cat was either her pet or her incarnation.

Yu Luying frowned slightly: "Yes, its name is Azcat. Xiao Yao, why are you becoming more and more superstitious? You're almost more superstitious than my mother. I don't like it when you're like this."

“No…” Xiao Yao considered whether to tell Yu Luying about the flower girl, but ultimately decided not to spread anxiety to the girl and spoil her mood—at least not today.

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying strolled hand in hand along Swan Lake. The lake water was quite clear, and the bottom was not visible in the distance. A gentle breeze rippled across the surface of the water.

Their footsteps clattered softly on the stone path by the lake. Xiao Yao could tell that Yu Luying's shoes and socks were already dry. The surrounding scenery was very pleasant, with a fresh scent emanating from the trees and lawns by the lake.

It was around three or four in the afternoon, and the number of tourists had decreased somewhat, but some people were still strolling along the lake or resting on benches. The sunlight shone through the clouds onto the lake, creating a shimmering band of light that felt warm and comforting.

"Your period just ended, and you're drinking something so cold, is that okay?" Xiao Yao asked as he walked, swinging Yu Luying's arm wildly like a primary school student.

"It's okay, it's been several days already." Yu Luying looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, is your period usually very regular? Every 28 days?" Xiao Yao asked casually.

"...It's not that precise," Yu Luying thought for a moment and said, "Sometimes it might not be accurate, but it's usually only for a day or two at most. Why are you asking this?"

"Oh," Xiao Yao said, "Well, it's my cycle now too, so I wish I could calculate the dates so I can be mentally prepared in advance."

"……Oh."

Just as Yu Luying was thinking about how to explain to Xiao Yao, the latter spoke up again: "Hey, do you know what the usual reason is if a girl is usually quite punctual but suddenly comes late for several days?"

"How many days is a few days?" Yu Luying said casually. "Generally, bad mood, anxiety, tension, and lack of sleep can lead to irregular periods."

"I'm in a bad mood, anxious, and not getting enough sleep," Xiao Yao repeated, "Is that all?"

“Mental stress is the most common cause,” Yu Luying explained. “Then there’s illness, such as ovarian dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, thyroid problems, diabetes, pelvic inflammatory disease, and so on.”

"What the hell? Diabetes has appeared?" Xiao Yao chuckled awkwardly, "No wonder she's a doctor's daughter."

“He’s a professor of Traditional Chinese Medicine,” Yu Luying corrected. “Would you like to hear how Traditional Chinese Medicine explains menstrual irregularities?”

Xiao Yao honestly replied, "Thanks, but I don't want to hear it."

“Then it could be that you took the wrong medicine,” Yu Luying sighed, “birth control pills, hormone drugs or something like that.”

“Avoid…” Xiao Yao said.

"Didn't you know that some girls take birth control pills before important exams to avoid coinciding with their periods?" Yu Luying said.

"??? That's fucking outrageous!" Xiao Yao exclaimed instinctively, "Have you eaten it too?"

“I would never do such a thing,” Yu Luying said coldly. “Those people are all crazy.”

"It's weird just thinking about it," Xiao Yao commented.

"Anyway, you can observe for a week first," Yu Luying concluded. "After a week, you should go to the hospital for a check-up and a test. Nothing can be hidden."

After saying that, Yu Luying secretly smiled.

"Can't hide it?" Xiao Yao had barely finished repeating those three words when he realized what the other party meant.

Yu Luying suddenly stopped in her tracks, her face turning cold.

"Let's go? What's wrong?" Xiao Yao gently tugged at her.

Yu Luying forcefully pulled her hand out of Xiao Yao's grasp: "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean?" Xiao Yao's heart tightened.

"Shen Jie's period is late, isn't it?" Yu Luying squinted her eyes.

“I just followed her lead—” Xiao Yao said, “Yes, she told me that last night.”

"You're worried that you might be pregnant, right?" Yu Luying stared intently at Xiao Yao, as if she wanted to pierce through him.

"Pregnant? What do you mean, pregnant?" Xiao Yao chuckled. "We've never done anything intimate, how could I possibly be pregnant?"

"Really not?" Yu Luying asked skeptically.

“Of course not,” Xiao Yao said confidently. “We’re both still minors. If we did that, this book would be gone.”

"What book?" Yu Luying said coldly, "I'm asking you a serious question. Don't think you can get away with talking nonsense."

"Okay, okay, anyway, that's the gist of it," Xiao Yao said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Why would you think that way? Her period was late, and I was worried about her health, so I thought I'd ask you. Isn't that reasonable?"

“That makes perfect sense,” Yu Luying nodded. “If you hadn’t asked me on the ship where the soul of a miscarried fetus goes, you’ve never been a theology enthusiast.”

“This is my new hobby,” Xiao Yao told Yu Luying. “Have you seen how attentively I’m paying attention in my catechism class now?”

"I'll ask you one more time," Yu Luying asked, biting her lower lip, "Have you and her... ever... done that?"

Xiao Yao scrutinized the girl's expression—to call it "horrible" might be an exaggeration, but it was certainly "ashen": he clearly saw the shadow of Yu Lihua on the girl's face.

He had no doubt that if the girl heard "yes," she would turn around and leave.

And it's not something that can be coaxed back in a day or two.

"No, I haven't." Xiao Yao told the truth.

“Swear it,” Yu Luying demanded.

“You shall never swear: You shall not swear by heaven, for heaven is the throne of God; you shall not swear by the earth, for the earth is his footstool; you shall not swear by Jerusalem, for…” Xiao Yao said, forcing himself to finish, “I just learned it yesterday.”

"Not bad." Yu Luying gave an unsettling smile and turned to leave.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Yao chased after her and grabbed Yu Luying's arm, but she didn't shake it off.

“Let’s go back,” Yu Luying said wearily. “We’re tired from playing, and it’s getting late.”

Xiao Yao didn't want his first date with Yu Luying after they confirmed their relationship to end in such an unpleasant atmosphere, but he knew very well that it was beyond his control.

As dusk settled, the streetlights along the paths in War Park gradually came on, one by one.