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

"Oh?" Xiao Yao also became excited: "This is a bad person. Riding a motorcycle and not showing her true face, could she be the motorcycle girl who hangs out with Earl Nottington?"

“Very likely,” Yu Bo said. “A month has passed since Zhou Qi’s case was filed, and the matter has been officially concluded. It should have been closed long ago, and the police should not pursue it any further.”

"Don't novels often feature stories where a case is closed, but a police officer with a sense of justice can't let the truth be covered up and conducts an independent investigation?" Xiao Yao retorted.

Yu Bo gave him a look that said, "You're not serious, are you?" Just as he was about to speak, the "motorcycle woman" pulled over at the entrance of an alley, got off the motorcycle, put down the kickstand, turned the key to the left, pulled it out, and put it in her pocket.

The priest parked the car on the side of the road and hurriedly led Xiao Yao into the alley.

Above the entrance to this Shikumen building complex is a stone tablet with the three large characters "Baohuali" engraved in clerical script. It looks like it's been there for several decades.

The walls to one side were painted a dark green, and the ground beneath one's feet was paved with uneven bluestone slabs. Next to this shikumen (stone gate) was a supply and marketing cooperative, with a rusty iron gate at its entrance that looked very old.

Like all the old alleyways in Shanghai, the entrance to "Baohuali" is a public toilet and spittoon area, with areas on the ground that have been stained by sewage for thousands of years.

Xiao Yao and the priest pinched their noses and tiptoed through this small section of "living area" into Baohua Lane, their eyes fixed on the motorcycle woman's back.

The woman on the motorcycle walked into the winding, chaotic Shikumen (stone-gate) area, seemingly familiar with the local residents.

Thin, bony old men and plump old women, wearing tank tops, sat on small stools or reclining chairs on both sides of the alleyway, outside their own doors, greeting the motorcycle rider in their local dialect.

Naturally, the woman on the motorcycle returned the greetings warmly to each of them.

Xiao Yao and Yu Bo exchanged a glance, their tension gradually escalating, and continued to follow at a distance.

Finally, the woman on the motorcycle turned onto a less crowded side road.

The alleyway branch appeared particularly dilapidated and chaotic, with no one in sight. The gates of the surrounding shikumen houses were all tightly closed, and it was unclear whether anyone lived there. The bluestone slabs on the ground were also worn down, making a creaking sound when walking on them.

Wait, what's that creaking sound?

The woman on the motorbike suddenly stopped.

Xiao Yao's heart skipped a beat—had he been discovered?

The two quickly took a few steps back and hid back around the corner they had just come from.

After a short while, there was no movement. Yu Bo peeked out and found that the passageway was empty and the woman on the motorcycle had disappeared without a trace.

"Oh no!" Yu Bo exclaimed anxiously, and ran out to look for the motorcycle girl.

Suddenly, Xiao Yao felt a sense of foreboding. He turned around sharply and looked back at the path he had come from, but it was still empty.

Just as he was about to turn around to find Yu Bo, he was suddenly struck hard on the back of the neck.

Before losing consciousness, he heard Yu Bo calling out his name in alarm, and a strange, hoarse voice asking, "Whose men are you?"

……

Fortunately, Xiao Yao was not unconscious for long. When he woke up, he saw Yu Bo standing in a fighting stance, confronting the woman on the motorcycle whose back was to him.

However, judging from the dust on his body and the wounds on his face, the battle situation was very unfavorable for him.

Xiao Yao realized that the woman on the motorcycle was not paying attention to him.

He didn't say anything, exchanged a glance with Yu Bo, and then first looked around before touching a piece of wood.

I always find a weapon when I need to fight, it's like a godsend!

However, is it against chivalry to deceive and ambush from behind like this?

Seeing that Xiao Yao was ready, Yu Bo made a move to attack her left side.

Sigh, I'll let it go this time.

Xiao Yao suddenly sprang up and swung the wooden stick, striking her right side violently.

The woman on the motorcycle seemed to have figured out Yu Bo's true strength in their previous encounter, so she was very overconfident and didn't take any action to counter Yu Bo's attacks.

Just as Xiao Yao's swung wooden beam was about to hit her, she suddenly turned around and blocked it with her arm.

With all his might, Xiao Yao slammed the wooden plank heavily onto the motorcyclist's right arm, then it exploded at the point of impact, breaking into a piece of wood and two short pieces.

You look like Astro Boy!

The woman on the motorcycle, however, acted as if nothing had happened, throwing a straight left punch that knocked Xiao Yao down.

Yu Bo didn't miss the opportunity. He landed a hook punch on the motorcyclist's left ribs, then followed up with a straight punch to her face.

The female motorcyclist staggered after taking a punch to her left ribs. She tried to adjust her body, but still couldn't dodge Yu Bo's straight punch.

The punch landed squarely on the corner of his right eye, shattering his sunglasses and leaving a bloody mark.

She quickly took several steps back, reached behind her with her left hand, and pulled out... an electric baton?

Yu Bo frowned, not because he was afraid of the police baton, but because he had clearly seen the woman on the motorcycle.

He exclaimed in disbelief, "You are... Liang Yanan? You're back? It's me, Yu Bo!"

"..." The woman on the motorcycle took out another pair of ordinary glasses from her pocket, put them on, took a few steps forward, and suddenly punched Yu Bo on the shoulder, angrily saying, "You brat! My photochromic glasses are very expensive! This is assaulting a police officer!"

"It was you who first..."

--split line--

When Xiao Yao returned to Zhou Qi's ward, the setting sun had already stretched its tail across this steel jungle teeming with desires.

The entire ward corridor was bathed in a soft, orange-yellow light.

As the light penetrated, the halo gradually became soft and gentle, and every corner along the corridor was made exceptionally bright by the sunlight. In this tranquil interplay of light and shadow, every detail of the walls, floor, and ceiling appeared exceptionally clear, and every inch of space seemed to be adorned with countless tiny highlights.

"Where is my uncle?" Yu Luying walked out of the ward, gently closed the door, and put her index finger on her thin lips.

“He went out to eat and drink with his old flame,” Xiao Yao replied.

"?" Yu Luying glared at Xiao Yao fiercely: "Speak properly!"

“He went to have dinner and drinks with old acquaintances,” Xiao Yao replied.

"Where did you two go just now?" Yu Luying asked again. "Why were you fighting with someone outside again?"

“He went to assault a police officer,” Xiao Yao replied.

"?"

Before Yu Luying started to get angry, Xiao Yao told her everything that had just happened.

“Like this…” Yu Luying half-clenched her fist and tapped her pointed chin: “Do you know that I suddenly fainted just now, and Zhou Qi almost called a nurse for me…”

"I'm sorry," Xiao Yao said with heartache.

"Never mind, it was your uncle who pulled you along," Yu Luying said, pouting.

"How did your chat with Zhou Qi go?" Xiao Yao asked Yu Luying. "How did she get into Yao Ming's inner circle?"

"No, I don't know. We just exchanged pleasantries and talked about everyday things." Yu Luying said somewhat dejectedly, "She's been playing dumb with me. Why don't you try to get her to talk?"

"?" Xiao Yao said, "Why do you make it sound like I'm the bad guy?"

"Who knows? You can chat with her. I'm going to eat." Yu Luying said, lifting her leg to leave for Missy.

"Hey, hey," Xiao Yao called out to her from behind, "Bring me some food back."

"Understood," the girl in the royal blue dress and socks said without turning her head.

What's going on with this man and woman alone together?

Although a hospital ward can be considered a semi-public place.

Xiao Yao muttered to himself, hesitated for a moment, but still gently pushed open the door to the ward.

His gaze fell on the girl on the hospital bed—she was quietly leaning against the pillow, her clear, bright eyes gazing out the window.

The setting sun cast its last rays upon her soft hair, illuminating her delicate face with a gentle warmth. She seemed unaware of someone entering beside her, lost in her own world, as if contemplating something important.

"Ahem, ahem." Xiao Yao coughed twice, somewhat awkwardly. "Hello."

His gaze did not fall on the girl, but on the fruit and flowers on the bedside table, which had been brought by Yu's uncle and nephew earlier.

“They’re here,” Zhou Qi said, looking out the window.

"?"

"Xiao Yao, hello." Zhou Qi turned around and looked at Xiao Yao quietly, as if he had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Uh, hello." Xiao Yao said "hello" again, somewhat awkwardly.

Zhou Qi burst out laughing.

What on earth is he doing... Xiao Yao thought in frustration.

"How have you been lately?" Xiao Yao asked, trying to make conversation.

Of course it's not good for him to be lying in the hospital.

Before Zhou Qi could answer, Xiao Yao changed the subject and asked, "Are you feeling better lately? When did you wake up?"

"I'm awake, it's been about a week," Zhou Qi said, his knees bulging under the white blanket. "I feel... much better. I should be able to be discharged soon, right?"

"That's good, that's good." Xiao Yao nodded repeatedly.

An awkward silence fell over the air once again.

“I didn’t expect you to come see me before I was discharged from the hospital.” After saying this, Zhou Qi immediately added, “What I mean is, I’m very happy that you came.”

"I'm very happy too," Xiao Yao blurted out.

Seriously, what are you even talking about?