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

Xiao Yao sat down, held up the textbook he had prepared beforehand to block his phone, and began to browse the text messages in his inbox.

"I was terrified when my mom opened the closet door!" This was the text message Yu Luying sent last night.

Xiao Yao: "Haha, you didn't expect that, did you? I only remembered to hide in the mirror because I had a sudden inspiration."

Yu Luying: "Although you said you could walk through a mirror,... seeing you come out of the mirror still scared me quite a bit."

Yu Luying: "By the way, what's in my mirror?"

Xiao Yao: "Um, did your mom give you any trouble when she went back?"

Yu Luying: "No, she didn't find anything."

Xiao Yao: "Oh, that's good."

Yu Luying: "However, you can't come to the concert and rehearsal these two days. My mom will be there."

Xiao Yao: "...Understood."

After reviewing his text messages with Yu Luying, Xiao Yao then looked at Shen Jie's number.

Sure enough, it was almost noon, and I still hadn't received a reply to my good morning text message.

Xiao Yao thought it was time to have a serious talk with her.

Next episode preview: Tomorrow's update will be a 5000-word chapter, featuring a direct confrontation with Shen Jie, and the relationship will undergo a phase of change.

Chapter 41 Declined

2023-07-31

When school was over, Xiao Yao finally made up his mind and called out to Ouyang Qianqian.

Today, Ouyang Qianqian wore several small braids in her hair, a shortened school skirt, knee-high white stockings, and white sneakers.

"Today? I'm busy." Ouyang Qianqian replied while pressing her phone. "Maybe tomorrow... I'll see..."

"It's okay, we'll talk about it later." Xiao Yao casually rotated his ankle.

"Okay." Ouyang Qianqian left the classroom without much hesitation.

As Xiao Yao passed by the playground, he saw Zhang Jialong, Daiyu, and their group playing basketball loudly.

"Brother Yao!" the ribbonfish called out from a great distance.

“Brother Long, Brother Ribbonfish.” Xiao Yao nodded cautiously.

"What 'Brother Yao'!" Zhang Jialong deliberately shouted, "You should call him 'Love Saint'!"

"A Casanova!" several people exclaimed in unison.

"Uh..." Xiao Yao didn't want to get too close to these hooligans, so he slipped out of the school's side gate before they could stop him from gossiping.

The weather was lovely today; the afternoon sun around four or five o'clock cast a golden glow on the streets.

Xiao Yao wasn't very hungry yet, and Shen Tianyun probably hadn't gotten home by now, so he wasn't in a hurry to go back.

When I first came to Shanghai for my first year of high school, the most I could expect at home was a simple dinner left by my grandma, let alone a lively and beautiful girl like me.

Moreover, high schools in Shanghai let out earlier than his junior high school, so every day after school he would either wander around the school or the green spaces around the school, and sometimes he would even go to the Bund to take the ferry.

For just 5 cents, one can travel back and forth between the two banks of the Yellow River multiple times, listening to the sound of ship horns in the middle of the river, gazing at the steel forests on both banks teeming with ambition, marveling at the vastness of the world and the insignificance of humankind.

Many of his poems were written on the ferry.

However, Xiao Yao was not in the mood for that today.

He strolled around casually and came to the green space opposite the junior high school.

The so-called green space is actually a small park without walls or boundaries. Because it is located between several junior high schools, high schools and vocational schools, it becomes a paradise for students at this time of year.

Xiao Yao still remembers the first time he accidentally came to this green space last year. He was shocked by the groups of people... ah, sorry, pairs of people, wearing red scarves around their necks (author's note: unlike other parts of China, junior high school students in Shanghai also wear red scarves), wearing school uniforms, holding hands, walking around.

After all, in my junior high school in another city, although there were some people who secretly dated, they were extremely rare, and they certainly wouldn't be so blatant and arrogant.

Now, after living in Shanghai for a year, Xiao Yao has become accustomed to the open-minded atmosphere of this international metropolis—although he still doesn't have a girlfriend.

Ignoring the couples around him, Xiao Yao sat down by the small fountain in the center of the green space.

In this sweltering season, listening to the gurgling of the fountain, feeling the coolness on your back, and occasionally having a few drops of water splash on your body is truly refreshing.

If Xiao Yao were to invite Yu Luying here for a walk, would she refuse now? Xiao Yao leaned over and put one hand into the water, fiddling with it as he pondered this.

The spring water was crystal clear, and a chill ran down Xiao Yao's arm and up to the top of his head, making him want to scoop up a big mouthful and enjoy it.

Then, he felt a slap on the back of his hand, and quickly lifted it up, shook off the water, and wiped it on his school uniform.

Then, Xiao Yao took out his phone and dialed that number.

beep - beep - beep -

The wait was so long that just as Xiao Yao was about to call again, the other party finally answered.

"Hello?" A cold, girlish voice came from the phone.

"Hello? Are you busy?"

"Busy."

Xiao Yao took a deep breath and, without asking what she was busy with, said, "Shen Jie, I want to see you."

"..." The only response he received was silence.

Xiao Yao looked around: "I'm in the green space next to our school. The scenery here is quite nice, perfect for a walk..."

"I'm almost home. I need to catch up on my private lessons later," Shen Jie cleared her throat and said slowly.

"Oh... that explains why you haven't replied to my messages since this morning," Xiao Yao said, feigning nonchalance.

"..." Another annoying silence.

"Oh, right, did you see all the messages I sent?" Xiao Yao had no choice but to ask this question.

"I saw it," Shen Jie replied clearly.

"Yeah, I know you're busy, but if you have some free time, why don't you reply? What do you think?" Xiao Yao felt like he was being coaxed by Lao Yao.

"I'll try," the girl said curtly.

"Hiss..." Xiao Yao was determined to pop the bubble today and get to the bottom of things: "Speaking of which, I always felt that you were... a little different after you went back from the KTV that day. Did something happen?"

"Really?" The girl's tone softened slightly, as if she were chuckling softly. "No, I don't think so..."

"If anything happens, please tell me."

"It's nothing, really nothing."

"Do your friends dislike me? Did I do something to spoil your fun or embarrass you that day?"

"What are you thinking?" Shen Jie said. "Nothing's going on."

"So, is it because of Yu Luying?" Xiao Yao continued to press.

"Huh? What does this have to do with her..." On the other end of the phone, Shen Jie seemed to have switched ears: "I'm downstairs, I'm going up first, I'll talk to you later."

"Don't hang up yet!" Xiao Yao spoke quickly, afraid that if he was too slow, the other person would hang up again: "When can we go out and play again next time?"

"Hmm..." The girl seemed to be thinking, "Let's talk about it after the final exams?"

"Alright, let's both do our best." Xiao Yao decided to accept this empty promise.

"Okay. So, you're hanging up?"

Xiao Yao knew he should just go along with it, but for some reason, he added, almost as if possessed, "How about the beach? Or are you interested in Tropical Storm Water Park?"

“…Ugh.” Shen Jie suddenly exclaimed in a frustrated tone.

"What's wrong?!"

"It's okay, there are a lot of mosquitoes downstairs, I'm just feeding them by walking around the wall."

“…Haha,” Xiao Yao chuckled dryly, “Then hurry up and go upstairs, we’ll text you.”

Shen Jie neither hung up the phone nor spoke.

Just as Xiao Yao was about to hang up the phone, the girl softly called out, "Xiao Yao."

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Xiao Yao asked, startled.

"I'll be taking IELTS classes this summer, so I'll be quite busy," Shen Jie said, carefully choosing her words.

"Hmm... everyone's working really hard." Wait, isn't that... Ouyang Qianqian, the guy walking past ahead?

"I will be a senior in high school after the start of the semester. Although I will not take the college entrance examination, I will still be very busy because I need to prepare for studying abroad."

"I know." Knee-high white stockings, white sneakers, a bunch of braids on her head, and a "healthy" complexion—who else could it be but Ouyang Qianqian?

"I'll try to reply to your message when I have some free time. I'll also make time to visit Tianyun at your home."

"Okay." Xiao Yao agreed while glancing at the boy Ouyang Qianqian was holding hands with... Hmm, he really does have a bit of a South Korean oppa vibe.

“But we might not have the time to go out together,” Shen Jie finally revealed the key point.

"..." Ouyang Qianqian saw Xiao Yao and waved to him, but the latter lowered his head.

"Hello?" Shen Jie's voice returned to its usual clear and bright tone.