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

The room wasn't very big, only about ten square meters, less than twenty square meters.

The walls and floors were covered in pale yellow tiles, and they smelled of... disinfectant?

In the very center of the room was a simple single bed with clean white sheets and a neatly folded quilt.

This struck Xiao Yao as odd, because as everyone knows, in a normal person's bedroom, the bed is always placed against at least one wall.

Even if neither side of the bed is against a wall, at least the headboard should be against a wall, right?

However, the bed was placed in the center of the room, without any support on any of the four sides, which made Xiao Yao feel that the room was like a morgue—no, like a forensic doctor's autopsy table.

Only a forensic pathologist's autopsy table would have the bed placed squarely in the center of an empty room.

There was a small nightlight on the bedside table. Xiao Yao pressed it casually, and the thing actually lit up, emitting a soft, warm yellow light.

A soft, long-haired rug was laid on the floor at the foot of the bed; the rug was also light yellow in color.

Xiao Yao's attention was drawn to the west wall of the room.

The wall is covered with photos of different sizes, held up by clips.

Could this actually be a darkroom for developing film?

Xiao Yao approached the wall and carefully examined the photos hanging there.

"oops!"

The boy gasped.

Even knowing that he was in a world that didn't actually exist, and even though he had already seen too many strange things in this world, Xiao Yao was still slightly frightened by what he saw.

Every photo features a girl with long hair.

The same long-haired girl.

She was laughing happily, and looked to be between 13 and 17 years old, as if she had spanned several years.

Some of these photos were taken near the school playground, some were taken secretly while the girls were playing in the park, and some appear to have been taken secretly at the girls' own homes.

All the photos showcase different moments in this girl's life; she always smiles so brightly, yet in this context, they send a chill down one's spine.

In fact, Xiao Yao felt a chill run down his spine.

Ah, here are some photos of medium to short hair.

It's from the last few months.

Xiao Yao even managed to get himself featured on camera.

Although he often only sees half of his body and half of his face, he can still recognize himself next to Shen Jie.

“Wife…” Xiao Yao murmured, gently stroking the girl’s face in the photo.

Xiao Yao doesn't know much about photography, but these photos were undoubtedly taken with very professional equipment.

Long and short lenses? SLR? Anyway, it's the kind of camera that has a built-in military telescope function, the kind that can clearly see the pores on a person's face from thousands of miles away—no, thousands of meters away.

Could it be that in reality, Zhang Zhengkai was like this, stalking and secretly photographing Shen Jie for several years?

Does he really have a bedroom like this? A darkroom?

Even after Shen Jie got together with him...

Just as Xiao Yao was intently "appreciating" each of the photos, the door behind him was suddenly opened.

Upon hearing the door being pushed open, Xiao Yao immediately turned around and thrust his longsword forward, pressing it against the intruder's throat.

"What are you doing?" Shen Jie asked in surprise.

Or rather, the girl with Shen Jie's face asked this question.

Xiao Yao instinctively lowered the tip of his sword, then raised it again warily: "Who exactly are you?"

“I am Shen Jie,” the girl replied.

Chapter 386 I am Shen Jie

2023-11-21

~

Xiao Yao instinctively lowered the tip of his sword, then raised it again warily: "Who exactly are you?"

“I am Shen Jie,” the girl replied.

"How do I know you're really Shen Jie?" Xiao Yao asked.

Shen Jie's tone was somewhat puzzled, and her expression was not visible in the dim light: "This is indeed a problem."

Dear readers, you certainly won't laugh at Xiao Yao's paranoia, after all, he has witnessed too many truths and falsehoods.

If you were in such a situation, you would definitely become confused and disoriented, and then distrustful—unwilling to easily trust anyone.

Based on past experience, the most effective, and perhaps only, way to distinguish between genuine and fake people is to exchange secret information that only the two of them would know, using coded language.

The problem is, those are all in other people's palaces.

Those were all during public screenings.

And the world he was in now—though Xiao Yao had no proof, he suspected it was actually his own…his own…

Dream?

Palace?

The spiritual world?

In this situation, logically speaking, it becomes impossible to disprove that the other party is not a projection of one's own consciousness or something else.

Just as Xiao Yao was lost in thought, the girl with the sword tip pressed against her throat suddenly let out a sharp cry, took half a step back, and then kicked her right leg high into the air. Xiao Yao knew he was in trouble; his hand went numb, and the sword hilt was no longer in his grasp, flying high into the air.

Since acquiring Don Quixote's Fortress, Xiao Yao has experienced all sorts of ups and downs, but this is the first time he has ever lost his weapon.

He jumped up to grab the sword, but Shen Jie shouted again and pounced on him, pinning him down on the mortuary bed in the center of the room, her small, delicate body pressing down on Xiao Yao's.

Xiao Yao surrendered.

His armor vanished without a trace, and he lay on the bed facing Shen Jie, pressed tightly together.

The boy, who was being held down tightly, could feel the girl's body temperature, her rapidly beating heart, and smell her faint, delicate fragrance of orchids and her body scent.

These are all "flavors" that Xiao Yao is already very familiar with.

He had a thought in his mind.

Is it really her?

Xiao Yao knew that Shen Jie knew karate.

If you were to be subdued by her in one move when you first met her, that would be perfectly reasonable.

But I am not the same person I was before.

The opponent's formidable combat power could be either Shen Jie herself, a projection of her own consciousness, or...

Either they are already dead.

On a whim, Xiao Yao looked up and pecked the girl's luscious red lips.

"Ouch!!!" Shen Jie immediately yelled, swung her arm and slapped Xiao Yao across the face, then jumped back off the bed and retreated to the corner: "You motherfucker!"

Xiao Yao was so dizzy from the slap that his ears rang loudly.

His left cheek was burning with pain, as if it were on fire.

The slap was extremely powerful, knocking Xiao Yao to the ground.

Yes, they knocked him right off the bed and onto the floor.

The boy fell awkwardly onto the carpet, a sharp pain shooting through his back and shoulder.

"Are you crazy?!" Xiao Yao didn't even bother to rub his burning cheeks, because he had already touched the hilt of his sword. As he tried to pick it up, he shouted, "Are you kidding me?"

Shen Jie squatted in the corner, glaring at him angrily, her large chest heaving violently with rage.

Her eyes were red, and her voice was filled with fear and disappointment: "Xiao Yao, how could you do this! I trusted you, I considered you a friend, and you took advantage of me!"

"What are you doing, you old married couple?!" Xiao Yao's face was ashen as he gripped his longsword tightly and pressed it against Shen Jie's chest again: "Who exactly are you?"

"Who said we're an old married couple?! We've only known each other for a little over ten days, you filthy scoundrel! That was my first kiss!" Shen Jie accused angrily, her voice trembling with tears. "I knew you were interested in me, I knew you had ulterior motives, I specifically told you I have a fiancé, didn't you understand?"

Xiao Yao: "??"

Shen Jie: "So you still attacked me, and now you're pointing a sword at me? What are you planning to do next? Let me tell you, I'd rather die than let you succeed!"

Having said that, she ignored the sword tip pressed against her chest, stood up, rushed to the door in three quick steps, flung it open, and was about to run out.

Xiao Yao lowered his sword and hurriedly caught up, grabbing the girl's wrist: "Wait! Let me explain! Let me sort this out!"

"Let go of me!" Shen Jie struggled to shake off his hand.

As the two were pulling and tugging at each other, Xiao Yao lost his balance and fell to the ground again.

……

……