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

Xiao Yao's anger stemmed from this: Yu Luying had already accidentally let it slip; wouldn't it have been enough for her to just stand up straight, admit her mistake, and take the beating?

How could I not forgive you?

But you not only insulted my character, but also my intelligence, throwing a tantrum and acting like a scoundrel, making normal communication impossible.

Yu Luying insisted that she blurted out "I am the class representative" for reasons she herself did not know; it was just something that slipped out of her mouth, and if she had to say it, it was subconscious.

In short, it's like saying, "Although all the evidence points to me, I don't know what happened; I didn't kill the person." In this situation, you can't argue with her; you can only resort to torture.

In addition, Yu Luying also used her uniquely female skills to turn the tables and accuse Xiao Yao of not trusting her and lacking even the most basic trust, thus expressing her deep disappointment in Xiao Yao.

And so, the two had just "reconciled" in the park's small green space when they broke up again just over half an hour later, and there was even a risk that they could no longer be friends.

Fortunately, they were connected by a symbiotic relationship, so they couldn't even be enemies. No matter how fiercely they argued, they still had to go home one after the other.

After returning home, Grandma and Shen Jie both noticed something was wrong and came to ask and persuade him, but they both just shook their heads and said nothing was wrong.

Shen Jie peeled two small apples and gave one to each of them, coming to comfort and console them, acting as a peacemaker.

The two apples she peeled were crooked and uneven, looking like they'd been gnawed by a dog or only half-eaten, which made Xiao Yao and Yu Luying burst into laughter.

As soon as you couldn't help but laugh, the atmosphere eased by half.

Yu Luying stood up and started peeling apples for everyone again.

"What does it smell like?" Shen Jie sniffed the air.

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying's hearts tightened instantly. The latter took two or three quick steps and rushed into the photo booth.

The next three days passed peacefully.

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying remained inseparable (which was to be expected), but they avoided speaking to each other unless absolutely necessary, making their lives awkward and strained.

Every now and then, the two of them would tease each other—though it was all just playful banter, each time they "hurt" each other, it was a mutually destructive act, so they could only play small pranks.

When he wasn't at school, Xiao Yao started to cling to Shen Jie even more intensely, getting all close to her.

Firstly, he deliberately upset Lu Ying, but this wasn't the main reason. Secondly, he felt guilty towards Shen Jie and wanted to make amends to her, but this still wasn't the main reason.

Most importantly, he wanted to emulate the spirit of his ancestors that "man can conquer nature" and cultivate and restore his "feelings" for Shen Jie.

But as those who have experienced similar situations know, developing feelings for someone of the opposite sex whom you don't like or have no feelings for is easier said than done!

The more impatient, anxious, and fixated on a single point Xiao Yao became, the less he grasped the key points, making no progress and causing himself immense suffering.

Because of this pain, his hatred for Zhang Zhengkai and Yu Luying intensified. At the same time, he fell hopelessly in love with Yu Luying. Seeing their relationship deteriorate like this, his suffering only deepened.

On Tuesday evening, at Xiao Yao's request, he and Shen Jie tried again, but they did not make any further progress than the day before school started.

This further deepened Xiao Yao's anxiety.

What worries him even more is that he doesn't know who to talk to about this.

Yu Bo? Regardless of whether he's a suitable match or not, he went out of town this week.

Shen Jie is certainly not a suitable subject of discussion, and Yu Luying is even less so.

Although Daiyu appeared to have moved on, Xiao Yao knew he was still grieving the heartbreak. If Xiao Yao went to him and told him he had the potential to become a heartbreaker, he'd probably get beaten up first.

Xiao Yao and Ouyang Qianqian had a chat.

He had intended to invite his sister to dinner, just like before, to have a face-to-face chat, but Yu Luying, that little shadow, just wouldn't leave him alone.

It's hard to explain via text message.

Ultimately, he took advantage of the time when Yu Luying went back to Tianyun's room to rest at night and Shen Jie went to the soap room to get a basin to wash her bottom to make a phone call with Ouyang Tong.

Before Xiao Yao had even finished telling his story, Ouyang immediately suggested breaking up.

"Stop messing around!" Xiao Yao said irritably.

“I’m not making a fuss,” Ouyang Qianqian said seriously on the other end of the phone. “Since you’re asking for my opinion, you have to be able to listen to unpleasant things.”

Xiao Yao grimaced on the other end of the phone, revealing a mask of pain, and even wanted to hang up immediately.

Then, he had to endure a lecture from Ouyang Qianqian on modern women, about how if you don't love someone anymore, you should break up; a short pain is worse than a long one; dragging things out only hurts the other person, and so on, a whole set of theories.

When Xiao Yao subtly expressed that his persona was to be a responsible and good man, Ouyang Qianqian directly scoffed at it, dismissing it as feudalistic old-fashioned thinking and a straight man's self-indulgent sentimentality.

“I don’t think Shen Jie is the kind of person who can’t think straight—thankfully it’s not Yu Luying,” Ouyang Qianqian suggested. “If all else fails, just tell her the truth and let her make her own decision, instead of being arrogant and condescending and taking control of the decision-making power—women have the right to know the truth.”

"What did you say? I don't love you anymore, so what?" Xiao Yao chuckled, "What's the difference between that and announcing a breakup? Sigh, never mind, I'm not talking to you anymore."

"You and Yan Xiao seem to be quite compatible," Xiao Yao thought.

He became increasingly convinced that the "Babylonian Silver Woman" who had helped save Zhao Xiaomei that day was Ouyang's mental fortress. However, since she refused to admit it, he couldn't bring himself to talk to her about the shadow world. As for the possibility of him and Shen Jie having a daughter in the future, that was even more out of the question.

Just as Xiao Yao was subtly hinting to Ouyang Qianqian that he was most likely under the influence of the "mental distortion" control ability, Shen Jie walked into the bedroom while drying her wet hair. Xiao Yao then hurriedly said a few words to Ouyang Qianqian and hung up the phone.

"Whispering with some pretty girl again?" Shen Jie tilted her head, rubbing her hair, which had grown quite a bit longer.

"Ouyang Qianqian," Xiao Yao said honestly, "isn't she pretty?"

"So-so," Shen Jie walked over and wrapped her arms around Xiao Yao's waist. "What are you two whispering about?"

“I told her,” Xiao Yao said softly, nuzzling Shen Jie’s neck with the tip of his nose, “that I don’t love you anymore, that I’m very distressed, and asked her what I should do.”

"That's easy, just break up." Shen Jie smiled and rested her head against Xiao Yao's broad chest. "Why force yourselves to stay together if you don't love each other anymore?"

When Xiao Yao said "I don't love you anymore," he used a joking tone and attitude—he knew that Shen Jie's response was also a joke, but he still didn't quite agree.

"That won't do." Xiao Yao leaned down slightly, then suddenly picked Shen Jie up in a princess carry and walked towards his bed: "Love can't just be a fleeting hormone; there are also covenants and responsibilities. Didn't Father Yu say last time..."

The two discussed the topic in a half-serious, half-joking manner. Xiao Yao felt that her explanation was similar to Ouyang Qianqian's—not exactly the same, but...

"What about Tianyun?" Xiao Yao raised his voice, his eyes slightly red.

He knew he was getting a little carried away.

Shen Jie was surprised—in fact, she was startled: "Oh dear, baby, what's wrong? I was just joking with you, why did you take it seriously?"

She really seemed like a gentle mother, and Xiao Yao felt a jolt in his heart.

Has that "feeling" returned? Or has it returned even a little bit?

At least, at least for that brief moment... he couldn't have made a mistake.

"Are you sure you're joking?" Xiao Yao asked, looking aggrieved as he rode on Shen Jie's back.

"Of course I was joking," Shen Jie raised her delicate hand and stroked Xiao Yao's temple. "Besides, how could Gouzi not love me anymore, right?"

"Mmm." Xiao Yao nodded weakly, like a little dog caught in the rain.

“We’re so bored,” Shen Jie sighed. “We’ve been joking around and it’s turned into an argument.”

“Even if I don’t love you anymore,” Xiao Yao insisted, “we can’t be apart.”

"Okay, okay, we won't separate, we won't separate." Shen Jie's eyes narrowed, and she smiled like a crescent moon.

Even if you don't love me anymore, we can't be apart.

"Silly dog, I will never stop loving you—how could I not love you?" Shen Jie hugged Xiao Yao's waist and suddenly flipped him over, making him straddle her.

"Even if you don't love me anymore, we can't be apart." Xiao Yao remained unmoved and repeated.

"Okay, okay, we won't separate—what's wrong with you today?" Shen Jie pressed her forehead against Xiao Yao's forehead and shook her little head vigorously.

"Even if one day we stop loving each other, we can't separate." Xiao Yao rubbed his forehead with hers. "Even if one day we hate each other, we can't separate."

"Are you out of your mind?" Shen Jie said reproachfully. "Don't you think that sounds like some kind of curse?"

“Mommy Meow,” Xiao Yao said, “let’s try again.”

"No, no, no, no, you're crazy," Shen Jie refused without thinking. "What time is it? We have to go to school tomorrow."

“Hmm,” Xiao Yao said, “Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep.”

"Meow~"

"Damn, the cat wasn't caught again."

"Go and throw it in the soap section."

"You go."

"Rock, scissors—"

"Bu! Hahahaha! Damn!"

"You go."

"Win two out of three!"

"Anyway, it shouldn't matter if I hit you 30 years from now."

"Okay, okay, I'll go."

The next day, Thursday, October 28, after school, Xiao Yao went to wait for Zhang Zhengkai at the entrance of his junior high school.

"I'm really good at this kind of thing," Xiao Yao thought.

Yu Luying initially tried to stop him from going, giving the seemingly legitimate reason that "I need to rehearse with the band." However, the band rehearsal was canceled because too many people needed to make final preparations for tomorrow's campus top ten singers competition.

Yu Luying was speechless. Then she thought that confronting Zhang Zhengkai face to face wouldn't be bad, so she agreed to go with him.

Chapter 402