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

On either side of the main entrance of Longhua Funeral Home are two huge flower beds, filled with flowers and greenery. It had rained last night, and the ground was still wet, with the earthy smell in the air, making the place feel quite unfamiliar.

As Xiao Yao walked on the asphalt, he gazed at the pine trees planted in the green belt.

He liked these tall trees very much, with their strong trunks and elegant foliage.

Unlike Song Haijian's simple memorial service, the farewell ceremony for Shen's grandmother was held in the central hall, which was spacious, brightly lit, and decorated in the most solemn manner.

There were no priests, pastors, monks, or Taoist priests in sight. The room was vertical and larger than the chapel of the Sacred Heart Church. There were at least several hundred people gathered inside, mostly social elites and business leaders, judging from their attire and demeanor. They were talking in groups of two or three.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yao was glad that he had worn his most presentable attire, and he was also delighted by the strong heating in the auditorium.

"Xiao Yao!" Just as Xiao Yao was craning his neck to look around for someone, that familiar and lively voice came from the other end of the hall.

Xiao Yao turned his head and saw that familiar figure. He subconsciously ran a few steps toward her, but stopped when he was worried that Yu Luying couldn't keep up.

At this moment, Shen Jie had already run up to him.

The girl wore a yellow chrysanthemum in her hair, dressed in all black, with a large black cloth with small red pieces of cloth embedded in it on her left arm. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was smiling at herself.

Xiao Yao smiled at her and reached out to hug her, but then realized it wasn't appropriate and pulled his hand back.

"Hi," Shen Jie said.

"Hi." Xiao Yao scratched the back of his head.

What's going on? We haven't seen each other for only two days, why are we acting so distant and awkward?

Then, Shen Jie and Yu Luying exchanged pleasantries, and then Shen Jie gave Xiao Yao a piece of red and black cloth with a paperclip attached, saying that she had something else to do, and left.

Holding the large black cloth inlaid with small pieces of red cloth, Xiao Yao felt as if he were holding his marriage certificate with Shen Jie.

"Do you need my help?" Yu Luying asked, sticking her head out.

"No need, no need, I can wear it myself."

After pinning the black cloth to the outside of his suit sleeve with a paperclip, and seeing that the memorial service wouldn't start for quite a while, Xiao Yao led Yu Luying around the edge of the entire hall.

A faint melody of light music filled the air, accompanied by a gentle male chorus, which Xiao Yao found very pleasant.

At first, he thought someone was playing the piano, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find a piano in the memorial hall, let alone a male choir. He then realized that they were probably playing a CD.

The melody sounded familiar. After listening carefully for seven or eight seconds, Xiao Yao realized that it was "The Sound of Silence".

I heard that this song was played at Kennedy's funeral.

The lyrics were naturally in English, but thanks to Yu Luying's vocabulary and listening skills, Xiao Yao was actually able to roughly understand the meaning of the lyrics.

"Hello, darkness, old friend;"

I've come to talk to you again.

Because a kind of illusion is quietly creeping towards me;

It left its seeds while I was fast asleep.

This illusion,

It took root and sprouted in my mind.

It's clinging to me.

Accompanied by a silent sound.

I walk alone in unsettling dreams.

Narrow cobblestone streets,

Under the halo of streetlights

I turned up my collar to ward off the cold and dampness.

A dazzling neon light pierced my eyes.

A sound that cuts through the night sky, touching the silence.

Under the dazzling lights,

I saw thousands upon thousands of people…

Under the dazzling lights, Xiao Yao found Shen Jie's name near the front of the line of wreaths and elegiac couplets.

The white elegiac couplet read, "The pine and cypress wither in the wind, tears flow in sorrow," and the smaller characters below were signed by granddaughter/grandson-in-law Shen Jie/Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao's mind raced, he gasped, and instinctively took a step forward.

Rubbing eyes.

Knead again.

Then he reached out and stroked the five characters "grandson-in-law" and "Xiao Yao".

Did Shen Hongsheng not look carefully and let her sneak in, or... or...

Impossible. Since this thing can be placed in this hall, and in such a prominent position... it's most likely a tacit agreement.

Although the occasion was extremely inappropriate, Xiao Yao could not contain his joy.

The huge weight that had been pressing on my heart for months was so easily lifted off my feet. How could I not cry out, how could I not cry out...

Xiao Yao looked up and saw Yu Luying's disdainful expression, with her eyes and lips drooping. He quickly suppressed his smile and went over to pet Yu Luying to coax her.

Just as Xiao Yao reached out halfway, Yu Luying turned her head to dodge. Xiao Yao was about to reach out again when the girl pointed behind the boy.

Xiao Yao cautiously turned his head back, and then turned around.

Just like in a movie, the crowd in front of me automatically parted to make way, like the Red Sea being parted by Moses.

At the end of the Red Sea, unsurprisingly, stood the deceased of the day—Shen Hongsheng, a man with a cigar in his hand and dressed in a black suit.

At this moment, he is talking to another man.

The man was half a head taller than Shen Hongsheng, with a well-proportioned figure. He wore a dark blue Zhongshan suit, black trousers, and black leather shoes. He looked to be in his forties, with a calm demeanor and a serious expression, yet his handsome features were still undeniable.

Although Xiao Yao had never met him before, he felt that he looked somewhat familiar.

Why does he look so familiar? Have I really never seen him before? ...Xiao Yao wondered.

Shen Jie stood next to Shen Hongsheng, holding her father's arm, while the latter pushed the girl's back and shoved her in front of the man.

She gave the man a slight bow, seemingly reluctantly.

The man smiled, shook his head, waved his hand, mumbled something, and walked away.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Hongsheng led Shen Jie toward Xiao Yao.

To be precise, they were walking in the direction where Xiao Yao was.

He didn't look at Xiao Yao, as if he didn't recognize him at all, but instead shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with each of the guests who came to attend the funeral.

Finally, she walked up to Xiao Yao and gave him a deep look.

Xiao Yao's heart clenched.

“Uncle…” Xiao Yao called out.

The reason I called him "Uncle Wei" was because I originally wanted to call him "future father-in-law" like in the movies, but in this situation with so many guests, I ultimately opted for a more conservative way of addressing him.

Shen Hongsheng wore a half-smile on his face, squinted at Xiao Yao for a second and a half, took a deep drag on his cigar, and gently exhaled the smoke onto Xiao Yao's face.

Xiao Yao: "..."

Yu Luying: "..."

Shen Jie: "..."

Just as Xiao Yao was wondering how to save face, Shen Hongsheng reached out his large hand and patted the mourning cloth on Xiao Yao's left arm.

He didn't use much force, but if this were a martial arts novel, Xiao Yao would definitely think that he used internal energy in that palm strike.

“You’ve gained weight,” Shen Hongsheng said.

"What?" Xiao Yao exclaimed in surprise.

After saying those three words, Shen Hongsheng didn't say anything more. He just chuckled and patted the mourning cloth twice before leading Shen Jie to greet the next person.

"Shen Jie," Xiao Yao called her softly.

Shen Jie stuck out her tongue slightly, took her father's arm with one hand, and waved a "HI" with the other.

……

After the Shen father and daughter had disappeared from sight, Xiao Yao asked Yu Luying, "Why didn't we see that guy surnamed Luo?"

“How would I know?” Yu Luying said.

"Have I really gained weight?" Xiao Yao asked.

"Don't you have any self-awareness?" Yu Luying looked him up and down, answering with feigned surprise.

"I've actually gained weight," Xiao Yao said.

……

After the memorial service officially began, Xiao Yao saw Shen Jie again—in fact, he was arranged to stand next to Shen Jie.

Standing in the first row was Shen Hongsheng, along with several adults whom Xiao Yao did not recognize, presumably Shen Hongsheng's brothers and sisters.

The second row was occupied by Xiao Yao, Shen Jie, and some other teenagers.