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

What was unfamiliar wasn't his facial features, but his expression... his aura?

It might sound strange, but in Yu Luying's opinion, Xiao Yao seemed like a completely different person ever since he reappeared at school.

The former naivety and awkwardness seem to have been swept away, replaced by a kind of maturity that is more like someone who has experienced many hardships, someone who is taciturn, doesn't show their emotions, and is even composed.

To put it dramatically, Yu Luying even suspected that the soul of Xiao Yao from the future had transmigrated into his body in the present.

Of course, Yu Luying was not without worry; the child was just depressed.

Honestly, could it be that the shock was too great and he went crazy?

During the week or so that Xiao Yao was absent from class, Yu Luying was extremely worried about this matter.

So much so that several times after school she went to Xiao Yao's house, only to find the door locked and no one answering.

He would answer my calls and reply to my messages, but he was noticeably less enthusiastic and quicker than before, and he was not as talkative as he used to be.

Xiao Yao kept telling Yu Luying in his low, hoarse voice that he was fine, but he had a lot of things to take care of after his death, and he just wanted to be alone. He said he would come to school in a while and politely declined the girl's request to meet.

"So you still know to come find me!" Yu Luying was filled with grievances and couldn't help but say what was on her mind.

During the day, she deliberately avoided talking to Xiao Yao to avoid appearing like a "pretty girl".

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft. Wang Yang, who was packing his schoolbag, turned around and looked at her. Yu Luying quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

"I'm sorry," Xiao Yao said with a guilty expression, giving a sheepish smile as he adjusted his schoolbag. "Want to walk together?"

"Let's go!" Yu Luying stood up, carrying her schoolbag.

When the two passed by Sacred Heart Church, Xiao Yao bought boneless chicken strips—and thoughtfully asked for two pairs of bamboo skewers before Yu Luying mentioned she wanted some.

The two walked side by side, just like in the old days, without saying a word.

Yu Luying looked up at the fiery clouds on the horizon, absentmindedly chewing the chicken strips in her mouth. The taste was no different from what she remembered, but she just felt that it was different from before.

Her feet stomped heavily on the pebbles on the road, her sneakers making a "clattering" sound. Every now and then, she would steal glances at the profile of the boy beside her—the setting sun had framed his face in gold. He looked somewhat melancholy, yet very calm, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking at that moment, but Yu Luying just couldn't bear to look away.

It's strange. We've known each other for so long, including dating for several months, how come I never noticed before that his profile was so attractive?

Perhaps I'm hallucinating because I've been preoccupied with too many things lately.

Yu Luying shook her head and couldn't help but ask Xiao Yao what he had been doing these days.

Xiao Yao took the initiative to speak and recount his whereabouts over the past few days.

As Yu Luying listened to Xiao Yao's detailed account, she learned that his main task during this period had been the funeral arrangements for the old man.

Xiao Yao originally planned to have his grandmother's ashes stored at the Songjiang Columbarium—like most Christians in Shanghai—but his relatives strongly opposed it, hoping to bury his grandmother's ashes in a Suzhou cemetery, alongside his grandfather. Xiao Yao thought this was a reasonable expectation, so he agreed. As a result, many complicated and trivial matters needed to be handled by him and Shen Tianyun.

Besides these, there are many other legal issues to deal with—inheritance, property transfer, bank account closure, and asset withdrawal. These are all things that Xiao Yaotian and his daughter are completely clueless about, as this is their first time dealing with such issues.

Not to mention, there are still relatives eyeing the pie who are unwilling to give up and want a share, which leads to disputes that are exhausting.

"There's also the issue of discussing with your uncle about creating an identity for Tianyun," Xiao Yao told Yu Luying. "I need to let her continue her schooling."

“My uncle never told me this,” Yu Luying said in surprise. “I thought you hated going to school. I didn’t expect you to be assigning things you don’t like to others.”

“People should do what they are supposed to do,” Xiao Yao replied. “If she’s left to laze around all day, she’ll become a street urchin and go astray.”

"You seem quite invested in your role as a father?" Yu Luying teased casually.

"Hehe." Xiao Yao gave a wry smile and a dry laugh.

"Tianyun probably isn't interested, is she?" Yu Luying asked.

“It’s not good that her interests follow mine,” Xiao Yao said.

The two chatted casually for a while when suddenly Xiao Yao stopped.

Yu Luying looked up suddenly and realized that she had unknowingly followed Xiao Yao to his grandmother's house—now she was downstairs at his house.

Both of them were a little embarrassed.

"Oh dear," Xiao Yao stamped his foot and said, "I... I'll take you back?"

Yu Luying quickly said, "No need, I'll go back by myself."

Even so, both of them stood firmly on the ground as if they were rooted to the spot.

Since Xiao Yao didn't say "Come up and sit down," Yu Luying was also too embarrassed to bring it up herself. The two of them stood downstairs and chatted idly for half a minute before Yu Luying said, "Final exams are coming up soon, and you haven't been to class these past two days. Do you want me to help you with your studies...?"

“No need,” Xiao Yao said subconsciously, “I probably didn’t ask about passing—okay, you can help me catch up.”

Yu Luying was a little annoyed. Xiao Yao said those words and started going upstairs, so she had no choice but to follow behind.

This feeling of "paying out of pocket" made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Originally, after the symbiosis was broken, especially after Xiao Yao was inexplicably dumped by Shen Jie, Yu Luying intentionally wanted to distance herself from Xiao Yao a little.

She knew Xiao Yao too well—after losing Shen Jie, he would inevitably transfer his affections to her again, using her to fill the void in his heart and emotions.

Yu Luying's pride made her reject the role of the backup boyfriend who was to become the official boyfriend.

Besides, she was just a 15-year-old girl, and before she had even done anything, she was supposed to be the "stepmother" of another 15-year-old girl. This strange feeling made her feel inexplicably resistant.

That inexplicable future marriage certificate—let's assume it's real—it should be real—also annoyed her inexplicably.

What did Xiao Yao mean by showing that to himself?

Yu Luying hates this feeling of being "arranged".

Originally, being with him was more or less related to symbiosis. Now that she has finally gotten rid of this curse, will the rope that once bound Shen Jie be tied around her waist again?

Yu Luying rebelliously told herself: No.

She had never really believed in the concept of a "destined other half," and the change to the marriage certificate further demonstrated that the future can be altered.

That marriage certificate only reveals one of the many possibilities, doesn't it?

However, to put it another way, Xiao Yao has not only lost Shen Jie, but also his grandmother, and has to take care of a daughter. If she were to intentionally distance herself from him at this time, it would be too cruel.

Therefore, Yu Luying decided to provide Xiao Yao with appropriate companionship, help, and comfort when needed.

Of course, this must be done passively.

As a result, the girl never expected that during this period, Xiao Yao not only did not come to find her, nor did he ask her for help, but instead... he seemed to be intentionally distancing himself from her, and even showed a perfunctory attitude after she took the initiative to contact him.

This made it impossible for her to control her feelings of displeasure.

Even, they became enraged and embarrassed.

This is like a wealthy family's daughter who is dissatisfied with a marriage arranged by her father without her consent. As a result, the groom takes the initiative to refuse and wants to break off the engagement. She will inevitably feel resentment, thinking, "Why do you look down on me?" and may even take the initiative to get closer to him.

With these chaotic thoughts in mind, Yu Luying followed Xiao Yao into his photo room, where the familiar scent wafted towards her.

It wasn't a foul smell, but rather the peculiar, lingering odor unique to old houses.

The soap room was clean and tidy, as if it had never been used—which made sense since Xiao Yao couldn't cook for himself.

Yu Luying noticed that the cat food bowl under the gas stove was completely clean, with not a single grain left, and the litter box had vanished.

Immediately afterwards, she changed into slippers with Xiao Yao and followed him blankly into his bedroom.

The girl seemed both enlightened and bewildered.

The house is so tidy and clean, it's as if a lady of the house is living there.

Yu Luying casually touched a piece of furniture, examined her fingers, and found that they were completely free of dust.

She had been to this room many times, and nine times out of ten it was a complete mess—she probably complained about it many times.

The other time, it just so happened that his grandmother had helped him clean up.

Shen Jie's move in didn't improve the situation much. This young lady didn't have any servants to serve her, so she probably wasn't much better off than Xiao Yao—the two of them lived together in a garbage dump, so neither of them had to look down on the other.

The air even smelled pleasantly of air freshener.

Xiao Yao strode to the window and pulled back the curtains.

"It's quite clean," Yu Luying said as she sat down on the sofa, crossed her legs, and bounced her white-socked feet on her slippers. "I didn't expect Tianyun to be so good at tidying up."

"Ah, right." Xiao Yao smiled faintly, "Tian Yun is quite diligent."

"How come I didn't notice anything amiss before..." Yu Luying muttered casually, "Where are the people from Tianyun?"

“She’s out having fun; she’s not quite done with the novelty yet,” Xiao Yao shrugged.

"Where's the cat?" Yu Luying bent down and looked under the bed.

“The cat…” Xiao Yao hesitated for a moment, “maybe it has returned to nature.”

"Huh?" Yu Luying said with dissatisfaction, "You're going too far..."

“ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh,” Xiao Yao walked to the edge of his bed and sat down: “This wretched cat, it sheds fur everywhere, bites everything, not only does it run around at night, but it also crows like a rooster every morning. We don’t even need the litter box anymore. It was quite well-behaved when it first came, but now it poops everywhere…”

Yu Luying glared angrily at Xiao Yao, who was still trying to justify himself: "Now I know where all those stray cats outside come from!"

“No,” Xiao Yao said, “the main reason is that we were all away from home the past few days, and there was no one to take care of it.”

“It’s called a dog, but it’s not a real dog,” Yu Luying said, arms crossed. “You’ve prepared enough cat food and water, why would you need to take care of it? If you really can’t, just give it to me. You’re getting revenge by throwing away your girlfriend’s cat after the breakup…”

“No,” Xiao Yao scratched his head, a gesture that made Yu Luying recognize him: “I messaged her to ask if she wanted to take the cat back, but she didn’t reply after two days.”

"I don't care, I don't care."

"Weren't you going to tutor me?" Xiao Yao said with a smile, "Take a look for me, then."

"Don't try to change the subject!" Yu Luying said.