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

He subconsciously assumed that Shen Jie would completely fade out of this "circle".

When they first broke up, Xiao Yao was worried that he would never see Shen Jie again in his life. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel "the vastness of heaven and earth, and I wept bitterly."

At this moment, however, he did not want to see Shen Jie at all; he wished he could never see her.

This is a very luxurious and comfortable room with a separate reception room. The large bed in the center of the room is big enough for four people to lie down side by side, and its softness and luxury are comparable to the bed in Shen Jie's bedroom.

Xiao Yao couldn't help but hope in his heart that all these irrelevant people in the suite would disappear, leaving only himself and Shen Jie.

That way, he could jump onto the big bed, gently embrace her as always, and pull her into the thick quilt, whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears...

"Xiao Yao, can you do it?" Yu Bo asked Xiao Yao.

“Okay,” Xiao Yao said, “What?”

“You will lead Team 1.” Yu Bo frowned.

"Sure... I think so," Xiao Yao said.

During halftime, Yu Bo called Xiao Yao to the reception room outside the bedroom and closed the door.

The priest sat down on the sofa in front of the coffee table, lit a cigarette, and reached for the ashtray on the coffee table.

Xiao Yao quickly pushed the ashtray over.

“Kid,” Yu Bo said quickly, “I know, I understand, you don’t want to see her right now, seeing her will distract you.”

"No, that won't happen," Xiao Yao shook his head.

“I don’t want the two of you to be stuck here with your grudges,” Yu Bo used a Buddhist term, “but the situation is urgent… I’ve taken that into consideration, and in the subsequent operations, I will divide you into two different squads…”

“No need, Father, really no need,” Xiao Yao shook his head vigorously again, and said solemnly, “Business is important, the big picture comes first, personal feelings are trivial matters.”

"Really?" Yu Bo narrowed his eyes.

“Really,” Xiao Yao said sincerely, “I admit I was a little flustered just now, but I’ve recovered and it won’t happen again.”

Yu Bo remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

“When you’re dividing into teams, I hope you only consider strategy,” Xiao Yao continued. “Don’t worry about how I might feel. Work is work.”

"Can I trust you?" Yu Bo asked Xiao Yao.

“You can trust me,” Xiao Yao said. “Let’s go back to the meeting. If you can, you can repeat the key points to me again.”

This is where I can stay, Xiao Yao thought.

I will never back down.

never.

Chapter 415 Tianyun Baby, I Love You Too

2024-06-18

February 2005, 2, late at night.

Xiao Yao drove his newly bought light motorcycle along the Husong Highway.

This reminded him of the night he first met Liang Yanan, when they became friends after a fight, and he rode Liang Yanan's motorcycle to give Yu Luying a ride home.

The difference is that today Xiao Yao's arms are empty.

Only a little girl in a green down jacket sat on the back of the motorcycle, her arms tightly wrapped around his waist.

The light motorcycle was something this girl encouraged Xiao Yao to buy; it was indeed much more convenient than just a bicycle.

Otherwise, where will I get a taxi home tonight?

The girl in green sitting on the back of the motorcycle looked to be around fifteen years old. Although her skin was a little dark, her features and face still had a youthful beauty that was enough to make most young men—and quite a few men—fall in love.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a resemblance between her eyebrows and eyes and the boy she was holding in her arms.

The girl's green down jacket covered her entire thighs, and below her knees, white trousers could be seen extending into fluffy black ankle boots.

Unseen by onlookers, inside the ankle boots, the girl's size 38 feet were encased in flesh-colored short stockings sized for a 36D.

Xiao Yao drove through the crackling of firecrackers, the air thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder, as if traversing war-torn Lebanon.

"Xiao Yao's father, I love you." Another loud bang echoed in mid-air, and amidst the scattered colorful light, Tian Yun softly murmured.

"What did you say?!" Xiao Yao gently squeezed the brakes and tilted his head slightly.

"Fine, if you didn't hear me, then forget it!"

"Say it again?" Xiao Yao said with a smile.

"I won't repeat myself!" Tianyun said, "Where's the New Year's money?"

“No!” Xiao Yao said.

“…” Tianyun said, “Be careful of the traffic police, they might check your ID.”

“It’s New Year’s Eve,” Xiao Yao said, “there are no traffic police around.”

……

"Old times, old lovers,

The friendship here runs deep…

Suddenly, Shen Tianyun started singing loudly in Cantonese.

Xiao Yao also moved his neck up and down to keep time for his daughter.

Even though the days have passed by in a blur

I can never forget the kindness of a beautiful woman;

To spend the rest of our lives hand in hand.

Old dreams finally come true;

I envy neither mandarin ducks nor immortals.

My beloved is by my side...

"How come you can speak Cantonese?" Xiao Yao asked Shen Tianyun loudly, but his voice was drowned out by the booming sound of firecrackers.

Shen Tianyun seemed not to hear at all—in fact, she really didn't hear—and continued singing:

"The New Year brings a new atmosphere."

Good luck is with me;

People are more energetic when they have happy events.

To take one's career to the next level...

"Why are you so happy?" Xiao Yao turned his head and raised his voice further.

"BOOM~~~BANG!" Just as the boy turned around, a firecracker on the sidewalk was set off by a child, interrupting Shen Tianyun's singing. She was so frightened that she turned pale, screamed, and hugged Xiao Yao tightly, burying her face in his back.

"Coward!" Xiao Yao turned around again and sneered, "Didn't you just praise the festive atmosphere? Isn't this the festive atmosphere you've been longing for?"

"I was just startled!" Shen Tianyun raised her head and protested loudly.

“Oh~~~~~” Xiao Yao said.

After so many days of continuous fighting, Xiao Yao was naturally not frightened by the mere sound of firecrackers.

“I really didn’t know that before,” Tianyun said, “In this era, it’s allowed to set off firecrackers even within the inner ring road.”

"What, you're not even allowing firecrackers anymore?" Xiao Yao said. "Then what's the point of the New Year's atmosphere?"

"And you're one to talk," Tianyun complained, "Your family—your maternal grandparents' family—has the least festive atmosphere! The elders at least know how to be polite on the surface, but your cousins ​​all roll their eyes to the heavens, treating us like we're invisible, like we don't exist!"

Xiao Yao shrugged: "I told you not to go a long time ago."

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have listened to you and gone to my stepmother's house!" Tianyun sighed.

"My stepmother is really something," Xiao Yao thought. (Author's note: In Shanghai dialect, "一刚" placed at the end of a sentence means "surprisingly" or "unbelievable," expressing disbelief.)

"The hardest thing to know in life is when you least expect it," Xiao Yao said. "Please try again next year."

Tianyun: "...If I still can't go back next year, it's really not a good thought."

Fortunately, they all ignored us, Xiao Yao thought.

Otherwise, if they insist on asking about Tianyun's identity and background, it will always be a troublesome matter.

“My older brothers and sisters,” Xiao Yao told Shen Tianyun, “have always ignored me since I was little, and they wouldn’t even let me read their Doraemon comic books. They probably look down on me because I’m from the countryside.”

“You Shanghainese—” Tianyun said, “Why do you Shanghainese of this era speak with such an air?”

"Will the people of Shanghai be warm and hospitable in 2034?" Xiao Yao asked rhetorically.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Tianyun said. “We’ve all been assimilated by outsiders.”

“Hey, that’s it,” Xiao Yao said.

The reason Xiao Yao ultimately chose to have New Year's Eve dinner at his maternal grandmother's house was that he was actually reluctant.

This was partly Tianyun's idea, and partly because his mother asked him to go together.

As a result, around noon on New Year's Eve, my mother suddenly changed her mind and decided to go to her new husband's house for the New Year.