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

"Yes, it's really a pity about Teacher Yao. I don't like the new Teacher Song that much either."

"..."

Xiao Yao sat opposite Shen Jie, silently watching the two girls chattering away. Neither of them paid any attention to him, as if he were invisible.

Shen Jie was eating, as if she really was a neighbor who would come over for a free meal every day.

Yu Luying was peeling an apple, as if she really was the lady of the house.

Xiao Yao had his own agenda. Shen Jie had essentially confirmed their relationship, but Yu Luying was unaware of it.

If she interferes now, and my relationship with Yu Luying goes back to freezing... I'd better just let things slide today.

Therefore, he did not ask Shen Jie the purpose of her visit today.

Shen Jie and Yu Luying seemed to have reached a tacit understanding and did not mention the matter, which calmed Xiao Yao's uneasy mood slightly.

“I never expected that Teacher Yao would be with Zhou Qi… Have you seen ‘Men at Forty’?” Yu Luying asked Shen Jie.

"I haven't seen it... but do you think there really are men like those in 'Troy,' who would wage war for love?"

"Is this what 'Troy' is about? If I had known, Xiao Yao and I would have..."

How did we end up talking about movies again? Alarm bells rang in Xiao Yao's mind.

"Shen Jie, is there something you need today?" Xiao Yao hurriedly asked this question he shouldn't have asked, bumping the table as he stood up and interrupting Yu Luying's words.

"I ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage." Shen Jie clearly had a "you finally asked" look on her face, but her tone was as if she were saying, "I came out to buy a size 5 battery."

"Run away from the wedding?" Xiao Yao was shocked.

"I'm running away from this marriage," Shen Jie replied deliberately, drawing out her words.

"Runaway bride?!" Xiao Yao exclaimed, because he felt a stinging pain in his fingers, as if Yu Luying had accidentally cut her hand.

"Yeah, my dad forced me to get engaged to Zhang Zhengkai. I didn't agree, so I ran away." Shen Jie's tone was as if she were telling someone else's funny story.

“Zhang Zhengkai…” Xiao Yao didn’t know what tone or expression to use to deal with this story, so he could only go to the drawer to find a band-aid for Yu Luying.

“Well, it’s too conspicuous to bring a suitcase, so I packed my clothes and stuff in a plastic bag and brought them out,” Shen Jie gestured toward the “garbage bag” on the bed. “I originally wanted to stay at a hotel, but chain hotels require ID cards, and my dad would find out. Irregular places are too unclean and unsafe. After thinking it over, I decided to come here.”

Xiao Yao glanced at Yu Luying, only to see a look of utter confusion on her face. Faced with this sudden, third-rate drama-like plot, Xiao Yao's mind went completely blank.

"No, you're only in your second year of high school, engaged, engaged? What, what was your dad thinking? Zhang Zhengkai is only in his second year of junior high, right..." Xiao Yao was so confused that he stammered.

"Isn't it all for his business interests?" Shen Jie turned her head away, unwilling to say more.

"That day in the forest park, didn't you tell me..."

“But our place is so small and run-down, you can’t fit in,” Yu Luying interjected hesitantly. “Do you have any of your girlfriends’ places where you can stay?”

“Of course I’ve thought about it,” Shen Jie sighed sadly. “But my best friends all live with their parents, and their parents are all in cahoots. If I show up there, they’ll drag me back.”

"That's true, the adults are all in cahoots."

Actually, this happened a few days ago, but Shen Jie waited until the end of the final exams before leaving to avoid delaying things at school.

"You should have given us a heads-up before you came..." Xiao Yao complained, "I had no idea."

“I didn’t mean to bother you. I was thinking of finding a place to stay myself, and after ten days or half a month, when my dad got anxious and calmed down, I would go back and have a proper talk with him. Who knew that nowadays you need an ID card everywhere.” Shen Jie put down her chopsticks and pushed her bowl away: “Grandma’s cooking is still so delicious.”

"Grandma went out. Today's dishes were made by...Yu Luying..."

“But Grandma should be back soon, right…?” Yu Luying asked.

"It won't be very soon..." Xiao Yao coughed twice.

Chapter 80 Struggle for Food

2023-01-09

“But Grandma should be back soon, right…?” Yu Luying asked.

"It won't be very soon..." Xiao Yao coughed twice.

Xiao Yao didn't need to explain; he naturally wanted Shen Jie to stay. With Grandma not home, coming and going was convenient, and Shen Jie could stay in Shen Tianyun's room—of course, if she wanted to stay outside the mirror, Xiao Yao had even less reason to object. But…

By the way, could it be that Shen Jie gave him the "friend zone" card for the same reason?

“Shen Jie, I don’t think this is appropriate.” Yu Luying thought for a moment and said seriously, “After all, Xiao Yao can’t stay at my place. How about this, I’ll have Xiao Yao use his ID card—no, my ID card—to let you stay at a hotel. As for the cost… the cost… we’ll help you figure out a way.”

“Oh dear, what are you saying?” Shen Jie stood up and bent down to pick up the black plastic bag on the ground. “If you’re running away from home, you should at least take some money with you. I don’t need you to support me.”

She took out another black plastic bag from the bag and emptied its contents.

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying both gasped in shock.

These stacks of large red bills were something I had only ever seen on television and in banks before.

"How much does this cost?"

"Not much, maybe tens of thousands, that should be enough to last for a while."

"Not much...you stole it from your dad?"

"What's wrong with that?" Shen Jie complained. "These are all my New Year's money red envelopes. I can't use a card. If I use a card, there will be a spending record, and my dad will find out."

"This……"

“Take half of this money and put it in your own card,” Shen Jie pushed the newspaper towards Xiao Yao. “When I live here, I’ll use your card if I need something urgently. Keep half at home for daily expenses…”

Seeing Shen Jie's "this is settled" attitude, Yu Luying immediately became furious: "You...you..."

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

"Xiao Yao, say something!" Finally, Yu Luying remembered to turn her anger towards Xiao Yao.

"Well... don't worry, you two. Let me think about it, I'm sure I can come up with a solution," Xiao Yao replied vaguely.

He felt four murderous gazes, which stung his skin, and he instinctively lowered his eyes.

“Yu Luying,” Shen Jie said after a moment’s thought, clearing her throat, “This is Xiao Yao’s home. He should know whether it’s convenient for me to stay here or not.”

"Shen Jie...I...you..." Yu Luying's previous forceful momentum had completely vanished, and she couldn't organize her thoughts anymore.

Seeing that Yu Luying looked like she was about to cry, Xiao Yao quickly comforted her, "Shen Jie, it's still early, there's no rush. Let's wait for Yu... let's talk alone later."

"Okay." Shen Jie rubbed her eyes and nodded.

Yu Luying realized that Xiao Yao meant to say "after Yu Luying leaves," so she stood up angrily and said, "You guys talk, I'm going back."

“I’ll take you…” Xiao Yao stood up.

"Don't rush off. Xiao Yao can take you home if it gets late," Shen Jie said.

“Okay.” Yu Luying readily agreed and sat down without any hesitation.

Hey, what are you two doing?

"The food... if you're not going to eat it, I'll take it away." Xiao Yao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and reached for the bowls and plates on the table. Neither of the two girls moved; they just sat there with their arms crossed, their faces cold. Shen Jie sized up Yu Luying, while Yu Luying looked up at the ceiling.

"Luying, did you make all these dishes?" Shen Jie put her right foot on the chair, a posture that reminded Xiao Yao of Shen Tianyun.

"Mm." Yu Luying nodded gently.

"Thank you for your hospitality, it was really delicious. Please teach me next time you have the chance." Shen Jie leaned forward and took Yu Luying's small hand.

Xiao Yao felt her small hand, as warm and soft as ever.

"It's hardly a treat, just some leftovers. I'm sorry to have troubled you." Yu Luying calmly withdrew her hand again.

...Are you implying something?

“Some dishes may be cold, but they are not necessarily leftovers.” Shen Jie chuckled. “In my uncle’s restaurant, people often host parties and order a table full of dishes, but they only eat a few bites before the party ends. Often, some dishes are slow to be prepared, and by the time they are served, the guests have already left. If we just throw them away, it would be a sin to waste food.”

"And then your uncle packed it up for you to eat?" Yu Luying smiled.

Shen Jie was outmaneuvered, and a look of annoyance flashed across her face.

“Exactly,” Xiao Yao quickly chimed in, “Last time I went to eat wontons, the table in front of me ordered a huge plate of braised pork for some reason, and left without touching it. I watched as the owner gave the whole plate of meat to the dog, oh my, I was so heartbroken…”

"Who are you calling a dog?" The two girls pointed their guns at each other.

"Me! I'm a dog, the dog is me." Xiao Yao quickly raised his hands.

All three of them laughed, and the tense atmosphere on the field seemed to ease.

“Actually, what my sister said is right. Food tastes better when people fight over it. People have this habit a bit,” Yu Luying said, moving a chair over to sit next to Shen Jie.

“Yes, sometimes a store that is usually deserted will suddenly be packed with customers lining up, and the line will get longer and longer as people rush to get in,” Shen Jie said thoughtfully.

“But in the end, one table of food can’t serve two tables of guests.” Yu Luying took a piece of apple and put it to her mouth, but her eyes drifted to Xiao Yao beside her.

"But what if someone occupies the table without ordering food? I wonder how the restaurant owner will deal with that?" Shen Jie also reached for half an apple and tossed it to Xiao Yao.

“Hey, speaking of which,” Xiao Yao slapped his forehead, “There’s a really popular all-you-can-eat barbecue place that just opened on Dongdaming Road. There’s a line every day. It’s only 3 o’clock now, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long. I’ll treat you to a meal as a welcome back party for Shen Jie, okay?”

"A welcome feast?" Yu Luying asked.

"No, we're celebrating her getting rid of... uh, the courage to get rid of a loveless political marriage and bravely embrace the start of a new life!" Xiao Yao started flattering her: "And also celebrating Yu Luying managing to win over her mother and embracing a new life as well!"

"What? Did your family arrange something for you too?" Shen Jie asked Yu Luying curiously.

“That’s not true,” Yu Luying thought for a moment and said, “but my mother isn’t any easier to get along with than your father.”

“So we’ll both be sitting at Xiao Yao’s house,” Shen Jie said wistfully. “At least you won’t be homeless.”