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

The homeless men stared at him with grim expressions.

Xiao Yao was startled; the shield and longsword had already appeared in his hands.

Hmm, it seems that you have a better grasp of the "spiritual fortress" than before?

Fortunately, the homeless men just watched him and did not attack him.

Xiao Yao slowly retreated, then used the tip of his longsword to pry open the windproof door and walked out of the bridge arch.

He saw that the sidewalks on both sides of the street were full of pedestrians, and there was a constant flow of cars on the fast lane.

Even if it were noon, let alone midnight, Xiao Yao had never seen such a large crowd on Dongdaming Road.

He walked slowly, observing the enormous hall.

As he walked, the tattered armor on his body emitted a piercing metallic clang, which was Xiao Yao's source of security at this moment.

Everyone was in a hurry, hunched over, with numb and sorrowful expressions on their faces and empty eyes.

Some people carried briefcases under their arms, while others carried thick backpacks, all of which were bulging as if they were stuffed with bricks.

As they passed by, these people would glance at Xiao Yao, then continue whispering and hurrying on their way.

As Xiao Yao heard the whispers of the crowd growing louder, almost drowning out the sound of his armor, he began to seriously consider retreating.

After all, venturing alone into unfamiliar territory is simply too risky.

It's unlikely that Shen Jie would stay in a place like this for long, right?

Then, he saw Shen Jie.

To be precise, he couldn't be sure, but the figure looked very similar.

A women's shirt tied at the waist, pigtails, ankle boots, the way she walks, and her height that resembles that of a middle school student.

Xiao Yao didn't dare to shout, but quickly chased after him.

The weight of the armor, weighing dozens of kilograms, made it very difficult for him to walk quickly.

Xiao Yao wanted to remove his armor, but he didn't know how.

What happened to the promised "effortless sending and receiving"?

"Wait a minute!" he couldn't help but call out, "Shen Jie!"

The girl who looked like Shen Jie turned around and entered the subway entrance.

Xiao Yao hesitated for two seconds before deciding to follow suit.

There was no need to wonder why the subway was still running at this hour, nor to ponder why the crowds inside the subway were greater than those on the street. Xiao Yao simply followed the girl closely, wanting to catch up with her.

I want to run, but I can't.

Fortunately, the crowded flow of people did not hinder his movement—because he discovered that he would not collide with them and could pass through directly.

However, the view was still blocked, and Xiao Yao was about to lose track of him.

The girl walked to the subway ticket gate, looking down and searching for something, maybe a bus card?

"Shen Jie!" Xiao Yao reached out and gently patted her back with his shield.

Xiao Yao felt the force feedback from his hand, and sure enough, it was not an illusion.

When the girl turned around, Xiao Yao was terrified and took three steps back.

"oops!"

Shen Jie's face... had no face.

"Big brother, do you want to buy flowers?" the faceless man asked in a childish voice, which was of course not Shen Jie's voice.

"flower……"

Xiao Yao then noticed that the faceless man was carrying a large basket of flowers.

"No need, no need to trouble yourself..." Xiao Yao took two steps back, ready to make a hasty retreat.

"Big brother, you can give this to your girlfriend. Pretty sister will definitely love it," the faceless man continued to promote.

"The pretty older sister and the older brother had a fight, and she ran away. The older brother has been looking for her all night," Xiao Yao said. "Do you know where she went?"

"I don't know," the faceless man shook his head. "Maybe, older sister will be waiting for brother at the agreed-upon place?"

The agreed-upon place...? Xiao Yao lowered his head and thought for a moment.

When he looked up again, the faceless man was gone.

……

Xiao Yao returned the way he came, left the subway, went back to the underpass, and crawled out of the mirror.

Nothing unexpected happened along the way.

After getting rid of the garish green filter, Xiao Yao felt much better for his eyes.

Without the weight of the armor, he felt as if he could fly.

Hearing the noise, a homeless man poked his head out from under the blanket, then withdrew it.

When Xiao Yao returned home, Shen Tianyun was already asleep in her bed.

He gently pushed his daughter's legs, which were hanging off the edge of the bed, back under the blanket and covered her with it.

Shen Jie's ID card was placed on the dining table by Yu Luying, and Xiao Yao picked it up to look at it.

The photo shows Shen Jie; you can recognize her, but she doesn't quite look like her.

He was a bit dark-skinned, a bit oily, and had a somewhat simple-minded expression.

How old were you at this time?

But she's still so cute.

Xiao Yao suddenly felt like biting her.

He circled around a few times, thought about it, and hesitated for a while before finally climbing onto his own bed, passing Shen Tianyun, and sleeping with his face to the wall.

That night he had recurring nightmares, filled with that eerie green world and faceless people.

When I woke up in the morning, there was no one beside me.

Shen Tianyun was not in the room; no one knew where she had gone.

"Perhaps, the older sister will wait for the older brother at the agreed-upon place?"

This afternoon, in the dark movie theater, it was "Troy," right?

It's only a little past 11 o'clock, there's plenty of time... Okay, I'd better hurry up.

Xiao Yao went out and walked to the repair shop—he was pleased to see that his bicycle had not been taken away.

After fixing the tire, Xiao Yao rode off on his bike, leaving the task of getting lunch to Yu Luying.

When passing the subway station in front of the bridge from yesterday, Xiao Yao slowed down.

Then, he stopped in front of the little girl selling flowers in front of the subway station.

Her cheeks were dark with a touch of rosy blush, yet she exuded a lively spirit from the inside out.

"Would you like to buy flowers?" the girl asked with a smile.

This flower, this figure, it's definitely her.

"Um, um... um, I'll take a little of each, but I don't need the roses." Xiao Yao took out a hundred-yuan bill: "Please wrap this up for me, thank you."

He arrived at the dark movie theater a little after 1 p.m., and by the time he found a place to park, it was almost 1:10 p.m.

The Dark Cinema, located less than a kilometer from the War Cinema, is situated within the People's Park commercial district and is a long-established and well-known cinema.

Today is Sunday, and among the bustling crowd are many men and women who look to be around my age.

However, every time I see a similar figure, I get disappointed when I approach it.

Xiao Yao spun around several times, his heart sinking.

Suddenly, amidst the noise, Xiao Yao spotted a petite girl huddled in a seat in the most secluded corner.

The girl's hair was a bit oily, her face was somewhat dirty, her clothes looked half-wet, and she was wearing a pair of small leather boots.

Simply put, she resembles a down-on-her-luck stray cat, but the girl's languid posture is elegant and composed, like a Ragdoll cat basking in the sun.

The doll is now staring at me with its big eyes wide open, its expression full of curiosity and amusement.

Xiao Yao breathed a sigh of relief.

--split line--

"Good morning," Xiao Yao greeted casually.

"You're here." Shen Jie looked at him with a hint of mischief: "You've been looking at me like an idiot for ages."

A month ago, I first met this girl at the No. 7 Girls' High School in the city. At that time, she was so radiant and spirited. But now she is sitting on this awkward throne, forcibly supporting her shattered self-esteem.

Xiao Yao was unsure whether he had the right to feel sorry for her.

So, she probably won't kick me with her high leg today?

Xiao Yao opened his mouth several times, but all the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat and he just couldn't get them out.