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

While eating, the three of them finally got to the details of the engagement.

“This Zhang Zhengkai is the district head’s son,” Shen Jie said. “I remember meeting him when I was in my first year of high school, at a cocktail party for some Italian jewelry brand with my dad.”

“That Zhang Zhengkai was sitting in that corner, engrossed in playing video games, ignoring everyone. Then my dad greeted his dad, and when he looked up and saw me, his expression changed.”

The girl was initially reluctant to talk about it, but as she spoke, she became more vivid and expressive: "He looked at me like this back then, and I'll show you—"

Shen Jie gave an indescribable look in her eyes.

"Ugh, a pervert, huh? You're really creepy!" Shen Tianyun made a "scared" face.

"It was love at first sight, I guess. Those were such deep, affectionate eyes." Xiao Yao said, "What are you doing? I told you not to hit me again!"

He stood up and fiddled with something on the sofa.

"Then he just stared at me the whole time, without saying a word." Shen Jie turned around, gripping the back of her chair, and said, "It made me feel really uneasy, so my dad had Johns take me home."

“Grandpa Johns was a good man,” Shen Tianyun said.

Xiao Yao walked over to the wardrobe, and Shen Jie turned around abruptly, continuing to lean against the back of the chair to look at Xiao Yao: "Then he started to pester me relentlessly."

"You must have quite a few suitors," Xiao Yao said, sitting back down in his seat.

"Is that even a question?" Shen Jie said, "But most of them are quite gentlemanly, okay... If there are one or two who aren't so gentlemanly, we can make them gentlemanly too, right?"

“But you can’t afford to offend Zhang Zhengkai’s father.” Xiao Yao touched his chin, which was still a little sore.

“It’s not just that we can’t afford to offend him,” Shen Jie sighed, “we also deal with him frequently, because District Chief Zhang is in charge of real estate development…”

"No," Xiao Yao said, somewhat confused, "So Zhang Zhengkai was just doing this one-sidedly, after all, he was young, and his father was also helping him to forcibly abduct women?"

“No, not at all,” Shen Jie said. “His father is still keeping an eye on Zhang Zhengkai and preventing him from harassing me, but it’s not working. He keeps apologizing to my father, saying that he has failed to discipline him properly.”

"Oh……"

"Then my dad just told me not to make things awkward and to leave some room for maneuver. So on the day Zhou Xiaoying got engaged... oops, I mean, on Zhou Xiaoying's birthday, Zhang Zhengkai came over again, and I couldn't do anything to him."

"So what do we do now..." Xiao Yao asked.

“Sigh, it’s quite complicated,” Shen Jie said, resting her chin on her hand. “The group has encountered some difficulties and needs some preferential support from the district’s special policies, such as quotas and such. You two wouldn’t understand the specifics.”

"So Grandpa sold you?" Shen Tianyun exclaimed in disbelief.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a sale…” Shen Jie said hesitantly, “It’s a marriage arranged for the benefit of the family, and I was prepared for this. But… now that you’re here… especially you…”

Shen Jie looked at Shen Tianyun with a gentle gaze.

"Did your previous rejection of me have anything to do with this?" Xiao Yao asked.

"Rejected? When did that happen?" Shen Tianyun's eyes widened.

Shen Jie did not answer.

"Zhang Zhengkai, Zhang Zhengkai..." Shen Tianyun muttered, "I think I vaguely remember this person. There really is such a baby-faced Uncle Zhang..."

"Do you know Zhang Zhengkai?" Xiao Yao and Shen Jie asked together.

"No, no," Shen Tianyun waved her hand, "I just suddenly remembered, I have a tiny bit of an impression, but it might not be him, and I don't remember very clearly..."

"It's alright, just tell me whatever you remember," the two urged.

“First of all, I rarely ask about things before I was born,” Shen Tianyun held up one finger, “I only remember when I was very young, I went to sweep the grave of Uncle Zhang with you two… with everyone? Someone told me that Uncle Zhang’s father was a high-ranking official, but later went to jail…”

Xiao Yao and Shen Jie looked at each other, their hair standing on end.

"Dead...dead? How did he die?"

“I forgot, I don’t know. Anyway… later I came to ask you two about it,” Shen Tianyun tried hard to recall, “you two were both stammering, and I’ve forgotten how to put it. Anyway, the final conclusion was that children shouldn’t ask too many questions.”

"..."

“Oh dear, I’ll call my mom tonight and ask. Or you can ask her yourself?” Shen Tianyun suddenly turned to Shen Jie.

"I'll ask her myself...?" Shen Jie suddenly felt a little nervous.

"Yeah." Shen Tianyun said matter-of-factly, "Don't you want to talk to your future self?"

“I have been thinking about it,” Shen Jie said thoughtfully, “I haven’t even considered this possibility for so long…”

“Me too…” Xiao Yao quickly said.

"Old Xiao, why don't you get ready? Look how exhausted Mom is!" Shen Tianyun said.

Sure enough, as soon as the topic of contacting her future self came up, Shen Tianyun changed the subject, Xiao Yao thought.

"I'm a little tired," Shen Jie said, rubbing her forehead. "I didn't sleep well last night."

"Where did you sleep last night?" Xiao Yao asked.

“Canhua Internet Cafe,” Shen Jie said, “I was leveling an elf mage on Bloodline II earlier last night, in Server 2, Silfat, right?”

“?” Xiao Yao said, “I went to Canhua Internet Cafe but didn’t see you.”

"I saw you, you're hiding."

"...What level are you? If you had told me earlier, I would have given you a set of top-tier gear."

Xiao Yao had intended to invite Shen Jie for a moonlit stroll and a private chat, but knowing that Shen Jie must not have slept well last night, he didn't say anything more and led the two of them into the room across the street.

Xiao Yao put a kettle of water on the gas stove to boil. It was already late, and it wouldn't be convenient to go to the church to take a shower, so he decided to just wash his feet for today.

Staring blankly at the blue flames, he felt a pang of melancholy.

As for Yu Luying... as long as they can maintain their friendship, they're already thankful.

Logically speaking, having a wife, children, and a warm bed is a blessing in life, and one should be content with what one has. But... as things stand now, we can only be considered as neighbors next door, and we are very distant from each other.

For example, right now, I can't even talk to her.

Only the two of them, mother and daughter, shared a deep bond, while he himself became an outsider.

The idea of ​​having Shen Jie move here is ultimately just wishful thinking.

Let alone living together, even his relationship with Shen Jie is now shrouded in mystery and ambiguity.

Indeed, Shen Jie had made a promise to him to marry her in the future, and her attitude towards him had improved a lot. She even didn't mind him calling her "wife" and ran away from the wedding for him.

But marrying you in the future doesn't mean marrying you now. In Shen Jie's heart, in this summer when she's sixteen, what exactly is our relationship?

Like most naive teenagers, he was stubborn and obsessed with that vague and uncertain title. Many times, he wanted to ask Shen Jie, "What exactly is our relationship now?", but he never managed to ask.

After all, as long as you don't ask, you won't hear the heartbreaking answer of "friend".

……Bar?

Because of this engagement that will take place more than a decade later, he has once again missed his beloved, a decision that is now a foregone conclusion. Meanwhile, Shen Jie...

Am I being too greedy? Should I adopt a more gradual approach and be content with what I have?

Oh right, and there's Shen Jie's father. How exactly do we help her get through that hurdle?

The kettle emitted a sharp buzzing sound, interrupting Xiao Yao's reverie.

"Old Xiao." Xiao Yao heard a familiar voice.

Hmm? It's so nice to see you again today, my love.

"Why are you calling me 'Old Xiao' like Shen Tianyun? I'm younger than you, okay?" Xiao Yao poured boiling water from the kettle into the thermos: "Do you need boiling water? Be careful, it'll burn you."

"Where is the public restroom? I can't get to the bathroom at Tianyun's house," Shen Jie said, annoyed.

Xiao Yao walked back to the bedroom from the photo booth, squatted down, and pulled an enamel spittoon out from under the bed: "Use this."

"No, no, no..." Shen Jie waved her hands repeatedly: "I can't use this."

“Oh dear, my dear lady,” Xiao Yao said helplessly, “Public toilets are very smelly, you can’t stand them, and it’s pitch black right now, there are no lights.”

“…Then I’ll go to Canhua Internet Cafe. Although it’s dirty and messy, at least…” Shen Jie muttered, pulling out a pair of sky-blue canvas shoes and slipping them on barefoot.

"I go with you."

“No need, I know Canhua,” Shen Jie said.

"You're going out in these pajamas?"

Shen Jie found a small shawl and put it on. The two went out and walked side by side toward Canhua Internet Cafe.

Under the moonlight, Shen Jie's snow-white silk nightgown looked rather eerie from a distance.

"You're sleeping at Canhua Internet Cafe, right? I can't find you."

"Hey, stop pushing me," Shen Jie gently nudged him. "I saw you coming to find me, so I hid under the table."

"You're so quick-witted..."

“I couldn’t sleep,” Shen Jie complained. “It was already hard to lie flat, and there was no pillow. There was someone constantly banging on the keyboard, bang bang, bang bang. It was driving me crazy. And to make matters worse, there was someone yelling and swearing, like they were on voice chat… I felt so unsafe in that kind of place…”

"It was your own choice to sleep in the internet cafe... Hey, don't hit me!"

"I only went to the movie theater to wait for you today because I saw you looking for me," Shen Jie said angrily. "Otherwise, you'd never see me again."

"No...where did you get the money to go to the internet cafe?" Xiao Yao coughed. "Didn't you leave all your money at my house? You didn't go to the movie theater, did you?"

“I still have some in my pocket,” Shen Jie told him.

"I have something to tell you. When I looked for you last night..."

Xiao Yao told Shen Jie about his amazing encounter in the mirror world under the bridge last night.