You are my wife, don't doubt it!

The shop owner said, "Young man, would you like another bottle?"

Zhang Zhengkai turned around and walked deeper into the alley, raised his right hand, and waved at the proprietress with the back of his hand, leaving behind only a cool and uninhibited back.

Zhang Zhengkai knew in his heart that he was trapped by obsession.

The boy put the headphones back on his head.

"Do you know that missing someone feels like drinking a glass of cold water, and then taking a very long time to turn it into hot tears one by one..."

Zhang Zhengkai walked to an intersection in the alley, turned in with ease, and stood under the shadow of an awning.

The alley where Xiao Yao lives has two entrances and exits.

But no matter which entrance or exit you take, you will definitely pass by this place.

As long as he doesn't take a nap, he won't miss it.

Probably.

"Do you know how it feels to forget someone? It's like appreciating a kind of cruel beauty. Then, in a very small voice, tell yourself to face it bravely..."

Zhang Zhengkai shook his head and listened to Jing Gangshan's voice coming out of his headphones. He couldn't help but hum along: "Do you know~Do you know~Do you know~~~"

Then he suddenly shut his mouth.

If Shen Jie or someone else heard it, wouldn't it be a warning?

Zhang Zhengkai raised his head and looked at the window on the second floor with his big eyes.

The curtains were drawn, and through the clear glass window one could see... a ghost. All one could see was a statue of Jesus that had been literally "put on the shelf."

This is Zhang Zhengkai's fourth time here. The curtains were drawn last time, and they were open the time before that.

All signs indicate that the two of them live here, or at least there are people living here.

The boy let out a long sigh.

"Do you know, do you know, do you know the feeling of loneliness? Loneliness is caused by missing someone..."

Zhang Zhengkai took off his headphones with some annoyance, and then turned off his Walkman.

A few days ago, I went to Xiahai Temple to meditate, and met a master whose Dharma name was "Shi Hui". I gave him some advice.

The master said that there are eight sufferings in life, namely "birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, long-lasting hatred, failure to obtain what one desires, and meeting with those one hates."

I have to say that I have suffered from the double pains of "love separation" and "failure to obtain what I desire" at once, and I am in great pain.

Following what the master said, Zhang Zhengkai began to imagine what Shen Jie would look like a hundred years later.

No matter how beautiful and charming a woman is, after a hundred years, she will be nothing but a pile of dry bones.

Zhang Zhengkai closed his eyes and tried to imagine what Shen Jie would look like a hundred years from now. On his mental canvas, a bleak picture appeared: a shrunken skeleton, with bones clearly visible, like ancient teeth, neatly arranged. The once plump face had now faded, leaving only the remnant skin on the skull, pale and shrunken.

Shen Jie's long hair also faded under the ravages of time, turning into dust in the wind. The eye sockets under the skull, once bright and piercing, are now empty and lifeless. A hundred years of vicissitudes have deprived her of all her beauty and vitality, leaving only a ruthless skeleton, as if silently telling the fragility and brevity of life.

Zhang Zhengkai deeply felt the fragility and impermanence of life. The master's words of "not getting what you want" and "love and separation" were more deeply engraved in his heart at this moment. He silently prayed that Shen Jie could cherish the time in this life and leave no regrets, because a hundred years later, everything will become the past, leaving only a handful of lifeless bones.

……

But even if she turned into dry bones, she was still very cute.

Damn, I’m really hopeless, Zhang Zhengkai thought.

To break the "ego"...

A short girl with short hair walked leisurely through the intersection of the alley, and Zhang Zhengkai's heart was lifted.

When he saw the girl's face clearly, he shrank back under the awning, feeling half disappointed and half relieved.

Thinking back, the first time we met didn’t feel that far away, it seemed like it was just yesterday.

Zhang Zhengkai recalled the dance, which was on a...night when the lights were just coming on.

Well, it was an upper-class ball.

It was their first encounter, was it? First encounter, whatever.

At that time, I was sitting in the corner of the dance party, drinking a glass of 82 Sprite, watching her dancing alone in the middle of the dance floor.

Look at her with her eyes closed, like a lonely note.

In Zhang Zhengkai's imagination, he was counting her messy footsteps on the empty street...

A group of naughty boys and girls ran past Zhang Zhengkai, laughing and making noise, interrupting his fantasy time.

It's so annoying.

One of the little girls gave him a wary and strange look, as if she was looking at a bad guy.

I, your brother, am not a bad person, Zhang Zhengkai thought.

He forced a warm smile at the little girl, but the guy turned around and ran away.

Tsk, really.

In short, what we are saying is that the feeling of falling in love with someone for the first time, that kind of youthful and ignorant throbbing, even now when I recall it, I can empathize with it, as if it is right in front of me, I can feel that warm feeling, which makes me smile involuntarily.

Thinking back to his, or rather, her, current situation, the corners of Zhang Zhengkai's mouth couldn't help but droop again.

Sadness flows like river.

A thin old man wearing glasses rode past Zhang Zhengkai on a worn-out bicycle. The wheel of the bicycle pressed against the raised stone slab, making a noise.

Zhang Zhengkai just couldn't figure it out and couldn't understand Shen Jie's choice.

In terms of looks, I am much prettier than Xiao Yao. In terms of figure... I still have great potential. In terms of family background, there is not much to say. In terms of talent and sense of humor, I am also far ahead.

To sum up, let's just say that apart from being taller and older, Xiao Yao has nothing that can compare to him.

What on earth is so charming about him that could make Xiao Shen Jie so devoted to him, and not just have a relationship for fun, but for him she was willing to quarrel with her father, run away from home, and live in his house.

My eyes are blind! The water from West Lake has entered my brain!

Why West Lake? Never mind, it doesn’t matter.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhengkai couldn't help but feel resentful towards his father and Shen Hongsheng, especially Shen Hongsheng.

Zhang Zhengkai did not expect that Shen Hongsheng would give up just like that.

He didn’t give up the marriage, but gave up...his daughter?

He knew where his daughter was but he didn't send anyone to look for her.

What's also said about "If it rains, let it rain; if my daughter wants to get married, let her get married"?

Friends, please help me. Is there any father like you?

In fact, when Zhang Zhengkai first learned that Shen Jie had gone to the Dongqi Summer Camp under a false name, he immediately decided to go and arrest her.

As a result, he was locked at home by his own father.

My father even threatened to break my legs if I went to look for the girl from the Shen family again.

Since the parents of both parties have such an attitude, the marriage is of course completely cancelled.

Zhang Zhengkai has lost the last bit of "legitimacy".

But to be fair, my father has done his best for me.

How many fathers in the world would push for such a big marriage just to satisfy the naive wish of their son, a son who is a junior high school student?

Zhang Zhengkai knew that he had no reason to blame his father anymore.

If you want to blame someone, you can only blame Shen Jie's confusion and willfulness. After all, she is still young.

And there is Xiao Yao.

Zhang Zhengkai is not a saint, he cannot suppress his hatred.

The ancients said that the hatred for having one’s father killed and one’s wife taken away are all like this.

The hatred of having one's wife stolen from one's wife is a crime on a par with the hatred of having one's father killed.

But impotent hatred solves nothing.

Two boys who looked like high school students walked past me wearing small vests, sweating profusely, with basketballs tucked under their armpits.

Think calmly, patiently and carefully, how could things develop into this state step by step?

At the beginning, although Shen Jie declined his confession, she was still polite, friendly and patient towards him.

Later, maybe there was something wrong with my way of pursuing her, I was a little too obsessed, and the other party could feel it and was obviously a little impatient.

But overall, they were polite to me and never took any hostile attitude.

However, since the situation had been stuck here, with no way forward, Zhang Zhengkai changed to another track.

When I urged my father to seek marriage with the Shen family just now, according to the feedback from Shen Hongsheng, his daughter was not very disgusted or opposed.

In the words of Shen Hongsheng, Shen Jie is a person who "knows the big picture" and "knows who she is".

Of course, it is not ruled out that Shen Hongsheng is just trying to gain weight. (Boasting, telling lies)

However, when this matter was informally put on the agenda, Shen Jie's attitude towards herself did not deteriorate. On the contrary, it even slightly improved.

Zhang Zhengkai was a little unsure whether this was just the man's illusion, but he was sure that he had not changed for the worse.

When did her attitude take a 360-degree turn?

Just before the official engagement, she suddenly began to object strongly and ran away from home.

All in all, it should have happened some time after Xiao Yao appeared.

It was obvious that Xiao Shen Jie fell in love with that man, so she showed indifference to the engagement at first, but then suddenly changed her mind.

Wait, is this short girl walking over here Shen Jie?

It looks a bit similar, but not quite. It’s impossible to be sure with a mask on.

Zhang Zhengkai subconsciously took two steps forward and felt that it shouldn't be the case.

Women who like to wear masks when going out for no reason are really stupid.

However, Shen Jie might also deliberately use this method to cover up her tracks, Zhang Zhengkai reminded himself.

……

If, I mean if.

If I had not asked my father to facilitate the marriage at the beginning, but continued to show my sincerity on the formal track, would the outcome have been different?

Could it be that she accepted Xiao Yao because she hated her own behavior and had a rebellious mentality?

It is also possible that nothing will change and Shen Jie will only accelerate her transition into the arms of other people.

Zhang Zhengkai had no way of knowing.

Have no idea.

There is no time machine in this world, and there is no way to go back in time and verify "If...then...".

There is no use regretting, and now is not the best time to do self-examination.

In fact, Zhang Zhengkai himself didn't want to come.

It's not that he doesn't know that he is doing something stupid.

No one likes to stand in one place waiting for someone, basking in the sun for hours, staring at everyone coming and going like a fool.

Isn’t it nice for me to stay at home, enjoy the air conditioning, eat cold drinks and play GBA?

But Zhang Zhengkai just couldn't help it.

He couldn't control himself.

When he sat at home, he felt like there were a hundred cats poking and scratching at his heart.

He knew exactly where Shen Jie was, but he couldn't control or stop himself from wanting to see her.

This is also a kind of outlet for libido that has nowhere to go.

As long as you do something, even if it won't change anything for the better, even if it makes things worse, it's better than waiting at home and doing nothing.

Therefore, as long as his father was not at home, Zhang Zhengkai would sneak out and come here to wait for a few hours.

Wait until your libido is used up, then go home, at least you can give yourself an explanation.

"I tried my best." "I did something."