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

"By the way, Xiao Yao, are you familiar with this guy? I think he's just a fair-weather friend."

"What nonsense are you talking about? You can't stand your dad having friends, can you?"

“If you’re really brothers, shouldn’t you be overjoyed if someone takes a fancy to your sister or daughter and consider it a double blessing?” Shen Tianyun said emphatically. “Those who get angry and embarrassed are fake brothers. They essentially look down on others and think they are not good enough for them.”

"How could a 45-year-old geezer be worthy of my beautiful daughter?"

"Tch." Shen Tianyun leaned back in her chair, still savoring the taste. "The food used to be so much better. The meat here isn't as flavorful."

“No,” Xiao Yao suddenly thought of something else: “Actually, although Daiyu’s appearance isn’t outstanding, it’s still above average, right?”

Shen Tianyun rolled her eyes: "Xiao Yao, do you want me to like ribbonfish, or do you want me to dislike ribbonfish?"

“I mean, is appearance really that important to you?” Xiao Yao said.

"What else? I'm a seasoned external consultant, and I will never back down," Shen Tianyun said confidently.

"What outsourcing?"

"Appearance-obsessed."

Xiao Yao had never heard of this term before, but he could tell its meaning just by looking at the words: "Let me tell you, your values ​​are wrong."

"What's wrong again?"

"When you look for a partner in the future, you can't just look at their appearance. Appearance can only be one factor, a bonus at most," Xiao Yao earnestly advised, recalling scenes from novels and TV shows.

"If you don't look at appearance, what do you look at?"

"Talent, character, future prospects, and so on." Xiao Yao was taken aback: "And genuinely caring for you."

"Dad, what kind of cliché is this? Come on, tell me, what does Mom see in you?"

"...I don't know." Xiao Yao's face flushed red and then white, mimicking Yu Bo's tone from yesterday, "How would I know?"

Shouldn't I be the one asking you this?

"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Never be after someone who treats you well; a simp will never own a house'?"

"What does 'lick dog' mean?" Xiao Yao was a little confused by the endless stream of new terms. "House? Can't you guys born in the 20s speak properly?"

“Talking about character, quality, and future development is all nonsense,” Shen Tianyun continued, “Isn’t it all about money? Do you want me to be a gold digger? I’m someone who wants to marry for love.”

"How can this be called being materialistic?" Xiao Yao exclaimed anxiously. "Oh, does liking handsome men mean love, and liking rich men mean being materialistic?"

"What else?" Shen Tianyun asked, mimicking the tone of a Taiwanese drama.

"I don't think liking handsome men is any more noble than liking rich men." Xiao Yao was completely unaware that he had been dragged into a ditch by his debate opponent.

"Does liking rich people make you more noble than liking handsome men?" Shen Tianyun retorted, "Aren't you a member of the 'looks-matter' club?"

"What?" Xiao Yao said, "No, I'm not."

"Mom, aren't all your classmates, like Yu Luying, stunning beauties?" Shen Tianyun retorted, "And Ouyang Qianqian isn't bad either, is she? Why don't you make friends with ugly girls?"

"What nonsense! It's just a coincidence!"

"And that Zhao from yesterday... Zhao what was it again?"

"..."

"That Zhao Mei, although she can't compare to my mom, she's quite good at dressing up and getting along with people, right? In your school, she'd probably get at least a 7 out of 10, right?" Shen Tianyun continued to chatter on: "Just because my mom spoiled your taste, look how you're looking down on her?"

"Nonsense!" Xiao Yao reiterated those four words: "I only said that because I have your mother, I need to keep social distance from other girls."

"I don't think you've been keeping it up very well either..." Shen Tianyun muttered.

"What do you say?"

"He didn't say anything."

“Besides, I’m a man, and it’s only natural for men to like beautiful women,” Xiao Yao said.

"Dude, it's 3402 already, men and women are equal, why are you still using double standards?"

"What 3402? Alright, I can't argue with you. I have to go, or I'll be late. Your mom's sleeping at home tonight. If you're not going out, keep an eye on her. Leave her some pan-fried dumplings; don't let her eat them all." Xiao Yao stood up, ending this daily banter.

"No need to see me out." Shen Tianyun yawned widely.

"Maybe I should buy a parenting book and learn something when I have time," Xiao Yao thought.

"By the way," Xiao Yao asked as he pulled the cabinet door shut before leaving, "what did your mom say to Daiyu later? He was so happy! It was when she suddenly came in and separated you two?"

“I forgot,” Shen Tianyun said, “I think I was going to introduce a girl to Daiyu.”

"Holy crap, is this for real?" Xiao Yao thought to himself. Wasn't Shen Jie always against this suggestion?

"Go ask her yourself," Shen Tianyun said impatiently.

"Where is that girl from?"

"have no idea!"

--split line--

No sooner had Xiao Yao left than Shen Jie sat up in bed.

Eyes widened.

Before leaving, the boy planted another kiss on her forehead, which the girl appreciated.

This kiss reminded her of her mother's kisses from her childhood.

My mother is a housewife and doesn't work, but the first thing she does every morning after waking up is to give herself a kiss like this.

My father was like that back then...

The girl misses it dearly.

She got out of bed with her round eyes wide open, brushed her teeth, and then used a plastic basin filled with hot water from a thermos to wash her hair in the stone water bag between the soap dishes.

After washing her hair, she used a spittoon in her room and then took it to the alley entrance to empty it.

The girl did all this with practiced ease, as if she had lived there for over a decade.

She felt a pity for the human capacity for adaptation.

After finishing these daily chores, the girl began to put on makeup.

She rarely wears makeup, mainly because she believes in her natural beauty and doesn't need to add any color or varnish to enhance her appearance.

Once she starts applying makeup, it means she needs to present a perfect version of herself.

Either the occasion she's about to attend is very formal, or the thing she's about to do is very important.

The girl has very good neutral skin that is not lacking in collagen, so she took out a Santa Maria Novella skincare set and started her skincare routine.

After finishing her skincare routine, the girl took out a set of YSL haute couture makeup and began applying foundation, concealer, contouring, drawing eyebrows, eye makeup, blush, lip balm, and lipstick.

And men don't need to understand the differences between lipstick shades in their entire lives.

After applying light makeup, her hair was almost dry. The girl looked at herself in the mirror in the wardrobe, was basically satisfied, took off the towel covering her head, and began to get dressed.

The girl slowly took off her robe, revealing her marble-like skin, and then opened the wardrobe.

Before getting dressed, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, the same mirror she wore every day, for eight seconds, feeling sorry for herself.

First, she changed into a beige La Perla Make to Measure lingerie set.

Rose-patterned lace intertwined with her skin.

I've heard that some people like matching white lingerie sets?

Then, she took out a pair of Fogal black velvet stockings from the closet.

These tights are 60D, which is quite thick for summer, but they are still a little bit see-through—luckily, the temperature isn't too high today.

The girl didn't like pantyhose because they were not only troublesome to wear, but also always felt tight and restrictive. So if she had to wear them, she preferred thicker, looser ones.

As the girl thought about it, she sat on the sofa, lifted the edge of her pantyhose, and inserted her hand inside to create a space.

Then, reach your right hand into one side of the sock, all the way to the bottom, and roll it up little by little.

She pinched the rolled-up sock with her left hand, pulled her right hand out, and then lifted the toes of her right foot and put it inside.

Guided by a pair of small hands, the pure black velvet silk slowly passed through the girl's delicate toes, over her pearl-like rounded ankles and knees, and finally slowly reached the girl's slender waist.

After putting on the right leg, roll up the left leg of the sock in the same way.

After she finished putting on all her clothes, she tiptoed back to the wardrobe, manually smoothed out the wrinkles on the socks, and lifted them up with both hands.

Finally, with a "snap," I let go, and the job was done.

Xiao Yao will never understand just how troublesome this is.

Just as the girl was looking at her abs in her underwear and black stockings, a head suddenly appeared in the mirror, startling her.

"Who are you trying to scare to death?"

"Mom, you're up? Are you going out?" Shen Tianyun's head peeked out from behind the mirror as she looked the petite girl up and down. "Xiao Yao said you were going to sleep all day and asked me to save some food for you."

"Hmm." After a brief moment of shock, the girl regained her composure and calm: "I need to go out."

The girl took the long dress she had already chosen from the wardrobe, along with the hanger.

This is a black shirt dress with buttons down the front. The top of the dress is black and white, while the skirt is black with a decorative metal buckle belt.

"In the middle of summer, are you dressed like this to go to a costume party?" Shen Tianyun's head chuckled.