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

Xiao Yao felt a little guilty upon hearing this and gave a dry laugh.

“Come on, Xiao Yao.” Zhao Xiaomei extended her hand to Xiao Yao in a generous manner.

"What are you doing again?"

“Hold hands,” Zhao Xiaomei said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Why are you holding hands?"

“Let’s walk across the bridge together—it’s a lasting happiness, why not give it a try?” Zhao Xiaomei shook her hand again.

"We're not lovers," Xiao Yao reminded her.

“Good friends should also have a lasting friendship,” Zhao Xiaomei said confidently.

"Ah..." Xiao Yao sighed deeply, "You really are giving me a headache."

"What's wrong?" Zhao Xiaomei pouted and asked pitifully.

Xiao Yao wanted to teach her a lesson, saying that pestering someone would only bother them. He moved his lips a few times, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Because he felt he had no right to say that.

There was a time when I pursued Yu Luying in the same way during the first semester of my first year of high school, and I also followed girls home after school in the same way during junior high.

Is stalking only defined by following from a distance? Xiao Yao also expressed doubt about this.

I was so stupid and felt so wronged back then. I told you, "I've opened my heart to you like this, why aren't you moved? Why can't you be good to me?"

It wasn't until he met Zhao Xiaomei that Xiao Yao began to empathize a little with how those girls felt back then.

But he also felt a greater empathy for Zhao Xiaomei—not to mention that she was a very cute girl, even if someone like Zhou Yao were to pester him like this, he would find it difficult to be rude and draw a clear line.

at the same time.

The Autumn Moon over South Lake, neither too far nor too near.

The innocent Zhou Yao sneezed seven or eight times in a row.

"What's wrong?" Yu Luying kindly handed her deskmate a tissue. "Did you catch a cold?"

Just as Zhou Yao was about to speak, Yu Luying's phone rang.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

……

"No, I'm not with him. I'm with my classmates."

……

Two flowers bloom, each telling its own story. Xiao Yao was still focused on dealing with the problem at hand. He subtly pulled his arm away from Zhao Xiaomei's, who was holding his: "Being friends is fine, and I can walk across these two bridges with you, but holding hands is not appropriate."

"Is Xiao Yao afraid of being seen by the people who came with him?" Zhao Xiaomei asked him, tilting her head.

“If people can’t see it, God can,” Xiao Yao pointed to the sky. “I don’t want to let my girlfriend down.”

Zhao Xiaomei was filled with respect: "Xiaomei was right about Xiao Yao. He is a responsible and dependable man."

Xiao Yao straightened his chest.

"I just wonder which girlfriend Xiao Yao doesn't want to let down?" Zhao Xiaomei asked innocently.

“It’s mainly the one at home,” Xiao Yao told her.

"Oh!" Zhao Xiaomei nodded vigorously.

"Ah! You tricked me!" Xiao Yao realized, "I only have one girlfriend, okay?"

Zhao Xiaomei laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight. Xiao Yao was stunned for a moment, then he laughed along with her.

--split line--

Xiao Yao and Zhao Xiaomei walked side by side, chatting as they went.

"Xiao Yao, do you think that if the end of the world really comes, humanity will unite to save itself?"

"Yes, although it may come at a great cost, I believe that humanity will eventually unite to face the difficulties."

"Then why can't Xiaomei unite Xiaoyao? Isn't the price Xiaomei paid enough?" Zhao Xiaomei put her hands behind her back and leaned slightly towards Xiaoyao.

"There's actually more to the story of the stone bridge," Xiao Yao said, stepping aside slightly.

"Really? I want to hear it. Is it a happy ending?"

"After 1500 years of cultivation, the stone bridge finally welcomed the footsteps of its beloved. At this time, the god asked it, 'Do you want to stay with your beloved for life? Then you need to continue your cultivation.'"

"Will Shiqiao continue his practice? He's persisted for 1500 years."

“Ishibashi replied: I would like to, but it’s not necessary.”

"Huh? You're giving up just like that? What about the previous 1500 years?"

"God was also somewhat surprised, but the stone bridge asked God: Has my lover's current lover suffered the same pain as me? God silently nodded. The stone bridge smiled and told God that it could do the same, but it didn't need to."

"Is this the end? Is this a good ending?"

“It’s not over yet.” Ishibashi noticed that the god breathed a slight sigh of relief after hearing what he said.

"Do gods also have worries?" Zhao Xiaomei asked curiously.

"That's good. There's someone who can wait 1000 years less for you. He has cultivated for 2000 years just to see you." A smile bloomed on Xiao Yao's face.

After hearing this, Zhao Xiaomei stopped and looked at Xiao Yao's face thoughtfully.

He felt that there were stars in Zhao Xiaomei's eyes when she looked at him.

This was something he had never seen before in the eyes of others.

After a long while, Zhao Xiaomei also laughed and announced loudly: "Shiqiao can let the god clone himself, one to continue his cultivation, and the other to go see the person who has been waiting for him for 2000 years."

Xiao Yao and Zhao Xiaomei strolled around the boat village for almost two hours, chatting as they walked, and before they knew it, they had reached a remote area rarely visited by tourists.

Although the surrounding scenery was beginning to become dilapidated and desolate, Xiao Yao still felt quite content.

Indeed, the proper way to enjoy a place like Zhouzhuang is to stroll around with a girl. If you don't have a girlfriend, female friends are fine too.

"Should we also go for a stroll around that place called Nanhu Qiuyue?" Xiao Yao suggested.

"We're going to be too late, aren't we? Didn't your teacher, Ms. Yuan, say we had to assemble at 5:30? Time is a bit tight," Zhao Xiaomei reminded him.

“That’s true,” Xiao Yao said. “Never mind.”

Before us was a fairly clear stream, where seven or eight country kids, dressed in vests and t-shirts, were walking around with nets. The deepest part of the water was only chest-deep—it looked like an adult wouldn't go more than waist-deep.

"What are they doing, taking a bath or swimming?" Xiao Yao asked curiously.

"He's probably just slacking off," Zhao Xiaomei guessed.

Then, the oldest-looking, dark-skinned boy held up a large fish with both hands, excitedly shouting in a dialect that Xiao Yao couldn't understand.

"The fish here must be delicious, right?" Xiao Yao said to Zhao Xiaomei. "It's all-natural and pollution-free."

Zhao Xiaomei's gaze fell on a fishing net used for scavenging by the stream—the net looked like a basketball net with a bottom, with a long wooden pole attached to the back.

She walked over, squatted down by the stream, bent down and picked up the fishing net, revealing a small piece of flesh on her back.

Xiao Yao could even see the edge of a pair of panties.

A large patch of white cotton sock, covered by white lace trim, peeked out from between her shoes and jeans: "Would you like to try some, Xiao Yao?"

"what?"

"Huh?" Before Xiao Yao could react, Zhao Xiaomei had already stood up, holding the fishing net in her right hand and stepping into the stream with her left foot.

And so, with a clear conscience, I stepped down.

Yes, he didn't take off his shoes, socks, or roll up his trousers.

The water instantly swallowed Zhao Xiaomei's shoes and socks, reaching just below her knees. Xiao Yao felt a slight tremor in a certain part of his body as he watched her continue to move her legs, walking deeper into the water.

Her slender legs moved up and down alternately on the water's surface, splashing water and making a gurgling sound.

There is a clear dividing line between the still-dry upper part of the light blue jeans and the dark, reflective lower part that is soaked through.

"Xiaomei, won't your shoes get ruined from soaking?" Xiao Yao ran to the stream: "Don't you want your shoes anymore?"

Zhao Xiaomei seemed not to hear Xiao Yao shouting at her at all; she was just waving her fishing net with the other children.

……

"Brother Xiao Yao, look!" A girl with slightly curly chestnut-colored short hair excitedly held up a large fish that Xiao Yao couldn't identify. The fish's tail was still flapping wildly, and some water splashed onto the girl's face, making it impossible for Xiao Yao to tell whether the glistening on her forehead was sweat or water.

The setting sun cast its warm, golden rays across the water and onto the girl's excited face, making Xiao Yao feel as if the scene was an oil painting.

Yes, yes, just like Chen Yifei's "Memories of My Hometown".

"What's wrong? What are you standing there for?" When Zhao Xiaomei got ashore, Xiao Yao subconsciously reached out to help her. Zhao Xiaomei leaned against his chest, but quickly straightened up on her own.

"Are you crazy? These shoes aren't cheap, are they?" Xiao Yao took the still-living fish from her hand and complained with heartache.

"It doesn't matter," Zhao Xiaomei said nonchalantly. "As long as Xiao Yao can taste the fish he wants, I'll be happy."

Zhao Xiaomei held Xiao Yao's shoulder with one hand, and with the other hand, she took off one of her shoes and poured water onto the ground. The soaked lace clung limply to her round ankle, and a few cute little toes were still playfully wriggling in the wet white socks.

Her sleeves were half wet, and there was a very obvious dividing line between her thighs. The part below was a dark color, shimmering with a sheen, and clung tightly to her legs and feet along with her stockings, with some tangled wrinkles.

Zhao Xiaomei emptied the water from one shoe, threw it on the ground, groped her way to put it on, and then took off the other shoe and did the same.