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

Since the situation has changed, I might as well explain it to Shen Jie unilaterally here. That way, it won't be considered that I've broken my agreement with Yu Luying, right?

"Shen Jie..." Xiao Yao called out.

Shh, look!

Xiao Yao looked up and saw the streets of the ancient town teeming with tourists. The river flowed gently, coming from the boundless darkness in the distance, and then flowing away to who-knows-where. Only the thousands of lights along the street cast iridescent reflections, illuminating the old boatman rowing his boat slowly under the bridge, the sound of a pipa carried on the wind, mingled with the soft, melodious singing of the Wu dialect…

"Yes, the moonlight is beautiful." The boy turned his head and froze.

In this beautiful moment, the girl's hair was slightly ruffled by the night breeze, her hands were clasped together nervously, her beautiful eyes were closed, her chin was slightly tilted back, her pink lips were slightly upturned like orchids, and she remained completely still.

Uh, is it what I think it means? It shouldn't be what I think it means, right?

If I act rashly, I'll probably be thrown off the bridge, right?

Shen Jie waited for more than ten seconds, but Xiao Yao didn't appear. Annoyed and embarrassed, she opened her eyes, her eyes filled with "What's wrong with you?"

“Uh…” Xiao Yao said.

The girl in black didn't speak, but simply closed her eyes again, turned her head to the side, and then to the side a little more.

If I continue to play dead, I will definitely be thrown off the bridge.

Yu Luying, I'm sorry.

Xiao Yao swallowed hard and lowered his head slightly.

……

An unidentified bird flapped its wings and flew over Xiao Yao and Shen Jie's heads.

"How...how do you feel?" Xiao Yao asked hesitantly, touching his lips with his right hand.

The girl in black bit her lower lip, tilted her head back, and pondered for a long time.

"I don't feel anything," she said.

"How can I not feel anything?!" Xiao Yao exclaimed anxiously.

Shen Jie burst out laughing: "Just kidding, look how anxious you are!"

Xiao Yao looked at the girl in black who was laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight while clutching her stomach, and felt a mix of emotions.

It's been so long... I haven't seen her smile like that.

"I want more." Shen Jie looked at Xiao Yao with bright, sparkling eyes.

"..."

Two hours later, Xiao Yao and Shen Jie, exhausted yet excited, arrived at the boutique-themed hotel called "Wei Ai".

In fact, I spent the first hour and a half accompanying her on a night tour of the boat village, and the "Wei Ai" hotel was only a half-hour walk away from the boat village.

He looked up at the neon sign of "Wei Ai" flashing in the sky. Shen Jie explained that because she called too late, this was the only hotel she could book in the whole Zhouzhuang area. Xiao Yao didn't know whether he wanted it to be true or not.

The atmosphere here is... well, to put it nicely, it's full of charm; to put it bluntly, it's not very proper.

Before going upstairs, Shen Jie and he bought some things at the convenience store downstairs.

Xiao Yao casually grabbed two packets of Lay's and handed them to Shen Jie to pay the bill together.

He leaned against the shelf, standing behind Shen Jie, watching her pay the bill, when he suddenly felt a dryness and pain in his throat.

Something's not right," Xiao Yao told himself. "I smell a conspiracy."

He looked at Shen Jie's black beret, her Dior umbrella, her all-black skirt, stockings, and shoes, and the long gloves on her arms.

All of this proclaims three words: "A woman's sense of ritual."

This person probably came prepared today. What happened on the bridge just now was probably not a spur-of-the-moment thing, but part of a plan.

If my deduction is correct, then it means that what I did on the Twin Bridges... may not be the peak or the end of today.

After all, it was she who chose this place.

Xiao Yao felt a restlessness in his body and shifted his legs uneasily.

No, that's impossible. I must be deluding myself. In Shen Tianyun's words, this is called "I'm daydreaming," or one of the many illusions men have.

Please, she is Shen Jie, a dignified and noble young lady, not some infatuated Zhao Xiaomei, nor her god-sister Ouyang Qianqian.

Besides, even if Zhao Xiaomei and Qu Yuqin are high school students, they probably wouldn't be that bold; it's just all bark and no bite.

I just made up my mind this morning to live a simple and respectful life, but I never expected to face such a severe test tonight.

As he pondered his empty thoughts, he strolled over to Shen Jie, his casual gaze wandering over the small shelves near the checkout counter.

Cigarettes, lighters, chewing gum, and... all sorts of colorful, square cardboard boxes wrapped in plastic film.

What is this, a playing card?

Durxe, 001, Jebsen, and... Playboy?

Playboy?

I feel like I've seen this somewhere before.

Xiao Yao reached out and took out the "Playboy" box, playing with it in his hand.

Where have you seen it?

Ah, yes.

On the day Yu Luying and Xiong Ji were trapped in the mirror, I went to the "Shui Mu Nian Hua" ice rink to ask Shen Jie for help.

Just as Shen Jie and I were about to leave, her friend "Afei" grinned maliciously, pulled a Playboy box from his pocket, tossed it to me, and said, "Be careful!"

At the time, I didn't understand what it was and thought it was bubble gum. Just as I was about to accept it, Shen Jie snatched it from my hand and threw it at A Fei's face, cursing, "Go to hell!"

Xiao Yao understood what this meant.

He was about to put the box back when Shen Jie started yelling, "What are you trying to do! I'm not buying this!"

Xiao Yao held the small paper box in his hand and looked up at Shen Jie, only to see that her face was turning pale and then flushed, and he couldn't tell whether she was ashamed or angry.

"Are you trying to kill me?! Put it back right now!" Shen Jie urged in a low voice.

Sure enough, Shen Jie was normal; she had indeed been daydreaming about peaches.

He breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a little disappointed.

He didn't want to admit that he thought it was bubble gum or a playing card, so he blurted out a joke: "I meant to say keep a box on hand, just in case, just in case?"

Shen Jie snatched the Playboy box away, but instead of immediately throwing it back on the shelf, she stood there, staring blankly for five seconds.

What exactly are you thinking of, a bubble teapot?

"Never mind, I guess I won't need it." Five seconds later, Shen Jie said softly, then put the cardboard box back on the shelf, glared at me with her almond-shaped eyes, and stomped her foot: "Why are you looking at me like that? Take your things and leave!"

Xiao Yao mechanically took the two white plastic bags from Shen Jie's hand and followed the girl in black out of the convenience store.

It was very late at night.

Chapter 123 Love Hotel III

2023-02-28

The "Wei Ai" Hotel, built on the edge of Zhouzhuang Ancient Town, is clearly a recent development.

It was probably originally designed as a gimmick to "overlook the entire boat resort," and its height seems somewhat out of place among the buildings in the area.

The high marble steps, the symmetrical driveways on both sides, and the towering main entrance all speak to its restrained and meticulous past.

But now, the flashy exterior with its colorful neon lights and the prominent "Wei Ai Boutique Fashion Hotel" sign seem to be announcing to the world that this is now a place to let loose and be yourself.

From the moment Xiao Yao entered the room and inserted the room card into the socket to access the power source, he felt a sense of bewilderment.

The first impression is "big" - the interior area is really big. Judging by the size of the room, it must be 40 or 50 square meters, which makes Xiao Yao, who is used to the fact that every inch of land is precious, feel a little overwhelmed.

The interior furnishings, complemented by slightly ambiguous ambient lighting, present a relaxing champagne color. To the east of a heart-shaped bed is a perfectly circular bathtub large enough to accommodate two people. The "bathroom" and "bedroom" are separated by only a sunken step, and there are no doors or windows between them, not even the usual frosted glass or symbolic sheer curtains.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yao and Shen Jie subconsciously exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking, and then simultaneously and awkwardly looked away from each other—at this moment, both of their faces were slightly flushed.

On the other side of the bed lay a huge bunch of bananas, quite eye-catching. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a rocking chair. The banana shape was undoubtedly chosen to match the room's color scheme—and you know what, it actually looks quite fun.

Xiao Yao felt a little awkward, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet. He decided to sit down on the corner of the bed, but when he sat down, he couldn't find any support and fell right back in, collapsing into the bed.

The large bed sank in halfway—this is not an exaggeration, but a real physical sinking of halfway in. Then, a chilling sensation spread throughout the boy's body.

"Holy crap, how come it's so soft?"

"This is a waterbed. It's filled with water, so it's soft and cool."

“Ah, the ocean, you are all water,” Xiao Yao said.

Along with his nonsense, there were two thuds of leather shoes hitting the ground. Then, the soft, fragrant girl in black pounced on the waterbed and lay down next to Xiao Yao.

Then, she turned over and stared blankly at the large round mirror on the ceiling, which faced the bed, together with Xiao Yao.

The other furnishings, however fancy they may be, are still within my understanding, but this mirror, hmm…

Well, this place looks pretty good, but it always reminds Xiao Yao of the "love hotel" room he found himself in in Teacher Yao's hall. There, he talked to another "self," smashed a mirror, and received the "Don Quixote" badge. Later, after Shen Jie first entered the mirrors in the school, the two of them were also trapped in a similar illusion, smashing mirrors as they went, trying to distinguish between real and fake ones, and finally managed to escape.

Xiao Yao would always think back to those rooms, each with a large bed in the center, and shadowy figures on the bed, engaging in illicit acts... He also remembered that Shen Jie covered her eyes to prevent him from seeing those figures. At that time, he never imagined that he would actually be lying in such a place with Shen Jie not long after.

This made him wonder if he was in reality or in a mirror, and the eerie mirrored ceiling exacerbated Xiao Yao's unease.