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

Xiao Yao began to daydream.

However, mere speculation cannot prove any scientific conclusions.

For the sake of science!

Xiao Yao gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, bent down, and reached out to touch Yu Luying's calf.

When Xiao Yao's hand touched Yu Luying's calf, he felt a soft and elastic texture, which made him involuntarily continue to explore.

He felt the delicate texture of the pantyhose. The material was incredibly soft, smooth as silk, and his fingertips felt a gentle warmth.

The texture of the pantyhose fibers left a deep impression on Xiao Yao's hands. They were woven together delicately and tightly, making the entire surface feel very smooth to the touch, without a single rough or bumpy imperfection. Each fiber was supple and elastic, giving Xiao Yao's fingers a comfortable rebound.

When Xiao Yao gently kneaded the pantyhose with his fingers, he could feel its thickness and softness. The pantyhose weren't thin, but they possessed sufficient softness, providing a refined and high-quality tactile experience.

This sensation made Xiao Yao imagine the feeling of those pantyhose clinging to Yu Luying's slender legs. The soft and silky texture was so alluring that it made him miss and yearn for Yu Luying even more.

While continuing her call with Yu Lihua, Yu Luying subtly avoided Xiao Yao's touch. At first, she was somewhat surprised—after all, she hadn't imagined Xiao Yao would dare to be so bold in public.

However, the girl did not show any signs of agitation, resistance, or attempt to retaliate. She gently turned her body, bringing her legs together and retreating under the seat to avoid Xiao Yao's touch, while continuing her smooth conversation with her mother on the phone.

Her brows furrowed slightly, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her expression clearly revealing dissatisfaction, but she did not make any obvious noise or show excessive emotion.

Yu Luying gently lowered one hand to block Xiao Yao's hand, signaling him to stop touching her. The movement was soft and gentle, without using any force. Her voice remained steady on the phone, trying her best to keep Yu Lihua from noticing her surroundings.

Finally, Yu Lihua finished her rambling and hung up the phone.

As soon as Yu Luying hung up the phone, she started hitting Xiao Yao's stomach and chest with her phone.

Fortunately, her flip phone wasn't a Nokia, so it didn't hurt too much.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Xiao Yao begged for mercy.

“Bright! Day! In broad daylight!” Yu Luying gritted her teeth and squeezed out these four words.

The girl looked around at the other passengers on the bus, seemingly feeling uneasy about the environment.

Her eyes were red; she looked genuinely angry.

"Okay, okay." Xiao Yao comforted her, reaching out to pinch the back of her hand a few times.

Then he was suddenly bounced away.

Xiao Yao half-forcefully hugged the girl beside him, gently stroking her upper arm while coaxing her softly in his ear for a long time. Only then did Yu Luying step on Xiao Yao's feet twice with force, or perhaps not forcefully, and consider the matter over.

"Look, you've left two white marks on my shoes." Xiao Yao pointed out the shoe prints to Yu Luying.

"Aren't shoes meant to get dirty?" Yu Luying said after glancing at them.

"Really? Then don't move."

Upon hearing this, Yu Luying quickly tried to lift her legs to dodge, but it was too late.

Xiao Yao had already lifted his foot and gently scraped the toe of Yu Luying's Adidas sneakers, leaving a clear black shoe print. His sole accidentally touched Yu Luying's ankle, leaving several distinct light black marks, with half a footprint clearly visible, as if her pantyhose had been lightly smeared there.

Xiao Yao felt someone's shoe sole gently touch his ankle.

Yu Luying glanced down at her dirty shoes and socks, showing no anger or distress, but instead responded to Xiao Yao's actions with even greater force.

The two sat on the bus seats, stepping on each other's feet, their movements becoming increasingly intense.

They played and frolicked under their seats, seemingly forgetting their surroundings and focusing only on their interaction—this little battlefield became their paradise, making onlookers realize: after all, they are just two little kids!

The so-called bystander mainly refers to the middle-aged man with a stubble beard who walked past Xiao Yao and Xiao Yao when Xiao Yao said, "I promise I will never sleep with her again, and don't tell your sister about this."

With eyes full of curiosity, he squinted and turned to kneel on his seat—coincidentally, right in front of Yu Luying—looking down at the two of them stepping on each other.

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying quickly stopped and looked at the middle-aged man together.

The man turned back and sat down.

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying looked at each other, their eyes sparkling with smiles.

Then, they all laughed.

Xiao Yao gently pulled Yu Luying into his arms, and she obediently rested her head on the boy's chest. Both of them enjoyed the intimate embrace.

The boy suddenly lowered his head and pecked Yu Luying on the cheek, and she then slapped him back.

Just like the last time she went to Zhouzhuang, Yu Luying brought her precious camera.

"It's a pity that our place is so remote, there's nothing to film," Xiao Yao said with a smile.

A portable music player is also something Yu Luying always carries with her when she goes out. Just like last time, she skillfully put one earphone into Xiao Yao's right ear.

A clear acoustic guitar melody flowed into Xiao Yao's ears like a gentle stream. The boy immediately recognized it as a song he had heard before, but couldn't quite place which one it was.

Until Xu Wei's weathered yet crystal-clear, highly distinctive voice began to ring out.

"In this September"

A depressive afternoon

I want to leave

This restless city

I've decided to go to the beach.

Watch the sunset

Let the autumn sea breeze

"It made me sober..."

To be fair, this song isn't really appropriate for the current situation, since it's July, not September, and there can't be any autumn sea breeze.

But Xiao Yao still felt it was very "appropriate for the occasion".

Xu Wei's songs have a kind of magic. No matter which song it is, as long as you listen to it while traveling, you will have a feeling of "freedom like the wind", which is refreshing and pleasant, as if a cool breeze is blown into your soul in the heat.

Xiao Yao felt like a kite with a broken string, drifting aimlessly in the sky.

He looked at the girl beside him, feeling very happy.

The boy suddenly realized that he was traveling alone with Yu Luying.

This wasn't some "scene he had fantasized about a thousand times," because he had never even dared to imagine it.

The destination of this trip is also quite subtle: his own "hometown".

For Yu Xiaoyao, whether Shanghai or Dongru is his "hometown" is a very delicate matter.

But at least, that's where he was born and grew up.

He attended daycare, kindergarten, primary school, and junior high school in that small town.

That place holds too many memories of the past.

With Xu Wei's songs playing in the background, this trip with Yu Luying was imbued with even more romantic imagination.

Elopement, wandering, adventures to distant lands, a betrothed wife accompanying her husband on his first return to his hometown—all these aspirations intertwine.

Although there were no relatives waiting for them there, there was only an empty, dilapidated, and leaky old house.

……

But isn't this better?

A private vacation just for the two of you...

Xiao Yao looked up slightly.

The boy was in a great mood and sang softly along with the sound coming from his earphones:

"That ideal other shore may not exist, but I will still walk on this journey."

Some hopes and ideals always reside in the depths of our hearts, forming the most beautiful melody.

But now, now, this real life is filled with this chaotic rhythm…

"Hey, Big Rabbit," Little Apple suddenly took off her earphone and turned to Xiao Yao: "Is Dongru, where you live, near the sea?"

“They say it’s by the sea,” Xiao Yao explained, “but actually it’s dozens of kilometers from my house to the seaside, probably farther than from your house to the East China Sea.”

"Oh, never mind then," Yu Luying said casually. "You said you wanted to go have some fun."

Seeing Yu Luying in such high spirits, Xiao Yao was naturally just as enthusiastic: "Sure, it's only a few dozen kilometers."

"Forget it," Yu Luying said, "It's so hot, people are melting in the sun—what kind of sea is that? Is it also the East China Sea?"

How do top students learn geography? Xiao Yao said, "No, it's the Yellow Sea."

"The Yellow Sea..."

“Well, there’s nothing much to see, it’s all yellow,” Xiao Yao said. “But we have a unique activity there called ‘clam stomping’.”

"Clams?" Yu Luying showed a tiny bit of interest: "Step on them?"

“Ah,” Xiao Yao said, “clams are a local specialty, a kind of shellfish, I think. Anyway, I think they’re pretty hard to eat—and you have to tread them out with your feet on the Yellow Sea coast.”

"I want to eat it." Yu Luying pinched Xiao Yao's short sleeve with two fingers and shook it.

"Eat, eat, eat," Xiao Yao said. "We're already here anyway."

But he was thinking about a completely different scene.

Yu Luying squatted down, gently took off her shoes, revealing white stockings. She carefully stepped onto the muddy beach by the Yellow Sea, feeling the seawater wash over her ankles.