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

“Exactly,” Zhang Lei chimed in, “Wang Hao, you’re just jealous and resentful.”

"What do I have to be jealous of?" Wang Hao retorted stubbornly.

Tang Xuewei also tried to smooth things over, saying that Wang Hao was too immature and had too low emotional intelligence. Then she congratulated Xiao Yao on finding such a great girlfriend and told Xiao Yao to treat her well.

“Yes, thank you,” Xiao Yao replied politely. “I will definitely treat her well.”

Amidst the noisy chatter, Yu Luying walked towards the group carrying five large flatbreads—wrapped in newspaper, one hand supporting the bottom and the other holding the top. She walked to the table and gently placed the flatbreads on the small wooden table: "Yaoyao, are these all your classmates?"

What the heck is Yao Yao? Xiao Yao replied, "Ah, yes. This is Tang Xuewei, this is Zhang Lei, both from my junior high class—this is Yu Luying, my... high school classmate."

"Hello." "Hello." "Hi~" "Hello everyone." The five people greeted each other politely.

Xiao Yao suddenly felt palpitations and tension for no apparent reason, his heart pounding.

Strange, what am I so nervous about?

Yu Luying looked at Xiao Yao's junior high school classmates and said generously, "I ordered 100 sesame seed cakes to take back to Shanghai as a local specialty for my family and friends. It may take a while—there are quite a lot of people queuing up over there. I told the owner to bake them for me at the end. I took five hot ones first, so you can eat them first. If it's not enough, I'll get some more later."

Xiao Yao noticed that although Yu Luying's tone was calm on the surface, her voice was slightly... barely perceptible, small, and trembling.

The four of them exchanged polite greetings repeatedly.

Xiao Yao felt his inexplicable tension intensify, and his heart was pounding so hard he could hardly breathe.

At this moment, Yu Luying walked over.

Little Apple wrapped her arms around Xiao Yao's waist.

The girl tiptoed slightly.

Xiao Yao was slightly taken aback. His brain couldn't react in time, and he didn't have the energy to pay attention to the changes in the expressions of the four audience members.

He suddenly realized that the person experiencing palpitations, tension, and a racing heart might not actually be himself.

He had overlooked this possibility—that Yu Luying was nervous.

Yu Luying gently turned her face to the side.

Yu Luying pecked Xiao Yao's lips with practiced ease.

The girl's movements were so practiced, as if she had done it hundreds of times before, and as natural, as if she were an old married couple celebrating their golden or silver wedding anniversaries.

Xiao Yao's mind went blank, and his heart stopped for a moment.

He smelled a strong smell of flatbread.

What I say, what Yu Luying says, and the symbiotic mutual replication.

All of the above happened within 0.4 seconds.

After pecking at him, Yu Luying released her small hands from around the boy's waist, smiled and bowed to the four dumbfounded spectators, and walked lightly towards the pancake shop in her Crocs space slippers.

People at neighboring tables also turned their attention to this, some looking at Xiao Yao's group, others following Yu Luying's retreating figure.

Xu Ruiyi and Zhang Lei's expressions were mainly surprised, while Wang Hao and Tang Xuewei's surprise was tinged with a hint of disappointment and hurt.

"What are you looking at?" Xu Ruiyi glanced around and patted the small wooden table: "Eat your pancakes!"

The onlookers turned their faces away.

Xu Ruiyi laughed and said, "Women from this international metropolis are just different from those from our small town..." As he spoke, he pecked at Zhang Lei in his arms.

Zhang Lei blushed and reached out to push Xu Ruiyi's chest, but she couldn't put up any real resistance.

As a result, Wang Hao, Tang Xuewei, and the onlookers eating pancakes were subjected to a second round of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).

The five people sat around a small wooden table, each with a sesame seed cake that Yu Luying had just brought.

Xiao Yao tried his best to remain calm and composed, so as not to let Yu Luying's efforts go to waste.

The boys and girls chatted excitedly, and Xiao Yao mentioned his disappointing experience of being turned away at the Experimental Junior High School that day.

“Hey, it’s nothing,” Xu Ruiyi slapped his thigh, “You should have called me back then.”

“It’s alright,” Xiao Yao said. “It’s not like we absolutely have to go in and explore.”

Xu Ruiyi took out his phone, dialed a number, stood up, and started chattering loudly in Dongru dialect.

Less than a minute later, Xu Ruiyi returned: "You two go ahead. I've already spoken to the gatekeeper, so he won't stop you anymore."

"Well, thank you." Xiao Yao accepted Xu Ruiyi's kindness.

"You two can come straight to my house for dinner after you're done shopping. Don't eat too much flatbread." Xu Ruiyi finished his flatbread, glanced around, and asked, "Hao'er, shall we go?"

"Let's go, let's go." Wang Hao also seemed unwilling to stay here for even a minute longer.

When Zhang Lei left, she simply nodded to Xiao Yao, but Tang Xuewei asked Xiao Yao for his new mobile phone number in Shanghai, as well as his QQ number.

“Old classmate, let’s keep in touch when you have time,” Tang Xuewei said.

"Ah."

"Hey, let's go, you two don't linger there," Xu Ruiyi urged impatiently. "Tang Xuewei, Xiao Yao is coming tonight too."

"Oh, okay," Tang Xuewei said with a smile, "See you tonight, Xiao Yao."

As darkness fell, the neon lights on the chassis of Xu Ruiyi's car illuminated. Watching its taillights disappear into the distance, Xiao Yao felt a pang of regret and emotion.

On the way to the county junior high school with Yu Luying in a rickshaw, Xiao Yao asked Yu Luying, "Where are your 100 sesame cakes?"

“He said there wasn’t enough time to bake,” Yu Luying said, looking down at her slippers. “He can’t make everyone wait just for me.”

“That’s right,” Xiao Yao said.

"So, the boss said he would work overtime to finish it and told me to pick it up tomorrow morning or afternoon," Yu Luying said.

"What were you thinking? Buying 100? It's not that expensive, but it's really heavy," Xiao Yao said.

“I want Mom and Uncle to try it,” Yu Luying said softly, “and Zhou Yao, Shen Jie and the others—and your grandma, she should be back next month, right?”

The rickshaw wheels made a thumping sound on the uneven road, and the irregular vibrations spread throughout the cabin. The pedals of the tricycle creaked under the driver's feet, and the friction between the bottom of the canvas bag and the frame made a rustling sound.

"What are you thinking?" Xiao Yao asked.

"Huh?" Yu Luying looked up innocently and said, "I asked the boss, and these sesame cakes don't spoil that easily. It only takes 5 hours to get back to Shanghai, and then you can just put them in the freezer."

Who asked you about the sesame seed cakes? Xiao Yao wondered. Are you playing dumb, or...?

"So, that frozen, lump-like cold pancake," Xiao Yao asked, "does it taste good?"

"Why not just heat it up in the microwave?" Yu Luying said somewhat unsure of herself.

“I have cautious skepticism about the taste,” Xiao Yao pointed out.

“Another way is to heat the pan on the gas stove again when you want to eat it. I’m confident about that,” Yu Luying told Xiao Yao. “I’m confident that it can restore at least 7 or 8% of the taste.”

"Alright, good that you know what you're doing." Xiao Yao said, "Let's not talk about the pancake anymore—what are you thinking?"

"..." Yu Luying was silent for a moment: "Steamed buns, you're not happy about it?"

“Of course I’d love to,” Xiao Yao said quickly. “I’m ecstatic.”

"Then what did you say?" Yu Luying glanced at him, then continued to look down at her Crocs.

"Didn't you say that the first time should be on a... special occasion, at... a time that's... more meaningful?" Xiao Yao said hesitantly.

"Then I'll apologize to you?" Yu Luying's voice was somewhat annoyed.

"Don't be like that, you know that's not what I meant."

"..." The girl remained silent.

“You heard me talking to them through symbiosis, right?” Xiao Yao said. “I saw you put your hand behind your ear when you were buying the sesame cakes.”

“…” Yu Luying acquiesced.

“I just wanted to tell you,” Xiao Yao said, “why bother with this kind of person? Why get so sour over them? We’re just… just… this brat is messing with my Dao heart? —I, I’m not blaming you, you understand? I just feel…”

“Xiao Yao,” Yu Luying said softly, “I didn’t mainly kiss Wang Hao, it was for that Tang… Tang… Tang…”

"Tang Xuewei?"

"You pursued Tang Xuewei, didn't you?"

"How did you know?" Xiao Yao gasped.

“It’s either a woman’s intuition,” Yu Luying said, “or there are signs that the symbiotic information sharing has been restored.”

"..."

“Xiao Yao, this is what I’m thinking,” Yu Luying explained to him, “Didn’t you confess to me in the first semester of our first year of high school? Then, until almost the end of the year, I ignored you and didn’t talk to you. Do you know why?”

“Because… I made you hate me?” Xiao Yao said.

"It's all because you made me lose face," Yu Luying said.

"what?"

“You confessed your feelings to me, but Wang Ming intercepted the letter and threw it around the whole class, reading it aloud. It made me feel very embarrassed,” Yu Luying told Xiao Yao. “Besides, your reputation in the class has never been very good.”

"So you mean being pursued and confessed to by someone like me, someone who's ostracized and isolated by the whole class, makes you feel ashamed, right?" Xiao Yao was unhappy.

“If I hadn’t been a little harsh and ruthless towards you,” Yu Luying explained, “the people in the class might have assumed that you and I were a couple and kept making fun of us, or calling me Mrs. Xiao, and things like that.”

"Hmm... that's possible..."

"So do you understand now? I'm willing to hurt you just to save face—"