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

"Marriage is a serious matter, so of course we should respect the wishes of both parties." Yu Bo did not directly answer Xiao Yao's question.

“There’s someone,” Xiao Yao said, “the little bear, remember him?”

"Little Bear?"

"Ah, it's about that time with Teacher Yao, you didn't see him, did you—"

"Kumakichi, right? He also once reached the hall. Go on."

"He suggested I report it to the police, the Youth Affairs Bureau, or the Avengers Association," Xiao Yao said.

"Call the police?" Yu Bo asked back.

“I also think it’s a bit outrageous,” Xiao Yao said, “but after thinking it over and over, the only adult or elder I can talk to right now is you.”

Yu Bo didn't speak, but continued pacing back and forth in the garden.

Xiao Yao watched him walk back and forth, wondering what he was thinking.

Based on Yu Bo's understanding of the police's work style, Yu Bo estimated that if Xiao Yao called the police, he would be ridiculed and humiliated, and then kicked out.

However, whether reporting the engagement would have a significant impact is not something that can be easily determined.

For a long time, although Yu Bo and Zhang Zhengkai's father did not have much private contact or business dealings, they had already reached a tacit understanding—Yu Bo helped reduce the juvenile crime rate in the district, and in return, the "higher-ups" would turn a blind eye to many of his "gray behaviors," which could be big or small.

Therefore, in Yu Bo's heart, he did not want Zhang Zhengkai's father's political life to be negatively affected.

However, despite his initial indifference, Xiao Yao's high praise of "sense of justice" had also touched him.

If one turns a blind eye to injustice and colludes with others simply because of one's own interests, is that not a matter of "losing one's true nature"?

But I am, after all, an adult, a member of society, not a child who sees things in black and white, Yu Bo thought.

Moreover, if it were just my personal interests, that would be fine. But when it comes to the interests of the parish, it concerns the interests of hundreds of parishioners and even the future of the parish. It's not something that can be decided on a whim.

Xiao Yao was unaware of Yu Bo's hesitation and patiently waited for him to pace back and forth.

Finally, Yu Bo stopped.

"Regarding this matter," Yu Bo said, "I will go to see Zhang Zhengkai's father, ask for his thoughts, and give him my small suggestion."

"Will he see you?" Xiao Yao asked, somewhat surprised.

“Probably,” Yu Bo told Xiao Yao, “but I’m not sure if he will tell me his true thoughts or if he will listen to me.”

"No matter what, it's worth a try," Xiao Yao said.

He figured that if he could sabotage this "marriage," many things wouldn't be so stressful and imminent.

However, Shen Jie may still be unable to break free from her father's personal control...?

"Just wait for my news," Yu Bo said. "Don't make any other moves for now."

"it is good."

Xiao Yao hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

“Speak,” Yu Bo said.

"Do you think your old flame who's a policeman can help with this?" Xiao Yao asked Yu Bo.

"What old flame?!" Yu Bo's eyes widened.

Chapter 230 Walking Alone in the Lonely Sun

2023-06-12

When Xiao Yao returned home from the church, he was immediately enveloped by boundless loneliness once again.

Xiao Yao had seen somewhere before that said, "When you lose the feeling of self-comfort, you are fucking alone." This sentence left a deep impression on his young mind.

Of course, because he is still young, Xiao Yao doesn't need to worry too much about this right now. But now, when the feeling of "utter loneliness" comes over him, Yu Luying won't let him comfort himself.

"Then meet with me." Xiao Yao changed his request.

"What do you want to do when we meet?" Yu Luying asked him.

“We haven’t seen each other all day, can’t we just go for a walk? I miss you,” Xiao Yao said.

"I...I just got back from the hospital, I'm very tired, and I don't really want to go out today," Yu Luying said.

"Just going downstairs?"

"I just changed out of my outer clothes and am wearing pajamas now. I don't want to change again, and my hair is already very oily. I'd have to wash it again before going out, so I don't want to wash my hair today," Yu Luying said.

???

Xiao Yao couldn't understand any of these ridiculous excuses. He only knew that Yu Luying deliberately didn't want to see him, and he was furious: "I thought we had already talked things out on the bus to Fang Bing."

“We’ve talked it out,” Yu Luying said. “I’m not angry with you anymore or anything. I just don’t want to go out today.”

This is really unreasonable.

Don't want to go out, huh? Fine, I'll come over and greet your mother.

After Xiao Yao proposed this plan, Yu Luying said that Yu Lihua was already asleep and she was afraid that Xiao Yao would disturb her when he came.

In short, they simply disappear without a trace and are completely unresponsive to reason.

"Did you say anything to your uncle?" Xiao Yao suddenly changed the subject and brought up the matter.

"What did you say?" Yu Luying's tone was full of bewilderment.

“This afternoon, Brother Bo—your uncle—called me. Actually, he called me this morning, but we talked in the afternoon.” Xiao Yao recounted Yu Bo’s lecture to him over the phone.

"..." Yu Luying was silent for a moment: "That's what he told you?"

“Okay,” Xiao Yao said.

“I…I understand. You should have told me about this.” Yu Luying said, “I assure you, I haven’t told him anything.”

After expressing their minor concerns to each other, the conversation turned to Shen Jie.

"So now it's just a matter of waiting for news from both of Daiyu's girlfriend and his uncle?" Yu Luying said.

“Well, next we just have to wait for Tianyun and the others to come back—we haven’t gotten anything from the other methods yet, but just waiting like this is making me really restless and anxious,” Xiao Yao said. “Anyway, come out and take a walk with me.”

And so, after going around in circles, the two returned to the starting point of their argument.

"We're together every day, so when I'm feeling down, lost, disappointed, and disoriented, shouldn't you be there for me? Try to put yourself in my shoes."

"Oh, you old man—she had an accident, and you dragged me along to help you relieve stress, is that what you mean? I'm just a substitute, right?"

"What are you saying? You're just being unreasonable."

Both of them were stubborn and unwilling to give in. They argued for a long time, and finally Yu Luying gave in.

"Give me about 45 minutes. I need to wash my hair and then change my clothes," Yu Luying said.

"No need, see you tomorrow." Seeing Yu Luying back down, Xiao Yao also showed magnanimity: "I don't necessarily want you to listen to me, this is the attitude I want."

Yu Luying: "..."

Thinking about Yu Bo's reprimand of him this afternoon, and then about Yu Luying's attitude towards him since returning to Shanghai, he felt extremely disheartened.

Boring!

He picked up the phone and dialed Ouyang Qianqian, who answered quickly.

However, it was very noisy on the other end of the phone.

"Hey—brother, why did you suddenly decide to call me today?" Ouyang Qianqian said, "Wait a minute, I'll find a quieter place."

……

"Where were you just now? It was so noisy," Xiao Yao asked her.

"I'm at a disco on Hengshan Road," Ouyang said. "Want to come join us?"

"No need," Xiao Yao said. "I'm fine. I just haven't been in touch for a long time, so I wanted to say hello."

After hanging up the phone, he called Zhao Xiaomei again, though it's unclear what kind of vengeful feelings he harbored.

Since resolving Song Haijian's matter, Xiao Yao had not seen Zhao Xiaomei again. He wasn't bothered that Zhao Xiaomei didn't contact him, and he had no reason to actively seek her out.

As for today, let's just pretend we didn't take Duloxetine.

Zhao Xiaomei was somewhat surprised to receive Xiao Yao's call, but she said she was also not in Shanghai and could not meet with Xiao Yao.

"Okay then," Xiao Yao said.

I knew this would happen?

Despite this, Zhao Xiaomei still chatted with him enthusiastically for more than twenty minutes.

“Xiao Yao,” Zhao Xiaomei then changed the subject, “I also saw about your affair with Miss Shen online.”

"Sigh, don't bring up things that are hard to talk about, it just puts a lot of pressure on me," Xiao Yao said.

"Is Xiao Yao planning to give up?" Zhao Xiaomei's tone was full of teasing. "Is that why you're contacting the spare tire?"

"What spare tire?" Xiao Yao said, "Giving up is impossible, I will never give up in this lifetime. I've been thinking of a way."

"What idea is Xiao Yao thinking of? Can you tell Xiaomei about it?" Zhao Xiaomei asked.

Xiao Yao hesitated for a moment, feeling that Zhao Xiaomei was quirky and unpredictable, and it was not advisable to tell her everything. So he vaguely said that he was trying to find out Shen Jie's address and was preparing to visit her.