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

……

"After all that nonsense, do you believe me now?" Shen Tianyun asked Xiao Yao lazily, sitting on the bed in her room.

Shen Jie wandered around the room eight times in 2004, just like a child who had just moved into her new room, wanting to pick up everything and examine it closely.

She walked to Xiao Yao's bedroom door, pulled it open, and was startled by the view outside.

"We can't get out," Shen Tianyun said lazily.

Shen Jie started hitting her head and pulling her face, doing things like that, but she stopped these outrageous actions after only a few minutes.

She took off her sunglasses and rubbed her eyes.

Xiao Yao looked at her big eyes, which were still so beautiful. The corners of her eyes were almost droopy and there were no wrinkles. However, her eyes were dim and no longer had the brilliance of "back then".

Shen Jie looked at the mist outside the window, her expression very complicated.

"Let's go back to my place and talk," she finally said.

Shen Jie opened the wardrobe door and leaned her upper body inside. Before Xiao Yao could stop her, her head hit the hard mirror with a "thud".

This mistake made her feel like she had made a fool of herself in front of the two "juniors." She hissed and rubbed her forehead, turning back to Xiao Yao embarrassedly: "I forgot."

Fortunately, neither of the two children laughed at her. Xiao Yao simply smiled and squeezed into the wardrobe, took Shen Jie's hand again, and led her back to 2034.

“You mean,” Shen Jie sat back down at the table, “that the 17-year-old me could walk through this mirror by myself, but I can’t?”

"A history of human degeneration," Xiao Yao joked.

Shen Jie showed her first smile since entering the room. When she smiled, the curve of her mouth was the same as when she was 17 years old.

Xiao Yao noticed the wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes from smiling. They had been covered by thick makeup, and only under such a smile could they be clearly seen.

The woman took out the cigarette case again, but did not open it.

"I'm sorry, you don't mind, do you?" Shen Jie apologized to Xiao Yao, "I'm still a bit shaken and haven't recovered yet. I need to calm down."

“It’s alright,” the boy said with a clear and innocent smile. “It’s nothing.”

Shen Jie opened the cigarette box, glanced at it, and said that the box was empty, instructing Shen Tianyun to buy her some cigarettes.

But Xiao Yao clearly saw that there were still many cigarettes in the pack.

“The kind you want is only available far away. I’ll order a delivery service for you; it’ll be faster than me going,” Shen Tianyun said.

"Just go when I tell you to, stop with the nonsense!" Shen Jie regained the composure and authority she had when she first entered (Shen Tianyun's side).

Shen Tianyun looked at Xiao Yao, saw him nod at her, then stuck out her tongue, made a face, and ran away.

After the girl left, Shen Jie closed the door, locked it, and let out a long sigh.

The woman turned back to look at Xiao Yao, her gaze softening: "Is it really you?"

"Nice to meet you, please take care of me." Xiao Yao finally had the chance to say the line he had prepared long ago.

The next second, Shen Jie pounced on him unexpectedly.

! ? ?

This happened so suddenly, completely unexpected by Xiao Yao. He instinctively tried to push her away, but he didn't know where this petite woman got such strength—he was pinned to the sofa, completely unable to move.

Xiao Yao disliked Shen Jie's scent—she no longer possessed the fresh fragrance of a young girl, but instead had a strong… rouge? perfume? or something similar smell.

The boy couldn't taste any sweetness; all he smelled was an unpleasant smoky aroma.

In fact, he experienced some physical... discomfort?

Xiao Yao, like a drowning person, instinctively thrashed about, but his resistance gradually weakened.

How many people have admired your youthful beauty? But who can withstand the relentless changes of time? How many people have come and gone in your life? But I will always be by your side...

For some reason, this song started playing in my head.

Resistance gradually turned into compliance.

The boy's eyes widened, and he wrapped his arms around Shen Jie's waist, responding to her calmly.

……

……

After a highly emotional outburst, Shen Jie finally managed to get Xiao Yao to push her away from him.

She stood up, turned to the side, and hurriedly straightened her clothes and hair, her eyes darting away from Xiao Yao, as if her husband had just burst into the room.

The boy instinctively wanted to wipe his mouth, but fearing he might hurt her, he forced himself to stop.

After a while, Shen Jie calmed down.

She sat down in front of Xiao Yao again, upright, reserved, calm and proper.

"Can I see your hands?" Shen Jie asked again.

"Didn't you already check everything?" Even though he knew what she was going to do, Xiao Yao still reached out his hand.

Shen Jie stroked the black mole in the center of Xiao Yao's palm and murmured to herself, "Is it really really you?"

Xiao Yao smiled helplessly and said, "You still don't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just..."

"I see."

"I...I'd like to see your birthmark too?" Shen Jie blurted out, then added, "If you don't mind?"

"This...that part, it's a bit embarrassing to meet you for the first time, isn't it?" Xiao Yao paused for a moment before saying.

"How can this be our first meeting? We've been married for over ten years!" Shen Jie said.

Her tone seemed to have returned to that of an innocent and carefree young girl.

Xiao Yao considered for a moment: "That's true in principle, and it's fine to show it to you, but... well, we've only just met, so it's still a little embarrassing, isn't it?"

Although Xiao Yao refused to take off his pants, Shen Jie felt that the fact that he knew exactly where the birthmark she mentioned was located added to the sense of reality—after all, it was something that Shen Tianyun was unlikely to know.

"I understand." Shen Jie nodded and said, "You're probably complaining about my paranoia, aren't you?"

“It’s alright,” Xiao Yao said. “When Changsheng and I first met, it took us a long time to confirm each other’s identities. Normal people wouldn’t be able to get into the right mindset immediately if they suddenly encountered something like this.”

“Yes,” Shen Jie nodded, “I want you to know that I’m really happy to see you—it’s true.”

“I’m also very happy to meet you,” Xiao Yao nodded.

The two stared at each other for over twenty seconds without saying a word, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward again.

The phrase "the most familiar stranger" probably describes this feeling perfectly.

“Um, Shen Jie, I also have something I want to ask you,” Xiao Yao broke the silence, “I hope you can answer me truthfully.”

"Ask away," Shen Jie said softly.

"How exactly did I die?" Xiao Yao asked calmly.

Shen Jie was clearly taken aback.

Xiao Yao asked "How did I die?" instead of "Am I dead?" because he felt that if he asked "Am I dead?", Shen Jie would definitely deny it, while asking "How did I die?" would imply that he already knew.

To put it bluntly, it's just platitudes.

After asking that question, his heart pounded as he awaited his fate.

"Who told you you died?" Shen Jie answered without hesitation. "I don't know if you've been to the future much further into the future, but at least in 2034, you're still alive and well—have you been to the future much further into the future?"

"I've never been there," Xiao Yao said.

The young man observed Shen Jie's expression and judged her reaction. He felt that this did not seem like a lie, and he felt slightly relieved: "Then, the next question is, why haven't I appeared in your and your daughter's lives for so many years?"

It's still the same cliché question.

"..." Shen Jie remained silent.

"Are we... no longer together?" Xiao Yao probed further.

Chapter 238 Xiao Shenyao's Redemption

2023-06-19

*This chapter is also known as "Trapped on the Other Side of Freedom"

"Are we... no longer together?" Xiao Yao probed further.

"How could you have such a thought?" Shen Jie's face was slightly red, not from embarrassment, but from anger.

Was there a hint of embarrassment and anger about it? Xiao Yao thought.

He didn't speak, but just looked at Shen Jie meaningfully.

The boy wanted to tell Shen Jie about the photo album of his daughter that he had accidentally peeked at, the essay papers tucked inside, the various clues they had gathered over the past few months, and...

Ultimately, he chose silent deterrence, saying nothing.

The fact that I will be absent for an extended period of time in the future no longer needs further proof. Since I am not dead, then why...?

Xiao Yao was determined to get a reasonable explanation today.

"Do you think that because you married into a wealthy family, I won't have much affection for you, and this marriage is just a matter of mutual benefit, a marriage of convenience with different dreams?" Shen Jie said quietly.