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

"Then you'll need time to organize the manpower, right? Two or three people versus a team is a different story."

"Don't worry, I still have Brother Bo. I'll go to him tomorrow to make the arrangements, and I'll let you know when it's all set up."

“Then I’ll wait for your news.” Shen Jie added three “Z”s to the end of the sentence.

Xiao Yao then realized that it would be dawn soon, so he instructed Shen Jie to stay calm, not to cause trouble, not to let her phone be taken, and to wait for his signal.

The boy went back to his bed and lay down, but still couldn't fall asleep.

He started thinking about who could help.

Xiao Yao didn't really want Yu Luying to take any risks, but he was also very clear that no matter what their relationship was like, Yu Luying was unlikely to stand idly by in this matter, especially since she cared so much about Zhou Qi.

Yu Bo should be able to help... right? I just don't know how much. Will he have enough return scrolls for many people? Will he call the old monk to help too? I need to talk to him about this tomorrow.

Although the ribbonfish isn't much of a fighter, fortunately, we don't really need fighters this time; what's needed is numbers. As long as things are explained clearly, he shouldn't refuse, right? Hopefully, his "girlfriend" hasn't caused any trouble these past few days.

Forensic Doctor Liang has done more than enough for me today, and I should keep my promise. But what is her reason for caring about this? If I were to speculate, could she be the motorcycle girl Professor Song encountered in the hall? If so, would she be willing to help? I need to discuss this with Yu Bo before deciding.

There aren't enough people. What's Little Bear been busy with lately? We should have called him in, but he's never even leveled up before; he's probably not even as good as a fish. But he's a true brother who's been through thick and thin with us, so even if we just help him level up temporarily, every extra person helps…

Chapter 252 Childhood Dreams

2023-07-02

The classroom windows are white and transparent, and the sunlight streaming through them is warm and soft, illuminating the entire bright and clean space.

Xiao Yao sat alone in the corner of the last row, leaning back in his chair, resting his chin on his hand, gazing at the white clouds drifting outside the window with a dazed expression.

Just like he often did in kindergarten, elementary school, and junior high school, the young man continued to imagine those unrestrained white clouds in various shapes, sometimes as galloping horses, sometimes as freely soaring birds, and sometimes... Oh, how did it become the shape of a cross? This is the treatment of Emperor Constantine the Great!

Suddenly, the noise in the classroom gradually subsided, catching Xiao Yao's attention. He looked up and saw his homeroom teacher, Ms. Yao, leading a stunningly beautiful girl into the classroom.

Hmm? Teacher Yao? Something feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Forget it, forget it.

The girl who followed Teacher Yao in was petite and strikingly beautiful, attracting attention. She had long hair draped over her shoulders and wore a white summer short-sleeved uniform with pink sleeves from St. Francis Secondary School, paired with matching athletic trousers that were seven or eight-tenths of the way long. As a result, her white chunky sneakers and the trouser legs revealed her snow-white cotton socks.

Xiao Yao's heart skipped a beat. Such a beautiful girl appeared in the classroom, as if the entire space was illuminated by her radiance. Her eyes were bright and clear, her slightly raised eyebrows outlined a touch of charm, and her slightly parted red lips revealed confidence and mystery.

Even though their homeroom teacher, Ms. Yao, was still present, the boys and girls in the classroom still began to whisper among themselves.

The boys' tone was generally filled with excitement and anticipation, mixed with some mischievous smiles, and occasionally there were teasing remarks like, "This is mine, you're not allowed to take it from me, you can just think about it from the corner"; the girls, on the other hand, had some vigilant and defensive expressions, while others were indifferent.

Teacher Yao coughed heavily twice, barely suppressing most of the noisy discussion: "Then, let's invite the transfer student to introduce himself."

The classroom finally quieted down. The transfer student turned around expressionlessly, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote two elegant characters on the blackboard with strong fingers: Shen Jie.

Then, the girl turned around and introduced herself to the whole class: "My name is Shen Jie, and I come from No. 7 Girls' High School. I will be joining your class this semester. Please take good care of me."

After saying this, he bowed straight at a 90-degree angle, his long hair hanging down like a pencil.

Amidst scattered applause, murmurs arose again, but Shen Jie seemed oblivious, continuing her introduction: "The reason I transferred schools was to cultivate my relationship with my fiancé in advance."

The classroom erupted into chaos. Some looked at each other in bewilderment, some cheered and jeering, some who had just found a new target were now burying their heads in their hands in disappointment, and others were asking each other who this "fiancé" was, suggesting several names...

Teacher Yao was holding a set square and banging it loudly on the podium, but no one paid any attention to him. Shen Jie walked up to the teacher, whispered a few words to him, and then walked straight towards the empty table next to Xiao Yao.

The noisy discussions in the classroom grew even louder.

Shen Jie didn't move the set of desks and chairs away. Instead, she pushed them together with Xiao Yao's desk, then tossed her long hair, put down her schoolbag, and sat down.

Instantly, Xiao Yao felt dozens of gazes converge on him, like a thousand arrows piercing his heart. If looks could kill, then at this very moment, Xiao Yao would already... already...

...He has already woken up.

Xiao Yao sat up and saw that the night outside the window was still dark.

That dream felt so real, so real it was like some kind of clear premonition.

Even if it was just a dream, I was still moved when I woke up.

Thinking about it carefully, Shen Jie's offer to transfer to St. Francis' School to be with her was the best thing ever.

What harm could it possibly do to Xiao Yao?

There is profit and no harm.

When Grandma comes back, we'll explain the situation to her, invite relatives, friends, and close classmates, and set up a few tables at a restaurant. Then Shen Jie can officially live at Grandma's house.

By the way, Tianyun and the secret of the future might also be told to Grandma. From now on, we will be a family of four, living happily together—four generations under one roof. At this point in life, we should raise a big toast.

Every day during the day, we held hands and went to school together, sat at the same desk, ate lunch together, attended the same elective courses and clubs, and after school, we held hands and went home together, did our homework together, and so on...

That naive fantasy or dream from junior high school is now right before my eyes. What is there to worry about or be unhappy about?

...There is clearly only one reason: doing so would harm Shen Jie's future career prospects.

Shen Jie is currently acting impulsively, arrogantly, rebelliously, and self-indulgently, without considering the consequences. However, she will most likely regret it later.

If you told Shen Tianyun or Shen Jie in 2034 about this, they would definitely object very loudly, right?

To put it bluntly, the Shen Jie of 34 years ago certainly wouldn't want her decades of hard work to be undermined and destroyed by the younger Shen Jie. And what about Shen Tianyun? No matter what, Shen Hongsheng is still her grandfather, and the bond of blood and kinship cannot be severed.

Xiao Yao believes that he has long since passed the despicable, rudimentary stage of dating where he thinks, "As long as I'm happy, I don't care about the other person's life or death."

Since the other person is destined to be his wife for life, he must consider things from a holistic and long-term perspective, rather than just seeking immediate pleasure and ignoring the potential for future disasters.

This is by no means out of selfishness; on the contrary, it is out of "selflessness."

Once I had sorted out my thoughts and logic, I felt more at ease and figured out how to talk to Shen Jie again during the day.

Feeling full of energy and a bit excited, Xiao Yao ran to Shen Tianyun's room again. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, he tiptoed over, moved a small stool, sat on the edge of the bed, and admired his daughter's sleeping posture.

It's so beautiful, I could watch it over and over again without getting tired of it.

Before heading back, Xiao Yao, with a more grounded and confident attitude, bent down and kissed Shen Tianyun's forehead.

"I promise I'll bring your stepmother back to you safe and sound. Just you wait." Xiao Yao clenched his fists and muttered to himself as he looked at Shen Tianyun's sleeping face, "Not only will I bring her back, but I'll also make your grandfather bow down to your mother, and finally make those two men settle things peacefully!"

Otherwise... otherwise... otherwise I won't take the blame for that damned old man and go to jail. 40 years, he can go to jail himself!

Xiao Yao felt sleepy and went back to his side to sleep.

He had another dream. In the dream, Xiao Yao led an invincible army, fought his way up the suffocating tower, rescued the beautiful princess, and then the two held a grand wedding and took their final bow.

Just like all beautiful dreams, dreams are always disturbed by external factors when they are at their most exciting.

As dawn broke, Xiao Yao was awakened from his sleep by a knock on the door.

At that moment, he was just about to kiss his bride at the wedding.

The boy picked up his phone, annoyed, and saw a new message from his "mother": "Are you up yet?"

Xiao Yao was immediately confused.

Then he saw a second text message from his own number, sent by Shen Jie: "Good morning, Lisa took the day off this morning."

"Xiao Yao, are you home?" The door was knocked on again, followed by a pleasant female voice—which snapped Xiao Yao out of his daze.

Yes, this is Yu Luying's SIM card. The text message from "Mom" was sent by Yu Luying using her mother's phone.

Xiao Yao quickly got up, opened the door, and let Yu Luying into the room.

"Is Shen Jie alright yesterday?" Yu Luying also seemed a little anxious.

After a quick wash, Xiao Yao went out with Yu Luying to buy a phone card.

Back in 2004, mobile phone numbers weren't yet subject to mandatory real-name registration. You could buy a new number for 50 yuan, which included 50 yuan of free talk time. Once you were done using it, you could just throw it away—it was incredibly convenient.

On the way, Xiao Yao shared the progress he had discussed with Shen Jie the previous night with Yu Luying.

"You mean Lisa took leave?" Yu Luying asked.

"Yeah, so what?" Xiao Yao didn't think it was anything.

“If Shen Jie had come out with you yesterday, it would have been reasonable for her to hide,” Yu Luying analyzed seriously. “However, now that Shen Jie hasn’t been able to leave and hasn’t been informed of any further plans, she’s already saying she’s leaving. It doesn’t make sense, either emotionally or logically.”

"Oh well, who cares—do you think she left for some other reason? What could it be?"

"I think it's because she's in the way. Didn't anyone else point it out when you went yesterday?"

"Didn't I tell you? Only Shen Jie's stepmother questioned me a couple of times, but she didn't recognize me or stop me."

Did you really not recognize me? Xiao Yao was actually a little unsure.

"This stepmother, didn't you run into her at the Shen family's company last time? Didn't she recognize you this time?"

"If she recognized me, would she let me in and out again? No way," Xiao Yao said deliberately.

“Why not? What if she wants Shen Jie to escape?” Yu Luying said.

"Ha." Xiao Yao thought to himself, "So I'm not the only one who thinks this way."

"If the details you relayed to me are correct, when you first met her at the company and told her your general situation, her initial attitude was that she hoped you would not act impulsively and cause trouble. However, after a short while, she suddenly became very proactive in encouraging you to take action."

"What does this prove? It's quite common to have an ambiguous stance on things you don't understand," Xiao Yao said, spreading his hands.

“What if she already knew who you were back then?” Yu Luying asked.

"Ha!" Xiao Yao said.

"She encouraged you and gave you information in the hopes that you would show up and take Shen Jie away. She recognized you last night, but chose to play dumb and give you a chance."

"Even if she's a stepmother, there's no need for her to compete for affection with her stepdaughter like this," Xiao Yao said, still choosing to play dumb and continue arguing.