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

"Competing for favor? The Shen family isn't the royal family; there's no position like Empress Dowager. Once Shen Jie takes over the family business, a young stepmother like her, without any children of her own, will probably have to step aside," Yu Luying said.

"So as long as Shen Jie and her father completely fall out, she can consolidate her position," Xiao Yao said, feigning ignorance.

“There’s also the possibility of having a child of your own, who can truly inherit the wealth of this business empire,” Yu Luying said.

Does she have her own child? Is there any logical connection between her and Shen Jie, and whether they have completely fallen out with her father? Xiao Yao wondered.

In fact, Xiao Yao had already figured out about 70-80% of what Yu Luying had just said yesterday. The reason he had been pretending to be clueless was to let others go through these things from their perspective, so that they could see if there were any new insights. He also wanted to help himself organize his thoughts and words so that he could talk to Shen Jie about them later.

Xiao Yao suddenly remembered the good-for-nothing younger brother that Shen Jie had mentioned in the future. He didn't know whether he should tell Yu Luying about it, or whether he should tell her about Shen Jie's determination to break with their father.

Seeing that Xiao Yao remained silent, Yu Luying continued, "She recognized you and knew that Lisa was helping you, but she chose to play dumb. This means that she and Lisa have each other's weaknesses. Once Lisa chooses to tell the truth, it will be difficult for her to get away unscathed."

"So Lisa took leave because of pressure from Shen Jie's stepmother? I don't really believe it," Xiao Yao said.

Yu Luying nodded, then shook her head: "This at least shows that she is still very afraid of Shen Jie's father. Even family members have to scheme against each other. I really don't know if being born into such a family is a blessing or a curse. If our efforts are exactly what that woman wants, then is getting involved the right choice?"

"No, no, no!" Xiao Yao waved his hands repeatedly, as if trying to dispel the distracting thoughts: "No matter what, I can't stand idly by in Shen Jie's current situation. You haven't seen her, so you don't know. If even I don't take care of her, she won't be able to hold on. She might do something foolish, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

Yu Luying shook her head, then nodded: "Shen Jie is also my good friend. If she makes her own choice, I will help her without hesitation."

The two bought new SIM cards. Xiao Yao put the card into his own phone and sent Shen Jie a message to inform her of the new contact number.

However, Shen Jie did not send any news back.

Although Xiao Yao didn't speak, Yu Luying could still see his anxiety and unease, so she could only comfort him by saying that "no news is good news".

Now that the phone card has been purchased, the next step is naturally to meet with Lord Yu Bo and see what his opinion is on the current plan.

……

"You've got some nerve!" Yu Bo slammed his fist on the table and yelled, "If you switch Shen Jie out and her father finds out when he gets home, breaking your legs will be the least of his worries."

Are you really that optimistic? That girl's prediction was that she'd kill me outright. Xiao Yao thought to himself with a sneer, but dared not say it aloud.

“Let me make this clear first,” Yu Bo sat down again behind his large desk: “Whether I personally help you or not is another matter, but don’t expect me to call in more people for you—I can’t provide you with formal, organized assistance in this matter, because ultimately this is your own business.”

“No problem,” Xiao Yao said immediately. “I will be very grateful for any assistance you provide. Leave the task of finding people to help to me.”

"What kind of spell has Liang Yanan cast on you? This residential area is a public place, and you just went in—breaking into someone's home and causing damage is a crime!"

"I was invited in after being politely asked, okay?" Xiao Yao retorted.

“Let me tell you, we can’t keep skirting the law like this. Our parish didn’t get to where it is today. It’s not easy to learn to do things right, but it’s easy to learn to do things wrong,” Yu Bo said, glaring at him.

“Xiao Yao understands,” Yu Luying said, seizing the opportunity. “Xiao Yao, tell our uncle about our plan.”

"Hey, what do you mean 'our uncle'? I haven't even acknowledged him yet!" Yu Bo exclaimed.

Chapter 253 Special Extracurricular Activities Department

2023-07-03

“Xiao Yao understands,” Yu Luying said, seizing the opportunity. “Xiao Yao, tell our uncle about our plan.”

"Hey, what do you mean 'our uncle'? I haven't even acknowledged him yet!" Yu Bo exclaimed.

Xiao Yao reiterated the framework plan he had agreed on with Shen Jie the previous night to Yu Bo, but omitted Shen Jie's radical stance.

After listening, Yu Bo thought for a while: "Escape by teleportation, is that right?"

"It should work, that's how I got out last time."

“This is not just a matter for one or two people, and you are planning to have many people act separately—I can prepare enough holy tablets, but you had better conduct some more experiments to ensure safety.”

“That’s right, I’ll try again to make sure it’s foolproof,” Xiao Yao nodded.

"Furthermore, since the plan involves multiple people acting separately, it will be difficult to achieve your envisioned plan if the members cannot communicate with each other," Yu Bo reminded him.

"Well... can't we just let everyone assess the situation and execute the plan? If things go smoothly, it won't be difficult." Xiao Yao said this without much confidence.

“You also said ‘if’ things go smoothly.” Yu Bo said, “If everyone were to fight their own battles and one side were in trouble while the others came to help, that might be possible if everyone were an elite soldier like Liang Yanan. But with the level of people like us, it would probably just turn into one side being in trouble while the others flee.”

"What should we do then?" Yu Luying asked worriedly.

"Take these." Yu Bo took two walkie-talkies out of the drawer.

"Huh?" Xiao Yao was a little confused when he saw this: "Can this thing be used in the palace?"

"It was designed to have this function, but it's not stable," Yu Bo explained. "Take it to that hall and try it out. If it works, that would be great. If there are any problems, I can find someone to improve it as soon as possible."

“Okay, let’s go test it today.” Xiao Yao readily agreed.

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying took the walkie-talkie and holy tablet given to them by Yu Bo, walked to the school gate, and began the first step of their conscription operation.

Since Yu Bo's side has indicated that it will not provide organized support, the matter of conscripting men can only be handled by themselves.

The first unlucky guy that Xiao Yao thought of was Xiong Ji.

"Any good news?" Little Bear shouted into the receiver, "You wouldn't think to call me if there was something good."

“Something good has come up,” Xiao Yao replied slyly. “I’m hungry and need someone to have dinner with me, or more precisely, I need to treat him to dinner.”

"Is it just the two of us? Are there any pretty girls?" Xiong Ji persisted.

"Of course there are beautiful women—really, why would I lie to you?" Xiao Yao replied with a smile, glancing at Yu Luying.

"Okay, right, at the school gate?" Little Bear asked doubtfully, "Why did you change to this number that I don't recognize?"

After successfully luring the bear out, Xiao Yao generously treated Yu Luying to a six-yuan spicy hot pot meal.

"That's it? That's it?" the little bear said. "Is this what you meant by treating us to dinner?"

“Isn’t this food?” Xiao Yao argued vehemently.

"And is this the beautiful woman you were talking about?" Little Bear asked again.

Yu Luying looked displeased, and Xiao Xiong quickly added, "That's right, she's a beauty, but we're too familiar with each other. Besides, I wouldn't dare touch your woman."

"Alright, enough nonsense." Xiao Yao briefly explained his plan to meet Shen Jie in the palace to help her escape to Xiao Xiong, and then sincerely expressed his desire to conscript him.

"Ah, this." The little bear looked troubled upon hearing this. "I knew it. Good things don't come my way. Swords clashing, bullets flying, and six yuan for spicy hot pot? If there's nothing else, I'll head back now..."

Little Bear stood up to leave, but Xiao Yao grabbed him.

“I don’t think I’m up to the task…” the little bear struggled.

"It's not difficult. Just go to whichever floor you can. Shen Jie will come looking for us. You know Shen Jie, so just open the door for her to go back to the city and you're done."

"Why open the gate and go back to the city?" the little bear said gruffly. "Do I look like a mage?"

"I'll teach you to read this Latin text—don't shake your head in a hurry. I've marked all the pronunciations for you using pinyin and Chinese characters. It's okay if you can't pronounce the trilled 'r' sound; you'll memorize it in a little while."

Xiao Yao described the mission as easy as possible and promised a whole host of benefits, such as treating people to meals, playing games, and giving them equipment.

But Xiao Xiong was still hesitant: "I caused you a lot of trouble last time you went to the KTV. I might have some confidence if we went there again, but this is a new place. Yu Luying, have you been there before?"

"Well, since we're going to experiment with the equipment Uncle gave us anyway, why don't we have Little Bear come with us?" Yu Luying suggested.

"Alright, let's scout it out first," said Little Bear.

"Who's scouting the place with you? We're not thieves!" Xiao Yao said righteously.

"Fine, fine. You guys aren't thieves, I'm the thief, okay?" Little Bear said nonchalantly, pulling Xiao Yao to the side of the street and hailing a taxi.

Why has this guy suddenly become so enthusiastic again? Xiao Yao wondered to himself.

……

"A clothing store?" After getting off the bus, Xiao Xiong's eyebrows furrowed again.

“No better entrance has been found yet,” Xiao Yao explained.

Little Bear shook his head and commented, "Then it's fine if there are only two or three of us, but if you need more people, the clothing store might call the police."

“Indeed,” Yu Luying nodded and said, “Everyone needs to gather or evacuate at the mirror. We need to make sure this location is safe.”

Xiao Yao: "Okay, let's go in and take a look, do what Brother Bo asked us to do, and then we'll discuss it when we get back."

The female shop assistant stared in disbelief as the three teenagers—two boys and one girl—chatting and laughing as they entered the same fitting room. She wanted to stop them, but in the end, she was too embarrassed to say anything.

Let's just pretend we didn't see it.

The world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be... the female shop assistant thought to herself.

But if we leave it alone, what if they take a picture of something and post it online? Wouldn't that damage the store's reputation...?

……

……

The three of them passed smoothly through the dressing mirror in the clothing store, bypassed the plastic shop assistants and customers, pushed open the glass door of the clothing store, and arrived in this quiet city shrouded in the shadow of the tower.

"Is this all 'palaces'?" Little Bear stared at the endless horizon, his face filled with disbelief.

Yu Luying remained silent, gazing up at the towering pagoda in the distance that cast a dark shadow.

After a long pause, she finally murmured, "Is my sister at the top of that tower?"

Xiao Yao was no longer surprised by these things. He replied, "It should be, but I'm not sure. She mentioned it herself. She has more of that stuff there."

After confirming that the wandering "office workers" posed no threat, Little Bear grew bolder and started joking again: "Speaking of which, it's the three of us again who have come to the mirror to team up and rescue people. What a coincidence! What do you think, should we just form a team, punish evil and uphold justice together? How about we call it the 'Self-Proclaimed Special Investigation Team'?"

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Xiao Yao shook his head and said, “How about calling it ‘Special Extracurricular Activities Department (SEES)’?”

Yu Luying didn't speak, seemingly because some unpleasant memories had been stirred up.