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

"What I said down there?" Shen Jie asked curiously, "Which sentence are you referring to?"

“You thought that bee was your father’s shadow, and that’s why you were worried that Xiao Yao would hurt me,” Shen Hongsheng said with a smile. “I am very pleased, very pleased…”

“Uh,” Shen Jie said somewhat awkwardly, “No matter what you’ve done, you are still my father.”

"Good, good, good," Shen Hongsheng clapped his hands and laughed, "With your words, my father's efforts are worthwhile."

……

“Xiao Jie, I don’t know when it started, but you’ve gotten into the habit of closing your bedroom door as soon as you get home,” Shen Hongsheng said. “Every time I hear that ‘click’ of the lock, my heart goes cold and I shudder.”

"I'm sorry..." Shen Jie murmured.

“Your unwillingness to spend more time with me, to say even a single word, is perhaps a failure on my part as a father,” Shen Hongsheng sighed. “Sometimes, I feel lost and distressed, but someone told me that this is how daughters are when they grow up, and that I should let go when it’s time to let go…”

"dad……!"

“As a father, I don’t even know how to communicate with my daughter,” Shen Hongsheng continued. “How I wish you could trust me and rely on me like you did when you were little… It’s my fault for making you lose trust in me…”

"dad……!"

“In that sense, I should be thanking you,” Shen Hongsheng said, as if suddenly realizing that there was a bewildered audience member in this touching drama of parent-child ethics. He turned to him and said, “Thank you for bringing Xiaojie up to me, and thank you for giving my daughter and me this opportunity to have a heart-to-heart talk…”

"Uh...you're welcome?" Xiao Yao said, "It's my pleasure."

“I also want to thank you,” Shen Hongsheng continued, “After listening to Xiaojie’s words, you immediately went easy on the bee. Of course, even if you hadn’t gone easy on it, you wouldn’t have been able to defeat it, but I take that as an expression of your goodwill towards me—whatever the reason, you have put yourself in further danger.”

"Well, how should I put it, you are, after all, my...my...Shen Jie's..." Xiao Yao said.

Since Shen Hongsheng was being polite, Xiao Yao naturally couldn't be arrogant. But then, an unpleasant remark followed.

“So, my only curiosity about you right now stems from this question,” Shen Hongsheng said: “Why would someone like you, whose nature is like this, imagine yourself as a knight?”

"dad……!"

What kind of talk is this? What does "this is my true nature" mean? Xiao Yao suppressed his displeasure and replied calmly, "Thank you for asking me this question."

"Oh?" Shen Hongsheng said.

“I used to think that I was a man with no real ability,” Xiao Yao said.

Shen Jie glanced at Xiao Yao.

"I've been asking myself the same question: Is someone like me capable of making Shen Jie's life better? And what about our future children?" Xiao Yao continued.

"Hmm...hmm?" Shen Hongsheng said.

"So at that time, I probably subconsciously felt," Xiao Yao said, "that the only thing I could do was stand in front of them."

Shen Hongsheng: "..."

“That’s my answer,” Xiao Yao told Shen Hongsheng.

"It is... somewhat interesting." Shen Hongsheng pondered for a long time before giving a positive evaluation.

"I'm really flattered," Xiao Yao thought.

“And,” Xiao Yao added, “this was just my initial thought, but now I know that I can do much more—far beyond what I initially imagined.”

"Oh?" Shen Hongsheng raised an eyebrow.

"I am now certain that I am capable of bringing happiness to your daughter," Xiao Yao declared firmly. "Not only that, I can also responsibly tell you that I will bring positive benefits to Miwei Group, your company, and the 31,785 mouths you are feeding, far exceeding what District Chief Zhang and his precious son can bring you."

"Xiao Yao!" Shen Jie exclaimed.

“It’s a good thing that young people are determined,” Shen Hongsheng said after a moment of contemplation. “But you should know that in the outside world, you can’t accomplish anything practical just by bragging and fantasizing.”

“I know this very well,” Xiao Yao told Shen Hongsheng, “but you can also imagine what a person could do for your business if they had all the information for the next thirty years.”

“What—” Shen Hongsheng said.

"Xiao Yao!" Shen Jie frowned slightly and called out again.

“Shen Jie,” Xiao Yao turned to the girl, “we are already at the negotiating table. If we want to resolve this peacefully, I think it’s necessary for me to play my trump card.”

“But…” Shen Jie said hesitantly, “Alright then.”

“Even if you are eloquent and speak eloquently,” Shen Hongsheng said somewhat firmly, “my assessment of your flawed nature remains that the risk is currently too high.”

“I thought you were reasonable enough to talk, and I thought it would be different from those previous shadows. I thought that even if you wanted to smear me based on your stance, you would at least use some traditional tricks like ‘unfounded’ or ‘intentions’.” Xiao Yao’s tone was angry: “I didn’t expect you to directly judge the future.”

“I am not a judge, and this is not a courtroom, so I do not need evidence to convict you,” Shen Hongsheng said casually.

“You don’t need evidence, but that doesn’t mean there’s no justice here,” Xiao Yao said angrily.

"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Shen Jie quickly tried to smooth things over. "You were fine just now, why are you both so agitated all of a sudden?"

Xiao Yao swallowed hard and said in as calm a tone as possible, "Shen Jie, if I understand correctly, your father's plan for your future is to become a noblewoman, and he has even politely arranged for me to be a gigolo. Moreover, we seem to have to be grateful, because if we choose to live a normal married life, the result will be that you will be chopped to death by me with an axe, and I will hang myself with a rope—is there anything else to add?"

Shen Jie: "..."

"Is this the kind of life you can accept?" Xiao Yao asked Shen Jie. "If you think it's acceptable, I'll do it now—"

“Xiao Yao, you clearly know—” Shen Jie said anxiously.

“I’m just repeating your father’s point of view.”

“Father,” Shen Jie turned to Shen Hongsheng and said, “I can understand your concern for me and your thoughts on the future, but as Xiao Yao said, your judgment is still too arbitrary and… self-righteous.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shen Hongsheng replied tolerantly. “I don’t expect you to stand here and immediately accept my point of view. I just ask you to think about it carefully, really think about it.”

“…Okay,” Shen Jie said, somewhat reluctantly.

“I hope you will enjoy your time here as honored guests,” Shen Hongsheng announced.

"What are you trying to do? Are you revealing your true colors?" Xiao Yao said warily. "Our friends are still waiting for us outside—"

Shen Hongsheng remained silent, and his figure gradually began to become semi-transparent.

"Can I prove that I have enough foresight and ability to leave here with Shen Jie and receive your blessing for our love?" Xiao Yao asked.

"Let's talk about leaving if you can. The sword in your hand is not bad, but it's no match for this palace." Shen Hongsheng knew that a return scroll couldn't be used in this room, so after saying this, he disappeared completely.

"Thank you for the compliment, I accept your blessing." At this moment, the yellow gemstone on Xiao Yao's sword hilt began to emit a bright halo.

Shen Jie hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

Xiao Yao extended his right hand to Shen Jie: "Do you want to come with me, or stay at your father's house?"

Shen Jie sighed.

Those few seconds of waiting felt like centuries.

Finally, Shen Jie reached out and grabbed Xiao Yao's hand.

Xiao Yao breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The two disappeared from the palace in the next instant.

……

Xiao Yao and Shen Jie returned to the "entrance" of the hall. This time, Shen Jie successfully passed through the mirror.

All the companions waited anxiously in the hotel room that Xiao Yao had booked in advance. When Shen Jie emerged from the mirror, everyone cheered in unison.

“He let us off the hook,” Shen Jie said.

“No, it’s your own determination that has strengthened,” Xiao Yao objected.

"Perhaps," Shen Jie said noncommittally.

Shen Jie had promised to treat everyone to dinner. Although a few people politely declined, Xiao Yao still took everyone to "Xiao Nan Guo" in the western suburbs business district and booked a private room.

"What are your plans for the future?" Yu Bo asked Shen Jie during the meal.

"I don't know." Shen Jie shook her head, somewhat bewildered.

“If you have nowhere to go…” Yu Bo said hesitantly, “Oh well, never mind.”

"Shen Jie will definitely live with me," Xiao Yao thought to himself.

Of course, this shouldn't be said in front of Yu Luying's maternal uncle.

She probably won't be able to go home. In reality, after discovering that his daughter is missing, Shen Hongsheng will definitely lay a trap and focus his surveillance on her grandmother's house.

Wouldn't that make meeting Shen Tianyun extremely inconvenient? Xiao Yao felt somewhat annoyed, realizing he should have explained things clearly to Tianyun before setting off.

This meal was supposed to be a celebration banquet, but Xiao Yao and Shen Jie were both filled with worry.

What will the future hold?

Apology letter

2023-07-08

I definitely can't do it today.

I had arranged to have hot pot with two friends for my birthday dinner, but I ended up having to work overtime at the hospital during the day, which involved meetings – what Wang Xiaobo called "grinding my butt."

I've been working on this since 9 a.m. until almost 6 p.m., and I didn't even have lunch during my one-hour lunch break. I've written 1000 words.

During the meeting, he pretended to be fully focused on taking notes and wrote another 1000 words.

I really don't know where I can squeeze in 2000 words left, everyone. I've tried my best.

I always try to avoid taking leave at the beginning of the month. Firstly, it might seem like I'm running away, and secondly, it would cost me 6 monthly passes at the beginning of the month—and everyone's monthly passes at the beginning of the month are quite valuable.