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

Xiao Yao set off.

He stopped two or three times midway through to refocus his mind and begin meditating, further clarifying his position.

He was absolutely certain that he was getting closer and closer to his goal.

Following the guidance of these points of light, Xiao Yao arrived at a small river.

He saw Yu Luying swimming in the river.

Yes, it looks like this is a swimming pool in Shanghai, where only a small head is sticking out, swimming leisurely.

Xiao Yao's first reaction was that he was furious.

Then, for some reason, I remembered the time when we were at the boathouse, when Shen Jie was wearing a pure black long dress, black stockings, and black leather shoes, and pretending to go into the water to "perform a synchronized swim for him".

He genuinely wanted to see Shen Jieyou at the time.

The river in front of him was neither long nor wide, but what was remarkable was that its water was still quite clear, reflecting the blue sky. Xiao Yao could vaguely see the small pebbles on the riverbed and the gentle swaying of the water plants.

As everyone knows, it was the scorching heat of July and August, with the sun burning mercilessly like flames against the earth and water. At least here, the trees on both banks stretched out their natural shade, blocking some of the intense sunlight and giving Xiao Yao a refreshing feeling.

Along the riverbanks, a few swaying willows are scattered about, gently swaying in the breeze and casting their graceful reflections on the water. Occasionally, a breeze blows, and the willow branches brush the water's surface, creating ripples like tiny, trickling tears.

On this hot afternoon, there weren't many pedestrians along the riverbanks. Besides Yu Luying, there were a few little kids in the river—they all looked to be only seven or eight years old. Two little boys had their dark-skinned upper bodies bare, and their cheeks had the earthy color typical of people from the suburbs. A little girl was wearing a vest. Sometimes Yu Luying would splash water at the three of them and play with them, leaving behind a riverbed full of their cheerful laughter.

"Oh my god—!" Xiao Yao put his hands to his mouth as a megaphone and shouted at Yu Luying.

The girl looked up and saw that it was Xiao Yao, but she showed no surprise or astonishment whatsoever. She did not show any resistance or avoidance, nor did she express a warm welcome; she simply swam towards Xiao Yao's direction, which was the shore.

Yu Luying exuded a sense of ease and freedom. Her school uniform top was soaked with water, clinging to her slender body and revealing her youthful curves, well, not particularly noticeable.

Her clothes, once soaked, revealed a slight see-through effect, though not very strong. Xiao Yao could vaguely see that the fabric underneath was also a light color. Her trousers clung tightly to her hips, wet and sticky, while her legs remained submerged in the river.

A few strands of damp hair clung to the girl's forehead. Her eyes were bright and lively, like a pair of crystal-clear lakes reflecting the azure sky.

Yu Luying swam in the water, her arms moving alternately and gently gliding across the surface. The girl's movements were fluid and elegant, each stroke creating small ripples that spread outwards, stirring up gentle breezes. Water droplets detached from her arms and trouser legs, splashing up tiny droplets that sparkled like diamonds, radiating a captivating brilliance in the sunlight.

Yu Luying switched to freestyle halfway through the stroke, allowing Xiao Yao to see the dark soles of her white cotton socks. The socks, soaked, clung to her feet, accentuating their curves, while the dark color faded and spread across her instep. She slapped the water hard with the back of her feet, splashing water around her.

Finally, the girl stopped, paddling with both hands, leaning back and looking at Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao now believes that she is wearing light yellow underneath.

"Get down," Yu Luying said in a clear voice.

"what?"

Xiao Yao wanted to remind her that "I can't swim," but then he thought that she had already swum to the shallow end, so he shouldn't say anything more. He took off his AJ basketball shoes and placed them next to Yu Luying's shoes on the riverbank. Wearing all his clothes and socks, he walked towards Yu Luying, wading through the water.

The boy walked up to Yu Luying; the river water had already reached his chest.

He reached out to hug Yu Luying, but Yu Luying braced one of her slender arms against Xiao Yao's chest.

The girl's pink short-sleeved shirt hung limply on her upper arm, dripping wetly onto the river surface, creating ripples.

“Say what you have to say,” Yu Luying said, “and then you can leave.”

"I've come to bring you your shoes," Xiao Yao said after thinking for a moment.

“I saw it, thank you,” Yu Luying said gently, paddling through the water. “You can leave it there. If there’s nothing else, you can go back now.”

Yu Luying turned around, but Xiao Yao grabbed her sleeve: "Shen Jie and I split up to look for you. She said if I find you first, I should apologize to you on her behalf."

Shen Jie did not ask Xiao Yao to apologize on her behalf, but Xiao Yao believed that he should now exercise his authority as her husband.

"Is her way of apologizing by stomping on my face?" Yu Luying sneered.

“No, she was targeting me—” Xiao Yao quickly said.

“Go back and tell her I don’t accept it—we’re no longer friends.” Yu Luying’s tone was as if she had already made up her mind.

“Sigh, then we’re friends now,” Xiao Yao said. “Can you stop swimming away after I say a few words? Are you just taking advantage of the fact that I can’t swim?”

Yu Luying tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, we're friends now."

Xiao Yao: "...!?"

He understood what those words meant, of course. Although he was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his heart.

Xiao Yao asked in a friendly tone, "Is this a notification or a discussion?"

Yu Luying stared intently at the water's surface: "This is better."

Xiao Yao blurted out, "I disagree."

Yu Luying said, "It's no use if you disagree. Breaking up never requires both people to agree."

Xiao Yao said, "Then I'll just keep pestering you every day, just like before."

"Do you think I only know how to swim? I've also thought of nine other ways to make you suffer," Yu Luying said, hooking her index finger and emphasizing with a menacing look, "Nine!"

Xiao Yao realized that the conversation was starting to take an unfriendly and strange turn, and he had to change course immediately.

"You didn't even ask me how I found you?" Xiao Yao casually splashed a little water on Yu Luying's wrinkled, wet clothes.

“I discovered about two weeks ago that I could use symbiosis to locate you,” Yu Luying said calmly.

"Really? I just—"

“You’re too busy to notice. Your mind is elsewhere, not on me,” Yu Luying said.

These words annoyed Xiao Yao.

Never mind, it's not important.

"Why are you breaking up with me when everything's fine?" Xiao Yao advised gently.

“Isn’t it enough that you cheated on me during our relationship?” Yu Luying said, “You’re in the wrong no matter where you go to argue.”

Xiao Yao: "..."

"And now I'm going to add another point for you: I can no longer tolerate the bullying from your wife."

"I'll go back and talk to her, I'll go back and talk to her." Xiao Yao advised, "I just rescued Shen Jie, and we don't even know where we'll spend the night. I have so much trouble to deal with. Are you trying to make things worse for me?"

"You brought this trouble on yourself, what does it have to do with me?" Yu Luying deliberately said these heartless words.

Xiao Yao: "..."

Yu Luying: "Didn't you say you had nowhere to stay overnight? Why don't you hurry back and help them find a place to stay? What are you doing, still soaking in the water and clinging to me?"

“You are very important to me,” Xiao Yao said silently.

Yu Luying was slightly taken aback.

After another short silence, the girl spoke up: "You're just being unreasonable. When am I ever going to break up with you? A while ago, when I wanted to, you'd say, 'Oh, I'm looking for Shen Jie, Shen Jie's been kidnapped, I'm already overwhelmed, and you're adding fuel to the fire.' Okay, now you're telling me, 'Shen Jie was just rescued, I'm already overwhelmed, and you're adding fuel to the fire,' and then a while later..."

It's unclear who uttered the first laugh, but then the two looked at each other and laughed together.

The seriousness that Yu Luying had painstakingly created for the breakup conversation vanished completely.

"Ahhh!" she cried out in frustration, then grabbed Xiao Yao's shoulders with both hands and pushed his head underwater.

Xiao Yao: "*%￥@&……%￥*（）……You're plotting to murder your husband!"

Yu Luying stayed with him, coughing violently.

“See, you’ve finally told the truth,” Xiao Yao said. “Cheating is just an excuse you’ve come up with. You’ve had this idea for a while now.”

"No, I am indeed very upset about this," Yu Luying retorted softly.

Xiao Yao tried to hug Yu Luying again, and this time, he successfully pressed the girl's head onto his shoulder.

Although his chest and above were above water, he immediately felt the river water rush into his nose and mouth, and the girl in his arms began to thrash about. So he quickly pulled her a few steps closer to the shore.

"Are you sick in the head?!" Yu Luying coughed violently while stretching out her right hand and forcefully rubbing her face from top to bottom.

"Excuse me, excuse me," Xiao Yao invited, "Shall we talk on the shore?"

“I’m not going!” Yu Luying said.

“Little Apple, listen to me,” Xiao Yao pressed down on the girl’s shoulders. A breeze blew by, making him shiver a little. “Actually, as long as our symbiotic relationship exists, whether we are lovers or friends is just a title and has no real impact.”

Yu Luying was about to retort when Xiao Yao continued, "So what I really care about is your feelings."

Xiao Yao emphasized the word "you".

"So what I want to hear is your honest words, your true feelings. I want to know all your inner thoughts and real feelings so that I can know what I did wrong, how to be a better boyfriend in the future, and how to treat you well."

"So, can you help me?" Xiao Yao said sincerely.

Yu Luying lowered her head and remained silent.

Xiao Yao could tell that her heart seemed to have softened a bit, and he felt a little more relaxed as well.

"At least tell me, when did you first start having the idea of ​​breaking up?"

“When, when Dongru was in the capital,” Yu Luying raised her head, “when Dongru and Fang Bing were together.”

Chapter 272 The Source of Temptation

2023-07-21

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying sat side by side on the grass on the riverbank, and he felt a sense of physical comfort.

"Lend me your phone for a moment, I need to call Shen Jie so she doesn't keep looking for you like a headless fly." Xiao Yao said this as soon as they got ashore.