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

Yu Luying walked barefoot on the grass for a while, and then "dug" her phone out of a hole under a tree.

After Xiao Yao reported his safety to Shen Jie, he discovered that the sun had wisely hidden behind thick clouds. The weakened sunlight, after passing through the shade of the trees, provided the earth with relatively moderate heat.

The wet clothes were a bit heavy and clung to my body rather... unusual, but the cool feeling, especially when the wind blew, was refreshing and pleasant. Compared to being in front of an air conditioner, it was a more natural and refreshing experience.

As usual, Xiao Yao picked up a small stone and skipped it into the river, but Yu Luying stopped him.

“Those kids are still swimming,” Yu Luying told Xiao Yao.

"I feel like this is dangerous..." Xiao Yao reluctantly put down the small stone, turned his head slightly, and moved closer to Yu Luying's face.

Yu Luying parried and dodged once, then pushed Xiao Yao away once more. Then, under his relentless fourth attack, she chose to passively refuse to cooperate, which meant she was being manipulated.

Finally, she overcame her shyness and launched a fierce counterattack.

……

“You’re a devil,” Yu Luying said, wiping her mouth.

Xiao Yao felt that he had basically resolved the crisis of the breakup, and he felt much more relaxed: "That's where you went wrong. Eve ate the forbidden fruit herself and then gave it to her husband. When God came to question her, her first reaction was to shift the blame to the devil."

“Didn’t Adam also shift the blame to the woman, and even to God?” Yu Luying said.

Looking at the girl in front of him, who was soaking wet, Xiao Yao felt no more blame, only pity.

The girl sat on the grass by the shore, breathing slightly heavily, her mostly flat chest rising and falling gently. Her medium-length hair was a little messy from the moisture, clinging damply to her forehead and neck, exuding a fresh, damp scent.

Stray strands of hair clung to the girl's cheeks, revealing her youthful vitality and natural charm. A few damp strands of hair swayed gently in the breeze, bringing a refreshing feeling.

Her school uniform trousers were half-dry and half-wet, giving off a peculiar charm—the kind that could arouse a man's animalistic instincts. The half-dry top of the uniform still clung to her body, outlining her slender figure, and the exposed skin of her arms radiated a slight coolness.

Her school uniform trousers shimmered slightly from the dampness, outlining the long, slender lines of her legs. The fabric of the trousers clung slightly to her body due to the moisture, highlighting her lively and youthful energy.

Yu Luying sat on the grass. In the sunlight, the water stains on her school uniform and trousers gradually faded, but the damp parts still exuded a subtle dampness. Tiny particles from the grass clung to her clothes, leaving slight marks. Her movements were gentle and graceful as she lightly wrung out the fabric of her school uniform, squeezing out some water from between her fingers. Her appearance made Xiao Yao feel sorry for her.

Sitting on the grass by the shore, her gaze was distant and serene, as if she were deep in thought. Sunlight peeked through the clouds, filtering through the leaves and casting soft shadows on her. A gentle breeze caressed the girl's skin, bringing coolness and tranquility.

Xiao Yao's gaze fell on the girl's feet.

Her cotton socks were still wet, clinging tightly to her feet. The soaked socks clung even more to her skin, their outlines clearly visible. The plain white cotton socks had become translucent, and the water droplets shimmered on them, captivating Xiao Yao.

The texture and details of the socks gradually emerged—the fine knit patterns were clearly visible, extending from her toes to her ankles, outlining the shape of her slender feet. The black layer that had accumulated on the soles from walking barefoot was half washed away in the clear lake water, while the remaining half spread out, making the entire white sock look grayish.

Since she walked barefoot on the ground after getting ashore, the wet, grayish soles of her socks were once again stained with particles of dry soil and a few blades of grass, making them look...

The ripples of the river water still lingered on the socks, forming faint watermarks. Water droplets seeped into the socks, revealing a slightly dark water stain, and the edges of the socks were also slightly loosened from being soaked in water, gently dragging on the ankles.

Yu Luying stretched out her slender fingers and carefully pulled her socks up, but Xiao Yao ripped off his own socks and squeezed them hard in his palm, like kneading a lump of clay. When no more water could be squeezed out, he casually stuffed them into his pocket.

Xiao Yao stopped observing the girl and pulled her into his arms: "You just said that in Dongru, in Fangbing, what exactly happened? Tell me." (Note: End of previous chapter)

"Let's not talk about it," Yu Luying said hesitantly.

"Speak." Xiao Yao gently stroked the girl's forearm. "I know you were very unhappy at the time. Didn't I talk to you for a long time? I thought the matter was over, but I didn't expect...?"

Yu Luying lowered her head and remained silent.

“I… I know what you care about most,” Xiao Yao said, thinking for a moment. “Ever since that incident, I’ve been determined to make sure you enter marriage as a virgin, no matter who it’s with—I also know that the reason you reacted so strongly to this today isn’t mainly because of… but because…”

"Alright," Yu Luying said, as if she had made up her mind, "Do you still remember Father Li from the barracks?"

“I remember,” Xiao Yao said, “the short one, the one who looked particularly honest and kind. I confessed to him for forty-five minutes? Or how long…”

“After I confessed to him,” Yu Luying said, emphasizing each word, “that Father Li told me, said…”

"What did he say?" Xiao Yao urged anxiously.

“If you’re the source of temptation, I should immediately stop seeing you and stay away from you,” Yu Luying finally said.

Xiao Yao pinched his nose in confusion, surprise, and anger.

He was utterly shocked.

The boy's first reaction was that perhaps he had said too many things he shouldn't have to him, which led him to such a conclusion.

But... something's not right.

Xiao Yao remembers clearly that he was the last one that day. After he finished his confession, he immediately left the military church with Yu Luying and Yu Lihua and boarded a bus to Shanghai.

“He also said that marrying me would ruin my life,” Yu Luying told Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao stood up in a rage, jumping up and down in an instant: "Outrageous! What gives him the right to say that? Does he even know us? Does he understand us? We've only just met him, how can he be so hasty, rude, reckless, and irresponsible in advising us to break up?! How is he any different from those nasty best friends? Is this what God's servants are like?"

Yu Luying watched Xiao Yao rant and rave quietly, and only after he stopped did she say, "I knew you would do this, which is why I never dared to tell you."

"So what?" Xiao Yao squatted down again: "You're just going to listen to him and want to break up with me?"

“I didn’t.” Yu Luying shook her head.

Do you think that what he says represents God's will?

"I didn't." Yu Luying's voice was a little loud when she said those three words again: "Can you stop jumping up and down so easily? Can't you even let me speak?"

"Okay, go ahead." Xiao Yao suppressed his anger and lay back down.

“From my personal perspective,” Yu Luying said cautiously, “I think Father Li’s statements and actions, especially as a clergyman, are somewhat inappropriate.”

"It's not just somewhat inappropriate, it's extremely inappropriate," Xiao Yao said.

“If it were my uncle, he would usually give a neutral and ambiguous opinion when dealing with this kind of consultation—” Yu Luying explained, “I didn’t listen to him completely, nor did I take his words as divine will, otherwise you wouldn’t be lying here with me now.”

“OK,” Xiao Yao said.

“The main reason I didn’t tell you about this is because I was afraid you would have a negative impression of the church—you know, there are all sorts of people in the church.”

“OK,” Xiao Yao said.

“But Father Li’s words weren’t entirely without reason; he meant well,” Yu Luying said cautiously. “His words are like a thorn stuck in my heart, and they hurt every now and then.”

“Ha, well said! You see, this kind of irresponsible slander is disgusting in itself,” Xiao Yao told Yu Luying. “You don’t have to listen to him, but as long as you hear it, you’ve already lost.”

“To me, you are indeed a temptation,” Yu Luying said earnestly. “This is not entirely your responsibility, but rather the responsibility of both of us.”

Xiao Yao: "..."

“I’m not saying you’re tempting me. I know that sometimes, I even take the initiative. But that’s what’s scary to me, you understand?” Yu Luying suddenly turned to lie on her side at a 90-degree angle, looking into Xiao Yao’s eyes and said, “You’re like my favorite ice cream when I was a kid, my favorite AD calcium milk, my favorite Sailor Moon, my favorite rubber bands, and also like the computer games that you boys like to play. For a kid with weak self-control, the existence of these things is a temptation in itself, do you understand?”

"I now realize that I am that child with poor self-control."

“I understand,” Xiao Yao said slowly. “You’re confessing your feelings to me. I didn’t even know you liked me this much.”

“Go away,” Yu Luying said, her voice tinged with shame and indignation, “is that the point I was trying to make?”

"The point you're trying to make is that because you like me so much, I have original sin, my existence is a temptation for you, so it's right for me to die," Xiao Yao said coldly.

“That’s not how it is,” Yu Luying grabbed Xiao Yao’s hand. “Don’t you think it would be more normal for us to be just friends? Shen Jie would be less angry, we would both make fewer mistakes, and I could have more time to focus on things with predictable results—”

“Maybe,” Xiao Yao replied curtly, “I don’t know.”

“Xiao Yao, you know,” Yu Luying said, lowering her eyelids, “we’ve already crossed the line too far. You know that it’s not that you’re innocent if you don’t go all the way. Reaching the bottom line is just self-deception…”

“Ah, I understand,” Xiao Yao clapped his hands together and said, “No wonder you’ve been acting so strangely ever since you returned to Shanghai from Dongru. It turns out it was that guy surnamed Li who caused it. I’ll remember him.”

Yu Luying's lowered head and silent demeanor confirmed Xiao Yao's judgment.

“Okay, I’ve decided,” Xiao Yao said. “From now on, when we go on dates, we’ll try to avoid secluded or late-night dates alone, and try to meet in crowded places. I won’t take your socks or clothes anymore, and you shouldn’t take mine. We’ll talk more about literature, life ideals, and love on the phone. And I’ll try not to touch myself or Shen Jie outside of my daughter’s room…”

Are you being sarcastic or serious?

"seriously."

“You didn’t have to go to this lengths for me,” Yu Luying said insincerely.

"It should, it should."

"Just to avoid breaking up? Just for the title of boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Stop joking around," Xiao Yao chuckled. "I've already said it before, in our symbiotic relationship, titles and status are no longer important. I'm willing to do all this for you because I like you, I love you, I respect you, and I'm willing to respect your principles and feelings, understand, silly girl?"

Xiao Yao mimicked Shen Jie's approach to him, reaching out and forcefully ruffling the girl's half-dry hair.

He was pleased to see that the other person seemed to have been moved by him.

"You love me, really?" Yu Luying became a little excited, saying like a heroine in a Chinese TV drama, "Do you really love me?"

"What else?" Xiao Yao replied in a Taiwanese accent.

“Shen Jie and I fell in at the same time,” Yu Luying pointed to the stream in front of her, “Who would you save first?”

Xiao Yao almost burst out laughing. How childish! How outdated!

“I won’t save either of you. I’ll just watch you two sink,” Xiao Yao said. “Of the three of us, I’m the worst swimmer.”

"Then you should study hard so that you can take on the responsibility of protecting us as a man, so that you can save us," Yu Luying said with a pout.

"Oh my, you two still need me—okay, okay, I'll learn, I'll learn." Xiao Yao said, waving his hand.

“Xiao Yao, you’re so biased,” Yu Luying said, kneeling on the grass and staring at him. “The love you give me is only one-tenth of what you give her. She doesn’t respect me either—she’s a good person, but deep down she’s arrogant and looks down on us ordinary people, all of us, and you’re the only exception.”

"It's not that bad," Xiao Yao defended Shen Jie.

"Really, she's a really good person, but she doesn't even realize it herself. It's determined by her upbringing, so it's not her fault. In her eyes, I'm really just a maidservant—"

"Come on," Xiao Yao joked, "She would never let you be her concubine."

“In her eyes, I was just a maidservant, and she wouldn’t even let me be a maidservant.”

Xiao Yao: "?"