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

“Going to a third-rate university, graduating and then spending every day in an office building, only to receive a few taels of silver after thirty days, and often being late with payments—that’s not how I see things,” Shen Jie laughed. “If that’s really the case, I’d rather stay at home and let you support me. Would you support me?”

“I’ll support you,” Xiao Yao hugged Shen Jie tightly, “I’d sell a kidney to support you.”

“You’re selling your kidney at the drop of a hat,” Shen Jie tapped Xiao Yao on the head. “Your kidney is mine, you’re not allowed to sell it.”

"?" Xiao Yao said, "Oh!"

“My dad didn’t even finish junior high school. He went to school, went to university, and found a job. I’ve never heard of anyone getting rich this way. None of the shareholders in my dad’s company rose through the ranks from being an employee. The better you did, the more jobs you had, and then you were an employee forever. Working for someone else was never an option for me. I went to school to get prestige and to take over the family business…”

"Gentlemen," the elderly saleswoman at Youai Store finally couldn't help but call out, "Are you buying anything or not?"

"Do you have a mosquito net?" Xiao Yao asked.

"Over there," the clerk pointed.

Xiao Yao and Shen Jie bought mosquito nets and had dinner at a random place in the afterglow of the setting sun. When they returned to their "home", they clumsily hung up the mosquito nets together.

At first, neither of them could figure it out. Xiao Yao wanted to ask Mei Yu for help, but the neighbor said she had gone to work—which made sense, since it was already evening and she should have gone to work.

After learning about Meiyu's past from Shen Jie, Xiao Yao's disdain for her profession lessened considerably, and he even felt sympathy for her instead.

The two of them bought a total of ten books, carrying them back "home" with great effort, but neither of them opened them to read. Instead, they went out to "Free Man Internet Cafe".

To be fair, going to an internet cafe wasn't Xiao Yao's first choice today, because he preferred to go to a bar to watch the Asian Cup. However, Shen Jie wasn't interested at all, so she rejected Xiao Yao's suggestion by saying, "I rented a room for 20 yuan a day, not to save money for you to squander."

To cheer up Xiao Yao, Shen Jie specially changed into a pair of white silk socks before going out.

Sure enough, Xiao Yao immediately stopped muttering.

When the two arrived at the Free Man Internet Cafe, they intended to sit in a private room as usual. However, when Shen Jie saw the price, she immediately thought, "This is enough to pay for several days' accommodation." In the end, she pulled Xiao Yao to sit in the lobby.

The lobby has its advantages: it's crowded, lively, and has a great atmosphere. The downside is that the internet cafes here aren't as smoke-free as those in the city center, which is somewhat unpleasant.

The two played Bloodline II together. Xiao Yao created an orc warrior alt account to level up with Shen Jie. Shen Jie was also in high spirits today, playing until after 3 a.m. before asking Xiao Yao if he wanted to rest. When the two left "Free Man Internet Cafe", they found that it had just rained outside and the ground was wet. Shen Jie even felt a little chilly.

She accidentally stepped into a puddle, and half of her pure white stockings immediately became almost transparent, as if she were wearing skin.

Xiao Yao wanted to eat barbecue, so Shen Jie went along with it and sat down at an open-air barbecue stall they passed by. After ordering, it took a long time for the food to arrive. Xiao Yao looked around and realized that the barbecue stall was doing incredibly well; it was almost four in the morning, and it was much busier than during the day.

The main diners are young women who look to be in their twenties or almost in their twenties. They may not all be very beautiful, but you can easily deduce their profession from their makeup, clothing, demeanor, tattoos on their calves and ankles, and perhaps even the cigarettes in their hands.

Of course, there were also some men sitting at the same table with them, and it was unclear whether they were patrons, colleagues, or "friends".

Listening to their noisy drinking games and shouting, Xiao Yao frowned in disgust.

He thought of the story of Mencius' mother moving three times to find the right environment for her son, and just wanted the summer camp to start quickly so he could move away from here as soon as possible.

"Oh, Sister Jie, is this Li Xiaoyao?"

Xiao Yao wasn't particularly surprised to encounter beautiful jade here.

Her attire was similar to when Xiao Yao first met her; if there was any difference, it was that she was a little more revealing.

No one invited her, but Meiyu sat down across the table and poured herself half a glass of beer.

At this moment, the barbecue skewers were finally served. Shen Jie chatted enthusiastically with Mei Yu about their entrepreneurial plans, while Xiao Yao just ate and drank in silence.

“But, Jie, since you’re free these days, why don’t you come work part-time at our shop to get familiar with the business?” Meiyu suddenly said, “Just consider it a summer job to support yourself.”

"Huh?" Shen Jie said.

What?! Xiao Yao raised his head angrily and looked at Meiyu.

"I...I...I can't do it," Shen Jie said, waving her hand.

“Sure, Jie, you’re beautiful and outgoing. I’ll teach you a bit more, and you’ll definitely make money,” Meiyu said happily, oblivious to Xiao Yao’s gaze.

Shen Jie actually lowered her head and began to consider it carefully: "Hmm..."

Xiao Yao, unable to bear it any longer, slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Enough! I'm still here! You're trying to persuade someone in front of me...?"

The people at the surrounding tables turned to look at Xiao Yao.

"And Shen Jie, what are you thinking? Didn't you say you didn't want to work? You don't actually think she's asking you to work part-time there so you can be a waitress, do you?"

"It's not about being a waitress serving dishes, it's about promoting beer." Meiyu was also a little angry: "I was just mentioning it casually. If you disagree, you disagree. Why are you taking it out on me? Jie, I'm not saying this to be mean, but isn't your boyfriend a bit too controlling?"

“He’s more than just a little strong,” Shen Jie said playfully, sticking out her tongue. “He’s like our family’s Mussolini.”

Xiao Yao: "? Selling beer?"

After a flurry of chatter, Xiao Yao finally realized that he had completely misunderstood Mei Yu. Her workplace was this barbecue stall and the food stall next door; she sold beer here every night and worked at the convenience store in the afternoons, which was nothing like what he had assumed.

Xiao Yao looked ashamed and sincerely apologized to Mei Yu. Mei Yu was very magnanimous and didn't take offense. She and Shen Jie just kindly teased him.

"Alright, I'm not drinking with you two anymore, I have to go to work." Meiyu stood up: "Jie, please take care of me in the future."

“No problem, no problem,” Shen Jie said.

"I never imagined you had such a dirty mind." After Meiyu left, Shen Jie gave Xiao Yao's temple a hard shove.

“No, this…” Xiao Yao was both amused and exasperated: “Selling beer is also selling your body, I won’t allow you to do it.”

"Who said I was going?" Shen Jie said, "And how is that selling your body? She's been sitting here for half a day, drinking two bottles of our beer. What did you buy with your body? Are you out of your mind, or are you just being stubborn?"

After the two had eaten and drunk their fill, they returned home, and it was almost 5 a.m.

After washing up separately, they fell asleep in each other's arms as dawn broke in the east.

I had only slept for a few hours when I was woken up again.

The so-called "wake-up call" means that the noise from the next room has started again.

This time, it was even more intense and exciting than the previous night.

"Mommy, you're awake too?"

"Um……"

"I'll go find them." Xiao Yao threw off the covers and was about to get out of bed.

He failed because Shen Jie pulled him back.

To be precise, we held him down, no, we "pressed" him down.

"?" Xiao Yao lay flat on the bed, his gaze fixed on Shen Jie's face above him, though he couldn't see it clearly in the darkness: "What are you going to do?"

"Yes," Shen Jie said.

What lame joke?

Xiao Yao was taken aback: "No."

“I’ve thought it through, I’m ready,” Shen Jie said softly. “I’ll see it through to the end, and shout even louder than they do.”

In the darkness, Xiao Yao couldn't see the girl's alluring eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Xiao Yao replied straight and calmly, “I refuse.”

"What I give you is yours. If I want to give it to you, you cannot refuse." Shen Jie smiled and said, "Otherwise, it will be a crime of deceiving the emperor, and your entire family will be executed."

Chapter 278 The Location of First Blood

2023-07-28

*This chapter is also known as "Love and Desire".

"What I give you is yours. If I want to give it to you, you cannot refuse." Shen Jie smiled and said, "Otherwise, it will be a crime of deceiving the emperor, and your entire family will be executed."

Without hesitation, Xiao Yao declared with unwavering resolve, "Then kill him—but please take good care of my seventh great-uncle!"

"Isn't your seventh great-uncle one of the nine generations of relatives?" Shen Jie's pride was hurt, and she flicked his forehead a little harder: "What exactly do you mean? Are you already tired of this?"

“Big sister, no, little—little Shen Jie,” Xiao Yao said.

"Don't call me that!"

"How could it be greasy? You're already greasy before you've even tasted it? That doesn't make sense." Xiao Yao reached up and wrapped his arms around the girl's slender waist.

"You'll get tired of it as soon as you start eating it?" Shen Jie retorted coldly.

“Yeah,” Xiao Yao said through gibberish, “So you can’t let me get away with it. You have to keep me in that carrot-on-a-stick state, you understand?

Shen Jie dismounted, lay back down against the wall, her face turned towards the wall, and remained silent.

"What's wrong? Are you really angry?" Xiao Yao seemed to realize the situation only then and reached out to touch Shen Jie's shoulder.

The latter reacted as if stung, and flung him away.

"You flicked my forehead so hard so early in the morning," Xiao Yao said gently, hugging his wife from behind. "I'll be the one getting scolded later, won't I?"

Shen Jie: "..."

“I heard someone say it before, was it about a ribbonfish or someone else? I forgot,” Xiao Yao said. “Anyway, it was a joke, something about how some people would stay in cheap hotels with their first love, and then when they got married, they would ask for hundreds of thousands in dowry…”

"What are you trying to say?" Shen Jie said coldly, "I thought my first boyfriend and my husband were the same person. Besides, do you think I'm expecting you to give me a dowry?"

“Yes, yes, it has to be the same person,” Xiao Yao agreed. “What I’m trying to say is, this room you rented for thirty yuan a day—ah? Twenty or thirty? Whatever. Do you think it’s worth it? I feel sorry for you, I feel it’s disrespectful to you.”

"Is that really what you think?" Shen Jie's tone softened a bit.

"Of course it's true," Xiao Yao said confidently.

He was speaking his true thoughts, so it wasn't lying, but that wasn't the main reason.

Xiao Yao concluded that if he acted rashly in this moment, there was a 98.3% chance that Yu Luying would completely block him.