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

"What kind of adventure is it?"

"The one with three people together."

"Have you no shame?"

"Isn't this the dare you suggested?" Xiao Yao reminded Shen Jie.

Shen Jie: "...Alright, I suggested it, so let's leave it at that, we've made up for it."

Since the three of them bumped into Wang Ming and Zhou Yao while strolling hand in hand before Shen Jie returned home, this was the first time the three of them had done something intimate together.

A significant step forward in this phase.

"Is this considered making up for it?" Xiao Yao teased Shen Jie.

"What else do you want?" Yu Luying said.

"How about we all try it together, the three of us, and do the same thing we just did?" Xiao Yao said half-jokingly.

"I refuse!" Yu Luying shouted.

"You'd be better off just dying," Shen Jie said.

“Hmm, it does seem a bit strange,” Xiao Yao said. “Why don’t you two give me a massage together?”

"Does he really think he's some kind of lord?"

"No, I mean, you all take your shoes off, and then,"

"I have a new big adventure plan," Shen Jie said to Yu Luying with a smile.

“I have one too,” Yu Luying said.

"Throw him into the sea!" "Throw him into the sea to feed the ribbonfish!"

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Xiao Yao struggled to get up. "And why is it ribbonfish?"

Shen Jie said, "I feel very unhappy right now."

Yu Luying: "Me too."

"What's bothering you? Yu Luying, have you thought this through? If the ribbonfish eats me, you'll feel the pain too."

"You forced us to reconcile just to turn us both into your playthings?..."

"What plaything? This is a desecration of love! Injustice! Your Honor, injustice! Love and peace! Can the affairs of scholars be called playthings?"

……

……

……

After some playful fighting, the three of them ended up sitting or lying on the beach, all in a disheveled state.

“Shen Jie,” Yu Luying suddenly said, “There’s something important I need to tell you both.”

"Go ahead and say it." Shen Jie broke free from Xiao Yao's embrace and moved to the right.

Xiao Yao turned to look at her: "?"

"It's very hot," Shen Jie explained to Xiao Yao.

It's so late at night, with a gentle sea breeze, where is it hot?

“My grandfather and eldest uncle already know Xiao Yao is here,” Yu Luying leaned forward, trying to touch the crashing waves. “Will they tell your father?”

"They know that Xiao Yao is here?" Shen Jie repeated Yu Luying's words.

"Let me speak," Xiao Yao volunteered.

Yu Luying tried to stop him, but Xiao Yao had already told Shen Jie about how he, Daiyu, and Yu Luying had encountered the Yu family elders in the lobby of the Sheng'ai Hotel. He then talked about what he had overheard in the sixth-floor restroom, only briefly mentioning and vaguely handling the part about Yu Luying's family affairs, saying only that Yu's eldest uncle was using Xiao Yao's "good reputation" as an excuse to try to seize the family property.

Nevertheless, Yu Luying still felt that Xiao Yao was talking too much, and she pinched her thigh repeatedly.

Xiao Yao shut his mouth, and Shen Jie also suddenly fell silent.

“Although you’re using the alias Xu Qingwei to operate here, Xiao Yao isn’t hiding his identity,” Yu Luying explained. “My grandfather and the others know about you and Xiao Yao, and they also know Xiao Yao is here. Will they tell your father…”

“If the Shen family sends someone to the summer camp to arrest me, they might discover the eldest daughter of the Shen family.” Xiao Yao’s tone was also somewhat worried.

“It’s unlikely,” Shen Jie said. “Although there are business dealings, it’s mostly just between general managers and such. My family members usually only run into me occasionally at social events, unlike the girls in my class. Besides, we’ve had some competition in the past, so they might be happy to see me fail…”

“But the adults are all in cahoots,” Yu Luying reminded Shen Jie.

“That’s right, the adults are all in cahoots,” Xiao Yao said.

The final, tentative conclusion is to observe cautiously, act prudently, and be prepared to flee at any time.

"Why don't we talk to your Uncle Bobo and ask him about it?" Xiao Yao suggested.

“It’s not so bad,” Yu Luying said.

"I'll go to Dongqi Town tomorrow to buy a pair of glasses like Lucia's, get a hairstyle like hers, and disguise myself a bit?" Shen Jie said.

"And who is Luzia?" Xiao Yao asked Shen Jie.

“It’s my roommate,” Shen Jie told Xiao Yao.

“That fierce woman…” Xiao Yao said, “That’s fine too.”

"What a fierce woman! Lu Jiya is a very nice person." Shen Jie said with dissatisfaction, "Then let's keep a low profile during the day and continue to pretend we don't know each other."

"I feel like your silly sister and I should keep a low profile in front of others," Xiao Yao pondered.

"You're overthinking it. I don't care at all," Shen Jie lied. "Things will be what they are."

“?” Xiao Yao said, “What I’m thinking is that we can’t give Yu Luying’s uncle any more excuses—ah, of course, taking your feelings into consideration is also one of my considerations.”

"What do you care about his uncle!" Yu Luying shouted.

“Then you’re overthinking it,” Shen Jie lay down on Xiao Yao’s lap, her legs stretched out on the sand, her feet braced against a rock: “If someone wants to find something on you, they can always find it.”

“That’s what I told him too,” Yu Luying muttered, “He just keeps thinking about it.”

“Even if you officially announce your breakup with Yu Luying tomorrow,” Shen Jie continued, “or even if Yu Luying dumps you, even if you two become enemies later, even if you can prove that you have nothing to do with Yu Luying, her uncle can still bring this up, and her grandfather will still have concerns about this. Do you know why?”

"Why?"

“Because we are middle school students,” Yu Luying continued, picking up where Shen Jie left off: “adults think that we basically won’t make it to the end.”

“Adults believe that we children are fickle and unpredictable, and that we can’t even trust ourselves. So when they say that your partner is no good, they are not really worried that you are no good as a marriage partner,” Shen Jie said. “Instead, they are questioning Yu Luying’s own character, judgment, and concept of choosing a partner.”

“That makes sense,” Xiao Yao said.

Yu Luying didn't want to delve too far into this topic, so she deliberately changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Shen Jie, I've inquired about your situation regarding studying at a secondary school. Director Lin's feedback seems to be progressing, but I'm not quite sure about your own wishes..."

"Oh, right, I also want to thank you for this," Shen Jie said hurriedly. "Even before we reconciled, you were already worrying about me."

“After all, as long as Xiao Yao is around,” Yu Luying glanced at Xiao Yao, “this day will come eventually.”

Compared to the somewhat reluctant reconciliation earlier, the "ice" between the two girls seemed to only begin to truly melt away at this moment.

Even though it's just the beginning, it's good—Xiao Yao squinted his eyes contentedly, not saying a word, just listening to the two of them chat.

"Dog, you have to say something." Shen Jie suddenly patted Xiao Yao.

"What are you talking about? I'm enjoying your conversation," Xiao Yao said.

“Didn’t you say it was a three-person date today?” Shen Jie said, “I meant you, otherwise it would just be us on a date and you carrying the bags.”

"I'd be willing to carry your bags for the rest of my life," Xiao Yao blurted out instinctively.

The air suddenly became quiet.

Then, Shen Jie broke the silence first: "Yu Luying, we haven't spoken for the past few days. Actually, I sometimes think about what I said the other day when I'm alone. I might have changed my mind a little."

Yu Luying: "? What are you thinking?"

“If the symbiotic problem can’t be resolved,” Shen Jie said, still lying down and looking up at the starry sky, “it’s not impossible for you to live with us after Xiao Yao and I get married—”

Shen Jie's soft voice was drowned out by the sound of the waves. Before she could even utter the word "consider," Xiao Yao shouted, "Oh no!"

Before she could react, a large clump of seawater splashed onto Shen Jie's face and into her mouth.

Xiao Yao dragged one of them with each hand, retreating dozens of meters before finally stopping.

“The tide came in that night,” Yu Luying said.

Xiao Yao looked down at himself and saw that his lower body was completely wet. Yu Luying was almost the same, and Shen Jie was soaked because she was lying on her side.

"Ahhhhhh!" Shen Jie lamented, "I just washed my hair!"

The three of them looked at each other and started laughing.

Yu Luying ran to the side, picked up her cello and guitar: "Shall we go back?"

"Why did you two bring the violin out?" Shen Jie shook her head and said, "To play one for us, the one you played when you were eating, I like to hear it."

"Which one?" Yu Luying asked with a smile, "Caccini's 'Ave Maria'?"

The girl put her guitar aside, found a high rock to sit on, and got into position.

As beautiful notes flowed from the bow and strings, Shen Jie walked up to Xiao Yao, stood on tiptoe slightly, and made a gesture as if a man were inviting a woman to dance.

Xiao Yao stretched out his arm, put one hand on Shen Jie's shoulder, and interlocked his fingers with hers with the other.

She took her first dance step.