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

Xiao Yao had seen a few women dressed like this on the street before, and he secretly despised them. If Shen Jie were to go out dressed like this, he, Xiao Yao, would definitely curse her out.

The T-shirt had a very low neckline, which accentuated her collarbone and long neck, exuding a confident and sexy aura—Xiao Yao could even see about a third of her Northern Hemisphere.

Shen Jie noticed Xiao Yao's gaze, as if she could read his mind. She stretched out her arms and twirled in front of Xiao Yao's eyes: "Looks good, right? -- Oh, I know you don't allow me to wear this, so I wore it as pajamas in my room. There's no one here, so I brought it out to show you."

Xiao Yao had nothing to say, so he could only swallow silently and say softly, "It looks good."

As he spoke, he picked up his phone to take a picture.

Shen Jie complained, but she actually let him take pictures without any problem.

"If you dare tell anyone, I'll smash your head in!" the girl said kindly, then realized it was unnecessary.

Xiao Yao put down his phone, grinned, and came forward to hug her, but the girl nimbly dodged away: "No."

"?" Xiao Yao's eyes showed a look of doubt.

“If Yu Luying knew,” Shen Jie explained, “that after the three of us parted ways, we secretly went out again behind her back, how would she feel?”

Xiao Yao nodded slightly, agreeing that it made perfect sense.

Shen Jie remains as mature and sensible as ever, and she has already started caring about Yu Luying's feelings again.

“I’m not concerned about her,” Shen Jie said, as if she had seen through Xiao Yao’s thoughts. “I’m thinking about you. If she’s unhappy, the person she’ll argue with tomorrow won’t be me, it will be you. Even if she doesn’t argue with you, she’ll still give you the cold shoulder—I’m just a nobody anyway.”

Xiao Yao put on a touched expression because he was genuinely moved.

How should I put it? Xiao Yao was already very touched when Shen Jie said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I know you don't allow me to wear this, so I wear it as pajamas in my room."

Xiao Yao knew very well that, in terms of freedom of dress alone, Shen Jie had always been very considerate of his feelings since the first day they became a couple.

Well, at least generally speaking—although sometimes reluctantly, in the end they usually do…

Whether it's actively buying him clothes he likes or trying to avoid things he dislikes to a certain extent, it's all the same.

For example, the flesh-colored stockings she bought herself at the beginning, and those overly revealing clothes such as crop tops or short skirts, she rarely wore later.

The boy did not take this for granted, because as far as he knew, those who had girlfriends or had girlfriends—he had asked Brother Long, Little Bear, Daiyu, and others—their girlfriends or ex-girlfriends could not do this.

While lamenting the decline of morality and the loss of traditional values, Xiao Yao also became even more determined to cherish Shen Jie.

Even so, Shen Jie's actions are one thing, but her sharp tongue is another.

Xiao Yao always regarded this as her last source of pride.

But just now, she shamelessly said, "I know you don't allow me to dress like this, so I..."

This means that even in her words, she was completely open with herself.

"Hey, hey, what are you staring at?" Shen Jie waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"No, it's nothing." Xiao Yao shook his head. "Why did it take you so long to come out? I've been waiting for ages."

"I'm so sorry, Lucia suddenly got up in the middle of the night and sat in the bathroom for a while," Shen Jie said apologetically. "I was afraid she would find out, so I had to wait until she fell asleep again before sneaking back... I had already been told off for getting back so late..."

Lucia, it's Lucia again, Xiao Yao thought indignantly.

Is she your mother?

"I have a question for you," Shen Jie asked mysteriously, her expression seemingly a little embarrassed. "When I asked you what you were doing just now, you answered that you were thinking about me. Was that true or false?"

"Of course it's true," Xiao Yao readily agreed.

"What were you thinking? Could you be more specific?" Shen Jie asked.

"?" Xiao Yao was a little confused. What kind of strange question was this?

He thought for a moment, then truthfully answered and described how he had felt lying in bed alone, unable to sleep.

The boy talked about how uncomfortable he was sleeping alone, how he missed Shen Jie's soul and body, how he reminisced about his recent date with her, his restlessness and concerns, and his desire to live with Shen Jie forever. In short, he reported everything truthfully, except for the part about Yu Luying and his unease about Lu Jiya.

Xiao Yao's description was so bold, passionate, and direct that he believed the girl would—at least on the surface—fiercely ridicule, mock, and rebuke him.

But she didn't.

Shen Jie leaned forward slightly, leaned close to Xiao Yao's ear, and whispered, "Actually, I'm pretty much the same as you."

Xiao Yao felt a chill run down his spine.

The girl talked to him about the sudden flutter in her heart that she had felt while showering, about how she was tossing and turning in bed reminiscing about the date, and about her concerns about being in summer camp and having her roommate next to her.

Therefore, on a whim, she asked him out.

Gazing at Shen Jie's pure and lovely face, and listening to her speak so frankly and unreservedly about her shameless thoughts, Xiao Yao felt a strong sense of incongruity and contrast.

Or...would it be better to be a little more reserved in your words?

But have we really become this... coordinated?

“But there’s nothing we can do even if we meet,” Xiao Yao pointed out. “We can only sit here and look at each other.”

"Isn't that enough?" Shen Jie said softly, "Just sitting together like this, talking, or even just sitting here without saying a word, feels... much more comfortable."

Xiao Yao's lips moved slightly.

So she already likes me that much?

How is this possible?

What have I done to deserve this?

The boy was about to cry.

“That’s how it is,” Xiao Yao said, his voice trembling slightly.

He seemed to see the message "Strategy progress 100%" above Shen Jie's head, and for a moment he was at a loss.

Both reason and emotion are cheering for this, but there is also a sense of unreality that it's "too fast," a sense of unease that "I'm not ready yet," and a kind of self-deprecating feeling of "I haven't had enough fun yet, how did I finish the game?"... It's hard to say what it is.

She could now tell him everything without any reservations, Xiao Yao thought.

Whether it's the thoughtfulness of "because you won't let me, so I will...", the lust of a young girl in love, or the love of "I feel at peace as long as I'm with you."

This feeling is like that of an old married couple who have been together for many years. The wife doesn't hide from her husband when she's using the toilet—she doesn't even close the door. It's like a book laid out in front of you. While it makes you feel safe and trusting, it also makes you miss the mystery and anticipation of the past.

...Don't think too much about it. Just reciprocate her love.

"What's with that silly grin on your face?" Shen Jie scolded playfully.

The motion-sensor lights in the hallway went out.

Hearing his own and the other person's heavy breathing, Xiao Yao moved a little closer to the seat.

The book says that hormone secretion increases in the latter half of the night, which may be true.

Increased hormone levels don't necessarily mean doing strange things, but they can also mean saying inappropriate things.

Both boys and girls—if it were daytime, Shen Jie probably wouldn't have said those things, right?

Xiao Yao also wanted to say something.

The boy and Shen Jie drew ever closer, yet their bodies never touched.

He desperately tried to control his urge to embrace her.

"I want to marry you..." Xiao Yao said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, the motion-sensor light lit up with curiosity and excitement.

"Huh?" Shen Jie said.

“We’ll get baptized next Easter… no, this year, and then we’ll secretly ask Brother Bo to arrange our marriage, and then, and then…”

Shen Jie smiled strangely: "Are you serious?"

Xiao Yao was stunned for a moment before realizing that Brother Bo was probably going to beat him to death.

Shen Jie yawned widely: "Alright, let's go back."

"I do not……"

……

Xiao Yao had only slept for two or three hours when Gao Sijun woke him up.

His head was throbbing with pain, and he couldn't remember whether his rendezvous with Shen Jie in the stairwell that night was real or just a fleeting dream.

I vaguely remember sitting in the hallway for a long time until my bottom got ice cold.

At first, they knew what they were talking about, but later they lost track of what they were talking about. When they got tired and sleepy, they stopped talking for a while and just looked at each other.

I wonder how long it will take before I get tired of looking at this face.

Finally, at Shen Jie's suggestion, they played a game of "staring into each other's eyes and seeing who laughs first."

That's really childish.

How did I end up getting back?

I've got it! I'll check my phone and see if it's a dream or not.

"Mass has started," Gao Sijun called out to Xiao Yao again when he saw that Xiao Yao was still in a daze. "It's too late."

No, what time is it?! I didn't have morning reading sessions this early when I was in the third year of junior high at Dongru High School!

"Ah," Xiao Yao replied instinctively, "Can I not go?"

Gao Sijun looked at him like he was an alien.