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

"What?" Shen Jie asked.

Xiao Yao picked up his cup, turned to the side, took Shen Jie's arm, and crossed their arms together.

"What are you doing... You think you're so clever?" Shen Jie smiled and downed her "Bloody Mary" in one gulp.

Xiao Yao finished his "Bloody Mary" and said, "What are you doing? We should have finished it together."

"You've got so many tricks up your sleeve," Shen Jie said. "I'll definitely do it next time."

Xiao Yao released Shen Jie's arm and turned his gaze back to the stage.

"Isn't that little girl cute? Do you like her?" Shen Jie asked from behind him.

"It's alright, but it's a pity," Xiao Yao said.

Shen Jie encouraged, "It's no pity. If you're envious, you can ask her to sing one with you and sing it for me."

"Forget it," Xiao Yao said, convinced this was a sting operation. "What do you want to hear? I'll sing it for you right here."

“I want to see you on stage,” Shen Jie tilted her head and insisted.

"You should practice your singing well. I want to stand on the stage with you in the future," Xiao Yao said.

“I don’t need to practice singing to stand on stage and dance for you,” Shen Jie said. “After seeing that little girl, I don’t really want to practice singing anymore.”

“No, you have to keep going, because I want to hear you sing for me,” Xiao Yao said.

"...Which song do you want to hear the most? I'll practice it for you when I have time," Shen Jie said after a short silence.

"Really?" Xiao Yao was overjoyed: "Then let's do 'I Want to Sing This Song to You'. You only need to practice the female part."

"I want to sing this song for you... Wait a minute, let me write it down."

The two of them sat on the boat, chatting idly, until the moon was bright and the stars were few, until the singing girls finished their shifts and the beach became less and less crowded.

Yu Luying sent a text message saying that she had taken a taxi back to the hotel to sleep. Xiao Yao was a little worried about her safety, but since she had already left, the young man could only tell her to "send me a message when you get to the hotel".

“I’ve been wanting to ask you this, but I’ve been forgetting to,” Xiao Yao said, fiddling with Shen Jie’s hair in his arms. “What’s with that veil you wear every day during Mass and in the Communion?”

“The Mass headscarf, Lucia gave it to me, she brought it back from abroad.” Shen Jie’s voice was slightly tipsy. “It seems to be a church tradition or a biblical rule, to cover your hair during prayer or something.”

"So, what does it mean?"

"It seems to be a sign of obedience. Lucia told me that, but I don't remember the exact words."

"Obedience?" Xiao Yao asked curiously, "Obedience to whom?"

"God? Angels?" Shen Jie looked up at Xiao Yao: "And men?"

“I’m starting to like this fierce woman,” Xiao Yao said.

“I knew it, you get all excited when you hear about this kind of thing,” Shen Jie said. “Stop being so mean to your wife. I think Lucia has the potential to be a saint, really.”

"Probably."

“Unlike you, you have nothing, all you know is male chauvinism,” Shen Jie teased.

Hearing the words "nothing to offer," Xiao Yao was a little unhappy, but then he had a sudden idea and said, "I have you, so you're qualified now, aren't you?"

“Yes, she’s qualified,” Shen Jie said.

Just then, a strong gust of wind blew by, and Xiao Yao suddenly felt a chill on his body.

"Are you cold?" Xiao Yao hugged the girl in his arms even tighter.

"I...I'm fine," Shen Jie said.

"What time is it? Do you want to go back?" Xiao Yao asked.

"Whatever you want, I don't care, I'm fine with anything," Shen Jie said.

"Shall we sit a little longer?"

"Ah."

"Hey, Shen Jie." Xiao Yao nudged the girl's arm again.

"Ah."

“After summer camp ends and we return to Shanghai,” Xiao Yao said, his eyes not looking at Shen Jie, but fixed on a beach umbrella not far away, “let’s find an opportunity to sneak back home, go to Tianyun’s room, and take care of things.”

"What do you need to do?" Shen Jie asked curiously.

"What did you say?" Xiao Yao's eyes continued to dart around the umbrella: "Getting married, in fact."

Shen Jie did not speak.

Xiao Yao waited for more than ten seconds: "Shen Jie?"

"Whatever you want, I don't care, I'm fine with anything," Shen Jie said.

What kind of attitude is this? Be serious and attentive!

“You haven’t received any divine inspiration in this regard,” Shen Jie continued to criticize.

“Who said there aren’t any?” Xiao Yao argued, “But we’re husband and wife, it’s legal.”

"Which law does it comply with, secular law or canon law? Is there any proof?"

Believe it or not, I actually have one.

“We all know that time is no longer linear,” Xiao Yao said. “Since we can repeatedly travel between the present and the future, perhaps from a theological perspective, the efficacy of the sacrament of marriage can also be traced back in time…”

“You’re making it sound so real,” Shen Jie lightly kicked him. “If I didn’t know you, I would have believed you.”

"Hehe," Xiao Yao said.

“If we’re going back, we should be careful,” Shen Jie said. “Although Tianyun keeps saying there’s nothing wrong, she can’t see what’s outside the house.”

"Yes, better safe than sorry." Xiao Yao nodded, then thought of something else: "There's something I've been wanting to ask you, but I don't know if I can."

"If you don't know, don't ask," Shen Jie said with a cheerful expression.

"Ugh, why do you never play by the rules?" Xiao Yao complained.

"Since you can't help but ask, then go ahead and ask," Shen Jie said with a gentle smile.

"Promise me you won't get angry," Xiao Yao said.

Shen Jie frowned slightly, wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing: "Okay, go ahead and ask."

“Yes, your future self mentioned to me that in her memory,” Xiao Yao carefully chose his words, “during your recent trip home, your father—no, District Chief Zhang—sent someone to verify your identity. Is that true?”

Shen Jie's expression changed.

“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to,” Xiao Yao waved his hands repeatedly. “Actually, I’ve been wanting to know what happened to you while you were at home, but I was afraid you…”

"That's true," Shen Jie interrupted him. "And then?"

"There's nothing else, I just wanted to check on you..." Xiao Yao said in a slightly anxious tone.

“If that’s the kind of concern you’re looking for, you could have kept it from me,” Shen Jie said curtly. “If you’ve had a forensic examination, you wouldn’t want to keep reliving it, would you?”

"Forensic doctor?!" Xiao Yao exclaimed in surprise.

Chapter 305 A Little Thing That Was Unforgettable

2023-08-21

Shen Jie said stiffly, "If you've had a physical examination by a forensic doctor, you wouldn't always want to recall it, would you?"

"A forensic pathologist?!" Xiao Yao exclaimed in surprise, "A female forensic pathologist?"

Forensic medicine is not a profession of healing the sick and saving lives. Xiao Yao had heard Yu Bo say that you can't do this job without being able to eat two roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers) while looking at a pot of pork that had been left outside for a week during the hottest days of summer.

Female forensic pathologists—how many are there in all of Shanghai? No, how many are there in all of China?

Xiao Yao's mind was buzzing, and he was momentarily stunned.

Liang Yanan...

No wonder she had Shen Jie's address.

No wonder she knows the internal structure of Shen Jie's community and residence like the back of her hand.

No wonder Liang Yanan was vague and unwilling to give a direct answer when he asked her how she knew Shen Jie's address.

“What female forensic doctor? It’s a man.” Shen Jie interrupted Xiao Yao’s thoughts.

Xiao Yao: "?!"

Shen Jie's lips curled up as she observed Xiao Yao's changing expressions, finding it quite amusing.

Xiao Yao didn't notice Shen Jie's subtle expression and hurriedly asked, "Short hair doesn't necessarily mean it's a man, and a deep voice doesn't necessarily mean it's a man. Is that person disabled? Does he have a prosthetic limb? Does he have a fake eye?"

Seeing him like this, Shen Jie stopped holding back and burst out laughing.

Then, she gently patted his forehead: "Just kidding, you're a girl."

"Wori."

After teasing Xiao Yao, Shen Jie felt a little better and wasn't so resistant to the topic anymore. She tilted her head and thought for a while: "As for what you said about whether I'm disabled—I think so, but I'm not sure, I haven't paid much attention."

"Is your surname Liang?" Xiao Yao continued to ask.

"I don't know. Do you think they're here to make friends with me?" Shen Jie suddenly realized, "Is it someone you know?"