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

"I think you were the one who found that letter for me, right?" Xiao Yao said. "It's my own grandfather. Ah, now I can't even see him anymore. 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,' as the saying goes."

"Is this how you use poetry?" In the end, Yu Luying reluctantly agreed to go together, then said she wanted to go back to her room to sleep for a while and told Xiao Yao to go find Shen Jie to play.

Xiao Yao obeyed and arranged to meet Shen Jie at a fisherman's wharf not too far away, about a kilometer away.

It felt like meeting with an underground intelligence agent or an undercover agent, Xiao Yao thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

"By the way, why were you in the same group as Lucia yesterday?" Xiao Yao and Shen Jie sat side by side on the dock, Shen Jie's little feet dangling above the sea.

“Because Lu Ziya is as old-fashioned as you and doesn’t want to touch a boy’s hand, she applied to be in my group,” Shen Jie told Xiao Yao. “She even got angry with the logistics team.”

“A fierce woman is a fierce woman,” Xiao Yao said. “But it’s a good thing she lost her temper with the logistics team, otherwise I would have been the one losing my temper with the logistics team.”

"Why are you getting angry? I really don't understand you. They're just organizing an event, am I your private property?" Shen Jie said irritably.

"So do you think it's okay to hold hands with a guy you don't know?" Xiao Yao's voice rose half an octave.

“Okay, okay, if you think it’s wrong, then it’s wrong,” Shen Jie leaned on his shoulder and gently touched Xiao Yao’s chest. “Don’t worry, I won’t let any male touch me, not even a tomcat.”

"No, male cats are out of the question," Xiao Yao said. "You're allowed to pet them."

“When I get into society, if any man tries to shake my hand,” Shen Jie said seriously, “I’ll slap him across the face.”

Xiao Yao laughed and said, "But there is still physical contact, it's still touching the face."

“Hey, I suddenly realized,” Shen Jie said mysteriously, “that you and my surrogate mother are actually quite compatible.”

“I refuse,” Xiao Yao said.

"Oh, so you're going to take her just because she's good-looking?" Shen Jie said.

“No, that won’t happen,” Xiao Yao said. “Didn’t I not want Zhao Xiaomei either?”

"You call Zhao Xiaomei pretty?" Shen Jie said dismissively.

“You can’t compare yourself to yourself,” Xiao Yao said. “You have to compare yourself to the average.”

"Oh, is that so—that's terrible taste, boss."

Several seagulls flew close to the sea surface, and Xiao Yao heard the sound of their flapping wings and cries.

The boy lowered his head to the lower right and closed his eyes.

Chapter 308 Now, who is the young lady?

2023-08-25

Several seagulls flew past skimming the foam, and Xiao Yao heard the sound of their flapping wings and cries.

The boy lowered his head to the lower right and closed his eyes.

At the same time, his hands began to wander, roaming over the girl's calves.

The reason they only hit the calves was partly because anyone who went over the knees would get hit, and partly because the pier was indeed a public place with many people coming and going.

Although they were sitting on the concrete with their feet dangling over the sea, making them difficult to see from this angle, the church also says that temperance is a virtue, right?

Today, Shen Jie wore two thin, printed white stockings, which were quite unusual for her. At first glance, they looked a bit like newspaper, but upon closer inspection, the embroidery and fine stitches became clear.

In summary, it's both beautiful and soft to the touch; it's chubby and kids love it.

Xu Qingwei doesn't usually wear this style; Yu Luying wears it more often, though. Today, she's wearing a black dress that at first glance looks a bit like a maid outfit, but upon closer inspection, it's not; only the style and color are slightly similar.

The hem of the skirt was a little above the knee, revealing round knees encased in white socks. On one knee, a small patch bulged out of the sock—that was a band-aid.

In fact, Xiao Yao had hinted to Shen Jie several times before, intentionally or unintentionally, that he hoped she would consider (like Yu Luying, of course, without saying it out loud) wearing only skirts and pants below the knee, but Shen Jie never responded.

She would emphasize the reasons for her clothing style: firstly, she is short, and the visual effect of wearing long skirts is not very good, for example, Guo Jingming wearing a long trench coat; secondly, she only brought these clothes with her when she escaped, and she can't spend money recklessly (she is not very comfortable with having affordable clothes in her wardrobe) – in fact, all of the above are excuses, the real reason is that she, as a woman, is unwilling, that's all.

With so many pressing matters to deal with, Xiao Yao wasn't in the mood to argue with Shen Jie about this, so he let her be. Shen Jie promised Xiao Yao she would try not to wear overly revealing clothes when going out, and she mostly kept her word afterward.

“Your veil is really pretty. It suddenly reminded me of the woman in ‘Greater Glory’ who wore one when she went to church,” Xiao Yao said.

"Hmm." Shen Jie was already used to Xiao Yao's erratic thinking and the randomness of his topic changes.

The girl wore small, round-toed, black leather shoes—not the lost and found Dior pair, but a pair Xiao Yao hadn't seen before. These shoes were what's commonly known as "big-toe shoes" or "doll shoes," with two straps across the instep, dividing her small instep into two distinct sections. Her heels were thick, and the hidden platform was also very thick—a style typical of Shen Jie—Yu Luying never wore shoes like that.

"Okay," Shen Jie said, "I can't breathe."

Xiao Yao bent down slightly and used his fingertips to probe Shen Jie's instep, the small rectangular courtyard, stroking the raised print on it: "Actually, when I came here yesterday and saw that you were partnered with Lu Jiaya, I was a little disappointed. I thought it would have been better if it were a boy."

He had expected Shen Jie to ask him "why" in a strange way, or to ridicule him mercilessly, but to his surprise, she simply nodded and said, "I can understand."

In an instant, Xiao Yao felt that Shen Jie, who was always confident and mature like an adult, had returned.

"I've told you before, haven't I? When I was in junior high, I had a crush on a girl in my class." Xiao Yao took off one of Shen Jie's shoes and placed it next to him.

“You’re going to talk about your glorious past again,” Shen Jie said with feigned lament. “Can’t you just stop talking about your ex to your current partner?”

“She’s not my ex. I don’t have an ex. You’re my first love,” Xiao Yao explained. “It was one-sided between us. She didn’t agree to date me, but the whole class knew I liked her, and everyone assumed we were a couple. Some mischievous kids would even tease her and call her Mrs. Xiao or something.”

"You boys are so annoying in this respect. We were like that in junior high too, always stirring up trouble," Shen Jie commented.

"What, you've been forcibly tied to someone who's pursuing you too?" Xiao Yao lifted Shen Jie's two calves and placed them on his thighs.

“Zhang Zhengkai,” Shen Jie said.

"No, I meant when I was in junior high." Xiao Yao touched Shen Jie's soles; they were wet.

"No, not at all," Shen Jie thought for a moment and said, "because too many people are pursuing me."

"Showing off subtly, is that it?" Xiao Yao sniffed his palm, but found it had no smell at all.

“What’s so great about that?” Shen Jie said. “Go on with your story.”

"Weren't we in military training back then?" Xiao Yao continued to gently stroke the girl's socks; she didn't seem to be too ticklish.

“Okay.” Shen Jie nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Later, during a training exercise, our class lost to another class," Xiao Yao said.

"Mm," Shen Jie said.

"Then the instructor said that the losing class would have to accept a small punishment." Xiao Yao suddenly felt that Shen Jie's calves were very hot. Even through the stockings and trousers, he could feel a noticeable warmth coming from her legs, like touching the heat vents of a laptop—but it was different, warm and comfortable.

Xiao Yao thought to himself, "I should have known better than to wear long pants today."

"Should I punish the whole class by making them do ten push-ups?" Shen Jie laughed. "Three of the girls?"

“Hmph, no,” Xiao Yao shook his head and said, “The instructor said that our class should send one boy and one girl.”

"Huh?" Shen Jie said.

"Then no one volunteered," Shen Jie's bare leg slipped between Xiao Yao's legs at some point. "So the instructor picked two himself, one boy who I usually get along with, and one girl."

“I understand,” Shen Jie said. “That girl is the one you like—and then what did the instructor make them do?”

"At the time, I didn't know either. I just stared at it, confused, just like everyone else," Xiao Yao said.

Shen Jie felt her socks slipping down, so she reached up and pulled them up at her calves and knees: "I think I can guess what happens next."

"Then the instructor made the two of them stand in front of everyone. Our whole class was sitting on the floor," Xiao Yao said, gesturing as he spoke. "Then he directed the two of them to put their four arms together like this and do this kind of movement."

As Xiao Yao spoke, he pulled Shen Jie along and tried to recreate the complicated movement from that time.

"So, it's like they're putting their arms around each other, kind of intimate, right?" Shen Jie understood.

“Our Dongru is a rural area, unlike your big city of Shanghai, and it’s only junior high school, so it’s even more conservative,” Xiao Yao explained. “So for us, this level is already very… very…”

“I know,” Shen Jie said gently. “So why didn’t you stand up and stop it back then? Was it because you felt you weren’t qualified, or… did you chicken out? Or…”

“All the reasons you mentioned are true,” Xiao Yao admitted. “Well, many times, the occasion, the atmosphere, the environment simply don’t allow you to refuse certain things or do certain things. You know what I mean?”

"You even know how to read the air." Shen Jie smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, please continue." Shen Jie shifted her posture expressionlessly—she propped herself up slightly with one hand, secretly pulling her skirt up a little, and then pulled up her stockings at the top of her thighs: "So last night's activities also gave you this feeling, this... air."

“But these aren’t the main issues,” Xiao Yao said. “The main issue is that it was all too fast, and I didn’t have time to react. In just a few seconds, with lightning speed, everything happened. The two of them just put their arms around each other in front of me, then separated and went back to the group. It all happened in just a few seconds. I didn’t have time to react at all. By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late.”

Shen Jie reached for the other thigh-high stocking, only to find that Xiao Yao was holding that leg tightly: "Loosen up—okay, continue."

"What did you talk about? That's all, I'm done." Xiao Yao watched as Shen Jie pulled up her socks and then clipped them back up. "It was just a little unforgettable thing. The classmates watched a good show, and forgot about it as soon as the military training ended that day. The person involved probably didn't care either. I don't know, I'm just guessing. I'm the only one who's depressed to death, like I've been stabbed in the back, like I've been humiliated in front of everyone, like I've been cuckolded."

"How is that being cuckolded?" Shen Jie said, "What does it have to do with you? Isn't it all just wishful thinking on your part?"

“Yes, I understand the logic, but it’s hard not to feel frustrated,” Xiao Yao explained. “After all, I really liked her back then. Everyone knew I liked her, and everyone thought we were a couple. But she—whether she was forced or didn’t care—just walked around with her arm around someone’s shoulder in front of everyone.”

"I understand," Shen Jie said.

"I always wish I could react faster and be braver, so I could stand up in public and say, 'No, instructor, please don't do this, I object!'" Xiao Yao said.

“That would be so cool,” Shen Jie said.

“So, now you understand me,” Xiao Yao said.

“I knew it from the beginning,” Shen Jie smiled. “You’re not the same person you were in junior high. You stood up yesterday. You have the speed to react and the courage to say no, and you’ve come to my side, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” Xiao Yao nodded and said, “I’m glad I did it. Although I only realized afterwards that it was unnecessary, I would still rush to your side if I had to do it again.”

“I’m also very glad you did that, protecting me at all costs,” Shen Jie said with a smile. “Although Lu Ziya protected me before you did yesterday, don’t be unhappy about it. After all, you stood up for me, and I saw it, that’s enough, isn’t it?”

"Ah."

“So you didn’t do anything meaningless. If it weren’t for Lucia, then I would really need your protection,” Shen Jie told Xiao Yao.