"The day after tomorrow, we have to go back, I really don't want to leave." Jiang Shuyi said, embracing Wen Yao and pulling her close.

Every time she held Wen Yao like this, she felt extremely comfortable.

"Is there anywhere else you want to go?" Wen Yao rested her head on Jiang Shuyi's shoulder, her voice soft and seemingly lacking in energy.

"I don't want to go anywhere else, I just want to be with you like this." Jiang Shuyi said with a mischievous smile, playfully biting Wen Yao's lip.

"... You're really turning into an animal, Jiang Shuyi." Wen Yao remarked with a pause in her voice.

Jiang Shuyi pouted at her, applying a little pressure with her hands. "If I'm an animal, then so are you."

"I'm not." Wen Yao gasped.

Seeing Wen Yao's reaction, Jiang Shuyi whispered in her ear, "You're lying, you clearly like it too."

". . ." Wen Yao turned her head away, pretending not to hear.

Jiang Shuyi affirmed softly, "You definitely like it."

Wen Yao let out a slow breath, "I don't."

"Professor Wen," Jiang Shuyi asked like a diligent student in a classroom, "Why do you always lie?"

"Jiang Shuyi," Wen Yao called her name sharply, her tone very stern.

Jiang Shuyi smiled, gently pulling Wen Yao closer and kissing the mole on her neck, unable to help but laugh, "Your face is so red..."

---

After a few affectionate moments and soaking in the warm water pool for a while, the two of them slowly got up and walked to the restaurant on the upper floor of the hotel to eat.

They sat in the outdoor garden, surrounded by many purple and white hydrangeas.

As they waited for the waiter, Jiang Shuyi leaned on Wen Yao's shoulder and didn't let go.

Looking at Jiang Shuyi's face, Wen Yao sighed helplessly, "Aren't you feeling hot at all?"

"I'm fine, I like being close to you. If you really don't like it," Jiang Shuyi glanced at Wen Yao, lowering her head with a pitiful expression, "I can let go."

Wen Yao felt that she had been getting more and more spoiled recently.

"It's hard for me to eat like this." Wen Yao stated calmly.

"It doesn't matter, I can feed you. Here," Jiang Shuyi said with a smile, using her fork to pick up a piece of beef and bring it to Wen Yao's lips.

". . ." Wen Yao hesitated.

"Just open your mouth." Jiang Shuyi urged.

"Don't you care about what others think?" Wen Yao sighed and, feeling defeated, bit into the piece of beef.

Jiang Shuyi chuckled and happily kissed Wen Yao's cheek.

"Maybe it's because when I'm with you, I can only see you, so I don't care about what others think."

Jiang Shuyi's smile shone in the light.

". . ." Wen Yao lowered her head and didn't respond.

"I feel so happy now." Jiang Shuyi glanced at her own ring, then at Wen Yao's face.

"After dinner, would you like to go for a walk?" Jiang Shuyi whispered in Wen Yao's ear.

Wen Yao nodded.

"Mm."

---

After dinner, Jiang Shuyi took Wen Yao by taxi to an old street. It was an ordinary little road with nothing particularly special about it.

This place wasn't in the city center, it was surrounded by residential areas, with a school nearby. It seemed like school had just let out, as many students in uniforms were walking along the road.

Pedestrians on the street seemed to be leisurely strolling.

This road was probably built quite some time ago, the walls around it were covered with red grapevines. The interplay of the setting sun's glow and the shadows of residential buildings, along with the color of the red grapevines, gave a sense of tranquility in the heat of summer.

Jiang Shuyi held Wen Yao's hand, walking on this road with a sense of nostalgia.

"Why did you bring me here?" Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi.

It was hard to imagine how Jiang Shuyi knew about this place.

"Well..." Jiang Shuyi, as if unsure how to explain, suddenly hugged Wen Yao from behind. "Just wanted to show you."

"Show me what?" Wen Yao looked at Jiang Shuyi with confusion.

"...That." Jiang Shuyi pointed not far away.

A couple with a child got out of a car, looking like they had just picked up their child from kindergarten.

"That child is me, and the two people next to the child are my mom and dad..."

". . ." Jiang Shuyi turned quietly to look at Wen Yao. "Just wanted to show you this."

Wen Yao watched the couple for a moment.

The couple seemed to be around thirty, looking very young. Wen Yao looked at the three of them, then at Jiang Shuyi standing beside her, noticing a striking resemblance.

It wasn't just their appearances but also a certain similarity in their aura.

The couple walked slowly alongside their child, smiling on their faces.

The little girl tugged at the woman's hand, rubbed her eyes as if being cute, and the woman lifted her under her arm.

The woman called the child's name, pointed to her face, and the girl leaned in to give her a kiss.

It looked like a very warm family...

Wen Yao cleared her throat slightly, "But, that child's name seems different from yours."

"Ah, they are my biological parents." Jiang Shuyi looked at the parents holding the child.

"When I was six, there was an accident at home. After my adoptive parents took me back to the Jiang family, my name was changed to that of my adoptive parents' child who passed away."

— Adoptive parents' child who passed away.

Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi, "So Aunt Tang and Uncle Jiang..."

Jiang Shuyi nodded, "They are my adoptive parents."

Wen Yao didn't feel particularly surprised.

Jiang Shuyi interacted with Tang Wenzhen and Jiang Haichao without any awkwardness.

When Jiang Shuyi walked with Tang Wenzhen, she would often link arms with Tang Wenzhen's right arm, when she walked with Jiang Haichao, she would frequently hold Jiang Haichao's left arm. This indicated that Jiang Shuyi often walked between these two individuals.

At least, from their daily interactions, Wen Yao felt that Jiang Shuyi must be very familiar with these two people.

She used to think it was just Jiang Shuyi's personality, but she never expected this kind of relationship.

Her classmate Jiang Shuyi and her student Jiang Shuyi.

Two people of different ages, sharing a similar appearance, a similar family background, and the same name.

". . ." Wen Yao felt her emotions were somewhat complex.

"I know what you're thinking, but in the end, I have two sets of parents." Jiang Shuyi leaned her head on Wen Yao's shoulder.

"Both my dads and moms are really good to me. Although they can be a bit overprotective, they truly treat me as if I'm fragile, like I might break if mishandled or melt if spoken harshly to."

"So, it's actually not bad..."

"What about your grandfather?" Wen Yao asked quietly.

Jiang Shuyi took a deep breath and turned to look at Wen Yao, "You're quite perceptive."

". . ."

Wen Yao asked this question only because, even though Jiang Shuyi's family members were kind to her, she noticed Jiang Shuyi seemed particularly afraid of her grandfather.

Jiang Shuyi pursed her lips.

"Actually, it's not so bad. When I was little, he often called me 'cuckoo.' But I didn't understand it back then, I just felt it wasn't a nice word."

Wen Yao furrowed her brows.

"... I ended up avoiding him, so I rarely saw him." Jiang Shuyi said.

She placed her finger on Wen Yao's forehead, relaxing her furrowed brow, "You're going to get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that."

Jiang Shuyi smiled, "I've heard that in families where parents are strict, children feel freer, but my parents have always spoiled me. They've never scolded me even once, I was the kind of child who was loved all the time."

"Don't even mention fireworks, they wouldn't even let me touch a fruit knife."

"So, sometimes I actually feel less free, but other than that, I am very happy." Jiang Shuyi smiled a little.

A couple with a child in the distance slowly walked away.

Several white birds flew over their heads, and the sky slowly began to turn deep blue. Jiang Shuyi held Wen Yao's hand and slowly walked back towards the main road. Their shadows changed a lot after the light shone through.

"After everything changed, a lot of things became different."

"My parents didn't have an accident, and the original owner didn't die."

"And also..."

"You're now within my reach."

Jiang Shuyi reached out her left hand, smiled, and said, "I even received this..."

Jiang Shuyi raised her head to look into Wen Yao's eyes and couldn't help but pause for a moment, "Hey? Are you feeling sorry for me?"

". . ." Wen Yao lowered her head and didn't respond.

Jiang Shuyi playfully hugged Wen Yao tightly, leaning in like a big dog to kiss her chin.

"For me, all of this happened a long time ago. I just wanted you to understand me better."

Wen Yao looked at Jiang Shuyi and sighed.

Without saying anything, she pulled down Jiang Shuyi's collar and gently kissed her lips.

The soft scent of roses silently enveloped Jiang Shuyi. This kiss was long, so long that it seemed as if time was about to stop.

At the same time, it was very heartfelt, more gentle and warm than any of their previous kisses.

Their faces gradually parted.

Wen Yao gazed at her quietly, as if unsure of what to say, and finally said, "I love you very much."

Jiang Shuyi smiled at her, looking radiant under the light.

---

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