Chapter 74 - 73: The Wife is Totally Inadequate

Chapter 74: Chapter 73: The Wife is Totally Inadequate ... "Huh?" Yan Xiaobao’s face fell, full of grievances. He had finally managed to see Wife Xiao Wan, thinking they could enjoy some "honeymoon after a brief separation," only for his hopes to be dashed. Su Xiaowan walked up to Yan Xiaobao and whispered, "Hubby, you’ve been off the island for so long. Hasn’t anyone done that happy thing with you? You’re really itching for it, huh?" "Yes, yes!" Yan Xiaobao nodded eagerly. "Wife Xiao Wan, just spend a little time with me..." Su Xiaowan shook her head. "You have to hold back that desire to succeed quickly with the two sisters." "But I really miss Wife Xiao Wan..." Yan Xiaobao continued to plead. "I miss you too, hubby. But as the saying goes, ’True love stands the test of time, it doesn’t depend on constant togetherness.’ Anyway, I’m here in Binhai, not going anywhere, and certainly not becoming someone else’s wife, so stop dwelling on me for now." Su Xiaowan smiled brightly and tilted her head, planting a gentle kiss on Yan Xiaobao’s cheek as a consolation. "Alright then..." Yan Xiaobao finally stopped pestering. "Wife Xiao Wan, go ahead with your tasks. I’ll find you when school starts, okay?" "Alright! Bye, hubby." Su Xiaowan strode toward the door, waving to Xia Rou and Han Ruobing as she did. "Goodbye, sisters. Next time we meet, let’s have a family meal together." Han Ruobing: "..." Xia Rou: "..." ... Wife Xiao Wan went to handle her own matters. Wife Rourou headed off to do medical checkups for a patient. Wife Bingbing returned to the Patrol Office to work on a case. Yan Xiaobao instantly found himself transformed into a "lonely soul," wandering aimlessly amongst the bustling streets while "pondering life." Heavenly Sister was far away in the corners of the earth, and airline stewardess Wife Tiantian was who-knows-where flying across foreign skies. Chen Long’s sister hadn’t come to Binhai yet, and he hadn’t met her either. That left only the Reserve Concubine, Ye Shanshan. Given that Ye Shanshan hadn’t yet reached wife material standard and was merely a candidate, Yan Xiaobao wasn’t particularly keen on seeing her. And so, Yan Xiaobao mournfully realized: he had too few wives—nowhere near enough! He had to hurry up and find a few more wives to keep him company... While entertaining these thoughts, his phone rang. To his surprise, while he wasn’t planning to reach out to Ye Shanshan, Ye Shanshan decided to seek him out instead. "Hubby, where are you? Quick, come save me!" Ye Shanshan exclaimed hurriedly over the phone. "Why are you calling me?" Yan Xiaobao muttered in a grumpy tone. "You’re not even my wife yet..." "If you don’t come soon to help me, I’ll get snatched up as someone else’s wife!" "Who dares? Clearly, they’ve got a death wish! Where are you? I’ll be there immediately!" Yan Xiaobao exploded in anger. Though he hadn’t officially deemed Ye Shanshan his wife yet, there was absolutely no way anyone else could take her away! "I’m at Century Square, Mingdian Cafe. Hurry over!" Just earlier that day, Xia Rou had taken him to Century Square for a stroll. Familiar with the way and not far from the location, Yan Xiaobao sprinted straight there. As soon as he entered Mingdian Cafe, Yan Xiaobao spotted Ye Shanshan signaling him with a wave. Striding over in large steps, Yan Xiaobao instantly noticed Ye Shanshan seated with two men and one woman at the same table. Without hesitation, he shouted, "Who dares..." Ye Shanshan stopped him by tugging his arm, cutting him off. "Let me make introductions: This is my high school classmate Li Zhigang and his teammate Yao Hongtao; this is Yao Hongtao’s girlfriend, Yang Shilan. And this here is... my friend, Yan Xiaobao." Yan Xiaobao looked at Ye Shanshan suspiciously. With this setup, it didn’t look like she was about to be snatched away as someone else’s wife... Ye Shanshan gave him a pointed glance. "Just take a seat for now." Obediently sitting down, Yan Xiaobao didn’t ask many questions. No matter who overstepped with his wife—even a Reserve Concubine—they’d be dealt with swiftly! Ye Shanshan ordered a coffee for Yan Xiaobao, and the group resumed their chat. "After failing my college entrance exam that year, I switched to being a sports special student, specializing in badminton. The following year, I got into Binhai Sports College," Li Zhigang recounted his story: "A year later, I performed well in the university competitions and caught the attention of the Binhai University Sports Faculty’s badminton coach. So, come summer school opening, I’ll be joining you in the sports faculty at Binhai University, Shanshan. Don’t worry—I’ll take good care of you!" "With me here, why do you need to take care of Shanshan?" Yan Xiaobao finally caught on—it was this Li Zhigang who intended to snatch away his Reserve Concubine wife. "Shanshan is my girlfriend; of course, I’ll be the one to look after her," Li Zhigang retorted, realizing he’d underestimated Yan Xiaobao and refusing to back down. "You’re just Shanshan’s ordinary friend." "Are you out of your mind?" Yan Xiaobao looked at Li Zhigang as though addressing an idiot. "When did Shanshan ever become your girlfriend?" "Three years ago, back when Shanshan and I were in high school, she already became my girlfriend. If you don’t believe me, ask Shanshan herself!" Li Zhigang said smugly, gazing triumphantly at Yan Xiaobao. To him, Ye Shanshan was his first love, and everyone knows that first love is the hardest to forget, giving him a significant edge—or so he thought! "Shanshan, is this true?" Yan Xiaobao turned to Ye Shanshan. "Well..." Ye Shanshan faltered, unsure of how to reply. Back then, there had indeed been a faintly budding affection between her and Li Zhigang. They’d even shared a few meals together, and their classmates had privately labeled them a pair, but that was the extent of it. During that period, they were just youths in the throes of adolescent confusion. She might have felt a faint liking toward Li Zhigang, but now, after three years had passed since their last meeting, those feelings were nowhere to be found. Ye Shanshan found herself torn: If she denied it, she feared wounding Li Zhigang’s pride. After all, they’d been close friends as classmates. But if she admitted it, she felt the so-called "relationship" from back then hardly counted as anything significant. And presently, she was still in the assessment period as a "Reserve Concubine"—how could she openly discuss her "past romantic entanglements" with someone else in front of Yan Xiaobao? Seeing Ye Shanshan so conflicted, awkward tension hung in the air. Taking the opportunity, Yang Shilan, Yao Hongtao’s girlfriend, stepped in to lighten the mood. "Why don’t we focus on the food first? I really love the vanilla mousse here—give it a try." Yang Shilan’s interjection eased the atmosphere somewhat. "Yan Xiaobao, how old are you?" Yang Shilan redirected the conversation toward Yan Xiaobao. "Twenty. How about you?" Yan Xiaobao habitually answered a question with another question. "I’m twenty-one. Are you also studying at Binhai University?" Yang Shilan asked further, seemingly probing for Li Zhigang. "I’m not studying, but my wife Xiao Wan is at Binhai University," Yan Xiaobao replied, shaking his head. "Huh?" Yang Shilan, Li Zhigang, and Yao Hongtao were all stunned. What in the world did that mean? ... [Please collect, recommend, reward, and support!] ... Follow current novels on freeweb(n)ovel.co(m)