Chapter 10

"Lu Yi. We need to talk."
Out of the corner of Lin Jinshen’s eye, all he could see was her bare, milk-white shoulder. He added, "Put on a jacket."
"?"
Lu Yi glanced down. Sure, she was in a slip nightdress, but it was hardly scandalous, no plunging neckline, the hem skimming her knees, strapless but barely showing any collarbone at all. Really, there was nothing particularly risqué about it.
His reminder made it seem like she was somehow out of line right now.
A jacket?
It’s summer!
“Just a sec,” Lu Yi gritted her teeth.
“I’ll wait for you in the study,” Lin Jinshen said, slipping out of the bedroom.
Lu Yi wasn’t about to actually find a jacket to throw on, she grabbed a t-shirt and shorts instead. Puff, sensing her agitation, stuck close by her feet. She bent to pat the cat’s little head. “Don’t worry, sweetie, Mom will fight for your place in this house.”
“Meow, meow.”
The sound could melt anyone’s heart.
When she arrived, Lin Jinshen was facing away from her, crisp shirt tucked into tailored slacks, legs so long he looked like a mountain that couldn’t be moved.
Lu Yi entered, and he turned toward her, their eyes met with all the formality of a subordinate reporting to her boss.
No wonder she kept calling him “Mr. Lin.” With this vibe, it just slipped out on instinct.
“Want to sit?” Lin Jinshen asked.
“No need,” Lu Yi shook her head.
Lin Jinshen said, “I know from the day we met to now, it’s not even a month. We barely know each other, and our living habits are pretty different.”
“Since we’re going to be living together, it’s better for both of us if we lay things out from the start.”
Lu Yi nodded. He had a point, better to get things out in the open now than pile up resentment later.
“You want to go first, or should I?”
“You start.”
Lin Jinshen lived simply: up every day at six, a morning run and breakfast, off to the office by seven-thirty, lights out at eleven. He expected a solid seven hours’ sleep, preferably undisturbed.
He had a mild cleanliness compulsion, everything needed to be in its place, disorder drove him nuts. Even a pair of slippers out of line bugged him.
No eating in bed. No other creatures allowed up there, which specifically meant Puff.
“No problem, I can try to stick to those,” Lu Yi answered.
Especially going to bed by eleven, that was hardcore. She, and everyone her age she knew, never slept that early, but hey, an earlier bedtime might be good for her. As for the rest, just a little extra care. She wasn’t in the habit of eating in bed anyway.
Lin Jinshen half-sat against the desk, long legs curled. Even then, he was eye-to-eye with Lu Yi. He nodded. “And you?”
“I’ve got just one request: I want Puff to stay,” Lu Yi said, locking eyes with him. “Her mom was a stray, she died soon after giving birth. I brought Puff home. I owe her that much.”
Maybe it was the stray life, but Puff clung to her. If Lu Yi abandoned her now, it’d break the poor thing.
Lin Jinshen’s gaze was cool and steady. After a moment, he relented: “Okay, she can stay. But not in the bedroom. She can stay downstairs, and I’ll do my best to get along with her.”
“Seriously?”
Lu Yi’s eyes widened with surprise, no trace of the polite, practiced smile she usually wore. This was the real deal, her smile curling all the way up to her eyes. “Thank you!”
“I said I’ll try. No promises I’ll actually warm up to her.”
“That’s fine, spend a few days with her, you’ll see, she’s an angel! Never scratches or hollers for nothing. Total dream-cat!”
Lin Jinshen neither confirmed nor denied.
“There’s one more thing.” His tone was deliberately measured. “About what you said regarding a fake marriage, I can tell you plainly now, that’s not what I want. Right from the start, I meant for this to be a real marriage.”
Lu Yi listened, every nerve keyed up.
“So whatever normal couples do, we’ll do too.”
“Alright, I have no objections,” Lu Yi said after a beat, then asked, “If I can ask, how often exactly…?”
If they were setting ground rules, might as well be direct up front and avoid weirdness later.
“I’m not obsessed with that sort of thing,” Lin Jinshen said, lashes lowered. “Three times a week is supposedly the healthy, average adult number.”
Whoever decided that, three times a week was something Lu Yi could live with.
“Physical intimacy is one thing, but what about spending time together? How many hours a week works for you?” he asked, eyes so deep it felt like he looked right through her.
Did he really want to KPI their marriage? If she fell short, would there be penalties?
Lu Yi weighed her options, then ventured, “Tracking hours every week sounds awkward. How about this: let’s make sure to have at least one meal together on the weekend, half a day if we can manage?”
“Fine,” Lin Jinshen agreed instantly.
He agreed so fast Lu Yi almost regretted it. Why did I say once a week? Wouldn’t once a month have been perfect?
“Anything else?”
“To be updated.”
Their very first “family meeting” came to an end.
Honestly, she’d never attended a work meeting as stiff as this.
The fact that Puff could stay let Lu Yi finally breathe out. “Alright, we’re done here. You going to shower? I’ll take Puff and her stuff downstairs.”
“Thanks for the trouble.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Lin Jinshen stood, passing so close they brushed shoulders.
Lu Yi followed him out, scooping up Puff’s little bed and litter box, and set up everything downstairs. As a treat for Puff’s first night sleeping solo, she gave her an extra cat snack.
As she crouched down, she noticed Lin Jinshen’s suitcase in the entry, fresh back from his trip.
She realized mid-thought: Wait, did I forget to ask if he expects us to “live like a couple” tonight?
In the bathroom.
Lin Jinshen lathered up his cheeks and turned to the mirror, shaving with careful, practiced strokes.
The bathroom mirror was clouded with the trace of someone’s recent shower. Their things sat side by side on the counter, her colorful bottles and jars on one side, neatly lined up; his monochrome grays and blacks on the other. Clear boundaries. No trespassing.
Obviously, Lu Yi wasn’t the type to leave her stuff lying everywhere, her skincare and towel stacked exactly right.
This trip to Shanghai for the KS acquisition talks hadn’t gone smoothly. They weren’t the only ones circling the target, and there was no telling when he’d be done.
Jiang Xun told him all his things were already moved into Chengxi Garden, then mentioned Lu Yi had asked when he’d be back. The way she said it sounded worried, hoping he’d wrap things up and get home fast. In a hurry, even.
Was she really in a hurry?
Didn't see that coming.
One girl, one cat, perfect harmony.
He honestly felt like the third wheel.
When Lin Jinshen stepped out from his shower, the bedroom was still empty. Lu Yi was still downstairs, crouched by the cat, arms hugged around her knees, teasing Puff.
Nearly eleven o’clock.
“Lu Yi.”
A bass voice boomed from the stairs above.
Lu Yi jerked her head up, locking eyes with Lin Jinshen on the second floor. He’d just showered and slipped into pajamas, long sleeves, every button fastened clear up to his neck. Glancing at him, she couldn’t help thinking he looked like her dad. Even her dad never buttoned all the way up like that.
She remembered how he’d told her to put on a jacket earlier and almost laughed at the timing.
Honestly, he looked way more nervous about tonight than she was.
“Coming.” Lu Yi stood up. Her legs were numb from crouching so long, so she took her time heading upstairs. By the time she reached the bedroom, Lin Jinshen was already in bed, laying on the left side, the right side left open for her.
She lifted the covers and slid in.
Lin Jinshen glanced at his watch, 10:50 PM, then turned off the light and lay down.
Clutching the blanket, Lu Yi asked, “So… are we doing it tonight?”
“...It’s late. Let’s rest early.” His voice actually faltered for once.
Lu Yi let out a relieved sigh, but immediately wondered if this was just a stall tactic. Maybe Lin Jinshen couldn’t perform at all, but he had to put on a show, talk the talk, but never actually go through with it.
All that “three times a week” stuff, maybe he’s never delivered once in his life.
It was almost comforting to think that way.
Lu Yi was used to sleeping alone, and suddenly having a man, a virtual stranger, beside her made insomnia inevitable.
She tossed and turned, wide awake, while the man next to her had already closed his eyes. His breathing was soft and steady, clearly fast asleep.
Lu Yi checked the time on her phone.
Exactly eleven. So precise it was almost suspicious.
She wondered if his body had an on-off switch that just shut him down at bedtime.
The only upside of not sleeping at night is you crash hard in the morning. She had no idea when Lin Jinshen got up; when she finally woke, he was already gone. His side of the bed had been smoothed out, making it seem like maybe he’d never been there at all, just a dream she’d imagined.
Lu Yi washed up and headed downstairs to feed Puff the cat.
As soon as Puff spotted her, she started meowing in pure protest. She scratched her chin. “There, there, mommy’s got to earn your kibble.”
Lu Yi spent her days scouting venues, always out and about.
This time, the venue requirements were tough, they needed not just a suitable-size gallery on a tight budget, but also smooth art transportation and a dozen other headaches.
Later that afternoon, Yu Yin sent her the address of a hip little indie café and suggested they check it out together. Once Lu Yi finally settled on a location, she mapped the directions and drove over.
Yu Yin brought a mountain of stuff, tripods, two cameras (one for photos, one for vlogs), collecting daily material. Lu Yi doubled as a temp photographer, snapping stacks of photos for their social updates.
After leaving the café, they headed to a trendy restaurant for dinner.
The restaurant had style, but the food was all looks, no flavor. Neither of them ate much.
Yu Yin didn’t bother vlogging that part. She cut the camera and switched to real talk, which inevitably drifted to Lu Yi’s new married life.
She knew Lin Jinshen was back in town.
She also knew Puff had been allowed to stay, as long as he kept to the downstairs.
But what Yu Yin really wanted to know was: “Wait, you’re telling me you two didn’t even hook up on the first night?”
Yu Yin and Lu Yi had grown up together, and no one appreciated Lu Yi’s looks more than Yu Yin. She’d been the campus queen from grade school to graduation, no contest. Even as a woman, Yu Yin couldn’t help swooning. And now, this goddess was just lying there beside the guy, and he didn’t react?
Either the marriage is a sham and he’s gay, or he’s got some… performance issues!
Yu Yin said it way too loud for a restaurant. Lu Yi ducked her head, mortified. “Can you keep your voice down?”
Yu Yin crossed her legs and leaned in, lowering her voice. “Seriously, you don’t think it’s a little weird?”
Well, kind of. Still, Lu Yi made excuses: “He got back late last night, at eleven, bedtime for him. Plus, he just got in from a trip. He was probably exhausted.”
Yu Yin raised an eyebrow and shot her a look: Please, keep lying to yourself.
Lu Yi had nothing more to say.
“Wanting it and doing it are two different things,” Yu Yin pressed. I mean, even with the world’s prettiest girl right there, you’d at least expect a little kissing, right?
“Just wait, I’m telling you, he’s not up for it. He’ll crack sooner or later.”
“...”
Lu Yi sipped her tea, not bothering to argue. Honestly, what kept her up at night wasn’t his stamina, it was sharing a bed at all. With her insomnia, she was losing it.
They headed out at nine. Aunt Fang texted to say she’d be heading back first and would feed Puff before leaving work.
When Lu Yi got home, the house was dark. She flicked on the lights. Puff was waiting for her by the door. No sign of Lin Jinshen.
She let out a breath and greeted Puff with a pet and a “good kitty.”
Just as she was kicking off her shoes, she heard the fingerprint lock click. She froze, a slipper in hand, and glanced back to see Lin Jinshen coming through the door. Their eyes met for a second.
“Just got back?”
“You just finished work?”
They spoke at the same time, then nodded together. Awkward.
Lu Yi shifted to give him more space and, trying to act nonchalant, went back to changing shoes. There was plenty of room by the door, but as Lin Jinshen came closer, her heart squeezed, the air inexplicably tense.
Their shoulders brushed.
Her heart jumped all over again.
Puff, who’d been clinging to her a moment ago, bolted back to his little bed the instant Lin Jinshen walked in, peeking out wide-eyed as if watching a predator.
Their slippers matched, one pink, one blue. Who even picked those out?
Changing shoes, Lin Jinshen crouched down and neatly lined up his pair. Catching sight of her high heels, he paused, then reached over to straighten her slouching straps, fingers smooth and methodical.
...Okay, that was a little obsessive.
Standing up, Lin Jinshen asked, “Have you eaten yet?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Mhm.”
The good news: Small talk accomplished. The bad news: Now what were they supposed to say?
And how on earth were they going to survive another night sharing a bed?
As Lin Jinshen walked past, peeling off his jacket, he absently tugged at his Windsor knot. Something must have crossed his mind, though, he turned his head just as Lu Yi zoned out, nearly bumping right into him.
His shadowed eyes lingered on her face. "So, are you showering first, or am I?"