Chapter 12

“Yeah, bedtime,” she echoed.
“Mhm.”
It was like the clock striking midnight in Cinderella, all at once, reality crashed back. They both stood up; the laptop was closed without shutting it down, she gathered her pens and notepad, and Lin Jinshen wordlessly took the teapot and his cup to drop them in the sink, ready for Aunt Fang to wash the next morning.
In less than a minute, the living room was tidied. Lin Jinshen headed upstairs. Lu Yi told Puff goodnight. The whole kissing incident might as well have been a dream.
Before eleven, both of them were in bed, lights off, surrounded by darkness.
Lu Yi lay wide awake, clutching the comforter, staring at the ceiling lost in shadow.
Her mind wouldn’t quit replaying the scene. Every overlooked detail came back, clear as day.
Like, did Lin Jinshen swallow in the middle of their kiss?
His neck was long and pale, veins standing out under cool skin; his Adam’s apple had moved up, then down with a little huff of breath. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the scene stuck.
It was normal, right? What married couple hasn’t kissed?
She’d kissed people before, no need for this much drama.
Sleep. Just go to sleep!
But ten, fifteen minutes later, Lu Yi’s eyes were still wide open.
She really wasn’t used to sharing a bed with a man yet.
Early-to-bed at eleven? Absolutely inhuman.
Lu Yi grumbled to herself. Suddenly, the other side of the bed shifted. She held her breath, tried to act normal. Two, three seconds passed; next to her, Lin Jinshen moved again, just a slight reposition, not quite turning over.
He wasn’t rolling around, only adjusting his sleeping pose.
A few seconds later, a half-suppressed, ambiguous sound slipped from his throat.
Irritated. Impatient.
So, Lin Jinshen wasn’t asleep either?
Lu Yi felt a little less pathetic. At least she wasn’t the only one lying awake tonight.
The next morning, Lu Yi opened her eyes, his side of the bed was as empty as ever. She got up, headed for the bathroom. The sink was spotless, not a splash or stray hair to be found, Lin Jinshen’s habit was to wipe down the counter after using it.
A few crumpled tissues in the trash were the only evidence he’d even been there.
She had no appetite for breakfast, so she grabbed some coffees to go. At the office, she handed them out to her team.
“Thank you, Miss Lu!”
“Miss Lu is an actual angel, I feel bad you spoil us like this.”
Someone reached for the tab to pay; Lu Yi shook her head. “No need, I picked them up on the way, don’t make a big deal out of it.”
Yu Qian lifted her cup overhead. “Thanks, gorgeous!”
“We still haven’t found any contact info for Xin Qi. Even his classmates couldn’t help. Should we just move on to someone else?” Everyone looked at Lu Yi, Xin Qi was her pick, so her call to make.
Lu Yi said, “I’ll give it one more try. If nothing pans out by today, we’ll swap him out.”
“Got it!”
It was already Friday. The project deadline wasn’t waiting for anyone.
Lu Yi’s next lead was Yu Yin.
Yu Yin was a content creator, tons of connections across industries and a knack for digging things up. If anyone could find Xin Qi, it was her.
Yu Yin: [On it.]
She waited. All afternoon, in fact.
Finally, Yu Yin sent over a phone number: [That’s his number, but my friends say 9 times out of 10, he doesn’t pick up. Guy basically lives off the grid, never uses his phone.]
[Here’s his current address, some village out on the east edge of town. Supposedly renting a house to do some painting.]
[You sure you want HIM? Why not pick someone less weird? I’m serious, his brain is… questionable.]
[…]
Lu Yi sent back a shocked meme, thoroughly impressed with Yu Yin’s undercover skillset: [Legend! I owe you huge.]
Yu Yin: [? Woman, that’s all you’ve got for me? Lame. I expect at least 800 words fangirling about how awesome I am in ten minutes.]
Lu Yi snorted. She tried calling a few times, no answer. Then, powered off. She’d mapped the address before; it was in the middle of nowhere, a three-to-four-hour drive. She wouldn’t get there until six or seven, but she wanted to try anyway.
She texted: [You got plans today?]
Yu Yin: [Nothing major, why?]
Lu Yi: [Taking you to shoot something different for once.]
Yu Yin fired back, blunt as ever: [Dream on!]
Half an hour later, Lu Yi had picked her up. They filled the tank before hitting the highway.
Yu Yin crossed her arms, side-eyeing her. “Miss Lu, this is kidnapping. Until my lawyer gets here, you have the right to remain silent.”
Lu Yi just smiled, saying nothing.
Yu Yin snorted with a grin, half-laughing, half-mocking: "So, not only are you kidnapping me, now you’re giving me the silent treatment too?"
"I'm simply exercising my rights." Completely unfazed.
Yu Yin only kicked up a fuss at the start. Once they hit the highway out of the city, she took out her camera to snap photos of the scenery, her tone suddenly as soft as a gentle breeze: "Babes, this time we're breaking free from city life..."
Lu Yi was used to this.
At a service station, they swapped drivers.
Yu Yin grumbled, "I just don't get you. Why don't you hire a driver? And seriously, ditch this little tin can and get a real car. Your family's loaded, don't tell me they're stingy about that too!"
"I'm the one who doesn't want to change."
"I'm the one who doesn't want to change," Yu Yin mimicked, voice all mockery and sass. "What’s this, a few days into marriage and you’re already pinching pennies for him? Let me tell you, if you don’t spend the money, someone else will."
"..."
With Yu Yin behind the wheel, Lu Yi busied herself with research and messaging colleagues, her replies to the chatter were just a vague series of "mm-hmm"s, barely paying attention.
"..."
"So, have you actually slept with him yet?"
"Mm."
"Wait, what? You guys already did it and you didn’t tell me?"
"Mm-hmm."
Yu Yin’s voice jumped an octave: "Lu Yi, keep saying 'mm' and I'm coming over there! Did you or didn’t you? And... is he any good?"
Lu Yi snapped back to focus, glanced up, and explained, "...We haven’t slept together."
Then added, "But we did kiss."
"Just kissed?"
"Mm."
"Nothing... further?"
"Right."
"..."
Yu Yin snorted coldly, her prejudice against Lin Jinshen growing by the second. "Please. Classic scumbag stalling move. Toss out a kiss, but nothing to show for it? Is he even a real man?"
"You’ve still got time to divorce, you know."
No wedding, nothing public, just split and move on.
Do it all over again? Lu Yi would rather live celibate than repeat this circus. Whatever, she’d think about it later, work came first.
She looked ahead. It was getting darker, but not so late yet. "Is it going to rain?"
The GPS said they were ten minutes out. Yu Yin figured it might: "Let’s get this over with. If he won’t agree, don’t even bother arguing with him."
"Alright."
They reached the village. It really was off the beaten path, the roads nothing but bumpy mud, GPS losing its mind, so Lu Yi rolled down the window to ask for directions.
Most people here were elderly, a bit hard of hearing, but patient. When they heard she was looking for a painter, someone pointed the way.
"The artist? Yeah, he’s always lugging stuff up the hill, disappears all day."
They drove further in, the sky nearly black now. The headlights caught a tall, skinny man crossing in front of them, an easel slung over his back and a paint bucket in his hand, his face half-hidden behind weeks’ worth of beard, impossible to guess his age.
"That’s him."
"Babe, stay in the car. I’ll talk to him."
Lu Yi gathered her things off her knees, unbuckled, and stepped out.
Yu Yin called after her, "Holler if you need me."
"Got it."
Lu Yi pushed the door open, striding quickly to catch up. "Mr. Xin."
She called him two, three times. No response.
She hurried up to him, exhaled, and said, "Hello, Mr. Xin. I’m Lu Yi, curator at Yixing. I’m here today hoping to work with you."
Xin Qi fixed her with a stare, waited a few seconds, then replied: "I've got nothing to collaborate on."
"Wait, could you give me five minutes? I drove four hours from Jing City. I’m here because I truly admire your art and want to work with you."
Xin Qi remained unmoved, gaze shifting away as he kept walking, voice frosty: "I don’t know who told you I was here, and I don’t care how long you traveled. My answer’s the same: there’s nothing for us to work on."
"..."
"Three minutes? I’m all ears for your terms."
"..."
Xin Qi walked on, eyes fixed ahead, taking the narrow footpath through the fields, leaving Lu Yi behind.
Yu Yin had waited in the car, but seeing this, she gave up and got out. "Forget it, people like him with his nose in the clouds aren’t worth your time. Thinks he’s some grand master, can’t even be bothered to look at people properly."
He didn’t even seem to hear her.
Soon, he’d vanished into the night, a shrinking silhouette swallowed by darkness, then just a black dot on the horizon.
Lu Yi walked back. She’d expected about this result, but at least she’d tried, she wasn't the type to mope about it. She circled to the driver’s side. "Let me drive."
"Don't stress. This level of 'big shot' painter? I can get you a whole car full," Yu Yin said, trying to comfort her.
Lu Yi laughed. "That many artists? We’d run out of wall space before we ran out of painters."
Yu Yin snorted. "I’ll find you a new one for every day of the week."
Just as the car turned around, Lu Yi’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, parked the car, shot Yu Yin a look, and picked up.
It was Lin Jinshen calling.
His voice on the phone was even lower than in person. He was calling because Madam Qin had shipped a box of fresh seafood to Chengxi Garden, top quality, told them to eat it while it was fresh. Lin Jinshen had work and wouldn’t be home early, so he asked Lu Yi when she’d be back.
"I'll be late, too. Ask Aunt Fang to put it away in the fridge, okay?"
Lin Jinshen answered with a quiet "mm" and asked, "Working late?"
"Not exactly. I'm out in the east suburbs, not even in Jing City right now. Heading back, but it's a bit of a drive," Lu Yi explained.
"Work stuff?"
"Yeah. That painter from last night. Came to try my luck."
Lin Jinshen didn’t press, just told her to drive safe.
Lu Yi hung up, and as she put her phone away, she caught Yu Yin watching with a sly, knowing smile.
"What?"
Yu Yin hugged her arms, a long look in her eyes. "Wow, you and your husband sure know how to hold a conversation."
She’d thought they were one of those couples who could barely stand a full sentence after marriage, but that call, questions, answers, the works, felt surprisingly... like real spouses.
Lu Yi started the car and explained, “You’ll get it once you’re married. Just boring everyday married life stuff.”
“I’m not getting married.”
Yu Yin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then sighed a little dramatically, “Knowing my luck, I’ll end up just like you anyway. Maybe I should just go find myself a guy, get it over with.”
If she were really serious, she’d have found someone already.
They shared a conspiratorial grin.
Lu Yi drove the whole way back. Night driving was tricky, her vision was poor, and Yu Yin dozed off beside her. Lu Yi didn’t stop, just kept going until they reached the city.
But driving at night was nothing compared to driving through heavy rain, a relentless downpour beat down on the windshield, wipers working overtime. Occasionally, thunder and lightning split the sky, promising this storm wasn’t letting up any time soon.
…
Chengxi Garden.
Lin Jinshen got home at ten. After his shower, the world outside had turned into a maelstrom of wind and rain, torrential and wild.
He walked downstairs, pausing by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Through the dim light, he watched the sheets of rain cascade with thunderous power.
He checked the time: ten thirty. Lu Yi still wasn’t back. The last call he’d made had been at six. He pressed his lips together, shut off his phone screen, and made up his mind not to call her again.
Last time he’d called, it had already felt too much like prying.
After a moment, he looked down. Not too far from his feet sat a woven cat bed, its cushion plush and soft, with a lump of a cat curled up, neck tucked in, silent golden eyes fixed intently on him.
Man and cat, an epic stare-down.
His gaze was ice, nothing about the small creature before him stirred the slightest bit of affection. After a while, he curled his lip and said, “What are you looking at? Your owner isn’t here.”
“…”
Puff looked especially lost and helpless.
Lin Jinshen frowned, feeling the irritation rise. He sneered, voice colder: “You’ve got a pretty lousy owner.”
Out this late, still can’t be bothered to check on her cat.
Sensing the heavy mood inside, Puff didn’t make a sound, not daring even to twitch, just watching quietly.
A few minutes passed. Lin Jinshen was about to head upstairs, back to his usual routine of work, then sleep, he was nothing if not punctual. He took a few steps, then hesitated, pulling out his phone and dialing Lu Yi’s number.
He was just doing what any husband should, his wife was still out in this storm, it was only right he show basic concern.
Besides, her coming home so late would mess up his own schedule.
The call rang twice before she picked up. Over the heavy slap of rain, Lu Yi’s voice came through, clear and calm: “Lin Jinshen?”
“Yeah. When are you coming home?”
With the rain hammering down, she could barely hear him. She had to raise her voice: “I’ve got a bit of a situation. I probably won’t make it back tonight. Is Puff all right?”
“She’s fine.” Lin Jinshen pressed on, “What happened?”
“My car broke down halfway back. I’m waiting for a tow.”
Lu Yi wasn’t sure if she was just having a lousy day or if her car was overly delicate, but after pounding along the bumpy mountain road, it had given up after she dropped off Yu Yin. Now, stranded halfway home.
At least she’d reacted fast, pulling over before the engine died completely, flipping on the hazard lights.
She’d already called for help, but with this rainstorm, who knew how long the wait might be?
“Where are you?” Lin Jinshen’s voice was low, almost growling.
Lu Yi gave a vague location. “I figured coming home too late would just bother you. I’ll just check into a hotel, ”
Lin Jinshen cut her off: “Send me your location on WeChat.”
Lu Yi blinked, confused, before he continued flatly, “I’ll come get you.”
It was all statement, no emotion.
“Huh?” Lu Yi glanced out at the storm, the streets nearly deserted, bracing herself for an argument. “The tow will be here soon, no need for you to bother. I can handle it.”
“Send it.”
“I’m not interested in hearing both our parents grill me about why I left you alone on the side of the road in a torrential downpour.”
Lu Yi’s breath caught. She coughed lightly, “I didn’t tell them.”
“Lu Yi.”
Lin Jinshen was pulling on clothes, his voice shifting from distant to close over the phone: “Just wait. I’m coming.”
The call ended.
Lu Yi stared at her phone, mind blank for a few seconds, then finally opened her WeChat chat with Lin Jinshen and sent her location.
That done, she set her phone down, eyes dazed, feeling strangely at a loss.
Being cooped up in a tiny space for too long had left her limbs tingling. She draped her arms over the steering wheel, watching the endless curtain of rain beyond the glass.
Twenty minutes passed.
A black Bentley pulled up beside her mini. The window rolled down to reveal Lin Jinshen’s face, his sharp features and deep eyes fixing right on Lu Yi through the storm.
“Wait there.”
The rain was too loud to hear clearly. Lu Yi assumed he meant to get out.
She grabbed her phone and bag, took a deep breath, and pushed open her door. Rain poured down in buckets, soaking her instantly. In her hurry, she saw Lin Jinshen opening his car door at the same time, they met each other’s eyes just as, with a quiet pop, he snapped open a black umbrella, blooming like a mushroom after the rain.
“…”
So he hadn’t meant for her to get out, he’d just told her to wait.
The awkward silence was barely half a second. Neither had time for anything else, they both hurried back into the car, drenched. Their gazes met for a beat, confirming: yes, both soaked.
“…”
Lu Yi offered a sheepish explanation, “I thought you told me to get out.”
“No big deal.”
The car’s heater was running, so even with rain-soaked clothes clinging to them, it wasn’t cold, just a bit uncomfortable.
Lin Jinshen tossed the umbrella onto the back seat and shrugged out of his jacket, half-dry, half-soaked. “Use this to dry off.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you.”
Lu Yi took it, making a token effort at drying her dripping hair.
She noticed Lin Jinshen was wearing pajamas, clearly straight out of the shower, and had just thrown on a jacket before running out. Luckily he’d worn dress shoes, not slippers, although they were now soaked through.
He looked good from any angle, even in a getup like this, he managed to pull it off.
Her mini would be no trouble; once the tow arrived, they’d haul it to the shop, and she’d pick it up later.
There wasn't much conversation on the way home. The car rolled into the parking lot, they took the elevator upstairs, and she was still cradling his jacket in her arms.
"Give me the jacket," Lin Jinshen shot her a sideways glance. It was drenched, no reason for her to keep holding it.
Lu Yi handed it over.
She was wearing a chiffon blouse and a pencil skirt tonight. When they switched cars, she’d gotten thoroughly soaked; the flimsy fabric clung to her skin, hinting at the outline of her lingerie underneath.
Just a glance, and the elegant curve of her neck and collarbone were laid bare, flawless. Lin Jinshen quickly averted his gaze and muttered, "Keep it, then."
"?"
Lu Yi hugged the jacket back against her chest.
The elevator went straight up; she opened the door with a fingerprint scan. They stepped in, one after the other.
"Meow~"
Puff emerged from her little cat bed, eyeing them from afar. With Lin Jinshen home, she wanted to greet them but lost her nerve, so she just watched pitifully.
Lin Jinshen changed his shoes without looking at her. "Go take a shower before you catch a cold."
"Okay."
Lu Yi slipped off her shoes beside him. Her wet feet slipped on the tile, and before she could fall, Lin Jinshen caught her by the wrist. She crashed into his chest, instinctively clutching his arm for balance.
Soaked.
And burning hot.
"Thanks," Lu Yi murmured, barely above a whisper.
He released her. The crease between his brows lingered, deep as ever.
She finished changing shoes. Before going upstairs, she crouched to stroke Puff's little head, then grabbed sleepwear from the bedroom and headed for the bathroom. A hot shower brought her back to life.
When she emerged, Lin Jinshen was already in bed, lying perfectly straight, arms by his sides, the picture of composure, so very him.
His eyes were closed.
The lights were still on.
Lu Yi moved more quietly. She'd checked the time before her shower; they got home after eleven, and now it was past midnight.
By his usual routine, Lin Jinshen should have been asleep for an hour already.
Lu Yi tiptoed to her side of the bed, turned off the lights, then, feeling her way in the dark, lifted the covers and slipped in. What should have taken seconds dragged on and on in the pitch black.
After all that, her brain was still running at full throttle, sleep wasn't happening.
Judging by her track record the past couple nights, she’d be up till two again.
The rain hadn't stopped; the forecast said it’d last until dawn.
Sitting in the car earlier, she’d already braced herself to wait for the tow truck. She hadn’t expected Lin Jinshen to come for her, honestly, she hadn’t expected him at all. Yet he showed up, still in his pajamas.
His explanation: he just didn’t want to get grilled by the elders in the morning about why, on a rainy night, he left his "wife" stranded on the roadside.
That sounded about right.
A perfectly logical reason.
Even without love, they were married on paper, after all.
That thought made Lu Yi relax a little. She turned over, settling into another position.
"Lu Yi."
Lin Jinshen’s voice cut through the darkness, low, and edged with impatience.
She froze mid-turn, guilty, and glanced over. "Did I wake you?" she asked softly.
He didn’t say yes or no, just let out a vague rumbling sound, something like "mm." Before she could apologize, he turned on his side and asked, "Do you know what time it is?"
The bed was a standard double, with a safe buffer zone between them, until he rolled over and spoke. Suddenly, his words felt whispered right in her ear.
Her mind buzzed. Flustered, she replied, "A little past midnight."
"It’s already Saturday now."
"…"
Guilt pressed down hard. As she fumbled for something to make up for it, Lin Jinshen continued, calm and analytical as always: "We haven't hit the three-times-a-week quota yet."
"There are still two days left."
"Any longer, and we’ll have to do three times in one day."
"?"