Chapter 32

Lin Jinshen hadn’t planned on kissing her.
At least, that wasn’t in his head when he came downstairs.
He just thought her glasses looked in the way, wanted to take them off. But the moment her eyes met his, wide and unfiltered, something shifted inside him.
So he kissed her. Simple as that.
They’re married. Kissing didn’t need a reason. And hell, there’d probably be a lot more where that came from.
Lu Yi, meanwhile, was thinking, What’s with the guilt?
This wasn’t their first kiss, and he didn’t force her. She’d even kissed back! So why the criminal vibes?
Then again... Lin Jinshen’s logic was an enigma. Maybe he felt guilty for kissing her too much these days?
Too much indulgence, huh? Didn’t match his “abstinence king” boss persona.
Neither of them said their thoughts out loud.
Puff swiveled her head around like a little radar, curious and confused.
Weird. So weird.
Lu Yi pressed her lips together, the ghost of his kiss still lingering. After half a second to collect herself, she asked, “Do you still want some tea?”
“...Yeah.”
“Okay.”
She wasn’t stingy, she poured him a cup too.
The tea was fresh off the stove, still hot. Lin Jinshen assumed she was making a whole pot because she’d be working late, but Lu Yi shook her head. “Just going to watch a movie.”
Still time before eleven o’clock.
“Are you watching too?” This time, unlike her polite offer of tea, she fully expected him to say no, he usually spent this hour working.
But Lin Jinshen looked up, lashes shadowed: “Sure.”
“...”
Honestly, he hadn’t planned on watching the movie. The words ‘No thanks’ were on the tip of his tongue. But he remembered the night Lu Yi got drunk, how she’d rather he not be home at all. Made sense; they weren’t exactly close. It’d be awkward, obviously.
So maybe they should try getting less awkward, sooner rather than later.
They hardly did anything together if it wasn’t, well, bedroom-related. Watching a movie together was practically “family bonding,” right? Good for intimacy or whatever.
Lu Yi explained, a bit apologetic, “It’s kind of an artsy film. Might be boring. Not really your thing.”
So just say no already!
Lin Jinshen sipped his tea. “Doesn’t matter, I’ll watch whatever.”
“Alright, I’ll cut up some fruit.”
Finally, she could stop pretending to be polite. Lu Yi silently vowed to quit this habit for good. She grabbed some fruit, peeled and sliced it, put it all neatly on a plate.
Lin Jinshen carried their pot of tea to the living room.
Lu Yi queued up her pick for tonight: a romance movie, by all accounts just as melodramatic as you’d expect, messy relationships, insane plot twists, but at least the leads were gorgeous and could act. As long as you didn’t get too emotionally invested, it was a fun ride.
For the atmosphere, she turned off the main chandelier, leaving only a small side lamp. The shadows made the projector’s image look sharper, richer.
By habit, Lu Yi wanted to sit on the carpet. But Lin Jinshen sat at one end of the sofa, so after a brief hesitation, she sat at the other. Puff, of course, made herself at home between them.
The movie started at night, empty streets, the camera drifting aimlessly. No people, just the sound of heavy breathing. Then a male lead’s voiceover: his girlfriend had ghosted him out of nowhere one day.
One critic said: “Everyone in this movie is nuts, but I still want to see what other brand of crazy they have in store.”
Lu Yi… pretty much felt the same.
Half an hour in,
Lu Yi reached out for Puff, automatically, only to grab empty air. She glanced sideways. At some point, Puff had abandoned her to snuggle up next to Lin Jinshen.
Lin Jinshen looked more relaxed than usual, not the stiff, businesslike posture he always kept. His side profile was striking, his gaze locked on the screen, one hand absentmindedly resting on Puff’s head, fingers long and elegant. Puff, meanwhile, was almost dozing, blissful.
His method of petting was way different from Lu Yi’s, cool, almost perfunctory, barely moving at all.
Puff, for some reason, ate it up. She tilted her head, clearly waiting for the next absentminded caress.
Lu Yi was feeling a little betrayed. Heartless cat. She’d fed Puff for years, but one snack from this guy and she switches sides.
She ate her fruit; it was too sweet, so she chased it with tea.
Lin Jinshen didn’t touch the fruit, he avoided sugar at night, claimed it was “unnecessary burden” for his body.
By the halfway point, the film had gone full soap opera, just like the reviews said. Lu Yi quietly glanced at Lin Jinshen, his face was pure “What am I even watching?” The way he judged the movie was honestly more entertaining than the movie itself.
It’s like watching a drama with your parents. Her dad’s always the stern critic, scolding the main character for putting romance ahead of thousands of employees, declaring, “A real entrepreneur takes responsibility, for people and for society!”
Lu Yi suddenly found herself wondering: what would Lin Jinshen think of all this?
On screen, the male lead’s relationship with a female coworker gets misinterpreted by his girlfriend. Cue the big breakup, cue the dramatic plea to win her back…
From an outsider’s perspective, no one’s really at fault. It’s all just misunderstandings and missing information.
But Lin Jinshen just scoffed. “Why couldn’t he say no? Seriously, is he the last man on earth?”
Lu Yi could kind of see both sides. The coworker got fired, cried to her senior for help, it made sense. Plus, they were only talking shop anyway; it never crossed any romantic lines.
“Look, if she’s lived this long and, in her hour of need, the only person she can turn to is some guy with a girlfriend… maybe getting fired isn’t the real reason she should be upset.”
Huh.
Lu Yi had to admit… he kind of had a point.
Her smile did not escape Lin Jinshen’s notice. He glanced over. “What’s so funny?”
Lu Yi cradled her mug, smirking. “...I think I finally get why you’ve been single for so long.”
Honestly, even if someone showed up on his doorstep sobbing like a scene out of a tragic drama, Lin Jinshen would just look at her and say, Are you kidding? After all these years, you can’t find anyone else to cry to?
And if that’s true, maybe that’s what you should actually be crying about.
Lin Jinshen didn’t seem bothered.
Because, after all, he wasn’t single anymore.
…
Vacation over. Lu Yi returned to work, jumping right back into the fray.
The morning was all meetings. There were still countless project details up in the air, and Sister Wei was now personally leading the team, a clear sign of just how important this was.
When the meeting finally let out for lunch, everyone collapsed into the breakroom, venting about the nightmare project manager from the client side. Lu Yi had never met the infamous guy, she’d been on leave, but according to the others, he was impossible to please. Day one, he’d ripped through their past projects, trashing everything they’d ever done.
Yu Qian imitated his tone, raising her voice: “If this is the kind of garbage you usually hand in, sorry, my office isn’t the city dump.”
“Show me what your company can really do.”
Pickiest. Boss. Ever. And with a hell of a temper.
“Bet he just thinks he’s hot stuff,” Yu Qian said, rolling her eyes. She’d been fooled at first, admitting, “I mean, yeah, he’s good-looking, but nowhere near as handsome as your husband, obviously.”
“...”
Lu Yi had zero intention of getting into any Lin Jinshen comparisons.
“I can already picture the torture ahead,” Yu Qian groaned. “He’ll shoot down every draft, insult every idea… I’ll need nerves of steel just to survive.”
Lu Yi gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
What really worried Lu Yi, though, was her own lack of experience. She’d have to cram a mountain of new knowledge just to keep up with this project.
Lin Jinshen saw it all, quietly taking note.
Her books were stacked all over the living room. Lu Yi filled notebooks and covered everything in sticky notes, neat little reminders in her compact, beautiful handwriting, her personality shining through each line.
Meanwhile, Lin Jinshen’s work schedule returned to normal, too.
Lin Wenyun updated him on how the KS acquisition had settled. Now that it was a done deal, most of the critics had quieted down. Several board members had, begrudgingly, come around to endorse Lin Jinshen’s decision, smoothing over a lot of resistance. As long as the results met their lowest expectations, his position would be rock solid.
And, of course, the Lu family’s behind-the-scenes support had made all the difference this time.
Then, Lin Wenyun mentioned an upcoming charity gala. The organizer’s family was tangled up in business connections with the Lins; someone from their side needed to show up.
“Got it,” Lin Jinshen replied, absently turning his wedding ring. After a moment of thought, he added, “But Lu Yi’s not a fan of these kinds of events.”
“?”
Lin Wenyun shot him a rare you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me look. “I wasn’t talking about her. I’m asking you, can you go with me and make an appearance? I never said both of you had to show up.”
Since having a kid, she hadn’t been fond of these crowded functions either, just part of the job description, unfortunately.
Last time, she’d left Lu Yi off the guest list entirely, knowing full well how much she hated those events.
“I hadn’t even mentioned her, and you already thought of Xiao Yi?” Lin Wenyun raised an eyebrow.
“...”
Lin Jinshen held his poker face, cool as ice. “Just making conversation. There’s no need to consider her for this. I’ll tell my assistant to keep that day free.”
Lin Wenyun’s mouth curled into an amused, not-quite-smile. She stared at him, her eyes glinting with mischief. Lin Jinshen frowned and quietly called her, “Aunt,” before she finally looked away.
“You do realize that day is Valentine’s Day, right? Sure you’re coming?”
She hadn’t pointed that out before, she figured Lin Jinshen was definitely not the type for romantic holidays. But now… she had her doubts. Life experience made her pretty good at reading the signs.
Qixi Festival, China’s Valentine’s Day, landed on the sixteenth this month.
Lin Wenyun couldn’t resist adding, “Don’t forget, it’ll be your first Valentine’s Day since you two got married.”
“Is it supposed to be a big deal?” he countered, deadpan.
Holidays like that were foreign territory for him. In twenty-eight years, he’d never even registered they existed.
Her nephew was hopeless. Amused and a little exasperated, Lin Wenyun just reminded him: gift-giving was non-negotiable. You could ignore the holiday, but no woman would forgive a missing present.
Lin Jinshen hummed quietly, he’d think of something.
The problem was, he had no idea what Lu Yi actually liked. The only clue he remembered: she’d once lingered over a particular purse at Tang Palace, running her hands over it, examining every detail.
As sunset approached, he checked the time, figured she’d be home from work by now, and called.
It rang twice before Lu Yi picked up, with a faint meow in the background. She was scolding Puff for begging for treats. “No more snacks. Seriously, no amount of cute will work on me now.” Then, back to the phone: “What’s up?”
Just hearing her voice, Lin Jinshen could perfectly picture the scene.
Golden evening light, cat on its hind legs reaching for snacks, Lu Yi holding firm, lecturing the kitten on the dangers of gluttony, so sincere, as if Puff actually understood every word.
Loosening his tie, Lin Jinshen’s features softened. He leaned back in his chair. “Just checking. Any special plans these next few days?”
It wasn’t a specific day. Just... sometime in the past few days.
Distracted, busy wrangling Puff, Lu Yi answered a beat late, “Yeah, I’ve got plans with friends.”
“Friends?” Lin Jinshen asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You know them, Yu Yin, Wu Sidong, the usual crowd.” Lu Yi replied offhandedly.
The line of Lin Jinshen’s lips flattened. “Which day?”
“This Saturday.”
The sixteenth.
Lu Yi blinked, unsure. “Is something up?”
Lin Jinshen’s brows drew together, a quiet frustration that pressed behind his words, though his tone stayed steady. “No, it’s nothing. There’s a charity gala on Saturday.”
He hadn’t actually planned to mention the event.
“Is it important? Do you need me there?” Lu Yi instantly stopped scolding Puff, gently covering the kitten’s face like putting it on mute. Puff froze, all innocence and wide eyes.
Lu Yi wasn’t really averse, charity was charity, and as Mrs. Lin, there were certain things she was expected to show up for.
There was a pause, a long one, before Lin Jinshen spoke again: “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
He never actually said if it was important. But Lu Yi had a hunch, it probably mattered, that’s why he even asked. Normally he’d never bring up these endless galas.
But that “It’s fine” somehow made her feel guilty.
She said, “If it really is important, I can talk to my friends. I think they’ll understand.”
It was just a hangout anyway. She wouldn’t be missed.
Lin Jinshen absently drummed his fingers on the desk, his eyes as dark and deep as the sea. “You don’t have to force yourself. It’s really not a big deal if you already have plans.”
“It’s no trouble. I’ll go with you,” Lu Yi decided smoothly, no drama, just settled.