Chapter 35

Lin Jinshen stopped scrolling. This was clearly Lu Yi’s private stuff, so he left it at the "big sis" video.
This was their idea of "enjoying something good"? He’d keep his opinions about her friends to himself, but honestly, if they thought that guy was eye candy, maybe they needed to see an eye doctor.
Pulling those cheesy moves, prancing around half-dressed, fake-smiling with narrowed eyes and calling "big sis", seriously? If this was “something good”, maybe it was time to switch her to a new phone.
He actually felt unclean.
Almost needed brain bleach just from seeing it.
The phone’s volume was low and Lu Yi was focused on driving, oblivious to Lin Jinshen’s internal meltdown. She kept her gaze on the road and asked, “Was it my mom? What did she say?”
"…Not your mom," Lin Jinshen said.
"Then who?"
Her social life was simple, basically colleagues, plus a couple of friends. But those friends were probably blackout drunk by now at some wild party, and she’d muted that group chat ages ago. So not them, right?
"Nothing urgent. Just keep driving," Lin Jinshen said, switching off her phone. His tone was mostly calm, but the longer he sat there, the darker his expression got.
That ridiculous "big sis" was echoing in his head on repeat.
Lu Yi didn’t dwell on it. She was still buzzing from the new-car high. Of all the Bentleys, she thought the Continental GT had the best interior, linen white, classy and exquisite. While stopped at a red light, she fiddled with the car’s features. When her phone pinged again during an extra-long red light, she instinctively reached for it.
Lin Jinshen’s voice cut through the quiet, unexpectedly cold: "If you’re planning to check that now, you should pull over first."
Okay, textbook “strict principal” mode.
Lu Yi wasn’t actually that eager to look. She put both hands on the wheel. "I know, driver’s safety. Eyes on the road, phone away."
Lin Jinshen gave her an intense look. "That’s not it, the red light’s just not long enough for you to get through all your messages."
Lu Yi: "There’s that many?"
Lin Jinshen just gave a non-committal grunt.
Now Lu Yi felt it, something off about the vibe. When had it started? Oh, right, ever since she asked him to text back for her. Not her mom, not her usual crowd. So…who?
And what exactly did they send?
"I’d better check in case it’s something serious." Playing it cool, she waited for the light, then pulled over at the next safe spot.
Lin Jinshen didn’t object.
Lu Yi unlocked her phone. Front and center: the “Hush! 18+ Only” group, with Yu Yin tagging her, “[Babe, omg, are you gonna have a bachelorette party like THIS?]”
She clicked in, and just like that, any remaining hope she had was gone.
She knew her friends too well; that’s why she always muted their messages preemptively. And they knew her just as well, which is why they’d tag her anyway, making sure she didn’t miss a thing. Pure chaos, perfectly mutual.
She started scrolling back, Yu Yin had posted a whole gallery of male model pics from every angle. They were really going wild: 6’2" Calvin Klein wannabes kneeling on coffee tables, tugging at black tank tops, making the camera steamy on purpose. One guy even had water splashed down his abs, she didn’t even dare check the videos.
Honestly, with that kind of content, Yu Yin had earned her risqué group name.
What would Lin Jinshen even think seeing this stuff? Mr. Ultra-Traditional, who thought even a sleeveless top was scandalous, she couldn’t imagine his face if he found out. He’d probably start ranting about society’s moral decline.
But then again, if he’d already seen it and hadn’t exploded, maybe that means he wasn’t that bothered? Maybe he’d just shrugged: "Young people. Internet chaos. Whatever."
She looked up, and accidentally made eye contact with him across the center console. She didn’t even know what to say.
Lin Jinshen spoke first. His voice had dropped, all icy authority: "Eighteen plus?"
"..."
"You and your friends actually talk like this in private?"
"..."
“You like what you see?”
Oh wow, she’d really messed up.
Lin Jinshen hadn’t snapped immediately. That was just because he considered the fact that she was driving.
His voice wasn’t angry, he didn’t have to be. The man could exude pressure just sitting there in silence. When he spoke those three words, Lu Yi flashed back to those times in school when the disciplinary director would bust students breaking the rules.
Lu Yi braced herself and tried to explain: “Actually, the group chat wasn’t always called that. They just… changed it today. We don’t usually talk like that. They’re all really decent people.”
They were her friends, she had to help save their reputation a bit here.
But Lin Jinshen always zeroed in on the important part: “‘Decent people’?”
His tone was calm, but the sarcasm definitely landed.
“Really! They even paid for a male model,” she added, starting to lose her nerve under his unblinking gaze. Her voice went soft, “They all have boundaries.”
In other words, nobody was actually behaving as badly as that chat name suggested. She and her friends weren’t doing anything illegal.
Lin Jinshen: “‘Boundaries’?”
Really? He sure didn’t see it. If someone had boundaries, would they strip in front of everyone?
Lu Yi could literally feel the ground shifting beneath her. She didn’t have much experience defusing situations like this. If she really wanted to save face, he’d just have to forget this entire evening.
She had no idea how to explain it to him. Stuff like this was pretty common these days, sometimes it was even a marketing gimmick to attract business. But if she told him that, he’d just frown even harder, convinced the whole world had finally lost its mind.
Not her fault the world had left Lin Jinshen behind when it moved forward.
Lu Yi added, “They’re all single.” No one was cheating on anyone.
“So being single is a free pass?”
Lu Yi was stumped, she had no answer for that.
“First time doing this?” Lin Jinshen pressed on.
Lu Yi nodded solemnly, practically ready to hold up a hand and swear: “Yes.”
Lin Jinshen raised his brows, apparently satisfied with that. Messy, sure, but not a total disaster.
Silence fell in the car for a moment.
As more cars drove past, their headlights flickered through the window, casting brighter and brighter light over his sculpted features. He hadn’t moved an inch, totally still, like a statue on display.
After a beat, Lin Jinshen was the first to speak: “Thinking of getting a new phone?”
Wait, when did the conversation turn to phones?
But whatever. At least they were done talking about male models and shady group chats and whether her friends were “decent.” She could work with this. She shook her head. “Nope.”
She’d only had this phone for two years, it was basically still new.
“It’s kind of laggy,” Lin Jinshen said, sitting up to adjust his seatbelt.
“Laggy?” She blinked. Not for her! It was smooth as butter, and the battery life was great.
Lin Jinshen replied, “Tomorrow, I’ll have Jiang Xun send you the latest one.”
“…Alright.”
Lu Yi didn’t put up a fight. Like he always said, they were married. What’s his is hers, and no need to play coy about it.
At least that whole awkward chapter was finally over!
Lu Yi shut off her phone, tossing it straight into her bag. No way was she checking for new messages from Madam Qin tonight.
Following the GPS, Lu Yi drove them back to Chengxi Garden, every detail in that gated community screamed money, down to the butter-soft leather steering wheel. During the week she still drove her tiny Mini to work; just a side hustle, no interest in becoming office gossip.
Presents made anyone happy, but after the fun, Lu Yi was left feeling a little guilty; she hadn’t prepared a gift for him. She’d genuinely thought people like them didn’t even celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Now she was stressing.
This was so not how she imagined all this would go.
When they got home, Puff was already waiting by the door, sitting primly, meowing her greeting like the world’s best-behaved welcome party.
Lu Yi slipped off her heels and absently rubbed at her ankle. Lin Jinshen, right behind her, caught sight of her fair skin flushed pink around the ankle. They both changed into slippers, both stepped around Puff at exactly the same time.
Puff looked doubly aggrieved: “Meow meow meow?”
Lu Yi felt bad, but she was still in an evening gown. She had to shower and change before she could cuddle the little diva.
“Wait for Mommy, okay?”
That, at least, seemed to calm Puff. Lu Yi padded upstairs in her slippers, went into her bedroom, and reached behind to unzip her dress. The first tug didn’t budge it, so she lifted her left hand to pull at the neckline.
Halfway down, a hand closed over hers, yanking the zipper low, all the way to the small of her back.
Her slender, pale back was exposed, soft and luminous like lychee flesh, the air tinged with a subtle sweetness that seemed to linger and seduce.
Lu Yi’s whole body went taut in an instant. But only for a second, after everything, there was no need for unnecessary modesty.
If she were alone, she’d just let go, let the dress fall, and be done with it. But with Lin Jinshen there, she had to clutch the front, keeping it from slipping all the way down.
“I’ll shower first,” she offered. After all, she was the one halfway undressed.
She hadn’t taken a step before, the light snapped off with a click, plunging the room into darkness. Instinctively she looked up, but then a hand wrapped gently around her arm, turning her until, before she knew it, her back was pressed against the wall.
Her skin came into direct contact with his, cool enough to make her shiver.
Lin Jinshen stood in front of her, all strength and heat, like some wild animal lying in wait, finally seizing his prey. The mere breadth of him surrounded her, caging her in with no escape.
They were so close, even their breaths mingled, impossible to tell whose was whose.
Lu Yi knew exactly what was coming. Not that she minded, but it was all so sudden. “Wait, I haven’t showered yet!” she whispered, breath quickening.
Lin Jinshen didn’t budge. He hummed low in his chest, “Neither have I.”
And then, “Want to shower together?”
The memory of their last joint attempt was still fresh, total chaos, barely managed to rinse off, terrible experience. She wasn’t doing that again. Much better on the bed.
“No, !”
But before she could finish, her protest was swallowed by his lips. Lin Jinshen leaned in, kissing her, slow at first, then deeper, harder. Definitely not gentle, maybe even a little wild.
His mouth brushed her jaw as he murmured, “Let’s just… start with this for a while.”
Mmm.
It was just a kiss, but Lu Yi felt like it drained the breath right out of her, her whole body turned limp and weak.
His kiss was fierce and heady. Her hands were pinned above her head, pressed against the wall. With no one to hold it up, her dress slid down in soft folds, pooling around her feet.
"Lin Jinshen, my dress!"
There it was, wrinkled on the floor, just waiting for someone to step on and ruin it.
Lin Jinshen’s breathing was just as messy, hot and humid, like that sudden island downpour, soaking her through again. She bit her lip, half angry, half flustered.
By now, did a dress even matter?
His voice was low and rough: "I'll buy you a new one."
He stole her lips back from her bite, his tongue sweeping her mouth, slow and thorough, as if he was tending a wound, refusing to let a single spot go untouched.
Lu Yi’s head was spinning. She whimpered, sounding almost feverish, like she was coming down with something.
At first, in the darkness, she couldn’t see him, could only sense his warmth and scent. But as her eyes adjusted, shapes came into focus, and her already-flushed face burned even hotter.
Really, Lin Jinshen was the one who started all this. Yet, at this moment, he was the picture of composure: clothes neat, face impassive. Mr. Perfect on the outside, but doing the most shameless things imaginable.
Hypocrite!
Especially when Lin Jinshen knelt to take her ankle in his hands, asking if the pressure was okay, if it felt good. From her high perch above him, she could only look down in disbelief, wasn’t he the one enjoying this?
Who gives someone a foot massage at a time like this?
Lu Yi couldn’t help but suspect Lin Jinshen had a thing for feet.
Thank god the lights were off. It was easier to be bold with their faces shrouded in darkness; otherwise, no way would she ever let him hold her ankle like this.
His palms were hot, the pressure just right. The ache from standing all evening slowly melted away.
When he finished, Lin Jinshen stood, and she met his gaze again, darkness swallowing them both. His voice, low near her ear: "Go shower."
It wasn’t a question, more like an order. Appetizers were over; time for the main course.
Lin Jinshen scooped her straight up. Lu Yi’s pale arms looped around his neck, her body still boneless and soft. Right before the bathroom, she remembered the gifts she’d received earlier and confessed, "Sorry, I didn’t get you anything."
A sheepish add-on: "I thought we didn’t celebrate these kinds of holidays together."
Just a gap in their pre-nup. First marriage, first mistakes; totally understandable.
Lin Jinshen set her into the bathtub, a luxurious, barely-used model, more than big enough for two. As hot water roared out, splashing warm droplets onto her skin, he loosened his tie, leaned in, and captured her lips again as she shivered from the spray. His voice was velvet-rough: "But you did."
"…"
The water kept running, slowly rising over the porcelain. At first it felt too hot, but once she got used to it, she simply gave up and let herself drift.
He took her hand and placed it over his still-fastened tie, clear enough what that meant: it was hers to unwrap.
Lu Yi closed her eyes. The water seemed to boil beneath her, the temperature ever climbing, offering a gift took attitude, after all.
And apparently, this time, she had to do the unwrapping herself.
Jeez.
She sighed. She should’ve prepared something, if only she’d seen this coming, she wouldn’t be so completely on the back foot now!
When Lin Jinshen lay down beside her, the tub overflowed, hot water spilling audibly onto the floor, soaking everything around.
What happened next, Lu Yi didn’t even dare to imagine.
After all, this was Lin Jinshen’s place from before their marriage, he knew all the gadgets, every setting on this tub: temperature control, massage jets, bubble cycles, pulsing and vibrating and everything in between… he made sure she “tested” every single one.
She’d asked for the lights off, but the tub itself glowed with color-changing LEDs, right now, casting a blush-inducing red all across the steamy water.
She clung to Lin Jinshen’s neck for dear life, terrified of slipping, terrified of getting water up her nose. He knew, all too well. One arm snug around her, he let her cling like a koala, never letting her fall.
Tonight, he wasn’t the usual Lin Jinshen at all. Cold, relentless, his usual tenderness turning sharp. When she cried, he kissed her eyelids, caught her tears, and the second she relaxed, he turned fiercely passionate again.
Funny, surrounded by all this water, and yet her throat burned with thirst.
He leaned in, lips brushing the edge of her cheek, then drifted to her earlobe, nipping gently as he breathed: "Do you like being called ‘big sister’?"
"!"
Lu Yi’s eyes shot open, a jolt rocketing from her ear to every nerve ending. She curled up involuntarily, her body weak and trembling, her mind flashing to that stupid group chat video Wu Sidong sent earlier.
That ridiculous male model, doing what the guys told him, smiling, calling her ‘big sis’ just to tease her.
...What did that have to do with her? Since when did she like being called “sister” by anyone?
Hadn’t that whole car scene been ancient history?! And now he just had to bring it up again.
"I do not!" Lu Yi protested, voice shaky, arms trapped around his as if she could slow him down (she couldn’t).
"Really?" Lin Jinshen's hands didn’t stop, water or sweat, it was all a blur. "I don’t believe you."
Lu Yi was going crazy. "I mean it!"
"Then what do you like hearing, Yiyi?" he murmured, lips brushing hers, a double onslaught, and all the strength fled her limbs, every ounce of control trickling through Lin Jinshen’s fingers.
She thought, in this darkness, her dignity wasn’t the only thing shot to hell, his must be, too, for him to say these things so shamelessly!
She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing nothing she said would matter now.
Lin Jinshen leaned in close, his lips at her ear, voice a rumbling whisper burrowing straight to her bones, making her shiver again and again.
That night, it was twice.
When they finally climbed out of the tub, Lu Yi almost lost her footing, he caught her up in a towel, arms tight and steady. Before they left, she glanced back at the bathwater: what was once full was half-gone, the rest already vanished down the drain.
Lu Yi closed her eyes, and it was as if Lin Jinshen’s voice still lingered in her ears.
She hunched her shoulders, her face burning hot like she’d just stepped out of a steam room, the blush refused to fade.
Back at the bar, her friends were partying hard, living it up just the way they liked. The male models tonight were top-tier, good looks, great service. With tips triple the usual rate, everyone left happy. It wasn’t until the models had all clocked out and everyone was heading home that someone realized Lu Yi hadn’t answered the group chat all night.
What’s going on?
“Maybe she thinks we’re too wild and can’t be bothered with us.”
“That’s something you’d do, not our goddess.”
Yu Yin laughed lazily, too comfy to move. She nudged Wu Sidong with her foot, muttering for him to call and check what was up.
“Yeah, you should call.”
Wu Sidong stood up and dialed her number with a swipe of his finger.
Once, no answer. Twice, still nothing. That was weird for Lu Yi. These days, what adult goes hours without checking their phone?
Something’s off. Really off. Missing a few messages is no big deal, but if something happened,
Let’s just say there had been plenty of rich-kid kidnappings before (they even knew someone it happened to). Lu Yi was both the only daughter of the Lu family and the Lin family’s daughter-in-law. Snatch her, and you’d be set for life. Just thinking about potential ransom figures gave him a headache.
Wu Sidong’s face turned grim. Yu Yin picked up on it immediately and asked if there was still no answer. When he nodded, she pulled out her phone too, bombarding Lu Yi with texts and calls of her own. Nothing. No reply, not even a missed call returned.
Yu Yin nibbled at her fingernail, panic slowly creeping in. Then she remembered, wasn’t Lu Yi with Lin Jinshen today?
“Maybe we should call President Lin?” Yu Yin started looking for her cousin to get Lin Jinshen’s number.
Before she could get it, Wu Sidong’s phone suddenly connected. He tensed up, halfway between worry and relief, checking again: did someone actually pick up? He held a finger to his lips to hush the room, then asked quietly, “Xiao Yi?”
“Xiao Yi, are you okay? Why didn’t you answer our calls?”
“Are you home right now, or still out?”
Yu Yin leaned in, brows tightly knit, anxiety all over her face.
The others demanded, “What’s she saying? Did she just not see her phone or what?”
Wu Sidong’s eyes popped wide in disbelief. He just stared at the phone, shell-shocked, before setting it down, looking completely dazed, as if his soul had just left his body.
Everyone was flipping out. Yu Yin yanked his arm, frantic: “Spit it out already! The call went through, didn’t it? Is she okay or not?”
“…She’s okay.”
Collective sighs of relief all around.
But then Wu Sidong’s face twisted as he replayed the call in his head. He looked confused and muttered, “Wait… maybe she’s not totally okay.”
“?”
“Are you looking to die, Wu Sidong?”
“What did she say, exactly?”
“Dude, stop scaring us! We’re not kids, our hearts can’t take it!”
Wu Sidong sounded like he was speaking in riddles, not on purpose, though. He was still recovering from the shock. After a moment, he finally said, “It wasn’t Xiao Yi who picked up.”
“Then who was it?!” A kidnapper?!
Wu Sidong took a swig of water, gathered himself, and collapsed onto the couch. “Holy crap, it was President Lin!”
“…”
Lu Yi fell asleep almost instantly, eyes barely closed.
Her legs felt like jelly, her knees ached, and honestly? Her whole body was sore. She was a tiny boat tossed around by wild waves all day, but now, finally, she’d drifted safely to shore and surrendered to sleep.
She slept like a rock, not even the shrill ring of her phone could wake her. Somewhere in the haze, an annoying noise buzzed by her ear. She just burrowed deeper under the covers, grumbling in her dream.
Bits of her dream flickered in and out, she kept crying, and Lin Jinshen stayed cold as ever, unmoved, growing even more relentless.
He pressed a hand to her back, pulling her against him from behind.
Lu Yi whimpered, nearly biting her lip raw, and Lin Jinshen, all smooth and proper, just asked gently, “Did you eat too much?”
She almost drew blood from her lower lip.
Lin Jinshen came out of the bathroom while his phone was still ringing. He was in a bathrobe, belt casually tied at his waist, freshly dried hair falling across his forehead. He was about to hang up, until he glanced at the caller ID. He hesitated, then swiped to answer.
“Xiao Yi?” On the other end, a man’s voice, both uncertain and a little frantic.
“Xiao Yi, are you okay? Why weren’t you picking up?”
Phone pressed to his ear, Lin Jinshen stared expressionless at himself in the bathroom mirror. He waited for the babbling to stop, then replied, slow and cool: “She’s fine.”
Lin Jinshen glanced at the lump under the blankets, her whole head about to disappear beneath the covers. Bathed in warm lamplight, he answered honestly, “She’s just tired.”
“!!!”