Chapter 36

Wu Sidong relayed the entire phone call to the group, word for word, right down to the tone and the pauses.
“She’s fine.”
“She’s just tired.”
That last line, now that was loaded. Wu Sidong was a guy. He didn’t have to be a genius to get what that meant. ‘Tired’? Gee, wonder why.
In the wild, when two males cross paths, what happens? Things get territorial, maybe a fight or two, no big deal. Not that he’d ever seen Lu Yi that way (just friends, thank you!), but rules were rules. And President Lin had sure marked his territory, hadn’t he?
Honestly, getting treated as a potential rival felt weirdly flattering. No idea why, but he was almost proud.
“Quit grinning like an idiot. Lu Yi isn’t made of steel, she’s allowed to get tired, you know.” Yu Yin lobbed a pillow at his head.
“You don’t get it.”
“As if you do!”
“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Relieved that Lu Yi was okay, everyone started grabbing their bags and heading for the door.
Halfway out, Wu Sidong froze. Wait. If Lin Jinshen answered on Lu Yi’s phone… had he seen their chat history? All those wild messages they posted earlier?
The entire group went stiff with terror.
Someone groaned, “No way. No, no, please God, no…”
Look, some of the stuff they’d texted after a few drinks, those messages were dangerous. Even if you got hit by a truck, you’d better crawl back just to delete them. Die if you must, but make sure your group chat stays squeaky clean.
If President Lin had seen those, and got the wrong idea… Their little harem jokes might torpedo that already shaky marriage for good. They’d never forgive themselves.
“No way, the worst President Lin would do is pick up her phone. There’s no way he knows Xiaoyi’s password.” Yu Yin pulled out her phone to order a car, totally confident.
In other words, their relationship hadn’t reached that stage yet.
“True enough.”
“Alright, I’m heading out then.”
Her friend finally relaxed, waving goodbye.
Lu Yi tossed and turned all night, half-awake, drifting through dreams.
In her dream, she skipped out on the charity auction and hit up a bar with her friends instead. The biggest private room, the fanciest drinks, and the hottest male models on tap.
The models, all six-foot-two, in crisp black and white shirts, filed in with little waves, lining up in perfect formation. It was like a jungle of tall trees, blocking out the light.
Everyone got to pick their favorite, whoever caught their eye.
Among all the shirt buttons popping and chests on display, only one guy had his collar buttoned all the way to the top. Yu Yin jabbed Lu Yi's shoulder, teasing: “Boring and buttoned-up? Yep, definitely your type.”
“What?”
Lu Yi wanted to protest, but the guy’s dark gaze dropped onto her, her heart skipped, a weird sense of déjà vu, and whatever comeback she had dissolved in her throat.
Well… maybe not the worst idea.
Bottles rolled in by the dozen, every color under the sun. Music thumped, the models each showing off, dancing, mixing drinks, singing... Except the one at her side, who didn’t seem to know how to do any of it.
How did this guy even make a living? Looks, maybe. Lu Yi snuck a peek at his face and, okay, fine, point taken.
Her model never said those cheesy, heart-fluttering lines. He just kept recycling the basics: “What do you want to drink?”
“There’s juice, there’s soda… Probably best to skip the alcohol.”
“Are you hungry? Want some fruit?”
Just as dull as he looked, not a spark of excitement.
Everywhere else was a riot, but their table was dead boring. Her friends noticed and called over the manager to complain. The manager dragged her model aside for a scolding; lashes lowered, shadow eating half his face, he looked totally defeated.
But after the lecture, he finally got the memo.
Pushing aside half the bottles on the table, he propped up one long leg opposite her, let his knee press against hers, and lifted his head. His lashes were so dark they cast shadows, eyes quietly smoldering, and, he started to unbutton his shirt…
Lu Yi stared, helpless as an R-rated scene threatened to unfold right in front of her. She glanced around, everyone else was busy having fun, like they couldn’t see a thing.
Her heart thudded wildly, palms clammy like she’d just walked out of a rainstorm.
This… probably wasn’t a great idea, right?
But she just sat there, watching, not stopping him.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was curious enough to want to keep going.
When did she realize it was all a dream?
It was when Lin Jinshen leaned in, so close their noses nearly brushed, close enough to count every eyelash. His eyes were misty, mouth curling up,
“Come on, big sister. Take me already.”
Lu Yi shot awake, heart pounding, jolting up as if she’d had a zombie nightmare. Only this was worse. Lin Jinshen was actually sitting at the edge of her bed, holding her calf. When she moved, his grip adjusted to keep her still.
“What the, ?”
Her brain scrambled, a dozen chaotic ideas banging around at top speed.
“You’re awake?” Lin Jinshen was far more composed than she was, still holding her leg. His palm was warm, blazingly so around her ankle.
Lu Yi blinked, slow and dumbfounded, then finally blurted out what she’d been wondering since yesterday, “So… wait, do you have some kinda foot fetish?”
Lin Jinshen frowned. “A what?”
“Y’know, like, super into feet. More than usual.” Lu Yi tried to explain.
Lin Jinshen: “…”
“I’m putting medicine on your leg.”
Lu Yi glanced down. Beside him was a medicine kit, and he had a cotton swab in hand. About then, her body finally synced with her brain, her knee felt icy cold.
He really was just tending to her injuries.
Lu Yi pulled her leg back and yanked the comforter up to her chin, trying to play it cool.
It was mortifying, especially after that dream. The secondhand embarrassment was enough to kill her twice.
Lin Jinshen ignored her awkwardness. After seeing the bruises on her knee that morning, he’d checked with a doctor friend, then run to a 24-hour pharmacy to grab ointment for both bruising and cuts.
“Sorry. Yesterday was on me. I’ll… be quicker next time.” He apologized while tending to her knee.
Wait, shouldn’t the apology be for doing it at all? Since when was time the actual problem?
Lu Yi was way too embarrassed to answer.
Lin Jinshen finished her knee and moved to the rest of her, small marks scattered over her pale skin, some shaped like fingertips, others like messy kiss prints. He found places he didn’t even remember kissing, and as he dabbed ointment, silently promised he’d try to be gentler next time.
Lu Yi had no idea what he was thinking.
She’d been utterly exhausted last night, but right now? She was happy to let him play nurse, until his hand started to drift higher.
That familiar electric shock, her legs went weak. She blocked his hand, totally flustered, words tumbling out. “What are you doing?”
In Lin Jinshen’s eyes, she saw pure exasperation.
He said, “Applying ointment. Didn’t you say your inner thigh hurt last night? I’m checking if you broke the skin.”
Lu Yi: “…”
She was starting to get it, Lin Jinshen really had zero filter. Anything could come out of his mouth.
Lu Yi insisted she was fine, but he just gave her that dead-serious look, as if refusing was the same as ignoring a medical problem. He swapped for a fresh cotton swab, loaded it up with ointment, and his face said nothing but “Patients don’t have a gender to a doctor.” If her mind went elsewhere, well, maybe that was just her problem.
She bit her lip, squeezed her eyes shut, and somehow survived the fifteen seconds it took.
“Done. Twice a day, morning and night.”
He tossed the swab.
Lu Yi’s face turned every shade of red. Not that she’d ever thought her thigh was hurting, Lin Jinshen said it was red, and whatever he was putting on her stung cool against her skin. Not the least bit uncomfortable, just… way, way too much.
She lay there, catching her breath and collecting herself.
Lin Jinshen was tidying up the medicine, putting everything back into the box, returning it to the bag, then tossing the used cotton swabs and tissue into the trash.
Lu Yi glanced at the clock. Eight already. Sunday, technically, but in Lin Jinshen’s world, there was no such thing as weekends, work was always waiting.
“Aren’t you going to the office?” she asked.
Lin Jinshen looked as calm as ever. “Of course. Still early.”
He glanced at her, then added, “Aunt Fang made breakfast. Get up and eat a little, then you can go back to sleep if you like.”
Honestly, Lu Yi was starving. She’d barely had a bite at yesterday’s charity dinner, and after last night’s… marathon, her energy reserves were dangerously low.
“I’ll head down first,” she said.
“Alright.”
Lu Yi got out of bed, checked herself in the bathroom mirror, and winced at all the marks. Not even going to look directly at those. Lin Jinshen really was a dog, he bit wherever he pleased.
And that wasn’t even the worst of it.
Last night, he’d leaned in close, right by her ear, and whispered, “Wife.”
Not for show, not for anyone else, just for her, in that low, raspy voice that made resistance impossible.
This guy? A million times more dangerous than he looked.
Thank god they’d gotten everything out of their system, today was finally a real rest day!
After she freshened up, she threw on some clothes and headed downstairs, greeting Aunt Fang on her way to the dining room.
“Oh, you’re up! Come sit, breakfast is ready,” Aunt Fang called, bringing side dishes over from the kitchen island.
Lu Yi sat down across from Lin Jinshen at the table.
Come to think of it, this might be the first time they’d ever had breakfast together. They’d lived together for ages, but weekday mornings together? You could count those on one hand.
With Aunt Fang’s special dishes on the table, Lu Yi spooned up a bowl of steaming veggie porridge. The warmth eased her stomach. Eating, she didn’t say much, especially not with Lin Jinshen there. She just quietly focused on her food.
Aunt Fang, meanwhile, chatted with Lin Jinshen.
She mentioned how he’d been coming home more often lately, which meant she could cook dinner and they could eat together when they got back at night. Lin Jinshen replied there was no need, his work schedule was unpredictable and he rarely ate dinner, anyway.
But Aunt Fang wasn’t done. She tried to advocate for Lu Yi, saying, “Madam’s gotten so thin lately.”
Poor girl, right? Heartbreaking.
Caught off guard by the attention, Lu Yi nearly choked. Where was this coming from all of a sudden? Then a tissue appeared in front of her, Lin Jinshen handed it over, looking at her. “She has lost weight,” he agreed.
He would know, he’d gotten a full measure last night.
When it came to this topic, nobody had more authority.
Lu Yi studied his expression, trying, and failing, to guess what he was thinking. She accepted the tissue, schooling her features into composure, and dabbed her lips.
“See? Madam’s barely touching her dinner lately. Eating alone must be so boring,” Aunt Fang said, hint heavy as a hammer.
Lu Yi: “…”
Honestly? Eating by herself was just fine.
Lin Jinshen gave a noncommittal “Mm,” and said he’d try his best.
Aunt Fang, mission accomplished, left the scene beaming to clean up in the kitchen.
Lu Yi had two bowls of porridge, a fried egg, and a couple of steamed dumplings, she couldn’t manage anything more. That half-glass of milk across the table stood no chance. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get it down.
Lin Jinshen, meanwhile, only ate breakfast properly out of all meals, carbs, protein, the lot. When he finished his own food, his eyes flickered to her half-finished milk. Without a word, he reached over, picked it up, and drank it in one go.
He moved so naturally, like they’d been married for years. Like it was only natural he’d polish off whatever she didn’t want.
As Lu Yi wiped her mouth, she had a sudden, dumb thought: Didn’t he used to be a germaphobe?
Lin Jinshen was already on his feet. “I’m heading to the office. If you’re still tired, go back to sleep.”
“Okay. Drive safe,” she said.
And although it was the sort of obedient reply she’d say automatically, it came out perfectly smooth and natural.
Lu Yi didn’t go back to bed. She was too full to doze off now. Instead, she picked up her phone and started answering messages. The chat group, which had gone haywire last night, had its name switched back to the original: “Successors of Socialism.” She went in, scrolled up, and quickly deleted every video and picture they’d posted. No way was she having another dream like last night’s.
Madam Qin had messaged, too. She’d been discussing bridesmaid choices in the group: how many, who to pick, dress details, all that jazz. “More bridesmaids are better than fewer,” she’d said, “and we need to confirm styles.”
Lu Yi sat cross-legged on the sofa, her cat Puff curled up beside her. Picking bridesmaids was easy, she only had a handful of close friends. Two was plenty.
Yu Yin was one of them.
Once decided, Lu Yi started a group chat just for the bridesmaids, so they could iron out wedding details.
Yu Yin hadn’t forgotten about last night. She messaged, asking what happened. Did the charity dinner knock her flat?
Lu Yi: [Nope.]
Yu Yin: [Because your Mr. Lin said you were worn out?]
Lu Yi: …
Lu Yi: [What else did he say?]
Yu Yin: [That was it. You hadn’t replied, so we thought something happened and almost called you.]
Lu Yi could pretty much guess when that had happened. She pressed her fingers to her brow. Lin Jinshen just added another crime to his long, long list.
On his side, Lin Jinshen also needed to pick groomsmen. Thanks to his personality, he’d only ever let a few people in, barely more than a handful. Of those, three he’d known since childhood.
Their families were all on the same level. Their own talents matched, too.
They didn’t see each other often, rarely even talked. But whenever they did meet again, it was just like the old days.
Lin Jinshen sent the groomsmen info into his buddy group chat.
Ji Changming: [Can’t believe you’re the second one out of us to get married, Brother Lin. Who’ll I even ask to be my groomsman in the future?]
He was the youngest in their four-man group, and honestly, the only one who could pass for normal. The other two? One brooded like a supervillain, the other was a cold-faced, warm-hearted weirdo.
Yu Zeheng: [You can always ask me.]
Gu Yu: [I don’t know how you guys do things over there, but where I’m from, you’re not supposed to ask divorced guys to be groomsmen.]
[Something about bad luck.]
Yu Zeheng: [Maybe that’s exactly the blessing a newlywed needs.]
Ji Changming cut in: [Uh, what kind of blessing is that supposed to be?]
Yu Zeheng: [A different man every night.]
Ji Changming, trying to play it cool: [Hahaha, geez, Yu, you really haven’t changed at all, always a comedian.]
Gu Yu: [Some people get divorced and their bad vibes fill the whole room.]
After Lin Jinshen finally finished up his work, he checked the group chat. The conversation had careened wildly off-topic, so he just tagged Gu Yu and Ji Changming directly, assigning them their duties, swift, decisive, no room for debate.
Just three guys: one freshly divorced, two eternally single. Making decisions was the least of their problems.
Yu Zeheng: [Even you are discriminating against me now?]
Lin Jinshen: [Don’t be dramatic.]
Lin Jinshen: [Effective immediately, those two words are banned.]
Yu Zeheng: [What, “divorced”?]
A few seconds later, the system notification popped up: Yu Zeheng has been removed from the group.
Yu Zeheng, now kicked out of the group chat: ???
Seriously, are these people even human?
The other two nearly died laughing. Only Lin Jinshen would treat someone like this. After a few more roasts, they pulled Yu Zeheng back in, who called Lin Jinshen a soulless bastard while the others just joked around and left it at that.
They hadn’t seen each other in forever, so they decided to use this chance to get together.
Yu Zeheng, ever the cynic: [I’m not going. I don’t want to bring my bad luck to you all.]
Ji Changming: [Don't be like that! You just lost your wife, now you're going to lose your friends too? That’s tragic, dude!]
Gu Yu chimed in too: [Yeah, you have to be there. How am I supposed to roast you behind your back? I’m not the type to talk trash unless you're right in front of me.]
Yu Zeheng slowly typed out a single question mark.
Lin Jinshen replied instantly: [Deal.]
Yu Zeheng was so pissed he could die and come back for seconds. He sent a smiling emoji, then double-checked: yeah, these were definitely not people, especially after someone gets married, just inhuman.
The four of them met up at Tang Palace, in the private room on the third floor. No one else had ever used it since the place was built; it was always just for them. The Tang Palace, after all, was Yu’s family business.
Lin Jinshen arrived on the dot. Ji Changming strolled in last, that misleadingly adorable puppy face making him look a few years younger than he actually was. He called everyone “bro” as he went around, blaming traffic for his lateness.
Yu Zeheng sat alone on a corner of the couch, long legs stretched out. When he didn't speak, he had this languid, world-weary vibe, half decadent, half don't-give-a-damn attitude, like he’d been soaked in whiskey and smoke.
Gu Yu lounged with his feet up, ordering the server to bring out Lin Jinshen’s private stash of liquor.
“Let’s agree right now: Tonight is all about good vibes. No whining about marriage, at all.” He might as well have announced Yu Zeheng’s ID number with how hard that bullet was aimed.
Yu Zeheng narrowed his eyes. “Who says I wanted to whine?”
Lin Jinshen walked over, neatly stepping in and slicing through the tension between the two. He wasn’t even the oldest in the group, but whenever he spoke, it was like he carried double his years, authoritative, steady, impossible to argue with.
Most of the time, they just played cards together.
Ji Changming started telling the latest gossip he’d heard. No names, just: Some young master, in under two months, not only transferred properties to someone, but bought them a car too. Always out on business trips, or en route to one, but now suddenly settled down in Jing City. Not just that, he clocks out after work and goes straight home, never misses a punch-in, like it’s a job.
Lin Jinshen just raised an eyebrow and shot him a half-lidded look. Ji Changming grinned innocently; this bit of news had been burning a hole in his pocket for days.
Gu Yu played along: “Oh? Sounds pretty spooky to me. There are usually only two possible reasons for a situation like that: either they secretly got married, which, ahem, we’ve seen from Master Yu over there, or they’ve just fallen into a romance scam.”
“Honestly, I think the first one’s much scarier.”
One option: Lose your money and your mind. The other? At worst, you’re just out some cash.
Yu Zeheng didn’t even try to defend himself. Hey, he’d done all that dumb stuff before, might as well lie still for the roast session.
Lin Jinshen played his cards calmly. His luck tonight was unstoppable, every hand a winning one, quietly sweeping up all the chips at the table.
He countered, “Is that so strange? Isn’t that just the baseline for marriage?”
Once two people go down to the registry, sign their names, get that official stamp, their lives are legally bound together. Apart from your parents, your spouse is the closest person you’ll ever have. You’re supposed to spend the rest of your lives that way, right?
In this world, she is his other half.
“She’s my wife. Anything other people have, she’ll have too. Whatever they don’t, she’ll still get.”
It really was that simple. If he had it, and she wanted it, then it was hers. No debate.
Lin Jinshen wasn’t trying to lecture anyone, his life philosophy was just that straightforward. Once he decided on something, he’d see it through to the end, unless the day came when Lu Yi got tired of him, and put things on pause herself.
Ji Changming listened to his logical analysis, then grinned. “So what you’re saying, Brother Lin, is, all this stuff you do, it’s just responsibility? Not a shred of real feeling in it?”
So if Mrs. Lin were anyone else, he’d treat her exactly the same?
Lin Jinshen glanced down, his eyes giving nothing away. He paused, played another winning hand, then finally said, “Feelings or not, it wouldn’t change a thing.”
He didn’t say he had feelings. He didn’t say he didn’t. They could read into it whatever way they wanted.
Gu Yu gave a faint, crooked smile. Makes sense, everyone knew Lin Jinshen had a heart insulated against all things romantic, otherwise he wouldn’t have stayed single for so many years.
Married or not, Lin Jinshen was still the same old Lin Jinshen.
“Honestly, I still hope I marry someone I actually like. How are you supposed to get through decades together if there’s no love at all?” Ji Changming sighed. He just wasn’t built like Lin Jinshen, who could apparently treat his wife right out of pure principle.
Yu Zeheng, clearly triggered, tapped the table impatiently. “Can you idiots talk about literally anything else?”
When did every conversation with this crew turn into marriage and wives, marriage and wives? Boring! Lame!
Lin Jinshen shuffled the cards at a leisurely pace, steering the conversation toward the upcoming wedding. He wasn’t exactly an expert, so he had to ask Yu Zeheng for all the details and pitfalls.
Yu Zeheng suspected he was doing it on purpose, but couldn’t prove it. In the end, he just accepted his fate and explained all the steps, plus a list of rookie mistakes to avoid, the ones he’d learned the hard way.
Lin Jinshen listened and memorized it all, his recall was excellent.
The other two, still single but now recruited as groomsmen, also listened intently. None of them could remember what their group chat topics used to be, but they certainly weren’t anything like this.
In the middle of their banter, Lin Jinshen’s phone rang.
He'd left his phone face up on the table, so the moment the screen lit up with an incoming call, Ji Changming, sitting right next to him, caught a glimpse of the contact name: "Wife." Not "Baby," not some cutesy nickname, just "Wife." That was so classic Lin Jinshen.
Ji Changming immediately shot the others a silent mouthing of “It’s his wife,” then folded his arms, settling in for the show as Lin Jinshen answered.
“Must be a check-in call,” Gu Yu said, setting down his cards. Leaning back and swirling his drink, he added, “Lucky for us, there’s not a single girl in sight.”
Lin Jinshen glanced at the screen, hesitated a moment, then picked up the call.
“Hello?”
On the other end, Lu Yi’s voice purred through, soft as ever, mountain spring clear, impossibly gentle.
“Mhm.” The sound rumbled up from deep in his chest.
The rest of them weren’t even trying to eavesdrop, but the table wasn’t exactly massive, and it’s not every day the topic of your recent conversation suddenly calls in. Curiosity was inevitable.
Lu Yi didn't know he was hanging out with friends; she wasn't sure if he was still at work, and felt a little embarrassed to ask, "Are you busy right now? Am I interrupting anything?"
Three pairs of eyes were locked on him, some subtle, some direct, all with their own messages.
Lin Jinshen’s jaw stayed tight, face unreadable. His Adam’s apple shifted as he answered, quiet, “Not busy.”
“You’re not interrupting.”
The way he softened his voice, you could practically hear the warmth, even the most oblivious guy at the table noticed.
“?”
In all their years knowing him, his friends had never heard him sound like this.
Seriously, try saying you’re “not emotionally invested” one more time, we dare you!