Chapter 39

When it came to thick skin, Lu Yi knew she was outmatched by Lin Jinshen.
Especially since, to him, there was nothing even remotely wrong with what he said.
She let out a couple of huffy little noises, not bothering to argue, then went to open the door. “Hurry up,” she urged.
The door swung open and Puff, the cat, dashed in first. This used to be her territory. After greeting Lin Jinshen, she began showing him around like a little princess giving a royal tour of her kingdom.
The room wasn’t as big as her suite at Chengxi Garden, but it was still a proper suite with its own bathroom and walk-in closet.
Lu Yi’s bedroom was simple, decorated in soft, light tones. No plushies piled on the bed; everything was tidy and fresh. The cloud-like quilt was edged in lace, a white shag rug by the bed, a giant panda plush half her height lounging in the corner, and a scattering of Puff’s toys and scratching boards here and there.
The room smelled distinctly like Lu Yi, sweet and fresh, uniquely her.
It looked incredibly cozy, like the sort of place you could fall asleep in instantly.
“You can put it over here,” Lu Yi pointed to an empty spot in the corner.
Lin Jinshen’s black jacket now hung on her coat rack, a splash of dark against all the pale colors.
The two of them went downstairs one after the other. Lu Yi brushed her cheek, her blush had faded by now. She probably didn’t look so red anymore.
At the dining table, his place was already set. Madam Xu and Lu Kangcheng sat on one side, waving the pair over as they came down and inviting Lin Jinshen to join them for dinner.
“Thank you, Mom and Dad.”
“We're family, don’t be so formal.”
With her parents watching, Lu Yi had no choice but to sit right beside him.
Madam Xu looked at Lin Jinshen and said, “If you'd told us ahead of time, we could’ve waited for you to eat dinner together.”
“My work hours are unpredictable,” Lin Jinshen replied, taking the soup spoon. “But honestly, this is already perfect.”
“Still busy at work? Wasn’t that acquisition already wrapped up?” Lu Kangcheng chimed in, steering the conversation to work. The two families had a big project running smoothly together lately. Lin Jinshen’s abilities were obvious to everyone, steady, composed, never arrogant. The more Lu Kangcheng saw, the happier he was with his new son-in-law.
The two men chatted back and forth, Lu Kangcheng’s smile growing warmer with every answer.
Madam Xu finally interrupted, “Jinshen, eat first. You’re home, don’t talk shop right now.”
“Of course.”
Lin Jinshen emptied half a bowl of sweet soup and ate some other dishes too.
Since she couldn’t get anything out of Lu Yi, Madam Xu moved on to Lin Jinshen, asking sidelong questions about whether the newlyweds were settling in, if the housekeeper’s cooking was any good, whether they liked the food, all that jazz.
Lin Jinshen answered flawlessly. He didn’t mention that they barely ever ate together, nor did he say whether they even dined at the same table most nights.
Honestly, he told the truth, just selectively.
“I talked it over with Yi. From now on, if you two don’t mind, we’ll come back and stay here a couple nights every month,” he said, setting down his spoon after finishing his soup.
Madam Xu and Lu Kangcheng both froze for a second.
Lu Yi too, this was the first she’d even heard of such a conversation. When did she supposedly agree to this?
Lin Jinshen turned and met her startled gaze.
His eyes were deep, calm enough to hold the whole world.
“Of course you’re welcome to stay as long as you want! We’re just afraid you’d feel awkward coming back, that’s all,” Madam Xu said, recovering quickly and lighting up with delight.
Lu Yi was her only daughter. Ever since she’d moved out, the house just felt empty. Madam Xu checked her daughter’s room every night; the bed was always neatly made, the air too still, like all the life had left it.
Lu Kangcheng nodded. “Your mom’s right. We’d love to have you any time, our doors are always open.”
Lu Yi was touched, dropping her gaze and smiling quietly.
Of course, feelings change in the blink of an eye.
After dinner, the men fell back into discussing work anyway, leaving Madam Xu and Lu Yi to their own cozy mother-daughter time.
Night crept in.
Lin Jinshen headed upstairs first to shower.
Lu Kangcheng came over, sitting beside the snuggled-up mother and daughter on the couch. He grinned, then turned to watch TV.
Lu Yi lay curled against Madam Xu, catching sight of the white strands at her dad’s temples. She remembered, as a little girl, climbing onto his office chair and plucking out his stray gray hairs.
Back then, she’d have to dig through the black to find any white. Now, the gray was easy to spot, right out in the open.
“Dad?” Lu Yi called softly.
Lu Kangcheng looked over.
“Work busy lately?” she asked.
As far as she could remember, he’d never stopped for a break, not once, as the eldest son.
“It’s fine. Same as always,” Lu Kangcheng replied.
Lu Yi smiled. “Want me to come help out at the company?”
“Are you sure?” Lu Kangcheng had never forced her to do anything she didn’t love.
“Mm-hmm.”
She’d decided for real this time, not just on a whim.
It was getting late; time to head upstairs to bed.
Lin Jinshen had already showered. He was sitting against her headboard, reading a book he’d randomly pulled from her shelf, broad-shouldered, chiseled, draped in her lacy blanket. He looked totally, hilariously out of place, and yet, somehow, like he belonged there all along.
A modern twist on the old “keep your beauty hidden in a golden house” tale.
Lu Yi didn’t say it out loud, but honestly, this whole thing was giving her major “creep” vibes.
She dropped her gaze, headed into the bathroom for a shower. Her period was finally over and, thanks to the hormones, she was in a spectacular mood. The world looked positively full of love and peace.
Fresh from the shower, Lu Yi lifted the comforter and got into bed.
At the same time, Lin Jinshen closed his book with a soft snap.
As they lay down, husband and wife shared a knowing glance. Clutching the covers, Lu Yi coughed and threw out a not-so-subtle warning: “So, um, just a heads up, these walls aren’t exactly soundproof.”
They’d shared a bed enough times to be on the same wavelength by now: “not soundproof” meant “don’t even think about getting handsy.”
She could see the exasperation in Lin Jinshen’s eyes. He stared at her for a second, then gave in: “Lu Yi, what kind of guy do you take me for?”
Seriously, as if he was some upstanding dude? With his track record, please. How could he claim innocence with a straight face?
Lu Yi just quirked her lips, said nothing, and pulled the covers up. “Let’s sleep.”
Lin Jinshen lay down too. She’d just switched off the lamp when his arm slid around her waist, with practiced ease, drawing her back against him. Zero space between them, like two pieces in a puzzle.
The Lu family had moved here when Lu Yi was in middle school.
She’d spent her entire girlhood in this very room.
Photos lined the walls, snapshots from every age, she basically looked the same as ever, just slowly growing up, her cheeks still soft, her features carrying traces of baby fat and innocence.
There were other personal things, but Lin Jinshen never touched them.
Neither of them was sleepy. Somehow, the conversation wandered to their old schools. Funny enough, they’d never actually gone to the same school, ever. When they studied abroad, she went to the US while he was in the UK, no chance to cross paths. After moving back, Lu Yi avoided all the cliques. Not many people knew her, or vice versa.
Their families had set up their marriage, and that wedding meeting was literally the first time they’d ever met.
If fate had twisted even slightly, even if they’d known each other earlier, it probably wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Lu Yi yawned, finally closing her eyes and drifting off.
No one ever tells you, when you’re holding someone close, your heart softens without warning.
Lin Jinshen held her, sleep nowhere in sight. He wasn’t the type to dwell on “what ifs.” Things either happened or they didn’t. But tonight, he let himself wonder,
If only they’d met a little sooner.
Lu Yi hadn’t even made it to the office when she saw messages exploding in the work group chat.
Yu Qian @-ed her: Apparently Song Zhixing had a personality transplant yesterday, he’d approved their proposal without a single complaint, apologized profusely, and admitted the whole mess had been his fault. Even praised their work!
What a joke. They’d revised that proposal a dozen times and the guy hadn’t bothered to look at it, until now.
Lu Yi: [Congrats, at least you’re free from that misery now.]
Yu Qian: [I swear something’s off. These last few days, the guy’s been acting possessed, all polite, calling everyone ‘teacher,’ giving me the creeps.]
The other colleagues jumped in, totally relatable.
This used to be the guy who treated everyone like peasants, and now he’s all sugar and smiles? Suspicious. He must be planning something.
When she arrived, Sister Wei came out of her office, clapped her hands and told everyone to pause their work, she had something to announce.
“You’ve all been working so hard lately. This afternoon, everyone can treat themselves to a drink, just order with Xiao Lei, it’s on the company.”
“Yay! You’re the best, Sister Wei!”
“Thank you, Sister Wei!”
Sister Wei smiled. “You earned it. We’ve all noticed your overtime, your hard work. Especially some of you, you really went above and beyond.”
“Lu Yi, I want you back on the project for this client.”
“The client called to apologize, said last time was a misunderstanding, the problem was all on their end, nothing to do with you.”
Lu Yi’s smile was polite, her expression unchanged.
“Oh wow!”
Her colleagues cheered first, clapping and welcoming her back onto the project team.
“Thank you, Sister Wei.”
“Don’t thank me, it’s all your talent and hard work.”
Sister Wei nodded. “That’s all, everyone, back to work!”
Yu Qian rolled her office chair over and dropped her voice: “I knew something weird was up. Lu Yi, tell me the truth, was this your doing?”
She’d suspected something since last time, but Lu Yi was famously tight-lipped, never talking about her own business.
“Nope.” Really wasn’t her. She answered without hesitation.
“Be honest? Song Zhixing is not the type to ‘see the error of his ways.’ Guys like that only apologize after taking a real beating,” Yu Qian said confidently.
She was speaking from years of work trauma.
People who act like they’re above everyone else never admit mistakes, instead, they get off on holding other people’s fate in their hands.
Honestly? Just bullies, through and through.
Lu Yi was adamant: “Seriously, not me.”
She didn’t know what had happened to Song Zhixing, but she had a pretty good guess who might’ve helped.
Yu Qian didn’t get the answer she wanted, but she figured it couldn’t be a coincidence. Still, she’d benefited too, less workplace torture meant she might just survive a little longer.
Lu Yi got added back to the project group by Sister Wei. Almost immediately, Song Zhixing used the group to add her as a friend. She paused, then clicked accept.
Seconds later, his messages popped up:
Song Zhixing: [Honestly, Miss Lu, I’m shocked you even accepted my friend request. I’m so, so sorry about what happened the other night. I realize now I was completely out of line, my mouth got ahead of my brain.]
[I swear, it wasn’t intentional. You probably still remember Li Chengming, right? That jerk was my college buddy and said some things about you, I just stupidly believed him.]
[I know no apology can erase what I said, but I promise, I’ll do everything I can to make it right.]
[…]
Lu Yi: [Is that all?]
Song Zhixing: [No, no, of course not! Miss Lu, if you and your husband have time, I’d love to invite you both to dinner so I can properly apologize. You pick the place, anywhere.]
Lu Yi: [My husband?]
Song Zhixing: [Yes. I’m really sorry about what I said that night. I hope it didn’t cause any drama between the two of you.]
After a moment’s silence, Lu Yi put down her phone, took an envelope out of her bag, and knocked on Sister Wei’s office door.
Sister Wei let her in, looked her up and down, and asked, "What’s wrong? Work trouble?"
"No." Lu Yi handed over her resignation letter. "I’m here to resign, Sister Wei. Thank you for looking out for me all this time, I've learned a lot, really. Thank you."
"…Resign?" Sister Wei looked confused. "Is this about me kicking you off the project team the other day?"
"No, this is about my personal growth." That’s all Lu Yi said, leaving the rest unsaid.
Sister Wei unscrewed her water bottle, thinking as a boss: Lu Yi was always the employee she trusted most. When things went wrong, she’d protected Lu Yi first. The girl was sharp and professional, give her anything and it would get done, no drama, no ego, just genuine interest.
She also knew Lu Yi came from money. The salary here wasn’t enough to buy her a pair of shoes.
What stressed Sister Wei out was, if Lu Yi really wanted to quit, how could she possibly convince her to stay?
"Xiao Yi, maybe things have been rough lately, but remember why you joined Starbright in the first place. You can still do the work you love, just like before." Sister Wei laced her fingers on the desk, classic negotiation mode. "Look, how about this? Don’t take the new project right now. Take some time off. Rest."
It was precisely because she remembered her own reasons for starting out that this situation felt all the more frustrating for Lu Yi.
She was done wasting her time and energy on unnecessary people and drama.
"Sister Wei, I promise, this isn’t impulsive." Lu Yi’s gaze was gentle but steady, and anyone who really knew her could see, she wasn’t some pushover. "I’m grateful you had my back, truly. No hard feelings toward you or the company."
Sister Wei rubbed her forehead. "You know you were always my top pick. Honestly, this job, maybe my position would’ve been yours next."
Lu Yi laughed, honest and relaxed. "You know that’s not my ambition, Sister Wei."
"Alright, I’ll hang on to your resignation for now. If you ever change your mind, my door’s always open."
"Thank you."
Lu Yi left Sister Wei’s office, went back to her desk, and watched as new messages popped up on her phone.
Song Zhixing had sent dozens of texts.
Lu Yi only read the last one.
Song Zhixing: [I sincerely hope Miss Lu can accept my apology.]
Lu Yi replied with four words: [I don’t accept it.]
Then she blocked and deleted him.
Someday, Song Zhixing would meet another Miss Lu, and she was sure he’d do the exact same thing all over again.
Two days later, Lu Yi quit Yixing for good.
Since she had barely any work left to hand over, everything went smoothly.
Lu Yi didn’t immediately report to her family company. With the wedding coming up, there were endless little details to oversee herself, so she planned to start working after the ceremony was done.
With nothing pressing on her plate, she spent her days at home keeping her mom company.
On the third day post-resignation, Yu Qian called Lu Yi with the latest Song Zhixing gossip, straight from his coworkers, apparently. Zhixing used to brag about his family’s factory money all the time; his car, his apartment, all paid for by his big brother. But lately, they noticed the flashy sports car had vanished, he was fighting with his family on the phone, and rumor had it the apartment got sold to cover debts.
Today, he didn’t even show up at the office, probably too embarrassed to face anyone.
"Karma, huh? That justice hit fast, love to see it!" Yu Qian cackled on the other end, then asked how Lu Yi was holding up at home. She complained work was dead boring without her and even joked about quitting, too.
Lu Yi promised they’d hang out soon. After a few more quick laughs, they hung up.
Setting her phone aside, Lu Yi caught the sound of her mom chatting with their housekeeper. Lately, Madam Xu had studied up on Lin Jinshen’s tastes, she’d started having the kitchen make all his favorite dishes, swapped out all the slippers and pajamas, you name it. After all, he’d be staying over every month from now on, had to make him comfortable.
Lin Jinshen had only stayed for a couple of days, but Madam Xu was already the classic mother-in-law beaming over her ideal son-in-law.
Lu Yi teased, "You used to dislike him, you know. Called everyone else Xiao Zhong, and only ever called him Lin Jinshen."
"Who doesn’t make mistakes?" Madam Xu admitted. "Thank goodness you didn’t listen to your mom back then. Anyway, I don’t call him ‘Xiao Lin’, either. That sounds way too distant, and besides, he’s hardly ‘little’, look at how tall he is! Always banging into doorframes. Should we renovate your room?"
"Mom."
Lu Yi could only sigh, her mom’s jokes were getting out of hand.
Madam Xu chuckled and nudged her, telling her to ask Lin Jinshen when he’d be home for dinner.
Both Lin Jinshen and Lu Kangcheng came home, washed their hands, and it was time to eat. Lin Jinshen took his usual seat right by Lu Yi, everyone knew the drill by now.
During dinner, Madam Xu reminded Lu Yi to dish up food for Lin Jinshen.
Lu Yi picked up a piece of beef and dropped it into his bowl. "Hear that? Mom says you need to eat more. You’ve been working so hard."
Lin Jinshen smoothly scooped a shrimp for her, mimicking her tone: "You work even harder. Eat up."
It almost sounded sarcastic.
No proof, but she was suspicious.
With a whole day’s worth of boredom, Lu Yi frowned at him across the table. Under the light, his eyes were dark and clear, catching her every mood without missing a beat.
Madam Xu had a keen eye; though she looked occupied with her meal, she was secretly watching every little couple-y move. The way Lu Yi and Lin Jinshen shared food was honestly a lot more natural than during their post-dress-fitting dinner last time.
After dinner, Lin Jinshen stayed behind to chat with Lu Kangcheng.
Then, when it got late, he went back to the bedroom to sleep.
When Lu Yi came in, Lin Jinshen was sitting at the edge of the bed, legs stretched out in a matching set of pajamas just like her dad’s, the style only saved by his broad shoulders and handsome face. Puff, the cat, perched in front of him, round eyes wide and anxious. He glanced down, one man and one cat locked in a silent stare-down.
The whole "serious confrontation" was just about teaching the kitten not to climb on the bed.
What Lin Jinshen struggled with most about living here? Sharing a bedroom with Puff. But what could he do? Puff had been here before him, and kicking out the cat just felt… way too petty for the new guy.
But he does have a bottom line: Puff is not allowed on the bed.
“Meow?”
Me?
Puff blinked in confusion.
“…”
Lu Yi had to bite back a laugh, the cat really could sense moods. Puff, following the invisible rules, didn’t jump on the bed; after class, it just trotted over for some extra comfort instead.
She crouched down, gave its little head a fond pat, then raised her eyes to Lin Jinshen, considering for a second before asking, “Did you have anything to do with what happened to Song Zhixing?”
Lin Jinshen had just washed his hair, but hadn’t fully dried it, damp strands hung loosely over his forehead, making him look even more relaxed than usual. He leaned on the edge of the bed, holding her gaze.
He hummed an affirmative. “Yeah, that was me.”
Honestly, it was simple. All he had to do was give the word and plenty of people would happily do the rest.
The Song family’s business was messy to begin with, they’d skated by on connections, but factories like that can’t survive a real audit. One check and all their dirty laundry is out. Forced restructuring plus sky-high penalty fees? Anyone with half a brain could see this was targeted.
And of course, when you get hit this hard, you start looking for a reason. Wouldn’t take much detective work for the Song family to connect the dots back to Song Zhixing.
Late deliveries, breached contracts, cash flow issues, a factory can fall apart overnight.
Lu Yi stared in shock. She hadn’t expected Lin Jinshen to go this far. No wonder Song Zhixing had been so desperate for her forgiveness, none of those apologies had been real. He just wanted a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Lin Jinshen said, “Don’t worry. I won’t push them too far.”
The Song family wouldn’t go bankrupt, but closing for restructuring was non-negotiable. If his two older brothers, after all this, were still stupid enough to spoil that little brother of theirs, that’d just prove how far they were doomed to fall.
Lu Yi nodded. She didn’t feel sorry for Song Zhixing whatsoever. Sincerely, she said, “Thank you.”
Lin Jinshen: “Of course. We’re a team. Husband and wife, whatever happens to one, happens to both.”
All for one, one for all. She silently added the second half in her mind.
Lu Yi just heard him spout old-school, dad-level marriage platitudes so traditional her own father would cringe, and yet, coming from him, it somehow worked.
Puff, now thoroughly comforted, yawned and padded back to her own cozy nest, curling up to sleep right on cue.
Lin Jinshen stretched out on the bed. After a moment, Lu Yi stood up, walked over, and lifted the covers. Before she could climb in, he reached across her, palm open, suddenly holding out a small jewelry box.
Lu Yi: “What’s this?”
Lin Jinshen: “Open it and see.”
She didn’t take it from him, just opened it right there in his hand.
Inside was a diamond wedding ring.
A pink diamond, no less, big enough to make her flinch, winking under the room’s light.
“It came by air this morning. Good thing it finished before the wedding,” he said casually.
Lu Yi was left speechless for a second. “…Isn’t this a bit much?”
This thing was chunkier than her finger.
“My mom picked it. She said all girls love diamonds, and the bigger, the better.” Lin Jinshen took the ring from the box. “Want to try it on?”
Lu Yi let out a tiny “umm” as she fumbled with the simple band already on her finger, a ring she’d barely taken off, and that now seemed stuck. She twisted it a few times before loosening it.
Once she swapped it for the pink diamond, her hand instantly felt the difference in weight, she wasn’t used to something so heavy.
Lin Jinshen said softly, “Looks good.”
Lu Yi met his eyes, confirming he was sincere. He was. Which, she realized, wasn’t always a comforting thing when coming from a straight guy.
He saw what she was thinking. “Should I have said it looks bad, then?”
“…”
He took her hand, gently rubbing his thumb against her finger, like he was playing with a piece of warm jade. “Sorry, I’m terrible at lying.”
“You’d look good in anything. Or nothing.”
Lu Yi’s heart stuttered. When he dropped his voice like that, the whole mood shifted.
The last few nights, all they’d done was cuddle, no toeing the line, no crossing boundaries. He’d been careful.
For two whole days.
Now, Lin Jinshen let her fingers go and cupped her chin. If he couldn’t go further, at least a kiss was fair game. He rolled over, body sheltering her almost completely.
Their kiss deepened, sending Lu Yi gradually sinking down until she was lying flat, head pillowed on his arm.
“Wait, my ring!”
She hadn’t taken it off yet.
If she lost this, she honestly had no idea how she’d explain it.
Lin Jinshen, now towering above her, glanced down, eyes tracing the flush at the corners of her eyes left by his kisses. “Is that really what you’re worried about right now?”
Lu Yi’s mind filled with question marks. A whole apartment building was sitting on her finger, why wouldn’t she worry?
He propped himself up so she had more space.
She bit her lip. Under his focused gaze, she carefully took off the ring and placed it back in the box, putting it on the nightstand. The urge to bolt flared up for a split second, but before she could even move, Lin Jinshen grabbed her ankle and yanked her right back beneath him.
Suddenly, she was trapped under him again.
In a fluster, she stammered, “The walls aren’t soundproof!”
His hand gripped her waist, a warm, almost dangerous pressure. His eyes shaded over. “Relax. You’re not that loud.”
“?”
Lu Yi was speechless. What the hell was he saying?
“There aren’t any condoms!” she blurted. There was no way she’d have anything like that in her room. If Lin Jinshen suddenly pulled out one now, she’d have no choice but to bow down in awe.
He paused for half a second, a legit issue, since they’d agreed: no kids for a few years. He was always careful about that.
Lu Yi let out a breath of relief. Then, the lights suddenly went off. In the darkness, Lin Jinshen hovered above, kissing her lips, then trailing down her jaw, his voice low and gentle as her breaths quickened: “Uncomfortable?”
“There’s another way to make you feel good. Want to try?” His voice was rough, a demon’s whisper tugging her under.
Lu Yi didn’t get it at first. But then, she bit her lip, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.