Chapter 41

Everything had gone completely off the rails.
This was never the plan. This whole get-together was Yu Zeheng’s idea. He’d been brothers with Lin Jinshen for years and had never once seen him drunk. Not because Jinshen was some kind of booze god, but because he hardly ever touched a drop. Even when he did, he’d keep it minimal, and the usual rounds of friendly coaxing never worked on him. He’d just turn it into a sermon on the evils of alcohol, faux-dad mode unlocked.
Tonight, though? He finally had an opening.
Yu Zeheng crossed his long legs and announced, “Simple. I’ll take point, you two back me up. Three against one, if we can’t drink him under, that’s just embarrassing.”
Message received. Plan understood.
...In theory. The reality was a whole different mess.
None of them had ever seen Lin Jinshen tipsy, let alone wasted. After a few rounds, they were certain he’d start slipping, but nope, the guy sat there steady as a mountain, face normal, eyes sharp, chatting away like it was any other night.
If he wasn’t drunk, there was nothing to do but keep pouring.
Soon enough, while Lin Jinshen stayed stone-cold, Yu Zeheng ended up rubbing his own forehead more than once. Ji Changming and Gu Yu gamely played along, keeping one eye on the situation.
The result? Instead of taking down Lin Jinshen, Yu Zeheng managed to get annihilated himself.
He grabbed his phone, dialed a number that never picked up, scoffed at himself, and tossed it aside. Then he stood, popping open bottle after bottle of champagne, spraying the crowd and the dance floor. He grinned, half-demon, half-madman, and sent the party straight into mayhem territory.
“…”
Gu Yu and Ji Changming shared a look.
Seriously, what was this guy’s problem?
Ji Changming had to pick up the slack. When he turned to say something, he found Lin Jinshen already slumped back on the couch, head bowed, arms draped over the armrest, looking every bit like he’d finally passed out.
“Jinshen?”
He tried calling quietly.
But the room was so loud his voice got swallowed up, not even a ripple in the chaos.
So Ji Changming shuffled closer. “Jinshen, you’re a beast. Even Zeheng can’t outdrink you.”
Still not drunk after all that? Ji was seriously considering rewriting everything he thought he knew about Lin Jinshen.
Suddenly, Lin Jinshen snapped his head up, all the ruined poise of a drunk man, brows drawn together. “What’re you talking about?”
Up close, in the glare of the club lighting, you could finally catch the cracks in his mask.
It wasn’t that he could hold his liquor. It was that even drunk, he barely showed it, so much so that no one realized he’d hit that point long ago. And they, idiots that they were, just kept making him drink, pushing him right to the edge.
Ji Changming looked genuinely conflicted. “Jinshen is smashed, actually.”
“This is what you call drunk?” Gu Yu shot a look at the champagne guy. The subtext: if this is drunk, what the hell is that other guy?
Ji Changming just gave him a helpless little shrug.
They’d gone all-in trying to get Lin Jinshen wasted, but in the end, it was like trying to out-dull a rock. The guy was just...boring, even drunk. If he had even a fraction of Yu Zeheng’s wildness, maybe all this effort would feel worthwhile.
“What’s Zeheng even doing?” Lin Jinshen squinted around, clear annoyance in his voice.
Ji Changming reported, deadpan, “He’s drunk.”
“Wasting good alcohol and making a racket. Tell him to get back here and stop embarrassing himself.” Lin Jinshen gave the VIP room a supercilious once-over, summoned the staff to brighten the lights (why was it so dark, anyway?), and had them change the music, all because it was too noisy.
“Is this what he’s like drunk?” Ji Changming muttered, a little terrified to stay nearby in case Lin Jinshen decided to replace him, too.
Gu Yu nodded. “Think of it as… Lin Jinshen, but in hard mode.”
A drunk Lin Jinshen didn’t get any sloppier, just upgraded to extra persnickety and judgy, twice as strict, three times as talkative. He really did become the “Dad 2.0” people whispered about.
Yu Zeheng finally staggered back, shirt missing two buttons, looking even more wild and unbothered. He raised his glass. “Jinshen, congrats. Welcome to the graveyard of marriage. Join me in the afterlife.”
Lin Jinshen just leveled that pitch-black stare at him, not even pretending to clink glasses.
Ji Changming watched the scene unfold and whispered to Gu Yu, “Is it just me, or does Jinshen’s stare say ‘I might murder you’?”
“Completely normal,” Gu Yu declared. “If someone who just got divorced congratulated you on joining the club right before your own wedding, how would you feel?”
Ji Changming: “So, are they about to throw down?”
Gu Yu: “Let ’em brawl a bit first. We’ll break it up after I get a few videos.”
“Stuff like this only happens once every few lifetimes, I’m getting my phone ready.”
Yu Zeheng wasn’t even bothered that Lin Jinshen ignored the toast, he just drained his own glass. “Speaking as someone who’s been through it, let me give you some advice. Don’t get too invested, not just your money. I mean from the start, get it clear: you two aren’t marrying for love. It’s family connections, mutual benefit, that’s it…”
And just like that, the two of them started arguing about the whole wedding.
Lin Jinshen shot back: “You’re the one who agreed to the divorce, Zeheng. Remember? We all talked to you, told you to think it through. You said you had, that you were sure. So who are you putting on this little circus for now?”
“You knew she didn’t love you at all. What’s the point of staying married?” Zeheng countered.
“Why does there have to be a point?” Lin Jinshen’s jaw set hard, voice icy, looking down from his usual high horse. “Even if there’s no point now, who knows what the future holds? You’ve got to live the whole life before you judge if it was worth it or not.”
Yu Zeheng frowned, his brow tight. "I'm not stooping down to argue with someone who didn't even hold a wedding."
Lin Jinshen scoffed lightly. "Oh, and you think I want to waste my breath on a guy who’s already divorced?"
Yu Zeheng, clearly riled up, practically climbed onto the table. "Let me ask you this, if one day your wife wanted a divorce, didn’t love you, and had fallen for someone else, would you do it? Would you let her go or not?"
"That scenario would never happen," Lin Jinshen replied flatly.
What part wouldn’t happen? The divorce, the not loving him, or falling for someone else?
Ji Changming and Gu Yu watched from the sidelines, practically begging someone to bring over a fruit platter. This drama was too good to miss.
Lin Jinshen said, "Love? Please. That’s just some hormones messing with your brain. How long can that last, really? A day? A week? A month? Three? Agreeing to a divorce over something that unpredictable? Not a chance."
The more they talked, the more heated it got.
Yu Zeheng: "Ridiculous. What if your wife runs off with someone else?"
Lin Jinshen’s tone didn’t change, cold as ever: "Then I’ll drag her back."
Okay, okay, they were seriously heading into criminal territory now.
Sensing the atmosphere getting out of hand, Ji Changming motioned to Gu Yu and together they separated the two. Physically, at least. Lin Jinshen just sprawled back, long legs carelessly stretched out, still radiating that sort of untouchable boss energy. He finally sat up, pinched the bridge of his nose, and decided to call Lu Yi to come retrieve this living Buddha.
He needed the phone, and honestly, it went surprisingly smoothly, he used Lin Jinshen’s face to unlock it, just like that.
As soon as he opened WeChat, he couldn’t believe his eyes: at the very top of Lin Jinshen’s pinned list was “Wife.”
Ji Changming clutched his chest, devastated. He’d never once been pinned. And his own label? Just his full name. Brutal.
Nothing hurts like a side-by-side comparison.
Ji Changming backed out and chose to make the call.
Several seconds later, the line connected. Glancing nervously at his side, he said, "Lu Yi? Hi, it’s me."
After Lu Yi got the call, she set her phone down. Helpless, but honest, she explained what was going on to her friends.
"I’d better head out."
Yu Yin stopped her. "Wait, you really think you can handle it alone? Lin Jinshen’s not exactly small, you know. If he’s really drunk, there’s no way you can move him."
"Exactly! Drunk people get even heavier. If you ask me, all of us should go." Wu Sidong looked genuinely concerned, but truthfully, he’d already been itching to go ever since he’d heard the word ‘Tang Palace’, party alert.
"I volunteer! If you need someone to carry a leg, I’m your guy."
Her friends stared at her, eyes screaming, Please, let us come with!
Lu Yi couldn’t help but laugh. "Alright, alright, you can all tag along."
With that, the group piled into a car and headed for Tang Palace.
Ji Changming had already tipped off the security at the door, so they breezed right in. It wasn’t as busy as usual, but the club had been transformed into a borderline rave. The music, blasting, could have given an eardrum PTSD. How had Lin Jinshen stayed here so long, and gotten drunk?
A staff member led them in.
"Lu Yi! Lu Yi, you finally made it!" A boyish-looking stranger suddenly popped up, eyes shining with… was that actual tears? He looked at Lu Yi like she was salvation itself.
Lu Yi: "…"
Ji Changming quickly scratched his head in embarrassment and introduced himself, "Sorry, I never said who I am, I’m Ji Changming, that’s Gu Yu, and we’re both friends of Jinshen."
"Nice to meet you." Lu Yi greeted them politely. "I’m Lu Yi."
She turned to introduce her own friends in turn. "Hope it’s okay I brought some people along too?"
"Of course! No problem at all. Any friend of yours is a friend of ours." Ji Changming raised a hand in greeting, smiling warmly at the newcomers.
Then he froze at Yu Yin, rubbing his hands a bit shyly. "Sorry, but… are you Changya? I follow every episode of your vlog! Never missed one. You’re even better looking in person. I’ve been a fan since way back, actually."
Technically, she’d only had about ten thousand followers back then, not even close to famous, he'd been an OG supporter!
"…Thank you." Yu Yin smiled, surprised to meet a fan in a place like this.
Ji Changming was about to say more, but Gu Yu grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. "Alright, man, enough embarrassing yourself."
Lu Yi glanced around, but Lin Jinshen was nowhere in sight. "Where’s Lin Jinshen?" she asked.
"He’s inside!" Ji Changming pointed.
"Thanks."
With directions clear, Lu Yi excused herself from her friends and headed in first.
Lin Jinshen was in one of the private entertainment rooms, double doors and all. The staff carefully pushed them open for her. Inside, the place was lavish, carved beams, ink wash paintings, fine pear wood, intricate patterns everywhere. It was like stepping into a living scroll painting.
The space was even bigger than it looked from the outside: tea table, pool table, even an indoor mini-golf set-up. They had it all.
In one corner sat a tall, familiar figure.
The light slanted across his face, his eyes closed, brow furrowed in the unmistakable discomfort of drunkenness. He looked irritated, but the way he sat, utterly motionless, he could have been one of those sculptures she used to curate in gallery exhibitions, perfectly proportioned, strong lines, brimming with life; a masterpiece.
So silent, he could have been a sketch brought to life.
Lu Yi almost wondered if he really was drunk, if it hadn’t been for that one little slip about “wife.”
She approached, footsteps soft as possible, but still, he heard her when she was just a few paces away. His eyes opened, meeting hers across the space.
For two long seconds, they stared each other down.
His gaze was oddly blank for a moment, as if he hadn’t recognized her, until, slowly, he did.
"Your friend said you’d had too much. I came to pick you up," Lu Yi said, his look making her just a little uncomfortable. "Are you feeling alright?"
The smell of alcohol wafted off him.
"How much did you drink, exactly?"
"…Not that much," he muttered.
Lu Yi knew what it felt like to be that drunk, flushed, foggy, heavy all over, brain scattered, memory shot through with holes.
"Not much," Lin Jinshen repeated, voice thicker even than it had sounded on the phone.
He reached out a hand, gesturing for her to come over. But before she could move, an arm swooped out, catching her and pulling her straight into his embrace. He held her like a doll, his chin pressing into her shoulder.
"Are you mad at me?" His voice was soft as a sigh, words curling warmly against her ear.
"N-no, I'm not." Lu Yi, dizzy from the haze of alcohol on his breath, was nearly tipsy herself.
She figured he must be feeling unwell and probably needed a moment to pull himself together, so she didn’t rush him to leave.
Lin Jinshen: "Really?"
Lu Yi could only promise, "Really! Just let me go, I can't breathe, you're squeezing me to death!"
"Sorry."
"It's fine." Lu Yi took a few deep breaths once she was free, smoothing the wrinkles out of her clothes and trying desperately to play down the awkwardness.
Lin Jinshen let her go. She coughed lightly and slid into the seat beside him.
"How about some tea?" Lin Jinshen glanced at her, suddenly suggesting.
Lu Yi: "Now? Tea?"
"I'll make you a cup." The tea set was right there. He repeated, insistent: "I'm actually good at it."
"...Alright then."
Lin Jinshen stood, sitting back on his heels. First, he washed and dried his hands, networking and doing business meant picking up these old-school skills; flattering the right seniors sometimes opened more doors than any contract ever could. Even now, when he rarely bothered to do things himself, he still remembered every precise step.
He took the kettle, warmed the pot, scalded the cups, measured the leaves, every action practiced and elegant. Once the tea was ready, he poured a cup and handed it to Lu Yi. "Try it."
She’d grown up with tea lovers at home, so she could tell: he genuinely knew what he was doing. The ritual was fussy, but he didn’t rush or fumble, if he was drunk, he sure hid it well.
Lu Yi tasted the brew. Excellent tea, made by an expert.
The room was gently perfumed with the warm fragrance of leaves steeping in water.
She set down her cup and asked, "You’re not even drunk, are you?"
"Not at all." Confident, Lin Jinshen put down the teapot, eyes drifting to the pool table behind her. "Do you play billiards?"
"Not really."
"Then let me teach you."
Lu Yi: "…"
She thought about declining, but Lin Jinshen was already laser-focused and eager.
He grabbed a cue, chalked it up, and handed it to her. Then, with no warning, he stepped close behind her, one hand guiding her arm, the other steadying the cue. He murmured instructions: Lean down, hips against the edge of the table, relax your grip. His body bracketed hers, heat radiating into her back, his breath ghosting over her cheek.
He was so warm it brought her right back to the night he'd had a fever, almost feverish, almost too much.
Lu Yi's mind went foggy. The balls on the table blurred out of focus.
"Concentrate." Lin Jinshen's reminder came low and close, his hand showing her how to line up the white cue ball to strike one of the colored balls, adjusting her aim, ready to sink it into a pocket.
"Even lower," he murmured, pressing gently against her back.
With his hands guiding her, Lu Yi finally managed her first shot. The cue ball hit the nine, didn’t sink it, but set off a chain reaction across the table, balls clacking into each other and scattering everywhere.
Lin Jinshen straightened up, flashing a rare approving grin. "Not bad. Let's go again."
Slowly, Lu Yi realized this was actually fun. Lin Jinshen was a patient coach, never rushing her or acting annoyed, even though, let's be real, she probably wasn’t even close to sinking a single ball all night.
He cleaned up the table at the end, clearing every last ball into the pockets with practiced ease.
Lu Yi couldn’t help but clap and cheer, "Wow!"
Lin Jinshen’s mouth tugged into a smile he couldn’t, didn’t bother to, hide.
She just watched him play and let him drag her into his tutorials. Some people got quiet when drunk; others, like Lin Jinshen, seemed to get an energy boost. She was starting to think he definitely belonged to the latter camp.
Hey, better he burned it off here than at home doing God knows what else.
She had to admit: the Lin Jinshen tonight felt like him, but also like someone totally different.
Usually, he was so collected and reserved, unless they were in bed, where he’d let a little more of himself show. Drunk, it was like the gate to his inner world had been left wide open, giving her a glimpse of a wilder side.
They ended up at the little golf setup next.
From behind, Lin Jinshen folded her into his arms, adjusted her stance, and helped her swing. His chin nestled into her shoulder, breathing in her scent, sending a subtle shiver through both of them.
He wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite find the words.
Outside, their friends were getting impatient, neither Lin Jinshen nor Lu Yi had come out yet, and who could guess what was going on in there?
After all, when someone as drunk as Lin Jinshen disappeared, pretty much anything was possible. In the name of basic human decency, everyone agreed: maybe they'd better check in, just in case, maybe Lu Yi needed help wrangling him.
"Watch, he probably passed out in there."
"I’ll go help out. No way Lu Yi can carry that dead weight on her own."
Ji Changming decided they had a point.
A small crowd traipsed over, and when the staff opened the door, they finally caught a glimpse inside.
The supposedly drunk Lin Jinshen was nowhere to be seen, in his place, it looked like a peacock had fanned out its tail, strutting and preening with such vigor you’d think he was hyped up on something else entirely.
"Uh, yeah, so... since they’re fine, let’s just let them play a while longer." Ji Changming cleared his throat, a hint of secondhand embarrassment bubbling up. In the interest of preserving Lin Jinshen’s reputation, he quietly closed the door.
Didn't see anything, no idea what was happening. Total blackout.
"Let’s just mind our own business!"
Ji Changming checked in on another friend who’d had too much to drink, this one wasn’t so lucky, sprawled out alone on the couch, dead asleep and definitely missing all the neighborly drama next door. Safer for his heart, probably.
Half an hour later, Lu Yi and Lin Jinshen finally emerged.
The party was still raging outside, waves of music crashing against the walls, threatening to sweep everyone away.
Lin Jinshen clung to her hand, whole body leaning into her like gravity itself was showing off. Ji Changming, sharp-eyed, rushed over to help, but Lin Jinshen flat-out refused to let anyone else touch even the hem of his jacket.
Ji Changming could only play chauffeur, opening the Bentley door with exaggerated care, finally guiding Lin Jinshen into the passenger seat.
"Sis-in-law, thanks for dealing with him tonight."
"It's the least I could do."
Ji Changming, glancing at the state of the passenger, warned her gently, "Hey, just so you know, Shen’s had way too much. If he says anything crazy, don’t take it to heart, okay?"
Especially the psycho stuff!
"...Got it."
Lu Yi nodded. No way was she going to get into it with a drunk idiot tonight.
“You guys have fun.”
“Will do, sis-in-law, safe drive!”
Lu Yi walked around to the driver’s side, reminding Lin Jinshen to buckle up. He just looked at her, those dark eyes so clear, didn’t move a muscle. That’s when she remembered: he was drunk. Sighing, she leaned over and buckled him in herself.
Lin Jinshen melted into the seat, letting her do whatever she wanted. He just lifted his hand to twirl a lock of her hair around his fingers, soft and silky as a secret.
The seatbelt clicked, and her hair slipped from his touch.
All things considered, he was a pretty manageable drunk, zero drama, just like her. Getting him home was a breeze.
When she opened the door, Puff was loyally waiting in her usual spot to greet her humans.
Lu Yi set down the car keys and tossed her bag aside. Instinctively, she started to crouch down to pet her, only to realize there was no cat. Looking up, she saw Lin Jinshen cradling Puff under the arms, hefting her into his own arms.
Ten pounds of chonky feline looked like a dainty little ragdoll in Lin Jinshen’s grip.
“Meow?”
Puff was a little stunned by this sudden bounty, Dad’s hugging me?!
Lin Jinshen held her with one arm, stroking the fluffy head with the other. Puff started meowing nonstop, delirious with happiness, angling for even more cuddles.
Lu Yi burst out laughing. She whipped out her phone, first instinct: snap a pic, show him the evidence tomorrow and see what his reaction would be. The literal fur-and-feline truth; no way he could deny it.
Lin Jinshen set Puff down. He yanked at his tie, shrugged off his suit jacket, and even popped open two shirt buttons, no patience for neatness tonight. He drifted over, a living shadow dogging her every step.
Wherever Lu Yi went, so did that shadow.
The cat too. Suddenly, her vast house seemed barely big enough for three, a shadow, a cat, and her. Sighing in defeat, she hauled her things upstairs.
Lin Jinshen followed close behind.
Lu Yi had zero experience taking care of drunks, but judging by Lin Jinshen’s current state, he didn’t seem to need much help. When he didn’t move for ages, she finally asked, “Aren’t you going to shower?”
Lin Jinshen ducked his head, sniffed at his clothes, then looked at her with big, tragic eyes. “Do I smell... that bad?”
He actually sounded a little hurt, like a kicked puppy.
“No, not at all. Just, you always shower before bed, right?” Lu Yi’s voice was extra gentle, like she’d forgotten he was a grown man and started treating him like a kid.
Who was it that said men basically just had the emotional maturity of children?
She now fully understood.
“Mm.”
Lin Jinshen went off to grab a bath towel.
Seeing him like this, Lu Yi blurted out, “Are you sure you can handle this yourself?”
He paused, brows relaxing, looking at her with such open, sincere eyes. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, his voice dropped: “And if I can’t...”
“Would you help me?”
His tone was slow, his gaze dead serious.
Lu Yi: “...”
She huffed a laugh and nodded, “Sure, I’ll grab Puff and send her up to help you out.”
She’d barely finished before he pulled her toward him, one arm snapping around her waist, pressing her close, then he kissed her, soft and warm, just a brush of lips, careful not to taste of alcohol.
“Do I get a say?”
“Nope. Only one choice here.”
Their eyes locked; both of them were sparkling with mischief and something softer underneath.
She tasted the gentle haze of alcohol on his breath, sharp, lingering, not unpleasant. Something in her melted in the richness of that moment.
Lin Jinshen’s gaze was so intense, she almost couldn’t stand it.
Every kiss sent Lu Yi’s heart thundering, like rain pounding on summer leaves in a storm. Thump, thump, thump.
His eyes clung to her face, memorizing every feature, tracing every detail as if weaving a map of her into his mind.
She had kissed other people before, sure, loved and been loved, but none of that mattered now. She was his wife.
“Mine.” After a long, quiet look, his voice broke over her like a sigh.
Lu Yi blinked at him. “What?”
“My bride.”