Chapter 44

Something was definitely off. Way off.
Lin Yumo gripped her chopsticks, glancing from Lin Jinshen to Lu Yi. Maybe she’d been abroad too long, her language centers scrambled, or maybe they were speaking in Couple Code, but she honestly couldn’t follow.
Except, her parents seemed normal. What was she missing?
"Not hungry anymore?" A cool gaze swept over her.
Jolted, Lin Yumo straightened up so fast her ears almost popped. "No, I’m starving!"
After a whole morning asleep, with limited Chinese food options while studying overseas, she could eat a whole cow right now, no joke.
Halfway through the meal, Lin Yumo piped up, "Sis, did you see what my brother posted on his Moments last night?"
"He posted on his Moments?" Lu Yi echoed, caught off guard. She turned to look at the culprit, who kept his poker face and coolly drained half a glass of water.
"Don’t talk with your mouth full," Lin Jinshen reminded stiffly.
Lin Yumo snuck a look at her brother, drumming her chopsticks against her bowl with a knowing nod. "Looks like the leading lady has no idea."
Lin Jinshen: "…"
His glare said, Can’t you just shut up and eat?
But with backup now, Lin Yumo went for broke, feigning innocence. "What? I thought everyone knew already."
"What did he post? I didn’t even know your brother used Moments!" Madam Qin put down her chopsticks and grabbed her phone, sharing her discovery with Madam Xu. The two dads busied themselves squinting at their screens, clumsily trying to unlock the mystery.
"Aren’t we eating?" Now only Lin Jinshen sat at the table, chopsticks in hand, looking both helpless and dead inside.
With everyone else on their phones, Lu Yi picked up hers too. It took all of a second to find, Lin Jinshen only had one new post. When she tapped to see the photo, she froze, then glanced through the comments below. Her lips, pressed together, couldn’t help but curl just a tiny bit.
The post was from nine hours ago. Three in the morning?
So this was his idea of a late-night declaration?
She glanced unobtrusively at Lin Jinshen. He sat there with perfect composure, as if all this had nothing to do with him at all, if not for the way he was practically mowing through his food at record speed.
Like someone else must have posted that photo.
Madam Qin let out a dramatic sigh. "Who took this picture? Look at our Xiao Yi, you made her face look so round!"
Lin Yumo couldn't hold back a laugh. She pointed with her chin. "My brother."
Funny how last night, someone was all smug about saying 'I took it.' What exactly was he so proud of?
"If you look closely, it's actually quite cute," Madam Xu jumped in to smooth things over. "And the composition is really nice."
Not that the photographer himself would know anything about composition. Lin Yumo nodded in solidarity, "See? My brother's really got a sense of copyright, he only posts photos he takes himself."
Lin Jinshen shot her a look, sharp as a blade. "Lin Yumo."
The full-name call, instant childhood trauma unlocked.
Lin Yumo chuckled awkwardly. "No talking while eating or sleeping, I know!"
After giving the post a like, Lu Yi put her phone away and picked up her chopsticks. She'd just snagged a green vegetable when a freshly peeled shrimp landed right in her bowl. She turned, catching his profile. Just like last night: he wordlessly peeled shrimp and set it in her bowl, his entire manner smooth and practiced.
Lin Jinshen took care of her, really took care of her.
Maybe he was treating her well for the sake of "Mrs. Lin," or maybe it was for Lu Yi herself. She didn't care. As long as he treated her this well, she might not be able to reciprocate completely, but she could match at least eighty percent.
Once breakfast was over, it was time to prep for the day.
The parents, meanwhile, had their own entertainment plans, spa treatments, sunbathing. No need for the kids to tag along.
They agreed to meet downstairs in half an hour.
Lin Yumo showed up with a waterproof backpack slung over one shoulder, a printed one-piece swimsuit, a sun-protection jacket on top, and her hair braided into playful boxer braids that framed her whole bright, gorgeous face.
Lu Yi and Lin Jinshen walked over. Yumo waved both arms, beaming like sunshine.
Before the wedding, Lu Yi’s only impression of Lin Yumo came from social media, she’d imagined a talking parrot, basically. Seeing her in person, the real-life human energy honestly shocked her eardrums.
Confident, lively, and absolutely impossible to ignore.
Compared to Jinshen beside her, it was night and day. These siblings each took after their own branch of the family tree; personality-wise, there was zero overlap.
"Sis, sis!" Lin Yumo scampered over, newly appreciating how sticking close to her sister-in-law gave her instant backup for whatever might happen.
The three of them hopped on the resort's shuttle to the beach. They’d already let the staff know in advance, so the yacht was prepped and ready. Lin Jinshen could drive one, but they had a captain and a safety officer on board, just in case.
They'd booked a small yacht, just big enough for a handful of people. Jinshen spoke with the captain, did a test run around the bay. Once he got the hang of things, the rest of them would hop aboard.
"Sis, want some water?" Yumo offered a bottle.
Lu Yi took it, twisted the cap. "Thanks."
Yumo squinted into the sun, her gaze flicking from Jinshen on the yacht back to Lu Yi. "Sis, your figure is amazing! Do you work out a lot or something?"
Lu Yi wasn't skinny in a starved way, she had curves in all the flattering places, slim where it counted, and her skin was pure white, lips and teeth bright red and clean… She looked like someone you could just take a bite out of.
Her brother seriously had it way too good.
"Does playing ball count? I work out three, four times a week," Lu Yi answered, smiling. She really did take care of herself.
They volleyed compliments back and forth. With Lin Yumo around, awkward silences simply didn't exist. While chatting, they took off their sun jackets and stretched, warming up for a round of diving later on.
Lu Yi looked out at the bay. Lin Jinshen had started his first test lap, short-sleeved shirt, swim shorts, black sunglasses, hands on the wheel, posture straight and self-assured. Effortlessly cool, with a side of don’t-mess-with-me swagger.
The yacht sliced through the water, churning up white spray, and in a flash, he took off.
So different from his usual suit-and-tie, desk-bound boss persona.
What was he like in college? Surely no one could grow up so dull their whole life, right?
"Wow!" Yumo was pure hype squad, first to whoop and clap. "So handsome!"
Then she whipped her head toward Lu Yi, all mock offense. "Sis, can you believe this? All these years as his sister and I never knew he could drive a yacht!"
Lu Yi laughed. "Looks like he’s good at keeping secrets."
"No, it’s that he never, ever does this kind of thing with us. This time, I have to thank you for dragging him out!" Actually, what I really want to know is, "He keeps saying he’ll do whatever you say today. What buttons did you push to get him like this?"
If only she knew the trick, she’d never have to worry about her allowance getting docked again!
Lu Yi wasn’t about to confess she’d paid ten thousand yuan for a day of Lin Jinshen's undivided service. She toughened up and fibbed, "Oh, it's nothing. He was just joking around."
"Wait, my brother knows how to joke now?" Lin Yumo looked like she’d seen a ghost.
Lu Yi couldn’t help but laugh.
Lin Jinshen pulled back in from his test run. He’d already gotten a feel for which button did what, nothing too complicated, and the yacht handled well.
Time to board.
Yumo came up last. That’s when she noticed Lu Yi’s back, with her sun jacket off, half her back was exposed. On that smooth white skin were scattered little red marks, like a constellation of stars. At first glance they looked like some sort of allergic rash, and she almost said something before suddenly realizing,
You've never eaten pork, but you’ve seen pigs run, this was no allergy. This was…
Beast! Absolute animal!
How did anyone manage to bite into such soft, perfect skin… and not die of guilt?
From doubting during the day whether her brother had been "possessed" to now wondering if he’d turned into a straight-up dog, the answer was still up in the air.
Lu Yi had no idea what was running through Yumo's head. She was honestly excited to try her hand at yachting. Lin Jinshen reached out, helped her to the passenger seat, and handed her a life jacket.
"Is driving a yacht hard?"
Lin Jinshen said, "Not really. It’s pretty much like driving a car, maybe even easier. The biggest difference is, there’s no brake, so you need to keep an eye on the current and wind speed."
Lu Yi nodded, eyeing the control panel, all those dials and switches a dizzying blur.
"The dials are mirrored, each side controls an engine. These are the joysticks, left for the left engine, right for the right." He pointed to the controls, patient and thorough.
Lin Yumo felt like a total extra, but honestly? She didn’t mind at all. In fact, she was thrilled, out came her phone to snap a video that she'd show off to her parents later.
Say what you want about everything else, but those two looked stunning together.
Lin Jinshen stood tall and broad-shouldered, as steady as a mountain. Beside him, her sister-in-law was all lithe elegance, the sheer contrast in their builds was enough to keep her fangirling for days.
She snipped a short video and posted it to her Moments with the caption: Oceanbound!
Lin Jinshen led them around the area for a bit, circling the water before steering toward a nearby bay, perfect for diving and snorkeling. Two other yachts tagged along, stocked with lifeguards for safety and dive instructors for guidance.
Captain Lin parked the yacht, stepped away from the control panel, and dropped the rope ladder down.
Lin Yumo couldn’t wait a second longer, she dove straight in, though the rules kept her near the boat since the waters further out got tricky and weren’t exactly safe.
She popped up from the water, flashed an OK sign, twisted, and dove under again to lap up the holiday freedom. A moment later, she resurfaced like a meerkat, calling out, "Sis! Come on, jump in!"
Lu Yi couldn’t help but smile, her excitement was contagious.
Lin Jinshen strolled over from behind and asked, "Not going in?"
Lu Yi had planned to. She'd already warmed up back on shore. But seeing Lin Jinshen somehow changed her mind. "And what about you? Not getting in?" she countered.
Lin Jinshen just said, "No, you two go have fun."
"Excuse me, who was it that said I get to boss you around today?" Lu Yi suddenly remembered her million-yuan payment. If she was shelling out a fortune, she deserved more than just the sound of waves. She donned her Big Spender hat and quietly insisted, "I’m only counting it as an ocean getaway if you get in too."
Lin Jinshen twisted open a bottle of water. He still had his sunglasses on, making it impossible to read his expression, but she could feel his attention locked on her.
Lu Yi sat down, cool as ever: "President Lin, don’t tell me you’re trying to back out on me now?"
"…"
Lin Jinshen shot her a glance, said nothing, tipped back his head and drank half the bottle. The sunlight turned his black hair glossy and bright.
He bent down, tugged his shirt off with one hand, revealing a lean, toned body. His skin was cool and pale; along his waist were faint, subtle abs. He peeled off his shorts, leaving on black swim trunks, narrow-hipped and honestly, pretty damn well-built.
"!"
Best million she’d ever spent. Lu Yi hadn’t expected Lin Jinshen’s cost-benefit ratio to be this outrageously high.
Not missing her gaze, Lin Jinshen gave her a wry smile. She grinned, gestured like a host inviting a guest. He gave a light stretch, slipped on his goggles, and dove straight into the water, sending up a brilliant spray.
At the same time, Lin Yumo was swimming back, grabbing the rope ladder to catch her breath. A sudden splash startled her. She looked up, her sister-in-law was still on the deck, but her brother had vanished.
Okay, fine, there was nothing left that could shock her now.
Lin Yumo wiped her face and swam away for another lap.
Lu Yi never imagined her million would go this far. A few months ago, she’d never have dared to buy Lin Jinshen’s day, let alone get him to jump off a yacht for her.
When did things start to change between them?
Lin Jinshen swam over, grasped the rope ladder, ran a hand over his face, water droplets sparkling in the sun, and paused as if spent. His upward climb stopped, and instead he reached a hand out to her. "Give me a hand up?"
Lu Yi didn’t even think, worried he might be out of strength, she reached both hands toward him. Just as she braced to pull, Lin Jinshen yanked down with one arm, easily pulling her off balance and sending her tumbling into the water after him.
She plunged in, totally unprepared. Before she could even begin to sink, Lin Jinshen caught her by the waist, drawing her close. Eyes shut tight, she instinctively hooked her arms around his neck for balance, heart pounding.
"?"
Lin Jinshen’s sharp features were dusted with drops of water, even his eyelashes were slick. With a perfectly straight face, he murmured an apology, never mind that he clearly didn’t mean a word of it.
He was one hundred percent doing this on purpose!
Lin Yumo swam over and froze at the scene playing out in front of her.
Lu Yi’s cheeks flamed. It wasn’t as if they were being obscenely intimate, but even holding hands in public was awkward for them, let alone getting all wrapped up in each other’s arms like this with an audience.
With an air of utter seriousness, Lin Jinshen explained, "Your sister-in-law just fell in."
Lin Yumo: "…”
Please. She might be young, but she’s not three, she doesn’t believe just anything at face value!
Still, she played along. "Yeah, it’s easy to slip off a yacht. Be careful, Sis."
"Okay."
Lin Yumo smiled and tactfully swam away, not about to become the awkward third wheel.
It was three in the afternoon before the yacht finally pulled up on the beach.
The moment they hit land, the place was packed.
The second Lin Yumo posted her video, Ji Changming caught it. He and his crew had pulled an all-nighter and slept till the afternoon. No one was planning on leaving today anyway, but seeing the bride and groom cruising around while the rest of them were stuck inside, he immediately started organizing a get-together.
He barged into Gu Yu’s room to wake him up. Gu Yu, ever the chill one, asked him to close the door on his way out. Yu Zeheng, on the other hand, was pure grump: one look and he barked at him to get lost.
Ji Changming just rubbed his nose, undeterred. He grabbed his phone and messaged Yu Yin, one of his newer friends, a fellow superfan who was actually responsive.
Unlike his two hopeless bros, Yu Yin replied right away. The two started pulling in their circles, one told ten, ten told a hundred, soon there was a whole crowd.
Some played volleyball, some swam, some sunned themselves, the beach became a scene of pure chaos and summer fun, just in time for the newlyweds’ return.
Ji Changming raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare, looked toward the yacht, and flashed a time-out gesture before striding over with his volleyball, calling out with a grin, "Jinshen! Sis-in-law!"
"Yumo!"
Lin Yumo was first off the yacht, calling out dutifully, "Hi, Brother Changming."
Ji Changming tipped his head back, eager for credit. "Jinshen, see? While the two of you snuck off to have fun, I organized everyone else, this wedding is going to be the most unforgettable one ever, thanks to me!"
"Mm. Nice work," Lin Jinshen nodded.
Ji Changming boasted, "The other two guys are still asleep. Told you, I’m clearly the only reliable one."
Lin Yumo burst out laughing. She was used to Ji Changming’s antics by now, but every time, he still managed to sound like a fluffy puppy looking for praise.
After basking in the praise, Ji Changming suggested, “How about a game of volleyball?”
“I’m gonna sit this one out, I’m beat,” Lin Yumo groaned, clearly exhausted and about to drag Fu Yanli off for snacks.
“How about you two? The perfect power couple, ready to crush the competition?” Ji Changming waggled his brows with anticipation.
Lu Yi replied, “Nah, I’m really not much of a player.”
“Come on, friendship first, competition second! Don’t get all hung up on winning and losing, we’re supposed to be young and carefree,” Ji Changming joked, tossing the ball. “Join us, Lu Yi, no one here’s got much stamina anyway, we’ll all be wiped after ten minutes.”
On the court, Yu Yin and Wu Sidong were both waving her over.
Lu Yi hesitated, then turned to Lin Jinshen. “Alright, I’ll play for a bit. You want to join?”
Lin Jinshen shook his head. “Go have fun, just don’t get hurt.”
“Promise.”
This time, Lu Yi didn’t ask him to participate. He offered to take her bag back instead.
Lu Yi and Yu Yin teamed up together while Ji Changming led the other side.
Yu Yin cackled, launching straight into wild recaps from last night. Apparently, Wu Sidong got hammered, clung to a palm tree, and sobbed as he apologized to his ex for ruining her life. “If I hadn’t messed up, our kid would probably be running all over the place by now.”
“I kept hoping a coconut would just fall and knock him out, he was wailing so loud, none of us could sleep,” Yu Yin deadpanned.
Wu Sidong grumbled, “You all were useless last night, not a single one tried to haul me away. Let me make a fool of myself, the legendary reputation of Wu Sidong ruined, just like that.”
Yu Yin quipped right back, “It’s not like we’d look any less ridiculous trying to drag you. Didn’t save our dignity either.”
Lu Yi laughed. “So, that viral post in everyone’s friend circles yesterday… that was you? They never got your face, though.”
After a little more banter, Ji Changming started the game. Their side of five took their positions. Lu Yi hit the ball first, expertly bumping it up, then leaping into a killer spike, no one on the other side could even react.
Ji Changming was floored. “Excuse me, Lu Yi, this is you playing badly? What’s ‘playing well’ then, you singlehandedly win gold for the national women’s team?”
Lu Yi gave a sheepish grin. “I played for my high school team, back in the day.”
Ji Changming: “... ”
He seriously considered recording this and sending it to Jinshen, who was worried about who getting hurt? With how ruthless Lu Yi played, she was the real threat!
With Lu Yi on their team, victory was basically a given. Ji Changming’s side lost several rounds. Before anyone could call it quits, a commotion broke out by the water. People were moving equipment toward the shoreline.
Some of the faces looked familiar.
Gu Yu and Yu Zeheng were there too, both already changed into swim shorts and warming up, it looked like a real race was about to kick off.
“No way, they’re setting up for a sailing race?” Ji Changming’s sharp eyes caught on immediately. This kind of adrenaline sport wasn’t his thing, but the other three were all hobbyists.
“Look, Jinshen’s in too!”
Lu Yi followed his gaze, spotting Lin Jinshen immediately, tall, athletic, impossible to miss in the crowd.
He wore a fitted black swim shirt and trunks, sculpted chest and defined muscles on full display, looking every inch the athlete.
Most of the beach crowd started drifting their way; their group followed suit, pausing their volleyball match to watch as a dozen contestants fussed over their gear.
Yu Yin gaped, “I just learned he could handle a yacht this morning, now he’s off to sail boats too?”
Lu Yi didn’t know much more, so she just nodded.
Lin Jinshen happened to look her way right then. He walked over, handing his bag to Lu Yi for safekeeping. He hadn’t planned to join at first, but Yu Zeheng mentioned the wind was good today, perfect for sailing. Gu Yu immediately agreed. They hadn’t had a chance in ages, so why not go for it now?
He didn’t seem tempted.
Gu Yu and Yu Zeheng exchanged a wicked look. “Alright then, we’ll go, there are lots of pretty girls among today’s guests. We show up and steal the spotlight, watch ‘em fall at our feet.”
“Hell, you might even fix your ‘twice-divorced’ image.”
Yu Zeheng: “...”
“You’ve got a point.”
Lin Jinshen knew exactly what they were up to, but didn’t even rise to the bait. He made to leave, but Gu Yu lazily tagged on, “Hey, what about your wife?”
The next moment, Lin Jinshen was already down on the sand.
“Take care,” Lu Yi said, accepting his bag. It was all she could think to say.
Lin Jinshen nodded. “Don’t worry.”
The race itself was simple: yachts would head out first and anchor a buoy at the finish, then all the competitors would set off together, rounding the buoy and racing back to shore.
“Whoa!”
Spectators started cheering, pumping up their friends in the race.
Yu Yin and Wu Sidong stayed by Lu Yi’s side, both cupping hands around theirs mouths to shout, “Go, President Lin! You’ve got this!”
Squeezed amongst the crowd, Lu Yi felt her cheeks flush, like she’d been transported back to school basketball games. Embarrassed, she still managed to join in and cheer a couple times.
Lin Jinshen caught her voice, turned for a quick glance, then zoned in, boarding his sailboat, cool and composed.
At the sound of the whistle, more than ten boats surged forward.
It was like a vivid rainbow streaking into the sea, but Lu Yi picked out Lin Jinshen instantly, his sailboat was deep blue, and he was all efficiency and focus, crouched low, already pulling ahead of the others. Soon, he’d opened up a clear lead.
“Oh my god, he’s so hot!”
Ji Changming whooped along, “Jinshen’s literally unstoppable, this is top speed?! How is he almost thirty?”
“Let’s go! Go! Go!”
The crowd’s excitement built to a frenzy; anyone stumbling on the scene would think it was the finals of an actual tournament.
Lu Yi was so tense she could barely move, fingers clenched tight as she tracked Lin Jinshen at the head of the pack, the sails shrank into tiny specks on the horizon, specifics impossible to make out from the beach.
She tried to steady her breathing; part of her hoping he’d win, another part wishing only for his safe return.
After several anxious minutes, the crowd broke into fresh shouts.
A deep-blue sailboat sliced through the surface, having already rounded the buoy and headed home, way out in front.
Lu Yi finally unclenched her hands, biting her lip to stifle the urge to scream. She’d never seen Lin Jinshen like this before.
Next to her, Ji Changming was waving his arms and shouting at the top of his lungs, “Aaaah, that’s my Jinshen! Sis-in-law, did you see that? It’s really him, he’s so insanely cool I can’t stand it!”
Some people are totally silent most days, but when they finally speak up, they make sure the whole world hears them!
Lu Yi’s breath caught at that moment. After a moment, she quietly said, “Yeah.”
“I saw.”