Chapter 51

"Is my phone in there?"
Lu Yi had searched everywhere but couldn't find it, so she knocked on the bathroom door.
Lin Jinshen opened the door and handed her the tiny, palm-sized phone. "Yeah, got it here."
His eyes lingered on her, dark and deep. "You got a message just now. I was just about to give you your phone when I accidentally saw the text. Sorry."
"A text?"
No one really used texts these days, so Lu Yi just assumed it was spam. "It's fine, don't worry."
As long as nothing as mortifying as last time happened, her phone wasn't hiding any secrets.
Lin Jinshen glanced at the phone one last time, then withdrew his gaze and closed the bathroom door behind him.
Lu Yi checked her new message, [Yi, Happy New Year]
She didn't react. Getting weird messages was nothing new; back when her number got leaked in school, she'd get a dozen anonymous texts every single day.
They called her all sorts of things, Xiao Yi, Yiyi, Little Deer, Baby...
Without missing a beat, she blacklisted the number, deleted the spam, and went to pamper her cat, Puff, who still hadn't settled into the new place and, overwhelmed by all the people, had spent the past few days hiding out in her bedroom.
"Poor thing."
Lu Yi stroked its tiny head, slipping it an extra cat treat.
The capybara plushie she'd won from the claw machine was Puff's new obsession, whenever Puff wasn’t curled up in her own bed, she’d be sprawled across the plushie’s back, playing king of the mountain.
Just as Lu Yi handed over another cat treat, Lin Jinshen emerged from his shower.
He ran a hand through his just-blow-dried hair, lashes casting a faint shadow across his eyes. During the shower, stray thoughts had wandered into his mind,
Wondering about the purpose behind that message.
Wondering what kind of person had sent it.
Just how impressive did you have to be for Lu Yi to fall for you?
Imagining them together, holding hands, hugging, kissing,
The sheer irrationality of his jealousy almost made him laugh at himself. What was he even doing? That text wasn't even five words. Why should he care?
The truth was, Lu Yi was right here beside him, undeniably.
And anyone hiding behind anonymous texts was a coward, plain and simple.
Lin Jinshen snapped out of it. "You've been giving her extra snacks lately. Look at Puff, she's chubbed right back up."
"Really?" Lu Yi paused, glancing back at Puff, who licked her lips, longing for more. Puff honestly did look twice as round as before... but Lu Yi figured, if she gained weight over New Year's, a bit of chub on her cat was perfectly normal.
Madam Qin had been spoiling her lately,
Catering every meal to her favorite dishes, letting the kitchen cycle through every regional cuisine possible. She'd basically eaten herself full every single day.
"I've put on weight too." Lu Yi stood up and glanced down at her arms; she hadn’t been working out lately and her muscle tone was fading fast.
Lin Jinshen's gaze fell on her. "You haven't gained weight."
Lu Yi caught the look, he corrected himself: "Just a little less toned, maybe."
"..."
Lu Yi rolled her eyes. "Thank you, I'd much rather just be fat."
Seriously, what did "less toned" even mean?
Lin Jinshen took her hand, apology barely there but fingers tightening, savoring her cool skin. Even in summer, her hands and feet were cold as ice; in winter, she felt downright frosty.
Whenever she slept, she'd unconsciously chase down the nearest heat source, half her body would end up draped on top of him by morning.
Not that she was heavy, not at all. Winter just made everything dry and static and, sometimes, things got a little too heated. Lately, he'd been getting carried away, enough to warrant a warning about overdoing it.
Lin Jinshen murmured, "I could always get a little advance."
"Advance from where?" Lu Yi was breathless and flushed from his kisses, her lips a morning blossom, damp as if holding dew.
Lin Jinshen, all business: "From the next business trip, or after, or the next time... There will always be some new advance to draw on."
He always had some airtight logic to cover up how he’d long since gone off-script.
But tonight just felt different.
Outside, heavy snow fell. The curtains were drawn wide open, but with one-way glass, anyone inside could see the world outside, no one could see in.
Lu Yi got scooped up, face-to-face,
Lin Jinshen, the perfect attentive husband, insisted on holding her by the window to watch the snow up close because he knew exactly what she liked.
Lu Yi clung to his shoulders, arms looped tight around his neck, biting down on her lip to keep quiet.
At that moment, she bitterly resented how big the master bedroom was. The trek from the bed to the wall-length window felt endless; tears welled at the corners of her eyes, long past any urge to admire the snow.
Lin Jinshen didn't seem to get tired at all, moving at an unhurried, steady pace, holding her by the window, wrapping her up in the blanket, pulling her fallen strap back over her shoulder, even tucking stray hair behind her ear.
If it weren’t for the circumstances, Lu Yi would’ve sworn he deserved an award for acting.
All gentleman on the outside, pure rogue underneath.
Outside, the snowflakes under the streetlamps shimmered against the deep night, almost like a miniature stage set just for them, each flake performing one final dance before it vanished.
Beautiful, she had to admit.
Just, not right now.
Lu Yi was so full she couldn’t breathe, practically pressed up to her stomach.
Lin Jinshen cupped her chin with his fingers, leaning in to kiss her, parting her lips, tracing over the marks she’d left from biting down so hard, it was torture in the sweetest form.
He whispered, "You haven't called out in a long time."
Lu Yi: "?"
"Say my name," he prompted.
Lu Yi had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out, but managed to squeeze it out between clenched jaws: "Lin Jinshen!"
"Nope."
"...President Lin!"
"..."
All wrong. Humiliation peaked, she screwed her eyes shut and called him "big brother", but that was still no good. In the end, there was only one title left.
Eyes still squeezed tight, Lu Yi finally whispered, "Husband."
The answer was right, but there were no rewards, just even more trouble piled on top.
Lin Jinshen got up and turned back. Every step he took felt like a mermaid trading her voice to the sea witch, earning herself a pair of legs at the cost of agony, she could walk, but every step was knives.
Madness. Truly, absolute madness.
The price for all that chaos was a morning spent deep in sleep. By the time she crawled out of bed, the sun was high and Lin Yumo was waking up, yawning as she greeted her.
"Sis, you’re up late too? Pulled an all-nighter?” Her tone was half-relieved, half-excited, if even her brother rose late, he couldn’t nag her about sleeping in.
Lu Yi feigned calm as she nodded. “Something like that.”
Strictly speaking, she had burned the midnight oil last night.
Someone had shamelessly claimed overtime, twice, in fact.
“Big Sis, you’re amazing.” Lin Yumo gave her a discreet thumbs up. To toss and turn all night beside her brother, famously in bed by eleven, truly heroic.
Lu Yi: “…”
Or, you know, maybe pulling the all-nighter together?
Madam Qin had seen it all before and didn’t blink. “Let them sleep. Snowy days make it easy to drift off. Nothing urgent today, so rest a little longer.”
In contrast, the ever-workaholic Lin Jinshen was utterly himself, showing no aftereffects from his own late night, morning jog, check; business calls, check. In fact, he seemed more energized than usual. He carried over half a cup of coffee and offered it to Lu Yi, who still looked half lost in a dream.
The smell woke Lu Yi up a bit. She took the mug and drained every drop.
Everyone else was impossibly busy: Madam Qin, president of the charity foundation, had galas to plan and benefits to attend. Madam Xu was swept up in those circles too. Lin Zheng, Lu Kangcheng, and Lin Jinshen, say no more, they spent their lives bouncing from one high-powered meeting to the next. At home, only Lin Yumo and Lu Yi were left with nothing urgent to do.
Lin Yumo was a walking social event, allergic to boredom, her schedule dazzling and vivid enough for three people.
Lu Yi could have met up with friends too, but she preferred watching movies curled up at home. In the end, it took Yu Yin’s persistent invitations to get her out of the house. After shopping, they settled into a café for a break.
The inevitable topic came up, the upcoming class reunion. It happened every year after New Year’s, and this year was no exception. Since both were still in Jing City, their attendance was a given.
No need to ask; they were pretty much part of the permanent lineup.
Yu Yin mused, “How many years has it been since we graduated?”
Lu Yi replied, “Almost five.”
“Five years! How many five-year slices does anyone get?” Yu Yin hugged her arms. “Scientifically, your cells regenerate completely in seven. So give it two more years and we’ll literally be brand new people.”
Then she rolled her eyes at her own melodrama. “Look at us talking about ‘becoming new people,’ meanwhile someone’s already busy making little people.”
A friend from their group was pregnant, though not quite three months along yet; her husband was worried about accidents, so they were skipping the reunion this time.
That would only happen more and more often from here on out.
Every get-together would be the last for someone.
Lu Yi nodded in agreement, sipping her coffee.
…
Li Xian wasn’t sure what gave him the right to send that text.
He sent one every year, but never got a reply. He’d thought their breakup had been mature, that even if they couldn’t be together, they could still be friends.
But Lu Yi didn’t blur lines. She deleted and blocked all his contacts, returned every gift he’d ever given her, not that he accepted them. Rumor had it she handed them off to her roommates for some side cash online.
The breakup wasn’t without its element of pride. Back then, his career was just launching; a professor he admired offered him a rare internship at his own law firm.
That firm only chose two candidates a year and held real sway in the industry. Making the cut was proof enough you were top tier.
Li Xian wanted Lu Yi to stay. Her family was well off, her parents open-minded, willing to support whatever she wanted. There was nothing stopping her from staying in the UK, except Lu Yi herself.
She wanted to go home, back to her family, to the future she’d already planned.
Even if her plan and his were in opposite directions.
Which meant if they stayed together, it would be long distance, different countries, awkward time zones, a headache even to imagine.
Lu Yi said quietly, “Then there’s only one answer.”
“You mean break up?”
He saw the answer in her eyes. Li Xian laughed, disbelieving, never expecting they’d end like this. They never fought, never even argued, they were the couple everyone envied, the kind of love that seemed unbreakable. He’d always thought they’d marry, have kids, send those kids to college, grow old together.
Lu Yi said, “Neither of us is going to yield. I’m genuinely happy for you, earning that internship is huge. But I have my own life. I can’t just circle around you forever. I was always going to go home, and you always wanted to stay. We’re just choosing early.”
Even if they forced it now, a few years down the line, the same deadlock would come.
Li Xian dragged his hands across his face, agreeing to the breakup. Mostly out of pride. He couldn’t understand, why wouldn’t she bend, just once, for him? Why did it have to be on her terms, not his? He couldn’t bring himself to chase her.
The morning after they split, the regret set in. He tried to reach out, only to find himself erased from her world entirely.
In this, Lu Yi was cold as winter steel, once she made up her mind, nothing could sway her. Friends tried to talk her out of it, and one by one, they gave up.
A week later, Lu Yi wrapped up her affairs in the UK and boarded a plane home.
Li Xian was the last to know.
Since then he’d dated two girls, one classmate he’d helped, one from work, but none lasted even three months. He knew what he was doing, and knew it was unfair, trying to find some trace of Lu Yi in each of them.
So he resorted to asking friends for updates on her life.
It wasn’t healthy. He was basically lurking on her socials, watching her posts on repeat, obsessing. He knew when she agreed to an arranged marriage, when she wed a man from a family as wealthy and old as her own.
He’d seen the wedding photos, a friend had sent them. Lu Yi in white, bouquet in hand, calm and collected. She was looking at her groom, tall and straight. The only shot he got was of the man’s back.
A friend remarked tactfully, “Lu Yi really does look happy, such a perfect match, the two of you. What about you? When will we get to hear your good news?”
It was a gentle way of telling him it was time to move on, their story had reached its final punctuation mark here.
A few months later, Li Xian handed in his resignation at the law firm.
The professor who’d recruited him in the first place was baffled: just give it another year or two and land a few big cases, with his credentials, partnership was all but guaranteed.
That used to mean everything to him. Now, it no longer held any appeal.
He’d already bought his plane ticket back home. The moment his flight touched down, he finally set foot on familiar soil again, wondering, if he chased after her this time, would things turn out differently?
…
When the class reunion came up, Lu Yi let Lin Jinshen know in advance. He asked about the time and said he’d pick her up after he wrapped up on his end.
Lin Jinshen was, as usual, buried in work and swept from event to event, most of which weren’t occasions for Lu Yi to attend. That had been the rule before their marriage, and it hadn’t changed since.
Lu Yi wanted to point out that she could drive herself, so she didn’t even think before refusing: “No need to go out of your way. I’ll make my own way back.”
Lin Jinshen replied, “There’s drinking at these things, and finding a designated driver at night is tough, not to mention how risky it gets after dark.”
She had to admit he had a point, so she nodded. “Alright.”
On the day of the dinner, Yu Yin picked her up, but they hit a traffic jam. Wu Sidong kept blowing up their phones, asking where they were. Yu Yin just showed him a live shot of the road, a fender bender up ahead, cops already directing the mess.
“If you can’t wait, feel free to start without us.”
Wu Sidong said, “Yeah, right, like I’d dare. Just checking in, that’s all, no rush, your safety comes first.”
Thankfully the traffic cleared up fast. They made it exactly on time, earning teases about squeezing in at the last minute.
Yu Yin laughed. “As if I’d dare cut it that close on purpose.”
Lu Yi asked, “Is everyone here?”
“We’re all in, except for just you two,” Wu Sidong waved for the waiter to start bringing out dishes.
No sooner had he said it than Fatty jumped in, exclaiming, “Still missing one!”
“Who?”
Fatty scratched his head sheepishly. “It’s a new face for the group, I’ll keep it a mystery. You’ll see when they get here.”
Wu Sidong: “Then tell them to hustle. Don’t want them making their grand entrance after we’ve all left.”
“They just arrived, parking downstairs,” Fatty replied.
Lu Yi shrugged off her coat and hung it on the rack before sitting down between Yu Yin and Wu Sidong.
The table buzzed as everyone guessed the newcomer’s identity. But Fatty had always gotten along with everyone back in the day, so the guesses were all over the map and not even close. Fatty just grinned, sipping water, until his phone lit up. He chuckled, “Here they come!”
The door to the private room swung open. A tall, lean figure strode in, his coat slung over one arm and a dark sweater layered over his dress shirt, handsome in a delicate, scholarly kind of way.
“Li Xian?”
Someone recognized him and blurted out the name in surprise.
Everyone knew, he’d landed a spot at a top law firm straight after graduation, aced his probation, started running cases solo, made a name for himself in the UK, pulled in a huge salary, and was all set to make partner, the sky was the limit for his future.
The moment Yu Yin spotted him, she instinctively glanced at Lu Yi.
Pretty much everyone there had the same knee-jerk reaction. After all, those two had history. Thankfully, their breakup had been peaceful and years had passed, it was all water under the bridge. Otherwise, this could have been painfully awkward.
Lu Yi was just surprised. She’d assumed he planned to settle in the UK for good, never expected him to show up for Lunar New Year.
“That’s me.”
Li Xian grinned. “I just popped up out of nowhere, hope I’m still welcome.”
“Welcome, Counselor Li! These days you’re so hard to catch in the wild, of course we’re happy to see you,” Fatty jumped up to usher him over.
Wu Sidong rubbed his nose and asked, “When did you come back, Li Xian? Didn’t hear a word about it.”
“It was short notice this time, so much going on I hardly had a chance to check in with old friends, thanks for understanding.” Li Xian paused for effect. “But I’m back for good this round.”
“Not heading back to the UK?”
“With the market here, now’s actually a great time to come home,” Li Xian answered smoothly.
“Planning to get married?”
Li Xian replied, “Maybe once my career’s on solid ground.”
Yu Yin leaned over and whispered to Lu Yi, “If you want to ditch early, I’ll go with you.”
Because running into your ex? Major headache.
“I’m fine, really.”
Lu Yi picked at her crystal shrimp, cool and unruffled. She was just here for a reunion. They hadn’t spoken in five years, a single encounter wasn’t about to start some new drama.
If he’d wanted something to happen, why wait five years?
Li Xian also acted like he was just another classmate at a get-together. After greeting Lu Yi, he chatted as naturally with her as with anyone else, nothing out of line at all.
Yu Yin and Wu Sidong relaxed, no longer on high alert around Li Xian.
The dinner rolled on, drinks, stories, catching up on old nicknames, laughter thick with nostalgia.
Halfway through, Lin Jinshen texted to ask if she was done yet.
Lu Yi checked the time. [You can head over now.]
Lin Jinshen: [On my way.]
Inevitably, the conversation turned to marriage. The group split right down the middle, one side insisting it’s an essential life milestone, the other arguing for a ‘no marriage, no kids’ policy.
Li Xian talked about a divorce case he’d handled, couples tearing each other apart for the money, hiring investigators to dig up dirt, even slinging slander, whatever it took to win.
“Maybe, when they first got married, they never imagined they’d end up that way. So… is marriage even worth it?”
“That’s an extreme example. You’re too cynical, Counselor Li.”
“We’re just arguing in circles. Let’s hear from someone with firsthand experience: our happily married friend.”
All eyes turned to Lu Yi.
Lu Yi: “…”
“So, Lu Yi, what do you think? Do people really need to get married? What’s the point of tying the knot?”
“I honestly haven’t thought about it much,” Lu Yi replied, not wanting to pick a side. “It’s a personal choice either way. So I guess you’re asking the wrong person.”
Fatty chimed in, “Come on, just your honest take. We’re only talking about marriage here!”
Lu Yi pressed her lips together. She knew she couldn’t dodge the question, so after a moment’s thought, she said, “The real question isn’t whether marriage is good or bad, it’s whether you choose the right teammate. Think of it like a co-op game: if your partner’s a black hole, there’s no way you’re winning, right?”
“If you don’t have the right co-op partner, there’s no point forcing yourself into marriage.”
“But on the flip side, if you do find someone who’s got your back, why would you resist?”
She spoke with a calm, even tone, laying out her view simply.
“Solid point.”
Someone piped up, “So, is President Lin the dream teammate or what?”
The whole table burst out laughing.
Before Lu Yi could answer, Lin Jinshen’s call came in, he must have arrived already. She grabbed her phone and stood. “Sorry, gotta cut out early tonight,” she apologized to the others.
Wu Sidong propped his chin up, fielding the earlier question for her: “Come on, President Lin’s picking her up at this hour, if that’s not endgame material, what is?”
“Absolutely. No question.”
Li Xian hid a smirk behind his glass as he took a half sip.
Lu Yi tossed on her coat, grabbed her bag, and headed out of the room to take the call. Lin Jinshen’s low voice on the line told her where he’d parked.
Outside, she spotted the black Bentley waiting curbside. She pulled open the passenger door and slid in, a chill following her from the street. It was just a short walk, but she still got cold enough to rub her hands together for warmth.
Lin Jinshen reached out, taking her hands in his without a word.
“All done in there?” Only she had come down, it was obvious she’d left early.
Lu Yi: “More or less.”
Once her hands were warm, Lin Jinshen pulled onto the main road, blending into city traffic toward home. He casually brought up the classmate get-together, and they swapped stories from school days. Halfway through, Lu Yi suddenly thought of Li Xian.
With the same steady voice she’d used before, she said, “Someone else showed up too tonight.”
Lin Jinshen’s gaze was steady. “Who?”
“My ex.”
Lu Yi went on, “He didn’t tell anyone he’d show up, none of us knew he was even back in the country. Looks like he’s planning to settle here for a while.”
Three short sentences, just the facts.
If Li Xian was back for good, they’d inevitably run into each other sooner or later. Better to be upfront now than let it get awkward.
They kept driving; at a red light, the car rolled to a stop.
Lin Jinshen rested one hand on the wheel, turning to look at her. Shadows deepened beneath his lashes; his expression betrayed nothing. “Got it,” he said.
Lu Yi watched him, completely unfazed.
Well, nothing new. She’d already mentioned it the first time they met, and he’d just shot back, “Am I supposed to care?”
It was the correct response, but somehow, it left her wanting something...more.
Lu Yi eased off her seatbelt a bit and, sounding almost distracted, said, “Glad you’re not bothered. It really is ancient history, we’re just normal friends now.”
The car lurched forward, only to brake again. Lin Jinshen’s eyes darkened. “We?”