Chapter 6

Were they really fast-forwarding to the “marital home” stage already?
For the first time, Lu Yi felt the reality of getting married, it wasn’t just talk anymore, this was officially on the agenda and going to happen, soon.
Still, she thought the property transfer was way too premature, they hadn’t even had a proper meeting between the families yet. She told him there was no rush; they should look at places together sometime later.
Lin Jinshen didn’t insist on that particular apartment.
Pioneer: [You’re right, we should look at several. Happy to buy a new one, too. Whichever you like, it’s up to you.]
Mr. Lin would spend whatever it took. As Lu Yi sipped her fresh coffee, she typed: [Even if it’s pricier than that one?]
Pioneer: [As long as it exists, and you like it, done.]
Straightforward.
Someone else might sound like they were just talking big, but Lin Jinshen had the clout to back up every word.
Lu Yi put her phone away.
Her focus slid back to her computer, the company had just landed a new case, a curation project for the art museum: “Midsummer Rhapsody.” Post-Impressionist style, embracing bold form and color, exactly the personalized vibe she liked best.
She’d majored in Western Art History back in college, so naturally the project landed with her.
That afternoon, during the team-building meeting, Yu Qian volunteered to join. The initial research and planning was a slog, the museum gave them only two months from concept to install, design to final exhibition. A true race against the clock.
The meeting dragged all the way to closing time, she ended up working overtime by an extra hour.
Lu Yi drove home. Dinner was ready, and it was just her and Madam Xu at home tonight.
After washing up, she said, “Don’t wait for me for dinner anymore. With the new project, I probably won’t be home on time these days.”
Xu Shuyi, already setting out the dishes, put them back down. “Another new project? Didn’t you just finish one? I thought you’d finally get a few days of rest, now you’re busy again?”
“Well, you know what they say, great power, great responsibility. Besides, I actually like this one.” Lu Yi added food to Madam Xu’s plate.
“Oh please, you always say you like your projects. Maybe I should put in a word for you, why do they always pile so much work on you? Maybe you should just come home and help your dad, ”
Lu Yi quickly cut her off, “Mom. I’m starving.”
Madam Xu ladled her some soup. “Let’s not talk about this for now. Eat first.”
After dinner, Lu Yi went back to her room to open the stack of packages that had piled up these last few days. Most of them were toys for Puff: feather wands, scratching boards, those kinds of things.
Now that summer had arrived, Puff was lazier than ever, happily nesting in the air-conditioned bedroom, sleeping all day.
The new toys finally caught Puff’s interest. She meowed and circled Lu Yi, occasionally reaching out with a curious paw to bat at something.
When Madam Xu entered the room, Lu Yi was in the middle of tossing a cat ball. Puff darted after it, then trotted back, ridiculously dog-like, to drop the ball right into her palm.
Setting down a plate of sliced fruit, Madam Xu kept her distance. She didn’t have strong feelings about cats either way, but with her mild germaphobia, she couldn’t stand cat hair on her clothes.
“Yiyi, have you really thought through this whole marriage thing?”
“Yeah.” Lu Yi nodded.
“You’re sure you don’t want to consider the Zhong family?”
Lu Yi tossed the ball and tilted her head, glancing over.
“I think Xiao Zhong’s a great kid, so considerate. Even before you met, he came to ask me what you liked to eat, if you had any allergies. He just seems extremely thoughtful.”
Madam Xu folded her hands, still not understanding why her daughter insisted on Lin Jinshen. “Didn’t you two hit it off last time? I just don’t get it.”
“Your dad and I aren’t so obsessed with background and money. An alliance marriage is already a lot to ask, don’t go overboard and be all self-sacrificing for the family. You need to think for yourself too.”
“Mom, I promise, that’s not what I’m doing.”
Puff, now exhausted from playing, showed no intention of running for the ball again.
“Then why? Is Xiao Zhong not considerate enough or something?”
Lu Yi scooped Puff into her arms, turned, and looked at her mother. “It’s not that. He’s too considerate, almost suffocatingly so.”
Ever since they’d added each other as friends, Zhong Wenlun’s texts never stopped, morning, noon, evening. He didn’t just check in online, either. He’d send coffee and snacks to her office. Constantly.
His intensity was something Lu Yi couldn’t handle.
“What does ‘too considerate’ even mean?”
“It means being so nice that it’s exhausting.”
Scratching Puff’s chin, Lu Yi explained, “He’s so attentive, so careful, that I feel like I have to give back in equal measure. It’s tiring. I worry I can’t do it.”
“What are you talking about? Marriage isn’t a fruit exchange, you give an apple, they give a pear. Life isn’t some bank account where you have to balance every withdrawal!”
“Isn’t it, though? Anyone can give for a while, but for the long haul? That’s tough. And I can’t just sit back and enjoy someone’s kindness without feeling guilty. I’d rather have a teammate, someone headed in the same direction.”
“Where do you even come up with these crazy ideas?” Madam Xu huffed. “So Lin Jinshen is this so-called ‘perfect teammate’?”
“So far, yeah.”
Puff purred happily, sprawled in Lu Yi’s arms, her belly rumbling with pleasure. Lu Yi teased, waving Puff’s little paw, “Here, give Grandma a paw!”
“Meow~”
Puff played along with a cooperative meow.
Madam Xu wasn’t having it. She frowned, slightly exasperated. “You just think he’s attractive, huh? Looks aren’t everything in a marriage.”
Lu Yi grinned. “What’s wrong with being nice to look at?”
“If we’re going to see each other every day, at least let him be easy on the eyes. And if we fight? Well, at least I won’t stay mad when I see his face.”
Madam Xu couldn’t help herself, she started laughing, more amused than annoyed now.
“Xiao Zhong’s not exactly ugly, either! He’s cute, fresh-faced, the type people like…” Under Lu Yi’s teasing smile, Madam Xu finally relented, “Fine, maybe he’s not as handsome as Lin Jinshen, but he has so many other great qualities.”
She sighed, brow furrowing with worry. “But Lin Jinshen seems so cold, so distant. I’m afraid if you marry him, you’ll just be alone or get hurt.”
“If they bully me, I’ll just run straight home and stick to you and Dad for the rest of my life.” Lu Yi kicked her long legs out in mock petulance.
Madam Xu smiled warmly. “Good. No matter what happens, your dad and I always have your back.”
Back when Lu Yi first chose the Lin family, she made sure to be up front with Zhong Wenlun about it.
His first question was whether it was her parents’ idea.
Lu Yi: [It was my own decision.]
Zhong Wenlun: [And the Lin family agreed?]
[I think so.]
[So, that last time you guys met, were you already…?]
Lu Yi sincerely apologized, explaining that nothing was decided then, she and Lin Jinshen had only met once, just like she and Zhong. If he felt uncomfortable, she was sorry.
[It’s fine, really. I just hope it’s what you truly want.]
[Thank you. I hope you find the right person too.]
…
On the weekend, Lu Yi went to play squash with Yu Yin as they’d planned.
Yu Yin was full of energy, going strong for thirty minutes straight before finally dropping her racket and collapsing onto the bench for water.
“Who pissed you off today?” Lu Yi handed her a bottle.
Judging from how hard she was smashing the ball, someone had really gotten under her skin.
Yu Yin chugged a third of the bottle, practically steaming. “Honestly, I’m angry on your behalf. You wouldn’t believe the crap people have been saying since you turned down the Zhong family for the Lin family.”
“Like what?” Lu Yi didn’t really hang out with that circle; she was more of an outlier, always circling the edges.
“They say you’re just gold-digging, that you’re calculating, that you always acted above everyone but it was all fake. You know that bunch, they can’t survive a day without mouthfuls of trash talk.”
There were even nastier things, but Yu Yin nearly ground her teeth to dust just thinking about them, wanting to rip those people’s tongues out.
Lu Yi wiped her face with a damp towel and just nodded, as calm as if they’d been talking about someone else entirely.
“You’re not mad?”
“Not really.”
After all that squash, Lu Yi was spent. She sat on the floor, arms propped behind her, catching her breath.
When she could breathe normally again, she said, “It’s their mouths, not mine. I can’t control what people say.”
Doesn’t matter how nasty the gossip is, it’s not like it takes a chunk out of you. It’s not worth letting it ruin your mood.
Yu Yin knew her well: “You’re unreal, you know that? I don’t even need to comfort you. But seriously, aren’t you worried?”
“Worried about what?”
“About the Lin family hearing that crap and getting the wrong idea.” If the Lin family broke off the engagement, Lu Yi would be the capital’s punchline. Yu Yin could already picture the drama.
Lu Yi took a sip of water, her voice cool and clear. “If the Lin family can be swayed by a few rumors, then maybe I shouldn’t bother marrying in at all.”
If the gossip reached Yu Yin’s ears, you could bet it would find its way to Lin Jinshen too.
On a seemingly ordinary day, Lin Yumo, who was rarely the type to reach out first, sent a message: [Bro, is this about sis-in-law?]
Attached were some chat screenshots: the story had already become a campus punchline, even making its way into the overseas student circles. The claim was that someone who appeared pure and aloof was actually just putting on an act, selling herself to the highest bidder.
One minute, she was talking marriage with someone; the next, she climbed for a shinier branch as soon as she saw it.
Lin Yumo knew all kinds of people, and it seemed like everyone was dropping hints, warning her and her friends to keep their eyes open and not trust too easily.
[Those people are the absolute worst. Bro, tell sis-in-law not to take it to heart. If she’s mad, I’ll go curse them out for her.]
After reading it, Lin Jinshen replied as usual: [Worry about your own grades. If you flunk finals again, I’m cutting your allowance in half.]
Lin Yumo: [?!]
She didn’t even dare to type out insults like savage, cruel, or heartless tyrant, just whined a bit and then gave up altogether.
Lin Jinshen called the internal line and told his assistant to come in.
His assistant, Chen Fang, knocked and entered, greeting him with, “President Lin.”
It wasn’t hard to find Zhong Wenlun’s contact info. Chen Fang tracked it down quickly, spoke to the other side’s assistant, and once the man himself answered, handed the phone to his own boss.
“President Lin?”
Lin Jinshen cut straight to the chase. “Clean this mess up.”
Zhong Wenlun gave a short laugh. “President Lin, you think I started it?”
Lin Jinshen’s tone was icy. “Didn’t say it was you. Just telling you to rein in your people. If you can’t, someone else will.”
The other side went quiet for a few seconds.
Zhong Wenlun said, “President Lin, do you really have to pick the Lu family?”
“There are plenty families on their level. If all you want is a Lin madam, you’ve got options. It doesn’t have to be Lu Yi. I just want to ask if you’d consider stepping aside. If you do, I’ll remember your generosity, and next time you need anything in my wheelhouse, just say the word.”
Lin Jinshen considered the black and gold pen in his hand, turning it slowly. “I think there’s something you’re misunderstanding, President Zhong.”
“Lu Yi isn’t some commodity. No one gets to decide who ‘lets’ who.”
“…”
At ten that night, Lu Yi finally got a message from Lin Jinshen. She was still up, not having showered yet, busily assembling the new cat tree she’d just bought.
Her wrists ached from all the heavy-lifting, hands going numb.
When the icy glacier avatar popped up, something strange flickered inside her. Sigh, face unlock, and she tapped in.
Pioneer: [Are you free tomorrow?]
Lu Yi’s lashes flickered downward. She replied: [Yeah.]
Her fingers paused over the keyboard.
She continued typing: [About the marriage thing, if you have other thoughts, I get it…]
Before she could finish, Lin Jinshen’s next message arrived.
Pioneer: [What do your parents like?]
Lu Yi blinked, cutting the words she’d just written, then sent only a question mark in their place.
Pioneer: [If I’m coming to your place, I can’t show up empty-handed.]
……
Lu Yi asked if he really didn’t know what people were saying about her lately. True or not, it was all filth being flung in her direction. After Lin Jinshen confirmed he knew, she asked: [So, what do you really think?]
Pioneer: [Awkward phrasing, high redundancy, waste of time.]
Honestly, if you didn’t know better, you’d think he was marking up her essay.
Lu Yi let out a laugh, eyes drifting back to his earlier question. Considering how Madam Xu viewed Lin Jinshen, she doubted tomorrow’s meeting would be pleasant.
Prenup, house-hunting, meeting the parents,
All these things, and it’d barely been a week since they decided to get married. Hugging her phone, she could still make a joke through the screen: [Hey, Mr. Lin, have you ever heard of an NPC who’s got a system assignment? If they don’t finish the task, they get punished by the system.]
She half-suspected Lin Jinshen had gotten a “get married now” quest, and if he didn’t complete it by the deadline, boom, failure and a penalty.
After a couple minutes with no reply, Lu Yi set the phone aside and went to shower. When she came back, there were two messages waiting.
Pioneer: [?]
[What does that mean?]
“…”
Lu Yi realized with some amusement that old-fashioned men like Lin Jinshen weren’t likely to internet-surf, no wonder he didn’t know what an NPC was. She teased back: [Sorry, my phone glitched and sent a bunch of nonsense.]
Lin Jinshen promptly sent her a link to an article on avoiding phone viruses.
Pioneer: [I suggest you don’t visit sketchy websites.]
“…”
Was this marriage really happening?