Chapter 34 Anxiety

An early morning wake-up call.

"Lingling, it's seven o'clock." A low and gentle voice sounded in Yu Ling's ears, with a hoarse and warm breath of just waking up.

Yu Ling groaned drowsily, turning over to try to get back to sleep. The next second, a warm embrace, scented with the refreshing aroma of soap nuts, clung to her from behind. Zhao Chen's arms naturally wrapped around her waist, his chin resting gently against the top of her head, like a large canine finding its most comfortable nest.

"Sleep for five more minutes..." Yu Ling protested vaguely, but subconsciously shrank into his arms, absorbing the reassuring warmth.

Zhao Chen chuckled softly, the vibrations of his chest clearly transmitted to her back. "Okay, five minutes," he agreed, his arms tightening around her. His warm lips pressed a feather-light kiss to the crown of her head. These "five minutes" often stretched on indefinitely, until Yu Ling was fully awake, half-coaxed, half-carried, to eat the breakfast he had prepared. There was no sweeter burden than this.

A "check-up" call during lunch break.

"Have you had lunch yet?" Zhao Chen's profile picture popped up on the phone screen. He was on a video call. The background seemed to be a simple, bright lounge.

Yu Ling had just sat down in the cafeteria with her colleagues. She looked at his handsome face magnified on the screen, feeling both helpless and amused. "Just getting ready to eat. What about you?"

"I just finished a meeting and am getting ready to eat." Zhao Chen adjusted the camera to let her see the exquisite lunch box in front of him (obviously not from the cafeteria). "What delicious food is there in the cafeteria today?" His tone was as natural as a casual chat, but his eyes were like searchlights, calmly scanning the environment around Yu Ling and her colleagues at the same table.

When the camera accidentally swept across a new, handsome male colleague sitting next to him, Zhao Chen's brows knitted slightly, his voice still gentle, "New colleague? He looks quite young."

Yu Ling: “…” She silently turned the camera back to her plate.

"Encounters" and "raids" after get off work.

Yu Ling and several female colleagues had made an appointment to clock in at the newly opened dessert shop after work. As soon as she left the office building, she saw Zhao Chen's "ordinary" car parked in its usual spot. He rolled down the window and gave her a gentle, harmless smile: "I'm stopping by to pick you up. Where are you going? I'll take you there."

Before Yu Ling could refuse, several female colleagues came over excitedly.

"Wow! Sister Ling, this is your husband? So handsome!"

"Hello, brother-in-law! We're going to 'Sweetheart Story'!"

Zhao Chen smiled politely, "Come on in, we're on our way." He got out and politely opened the door for the women. Along the way, he was cheerful and friendly, making his female colleagues feel overjoyed. They praised Yu Ling for her good fortune. When they arrived at the dessert shop, Yu Ling had just gotten out of the car with her colleagues when Zhao Chen followed.

"You guys go in first, I'll be there after I park the car." He shook the car keys.

Yu Ling: “???” Aren’t you just dropping someone off? Why did you follow me?!

Five minutes later, Zhao Chen appeared in the dessert shop as expected. He sat down next to Yu Ling very naturally, ordered a cup of American coffee, and then began to feed Yu Ling the cake that he had tasted and thought was delicious, as if no one was around.

"This matcha mille-feuille is good, not too sweet, try it."

"This mango mousse is okay, but it's a little icy, so eat less."

Yu Ling's cheeks flushed under the ambiguous and envious gazes of her colleagues, and she wished she could find a hole to crawl into. But inside, she felt like a honey pot had been overturned, and it was so sweet that it was cloying. This guy was just too clingy, wasn't he?!

A "bundle run" for weekend supermarket purchases.

The supermarket was packed with people on the weekend. Yu Ling was pushing a shopping cart, and Zhao Chen was right beside her, his arm seemingly casually resting on the cart's handle, but in reality, he was half-holding her in his arms, shielding her from the crowd.

"Buy this brand of yogurt. It has a clean ingredient list."

"The fruit section is over there. Go see if there are any fresh blueberries. Didn't you say you wanted some?"

As he whispered in her ear, he took the shopping list from her hand very naturally, glanced at it, and then pushed the cart between the shelves with a clear goal.

He selects things quickly and accurately, and seems to have some kind of strange intuition about the price and quality of goods. He can always pick out the one with the best value for money or the best quality from a pile of similar products.

Yu Ling only needed to follow him, occasionally pointing out what she wanted to eat. Watching his tall figure weaving between the shelves, observing his serious profile as he carefully checked the production date, watching the smooth curve of his arm as he effortlessly lifted a large bag of rice and placed it in the shopping cart... a strange sense of satisfaction, of being well cared for and protected, filled her heart. How could this be shopping? It was clearly a large-scale "captive breeding" scene!

This high-density "sense of presence" permeates Yu Ling's life, making Zhao Chen's presence almost omnipresent. He is considerate and attentive, yet he also carries an unquestionable sense of control.

Yu Ling went from feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed at first to becoming accustomed to it, even beginning to enjoy the feeling of constant attention and comprehensive care. That agreement? She had long since forgotten it.

However, behind this sweet "clinginess", Zhao Chen's heart is far from as calm as it seems.

Late at night, after confirming that Yu Ling was sound asleep, Zhao Chen quietly rose and went to his study. He left the main lights on, lighting only a single lamp on his desk. The soft light illuminated the laptop screen spread out before him, as well as the undisguised solemnity between his brows.

What appeared on the screen were not some complicated codes or business documents, but several encrypted surveillance logs and personnel tracking reports.

The report revealed that after receiving a stern warning from Lin Wei and having her quarterly bonus deducted, Zhang Wei privately contacted several social media accounts known for their "explosive" content within the industry. While no concrete action was taken, this undercurrent of information immediately strained Zhao Chen's nerves.

He could not tolerate any potential risk that might threaten Yu Ling's peaceful life or put her in harm's way. His amber eyes looked particularly deep in the dim light, and his fingertips tapped rapidly on the cold keyboard, issuing several commands:

"Target Zhang Wei, all social media accounts and communication records are under in-depth monitoring. All self-media outlets that have come into contact are flagged and the warning level is raised. If any signs of false information about the woman are detected, immediately initiate Plan A. No further instructions are required."

After the order was issued, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his brows. There was no ease on his face as if he had handled a "small matter", only a coldness that seemed to be about to come.

Zhang Wei wasn't a threat, but the curiosity and inquiries about Ling's identity that might arise from her were what really worried him. The "ordinary" fortress he had carefully constructed couldn't withstand any unexpected shocks.

He opened another encrypted folder, revealing several photos Gu Qianqian had recently posted on her overseas social media accounts. The backdrop was a lavish yacht party. In the photos, Gu Qianqian wore delicate makeup and had a bright smile, but her eyes held a lingering melancholy and... resentment?

A blurry figure in the corner of one of the photos caught Zhao Chen's attention. He zoomed in on the image, his sharp eyes fixed on the silhouette—Gu Mingxuan, the ambitious branch of the Gu family. How could he be involved with Gu Qianqian?

A chill flashed across Zhao Chen's eyes. He knew Gu Qianqian's paranoia, and he was also well aware of Gu Mingxuan's ambitions. Nothing good could come of these two people together. They were like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, ready to strike a fatal blow to the unsuspecting Yu Ling at any moment.

Zhao Chen's fingertips tapped unconsciously on the desk, making a dull sound. He stared at the screen at a casual photo Yu Ling had sent him earlier that day—a small green plant on the office windowsill, captioned, "What a beautiful day today." The sunlight in the photo was bright and warm, just like her current mood.

The coldness in his eyes was replaced by an inextricable tenderness and worry. He rejoiced in her softening, indulged in her dependent gaze, and savored every bit of trust and closeness she offered. This belated, honey-like response was the treasure he had longed for.

But the sweeter it was, the heavier the anxiety about his "identity" became. It was like holding a rare crystal; the more you cherish it, the more you fear it might break.

He was afraid that when the truth was revealed, the dependence and sweetness in her eyes would instantly turn into anger of being deceived and cold alienation. He was afraid that the warm bubble called "home" that he carefully protected would be punctured by the cruel reality.

This anxiety entwined his heart like a vine, tightening ever tighter. Like a miser, he could only greedily grasp at every bit of sweetness before him, using ever-increasing clinging to confirm her presence, the authenticity of this warmth. At the same time, he had to raise his alert level to the highest level, like the most loyal and obsessive guard, firmly blocking any possible storms from the greenhouse he had carefully built for her.

He turned off the screen, and the study fell into darkness again. Zhao Chen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Yu Ling's peaceful face in her sleep clearly appeared in his mind. After a long moment, a barely audible sigh drifted through the silence, carrying a heavy tenderness and endless worry:

"Lingling...what should I do with you?"