icing

The wedding was held quite grandly in a five-star hotel in the city center. The champagne tower gleamed with an alluring luster, the flower arch exuded a rich fragrance, and the room was packed with elegantly dressed guests. Lin Xiaoning, wearing a priceless custom-made wedding dress, stood in the spotlight, holding Wang Shumin's arm. Wang Shumin was dressed in a neat suit, his short haircut making him look more energetic. His dark face was flushed, and the smile on his lips almost reached his ears. He looked like a child who finally got to eat the candy he had been craving for a long time and had imagined countless times. He looked satisfied, happy, and even a little flattered. He carefully followed every instruction of the emcee, and when he toasted, he kept his back straight and his voice loud, revealing a simple solemnity.

Naturally, her parents were overjoyed. Her mother, dressed in a dark red cheongsam, her wrinkles etched into a smile as she chatted with relatives, receiving compliments like, "Your son-in-law is so energetic," and "Xiao Ning is so lucky." Her father, though still quiet, had relaxed his expression. Looking at his daughter and son-in-law, his eyes were filled with genuine relief. They saw this marriage as a sure anchor in their daughter's uncertain life.

However, Lin Xiaoning could clearly feel that beneath this seemingly harmonious and festive sound, there were countless silent gazes. Colleagues from the company, especially those executives who knew her past well, smiled as they toasted to congratulate her, but deep in their eyes they could not hide their inquiry and questioning. Su Qing also came, wearing a low-key gray suit, and raised her glass from a distance. The subtle sarcasm at the corner of her mouth was like an icy needle, piercing Lin Xiaoning's heart. Even Xu Wu, after delivering an impassioned speech as the witness, shook hands with her with a strength that carried a sense of evaluation, as if confirming whether this "investment" was worth it. Ye Yidonggang did not come, but his absence itself was like an invisible shadow, shrouding Lin Xiaoning's heart. She knew that some people and some things would not be easily turned over because of a wedding.

Wang Shumin seemed completely absorbed in his own joy, oblivious to the subtle undercurrents of the outside world. Or rather, he chose to ignore them. He treated Lin Xiaoning with meticulous care, attentiveness that was almost clumsy. Their honeymoon was on a tropical island, bathed in sunshine, sand, and azure seas and skies. Like a bird out of its cage, Wang Shumin excitedly tried various watersports, dragged Lin Xiaoning along for photos, and upon returning to the hotel that evening, he couldn't wait to embrace her.

Their married life, like Wang Shumin himself, followed a regimented, almost rigid routine. When showering, they always rinsed thoroughly; when kissing, they always started on the forehead and worked their way down; and when undressing, they seemed to carry out a certain formality. Everything proceeded with such methodical precision, like a rigorously trained military mission. His movements were quick and decisive, yet lacked the natural tenderness and spontaneous passion of spontaneous encounters. Lin Xiaoning, like an actor, followed his lead, closing her eyes and letting him take the lead, her mind a blank.

Until that incident happened on the eve of the wedding.

That night, Lin Xiaoning showered first, wrapped in a towel, and dried her hair in the bathroom. Her phone was charging on the nightstand outside. Wang Shumin, perhaps checking the time, picked up her phone. The moment the screen lit up, a WeChat message popped up, like a slithering snake, catching his eye. The sender was "Han Dong," and the content was explicit, suggestive, and dependent, even accompanied by a slightly ambiguous picture.

When Lin Xiaoning came out after drying her hair, she could clearly sense that something was amiss in the room. Wang Shumin was sitting by the bed, still clutching her phone. His expression wasn't as gentle as usual, his lips tightly pursed, and his eyes held a complex emotion she had never seen before—shock, confusion, and a hint of offended anger.

"Xiao Ning," he raised his head, his voice a little tense, and turned the phone screen directly towards her, "Who... is this person? What's going on with this message?" He didn't roar or question, but the tension under the restraint made people even more palpitating.

Lin Xiaoning's heart sank, but after a moment of panic, she quickly calmed down and responded. She walked over, but instead of rushing to grab the phone, she said with a slightly tired and helpless tone, "Oh, him. A model our company used to work with, he's a bit of a mess, constantly harassing me with random messages. I've blocked him a few times, and he's been adding me again with different numbers. It's so annoying! I'll have my assistant handle it later." She downplayed the situation, defining it as "harassment," putting herself in a passive and troubled position.

Wang Shumin stared into her eyes, as if trying to judge the truth in her words. Lin Xiaoning met his gaze, her face showing just the right amount of irritation and calmness. A few seconds of silence seemed as long as a century. Finally, the anger in Wang Shumin's eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by something deeper and indescribable. He put down his phone, said nothing, just stood up and whispered, "I'm going to take a shower."

That night, Wang Shumin's intimate actions were more intense and prolonged than ever before. It was as if he wanted to completely dispel and possess a certain uneasiness and doubt through this most primitive of means. His movements were no longer so methodical, but instead carried an urgent sense of release. Lin Xiaoning initially passively accepted it, but gradually, a subtle rebellious mentality and an inexplicable impulse made her begin to break the routine and try to respond, even deliberately emitting exaggerated moans. This unfamiliar initiative seemed to stimulate Wang Shumin, and she also experienced a kind of pleasure that was out of control and slightly guilty. After the storm subsided, their sweaty bodies pressed together, breathing heavily, each with their own thoughts in the darkness. Lin Xiaoning looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar outline of the man beside her and seriously considered for the first time: What kind of background was hidden beneath this seemingly pure white paper? How much of his "obedience" and "satisfaction" with her was due to emotion, and how much was due to the social class and material conditions she represented, which were completely different from his past? Would he change? When the sugar coating melts, revealing the true taste inside, can he still maintain this seemingly pure satisfaction?

After returning from their honeymoon, life seemed to have entered a new track. Wang Shumin was demobilized and assigned to the police force, and he quickly adapted to married life, even a little too much. He still maintained his military routine and self-discipline, getting up early in the morning to go for a run, bringing back breakfast for the whole family, helping his parents with housework, and chatting with his father in the study. Lin Xiaoning seemed to see the appearance of happiness. The only concern was that he showed an extraordinary obsession with Lin Xiaoning's body, demanding it almost every night, tirelessly. It was as if he wanted to make up for the desires he had suppressed for many years in the frontier, as well as the intoxication with the entire paradise represented by this beautiful, wealthy wife.

Lin Xiaoning let him do what he wanted, even cooperating somewhat numbly. This frequent intimacy, devoid of deep emotional exchange, was like a strange anesthetic, temporarily filling the void in her heart, but it also made her more clearly aware of the spiritual gap between them. She sometimes wondered, to Wang Shumin, was she a wife, or a luxurious and comfortable "paradise" that he had stumbled into and enjoyed to his heart's content?

Amidst this complex state of mind, news arrived from the film and television company, though not entirely encouraging, yet reassuring. After several rounds of negotiations, the time-travel web series she had invested so much effort in had finally been spotted by a major video platform, which had signed an exclusive broadcast agreement. The show's performance was surprisingly positive. While it didn't take the internet by storm, its views and buzz steadily increased, ranking highly among similar new series on the platform. Including copyright fees paid by the platform and subsequent advertising revenue sharing, the project actually achieved a small profit. While far from fully recovering its costs, it had reversed its persistent losses and given Morningstar Pictures a glimmer of hope for survival.

This news, like a ray of light in a gloomy day, brought a rare moment of comfort and motivation to Lin Xiaoning's depressing life. She seemed to have found a long-lost sense of accomplishment, a sense of accomplishment that came from her work itself, rather than the vanity of those dirty deals. She began to devote more energy to planning new projects, trying to seize this glimmer of hope.

However, this glimmer of light was quickly overshadowed by the immense shadow emanating from Changqing Chemical's headquarters. The cross-border merger, spearheaded by Xu Wu and described by Wu Jiaming as "extremely risky," was ultimately completed with tremendous force. With a swift, almost elephant-swallowing gesture, Changqing Chemical acquired a massive, yet heavily indebted, giant in the new energy sector. The announcement sent shockwaves through the capital markets, and Changqing's stock price experienced significant volatility. Xu Wu once again ascended to prominence, portrayed by the media as a daring capitalist tycoon. But Lin Xiaoning knew that behind this brilliance lay a mountain of debt, redundant staff that proved difficult to integrate, and the numerous potential dangers hidden beneath the vast assets, as Wu Jiaming had warned. Wu Jiaming remained silent, carrying out Xu Wu's orders with increasing silence, accelerating the behemoth towards an unknown destination. Lin Xiaoning occasionally encountered him at headquarters and sensed a growing sense of decadence about him, as if he had preemptively drawn down all his vitality.

That night, Wang Shumin came up to her again with great enthusiasm. A light drizzle fell outside the window, and only a dim bedside lamp was on in the room. Lin Xiaoning had just finished reading the plan for a new project and was exhausted, not really interested. She pushed him away, her tone impatient: "I'm tired today, go to bed early."

Wang Shumin paused. He propped himself up and looked at her in the dim light. His expression was a little blurry, but his voice carried an unprecedented mixture of grievance and stubbornness. "Xiaoning, now... you're all I have. Things are complicated at work, too. Every day I just want to go home... I just want to be close to you."

These words, like a tiny thorn, pierced the softest, most weary spot in Lin Xiaoning's heart. She suddenly realized that for Wang Shumin, this marriage might not only be about love and a home, but also a safe haven that temporarily rescued him from the anxiety of the uncertain future. And her body became the most direct way for him to confirm this sense of security.

A deep sense of powerlessness washed over her. She didn't resist anymore, simply lying back down, closing her eyes. Like a beautiful shell without a soul, she allowed the man on top of her to demand the warmth and validation he desired. The sound of rain outside the window pounded against the glass, and also against her heart, enveloped in a sugary coating that grew increasingly cold and lost. The sugar coating was sweet, but how long could it hold it? Was the core beneath bitter, or had it already rotted? She didn't know, and could only endure, day after day, in this gentle cage.