Chapter 102

Dating Diary 1

When Lin Jin heard Cheng Sangluo suggest a date, she happily swung her legs around the sink.

She leaned closer, wrapping her arms around the dog's neck, and blinked her eyes in the lamplight. "With a date this important, how can I possibly focus on work? You have all my time today!"

Cheng Sangluo smiled, his eyes crinkling, and casually wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, wanting to ask for a belated good morning kiss, "Mwah~"

"No!" Lin Jin pressed her fingertip to her lips in time, refusing: "No kissing if you haven't brushed your teeth."

"Oh right, I haven't brushed my teeth yet." The puppy nodded obediently, letting his wife sit quietly on the sink while he busied himself squeezing toothpaste.

Lin Jin leisurely swung her toes, tilted her head to examine the injured area, and chatted casually: "When I return to Zhouhai, come with me to my follow-up appointment. I feel like I'm recovering quite well lately."

"Okay, okay." Cheng Sangluo agreed, toothbrush in her mouth, and handed the toothbrush with toothpaste squeezed out to her, muttering, "Seafood feast, you still owe me a seafood feast."

Lin Jin was stunned for a moment, then belatedly realized that there seemed to be such a thing. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, amused: "You can remember such a small thing?"

"Otherwise what? Seafood! You've eaten so many delicacies that of course you'll find it ordinary." The puppy, with foam all over its mouth, held up its toothbrush and complained, then said excitedly, "I've never eaten a lobster in my life, or one of those big crabs that look like they're baring their teeth and claws, the kind that looks super expensive."

Lin Jin asked in confusion, "King crab?"

The puppy nodded repeatedly: "Ah, yes, yes, king crab!"

Lin Jin looked at the tall man in front of her and remained silent for a while. After exhaling slightly, she reached out and ruffled his messy hair. "Okay, eat as much as you want. I'll make sure you're full."

The puppy spat out the foam from its mouth, hurriedly rinsed its mouth, turned around, hugged its wife, kissed her cheek, and cheered, "I want to eat abalone, I want to eat mantis shrimp as long as my arm, I want to eat... um... palm-sized oysters... um... more..."

Lin Jin smiled at Cheng Sangluo, who was still so easily satisfied, but a pang of sadness welled up inside her, and she wanted to shower her with more affection: "Can you eat that much? Besides the seafood feast, what else do you want?"

"Of course I can eat! I'm starving, I could eat two of you!" The puppy patted her flat belly, then tilted her head back and thought for a while. She couldn't figure out what else she wanted, as if she didn't lack anything now, because she already had Lin Jin.

Thinking of this, she smiled broadly and said happily, "I have you, what do I lack? I don't lack anything."

"What kind of honey did you put on your silly mouth? It's so sweet it's like it has additives. I'm not used to it." Lin Jin teased, pinching the puppy's cheek. She stopped asking what the puppy wanted and made a shopping list in her mind. She would give the puppy a little surprise when they got back to Zhouhai.

The young couple washed up in the bathroom before finally having a long and passionate good morning kiss.

Lin Jin asked Secretary Zhou to cancel her work schedule for the day. She stood in front of her wardrobe, picking out an outfit for her date, and then held it up for her dog's approval: "How's this outfit?"

Without even needing to examine it closely, Cheng Sangluo immediately gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed, "Beautiful!"

Lin Jin pouted and changed into another outfit: "How about this one?"

"nice!"

"What about this outfit?"

The puppy wagged its tail and kept praising, "So beautiful! So beautiful!"

Lin Jin tossed the clothes into the closet in annoyance, complaining, "Are you sure it looks good, or is it just a perfunctory effort?"

"How could I dare to be perfunctory? You look good in anything!" Cheng Sangluo quickly hugged her and pointed to a black and white striped belted long dress. "Wear this one. It's simple, flattering, and most importantly, it looks very comfortable."

"Alright, a woman dresses for the one she loves. Whatever you say, I'll wear." Lin Jin took out a long dress, turned around, and begged the puppy for a kiss, "Mwah~"

After falling in love, she was no longer as cold as before. In front of Cheng Sangluo, she was a pure little woman who would act coquettishly, throw tantrums, and ask for kisses and hugs from time to time.

Cheng Sangluo picked her up and kissed her passionately as they walked to the dressing table in the suite. He whispered, "You're beautiful whether you wear makeup or not. There's no need to make it so complicated. I hope our date will be relaxed and easy."

“I don’t want to take our date lightly. After all, it’s our first time, so of course I have to dress up carefully.” Lin Jin was very attentive. She tapped the puppy’s nose and commanded, “You sit here and wait for me. Don’t be impatient or rush me. If you’re hungry, go to the restaurant for breakfast.”

"I don't eat breakfast." Cheng Sangluo shook his head, pulled up a chair and sat down next to his wife, grinning foolishly: "Today I'm going to stick to you all the time, so don't find me annoying."

......

The weather is perfect today; the midday sea breeze in late autumn carries the warmth of the sunshine.

At Cheng Sangluo's insistence, Lin Jin traveled in a wheelchair.

This annoyed her a bit, because the pretty striped maxi dress didn't show off her best features.

Cheng Sangluo pushed her along the winding Lovers' Road, which seemed to have no end. Perhaps because it was a weekday, there were few pedestrians on the road, which created a nice atmosphere for the young couple to date.

Lin Jin held a steaming hot roasted sweet potato in her arms. The sea breeze carried its sweet aroma, which kept wafting into her nose, making her want to take a bite.

People like her never eat cheap street food. It was only because the little dog was craving it and insisted on buying two to try that she gave in.

Cheng Sangluo took a big bite of the steaming sweet potato, but burned her mouth and let out a few cute little cries: "X-X... It's so hot... X-X..."

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Lin Jin looked up at the clumsy little dog, laughing at its messy eating manners, but the way it ate with such relish was too cute, and she couldn't help but want to take a second look. "Go sit over there and eat slowly."

"Okay." Cheng Sangluo pushed her to a nearby bench, holding the hot roasted sweet potato in her hands, smiling sweetly, but then said to herself with a self-deprecating smile, "Don't you think this kind of date is boring? The scenery is free, and two roasted sweet potatoes cost less than fifteen yuan. It seems like this kind of arrangement doesn't quite suit your style."

Lin Jin ate sweet potatoes with great elegance. Her hand holding the small spoon naturally curled into a delicate pinky finger, and she scooped the small spoonfuls into her mouth as if savoring a fine dish prepared by a Michelin-starred chef.

Hearing Cheng Sangluo's self-deprecating humor, she shook her head with a faint smile and asked in return, "Then in your eyes, what fits my style?"

"A life of extravagance and debauchery, a life of bright lights and revelry, a life of high-profile luxury." Cheng Sangluo stared down at the sweet potato in her hand. The shriveled skin from roasting was like her life of hardship. It was inevitable that she would have some self-doubt when she was in a relationship with someone from a different social class.

She looked at the beautiful woman waiting for an answer and earnestly summarized their previous encounters: "Look, what private pool parties, cruise ship moon-viewing banquets, yacht birthday parties, VIP bars—these are all extravagant things I can't even imagine. I feel like you have to pay to breathe in those kinds of environments."

The sea breeze was so gentle, caressing Lin Jin's hair and lifting her skirt into a beautiful arc.

She kept stirring the sweet potato filling with the spoon in her hand, listening to the scenes the puppy described. She couldn't refute them, because they were indeed snapshots of her daily life.

But that doesn't mean she was actually enjoying it.

"Before you were in my life, it was as dull and boring as a stagnant pool. All the glitz and glamour you saw was just loneliness floating in the midst of colorful flowers, without any real meaning."

In comparison, the free scenery and the roasted sweet potato costing less than fifteen yuan are more enjoyable for me, because this kind of peace and comfort is a feeling that parties and gatherings cannot bring.

Actually, you don't need to do anything. Just sitting quietly next to me makes me very happy. It's a pure kind of happiness that money can't buy.

Lin Jin seemed to be explaining, or perhaps confiding; her deep eyes were as still as water, yet shone with an unprecedented light of happiness.

She already has so much, which is why what she wants now seems so simple.

All she wanted was Cheng Sangluo's company.

But is it really that simple?

With years of bitter waiting, with lies and deception, and with anxieties about the unknown future.

Cheng Sangluo turned her head and smiled at her, then patted her shoulder, invitingly saying, "Want to lean on me? My shoulders are broad and stable."

Lin Jin smiled gently, tilted her head and leaned on her shoulder, enjoying the comfortable sunshine and sea breeze, and closed her eyes contentedly. "It's so nice to steal half a day of leisure in this busy life, to go on a date and talk about love."

Cheng Sangluo raised an arm and used it to support her head, making the position more comfortable and giving herself a sense of being more reliable.

Lin Jin turned slightly to the side, wrapped his arms around her waist, and naturally nestled into her broad embrace.

She listened to the strong, powerful heartbeat in the wind, inhaled the scent of the puppy in the salty air, and felt the warmth of the embrace lull her to sleep.

This fusion of senses creates a peaceful and beautiful sense of happiness.

The young couple quietly enjoyed their time together, the atmosphere was intimate but not quiet.

They tacitly agreed not to mention the marriage of convenience agreement, nor did they ponder whether they would part amicably after the three-year period. They skipped the separation phase and began to dream about their future life together.

Lin Jin played with Cheng Sangluo's fingers and suddenly changed the subject: "Haven't you decided what you plan to do in the future?"

"If I said I wanted to be a cleaner working at heights, you might not have allowed it," the puppy said, deliberately bringing up the topic to tease. "You know what, it's hard work, but it pays well."

"You still dare to work at height?" Lin Jin recalled seeing Cheng Sangluo suspended in mid-air through the glass, and her heart choked up. "Do you know how scared I was when I saw it? I was afraid a gust of wind would take you away."

"Oh~ I know!" Cheng Sangluo smiled mischievously, her eyes crinkling. "You wouldn't have... liked me back then... wait... no, no!"

"Wha...what's wrong?" Lin Jin stammered, realizing that she had revealed the timeline of her liking the puppy, and quickly covered up her lie: "Back then, I hated you, so how could I have liked you?"

"Then why are you worried about me? You should be wishing I'd fall sooner!"

Lin Jin quickly grabbed Cheng Sangluo's arm, looking as if the dog was really going to fall and die, anxiously saying, "Don't fall! If I fall, I won't be able to lean on you like this anymore."