Chapter 118

Let you kiss me as much as you want

In November, the chill in the sea and on the island gradually deepens. The early morning sun is shrouded in thick clouds, its light soft but lacking warmth. The wind blowing from the sea has lost the stickiness of summer, instead sending gusts of bone-chilling coolness through the air, but it is also exceptionally refreshing.

Today is moving day, and Cheng Sangluo got up early on purpose, busily preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

A clay pot on the stove was simmering with white fungus and lotus seed soup, and the boiling steam made the lid gurgle and pop.

Lin Jin wore a loose-fitting bathrobe with the neckline naturally open, revealing a tantalizingly sexy glimpse of her fair and smooth shoulders.

She walked sleepily behind the puppy, like a clingy little cat, and murmured to her lover, "I hate waking up and not seeing you by my side."

Cheng Sangluo smiled, picked up a spoon to stir the white fungus and lotus seed soup, scooped a spoonful and brought it to her lips, "Try the sweetness."

Lin Jin took a small bite and said helplessly, "It's all because of your feeding me. I've gained weight recently."

"We're going to Dr. Chi for a follow-up appointment at the end of the month. I'm worried your body won't be able to handle it if you need surgery earlier than planned. It's good for you to gain some weight," Cheng Sangluo said, pleased that the meals he'd arranged recently were helping his wife get better. He leaned in and kissed her ear several times. "Besides... gaining weight... your Little White Rabbit candy will become Big White Rabbit candy... the taste and feel will be absolutely amazing~"

Lin Jin blushed and poked the puppy's forehead, pouting coquettishly, "Can't you be serious first thing in the morning?"

However, her actions concealed a little trick; she deliberately loosened the neckline of her half-length dress a bit more, making the puppy's so-called 'little white rabbit' almost spill out, and she whispered enticingly, "If you want to eat it now, it's not impossible~"

These days have been unusually peaceful, with the young couple spending all their time in sweet romance, and the days when they don't make love are few and far between.

When Cheng Sangluo thought about how she had been pestering Lin Jin endlessly last night, a wave of heartache washed over her. She said embarrassedly, "I finally managed to fatten you up a bit, so I have to cherish you. It's not a good idea to keep bothering you like this. I have to be more moderate. Yes, yes, I have to be more moderate!"

"Huh?" Lin Jinxu narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the puppy, and teased in a half-believing, half-doubting voice, "Now you know how to feel sorry for me? When I was crying and begging you last night, you weren't showing any tenderness at all. So you have two different faces, one during the day and one at night~"

"Oh dear, oh dear, I was wrong, I was wrong, hehe, I'll do it again next time~" The puppy was mercilessly teased, so he quickly hugged his wife and admitted his mistake, showing a sincere attitude of admitting even when he was right, but he still had to be a little mischievous.

Strangely enough, as the days went by, they thought about kissing and hugging all the time, but they never got tired of it and wanted to take every opportunity to be affectionate.

Just like now, we're bound to argue and stick together. We'll get into a fight at the drop of a hat, like we're glued together and can't be separated.

Cheng Sangluo stroked Lin Jin's hair, habitually lifting a strand and inhaling it deeply with fascination. This desire to absorb the scent into her lungs and possess it seemed a little perverted, but it was also an irresistible expression of her deep infatuation.

When she became completely captivated by the scent, she grasped the back of Lin Jin's neck with her palms and pressed her nose firmly against the crook of his neck, taking deep breaths repeatedly.

Dogs are naturally sensitive to smells!

Only after satisfying that indescribable craving did Cheng Sangluo arrange the day's schedule: "After breakfast, I'll take you to the company first, then go to the villa to pack your luggage, and then come back to work on the move. I won't be able to bring you lunch today. How about we have dinner at the new house when you come back tonight?"

Lin Jin thoroughly enjoyed this intimacy. The puppy's hot breath tickled her neck, but it was also so comfortable that she didn't want to part with it. "Alright, alright, how could I refuse my virtuous wife's arrangement?"

Cheng Sangluo, knowing his wife still had some time before leaving for work, deftly turned around and pressed her slender body against the desk, pleading softly, "You haven't given me my morning kiss yet..."

"No, I haven't brushed my teeth or washed my face yet." Lin Jin tilted her head to avoid the puppy's affection, then snuggled out of her arms, tapping her nose and coaxing, "I'll let you kiss me as much as you want after I'm all done, okay~"

"Alright, hurry up and get ready, or your breakfast will get cold." Cheng Sangluo saw his wife to the door, taking the opportunity to peck her on the back of the head, and said with satisfaction, "Mmm~ My wife always smells so good~"

Lin Jin turned around with a smile, the puppy in her eyes smiling like a flower, her face overflowing with happiness, which made her unable to help but reach out and pinch her cheek.

After a brief interaction, she went to the bedroom, and the moment she closed the door, the warm smile in her eyes vanished completely.

She leaned against the door with her back turned, wearily rubbing her throbbing temples. The unsettling emotions quickly took hold of her nerves, disturbing her for the time being.

Today is not a good day for Lin Jin. There are only two days left until the Lin Group goes public. The game she has been planning for many years has finally reached the moment of decisive victory, but the price she has to pay is her happiness.

She understood better than anyone that after today, she would be going against the beautiful days she had been craving, and she didn't know if Cheng Sangluo would still love her as much as she did today.

Lin Jin dragged her feet to the bedside, picked up her phone and dialed an unfamiliar number. The other party answered the phone almost instantly after it connected, but did not make a sound.

Lin Jin didn't speak immediately, but sat on the edge of the bed in silence for a long time. Her usually straight back seemed to be bent by an invisible cruelty, dispelling all her arrogance and confidence.

The other party seemed to understand her predicament very well, knowing that making such a choice would be tantamount to destroying her own happiness, so they gave her plenty of time and patience to wait for a response.

Lin Jin covered her forehead in distress, her loose hair obscuring her utterly forlorn face. With difficulty, she managed to squeeze out two words from her tight throat: "Go."

*

Sheng He appeared at the door of Lin Sheng's villa, carrying a brown paper file between his fingers and whistling a strange yet cheerful tune.

'Woof woof—woof woof—'

The sporadic barking of dogs broke the silence and disrupted the rhythm of his whistling.

Before long, the bodyguard in the garden opened the iron gate and invited, "The boss has been waiting in the living room for a long time. Please come with me."

Sheng He nodded knowingly and followed the person leading the way, inevitably glancing around at the villa's furnishings.

Soon, his gaze was drawn to several bodyguards not far away, or more precisely, to the pit bulls they were leading.

The large, fierce dog had glossy fur and was baring its teeth as it barked wildly at him. Its aggressiveness was palpable, causing the tall, burly bodyguards to stumble and fall. If the leash were to slip from their grasp, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"It's so robust, it must eat so much meat every day. Only rich people know how to enjoy life," Sheng He joked casually as he walked straight into the villa.

In the villa's living room, Lin Sheng was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. Hearing the barking of a dog outside the door, he knew that the person he was waiting for had arrived.

"Sit down." He beckoned to Sheng He, then picked up his coffee and took a small sip. "Would you like a cup?"

"No, I'm afraid you'll poison me." Sheng He refused his hospitality, but didn't forget to tease him while throwing the things he brought on the table. "The things in here are all the reliable information I've accumulated over the years. I didn't want to use them back then to protect myself from you. Now that we're about to go public, how about we make another deal? I want three percent of Lin's shares. To be honest, it's worth much more than that."

Lin Sheng raised his arm and pinched two fingers together, and soon someone brought over a lit cigar.

He took a big sip, enjoying the smoke, and then said slowly, "I've always admired your confidence, but confidence without proper control is arrogance, and arrogance easily gets you into trouble. We can talk about the price, but I advise you not to get your hands on Lin's shares."

"It seems Mr. Lin doesn't want to reach this cooperation agreement with me." Lin Sheng's refusal was within Sheng He's expectations. He smiled and picked up the file again, pulling out a document. "I presume you already know the specifics of the performance-based agreement? What if the IPO fails?"

Sheng He's statement that the IPO was unsuccessful successfully caught Lin Sheng's attention.

He flicked his cigarette ash and asked with great interest, "So, you're saying you're determined to win today?"

Sheng He spread his hands, shook his shoulders, and chuckled, "Given the current state of the Lin Group, it would be very difficult for it to surpass Senyao Group's annual profit percentage, especially since the deadline for this betting agreement is the end of this year. So you're now stuck on the path of having to successfully go public."

Since the old man passed away, Lin Jin has not made any major moves. It can be said that he has been lying low for the sake of the betting agreement. Now that the time has come to a standstill, aren't you afraid that she will suddenly jump out and interfere?

If the IPO fails on the first day, you'll become the biggest laughing stock in the industry. My advice is, if you want absolute security, buy 3% of the shares as a guarantee; nothing is more worthwhile.

It has to be said that every word Sheng He said struck a chord with Lin Sheng. If he couldn't get Lin's Group listed on the stock exchange, he wouldn't have the confidence to compete with Lin Jin for the betting agreement. So every step he took now was crucial. That's why he relented and said, "Why should I trust you? Based on these few pieces of paper?"

Sheng He smiled confidently and shrewdly, leaned close to Lin Sheng, and lowered his voice: "If you want to control Lin Jin, you can't use just one method. You need to create external disturbances and internal chaos so that she won't have the energy to bother you."

To demonstrate the reliability of my information, what I am about to say will directly benefit you.

I know that not long ago you sent people to cause trouble for Cheng Sangluo, but instead of causing trouble for him, you almost dug a hole for yourself.

Instead of trying to control Lin Jin by ruining Cheng Sangluo, why not let them fight amongst themselves? Coincidentally, I happen to have a way to make them turn against each other today.

"If the internal strife method works, I'll give you a day to draft the share transfer agreement, at which point I'll naturally provide you with reliable information about the external disturbances."

Sheng He's words made perfect sense, which made Lin Sheng, who was already wavering, even more tempted.

He narrowed his cold eyes, a secret thrill rising within him at the thought of Lin Jin's downfall. He couldn't help but agree to the cooperation, a cigar dangling from his lips: "Alright, if you can get me to make Lin Jin and Cheng Sangluo turn against each other today, I'll increase your offer to five percent of the shares. We'll sign the agreement here today. Tell me, what do I need to do now?"

“I haven’t followed Lin Jin for so many years for nothing. She has a deeply hidden secret. I don’t know the specifics, but I know that this secret is related to Cheng Sangluo, and I also know where this secret is hidden.” Sheng He spoke in an extremely mysterious tone. In order to convince the cunning Lin Sheng, he explained the whole story in detail: “It was several years ago. She got drunk at a social event and pulled me aside to confide in me. There is a secret room in the collection room on the top floor of her villa on the hillside. It is full of Cheng Sangluo’s things. Among them is a document that will cause their relationship to deteriorate, so she has never dared to let Cheng Sangluo know about it.”

"Oh? Is that so?" Lin Sheng exhaled a smoke ring and said in confusion, "I've always been curious too. Lin Jin is a person of status and position. Why would she like a retired soldier who has been to prison? Her taste can't be that bad, right? It seems there are other interests involved."

"Oh, I didn't realize President Lin was such a gossip." Sheng He teased, steer the conversation back to the main topic. "I've been keeping an eye on their movements lately. I bribed the property manager to find out today is their moving day. The reason I came here specifically is to help you seize the opportunity. Cheng Sangluo will definitely go to the villa to pack her things. You need to guide her to the top-floor collection room before she leaves. As for how to find the secret room, leave that to me. This way, Lin Jin won't suspect you, since you're unaware of this in her eyes. And the two of them will definitely have a falling out over this today."

Sheng He was just like an orator, every word he uttered stirred up the evil thoughts in Lin Sheng's heart.

Yes, over the years, he has never been able to outmaneuver Lin Jin's schemes. Every time it comes to a critical moment, that woman manages to save him from danger.

Today is a good day. I didn't expect Sheng He to have so many trump cards up his sleeve. Opportunities to strike at Lin Jin's weaknesses are rare. It would be a waste to let such a good opportunity slip by.

“Guiding her... isn’t a difficult method…” Lin Sheng rubbed his chin, already having a plan in mind. He then looked at the confident Sheng He and said, “Go do what you need to do, keep a close eye on them. I’m eagerly awaiting your good news.”

"Don't worry, I'm not that useless Xu Songheng. Every time we've cooperated, it has ended happily." Sheng He also stood up and pointed to the manila document. "After all, I haven't seen any benefits from you yet, so you can't understand the contents of the document. I'm sincere enough to hope that President Lin won't have any ulterior motives."

Lin Sheng walked up to him with a cigar in his mouth, raised his hand and patted his shoulder, "As long as you are of value to me, you will always be my honored guest, so please rest assured, I still understand the principle of equivalent exchange."

"Alright, wait for my good news, I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Sheng He waved and left the reception room.

Lin Sheng stood still, staring at Sheng He's back with a sinister gaze. He then raised his hand and beckoned to the bodyguard behind him, whispering instructions: "Looks like I'll have to take good care of this distinguished guest tomorrow."

[Author's Note]

1. My pre-order novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for collection.

2. Starting from this chapter, the plot officially enters the climax of the business war.