Chapter 138

Cheng Sangluo, I don't want you anymore.

"It seems this meal isn't to your liking." Qin Shuhuai sipped her tea, her gaze sweeping over the almost untouched food on the table, and let out a helpless sigh.

"It's fine," Lin Jin retorted softly, but in fact, she hadn't touched her chopsticks much.

It wasn't that the expensive food wasn't delicious, but rather that her anxious state of mind made her lose interest in all the food. It could also be that the people she was having dinner with were the wrong ones.

She turned her head to look at the courtyard rockery outside the private room. The babbling brook and the rustling wind filled the air with a sense of leisure and elegance, but she was all alone, standing apart from the scenery.

"Now that we've had our fill of food and drink, why don't we talk about something that interests you, like... her..." Qin Shuhuai put down her glass, the topic she suddenly brought up was a bit of a mood killer, but it would definitely pique Lin Jin's interest, at least it wouldn't make her feel so disappointed.

Lin Jin raised an eyebrow, then lowered her gaze to the teacup in front of her. Her delicate face, illuminated by the soft light, rippled in the tea. A simple question rippled through the air: "Her?"

"Hmm." Qin Shuhuai smiled gossipy, picked up a piece of tuna with her chopsticks, dipped it in sauce, and slowly put it into her mouth, chewing it slowly, as if waiting for the other party to start the topic of Cheng Sangluo.

"We had a little argument recently, and we haven't made up yet, so there's not much to talk about," Lin Jin said casually, but her unconsciously slumped shoulders revealed an unusual dejection. She looked as if she had been seriously ill and was sickly, making her look pitiful.

Qin Shuhuai pursed her lips, her tone sounding just like a seasoned lover: "When two women are in love, it's all about the details. A woman's heart is softer than the clouds in the sky; a little coaxing will do the trick."

"If she were so easy to coax, you wouldn't have witnessed this scene today." Lin Jin rested her chin on her hand, her sigh somewhat endearing: "She has a very strange temper, and she's hard to coax."

"I don't ask the reason, I only ask how much affection you put in. If you were deeply in love, how could you not coax someone? Who are you? You are Lin Jin, after all. There are plenty of people who have fallen for you. Even if she is special, didn't she also fall for you?" Qin Shuhuai's words made sense, but they also seemed a bit frivolous.

"Is she tempted? But I can't resist her wanting to leave me." Lin Jin's fingertips rubbed the rim of the cup, and she casually tapped the tea surface to write a heart shape on the table, then drew a question mark. "I'm always cautious in my work, and I always consider whether the outcome is what I want. I can control the direction of a group, but I can't control the heart that wants to leave. She will always be the exception."

Qin Shuhuai hesitated, "So...you two aren't getting a divorce, are you?"

"Hmm." Lin Jin nodded with an embarrassed expression, having lost all interest in continuing the conversation.

Such topics are like a dull knife cutting flesh; you can't see the cut or the blood, but it still causes waves of pain that no one can withstand.

"No one can help you with this, so I won't rub salt into your wounds." Qin Shuhuai said sullenly, beckoning the waiter to pay the bill, then asked, "Go home or let me drown my sorrows in alcohol?"

"Let's go home." Lin Jin replied simply, having no desire to linger in the bright lights and bustling nightlife outside any longer, and simply got up and picked up the coat from the hanger.

She habitually took out her phone from her pocket, hoping to see a message from Cheng Sangluo, even just a short inquiry to calm her panic for a moment. But the screen was empty, and her heart sank even further.

After a moment of stunned silence, she hesitantly opened the app that connected to GPS location.

In fact, Lin Jin was extremely unwilling, because the issue of the chip had become an obstacle to their relationship. However, she couldn't resist her intense curiosity. But after seeing Cheng Sangluo's location, she suddenly felt that her actions were so correct.

She stared intently at the arrow on the software, her expression shifting from initial utter ashen to profound self-mockery.

She laughed, wondering why she had to go through all that trouble, only to create unnecessary resentment, suspicion, and anger for herself. Unfortunately, this software was like Schrödinger's cat; before opening it, there were all sorts of different outcomes to guess, but after opening it, there was only one ending—Cheng Sang ended up in a bar, in the bar owned by the person she feared most.

Qin Shuhuai, unaware of what Lin Jin was looking at, gently patted her shoulder, "What are you daydreaming about?"

Lin Jin turned to look at her, a hint of annoyance in her eyes, her smile also appearing awkward. "Let's not go home yet, come with me somewhere."

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"Although I don't know what happened between you two, you see, all your complaints about her are nothing compared to your fear of a joke. In fact, you can't bear to leave her at all, you just can't bear to." Shu Wan's smiling comment was so resounding.

Cheng Sangluo's deeply hunched back was trying her best to suppress a violent cough, her eyes were choked and wet, and her wine-stained face was becoming increasingly dark red.

Despite the deafening music in the bar, Shu Wan's nonchalant mockery sounded so clear and jarring, each word piercing her heart with precision.

She did not deny Shu Wan's conclusion that she was reluctant to part with the item, but silently rested her arms on the bar to cover her face, which was filled with a bitter smile.

Shu Wan shifted her position, crossing her legs and resting one arm behind her back. She patted Cheng Sangluo's back with the other hand. "Take my advice," she said, "except for death, which is a true separation, nothing else matters. Instead of drowning your sorrows here, you'd be better off going home and continuing to be an obedient lover. After all..."

As she spoke, she leaned close to Cheng Sangluo's ear, her tone becoming more somber: "Those who have truly let go don't drown their sorrows in alcohol; they quietly wander far away."

Cheng Sangluo's dim eyes were blurred by alcohol. Listening to the wind blowing past her ears, she couldn't help but turn her head to carefully examine Shu Wan.

This woman always wore a gentle smile, making it impossible to tell whether there was a knife hidden behind that smile, and thus making it impossible to guess her treacherous thoughts.

In Cheng Sangluo's mind, Shu Wan and Lin Jin were the same kind of people, saying one thing to one person and another to another, and would suddenly stab someone in the back while they were laughing.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shu Wan waved her hand in front of Cheng Sangluo, probably sensing the other's suspicion, and simply picked up her wine glass and took a small sip. "Are you thinking... that people like me and Lin Jin are despicable... right?"

"No." Cheng Sangluo denied it outright, hurriedly taking a big gulp of wine, as if trying to calm herself down after being so easily exposed.

"Do you know how innocent and harmless your expression is?" Shu Wan smiled, feeling like teasing a puppy, and deliberately nudged Cheng Sangluo with her elbow. "You don't need to say anything, your face just says two words—pure kindness. So it's as easy as breathing for me to lie to you or bully you. You've already experienced how complicated the outside world is. Now that someone is willing to be your safe haven, isn't that good? If I'm not mistaken, you just can't stand how Lin Jin treats you. You like freedom, but she just won't give it to you."

Cheng Sangluo pressed her burning face against the wine bottle to cool it down. After listening to Shu Wan's analysis, she smiled slightly, her eyes crinkling, "You're quite perceptive."

Shu Wan reached out and rubbed Cheng Sangluo's burning ears. Just as she was about to say something, a hand suddenly appeared and forcefully slapped her hand away, filled with endless anger and bitterness. The wind that came was carrying the familiar scent of cedar.

As Shu Wan withdrew her arm, a flash of fierceness crossed her eyes. She rubbed the back of her hand, which had been slapped, and looked at the figures standing between them.

After seeing who it was, she propped her cheek up with one hand and smiled, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "I was wondering who dared to cause trouble in my turf. Turns out it's Mr. Lin, who came uninvited. Want to have a drink? My treat."

Lin Jin pursed her lips tightly, too lazy to argue with the other person, and didn't even want to look at them directly.

She grabbed Cheng Sangluo's arm and coldly commanded, "Go home."

Cheng Sangluo's vision was blurry, and she had to squint hard to see that the person who had grabbed her was Lin Jin.

She was like a schoolchild who had made a mistake, awkwardly putting down the wine bottle she was holding in her arms. Just as she was about to get up, she noticed that there was that unfamiliar, beautiful woman standing behind Lin Jin.

Her expression instantly turned to disgust, and she forcefully shook off the hand wrapped around her arm, saying sarcastically, "So, the chip you implanted has finally come in handy?"

"I don't like repeating the same things over and over." Lin Jin glared at the disobedient person with hatred, then grabbed her by the back of her collar and said sternly, "Come home with me."

Cheng Sangluo got angry and shouted, "I'm not going back! Whoever wants to go back can go back!"

"Cheng Sangluo!" Lin Jin was so angry that she could only raise her voice and shout her lover's name. It wasn't that she couldn't say hurtful things, but she really didn't want to ruin their relationship.

"Here!" Cheng Sangluo raised her hand obediently, then leaned close to Lin Jin, deliberately trying to provoke her. "This isn't a military camp, nor is it a prison. What's the use of calling me? Do you think you can take me away just because I answered? If you like dogs so much, go adopt one! Nobody's stopping you from adopting a whole litter. Why are you bothering me? I'm not a dog! I, Cheng Sangluo, am not your dog, Lin Jin!!!"

The crisp sound of a slap was quickly drowned out by the loud music, as if nothing had happened, but it also dispelled Cheng Sangluo's drunkenness.

She tilted her head and stared wide-eyed, a burning pain exploding on her face, causing her ears to ring. For a moment, she couldn't react and could only swallow the pain that was seeping into her heart.

Shu Wan had witnessed an unprecedented spectacle, even letting out an excited exclamation when the slap landed, but she quickly frowned, probably feeling sorry for Cheng Sangluo.

She wanted to reach out and pull the person away, but it wasn't convenient for her to intervene in their argument, so she simply sent some ice to the bartender, thinking that it could come in handy later to apply ice to Cheng Sangluo.

Qin Shuhuai was an outsider and had no right to mediate. After glancing at Cheng Sanghou, she looked at Shu Wan, who had a look of amusement on her face, and thought to herself that this woman was a smiling tiger, and her warm demeanor was just a masterpiece of hypocrisy.

She unconditionally stood on Lin Jin's side, so she developed hostility towards Shu Wan. Even though it was their first meeting, her impression of her was rotten to the core.

Lin Jin lowered her hand, which was also throbbing with pain, and stared coldly at the drunken Cheng Sangluo. Then she silently took two steps back, her eyes revealing a sense of utter despair and unfamiliarity.

This sense of unfamiliarity came from Cheng Sangluo, from the person who used to always coax and indulge her, but now showed the face she hated most.

Cheng Sangluo felt like she was the one who had suffered the most injustice. She covered her cheeks and weakly got up to walk in front of Lin Jin, then glanced at the strange woman and Shu Wan watching from the sidelines. "You always make me a laughing stock in front of everyone. Are you satisfied now? Are you satisfied?!"

Lin Jin no longer wanted to argue with her, so she simply turned away and refused to look at her. Before leaving, she indifferently said, "Cheng Sangluo, I don't want you anymore."

[Author's Note]

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