Chapter 31

Lin Jin, whose moods fluctuate between hot and cold [Revised]

Lin Jin lay comfortably flat, tilted her head, raised the corner of her eye, and smiled at the puppy.

That smile was alluring, yet brimming with immense anticipation, hoping that the person before her, who was barely holding back, would quickly shatter that false reserve.

"No...I don't ask for..."

Cheng Sangluo refused sharply in a trembling voice, her face flushed red like the sunset, and beads of sweat the size of beans dripped down her nose.

Even though the hot blood surging under her skin was boiled by the damned drug, she remained as stubborn as a mule.

Seeing that the madwoman remained unmoved, she grabbed the slender white arm and repeatedly pulled it towards her neck, snarling angrily, "What do you want... what do you want..."

Lin Jin was also enduring the pain, but training a dog had to be done step by step. So she deliberately refused to cooperate with the puppy that was eager for a hug, and deliberately slid her arm off the puppy's neck. She just wouldn't give in.

"Lin Jin!" Cheng Sangluo was becoming increasingly irrational. She braced her hands on Lin Jin's ears, leaning forward and letting out a guttural roar: "You were the one who kept asking for it... and now you're playing hard to get... you're deliberately torturing me... you're deliberately torturing me..."

"It's clearly your fault for being stupid; you don't know how to please me." Seeing the puppy getting anxious, Lin Jin grabbed his collar and yanked him close, her gentle tone turning sinister: "If you're going to be gentle, be genuinely gentle... If you're going to be rough... be completely rough... Don't be so bold... I've always enjoyed your violence..."

Cheng Sangluo, still leaning forward, almost kissed those moist red lips, but the madwoman swiftly turned her head away to avoid it.

The sudden closeness created an uncontrollable ambiguity as their hot breaths mingled together.

When Cheng Sangluo met those gentle, shimmering eyes, her guard and arrogance crumbled instantly, leaving only an uncontrollable restlessness and unease.

She wasn't good at verbal confrontation, so she simply stopped talking, straightened her back, and knelt on the soft couch, showing off her superior leg lines.

Lin Jin couldn't see the puppy's face clearly, hidden in the shadows, and asked with a smile, "Next... how do you plan to... eat me...?"

Cheng Sangluo did not respond, but instead wrapped her arms around his waist, which was as large as a hand.

Lin Jin's slender frame was like a light sheet of paper; she could easily snuggle into her arms without any effort.

Cheng Sangluo didn't stop using her other arm.

He caught her slender, jade-white feet.

The tendrils twine up to the waist.

Lin Jin felt the weightlessness of being lifted off the ground, so she naturally clung to the puppy's neck and let out a cheerful hiss.

Cheng Sangluo leaned down for a bit of leverage, allowing this playful, crazy woman to sit steadily on her lap. "See... you still hugged me on your own initiative..."

"Not bad, it even knows how to use a little trick." Lin Jin hugged the puppy's head, straightened her back, and commanded, "Savor it properly, savor it very carefully..."

Cheng Sangluo was more obedient than ever before, actually bending her neck as if she were bowing down in submission.

This ambiguous embrace forced Lin Jin to lean back slightly, and the arm supporting her back was exceptionally strong, almost bearing all her weight.

She held the puppy's head tightly with one hand, looked up at the reflection in the ceiling mirror, her sparkling eyes more lively than the moon tonight.

The shadowy figure in the mirror, during the embrace and tug-of-war, took off his T-shirt.

The exposed back line, outlined on the clearly defined muscles, is like a sculpture that needs no polishing.

The contoured lines spread across the wheat-colored skin, exuding a healthy beauty, yet possessing a plaster-like, firm, and rough texture.

While enjoying the visual experience, Lin Jin ran her hands over the puppy's back, feeling the real touch.

The old scars and dark purple bruises covering his back greatly diminished his sensory experience, evoking a hidden pang of heartache.

She narrowed her eyes, enduring the sudden tingling sensation in her clitoris, and asked in a low voice, "Does it hurt?"

Cheng Sangluo lingered there, so engrossed in the moment that she couldn't spare a moment to answer the question, and could only silently shake her head.

In the wild night, time loses its meaning.

At some point, Cheng Sangluo realized that Lin Jin's mocking words had come true.

She couldn't tell whether everything she was doing now was due to the side effects of the capsules or stemmed from the loneliness deep within her soul.

Lin Jin's originally fair and slender back was covered in scribbled marks, with deep and shallow marks everywhere, it was hard to tell whether it was from being bitten by a puppy or pinched.

Cheng Sangluo was bothered by this mirror room filled with the eccentricities of a crazy woman, but she was no longer satisfied with the soft tatami mat.

The world was filled with gleaming mirrors, weaving an infinitely expanding space that gradually magnified the wildness and desires she dared not confront.

At this moment, she had lost all reason. Years of forbearance and restraint were suddenly released, and she ran wilder than a runaway horse.

She grabbed Lin Jin by the back of the neck and slammed her against the mirror in front of her, shattering it into pieces.

Lin Jin's face was pressed against the broken surface, and he hissed in pain, but soon he let out an extremely happy laugh, which made his shoulders tremble.

The shattered mirror carved out more space, reflecting the intertwined figures, and was enveloped in an ambiguous haze by their breaths.

Cheng Sangluo is like a deer darting through the forest, picking the sweetest honey fruit from the woods with its antlers, or a fish swimming in a secret marsh, stirring up wave after wave with its tail.

Lin Jin bit the puppy's shoulder, her lips stained with crimson blood. "I will help you trample those hateful people under your feet, on only one condition—give me yourself... You are mine, inside and out, you are mine."

Even though Cheng Sangluo was in a lot of pain, she didn't utter a single sound of pain.

She desperately resisted in her heart: I will never be yours.

Lin Jin's joyful laughter was almost uncontrollable, a laugh that contained a slight tremor of satisfaction, as well as the desolation of unrequited love.

She suddenly grabbed Cheng Sangluo's chin, forcing him to see the reflection in the mirror, and uttered a fatal taunt: "You're clearly resistant... so why do you want me... to be so blatant?"

*

The next day, early morning.

This was probably the most peaceful sleep Cheng Sangluo had had since being released from prison.

When she opened her eyes, the sunlight outside the window was soft, and the bedroom was quiet except for the faint sound of the air conditioner cooling, creating an illusion that time had forgotten her.

She stared at the ceiling in a daze, and after a long while, she finally reached out and touched the spot beside her.

The large, soft bed was empty; Lin Jin was nowhere to be seen.

Cheng Sangluo's mind also cleared up instantly at the moment she thought of the crazy woman.

She sat up in a panic, threw off the comfortable blanket, and felt a chill run down her spine.

When she looked down and saw her naked body covered in scratches, she fearfully clutched the blanket tighter.

Everything that happened last night was like poured cement, relentlessly pouring into my brain, until it solidified into an indelible residue, making every frame unbearable to look at.

She slapped her forehead hard, letting out a hoarse sigh, hating herself for being so stubborn as to take that drug, and hating Lin Jin even more for taking advantage of her vulnerability.

With a creak, the door to the guest room was suddenly pushed open.

Cheng Sangluo looked at the slender figure with unease and quickly wrapped herself in the quilt to hide.

She's like an ostrich that's afraid to face reality, her self-deception is kind of cute.

Lin Jin was wearing a loose bathrobe, her long, wet hair cascading naturally over her shoulders, still dripping with water droplets, indicating that she had just finished bathing.

She leaned against the door with her arms crossed, looking at the little dog curled up in a ball. Her expression was no longer as doting as before; instead, it was unusually calm, and even her tone was cold and unfamiliar: "Get up, get ready, and come to my study."

Lin Jin gave a brief greeting and then turned to leave, leaving the room desolate.

Cheng Sangluo listened intently for a while until the footsteps stopped before peeking halfway out of the doorway.

Once she was sure the crazy woman was completely gone, she jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom like a madwoman. She closed the door and locked it from the inside, only then feeling that the world was safe.

She braced herself against the sink with both hands. Even though she had taken a nap, she still looked extremely tired and even broken in the mirror.

The most severe marks were the teeth marks on his shoulder, which bled and then scabbed over. The countless scratches seemed to tell a story of the unspeakable intensity of last night's events.

Cheng Sangluo, who always stood tall and rarely showed signs of defeat, couldn't understand how she could have revealed such a pathetic side to the crazy woman.

The puppy covered its face with its hands and let out a strange sigh: "How embarrassing!"

On the other side.

Lin Jin leaned against the bar counter and skillfully opened a bottle of red wine.

She can go without food, but not drinking a single drop of alcohol can make her feel agonizingly uncomfortable.

Even this moment of waiting to sober up is unbearable.

She held the wine glass and swirled it incessantly, naturally recalling the night she first tasted pleasure with the puppy, but instead of a satisfied smile, her face grew increasingly indifferent.

Is it because you've obtained it that you feel it's no longer interesting?

No, that's not how it works.

Lin Jin shook her head. She had been looking forward to this night for far too many years, and it was time to celebrate.

In fact, the puppy pleased her greatly; it was even more mischievous than she had imagined, and one could even say it had a natural talent for that area.

So what is it that makes you unhappy?

Perhaps it was greed for not being able to win Cheng Sangluo's heart.

Lin Jin had never shown such an expression before; it wasn't just dejected, but more so helpless and resigned.

She was so proud and confident, always able to make a winning move in the cutthroat business world, yet she had this very weakness.

She held her forehead, heartbroken, and decided to drink all the wine in one gulp, trying to drown her sorrows.

But how can wine fill that empty heart?

......

Cheng Sangluo took a hot shower absentmindedly, not even bothering to dry her hair, and then hurried out of the guest room.

As she approached the study door, she quickly stopped and leaned against the wall, pondering how to deal with the madwoman.

Cheng Sangluo suddenly realized that while she couldn't figure out Lin Jin, she was also beginning to lose sight of herself.

For example, right now, he is most afraid of seeing Lin Jin, so why is he rushing to make a fool of himself?

The man became awkward again, lingering in place for a long time, unable to muster the courage to go to the study.

Then a cold voice came from inside the house: "How long are you going to dawdle at the door? I don't like waiting too long."

Cheng Sangluo shuddered upon hearing that cold, emotionless voice, and suddenly realized a new problem.

Something's not right, something's very wrong.

From the moment Lin Jin appeared at the door of the guest room, her cold attitude was completely different from that of the previous night.

Cheng Sangluo was startled: Could it be that she had taken advantage of him and then forgotten about him?

She leaned against the wall, took a deep breath, held it in her chest, and waited until she was mentally prepared before slowly walking into the study.

She clutched the belt of her bathrobe tightly with her hands hanging at her sides, then awkwardly put it behind her back, feeling uncomfortable no matter how she changed her posture.

Lin Jin always sat with an air of superior laziness, looking down at the small dog that was making a lot of small movements, his eyes cold and icy, as if they were covered with a layer of extremely cold ice.

She took in Cheng Sangluo's embarrassment, but still uttered harsh words: "It's just a game for adults, there's no need to be so cautious, is there?"

Cheng Sangluo had been somewhat distracted, but upon hearing the madwoman's lukewarm opening remarks, her back stiffened slightly.

She raised her eyebrows incredulously, wondering how someone could say something so nonchalant after a whole night of frenzied sexual release.

However, she quickly concealed the surprise in her eyes and accepted the madwoman's unpredictable attitude.

People in this privileged class are the most cold-blooded and ruthless. Apart from making money, they do everything just for fun.

But this is good too. If you don't fall in love, you won't get into serious business. If you're just playing around, then so be it.

Cheng Sangluo silently comforted herself, trying to dispel the discomfort rising in her heart.

She abandoned her usual emotionless demeanor and stood still, asking, "What do you want to talk about?"

Lin Jin picked up her wine glass and sipped the red wine before leisurely taking out the documents from the drawer and tossing them to the other end of the table.

“As I said, we have a lot of important things to deal with next.” She raised an eyebrow slightly, indicating, “This is a confidentiality agreement. Take a look at it first, and if you think it’s okay, sign it and we can talk about the rest later.”

Cheng Sangluo picked up the agreement with a suspicious look on her face.

She recalled the debt agreement she had signed last time, and any one of those clauses could be deadly, so this time she checked it word by word.

The agreement was short and did not even specify any confidentiality details; it only required Party B to guarantee that it would not disclose any of Party A's plans.

Cheng Sangluo thought that someone like Lin Jin must be good at setting traps in documents, so she didn't sign or put her fingerprint on it immediately, and said cautiously, "I have doubts."

Lin Jin only uttered one word, "Speak."

This unusually sparing attitude made Cheng Sangluo feel uncomfortable.

She swallowed hard before asking, "If you commit a crime and I know about it but don't report it, wouldn't I become an accomplice?"

"Me? A criminal?" Lin Jin let out a chilling laugh, spreading his hands to let Cheng Sangluo take a good look at her surroundings. "My family is wealthy and powerful, there's nothing I can't get, why would I need to commit crimes to achieve anything?"

This series of resounding rhetorical questions and sarcastic remarks annoyed Cheng Sangluo and cast a gloomy shadow over the atmosphere.

Perhaps feeling that such a performance was too sharp, Lin Jin paused for a moment and softened his tone slightly, saying, "This confidentiality agreement concerns my reputation, so you don't need to worry. It's just a formality."

"Reputation?" Cheng Sangluo asked suspiciously. "I don't quite understand what you mean."

"Whether you can pay back the three million within a month or not, it won't change the fact that we will eventually get married. This marriage is a pretext for revenge. My reputation will have various impacts on my companies. After all, it's a marriage of convenience, so a confidentiality agreement is necessary. It's a constraint on both of us."

"I never agreed to marry you."

"Wasn't I clear enough? Then I'll say it again: it's all just a pretext to get revenge on those who harmed you."

"But there's more than one way to exact revenge!"

“Even if we don’t get married, shouldn’t we still sign such an agreement? It’s a necessary constraint, a contract for our cooperation.” Lin Jin didn’t seem to be in a hurry, and what she said made perfect sense.

Cheng Sangluo stared into those deep black eyes, trying to detect any unusual emotions, but the deep pool remained calm.

And so, the stubborn person finally wavered.

If one wants revenge, sacrifices are inevitable. If one continues to refuse, it will make one seem ungrateful.

“That’s right, we should be cautious.” Cheng Sangluo picked up a pen and signed her name on the agreement.

Lin Jin glanced at the agreement and said in a flat, official tone, "Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation in the future."

Cheng Sangluo stared blankly at the official, his distant and unfamiliar attitude making it impossible to reconcile with his insatiable demands from the previous night.

She moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin, her words stuck like a dud bomb that couldn't make a sound.

Lin Jin picked up her wine glass again and swirled it around, immediately seeing through what Cheng Sangluo was trying to say.

In the past, she would have smiled indulgently or taken the opportunity to tease her, but today she really wasn't in the mood to deal with those trivial matters.

The thought of Cheng Sangluo's crazy yet resistant manner filled him with an unquenchable anger, so he simply tilted his head back and downed the red wine in one gulp.

Cheng Sangluo noticed that Lin Jin was not in a good mood and called out softly, "Lin Jin".

Lin Jin slammed down her wine glass, only managing to utter one word: "Speak."

"Why are you acting so strange today?" Cheng Sangluo couldn't figure out the crazy woman in front of him, but then pretended not to ask. "Never mind, you're not sick or injured, there's nothing to worry about."

"..." Lin Jin glanced at her coldly, her face showing concern, but she couldn't utter a kind word.

'Coo coo—coo coo—'

The silence that had just fallen was broken by a cute, hungry sound.

Cheng Sangluo smacked her lips, looking a little embarrassed.

She was so busy yesterday that she only ate a bread that Yuan Ge bought for her last night, and then she had a party all night. Now she's so hungry that she's hunched over.

Seeing that it was still early, she muttered, "I'll make breakfast, you'll have to make do with this."

Lin Jin remained indifferent, neither refusing nor agreeing, watching the puppy leave, and alone using alcohol to extinguish the dissatisfaction after their lovemaking.

In the kitchen.

Cheng Sangluo was rummaging through the double-door refrigerator for ingredients when she suddenly stopped, as if she had just thought of something.

She looked utterly exhausted as she pried open the refrigerator door, rested her head against the side, and sighed helplessly.

This feeling is strange, and I feel like something's wrong with myself.

They've already said it's just an adult game, why are you taking it so seriously? Don't you think it's ridiculous to be so presumptuous in your concern? Or are you just too concerned about that crazy woman's hot-and-cold attitude?

"Hiss! Cheng Sangluo, you're so mean!" Cheng Sangluo cursed and slapped her head, but then turned around and continued searching for ingredients.

A hand suddenly slammed on the refrigerator door, startling Cheng Sangluo: "You walk without making a sound, you're terrifying!"

"Didn't you want to know what's wrong with me?" Lin Jin leaned against the refrigerator nonchalantly, her emotions, which had been tense for most of the day, finally softening a bit. "I'm angry with you."

"Are you angry with me?" Cheng Sangluo pointed at herself, asking in surprise, feeling bewildered. "Did I do anything to you today?"

"Then you should reflect on yesterday." Lin Jin prompted in a raised voice, but she couldn't bring herself to be firm with the puppy. She tugged at the puppy's ear. "Anyway, I've given you the hint. Think about it carefully."

"You're really hard to understand, and you're so petty. What did I do to offend you yesterday?"

Cheng Sangluo searched her mind thoroughly but couldn't find anything wrong with it.

She suddenly bit her tongue and fell silent, looking suspiciously at Lin Jin who was sulking. She stammered, "I... um... it must be because the drug was too strong, otherwise I wouldn't have bumped you into the mirror. I'll just pay you back for the mirror... are you angry about this?"

When the mirror was mentioned, Cheng Sangluo dared not think too deeply about it, but her mind had already begun to flash back to the scene of spring rain nourishing all things.

She touched the bridge of her nose, silently hunched her neck, and stared intently at the silent Lin Jin with her round eyes.

That's the standard expression a puppy makes after making a mistake, but sometimes puppies don't even know what they did wrong.

Lin Jin didn't get the answer she wanted, but she did get a dog that was slowly learning to please her. She sighed, "You, you, if I say you're stupid, you can do some things without learning them; if I say you're smart, you can never understand what I'm trying to say."

Cheng Sangluo leaned back against the refrigerator, sitting sideways next to Lin Jin, and jokingly said, "I call this 'great wisdom appearing as foolishness'."

"I think you're just pretending to be wise but actually being foolish," Lin Jin teased, standing on tiptoe to wrap her arms around her neck and coaxing her softly, "I'll give you one more chance to admit your mistakes and correct them. You're very clear-headed now... so how are you going to please me? Now you know what I'm angry about, right..."

Lin Jin stopped there, quietly waiting for the puppy to figure out the answer on its own.

Cheng Sangluo only needed a prompt to 'wake up' to understand the reason for her anger, and her cheeks instantly turned rosy.

"Whether you're sober or on drugs, it's all the same, what's the difference?" She suppressed her embarrassment and asked in a barely audible voice, "You...want it again?"

Lin Jin tilted her head and smiled slyly: "Haven't you experienced the joy of 'tasting the marrow' yet?"

Cheng Sangluo smiled bitterly. Peeling away the shyness she dared not face, she found that what lay hidden inside was nothing but reminiscence. Otherwise, why would her mind be filled with that kind of thing?

So, does this mean that once you've tasted the marrow, you're hooked?

"Hold me." Lin Jin didn't give her a chance to think, demonstrating the meaning of the word with her actions, pointing towards the desk and commanding, "Go up there."

Cheng Sangluo obeyed her words instinctively, as if bewitched, and easily picked up the person in her arms and sat her on the table, asking knowingly, "And then?"

"M-me." Lin Jin blurted out the two words without any hesitation, full of flirtatious charm, "Hurry up."

"You...you...you..." Cheng Sangluo's entire head was burning red, resembling a chimney, and she stammered, "I...what...hugging and cuddling is enough..."

She watched as the madwoman loosened her belt, revealing a scene of spring in full bloom and snow melting, and hurriedly reached out to pull her clothes back up tightly.