Chapter 32

That ray of moonlight [Revised]

In the kitchen early in the morning, an obscure act of intimacy was taking place.

Cheng Sangluo was flustered and confused, while Lin Jin's expression was gloomy.

The two of them pushed and pulled at the innocent belt.

After a period of silent competition, no winner was decided.

The first person to lose it was Cheng Sangluo. Looking at Lin Jin's stubborn and sinister face, she sighed and asked, "Is it really like this?"

It's not hard to see that her attitude today has undergone a qualitative change compared to last night.

This hedgehog, cowering in the corner with its quills raised, has not only softened its stance but also relaxed its posture. Even its tone has softened, now asking for confirmation, unlike its previous confident assertions.

Lin Jin sighed as well.

She was at her wits' end with the stubborn puppy. She tried everything from enticement to medication, and she used one tactic after another to tame it, but the dog just wouldn't listen to reason.

There's really nothing to complain about; she can only blame her bad luck. Of all things, God just had to make her fall for someone like Cheng Sangluo.

"It's boring." Lin Jin said with a sullen face, her movements as she adjusted her belt conveying a sense of boredom.

For some reason, Cheng Sangluo felt a moment of panic, even reaching out to tear off the belt again. "You need to give me some time to prepare myself... I..."

"You..." Lin Jin stammered, mimicking her tone, and retorted, "What?"

Cheng Sangluo became mute; the words were too embarrassing, so she couldn't squeeze them out no matter how hard she tried.

Lin Jin pretended to lose patience and turned to leave.

Playing hard to get, it never fails.

"I want you!" Cheng Sangluo suddenly pressed her shoulder and answered her true thoughts.

Such desires are not based on emotional attachment, but rather on an addiction that arises from suddenly tasting the sweetness of long-term loneliness.

Once you've had that addiction, you want it again and again. How can you not be addicted to it?

She leaned closer and placed her hands on the table to pull the person in front of her into her arms.

Lin Jin was still reeling from the answer she wanted when she found herself trapped in a narrow corner.

She laughed, then casually wrapped her legs around the puppy's waist. "A puppy is a puppy; when it wants food or to play, it wags its tail first!"

The two of them understood each other perfectly. From the lingering intimacy of last night until now, they had kissed every part of each other, but were stingy with a kiss on the lips.

Those lips were like the last pure land, untouched by anyone.

Cheng Sangluo placed her first kiss on Lin Jin's ear, which gradually turned into a caress, lingering for a moment before moving along her neck.

She wasn't kissing very seriously, and began to get distracted thinking about more ways to please others.

For example, right now, she wanted to say something to please Lin Jin, but she was troubled by how difficult flirting was. She racked her brains for a long time but couldn't come up with any brilliant sweet words.

To curry favor.

She probably forgot how certain she was when she said "impossible" in the parking garage.

She is like a lithe deer, darting across the vast plains and through the mysterious forests.

When my throat is parched, I seek out a pool of water deep in the forest; the water is as sweet as honey.

Lin Jin wanted to express all the words that had been bottled up in her heart when she was moved.

Like the longing for someone I haven't seen in a while, or like the deeper longing that lasts for years.

Or perhaps you want to complain: How could you leave me in that cicada-filled summer? How could you forget me?

However, she remained silent, keeping those secrets locked away.

The puppy kissed so earnestly that it could hear its own melodious humming.

The puppy was very naughty and suddenly stopped working.

She looked up and honestly said, "I'm very clear-headed now and I know what I'm doing, so are you still angry with me?"

"You didn't even try to coax me properly, how can you expect me to calm down so easily?" Lin Jin narrowed her shimmering eyes, her previously serene expression suddenly dampened by this person.

She supported herself with one hand behind her, and used her palm to pull and press down on the puppy's head.

This crazy woman never changes her condescending arrogance, no matter the situation.

Did I give you permission to stop?

......

Cheng Sangluo unwittingly discovered the hidden uses of the kitchen.

The dishes this morning were wonderfully cooked, and the flavor was even more captivating than last night's.

Last night, the mirror room was dimly lit, and even though we could see each other's reflections, we couldn't make out the details very clearly.

The spacious kitchen is different; it's bathed in the brightest sunlight, making every detail of sweat and toil clearly visible.

In Cheng Sangluo's eyes, Lin Jin had a hot body and her reactions in intimate matters were also quite hot.

A fragrant and delicious stir-fry.

fierce.

The kitchen utensils on the counter were smashed and scattered all over the floor.

The two of them savored the game with great relish.

Having grown tired of the interactions at the table, Cheng Sangluo hugged the languid Lin Jin tightly and asked in a shushing voice, "Where do you want to go?"

Lin Jin laughed even more wildly, amused by the puppy's unbridled behavior after tasting the sweetness of success. "Go to the balcony."

"The balcony?" Cheng Sangluo's heart skipped a beat. "It's broad daylight... going to the balcony... wouldn't that be too..."

"No one will see..." Lin Jin nestled in the puppy's arms, tracing the beautiful lines of its shark-like muscles with her fingertips, and teased, "But..."

Cheng Sangluo carried her across the living room, inhaling the lingering fragrance of her bath in her hair. "But what?"

"I'll yell really loud...so the neighbors upstairs and downstairs can hear...how ruthless do you want me to be~"

The high-rise balcony offers a superb view, completely unobstructed, overlooking the endless coastline of Zhouhai City.

The swaying rattan rocking chair gradually quieted down after a few muffled creaks.

Two figures with distinct skin tones, like intertwined vines, and ripened wheat wrapped in jade-white fat, created a vivid and exquisite scene.

As Cheng Sangluo boasted, she was incredibly energetic and wildly unrestrained in matters of the heart.

Lin Jin was nearly exhausted, and she cried out several times in a hoarse voice that she could not have any more, her voice even trembling with a pleading tone.

The energetic and tireless puppy never let her go, continuing the struggle until it forgot the passage of time.

In the lingering afterglow of their ecstasy, Cheng Sangluo gently embraced Lin Jin, who was struggling to steady her breathing, and quietly gazed up at the cotton candy-like clouds in the sky.

She temporarily put those meticulous plans aside, simply savoring the primal pleasure that came from her instincts.

After pondering for a long time, she still couldn't figure out whether the crazy woman had gotten rid of that so-called addiction, nor did she know whether the desolation in her heart had been filled by this cloud and rain.

"What are you daydreaming about?" The person nestled in her arms went limp, brushing a strand of hair across her nose, and said softly, "Tell me the truth! You're so amazing, have you slept with other women?"

“You’re the first.” Cheng Sangluo answered truthfully, without reacting hastily to the crazy woman’s strange suspicion. She lowered her eyes to gaze at the delicate face with its eyes closed in a nap, and her tone became more serious: “I’m not a fickle person.”

"Hmph, you'd better not lie to me, lest you cause unnecessary trouble." Lin Jin raised her head and warned in a deep voice, then nestled comfortably into the puppy's arms and rubbed her face against it. "The first... and of course, the last..."

After a tumultuous night and another restless day, Lin Jin was exhausted. She muttered a few words to herself and soon closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

Cheng Sangluo felt the person in her arms breathing evenly and nodded to steal a few glances.

Seeing Lin sleeping peacefully, they couldn't bear to disturb her.

She gently stroked the soft strands of hair with one hand, her fingertips twirling a single strand as she played with it, then brought it to her nose to sniff it delicately, a hint of barely perceptible apology flickering in her eyes.

Even if Cheng Sangluo was slow to realize it, she could still see Lin Jin's true feelings.

This madwoman barged into her world with her claws outstretched, and even though she was shrouded in humiliation and selfish desires, she still couldn't hide her joyful heart.

Cheng Sangluo saw everything and could sense it, but faced with such a cruel fate, she could only choose to turn a blind eye.

Thus, Cheng Sangluo planted a small lie in this conversation.

This lie sounds absurd, but it's the fundamental reason why Lin Jin couldn't win this passionate heart.

Deep within her guarded heart, Cheng Sangluo secretly hid a ray of moonlight.

The moonlight was etched into her memory, unknown to others, without specific facial features, just a blurry figure.

A woman's graceful figure is always hidden behind a frosted glass, more hazy than the moonlight, and in countless dreams, she treads lightly on the heart of Cheng Sangluo.

To calm her wavering heart, Cheng Sangluo took a deep breath, but dared not rush to reveal her unease, probably because she didn't want her heart to fluctuate too much and might disturb the deep sleep of Lin Jin.

As she pondered the phrase, "I'm not a fickle person," she suddenly felt that every word carried a thorn.

She swallowed her guilt, hating herself for having someone she liked in her heart, yet sleeping with the person she hated most.

With this sleep, she betrayed that moonlit figure, owed Lin Jin whom she could never have, and also let down herself before last night.

She tried to numb the guilt with adult-like talk, but when she closed her eyes to escape, all that remained was pain.

If there's anything else she could think of, it would be that blurry yet cherished figure, but what's been replaced by a different scene.

Lin Jin held up a dark red umbrella, wearing a tailor-made cheongsam.

She stood gracefully in the drizzling rain, and the rain became a scene with the texture of an ink painting.

"Oh no!" Cheng Sangluo exclaimed in a low voice!

Disturbed from her sleep, Lin Jin frowned slightly and murmured softly, "Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Oh no, oh no..." Cheng Sangluo frantically pushed the person in her arms away. "I have to go to work!!!"

She didn't pay much attention to Lin Jin's feelings and only focused on running into the guest room to change her clothes.

Lin Jin suddenly lost the warmth of the embrace and felt empty, like standing alone in the desert, the desolate wind carrying sand and a sorrow that could not be blown away.

Her eyes were filled with Cheng Sangluo, whom she could neither imprison nor beg for. So the unfulfilled desire that she had finally managed to quell was easily reignited by the departing person.

Lin Jin, wearing a bathrobe, sat on a recliner, hugging herself with her knees bent, silently watching Cheng Sangluo walk around the room.

The person packed up very quickly, in just a few minutes.

Cheng Sangluo didn't leave without saying goodbye. Instead, she walked to the balcony with her phone in frustration. "No wonder, my phone was dead."

She was originally preoccupied with not knowing how to explain things to Brother Yuan, but when she looked up at Lin Jin, her expression relaxed. "Um... I have to go. Remember to pick up your car when you're free."

Lin Jin rested her arms on her knees, her chin on them, her eyes half-closed, not looking at the departing person, and not even offering a simple farewell.

Only when the cold sound of the door closing echoed in the foyer did her fine, downy eyelashes tremble slightly.

She remained kneeling, resting her head on her arm, slowly closing her eyes, suppressing the emptiness and loneliness that followed her madness.

The arrogant person is saddened; that sliver of moonlight cannot be held back or grasped.

*

Cheng Sangluo rushed from Linxi Terrace to the main road, anxiously hailing a taxi.

The motorcycle parts market is located in the suburbs of Zhouhai, far from the bustling affluent areas, but she cherishes this job so much that she has to tighten her belt and indulge in a little luxury.

By the time we rushed to the auto repair shop, it was almost lunchtime.

Cheng Sangluo dared not relax. When she ran into the shop, drenched in sweat, the mechanics were busy with their own tasks, and the Maybach parked in the repair area had already had its tire patched.

Everything was as usual, yet a strange atmosphere lurked beneath the calm.

No one greeted her, so she asked the apprentice beside her, "Is Brother Yuan here?"

The apprentice glanced at her, his tone somewhat impatient, "Go to his office and see for yourself."

Cheng Sangluo pursed her lips awkwardly, then strode to the office door and knocked.

"Come in."

After receiving permission, Cheng Sangluo pushed open the door and hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, Brother Yuan, my phone ran out of battery and shut down automatically, so I'm late. I'll be more careful next time."

Yuan was leaning against the desk, smoking silently. The ashtray next to him was full of cigarette butts, making the room smoky.

He glanced indifferently at Cheng Sangluo, flicked away the ash from his cigarette, and questioned, "Did you hit someone last night?"

Cheng Sangluo's back stiffened slightly, and she rubbed her hands nervously before explaining truthfully, "Last night, the Bentley owner came to pick up his car and was harassed by a group of young men on motorcycles on the way, so I..."

"I don't care about all that, just tell me, did you hit someone yesterday?" Yuan interrupted her explanation, his attitude was not as warm as usual, and his questioning tone was urgent and cold.

Cheng Sangluo felt there was no need to argue, so she nodded: "Yes, I kicked him."

Yuan Ge questioned in a rough voice, "You beat him up until his face was black and blue, and he even broke his leg. You're telling me you only kicked him once?"

"What?" Cheng Sangluo raised her voice in disbelief, her tone slightly flustered: "I really only kicked him once. The car owner was there, and there were other passersby too. If I had really crippled someone in public, wouldn't I have been in the police station by now?"

Cheng Sangluo's words made sense, but Yuan Ge was too angry to listen.

He turned the monitor and showed Cheng Sangluo the surveillance video from last night. "It's clear from the surveillance footage. What were you doing going out with a crowbar? Her parents and relatives came to the store early this morning to block you, refusing to leave and almost smashing the store up. And you couldn't get through to them on the phone. What were you doing?"

Cheng Sangluo was indeed in the wrong for not being able to contact her, but she wouldn't admit to something she didn't do. "The surveillance footage only shows that I took a crowbar, which doesn't prove that I hit anyone."

“I respect you and give Company Commander Wei face, so I never mention that matter. You know your background, so why can’t you be more careful in your actions? Besides, do you even know who you hit?”

Yuan Ge didn't want to bring up Cheng Sangluo's imprisonment, but in his anger, he still spoke frankly.

Cheng Sangluo slumped her shoulders, feeling as if her heart had been squeezed hard.

She was silent for a moment, then asked in return, "I'd like to know just who that person is?"

"Who does he think he is? All the shops on this street belong to him. If you hit him like this, everyone in our auto repair shop will suffer!"

Yuan Ge angrily slammed his fist on the table. He wanted to make a big deal out of it and let it go, but Cheng Sangluo had just offended the landlord's son.

People are blocking the door and threatening to kick him out if he doesn't get an explanation. No matter how kind-hearted he is, he can't bear having his livelihood taken away when he opens his shop to do business.

Cheng Sangluo had had enough of being framed. She tightened her jaw and retorted, "Even if he is the lord of the entire city, I will not admit to this. I didn't do it, so why are you blaming me?"

Yuan lit another cigarette, puffing out smoke with a worried expression. After thinking silently for a long time, he could only say helplessly, "Sigh... They've made their decision, so we have to give an explanation. Even if you really didn't hit the person, I can't keep you here."

As he spoke, Brother Yuan took out a brown paper envelope containing cash from the drawer.

He gently pushed her in front of Cheng Sangluo, his tone softening a bit: "It's not that I don't want to help you, but she is, after all, the landlord. We'll run into each other all the time, and I still need to open my shop to do business."

Sigh, I've been thinking about this all morning. If I could think of a solution, I wouldn't have let you go.

I'm going to say something unpleasant.

Think about this carefully. Even if you didn't cripple the person, you still used force. If it really escalates to the police station, and the police see the video of you leaving with a crowbar, you won't be able to explain yourself no matter how reasonable you are. Besides...

Yuan Ge spoke a little hastily, then glanced at the door to see if anyone was eavesdropping. He lowered his voice and continued, "Besides, you have a criminal record. Since things haven't gotten out of hand yet, you should leave quickly to avoid ending up in jail and having to pay compensation."

You can take this money. Even though you haven't worked a full month, I'll still pay you the full month's salary, plus some bonuses.

"It's not easy for anyone to make a living out here, and I understand you're having difficulties. I'll explain things properly to Company Commander Wei, and I'll cover for you with the landlord's mess. You can go now."

Yuan Ge said "You can go" very softly, as if that could ease Cheng Sangluo's sadness.

He is already a very ethical boss, and this arrangement should be the most advantageous result chosen after careful consideration.

Cheng Sangluo picked up the envelope; it felt very thick, which made her throat feel even more uncomfortable.

She had nothing to complain about, she was just very reluctant to give up this job, which was hard but fulfilling and fun.

Yuan suppressed his soft heart and deliberately urged him sternly: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go, or you won't be able to leave if someone blocks your way."

Cheng Sangluo covered the manila envelope and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

Yuan Ge, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a furrowed brow, waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go quickly."

Cheng Sangluo knew that this place was not a good place to stay, and she also knew that Yuan Ge was putting on such a tough act in order to protect her.

She hurried out of the auto repair shop with her head down, then stood forlornly outside the door, glancing back at the mechanics inside. She felt it was a pity that they hadn't even had a brief goodbye.

How much must life wear us down before we can see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Cheng Sangluo sighed sadly, yet had no choice but to accept the reality.

She's unemployed again.