Chapter 64

Let me take you to my new home to eat meat.

Ever since Lin Jin underwent ankle surgery, Cheng Sangluo has gotten used to carrying this precious woman wherever they go, disregarding their surroundings and the gazes of others.

Just like now, she carried the crazy woman through the parking garage of Senyao Building. Occasionally, company employees would pass by, surprised by their boss's petite and dependent appearance, and curious about the identity of the tall, dark-skinned woman. Their frequent glances back were unsettling.

Lin Jin wrapped her arms around Cheng Sangluo's neck, ignoring the strange looks. Her eyes were fixed on the puppy's handsome profile, unwilling to move an inch.

She was so engrossed in staring that it was difficult for her face to reveal pure joy. Her smile was carefree, and her tightened arms seemed to proclaim to others that the puppy could only belong to her.

Cheng Sangluo's steps were as steady as ever, but she could not bear the dual gazes of the outside world and the person in her arms, so she had to bite the bullet and pretend to be nonchalant.

When they arrived at the Maybach, she settled Lin Jin in the passenger seat, helped him fasten his seatbelt, and then asked, "Where is the restaurant we're going to?"

"Let me think about it," Lin Jin said evasively, fiddling with her phone while urging, "You get in the car first."

Cheng Sangluo jogged around the front of the car, her hurried steps revealing her tenderness at not wanting to keep the crazy woman waiting any longer.

After taking her seat, she looked at the central control display screen with a puzzled expression.

Lin Jin had already entered the navigation address, muttering, "Let's go here. I'm free today, so I'll show you around our future new home."

"A new home?" Cheng Sangluo muttered to himself, but didn't ask any further questions and started the engine directly.

Before she could even step on the gas, the restless woman next to her suddenly unbuckled her seatbelt, kicked with her uninjured foot, and half-pounced on top of her.

"Hey hey hey... what are you doing..." the puppy exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to grab the crazy woman's waist to prevent her from bumping into herself in the narrow space.

Even though the person's tone was somewhat disdainful, the gesture of embracing them was the most honest thing, even revealing a meticulous and protective intent.

"What do you want to do? Of course, I want to try love before marriage~" Lin Jin said inexplicably, grabbing the loose collar of the puppy's T-shirt and placing a kiss on its chin. "What should I do? I'm so dependent on you, or maybe it's a late-stage symptom of physiological attraction."

The Maybach swayed from side to side with her movements, and a faint fragrance filled the air.

Those soft, red lips could always easily melt away all the coldness, so someone who was trying their best to remain calm was painfully suppressing the palpitations in their heart.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Sangluo raised her hand and held Lin Jin's nape. Not knowing how to respond to this ambiguous kiss, she could only lean back in her chair so that the awkward, crazy woman could snuggle comfortably into her arms.

The puppy sighed helplessly, "Can you be serious for once? You're the boss of a big corporation, aren't you afraid your employees will see something they shouldn't?"

"You said I'm the boss. If I'm the boss, why should I be afraid of my employees?" Lin Jin put his hands on the dog's shoulders and said nonchalantly, "I'd rather be seen in some steamy scenes. Don't you think it's more exciting to do it while on edge?"

"Your perverse sense of humor is truly indescribable!" Cheng Sangluo frowned and scolded in a low voice, pressing down on the crazy woman's shoulder and using the momentum to force her back into the chair and sit up straight. "Sit still and don't move around."

But this clingy little thing wouldn't let go of her arm, playfully saying, "Don't let go, I want a hug~"

Cheng Sangluo was hugged tightly by Lin Jin's neck, and had to lean against the car window with one hand, forced to get close to his face. "I just don't understand, there are 24 hours in a day, and you have to be so affectionate with me at night, and you still want to hug and cuddle when it's broad daylight. Don't you get tired of it?"

These words instantly shattered the ambiguous atmosphere in the car, sending it plummeting into an icy abyss.

Lin Jin, her face falling, released her arm and angrily pushed Cheng Sangluo away, asking in a deep voice, "Is it because I'm always throwing myself at you that you think I'm some cheap piece of trash, and that's why you dislike me so much?"

Cheng Sangluo vehemently denied it: "No! That's not what I meant... I..."

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, probably thinking of a reasonable explanation. Finding that she couldn't come up with anything convincing for the moment, she fell silent.

Lin Jin crossed her arms and looked out the window, waiting silently.

She was quite patient, quietly waiting for the puppy to coax her, while also secretly peeking at the man's expression through the reflection in the glass.

The person who was clumsy and slow to speak was anxious; at least in Lin Jin's view, her facial features were almost scrunched up, and it was clear that she was racking her brains to organize her thoughts.

Lin Jin simply pressed her head against the car window, puffed out her cheeks, and muttered, "I'm not going to talk to you for a minute."

Cheng Sangluo's anxious expression softened slightly, and she couldn't help but laugh and cry. She thought to herself, "Is this crazy woman childish? How old is she? She's still playing this kind of pointless game of not bothering you."

She stared at the time on the central control display screen, actually waiting for the long minute to pass.

When the timer ticked down, she silently made amends by reaching out to buckle the passenger seatbelt. But before she could pull her arm back, her hand was suddenly grabbed forcefully by the woman in a huff, followed by a sharp, piercing pain.

Lin Jin held Cheng Sangluo's hand and bit it angrily until she left deep teeth marks, but she still couldn't relieve the pent-up anger in her heart.

How could I not be angry? So many people covet Lin Jin's beauty, and so many people would do anything to be her devoted admirers.

And what happened? This stubborn man neither loved her looks nor admired her strength; in short, he was unyielding and stubborn from every angle when things didn't go his way!

"Hiss—" Cheng Sangluo gasped, enduring the pain as she teased, "If you bite my hand and give me tendonitis, you'll be the one who suffers."

Upon hearing the words 'tenosynovitis,' Lin Jin quickly relented, not forgetting to wipe the saliva off the puppy's paws with her shirt sleeve.

She treated the puppy's hands like precious treasures, tucking them into her bosom and kneading them lightly or heavily, saying one thing but meaning another: "Hmph, I'll let you off this time."

In that instant, Cheng Sangluo raised her eyebrows in disbelief, and a word that was completely out of character for Lin Jin suddenly popped into her mind—"So cute."

Her heart skipped a beat and she panicked, repeatedly telling herself that a crazy woman could be hateful, but not cute. How could she be described in such a bizarre way!

This feeling is one of unprecedented danger.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Jin was still rubbing the teeth marks she had left behind, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled. "If you want my forgiveness, say sorry."

Cheng Sangluo placed her free hand on the bridge of her nose and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Good dog." Lin Jin patted the puppy's head. "I forgive you~"

......

Cheng Sangluo drove his Maybach towards his destination, following the navigation instructions.

She was quite surprised to find that Lin Jin's so-called new home was in the mountains, some distance from the city center.

As the bustling traffic on city streets gradually dwindles to just a few scattered vehicles, and concrete skyscrapers are replaced by lush forests, the noise and clamor are left behind in the outside world.

The Maybach slowed down on the winding mountain road.

Cheng Sangluo gazed at the layers of green on the mountain and asked suspiciously, "You have a house in these mountains?"

Lin Jin was taking a nap with her eyes half-closed. When she heard the puppy ask a question curiously, she smiled gently and said, "The house in Linxi Terrace is just a place I occasionally stay. I like quiet places. I used to live in the mountains for a long time."

"It's so good to be rich, you can even live in the sky." Cheng Sangluo sighed, then followed up with another question: "Aren't you afraid to live alone in the mountains? What if there's a thunderstorm? And your troublesome brother, aren't you afraid he'll get attacked in the middle of the night?"

The puppy rattled off a string of questions, its tone light and amusing, but Lin Jin didn't answer them. Instead, she turned and quietly gazed at the city scenery below the cliff.

In fact, the thunderstorms of these years were not hard to pass. Before the storm arrived, she would hide in that well-soundproofed secret room, take off Cheng Sangluo's military uniform and hold it in her arms. Then the person she longed for would visit her dreams and dispel all her fears.

But Lin Jin couldn't bring herself to say such an answer; she could only respond with silence.

Cheng Sangluo was already used to asking Shi Shen Dahai questions, so she simply pouted and changed the subject: "We agreed to have barbecue, but you brought me to this remote mountain forest. Don't make me start by hunting!"

"Don't worry, I've arranged everything. I guarantee you'll have a great time." Lin Jin chuckled lightly, assuring him, then sighed, "You, you're so easily satisfied. A barbecue is nothing."

After a pause, she asked curiously, "What dreams do easily satisfied puppies have?"

"Dream?" Cheng Sangluo tapped the steering wheel with her fingertips, seemingly pondering the question. Suddenly, she thought of the small, square patch of sky in the prison and pouted helplessly: "I used to think that after retiring, I would go back to school and retake the college entrance exam because I really wanted to walk around my dream university. The sycamore-lined avenue in summer must be especially beautiful. I would take a walk on the playground at night. But it's impossible to realize that now."

Lin Jin hadn't expected the conversation to turn to imprisonment. Her expression turned wistful as Cheng Sangluo responded. "Besides studying, do you have any other dreams?"

"Yes, my childhood dream was to open a small shop in the village, so I could have an endless supply of snacks. If I got hungry, I could cook instant noodles and add a couple more sausages. In the summer, I could also have an endless supply of ice cream and popsicles." Cheng Sangluo recalled her childhood dream with a childlike light in her eyes, full of anticipation and fantasy.

She spoke so casually, yet unconsciously reflected the embarrassment of her childhood.

Little Cheng Sangluo never had any pocket money. She picked up her older brother's leftovers and used his loose T-shirts as dresses.

When winter came, she would wear her brother's tattered cotton-padded coat. Even though Zhouhai was not too cold in winter, when cold waves came, the wind would still blow into those big and small holes, and the cotton would fly everywhere wrapped around it.

Those scattered holes later became the countless wounds in Cheng Sangluo's heart.

The only constant throughout the four seasons was her shoes. Those shoes that didn't fit her size could only be worn as slippers by stepping on the heels, and they accompanied her for many years.

As Lin Jin listened to Cheng Sangluo reminisce about her childhood, the bitterness brewing in the silence not only stained her tongue and throat, but also her restless spirit.

Even though the puppy was trying its best to cheer her up, she still couldn't pull herself out of that pain.

Even though she had never experienced hunger and cold, those hardships seemed to be reenacted in her world. Perhaps it was because of her love or her heartache that she could feel such empathy.

Lin Jin knew that the puppy had suffered too much, which was why its dreams were so mundane. So she swallowed the easy satisfaction, her throat tight and dry.

Cheng Sangluo sensed the awkward atmosphere and laughed loudly: "Let me tell you, when I was a child, I was skinny and looked like an underdeveloped daylily. But when I was fourteen or fifteen, I suddenly grew taller, like a genetic mutation."

Lin Jin pursed her lips, not responding to her words. She was probably still processing those unimaginable past events. Perhaps it was because they both had tragic childhoods that they could easily empathize with and be affected by such pain.

"Don't make that face. It's not like you're the one who suffered this hardship." Cheng Sangluo stepped on the brake and pointed a finger at Lin Jin's lips: "Smile."

"I can't laugh." Lin Jin pouted and brushed the puppy's paw away, continuing to ask, "Have you ever thought about what kind of life you'll lead after this revenge is over?"

This question really stumped Cheng Sangluo, causing her smile to stiffen slightly.

Whether in prison or after her release, she has thought about many things.

For example, how to completely uproot Xu Songheng and Lin Sheng, how to seek Ji Nanxing's help, and how to leverage Lin Jin's influence while maintaining a respectable position.

She was even prepared to lose her life in this struggle, but she never thought about what would happen after the storm.

How would I live in such a future? It seems that all the good things are beyond my imagination, so my mind is blank.

Seeing the puppy's hesitant expression, Lin Jin smiled and said, "It seems you haven't thought about it."

Cheng Sangluo nodded hesitantly, "Mm."

Do what you want to do, travel to where you want to go, live the life you've always dreamed of, and I hope I can be by your side then.

Perhaps this is the life Lin Jin longed for, but she kept those words stuck in her throat.

If you don't say it, then it's your wish; if you say it out loud, it won't come true.

......

Cheng Sangluo could imagine that Lin Jin's mountain villa would be very large, but she did not expect it to be so ridiculously large that it was impossible to estimate the area of ​​the pond and yard.

The three-story house was hidden deep in the woods, exuding a sense of mystery, while the high walls added a sense of security.

She parked the Maybach in front of the reinforced explosion-proof gate and asked Lin Jin in a low voice, "How do we get in?"

"Why are you speaking so softly?" Lin Jin laughed at the puppy's cautious manner and explained, "The door will only open after we verify your palm print. I'll have Sheng He record one for you later, so it will be easier for you to travel in the future."

As they talked, the villa gate slowly opened, and Sheng He, who had been waiting in the yard for a long time, came into their view, revealing a corner of the villa's front yard.

Cheng Sangluo quickly got out of the car, went around to the passenger side door, picked up Lin Jin, and walked into the yard.

"Boss, dinner is arranged in the backyard. The chef and maids are all ready and can start serving at any time." Sheng He had a wheelchair in front of him, indicating that Cheng Sangluo could push Lin Jin over. "Miss Cheng, could you lend me a hand?"

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Cheng Sangluo replied, and then pushed Lin Jin towards the depths of the villa.

As Cheng Sangluo walked through the lush forest avenue, she kept looking around, her heart pounding with anxiety. She wondered if she would get lost in such a place at night.

Although she had witnessed the extravagance of the wealthy countless times by chance, she still felt uneasy when she first found herself in a large villa perched on a mountainside. "How much did it cost to build such a big villa?"

"This entire mountain belongs to me. It did cost a lot of money to buy it back then." Lin Jin said casually, probably not wanting to put too much psychological burden on the little dog. He quickly added, "But being able to live in peace is the most important thing. The security here is stricter than you can imagine, so you don't have to worry about Lin Sheng's people coming to cause trouble in the middle of the night."

"Really?" Cheng Sangluo was alert. She was worried about Lin Jin's safety because the house was too big, so while admiring the scenery, she was also carefully considering the security level. "But I don't see anything different about the security here."

"Since you're so worried about my safety, then think more about how to protect me, like keeping me by your side 24/7 or something~" Lin Jin teased the puppy, seizing the opportunity to remind it to protect itself.

Cheng Sangluo scoffed, "Oh, you already said the security here is very tight, do you really need my mediocre skills?"

"Don't underestimate yourself. You're a former special forces soldier, so of course I'm going to keep pestering you." Lin Jin praised him, but in reality, he was just clinging to the little dog.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the backyard of the villa.

Besides the expansive hillside scenery in the backyard, there is also a swimming pool that echoes the view, as well as a temporary white awning.

The long table under the canopy was covered with all kinds of ingredients and fruits, and three or four servants were busy arranging the food.

When Cheng Sangluo saw that the chef preparing the barbecue was not a single person, but a team, her eyes widened in surprise.

In her memory, barbecue was the kind of all-you-can-eat buffet that cost tens or hundreds of yuan, the most extravagant thing you could do, and it was only in a five-star hotel. But Lin Jin, who was very generous, put on a private outdoor BBQ.

The puppy, with its hands on the wheelchair, leaned close to Lin Jin's ear and mumbled, "Isn't this too extravagant? I just wanted a simple barbecue; it's not necessary to invite so many people!"

Lin Jin knew that she was used to being frugal, so she made up an excuse: "I want to satisfy your desire to enjoy delicious food and also satisfy my desire to enjoy service. Isn't that great? Besides, I have difficulty walking, and it would be too much trouble for me to eat out. It's more reasonable to eat at home, right?"

"That seems to make sense." Cheng Sangluo nodded, a surge of joy rising in her heart: Yay! I want to eat meat, sizzling, oily meat!

After we sat down...

Cheng Sangluo held her knife and fork in both hands, glancing sideways at the chef busily working in front of the American-style oven, her mouth practically watering.

Lin Jin, carrying a bunch of grapes, ate them while admiring the puppy's greedy expression. "Your eyes are practically popping into the oven. Are you that hungry?"

"You don't understand!" The puppy wrinkled its nose, turning to look at the crazy woman who was laughing at it. "I eat steamed buns or rice balls every morning and evening. It's been so long since I've had meat! You, who's used to eating delicacies, wouldn't understand!!!"

"From now on, you can eat whatever you want." Lin Jin smiled wistfully and stuffed a grape into Cheng Sangluo's mouth. "I won't let you go hungry anymore. At least you can eat whatever you want. But if you're naughty, I'll let you go hungry, and I won't even give you steamed buns."

"You really treat me like a dog!" Cheng Sangluo chewed the grapes vigorously, savoring their sweet taste. "You're not even giving me a steamed bun to eat. Be careful you don't kill the dog, then no one will guard your house."

Wait a minute, how did I end up calling myself a dog again?!

[Author's Note]

1. Actually, I'm always touched when I see comments from my little angels saying they've subscribed 100%. Thank you for following my story.

2. My pre-order novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for collection. There are still over 40 collections to go before reaching 1000. Time to prepare another long chapter of 10,000 words!