Chapter 76

Kissing you in the middle of the sea

Cheng Sangluo dislikes the smell of disinfectant; she seems to be allergic, as her nose is constantly itchy.

She held her breath and pushed Lin Jin quickly to the hospital's open-air parking lot before taking deep breaths of fresh air.

Lin Jin looked up and saw that the puppy was trying to sneeze but couldn't. She asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Cheng Sangluo kept rubbing her nose and explained in a muffled voice, "I think I'm allergic to the smell of disinfectant. I've never had this before. It's strange."

"Squat down, let me take a look." Lin Jin waved his hand, even though it couldn't solve the problem, it was like holding a puppy's face to observe it.

When Cheng Sangluo wasn't being stubborn, she was fairly obedient. Following the sound, she squatted down and supported Lin Jin, asking in confusion, "It's nothing serious, just breathe some fresh air and you'll be fine."

"Your nose is all red from rubbing it, and you still say it's nothing?" Lin Jin wanted to pinch the puppy's nose, but seeing the tip of its nose was red, she withdrew her hand and suggested, "Since we're still in the hospital, why don't we go to the emergency room, make an appointment, and get some allergy medication?"

"No need, I'm really fine." Cheng Sangluo was always stubborn and defiant; when she got stubborn, no one could do anything about her.

There was a moment of silence.

“You said the twilight is the most beautiful, how about we go for a drive?” Lin Jin looked up at the dusky sky and smiled contentedly. Suddenly realizing it was inappropriate, she changed her mind and said, “Are you hungry? If you are, let’s find a restaurant to have dinner. Now that Sheng He is gone, it seems like I have to arrange a lot of things myself.”

“If you’re not hungry, let’s go for a drive. We can buy something along the way to tide us over, as long as you don’t mind.” Seeing Lin Jin’s eyes full of anticipation for the drive, Cheng Sangluo simply stood up, patted her leg, and whispered gently, “Sheng He isn’t here, but I am.”

Lin Jin raised an eyebrow but didn't respond to her gentleness, instead changing the subject: "Where were you and Shu Wan fishing last time?"

Cheng Sangluo paused when she heard the familiar name, slowing her pace as she pushed the wheelchair. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Are you trying to pick a fight with me? Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

“Yeah, it makes me angry just thinking about certain things.” Lin Jin turned her head, grabbed her hand, and bit it hard. She started acting like a spoiled princess again: “I don’t care, I’m going to your secret meeting place right now. I want to see how romantic that place is.”

Cheng Sangluo didn't cry out in pain when she was bitten, but she was very good at retaliating. For example, when she pulled her hand back, she flicked Lin Jin's head and said, "Hey, we just came out of the hospital. Aren't you disgusted? Quickly spit your mouth."

"That bastard has no sense of decency. I was clearly angry, and you still flicked my forehead." Lin Jin acted like a coquettish little woman, even her complaining tone was soft and gentle.

I happened to walk right in front of the Bentley.

Cheng Sangluo opened the passenger door and swiftly carried the person inside.

While busy folding up the wheelchair, she turned her head to look at Lin Jin, who was tidying up her skirt. "On Quanshan Peninsula, there is a very long breakwater that is perfect for fishing. If you want to go, we can go. Shu Wan also took me to a seafood restaurant that was pretty good. If you want to eat there, we can go and try it. But let me make this clear: no sarcastic remarks or unreasonable demands."

After hearing the puppy's arrangement, Lin Jin completely ignored the requirement not to be sarcastic and said with a sour tone, "So, does this count as taking the newcomer to revisit old haunts and relive the tenderness of old friends?"

Cheng Sangluo, not wanting to miss out on trouble, deliberately responded with a sneer: "Your words actually rhyme."

"Cheng Sangluo!" Lin Jin exclaimed anxiously, "You're shameless!"

"Lin Jin!" Cheng Sangluo mimicked her tone, leaning halfway into the passenger seat, and teased, "You're so jealous, I'll get you a bottle of aged vinegar at dinner... Ouch... Ouch... That hurts..."

Lin Jin stopped arguing with the dog and directly grabbed its ear, twisting it hard. "Wrong or not?!"

The puppy cried out in pain, "It hurts! It hurts so much! I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

A crazy woman's daily dog-training routine: "What did I do wrong?"

The puppy feigned pitifulness: "You're wrong about everything."

*

As the sun sets and the pale moon hangs high in the sky, the seawall that stretches straight into the middle of the sea appears even more lonely.

As Lin Jin sat in her wheelchair, gazing into the distance from a long staircase, a sigh of admiration welled up within her.

The sea breeze was strong, whipping up high waves that surged one after another, relentlessly crashing against the seawall.

The fishermen were walking back in small groups; it seemed that the road would be flooded when night fell.

Cheng Sangluo, supporting Lin Jin's shoulder, let out a cute sigh: "Oh dear, it seems we can't make it up."

"Hmph, you seem quite pleased that you can't get up there." Lin Jin snorted unhappily, insisting, "I want to get up now, I must get up."

"Please, the tide is coming in!" Cheng Sangluo's eyes widened as she tried her best to stop him: "You're as skinny as a monkey, you don't even need a wave, the wind alone can carry you to the middle of the sea."

"If you don't take me up, I'll go up by myself." Lin Jin was certain that the little dog couldn't resist her, so she pretended to stand up by holding onto the handrail.

"Can you shut up? You didn't listen to a word Dr. Chi said. He said not to land, not to land." Cheng Sangluo muttered, but her actions were honest and swift.

She hoisted Lin Jin up onto her shoulder and deliberately walked down the long ladder, making it look like the stubborn man was about to fall.

Lin Jin was hanging upside down on the dog's back, swaying precariously. She was indeed a little scared, so much so that she stopped moving for a moment.

In fact, Cheng Sangluo held onto that slender waist tightly, her arms wrapped around it very tightly, and she was extremely careful as she descended the ladder.

Once on the embankment, she immediately switched to a carrying position, muttering incessantly, "I owe you, I owe you everything... ugh... cough cough cough..."

"Shut up! Your mouth just keeps babbling on and on!" Lin Jin's ears hurt from all the nagging, and she got really impatient, so she tightened her arms around the dog's neck, making the dog gag and cough.

She glanced down at the waves on either side, and after walking only a few steps, the splashing spray had already soaked Cheng Sangluo's trouser legs. Suddenly, she had a change of heart, "Maybe..."

"No way, we're already here, and my pants are all wet. You can't go back now. I'm going to carry you to the end." This time, Cheng Sangluo became stubborn. She pointed ahead and deliberately threatened, "When we get to the end, I'll throw you into the sea, then I'll dust myself off and leave."

"Childish." Lin Jin laughed at the puppy's threatening words, calling them a lame joke, and simply rested on her shoulder for a nap.

Close your eyes, and the howling wind will no longer bother you; instead, you will feel a sense of peace.

Cheng Sangluo's shoulders were as broad and sturdy as her back, as if she could bear the weight of the sky if it fell. This sense of security was something no one else could give her; it seemed that only she could provide it.

Lin Jin squinted, tilted her head, and whispered into the puppy's ear, "Do you find me particularly troublesome?"

"Yeah, what can we do? We're already on your pirate ship, is it too late to back out now?" Cheng Sangluo shrugged and pulled the person behind her tighter. "Hey, let me gossip a bit, are Dr. Chi and Officer Su a couple?"

Lin Jinhan nibbled on the puppy's earlobe with adoration, teasing, "Their two kids are so big already, don't they look like a couple?"

Cheng Sangluo didn't avoid Lin Jin whispering in her ear, enduring the tingling, itchy feeling, and continued curiously: "How do you think those twins came to be?"

"IVF, of course. With today's advanced technology, having twins isn't difficult," Lin Jin answered truthfully, then asked suspiciously, "Why are you so curious about other people's affairs? Do you want children too?"

"I'm just curious, I just like kids," Cheng Sangluo hurriedly explained, her face showing great helplessness. "Do you think I'm fit to have children? I'm having trouble supporting myself, where am I going to find a kid to suffer with me?"

Lin Jin remained silent, raising her eyes to look at the road that stretched endlessly into the distance.

The dark blue sky and the boundless sea merged into one, and the last wisp of fiery clouds disappeared on the horizon. Apart from the white waves, there seemed to be no other colors to paint the scene before us.

The path, long since abandoned by fishermen, appeared even more desolate as dusk settled, with only two fearless individuals venturing forward.

Isn't it actually a happy thing?

At least if you go down this road to the end, you won't be alone, but two people with overlapping shadows, so you won't feel lonely.

Therefore, the road is not lonely, the sea is not lonely, and the pale moon is not lonely, because there is wind, waves, and clouds.

Lin Jin didn't continue talking about the child, and softly called out, "Let's go back."

“That won’t do.” Cheng Sangluo was stubborn and insisted on going to the end. “Look, the day I came fishing to relax was because you took my job as a car mechanic. Meeting Shu Wan was purely accidental.”

After listening to the puppy's explanation, Lin Jin calmly asked, "So?"

"So let's be fair. Whatever scenery she sees, you should see too. I'm showing you respect, right?"

Lin Jin suddenly changed the subject: "Cheng Sangluo, if Lin Sheng's matter is still not resolved after three years, will you continue to maintain the marriage?"

"I have to say, you're such a strange person. Your thoughts jump around so much. You haven't even finished one topic before you jump to another." Cheng Sangluo complained for a moment, then murmured after a moment of silence, "We haven't even gotten our marriage certificate yet, and our plan hasn't even started, and you're already predicting the worst? Someone as resourceful as you, there's nothing you can't solve in three years. I have faith in you."

During the conversation, they finally reached a dead end, and Cheng Sangluo's trouser legs were already soaked.

She stamped her foot, reminding Lin Jin, "Look, we've reached the end."

Lin Jin looked around and saw nothing but the vast sea, the road that no longer existed, and the increasingly surging waves. "I thought there would be beautiful scenery, but it turned out to be nothing at all."

“There’s a different view.” Cheng Sangluo said, putting Lin Jin down and gesturing for her to put her feet on her shoes.

Lin Jin jumped up and down, placing her hands on her shoulders, asking curiously, "What's different?"

"I was exposed to the blazing sun that day, which is why Shu Wan gave me sunscreen."

"So all that talk was just to set the stage for her tenderness towards you?" Lin Jin turned sour again, feeling even more annoyed at the mention of that woman's name.

"I haven't finished speaking yet," Cheng Sangluo hurriedly explained, then suddenly scooped Lin Jin up in her arms and brought her face close to hers: "I bet you've never experienced standing in the middle of the sea with someone after dusk, listening to the wind and watching the waves... and then..."

Her voice grew softer and slower, her lips drawing ever closer to hers, driven by her unwilling heart, as she whispered, "Kiss."

Lin Jin stared blankly, and subconsciously nodded not to avoid the approaching lips, but to see the person in front of her take the initiative.

She laughed, saying that people who don't understand romance sometimes suddenly have an epiphany. Even though the surrounding scenery isn't beautiful, the rare and proactive romance creates a wonderful atmosphere.

Lin Jin curled her lips into a sly smile, deliberately teasing, "Yes."

Clearly, this answer was unexpected for the puppy, so much so that their lips, which were about to touch, pulled away again.

"Is there?" Cheng Sangluo uttered two words, but they were filled with a kind of unknowing resentment. She swallowed the question "Who is it?" back down her throat.

Lin Jin took the initiative by pinching her chin, and kissed her slowly and tenderly, wanting their eyes to meet, their embrace to be tight, and their breaths to entwine.

Cheng Sangluo stared into those deep, dark eyes, wondering who the other person was, but she was too awkward to ask.

Lin Jin saw through her awkwardness and wanted to tease the puppy for saying one thing but meaning another, but she couldn't bear to ruin the ambiguous atmosphere that was right before her eyes.

She nuzzled Cheng Sangluo's lips with the tip of her nose, and before her little tongue could pry open his tightly pursed lips, she revealed the answer: "With you."

[Author's Note]

1. Someone come quick! It's time to increase the sweetness level!

2. Please add my pre-order novel "The Sinful Lover" to your collection!