Chapter 79

You are my wife.

Upon hearing his daughter's abrupt introduction, Lin Zhen looked at the tall figure who burst through the door with surprise.

He had never met Cheng Sangluo and knew nothing about her background, but this young woman had a darker complexion and her clothes did not resemble those of a wealthy young lady.

This marriage announcement, which was deemed an ill-matched match, suddenly became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Cough...cough cough...you..." Lin Zhen coughed violently, clutching his oxygen mask, trying to say something, good or bad, but it was all stuck in his trachea. "Cough cough...I'm not...dead...cough cough..."

Lin Zhen's incessant coughing echoed throughout the ward, as if he needed to cough up his entire lungs to relieve his pain.

"The doctor said you can't take it...you..." Ruan Jinxian rushed to the bedside in a panic, stroking the old man's back and pleading, "You can't talk anymore..."

Even though that choked sob was full of emotion, Lin Jin could only hear it as feigned hypocrisy.

Just as Ruan Jinxian let out a sharp scream, Lin Sheng, who was outside the door, rushed in.

He glanced coldly at Lin Jin, hurriedly strode to the bedside, and pressed the call button.

Lin Zhen's violent coughing was unstoppable, and he eventually began spitting out large amounts of blood, staining his entire mask and face with a mixture of blood and saliva.

Lin Jin showed no sign of worry, only giving her father, who was on the verge of death, a cold, sidelong glance, and gesturing for the puppy to push her away.

Lin Jin knew that this glance would be the last in her life. Her emotions were indescribably complex, with a little sadness and a little schadenfreude, but not a trace of pleasure.

In fact, even at the very end, she didn't point her finger at Lin Zhen and start cursing. The resentment that had been bottled up in her heart for more than 20 years could no longer be released through words.

"Why haven't the doctor and nurses arrived yet? What are you standing there for? Go and urge them!" Ruan Jinxian anxiously scolded the bodyguard, then glared fiercely at the unmoved Lin Jin. "Lin Jin, you'll get your comeuppance! You'll get your comeuppance!!!"

In an instant, the entire ward descended into chaos.

Hearing Ruan Jinxian's vicious curses, Lin Jin did not turn around.

"Ruan Jinxian, open your eyes and see who is really suffering the consequences?" She turned her back to the family of three behind her and asked with a sneer, "Lin Zhen, you sacrificed me and my mother to make another disgusting family happy. Did you ever think that you would not have a good end? You were the center of all the trouble, yet you lived comfortably for so many years without a trace of apology or regret. How could you die so easily? You died too easily."

Cheng Sangluo had never heard Lin Jin communicate with anyone in such a tone before. The soft accusations and the futile resentment sounded helpless no matter how much she hated him.

"Let's go," she whispered, pushing the wheelchair without daring to stop for a moment, both afraid that Lin Jin would fall into a pathological emotional state and afraid that the ever-watchful Lin Sheng would play some tricks again.

......

Cheng Sangluo agreed to Lin Jin's suggestion and drove back to the villa on the hillside.

After all that commotion, neither of them had any appetite for the seafood feast, and they didn't exchange a single word on their way home.

Only after parking the car in the villa's garden did Cheng Sangluo turn her head to look at Lin Jin, who was resting with her eyes closed, and asked with careful concern, "Are you alright?"

"Today is a good day, of course I'm fine." Lin Jin smiled wearily, pretending to be indifferent, and leaned her weight on the puppy. "Can I lean on you for a bit?"

"Okay." Cheng Sangluo put his arm around the heartbroken, crazy woman, patting her shoulder lightly with his palm, and coaxed her softly, "I know you're sad, it's okay to cry."

"Why should I cry?" Lin Jin asked, tilting her head back, and smiled bitterly. "Do you think I'm pitiful because I'm about to lose my father? People like that are gone, they're gone. It's not worth shedding tears for them. We should celebrate."

At this moment, the crazy woman was covered in thorns, and when the topic of Lin Zhen came up, she seemed ready to ignite a firecracker at the slightest provocation.

To Cheng Sangluo, all this bluster and toughness appeared to be nothing more than poor acting.

She smiled bitterly. Who could be truly heartless? Who could be completely indifferent when losing a loved one? Just like her, she hated her parents for giving all their love to her good-for-nothing brother, but how much mental preparation did she have before uttering those harsh words of severing ties at the Seventeen Port Wharf?

They are all the same; no matter how much they hate, they can't escape their past longing for their parents' love.

Cheng Sangluo pursed her lips, wanting to respond, but at a loss for words, she simply remained silent.

"I left in a hurry last time and didn't have time to show you around the new house. Come on, let's go take a look." Lin Jin changed the subject, turned around and opened the car door to wait for the dog to push the wheelchair over.

As autumn deepens, the meticulously manicured greenery in the garden becomes sparsely vibrant. This season is always filled with melancholy, yet it also possesses a touch of wistful romance.

Cheng Sangluo pushed Lin Jin through the front yard. The evening breeze in the mountains was a bit cool, causing the withered yellow leaves to fall everywhere.

She quickly took off her suit jacket and covered Lin Jin with it, asking softly, "Are you cold?"

Lin Jin sniffed the warm coat she was wearing and smiled, "Not bad, you're starting to look like a wife."

"You really know how to bring up the most sensitive topics!" Cheng Sangluo blushed slightly. The word "wife" sounded more serious than "wife," which made people's hearts tighten.

She belatedly realized that even if this was a fake marriage, Lin Jin was already her wife, and that fact could not be changed.

She calmed herself down, looked up and examined the three-story villa in front of her. From a distance, it didn't seem very big, but as she got closer, she realized that the villa looked like a small castle.

The villa's exterior features beautiful plaster carvings and marble columns; this elaborate and luxurious old European style is extremely expensive to decorate.

No matter how magnificent it is, it cannot withstand standing alone halfway up the mountain, and it looks lonely no matter how you look at it.

The villa's gate was very thick and made of a unique material. Cheng Sangluo touched it and noticed that it was of standard bulletproof and blast-resistant thickness.

She glanced at Lin Jin with a puzzled look, but didn't ask any questions out of curiosity.

Lin Jin verified the fingerprint on the electronic lock, then turned back and smiled at the puppy: "The password is 20190629. Figure it out yourself when you have time. Register your fingerprint. We'll be staying here for a long time, so it will be easier for you to come and go."

Cheng Sangluo pondered the meaning of the password. Upon hearing that she would be staying here for a long time, she raised a small protest: "To be honest, I think the safety level of living in Linxi Terrace is much higher than here. Have you thought about what would happen if Lin Sheng's people came to the door or if you encountered some robbers? Putting aside the fact that the house is big and may have security risks, the remote location alone means that if you call the police, they would have to climb the mountain."

"If you can think of something, do you think I can't?" Lin Jin laughed at the puppy's simple mind, then gently called out to the air, "Cheng Sangluo."

'I am here. What are your orders, Master?'

The intelligent butler's voice, which responded promptly, not only surrounded the space in a three-dimensional way, but also had a voice that was extremely similar to Cheng Sangluo's own, even the tone was exactly the same.

Cheng Sangluo looked around the empty main living room, her eyes widening in surprise, and exclaimed, "What is this thing? How can you hear my voice?"

Lin Jin knew the puppy would make that silly and nervous expression, so she clapped her hands again and called out, "Cheng Sangluo, tell Cheng Xiaogou, what is your role?"

'Yes, my dear master.'

"Hello Cheng Xiaogou, I am your personal smart home assistant, Cheng Sangluo. My core mission is to comprehensively protect your home safety and improve your quality of life."

Security is my top priority. I use a 24/7 intelligent monitoring system to keep a close watch on every corner of the villa area and prevent any unauthorized intrusion.

Once a potential threat is detected or an emergency occurs, I will instantly activate the highest alert level, coordinate with the surveillance network, and immediately analyze the situation for you. I will then formulate and select the most reasonable and effective response plan to build a security defense line as soon as possible, so that you can have peace of mind.

I seamlessly connect to and intelligently manage all the appliances in your home. Whether it's lighting, air conditioning, ventilation, or audio-visual entertainment systems, I carefully learn your lifestyle habits and automatically adjust to your preferred settings, creating a truly intelligent living environment that understands you. You only need to focus on your life; leave the chores to me.

I have already successfully operated in several star-rated hotels and elite families, and will serve even more families in the future.

After listening to the brief introduction of the smart butler, Cheng Sangluo squatted down in front of Lin Jin incredulously, "You mean, is it really possible for your big villa to be managed by AI?"

Although the puppy complained, it secretly lamented that after serving several years in prison, it was no longer able to keep up with modern progress.

She clicked her tongue and changed her mind, saying, "No, no, that's not the point!"

Seeing the puppy shaking its head, Lin Jin couldn't help but smile and pat its face: "So what do you think is the important thing?"

The puppy, as usual, bristled and grumbled, "First, can't this piece of junk not be called Cheng Sangluo? Second, what the hell? Why is it using my voice? When did you collect it? Do you know how embarrassing it is to hear my own voice calling you 'Master,' or 'Dear Master'?"

“My AI smart assistant has been using your voice for many years, and it can’t be changed,” Lin Jin answered truthfully, but did not explain in detail where Cheng Sangluo’s voice was collected from.

"Many years? I've only known you for a few months." Cheng Sangluo stared at her suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. "I've asked you before if we've known each other for a long time, but you've never given me a straight answer. Lin Jin, what are you really up to?"

"Do you really want to know?" Whenever this topic comes up, Lin Jin's answer is always to keep the dog in suspense with a question.

Cheng Sangluo thought about their future life together. They would see each other all the time, and this question would be answered one day. There was no need to rush to answer it now.

She touched her nose dejectedly. "Whatever, it's pointless to ask anyway."

Lin Jin changed the subject: "There's a home elevator, let me take you on a tour starting from the top floor."

"Huh? There's an elevator?" The puppy was surprised, then realized how ignorant it was. After all, it was perfectly reasonable for a big house like this to have an elevator.

She pushed Lin Jin into the elevator, asking curiously, "Is there some kind of secret base on the top floor? It feels so mysterious."

“Yes, it’s my secret hideout.” Lin Jin smiled and sighed. As the puppy pushed her into the corridor, she looked at the heavily secured iron door and said to herself, “It’s filled with my treasures, so I wanted to share this secret hideout with you, so…”

You are my darling too, so I want to hide you in there.

[Author's Note]

1. I question every day whether this article is getting worse and worse, and why it's surprisingly unpopular.

2. My upcoming novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for pre-order. Please add it to your favorites.

3. My upcoming novel on the same theme, "The Mad Beauty's Dog Training Manual," is available for pre-order. Please add it to your favorites.