Chapter 84

I said, I miss you.

"I have to answer the phone right now. She's incredibly suspicious; she'll bombard me with questions if I delay even a second." Cheng Sangluo muttered with a hint of annoyance, then answered the incessantly ringing phone. "Hello? Have you landed or arrived at the hotel?"

"What are you doing?" Lin Jin asked coldly through the receiver, seemingly annoyed because the puppy hadn't answered the phone immediately.

Sure enough, I knew this person would suspect me.

Cheng Sangluo had some doubts in her heart, but she laughed it off and said, "My phone is not working properly. The screen has a bad connection, and I always have to rub it a few times to get through to a call."

The puppy wasn't good at lying. Even when the cunning woman wasn't in front of him, he would still scratch the back of his head sheepishly and glance unconsciously at Ji Nanxing, who was looking through the records.

Seeing that the other party didn't seem to care that he had lied so openly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I just got off the plane. I have no plans for tonight and will be staying at the hotel." Lin Jin stopped arguing and routinely informed him of his itinerary for the day.

She paused for a few seconds, then continued, "There's cash in the bedside table in the bedroom. Don't deprive yourself while you're alone. Eat whatever you want, buy whatever you want. You're the wife of the chairman of Senyao Group, so you need to maintain your dignity in everything you do. Don't be stingy."

"I'm a grown woman, of course I know how to take care of myself, you can rest assured." Cheng Sangluo blinked, thinking that the crazy woman's temper was strange and awkward, and she didn't tell him these things in person, but had to tell him after they parted.

This kind of unspoken concern and care is a belated tenderness that brings a dazed joy that lingers long afterward.

"Call me tonight." Lin Jin thought that since the dog had no friends, he probably wouldn't be wandering around outside, so she simply gave him a verbal warning: "I'll say it again, you're not allowed to have any contact with Shu Wan. If I find out that you've secretly met with someone you shouldn't have, I'll never forgive you."

"Oh dear, why are we bringing this up again? Do you think I'm the kind of person who'd be out having a blast and wouldn't even come home?" Cheng Sangluo quickly patted her chest and assured him, "I'll just go to the supermarket for a bit, grab something to eat, and then I'll head straight home."

"Hmph, you'd better say the same thing and do the same thing." Lin Jin snorted coldly and quickly hung up the phone.

Hearing the cold, busy tone, Cheng Sangluo pretended to say "hello" a few times.

Ji Nanxing held up his notebook, glanced at her honest and unassuming appearance, and smiled with great interest, "I didn't realize you were henpecked."

"Hey, you've known Lin Jin longer than I have, don't you know her style of doing things? If I don't listen to her, she'll find ways to bully me. Besides, listening to your wife will make you successful!" Cheng Sangluo feigned a helpless and resigned expression, successfully packaging himself as someone who listens to his wife.

She had her own agenda. When facing someone like Ji Nanxing, who had strong observation and analytical skills, she had to do everything perfectly, no matter what she said or did. After all, the marriage of convenience couldn't be discovered by outsiders, so she couldn't reveal any subtle flaws.

Ji Nanxing didn't continue the conversation about Lin Jin. He closed his notebook and said, "Let's stop here for today. Please make sure your phone is reachable. I'll contact you at any time to ask you any further questions."

"Okay." Cheng Sangluo nodded in response, cautiously pointed to the door, and asked, "Then... can I leave now?"

“Of course, you still want to go to the supermarket, so I won’t take up any more of your time.” Ji Nanxing waved his hand and added, “Judging from your conversation with Lin Jin, you don’t seem to want her to know that you’re here at the Criminal Investigation Center for investigation.”

Cheng Sangluo was standing up, supporting herself on the armrest of her chair. Hearing the other person's guess, she gave a dry laugh: "Of course I don't want her to know. Firstly, I'm afraid she'll worry, since it's about Xu Songheng's case. I don't want her to recall what happened that night, lest she have nightmares. Secondly, because of my background, in the eyes of outsiders, someone who has been to prison is suddenly dating a rich and powerful boss. It's not a good match. I'd rather not mention my criminal record."

“That makes sense.” Ji Nanxing nodded and stood up. “I’ll see you out.”

“You’re busy with work, you don’t need to go to all this trouble.” Cheng Sangluo waved her hand in refusal, then said with a self-deprecating laugh, “I know the way around here.”

"Didn't you say you were framed and went to jail? Why belittle yourself?" Ji Nanxing really didn't intend to send her away anymore.

She thought that there were some journeys that Sang Luo had to walk alone. Since she was innocent, she should be innocent in both coming and going. "I believe you will be of great help to me in Xu Songheng's case. There will be more trouble to deal with the follow-up matters."

Cheng Sangluo walked to the door, turned back and smiled playfully at Ji Nanxing: "Would I be considered a helpful citizen? Would there be any kind of reward or something?"

"Cooperating with the police in solving cases is the duty of every law-abiding citizen. Where is there any reward?" Ji Nanxing laughed at this person for being so greedy for money, and simply threw out an enticing condition: "If the information you provide to me is true, it might really be able to bring up the past. So you should pay attention to Xu Songheng's case. But let me make this clear beforehand, don't do anything as reckless as you did when you cracked down on gambling dens last time."

Cheng Sangluo readily agreed and walked out of the criminal investigation team's office with light steps, finally feeling a sense of relief.

The conversation with Ji Nanxing wasn't very long, but his cautiousness was exhausting.

Faced with that unpredictable criminal investigation captain, she had to pretend to be fully supportive, maintain the illusion of being deeply in love with Lin Jin after their marriage, and subtly direct the questions toward Lin Sheng.

Fortunately, Ji Nanxing didn't have too many suspicions about him.

As Cheng Sangluo walked through the corridor of the Criminal Investigation Center building, she paused for a moment, turned her head to look at the clear blue sky outside the window. The gloomy and desolate scene from the day she was arrested was long gone, and a sense of loss and regret suddenly welled up in her heart.

Three years is neither a long nor a short time. The old policeman who arrested me has retired, but this corridor remains unchanged. Perhaps what has changed is my state of mind.

She looked up at the autumn sun, stretched, and smiled contentedly.

Great! This interrogation successfully shifted the blame to Lin Sheng, which is a tremendous good thing for both her and Lin Jin.

......

A person who is used to being alone will develop an indescribable sense of dependence after experiencing the sweetness of companionship, just like Cheng Sangluo at this moment.

After leaving the criminal investigation center, she wandered alone on the bustling streets.

How long has it been since she could wander around so peacefully? Cheng Sangluo counted the days on her fingers. The last time she was this relaxed was because the crazy woman had fired her from her job as a car mechanic, and she had gone to Quanshan Peninsula by chance to clear her mind.

With her hands in her back pockets, she pondered what to eat for dinner. She was thinking about having a seafood feast, so she wondered if she should find a nice buffet restaurant to treat herself.

But soon, the puppy shook its head and dismissed the idea.

No, no, I promised to have a seafood feast with Lin Jin. I have to save this meal so that that crazy woman won't find out and find some excuse to make trouble for not waiting for her.

Cheng Sangluo looked utterly helpless, even stomping his foot in frustration, annoyed that he always thought of that woman. He used to be a loner and never cared what others thought.

These awkward people are always funny because they say one thing and mean another. They think they're cold and ruthless, but in reality, they're always putting on a show of deep affection.

She wandered aimlessly through the bustling streets and saw a long queue at a milk tea shop. Thinking she'd kill some time, she decided to join the queue.

After buying a cup of caramel pudding milk tea, she squatted by the roadside like a wild child, taking a big sip by herself.

Perhaps this person was too bored, or perhaps she felt she should have some fun, but for the first time ever, she raised her glass, took a picture in the sunlight, and sent it to Lin Jin.

Spicy Soldier: [Report: I bought a caramel pudding milk tea that was so delicious it made me want to jump for joy! It cost 17 yuan, so expensive!]

"Going crazy and blowing up the earth" (Cheng Sangluo's note to Lin Jin): [Not bad, she's starting to learn how to spend more than ten yuan.]

Cheng Sangluo was surprised by Lin Jin's quick reply, which made her wonder if he had gone on vacation to Zehai. Shouldn't he be busy with important matters every day?

Spicy Soldier: [What are you doing?]

Going crazy and blowing up the earth: [Thinking of you~]

"Cough..." Cheng Sangluo was sipping her milk tea when she saw Lin Jin's message and almost choked. She exclaimed in disgust, "Ugh, isn't this cheesy?"

Going Crazy and Blowing Up the Earth: [Honestly, are you disgusted by my message?]

Cheng Sangluo felt a chill run down her spine and couldn't help but shiver. She subconsciously looked around, "Does this crazy woman have a third eye? How could she guess this?"

She grumbled and cursed as she laboriously typed on the keyboard of her shattered phone.

Spicy Soldier: [No, I was trying to figure out your mindset when you sent that message. How much of it was genuine, and how much was just playful flirting?] (Attached is a cute puppy emoji)

Going Crazy and Blowing Up the Earth: [Cheng Sangluo, you really have no conversation skills. Go buy some books to improve your emotional intelligence, I'll reimburse you.]

Cheng Sangluo pouted, feeling that she had kindly shared her life updates, but this woman didn't understand at all.

It's important to understand that taking this step was incredibly difficult for her, far more difficult than anyone could have imagined.

Forget it, the conversation's already dead. Oh well, let's stop talking.

Just as she was about to lock her phone and put it in her pocket, a voice call interface popped up on the chat page.

Seeing Lin Jin's profile picture flashing, this person once again put on a show of saying one thing and meaning another, answering the call extremely quickly, as if afraid that the person on the other end of the line would wait even a second longer.

The moment the call connected, her smile was brighter than the sunshine, and her tone was full of joy as she said to herself, "See, see, wasn't I quick to connect this time? I didn't make you wait even a second longer, did I?"

"Are you trying to take credit with me? Should I give you some big red flowers and hang them on the awards wall for everyone to see?"

Listening to Lin Jin's tone, which was half teasing and half serious, Cheng Sangluo looked down at the tips of her shoes and kicked a small stone at her feet. "If you're willing to give me a big red flower, of course I'd be happy to accept it."

"I didn't realize you could be so witty."

Cheng Sangluo thought this was a crazy woman praising her, and said arrogantly, "There are so many things you can't see, why did you suddenly think of calling me?"

"Because someone's chatting skills are so bad, they really have no desire to type, so they can only call and listen to the noise." Lin Jin complained about the puppy in a drawn-out tone, and you could tell she was in a good mood, with a slight laugh in her voice.

She packaged "I want to hear your voice" in a way that truly embodies tsundere behavior.

Cheng Sangluo wasn't stupid; of course she understood that the crazy woman was genuinely thinking of her. However, that arrogance, which was hard to change, sometimes diminished her gentleness.

Fortunately, she wasn't petty and was used to Lin Jin's awkwardness in not expressing her feelings directly.

Anyway, verbal sparring can be quite fun.

"To be honest, I'm still not used to you not being around all of a sudden." Cheng Sangluo continued walking, scratching her head as if she was uncomfortable everywhere, stammering, "I just feel... um... so bored..."

"Heh." Lin Jin chuckled lightly, annoyed, and retorted, "Is it so hard to say you miss me?"

In fact, Cheng Sangluo held the phone to her ear very tightly, as if subconsciously afraid of missing Lin Jin's words.

The question was very soft, but it felt like a huge boulder hitting my heart with a dull thud.

Cheng Sangluo blinked and looked up at the bustling avenue, only to realize that she had unknowingly walked into the busy pedestrian street.

The vast, bustling crowd made her feel even more alone.

She opened and closed her lips, speechless, and before responding to Lin Jin, she asked herself: Coward, are you thinking about her too?

There was no sound from the receiver, leading one to mistakenly believe that the signal was very poor.

Cheng Sangluo checked her phone and, finding the call hadn't dropped, asked, "Hello? Hello? Lin Jin, can you hear me? Is the signal bad?"

Even after asking several times, the person on the other end of the phone still didn't respond.

Cheng Sangluo panicked instantly, and even felt annoyed at herself for being so stingy. If she missed him, she should have just said it. Why drag things out and make each other suffer?

Looking at the surrounding noise, she covered her lips with her hand and raised her voice: "Lin Jin, I missed you!"

"What did you say? I can't hear you." Lin Jin's laughter was clear and cold, clearly teasing the puppy on purpose, yet the laughter also carried a lingering sense of wanting more, as if she wanted to hear the other person's increasingly certain admission of their feelings.

Cheng Sangluo said with a pitiful look, "I said, I miss you!"

Lin Jin also said aggrievedly, "Cheng Sangluo, I can't hear you. Can you speak louder?"

"Lin Jin, I miss you, I said I miss you!" Cheng Sangluo didn't care that her voice was attracting the attention of passersby, and kept repeating, "The puppy misses the woman like crazy, the spicy soldier is going crazy and wants to blow up the earth, Cheng Sangluo misses Lin Jin!!!"

"Hahahaha, Cheng Sangluo, it's not that hard to get you to admit you missed me~"

Lin Jin laughed even harder on the other end of the line, so much so that Cheng Sangluo could picture that beautiful but hypocritical face.

Her face flushed red, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond. Only then did she realize that she had completely fallen into the little trap set by the crazy woman.

She slapped her forehead, laughing in exasperation, yet naturally accepting the longing she had expressed.

Yes, that longing is real; it comes from the heart, which is why I can express it repeatedly.

Suddenly, Lin Jin stopped laughing and asked in a deep voice, "Wait, who's the one who's going to blow up the earth when they go crazy?!"

[Author's Note]

1. Is it sweet? I'm about to unleash my full power!

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