Chapter 68
When Lin Langyi returned home, Cheng Yanjin had already taken a shower and was lounging on the sofa in his pajamas.
He had an open computer on his stomach, displaying business information. His head was resting on the sofa armrest, one arm dangling to the ground, the other supporting the back of his head. He stared at the computer with a serious yet distraught expression.
Hearing the door open, he immediately moved the computer aside, sat up with a hunch, and the gloom on his face vanished. He asked her cheerfully, "Lin Langyi, you're back?"
Then, deliberately putting on a stern face, she said, "I asked you when you were coming home so I could come pick you up, why didn't you answer me?"
Lin Langyi changed into slippers, and he eagerly came over to take her bag and put it away.
She said, "I didn't drink any alcohol."
"So what? Who says a driver can only work if the boss has been drinking?"
Lin Langyi went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, and he squeezed in after her, boasting, "Lin Langyi, I've studied this carefully and found that our pharmaceutical companies have been buying pearl powder from you guys all along. Our business dealings are quite close."
"You're only finding out now?"
“And aren’t we now venturing into skincare products? I see that several of our research and development products use pearls.” He exclaimed, “So it turns out my dad’s words about our marriage being a win-win situation weren’t just empty talk.”
Lin Langyi brushed her teeth in front of the mirror, too busy to pay attention to this pampered young master who was so slow to react that he never lifted a finger.
“We can buy more raw materials then.” He thought for a moment. “I heard from my dad that he wanted to attract investment last time. Were you short of money? If I buy more, your cash flow will be improved.”
"No!" Lin Langyi, despite her mouth full of foam, still spoke up when she heard this, "Don't invest, we don't need the money."
Cheng Yanjin was puzzled: "But I heard your brother say..."
Lin Langyi spat out the foam, and there was still a thin ring of white around her lips, like she had drunk hot milk in winter.
She asked seriously, "Are you going to listen to my brother or me?"
Cheng Yanjin was even more stunned: "Is there a difference—"
Seeing Lin Langyi's expression darken, he snapped to attention and quickly corrected himself, "I'll listen to you, of course I'll listen to you!"
Lin Langyi turned back to rinse her mouth, without mentioning her family situation.
But Cheng Yanjin was clearly confused. He looked at her hesitantly, his expression somewhat stiff, and asked cautiously, "Do you have any conflicts with your brother?"
"No," Lin Langyi replied.
Cheng Yanjin, observing her expression, said cautiously, "Your brother was here just now."
Lin Langyi's eyes sharpened, and she abruptly turned to look at him: "What's he doing here?!"
"It's...it's about money." Cheng Yanjin was startled by her strong reaction and stammered.
Lin Lang felt a chill run down her spine when she thought of Cheng Yanjin's tendency to spend money recklessly and not be able to save it: "And then?"
Seeing her domineering demeanor, he stammered, "I... I said I understand. I'll talk to you about it when you get back and then give him a reply."
At least he has some brains.
Lin Langyi's expression relaxed. Her hands were still wet and she touched his head, wetting his fluffy hair: "Very good."
Cheng Yanjin was now extremely adept at understanding Lin Langyi's feelings, and seeing her expression soften, he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
“I can tell, you and your brother don’t get along.” He leaned forward, getting closer to her, and tapped the mirror a few times with his fingers. “Is he bullying you? I told you he came downstairs without saying a word, and asked if you were home. When he said you weren’t, he said he wanted to come up for a cup of tea. There’s obviously something wrong with him.”
Lin Langyi also spoke frankly: "I don't have any major conflicts with people, but we have disputes over interests. If he takes a bigger slice of the cake, I take a smaller slice."
Cheng Yanjin understood, grinned, and said in a sinister tone, "I won't give him a single penny."
"Not only that, we're going to work on this order with you, and do it like crazy!"
Lin Langyi's considerations at this moment are quite different from when she first arranged the marriage with Cheng Yanjin. At that time, she urgently needed to be tied to the Cheng family, so the closer the business between the two families was, the better it would send a positive signal to other investors.
Now, she needs to prepare for a future separation.
She casually made up an excuse to refuse: "Pearls are only used in specific medicines and skin care products. You don't need to accommodate me by ordering so much. We should determine the production volume based on sales volume."
Cheng Yanjin wasn't really paying much attention. He crossed his arms, leaned his head against the mirror, and watched intently as she used a headband to tie up the stray hairs on her forehead, squeezed out some face wash, and started lathering it on her face.
He watched her wash up, but he wasn't bored at all. Instead, he thought she looked like a little rabbit licking its paws and rubbing its face and fur, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Are you afraid I'll ruin my family's business? Actually, it's fine. Those products have indeed received a good market response, and I've hired reliable professional managers who won't mess things up."
His gaze was as intense as a bright flame. Looking at her face, which seemed to be covered with a layer of white snow, he felt even more sorry for her and found her to be truly adorable.
Just thinking about seeing her ordinary, idyllic daily life at home every day in the future fills him with sweetness.
Cheng Yanjin flattered him, saying, "I've been putting in a lot of effort too. I've been studying and learning diligently lately, and I've also been contacting and visiting some clients. I haven't been a hands-off manager... I can do a lot, so the more shares I get in the future, the more shares you'll get too."
Lin Langyi turned on the tap to rinse, and amidst the rushing water, Cheng Yanjin was still dreaming of a bright future:
“I was thinking, since you’re so good at business, you can manage my family company and I can be the sales manager, specifically to help you win over customers and suppliers. I can drink and I’m good at creating a lively atmosphere, so it would be a perfect division of labor, a husband-and-wife team.”
Lin Langyi didn't say anything. She carefully washed her face, turned off the tap, and he immediately handed her a towel.
She wiped the water droplets from her face, her face, freshly washed, glowing white.
Lin Langyi hung the towel back up and said seriously to Cheng Yanjin, "You just need to take over your company properly. It's never too late to do something, as long as you're determined."
“As for me,” she turned around, thinking about how to slowly detach herself from the close business relationship between Cheng Lin and her family, “there’s no need to link me so tightly to your business. Doing business isn’t child’s play; profit comes first.”
“Yes, it’s about interests. I’m fighting for interests for you and me.” He was still like a happy, silly dog, rolling around on the ground with joy as long as he could go for a drive and eat canned food. “Although I think you work too hard, you give off a very energetic vibe when you’re working… Lin Langyi, I feel like you quite enjoy going to work.”
After a moment of silence, Lin Langyi corrected: "No one likes going to work, but no one dislikes money."
"That's right!" Cheng Yanjin snapped his fingers. "If I work hard enough, Feng Congning can get a share, and you should too!"
"No need." Lin Langyi strongly refused. She needed to prepare for the possibility of breaking off the engagement later. After all, when it comes to arranged marriages, interests are like children; the more involved, the more complicated the divorce becomes.
She continued to use other excuses to cover up her claims: "With the shares concentrated in your hands, you will have more say in Cheng's company, and there's no need to distribute them among me."
“How can giving it to you be considered dispersing?” Cheng Yanjin disagreed, his tone somewhat indignant. “Isn’t it normal for a wife to manage the money? When it comes to voting, we’re definitely on the same page, there’s no difference at all… I’d be happy to give you everything.”
“When Feng Congning and Cheng Yangkang vote, it’s not always the same, especially now that she’s pregnant,” Lin Langyi advised him. “Have you forgotten why you were married into the family? The most important thing is to secure your position.”
“It’s different.” Cheng Yanjin suddenly said, “Lin Langyi, I’m not Cheng Yangkang. If I have Qiao Wan, then Qiao Wan will be the only one in my life. There can’t be anyone else. So we must be of one mind.”
"I will always be on your side."
His eyes were bright, round, and his eyelashes were black and thick. His face, which looked youthful compared to his physique, shone brightly under the warm yellow light in the bathroom.
He said with great enthusiasm, "Lin Langyi, I know I have a bad temper, but I'm a person of my word and I'm protective of my own. If I say I'll be good to you, I will be good to you for the rest of my life."
"Only good to you."
Lin Langyi opened her mouth, but faced with his intense gaze, she didn't know what to say for a moment.
After a ten-second standoff, she turned and grabbed the doorknob, shooing him away: "I'm going to take a shower first."
"Okay." He stepped out and happily closed the door behind him.
The sound of water came from the bathroom. Cheng Yanjin hummed a tune as he walked to the dining table, intending to pour Lin Langyi a glass of water so that she would be thirsty after her shower and the water temperature would be just right.
Just as I picked up her cup, two notification sounds came from not far away.
Cheng Yanjin's ears twitched, realizing that it was Lin Langyi's cell phone in her bag.
He didn't think much of it, poured her some water, and just as he put the cup on, his phone rang again.
Afraid of delaying important matters, Cheng Yanjin quickly went over and opened her bag, wanting to take out her phone to see who was calling so he could inform Lin Langyi through the bathroom door.
I had just taken out my phone and didn't even have time to check the caller ID when the ringing suddenly stopped; the other party had hung up.
The screen went dark, and Cheng Yanjin touched it with his finger to wake it up, but the password input that popped up blocked his subsequent actions.
Lin Langyi's password was not a six-digit number, but a complex long password!
She's on guard against thieves!
Cheng Yanjin clicked his tongue and was about to zip up the bag when he suddenly noticed a string of tags and a receipt inside.
Why do girls have all sorts of things in their bags?
He casually took them out, thinking they were trash that Lin Langyi had forgotten to throw away. The hard cards still had a rich and sophisticated familiar fragrance.
Cheng Yanjin lazily turned and walked towards the trash can, thinking that the smell was rather familiar...
familiar?
He slowed his pace, flicked the tag with his fingertips, and saw that it was indeed Cl**ne. Flipping further, he saw it was a hat.
hat?
Cheng Yanjin unfolded the receipt; the shopping time was 19:21 tonight, and the item clearly stated "Men's Hats with Logo".
He stopped completely, the receipt lying in his palm, staring at it motionless for a long time as if he couldn't read anymore.
Didn't Lin Langyi say that she was going to meet a client and have tea with them tonight?
Why did you suddenly... buy a men's hat?
And what about the hat?
Why are there only receipts and tags?
Cheng Yanjin's smile had completely vanished, but he tried his best to convince himself... It's okay, many girls like to wear men's clothes these days, it's just a style. As for the hat not being there, maybe Lin Langyi forgot it in the car and didn't bring it up—
His fingertips trembled slightly as his nails scraped across the paper, finally landing on the XL size spray paint on the receipt. A sudden surge of emotion welled up in his nose and rushed to his temples.
Lin Langyi couldn't wear this size; her head was small, and her face was even smaller, so it would bury half of her head in it.
Looking around, only patients with thick bandages wrapped around their heads would need to buy larger sizes.
Cheng Yanjin had never hated his own accurate and perceptive judgment so much.
It was as if a fishbone had suddenly stuck in his throat, and every time he swallowed, it brought an unusual stinging pain, repeatedly reminding him of the abnormality in his body.
He thought he could just endure it, but how could a person possibly refrain from swallowing forever?
Those subtle pains spread from his throat to his whole body. The thorn had pierced and festered his throat, making it tight and swollen. Cheng Yanjin gasped for breath, trying his best to get some oxygen.
Put the things back and pretend you don't know anything about them.
He was like a loser who discovered a lipstick stain on his lover's white shirt after she came home late. Amidst the surging tide of despair, he had to quietly bury the truth to avoid alerting her and to prevent an immediate argument.
Lin Langyi wouldn't lie to him; if she said she was working overtime, he would definitely believe her.
Today is his first day as a "full-time driver," and even if she wanted to hurt him, she wouldn't choose the first day.
It wasn't her fault; it must have been that shameless bitch who found an excuse to call Lin Langyi out while they were talking.
Cheng Yanjin sat silently at the dining table for a while, feeling a lump in his throat and a pain in his chest.
After a long while, he suddenly stood up, went into the room to quickly change his clothes, and came out with a slower pace, finally stopping in front of the bathroom door.
Through the bathroom, he pressed his forehead against the door as if all his strength had left him, and closed his eyes briefly.
It's better not to tell her.
Cheng Yanjin forced himself to stay awake and said in his usual normal tone, "Lin Langyi, I suddenly have something to do and need to go out for a while. You don't need to wait for me, go to sleep first."
A muffled "ok" came from across the water.
He closed his eyes tightly again, turned around and walked to the entrance, bent down to change his shoes, and left without looking back.
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