Chapter 81
Lin Langyi's feelings were quite complicated as she was about to meet the real-life version of "paralyzed father, unemployed mother, school-aged sister, and sensible boy" for the first time.
Cheng Yanjin's sudden arrival home really startled her. She had prepared a contingency plan, but what he said to her with teary eyes later left her completely bewildered.
She wanted to confront him because she was afraid he already knew the truth and that if she continued to argue and make excuses, she wouldn't get any credit; usually, it would only provoke even stronger resentment from him.
If Cheng Yanjin didn't know, then her foolishly revealing everything would be nothing short of self-incrimination.
Before divorcing or separating, people should consider the impact of the wrongdoing party on the judgment. Since her marriage with Cheng Yanjin was a business arrangement, the interests involved were naturally huge, and the impact on the "wrongdoing party" was not a trivial matter.
So when he returned from his business trip, he really gave her a big shock.
What I fear is that real benefits and money will be affected during the division of assets.
What I fear is that the small amount of shares he holds might become a victim of his anger during their breakup, given that he knows about her longtime friendship with him.
So Lin Langyi spent the whole night observing Cheng Yanjin's every move, trying to find some clues.
No, does he know or not?
The sooner she can figure it out, the sooner she can treat the problem effectively.
But after Cheng Yanjin finished crying, he returned to his usual self. Lin Langyi watched as he used the last bit of life in his water-soaked phone to contact people about his business trip and the club, and then said to her:
"I had someone bring me my phone. Shall I book your ticket now?"
Lin Langyi asked in confusion, "Book tickets?"
Cheng Yanjin pressed his red and swollen eyes, making even the fine creases under his eyes appear deeper and his eye bags bulge out even more: "Aren't you going to G City? I heard from Zhuang Lan that you're going to your brother's company. They intend to cultivate and produce in Haizhu?"
Wow, even though he's thousands of miles away, he's still well-informed here.
Lin Langyi looked at him with newfound respect: "You know that too?"
He curled his lip in a mocking smile: "Lin Xiangshuo called me."
“I’m going. The shareholders’ meeting vote is over. What else can he do but do as he’s told?” Lin Langyi felt refreshed just thinking about Lin Xiangshuo begging and pleading all over the world. “I’ll go take a look too.”
Cheng Yanjin: "Yes, so the club I mentioned is in G City. Let's go there together today. I'll be transferring in G City tomorrow."
...
Lin Langyi appeared in G City that very night, bringing Zhuang Lan with her and inviting the female bosses of several large-scale seafood farming companies in the area.
Last time, Lin Langyi also brought back a huge butterfly specimen from Hemu, which she then gave to Zhuang Lan.
Zhuang Lan always had a soft spot for pretty things. While touching the specimen, she asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly want to come here?"
"Introduced by someone else." Lin Langyi glanced at the padded wall behind her, as if looking into the distance through the thick wall.
Cheng Yanjin lives next door.
He said it was inappropriate for him to be there, so he stayed in the next private room to avoid suspicion, only responsible for paying the bill and waiting for her to go back to the hotel together after the event by getting into his car first.
At that time, she kept a close eye on his expression as he made these arrangements. She noticed that apart from the slight redness in his eyes, his words and actions were exactly the same as when he usually organized gatherings and invited people to have fun.
It seemed... quite normal, but she always felt that his perpetually wet tears were as if they were a sacrifice, a testament to his plight: "She can do it, but he won't."
The direct evidence is the answer given to her question by the waitress in the expensive uniform at the club where she is currently located, who was wearing a light, elegant fragrance.
"We are a high-end spa primarily catering to female clients. Rest assured, it's all by invitation only."
Cheng Yanjin opened a private room next door, and he was just sitting there bored and spacing out.
Lin Langyi was completely baffled. The scene of him crying overlapped with the face of him firmly saying "it counts," making the answer she most wanted to know today an unsolved mystery.
Fruit platters and snacks were served in the private room for a long time, but no wine was served, and the legendary male model did not appear. Lin Langyi took this opportunity to go out and said, "Let's go take a look."
She closed the door to the private room and went straight to the next room. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a row of male models in standard uniforms standing in a line like they were in military training.
Cheng Yanjin raised his chin, crossed his arms, and stood at the front, surveying everyone with a contemptuous and critical gaze, like a etiquette matron giving comments and guidance.
He was holding up a new phone with a picture of her face on it, and he was spreading the word to everyone.
Lin Langyi was dumbfounded.
Wait, what's going on? Is the villain leader showing everyone her photo and telling them she's tonight's assassination target?
Cheng Yanjin opened the door without knocking when he saw someone was there. He frowned in annoyance, but when he saw it was her, he immediately switched to his haughty expression, put away his phone, and strode over the crowd.
"What's wrong? Are you getting impatient? The pastries are all made fresh by this pastry chef. Aren't they delicious?"
"No," Lin Langyi stretched out her arm to grab his phone, "what do you mean by that photo?"
"Oh." His arrogance vanished instantly. He blinked, observing her expression, and said honestly, "I told them you can't hold your liquor, and told them not to force you to drink. Anyway, the champagne tower will be opened as planned. If they force you to drink, tonight's sales figures will be..."
Lin Langyi, driven by her business acumen, said, "But I've invited several CEOs today, so if I don't drink..."
"Yes, so I told them to be more observant, to know who the main guests are, to help you fend off drinks, and to take good care of those guests."
That sounded pretty reliable. Lin Langyi was satisfied for two seconds, then asked, "What about this row..."
"I'm choosing." His eyes suddenly became arrogant again. He turned around lazily, and the light cast a shadow of dawn and dusk on his high nose. His eyebrows rose slightly in a rebellious manner.
He casually toyed with his phone in his hand, and when he looked at the group of male models, his eyes were so sharp they seemed to want to pierce them: "When choosing products, how can you not compare them?"
Lin Langyi was once again stunned by his demeanor in charge of selecting concubines for the palace.
No wonder they booked a separate private room. If Zhuang Lan and her business partners knew that her fiancé was vetting the male models for her and paying for the whole thing, she shouldn't be sitting on the sofa today; she should be sitting in the middle of the table, being made a fool of as a golden monkey for them.
"What are you going to choose?" she stammered. "You, what do you know?"
Cheng Yanjin glanced at her and said in a flat tone, "I know you like pretty faces and great figures."
Lin Langyi: ...
“Our aesthetic sense is different from yours.” She still felt itchy all over, and pulled him aside to whisper, “What kind of nonsense is this, you choosing? Forget it, I’ll choose.”
“No, what I mean by selection is how long they’ve been in the industry, whether they have any sugar daddies in their background information, how tight-lipped they are, whether they’ve had any trouble before, and whether they’re difficult to deal with or have any ulterior motives.” Cheng Yanjin’s voice was calm as he explained, “I don’t mean anything else, I just don’t want you to get entangled in trouble after you go out to have fun, and have any worries about the future.”
Lin Langyi's mouth was slightly open, so shocked by his words that she couldn't utter a single word.
Cheng Yanjin, he went on a business trip, how come he's completely transformed? What kind of due diligence process is this before acquiring a company?
She sighed for a moment, and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his words muffled: "But I asked around, and you'd better not believe everything they say in a place like this."
He paused, then added, "Especially since it was your first day here, you were the first one."
"Of course I know." Lin Langyi wasn't surprised at all; even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd seen pigs run. "Me, coming to a club to find a virgin? Do I look like the kind of person who'd be coaxed into buying health supplements when I'm old?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yanjin suddenly raised his eyebrows in triumph. He adjusted his posture, ran his fingers through his hair, and couldn't suppress his proud smile: "Indeed, you do have some taste. You know that moral integrity is a very important indicator for us men... That's right. In the future, unless you're like me, no, unless you're pure, don't take it too seriously."
He coughed lightly, trying not to make his excitement too obvious: "They're just a bunch of people who put on a show. Once they leave this place, who will remember what they look like?"
Lin Langyi returned to the private room after Cheng Yanjin delivered such an important speech.
A moment later, a group of male models walked in.
These days, you can't get by in any industry without some skills; every industry needs multi-skilled individuals.
This group of people can drink and play cards with Lin Langyi's female business partners, dance girl group dances on screen, and use their voices, which are as good as voice actors', to call Zhuang Lan "sister" and help her rank up.
As previously mentioned, the main people to be appeased were the few partners. One young man, upon hearing that he was about the same age as the son of a female CEO, immediately and gently called out to Ms. Lu, "Mom."
Lin Langyi couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Calling someone "Mom" isn't just for show; a son should be filial. When he noticed that the female CEO's cufflinks were a little crooked, he immediately and meticulously helped her to re-fasten and adjust them.
Mr. Lu simply took off both of them and threw them into his arms: "They're yours."
The other person's eyes crinkled with delight, and they called out "Mom" even more enthusiastically.
Lin Langyi's glass contained a beverage because she had a very low alcohol tolerance, and it wouldn't be right to use spiked drinks to deceive people. She would usually finish her glass before the event started to toast everyone and make sure she had everything she wanted to say.
The group of men didn't insist on drinking to show their friendship. Instead, they tacitly took a sip and watched as these men with different personalities created their own atmosphere and got themselves drunk.
Those in the stands need to put on a show, even if it's just feigned emotion, they still need to drink to liven things up.
The people in the stands don't need that.
Two obedient and quiet men sat beside Lin Langyi, quietly peeling pomelos for her and asking her what songs she wanted to hear, singing one after another.
The private room was too noisy and the soundproofing was too good, so it was impossible to hear anything coming from next door.
Lin Langyi looked at the male model dancing in front of her. He must be very familiar with these dances. His expression control was so good that he could precisely shed a tear when the overhead light shone on his face.
She suddenly opened one hand to him.
He was flattered and, before the music had even stopped, he hurriedly ended his dance and knelt down in front of her. His eyes were still adorned with sparkling diamonds, and he placed his chin in her palm with a tender gaze.
He spoke in a perfectly controlled tone: "Sister Lin, my name is Wei Xi. Do you have any dances you'd like to see? You can request any of them and I can perform them."
Lin Langyi's hand was cushioned by him, and after a moment's hesitation, she pulled it away.
Wei Xi immediately tilted her head to the side, lightly brushing her well-maintained cheek against her palm in an ambiguous manner, and winked at her.
She touched the wet tears on his face, then spread her other hand out in front of him.
Wei Xi reached out to take her hand again.
Lin Langyi seemed to be Tang Sanzang who had just passed through the Women's Kingdom: "No, give me your eye drops."
Wei Xi: ...
She was certain: "I saw you drip, before you danced."
“No,” Wei Xi said somewhat awkwardly, “the tears were really mine; I have a bit of dry eye syndrome.”
"Hmm." Lin Langyi didn't care about his eye health. "Let me see the eye drops."
Despite the suppressed laughter of his colleagues around him, Wei Xi dejectedly handed the eye drops from his pocket to Lin Langyi.
Lin Langyi examined it under the light and confirmed that it was a single-use artificial tear solution, which was relatively environmentally friendly and clean.
She asked, "Do you have any new ones? Just one will do."
"Sister, are your eyes bothering you?" Wei Xi immediately grasped the key information. Xi Zi frowned as if clutching her heart, looking at her with eyes full of heartache. "By the way, the neighbors said you hate the smell of smoke, so they asked us not to smoke... Does your eyes hurt when you smell smoke?"
He pulled out a new bottle of eye drops and handed it to Lin Langyi, taking the opportunity to push aside the male model who was singing and openly stealing business: "Dong Xu, you usually smoke, so you shouldn't sit next to Sister Lin, right?"
When Dong Xu makes his sarcastic remarks, he always chooses to do so during the lyrics, ensuring it doesn't affect the overall performance of the song: "I haven't smoked for two days!"
Wei Xi turned her head and looked at Lin Langyi with affection: "Can you do it yourself? Do you want me to help you? I won't make you uncomfortable."
Lin Langyi didn't respond, took the eye drops, and got up to leave.
She walked out of the private room and went straight to the next room. She opened the door and suddenly entered a quiet and peaceful environment from a noisy and bustling world, as if she had sunk into the deep sea and had all her hearing blocked out.
She saw Cheng Yanjin lying on the sofa with his back to the door. He was tall and had long legs, so he had to curl up his legs and bend his body slightly to fit in such a place.
A book was covering his face, not for reading, but to exude an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Lin Langyi had just closed the door when the slightest sound of the latch locking the door disturbed him.
"go out."
The two cold, impersonal words, each syllable conveying the owner's utter lack of patience and current terrible mood.
Lin Lang realized he wasn't asleep, so he didn't even bother to keep his footsteps quiet anymore, approaching him step by step, only to receive his second warning:
"You all need to get out, don't you understand?"
She simply reached up and lifted the book off her head.
A well-defined face, hidden in the dim light, was revealed underneath.
The interplay of light and shadow in the dimly lit room amplified the contrast between light and dark in everything, making his features appear even more profound.
He seemed surprised that someone would be so bold and rude as to disturb his peace right away. His eyes, which had been closed for a moment, were only opened half a beat later. His lowered eyebrows and eyes were a clear warning that his good temper was about to run out.
"The Bible?" Lin Langyi flipped through the book she had casually picked up from anywhere in the private room. "It's so heavy, doesn't it make your face feel stuffy?"
The people below were silent for two seconds. Lin Langyi moved the book that was blocking their view and tilted her head to meet his gaze.
Cheng Yanjin stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then belatedly realized that the sudden exposure of his eyes to the light was unbearably dazzling.
He raised his arm and pressed it against his eyes to ease the pressure, then moved his hand up an inch and reopened his eyes to look at her, without blinking.
"Why did you come out...?" he asked in a low voice.
"I came to see you." Lin Langyi nudged his back, making him sit further inside, and then plopped down on the edge of the sofa. "Let me see what you're doing."
His gaze lingered on her face as he answered her question, "I'm sleeping."
“You weren’t asleep either,” she laughed. “The sound of a pin dropping could be heard as you rudely chased people out.”
He used his elbows to push himself up and explained, "I didn't know it was you."
"Why did you come out?" he asked again, his gaze lingering on her face. "Was the atmosphere bad? Were the people disobedient? I told them to go in and open the bottles."
"No, it's fine. The partners are happy, and I'm happy too." She touched his swollen eyelid with her finger. The light wasn't bright enough, but she could vaguely see a fresh redness at the corner of his eye.
It's strange. When I saw him as a judge on the talent show earlier, his eyes weren't so red anymore. Now, he looks like he's been secretly crying in this room.
“You seem quite happy,” Cheng Yanjin sniffed, looking rather displeased. “I can smell your perfume.”
He belittled others: "It doesn't even smell as good as the shower gel in your bathroom."
Lin Langyi lowered her head and sniffed her collar: "Doesn't it smell good?"
Cheng Yanjin was extremely uncomfortable at the moment, and nodded vigorously: "What kind of taste do they have!"
"Oh, that's a pity." She sighed, and as if by magic, she opened her palm in front of him, revealing an eye drop in the center. She added, "I was thinking that your eyes looked uncomfortable, so I asked a lot of people where to get eye drops, and I finally managed to get some to bring to you."
She pretended to leave: "If the perfume smells bad, then forget it. I'd better not bother you anymore. I'll go back now—"
A large, strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, and before she could fully stand up, he pulled her back onto the sofa.
The space was cramped, and she sat to one side, while he could only prop himself up sideways. This intimate posture and the sudden, unexpected care made his heart tremble. He stammered, almost in the murmur of lovers, "Eye drops...?"
Lin Langyi displayed the items in front of him.
His expression was complicated. His lips were pursed, as if he wanted to cry even more after being comforted when he felt wronged, but his eyes were raised, as if a thousand thoughts were surging in his heart.
He closed her outstretched, treasure-showing hands, enveloping them in his own, then pulled her closer, burying his head in her arm, refusing to let her look into his eyes.
It's like a snow leopard using its long tail as a pillow when it sleeps.
His eyelashes brushed against the inside of her arm, and his warm breath sprinkled on her skin, making it tingle.
Lin Langyi recalled what Wei Xi had said and immediately put it into practice:
"Can you do it yourself?"
Do you need my help?
"It won't make you uncomfortable."
Three sentences turned Cheng Yanjin into a maggot.
He arched forward, no longer content with just cushioning her arms, but wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his furry head in her belly without making a sound.
The sales pitches used in male model training courses are really effective.
Cheng Yanjin lay down, and Lin Langyi pressed one hand on his forehead, gently prying open his eyelids with two fingers and dripping a few drops of eye drops.
His eyelashes trembled sensitively, and he obediently closed his eyes.
She wiped away the spilled medicine with her fingertips, and just as she stepped back a little, he reached out with his eyes closed and precisely grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving.
Lin Langyi stroked his hair and chatted with him for a while, then casually and slowly probed, "I remember you said before that Yuan Chuyu's birthday is in a few days, right? Did you buy him a gift?"
The man lying next to her showed no signs of distress; his eyelids were closed, and his breathing was even. She even felt as if she had simply said that the weather was nice today.
Cheng Yanjin asked in his usual tone, "I bought it. What do you want to give it as a gift?"
"Should we just send one for the two of us?" Lin Langyi's gaze was still on him. "I'll be staying in G City for a long time soon, so I don't know if I'll have time to attend."
Cheng Yanjin didn't react and let her be: "We'll see what you can do then, but if we can spare some time, let's go."
Lin Langyi's tone was neither expectant nor evasive; she simply replied dryly, "Okay."
She saw the slow curve of his lips. Because his eyes were closed, the smile didn't affect the lines of his eyebrows and eyes, giving it a somewhat forced and insincere feel.
But his tone was warm, and when he addressed people, he still used the same "Brother Yu" as always.
Lin Langyi even felt that his tone was too normal, at least it was easier to talk to than when he was inspecting the male model with his eyes earlier.
After the thought crossed her mind, she quickly dismissed her suspicions with a laugh.
Yes, isn't that obvious? Under normal circumstances, Cheng Yanjin and Yuan Chuyu should be good buddies.
Lin Langyi showed little interest in the birthday party, but Cheng Yanjin displayed great interest. His almost imperceptible smile never faded after mentioning Yuan Chuyu, and he even encouraged her:
"After all, it's Brother Yu's birthday. If you can make it, I'll pick you up, and we'll go together."
Lin Langyi nodded: "Okay, I'll try my best."
Anyway, we'll find out the answer when we try.
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