I'm not afraid of being tired in front of my wife.
"Eat this bowl of noodles and then go to bed early."
"I promise there won't be any of those troublesome things on set tomorrow."
Jin Yanzhi placed the tray containing dinner on the bedside table and lovingly brushed aside her lover's sweat-dampened bangs.
He only casually buttoned the bottom two buttons of his pajamas, and the open neckline boldly revealed a large expanse of his pectoral muscles, while the veins on his wrists, which were holding a bowl, were bulging.
The person who tried to take the spoon and eat it themselves had their hand pushed away, and the voice opposite them was deep and alluring:
"I'll feed you, you've had a hard day."
Her face flushed red at these words, and Lin Zhen'er became even more nervous. She couldn't taste the noodles she was eating at all; her mind was filled with the explicit images of their passionate encounter. She stammered, "..."
"You, you've worked hard too."
As soon as she said that, she regretted it. Sure enough, the man who had been feeding her noodles immediately took advantage of the situation, put down the bowl, tilted his head, leaned closer, stared intently into her evasive and shy eyes, and brought his lips to her cheek.
"What I said was that you had a hard time fighting today. You said I had a hard time too. Are you praising my performance?"
"I'm not afraid of being tired in front of my wife..."
The woman, reaching out to pick up the bowl herself, slurped up the soup and noodles, not daring to respond to the hungry wolf's words. Only after she had finished eating and the man who had been lying down sat back a little did she breathe a sigh of relief.
When it was completely dark outside the window, he held her in his arms and, like a parent, instructed his wife to work hard for the next few days, as he had to go back to Pingyang to handle some work for two days. He then put on a serious face, looking like he had no ulterior motives at all, and his tone was full of the calmness of a fatherly husband.
Although screenwriter Lin nodded repeatedly, knowing that the new project couldn't be delayed any longer, he secretly felt reluctant to part with it. Since they got married, they had hardly been apart. Even if they were busy with their own things during the day, they would always meet at home in the evening.
I don't know what happened at the company that made Mr. Jin, who usually goes home very late, stay in Pingyang for two days.
But the drowsiness came on so quickly that before she could even ask why, she fell asleep in that comforting embrace.
When she woke up the next day, the pillow next to her was empty. After going downstairs for breakfast, she went to work as her husband had instructed. The first thing she did after arriving at the film set was to send a message to Boss Jin to clock in. The reply was simple, telling her to eat on time and go home early, and ending with a smiley face.
The person who put away their phone walked into the familiar film set, and just as the capitalist had predicted the night before, the people around them quickly changed their tune after the director and lead actor were replaced, all starting to curry favor with Mrs. Jin, who was now even more powerful.
In the past, the Jin family maintained an attitude of investing in film and television projects without interfering, unlike the Jiang family, who had been deeply involved in the film and television industry for many years and were involved in everything from actors to production companies. Fortunately, the biggest investor in this drama was her newlywed husband, so she also gained a voice that she had never had before.
The screenwriter's work was still the same as before, with meetings from morning till night. When she finished work late at night, she saw that there was only Xiao Xie in the car parked at the door, not her husband, and she couldn't help but feel a little empty.
"You and Lai Cai stay home and take good care of yourselves. I've ordered a new season of silverfish for you both, so you can eat it as soon as you get home."
I'll try to go home the day after tomorrow. Call me anytime if anything happens.
Mr. Jin, who spoke concisely, seemed to be really busy. After hanging up the phone, the person holding the puppy looked at the succulent sashimi on the table and felt that even their appetite had diminished.
The bedroom temperature remained just right. The person lying in bed, staring blankly at their phone, was experiencing insomnia for the first time since getting married.
“Master, I’ll charter a round trip to Pingyang.”
Lin Zhen'er had never felt that she couldn't live without anyone. This was the first time she had ever done something like buying a huge bouquet of flowers halfway through her work shift and hiring a black cab to go into the city from a film set where there were few people and transportation was inconvenient.
The dark blue gladiolus in her arms was something she had stayed up all night to choose and decide on. To keep the operation a secret, she hadn't even told her driver. She took leave after the morning meeting and set off. Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the company, she found it empty. The meeting room and the desk were both deserted; Jin Yanzhi was not there.
The person, who had repeatedly instructed his assistant to keep it a secret and was rushing home with flowers in hand, heard a fierce argument before even entering the yard.
"We uncles and elders are willing to step down and hand over the power of decision-making to you. We never contradict you in board meetings because we value you and trust you!"
"It's not that we're all deaf and blind, letting you run wild. You've made a huge scene with the Jiang family over a woman! Stopping this project today, terminating that cooperation tomorrow, causing mutual damage. The Jin family has had less entertainment news coverage in decades than you've had in just a few months of marriage!"
The speaker was Jin's eldest uncle, whom she had met before.
"The media made a big deal out of you two getting together... She was seen with Chaosheng first, and then she married you in a flash! Her family background is extremely ordinary, and she can't help the family at all. Now she's made you lose your mind, causing you to lose so much money in a short period of time for her. You're using everyone's money to make your wife happy. You're really heartless!"
That voice belonged to Jin Chaosheng's father. Aside from the two times he'd seen her during the wedding, he'd only briefly bumped into her twice before, at her ex-boyfriend's party. Back then, this middle-aged man was polite and even his laughter had that old-fashioned air about him. She never imagined he could be such a passionate person when he was furious.
"The Kim family was at its peak when my father was in charge."
Then he left, and you all forced me to sign a transfer agreement. He invested in real estate one day, restaurants the next, losing money on everything that could burn through cash. Don't you all know what it was like when it came to me?
"After making so much money over the years, why are you all so anxious about such a small, short-term setback? Are you really afraid of offending the Jiang family, or is it because my business is getting bigger and bigger, and your voice is getting weaker, so you're just looking for an excuse to cause trouble? We all know the answer!"
Jin Yanzhi's flower-decorating voice, accompanied by a crisp cracking sound, drowned out all other sounds in the room. Holding the flowers, she stood at the door, suddenly unsure whether she should go in. This was certainly not the first time they had argued in the past few days, nor would it be the last.
Faced with enormous profits, it's clearly impossible to expect these elders to understand that they were forced into a desperate counterattack by that crazy woman, Jiang Chengjing. Moreover, from beginning to end, Miss Jiang only wanted to make things difficult for herself, while her husband's wrath affected the entire Jin family.
No one could understand the unspeakable grievances and emotions of a woman who married into a wealthy family when faced with real financial losses.
"Why are you back? What happened on set again? Where's Xiao Xie... Xiao Xie?!"
Before those standing still could quietly retreat, a tall figure pushed open the glass door and walked out. The uncles and elders who had been arguing in the living room all fell silent with long faces when they saw her return.
The man who rushed out without even changing his shoes took the flowers, held her hand tightly, and spoke with heartache. Jin Yanzhi was still the same man who had promised her everything when they sat in the rented room; his gentleness and protection had not changed from beginning to end.
She was no longer the ambitious person she once was, solely focused on climbing the ladder and achieving greater success. At one time, she thought they were just sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams, each getting what they wanted. She gave him the novelty and warmth he craved, and in return, he gave her a bright future with meteoric rises.
But now, Lin Zhen'er finally sees clearly that heart that had long been captivated is now tormented by reluctance and unwillingness to let go.
If only everything were still in the beginning, back then I could have rationally taken the money and left amidst everyone's chaotic situation, instead of being so immersed in my love for that man, unable to pull myself away, and fantasizing about a future where we could grow old together.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll go talk to them for a bit more, then I'll go back to the film set with you."
The man who escorted her back to the bedroom gently kissed the tip of his wife's nose before hurrying back downstairs.
A woman with mixed feelings looked down and unlocked her phone. The profile picture she least wanted to see in her life had sent a new message:
"You're a real beast. You only asked for a few coins, but you got my own father locked up for months."
"I heard your detention got out? I'm out today. Come to Yanyun Restaurant across from our apartment complex before 2 PM this afternoon for lunch. Don't force me to go to the Jin family; things will get really ugly then."
The arguing downstairs continued. After taking a few deep breaths, she grabbed her bag and slipped out through the entryway. The decision she had made in her heart was ready to be put into action. If the other party knew when to back down, she would be happy to cooperate. If her biological father was insatiable, then it would be a fight to the death.
"Here, this is the paternity test that Miss Jiang showed me. Don't let that rich man fool you."
That child raised by the Jiang family is theirs! Back then, your husband was such a scoundrel that Miss Jiang had no choice but to go abroad and marry someone else.
Upon seeing me enter the room, the man, as if he had received some important information, slammed two pieces of paper onto the table.
"The Miss Jiang you mentioned, is it Jiang Chengjing? You've gotten in touch with her?"
You told her about my detention, how much money did she give you to hurt me like this?
Lin Zhen'er's question was trembling with despair; of course, she didn't believe that the so-called paternity test in front of her was real.
The Jiang family, a powerful family formed through marriage, is not so easily fooled; they wouldn't inexplicably raise someone else's bloodline. But the fact that her own father sold her past for money is almost certainly true.
"Six hundred thousand... I just gave you six hundred thousand. How much money do you owe outside?"
"So you turned around and colluded with Jiang Chengjing to harm me?"
The waiter's actions of serving the food did not stop because of her clenched fist. Next to the steaming sea cucumber in front of her were knives and forks for cutting meat. The woman's eyes lingered on it for a moment. The people around her were chatting and laughing, making a lively scene. In her heart, the determination to die together with the other person on that rainy night when she was nineteen surged up again.
"Six hundred thousand? What's six hundred thousand enough? I owe over four million. If you're so capable, pay it all back. If not, don't even think about living a peaceful life..."
The person opposite her was eating meat with gusto, their mouth glistening with oil, their face full of cunning. The person secretly clutching the small knife made up their mind. Her mind was filled with all the beatings and torture she had endured since childhood, and it was time to end it all. Since she couldn't shake off this demon that had crawled up from hell.
At least she can stop dragging down the man who truly loves her in the world.
Whether she lives a peaceful life or not is not up to you to decide.
The sound of shattering dishes mingled with the screams of the waiters. Caught off guard, Lin Zhen'er stared blankly at Jin Yanzhi, who was grabbing a man and hitting him. For several seconds, her mind went blank. By the time she rushed over, the table had already been overturned.
Fear and panic mingled within her; she clung tightly to Jin Yanzhi's arm and screamed with all her might:
"Enough!"
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