My love is too obscure, and you are too bright.
The man's eyes were slightly red, and his hand trembled slightly as he touched her small face. Lin Zhen'er's face was still as beautiful as when they first met. The bath water was a little hot, making her lips and cheeks feel hot. The blush brought by the warmth, combined with the dampness, made her look even more pitiful.
Standing in the bedroom, as he heard his lover yell those words into the phone, he suddenly decided to stop restraining himself. The love that had been growing wildly within him for days, along with the uncontrollable protectiveness and possessiveness, were repeatedly tormenting Jin Yanzhi, who was trying his best to be rational.
If the initial thrill could be attributed to passion, the current feeling of needing to think about the other person every minute to feel at ease is something that can no longer be ignored.
So, do you really love me? He didn't dare to ask any further.
Lin Zhen'er looked into those eyes that longed for affirmation, nervously clenching her fists in the water. She had never exposed herself so openly in front of him before, even though they had already crossed the final line. This kind of honesty was unprecedented.
If it weren't for that phone call tonight and the news these past few days, I might have been much braver.
But now, the long-standing inferiority complex and the old stories that have been brought to light by the media frenzy these past few days constantly remind her that the vast difference between them and the other party's social status, which is unattainable for ordinary people, could easily put them in the center of the news.
She tried several times to open her mouth and express her love, but in the end, she couldn't utter a single word.
Large tears, brimming with grievance and trembling, rolled down her cheeks first. Her lover, a peerless hero, and the beautiful life she had never dreamed of, along with the helplessness of being placed before the public like an onion under scrutiny, gradually shattered the self-esteem she could only survive by putting on a brave face.
I love you, but what can I offer in return? She dared not answer that question.
The awkward silence lasted for an unknown length of time before the flickering fire in the man's eyes finally died down. His legs had gone numb from squatting so long, going from expecting an answer to dreading a denial. The person opposite him was hesitant to speak, tears streaming down their face. He should have been furious, but damn it, he softened again.
He stood up, paused, turned around, grabbed a towel, handed it to the person behind him, and quickly walked out and closed the door.
"Hurry up and dry your hair, the water's getting cold."
The person inside took the towel and remained silent. He stood outside the door for a while, and finally got drenched in icy water in disappointment. He picked up his cigar box, pushed open the French windows, and went out.
The early winter nights seemed exceptionally long. The person who had dried their hair and nestled in bed looked at the man sitting outside, wanting to go out and pull him back, but not knowing what to say. They could only lie obediently in bed, staring blankly at that back view until dawn.
Jin Yanzhi didn't know how long he had been outside; all he knew was that the cigar box beside him was long gone.
He didn't want to go back inside to get a new one, so he could only sit empty-handed on the terrace, staring blankly at the dark night sky not far away. The tiny spark that had been flickering in his hand during the first half of the night had also disappeared. In the long second half of the night, apart from the howling cold wind, all that remained was his heart, which had a huge hole in it, growing colder and colder.
"Get up and get ready, we're going to Xiao Jie's place."
The man, who didn't enter the house until dawn, went into the bathroom, took a shower, and broke the awkward silence by shaving in front of the mirror.
Xiao Jie is a salesperson for a well-known luxury brand and has previously helped them put together many outfits, shoes, and bags.
Lin Zhen'er was familiar with the name, but the sudden decision to go shopping at this time still surprised her. However, thinking about what happened last night, she quickly tidied herself up and hurriedly followed her husband out the door.
Today was different. Stepping into the VIP room, Mrs. Jin saw the jewelry and bags already prepared and keenly sensed something was amiss. Usually, when they came, the salesperson would prepare quite a few treasures, but the items on display now were a bit excessive.
"Pick whatever you like. They don't usually take out these jewels. The same goes for these bags—diamond buckles, rare leathers. Whatever you want, just ask them to wrap it all up. Or, if you want to buy clothes, that's fine too."
After saying this, the man didn't look down at his phone, which was constantly buzzing with work messages. He raised an eyebrow, pulled his wife to his side, and extended his hand in an inviting gesture, seemingly eager for her to immediately empty his wallet.
She had no events to attend recently, and there were still plenty of new clothes and bags piled up at home. As for jewelry, she really wasn't interested. She couldn't figure out what her husband was up to right now, and after hesitating for a long time, she could only shake her head blankly.
"Come on, prove to me that even though you don't love me, you still love my money, and you're still willing to stay by my side for these things, okay?"
The whispered words close to her ear startled her, and she immediately turned her eyes away. Jin Yanzhi's eyes seemed to have changed a lot overnight. Those eyes, which had always been filled with doting and tenderness, were now covered with a layer of gray mist, making her heart ache every time she looked at them.
"Wrap these two up. We have other things to do, so we won't shop around any more today."
She casually pointed to two bags to hand over, and back in the car, Mrs. Jin, who should have been happy, felt incredibly flustered. She first reached out to take Jin Yanzhi's hand, placing it in his warm, dry palm, and then stammered as she began to explain:
"Listen to me..."
"Xiao Xie, take your wife back to the film set. Drop me off up ahead; I need to go back to the company for a meeting."
He interrupted her for the first time, turning his face to the window, not looking back at her guilty eyes. The courage she had finally mustered vanished again at this moment. The screenwriter, Lin, leaned back in her chair and sighed softly. As the soft sound of the car door closing reached her ears, she felt like crying again.
After spending the entire afternoon in the conference room, back at the company, General Manager Jin finally had some time to himself.
It had been so long, so long that he couldn't even remember how many days like this had repeated themselves. At dusk, instead of rushing home, he would sit alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, watching the sunset slowly descend, just like when he was single and had no social engagements.
The orange-yellow light on their face wasn't glaring. The person on the phone scrolled through the message bar, but that familiar name wasn't among the new messages. The phone screen went dark again, and the restless person slumped onto the sofa, pulled out the gold ear pick they always carried, examined it closely, and then put it back in their bag.
"Mr. Jin, Mr. Jin, why aren't you checking the messages in the group chat?"
"Madam, Madam got into a fight with Jiang Chengjing on set this afternoon..."
When Xiao Xie, who hadn't even knocked, pushed open the door and brought the news into the house, Jin Yanzhi's mind went completely blank. He couldn't understand how such a big mess could have happened in just half a day. He had even paid special attention to his wife's expression when he closed the car door earlier that day.
At that time, her face still had that same calm expression, no different from when she went to work.
Besides, even though that crazy woman from the Jiang family had caused so much trouble before, she had never been this out of control.
"Did she win or lose? Was she hurt?"
Standing in the elevator, I anxiously looked at the messages in the group chat. Just a few minutes ago, my heart was still caught up in the sadness of love and heartbreak, but now it was in my throat.
"She's incredibly capable."
As I got into the car and headed to the film set, the surveillance footage from ahead had already been sent to my phone. In the video, Jiang Chengjing, wearing high heels, said something, while screenwriter Lin, wrapped up in a down jacket like a little dumpling, seemed to be provoked but didn't want to cause a conflict. She turned around and took two steps away.
But in just a few seconds, something happened. It seemed that Miss Jiang didn't move at all, and even started to take out a small mirror to touch up her makeup in an affected manner. The guy who had already retreated suddenly turned around, rushed up, grabbed Jiang Chengjing's signature big waves, and pushed her into the large water tank next to her.
The socialite, dressed in a bodycon skirt and 10-centimeter high heels, was no match for Mrs. Kim, who was wearing sneakers. Apart from screaming and struggling desperately in the video, she was at a disadvantage and being beaten before the two were separated.
Jin Yanzhi watched the figure waving and attacking on the screen, feeling a strange sense of smugness. As long as the kid he had scared to the film set that morning hadn't been beaten, everything else was trivial.
Why are you fighting?
In the mediation room specially set up by the production crew, there were seven or eight people sitting. There was the female lead who was standing up for her best friend, the assistant director in charge of mediation, and two staff members from the Jin family who were responsible for protecting the wife. The people who were crowded in the room quickly quieted down when they heard him arrive.
The person he had brought out had a stubbornness he didn't usually have, and there were two red marks on his cheeks near his ears, clearly from being scratched by sharp fingernails.
"She called me a convict and said her son was born to you."
Lin Zhen'er's voice was unexpectedly loud, and Miss Jiang inside the room lowered her head somewhat guiltily upon hearing this.
"Then you could have just complained to me, why did you fight? Look at your face, all scratched up..."
Reaching out to support his wife's pouting face, Jin Yanzhi carefully examined her injuries, feeling somewhat helpless. This was the first time that crazy woman had shown herself since the turmoil between the two families. The Jiang family had suffered heavy losses these past few days, and she must have been under considerable pressure. It was only natural that she wanted to lash out while he was away.
“But you got angry, so I thought of fighting with her to get your attention.”
The person who answered remained defiant and arrogant, their gaze unwavering. Those dark eyes that had repeatedly captivated him were staring intently at him, their thick eyelashes forming a small, wide-angled fan, making his heart pound once more.
The assistant director, who rushed over, looked a little nervous and hurriedly explained that the conflict in the afternoon was because the female lead was being difficult and kept using a stunt double, and he himself couldn't get into character for a long time. He even brought in the eldest daughter of the Jiang family to back him up, which led to this incident.
"Screenwriter Lin, Screenwriter Lin was also thinking about the bigger picture..."
Upon hearing the assistant director's explanation, the person who was already holding his head up secretly raised his chin slightly, his face full of composure and pride that said, "See? I did nothing wrong, everyone saw it."
"She has always been the most reasonable person. Since that lead actress is dragging her feet like this, just let her go and replace her."
Oh, and those supporting actors from the Jiang family, and that troublemaking director—they don't need to come. I'll arrange replacements."
After briefly instructing everyone on the personnel changes, General Manager Jin pulled his wife into the car. He had no time to care about the crazy woman inside causing a scene; the most important thing right now was to quickly apply medicine to the face of the person next to him.
The person who obediently went home seemed to have lost his earlier arrogance; while applying the ointment, he even bared his teeth and let out a couple of strange cries.
"I was too shy last night, actually..."
Looking at that worried face, Lin Zhen'er mustered her courage again. She had to seize this opportunity that she had finally earned through a fight.
"What's wrong with you? Are you hopelessly in love with me?"
The man's face held a mischievous, almost playful expression, which he used to mask the tension in his heart.
"Um……"
The person who had applied the medicine nodded, blushing, without saying anything more. But that was enough. Overjoyed, Jin Yanzhi scooped up his lover and carried her upstairs. The person he hoisted onto his shoulder immediately burned with embarrassment.
"What are you doing! It's not even seven o'clock yet!"
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