Chapter 42
The most vulnerable side of a crazy woman [Bonus]
The old streets of the old city were deathly still at midnight; apart from a few streetlights flickering dimly, not a soul could be seen.
With a heavy rain approaching, there were hardly any private cars on the road, let alone taxis that were open for business.
Cheng Sangluo stood alone by the roadside, waiting for a long time but still couldn't hail a taxi.
Unaware of how anxious she looked, her elongated shadow, stretched by the streetlights, paced back and forth, a mocking tone playing on her absurdity at being so worried about a crazy woman.
After looking around for a while, Cheng Sangluo ran to the area where shared electric bikes were parked.
She randomly picked a bike, hastily put on a plastic helmet, and rode off towards the cross-sea bridge.
Just as the electric scooter entered the main road of the bridge, a streak of purplish-red lightning flashed across the open sky, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
The evening wind howled, stirring up dust from all over the world. Accompanied by the endless, abyss-like black sea in the dark night, it felt like the end of the world, making people feel extremely desperate.
Cheng Sangluo hunched over and pushed the electric scooter to its maximum speed.
Whenever lightning accompanied by thunder rips across the sky, her heart inexplicably tightens in her throat.
Until the raindrops began to fall, as if testing the waters, starting with just one or two drops, it quickly turned into a torrential downpour.
The wind, carrying rain, lashed against Cheng Sangluo's face, the water trickling down her clear cheeks in streams.
In just a short while, she was soaked to the bone, constantly wiping the rain off her face while trying to control the car's direction.
After finally managing to ride her bike to the main gate of Linxi Terrace, she rushed to the gatekeeper to register.
She usually came and went in Lin Jin's luxury car. The security guard at the gate only recognized the car and not her face. Seeing her wet and disheveled appearance, he knew she was not a distinguished resident of the community. So he deliberately made things difficult: "If you're not a resident, you can't come in. Registration is useless. Give me your floor and apartment number, and I'll have to ask the owner."
It was as if Lin Jin's floor and room number were etched into her very bones; Cheng Sangluo answered with exceptional fluency.
Hearing the landline in the guardhouse constantly busy, she swallowed awkwardly and hurriedly took out her phone to send a message to Lin Jin.
Unfortunately, his old, worn-out smartphone was soaked in water in his pocket, and it was about to die at the crucial moment.
Cheng Sangluo kept tapping her phone, but after trying for a long time, the screen wouldn't turn on. She could only turn around and ask the security guard, "Aren't you answering your phone?"
The security guard was careless; after listening to the busy signal for a while, he hung up. "Why don't you try to contact them again yourself?"
"My phone is broken, could you please let me in first?"
"Hey, it's not that I'm making things difficult for you, but nobody can guarantee it'll be safe for you to go in." The security guard was impatient and said in a dismissive tone, "Go on, don't make things difficult for me."
Cheng Sangluo didn't linger. She wiped the rain from her nose, turned around sullenly, and made to leave.
It wasn't that they really wanted to leave, but rather that they planned to brazenly barge in.
In that brief exchange, she had already figured out a lot of things.
For example, there are only two security guards, both of whom are taking shelter from the rain in the guardhouse, so they can be caught off guard.
For example, how fast do you have to run after passing the gate to have enough time to open the building's electronic door?
For example, what if the two security guards call more people and keep chasing them?
Cheng Sangluo had a general idea in mind, so while the two security guards were bragging, she suddenly took a running leap, braced herself against the barrier gate, and jumped over it.
This person had long legs and was agile, managing to sneak through the checkpoint right under the security guard's nose.
She landed steadily on both feet, then launched herself forward, leaving a trail of afterimages.
"Stop!" the security guard who had been left behind shouted. Unable to catch up, he picked up his walkie-talkie and called for backup.
Everything was going as Cheng Sangluo had anticipated. She gave herself a few seconds to enter the electronic door code, but soon a group of security guards caught up with her.
Cheng Sangluo opened the door and ran inside. Without waiting for the elevator, she plunged into the dark and gloomy security corridor.
Climbing more than ten floors in one go is physically demanding, so she didn't dare to stop and just kept running upwards, the footsteps behind her were very chaotic.
"Stop! If you don't listen to our advice, we'll call the police!" The security guard chased after her relentlessly, cursing at Cheng Sangluo for her incredible stamina.
Cheng Sangluo is stubborn and will do whatever she wants, even after hearing the police report, she doesn't stop.
She really didn't dare to stop, because there must be security guards on the elevator stopping people up there, so she had to speed up and keep running.
This process was extremely difficult; although it was only a dozen or so floors, it felt like an eternity.
Upon seeing Lin Jin's floor, she gasped for breath and, without letting her guard down, ran to the door and pounded on it repeatedly, shouting, "Lin Jin! Open the door!"
After knocking for a while without hearing any footsteps inside, Cheng Sangluo was annoyed that she hadn't paid attention to the electronic lock's password before.
Even so, she did not regret risking being taken to the police station for questioning to make this special trip.
As a group of security guards surged over, Cheng Sangluo could only hold on tightly to the door lock. "I really am a friend of this family. I have something urgent to discuss with her. Please make an exception."
"Make an exception? Do you know that breaking and entering without permission is illegal?" The security guard, also panting, grabbed her arm and pulled her forcefully in a fit of rage.
"Lin Jin, open the door!" Cheng Sangluo had no other choice but to keep calling out, "Lin Jin, Lin Jin, are you there?"
"Don't make a scene in the middle of the night!" It's unclear which security guard struck first, but a punch landed squarely on Cheng Sangluo's head. "Let go of my hand!"
Cheng Sangluo became stubborn and simply refused to let go.
After a brief stalemate, the door was opened by the person inside, accompanied by the click of the lock.
As soon as the engine started, Cheng Sangluo leaned backward due to inertia, knocking down a group of security guards behind her like dominoes.
Lin Jin, wearing a loose bathrobe, leaned lazily against the door, her neck revealing glimpses of her alluring figure.
Her expression was calm, but her face looked terrible, appearing even paler against the bright lights of the room.
The arrogant woman's eyes, filled with her usual disdain, swept over the group of people lying on the ground in a sorry state, her gaze finally settling on Cheng Sangluo, who was sprawled out on the ground.
She raised an eyebrow and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips, amused that the puppy had braved the wind and rain to come uninvited, and in such a grand manner.
"Ms. Lin, I'm so sorry. This person claimed to be your friend and broke through the gate without permission. We chased him all the way here and are very sorry for disturbing your rest!" The head of security apologized with a fawning face, then turned around and waved his hand, ordering someone to take Cheng Sangluo away quickly. "Come on, let's go to the police station."
Lin Jin was still in a daze and couldn't quite figure out what was going on.
Originally intending to make things difficult for Cheng Sangluo, upon hearing the words "police station," she immediately called out, "Stop! She is indeed my friend."
Taking advantage of a moment when the security guard was off guard, Cheng Sangluo, like a slippery eel, darted into the door in a flash.
She stood behind Lin Jin, peeking out half her head, and pouted, "I told you, but you just wouldn't believe me."
The puppy is being naughty and mischievous.JPG
Lin Jin crossed his arms, looked at the group of security guards with grim expressions, and said indifferently, "Aren't you leaving yet?"
Crazy woman: This dog is under my protection.
The farce ended, and everything returned to calm.
Lin Jin closed the door, turned around and looked at the wet puppy, teasingly asking, "Who was it yesterday who said they wouldn't meet until the debt agreement expired?"
“I said it.” Cheng Sangluo stood there blankly, not avoiding the topic. “I was just passing by and thought I’d drop by to see you.”
"Oh, I just happened to come and take a look." Lin Jin couldn't help but chuckle at the absurd explanation. "How casual is it that it could cause such a ruckus at the property management office?"
Cheng Sangluo ran all the way, his sweat mixed with rain, and in the end he suddenly didn't know what he was doing it all for.
She looked down at the wet shoes that had left a puddle on the tiles, and muttered, "I'm glad you're okay. I'm leaving now."
"You made such a big trek to get here, and now you're just going to leave like this?" Lin Jin blocked the door; there was no way she would let the puppy go so easily.
'boom--'
A deafening thunderclap suddenly rang out, causing Lin Jin to twitch his shoulder.
She instinctively pressed her back against the door, her brow furrowed deeply, and pleaded in a low voice, "Don't go...you can't leave..."
Cheng Sangluo noticed that she was in a bad mood. Since she was already there, she couldn't waste the money she spent renting the electric scooter, so she reached out and poked the crazy woman's forehead. "You're not afraid of anything, so why are you afraid of thunder?"
Lin Jin didn't want to talk about this, so she irritably brushed the hand in front of her away and walked straight to the living room. "Then tell me first, why did you suddenly come to find me? Did you miss me, or do you want to sleep with me?"
Sure enough, this woman couldn't utter anything pleasant when she opened her mouth.
Cheng Sangluo bent down to change into her slippers, and to avoid getting the floor dirty, she rolled up her trouser legs several times.
"Who knows?" She shrugged dismissively as she followed behind Lin Jin, knowing that these things were hard to explain anyway.
It's clear that Cheng Sangluo is in a good mood right now; at least she can still banter back and forth with Lin Jin.
Lin Jin maintained her arms wrapped around herself the entire time, and even when she collapsed wearily onto the sofa, she held herself tightly.
The curtains in the house were drawn tightly shut, and the lights in every room were on, creating a false sense of liveliness in this large, single-level apartment, which also resembled an exquisite glass prison.
Lin Jin is like a rag doll trapped inside, suffocating, pitiful, and bewildered.
Cheng Sangluo was like a cotton ball soaked in water; the air conditioning in the room was set very low, causing her to sneeze several times.
She kept shivering and asked in a low voice, "Can I take a hot shower first?"
"Okay, go ahead."
Lin Jin is very different tonight.
Normally, she would have eagerly gone with the puppy when she heard it needed a bath, but at this moment she was listless, her eyes glistening with tiny sparkles.
The way she slumped onto the sofa was different from usual; her back was tightly tucked into the corner, as if seeking a sense of security, a sight that was heartbreaking.
Cheng Sangluo squatted down, thinking she had a cold and fever. He reached out to check her forehead temperature and, finding nothing wrong, breathed a sigh of relief: "Then wait for me a moment."
After saying that, she hurriedly ran into the bathroom of the guest room.
Only when the room was quiet did Cheng Sangluo come back to her senses.
She stared at the mirror on the washbasin and couldn't help but frown.
The reflection in the mirror showed a disheveled, wet figure; what was truly laughable was the shameless smile that clung to it.
This version of myself is so unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that it's almost hateful.
In her extreme hatred, she suddenly slapped herself across the face, muttering, "How shameless you are! What are you doing?"
This slap in the face, like waking me from a dream, came too late; I should have slapped myself awake before the storm hit.
But the thought of the crazy woman in the living room in such a terrible state caused the wall he had just built to crumble.
Cheng Sangluo braced her hands on the table, shaking her head repeatedly, but she couldn't shake off the image of Lin Jin's panicked expression from her mind.
Helpless, she finally accepted her own inappropriate behavior tonight.
The rising steam, accompanied by the rustling sound of the shower, quickly created a relaxing atmosphere.
Cheng Sangluo lifted her face and let the hot water pour over her head. She closed her eyes, trying to think about something, but failed. All she could think about was hurrying, hurrying, so as not to keep the crazy woman outside waiting too long.
She smiled helplessly, her lips twitching. She had always been helpless against Lin Jin, and now she was helpless against herself too.
She let out a sorrowful sigh and could only hastily tidy herself up.
After wrapping myself in a bathrobe and drying my hair, only about ten minutes had passed when the bathroom light flickered a few times and then plunged into complete darkness, causing the hairdryer in my hand to stop.
The city lost power, likely due to the relentless thunderstorms.
Cheng Sangluo put down the hairdryer, tiptoed into the living room, and seeing that Lin Jin was not on the sofa, she quickened her pace and headed towards the study.
When they entered the study, they didn't see anyone. The only place left was the master bedroom.
The door to the master bedroom was ajar. Cheng Sangluo tiptoed in, but Lin Jin was nowhere to be seen on the spacious double bed, prompting her to scratch the back of her head. "Where is she?"
She searched the bedroom and even the walk-in closet, but couldn't find Lin Jin anywhere. She couldn't help but whisper, "Lin Jin? Lin Jin? Are you playing hide-and-seek with me?"
The empty room, with the curtains drawn, was dark and eerily quiet.
Cheng Sangluo searched even under the bed, but the only place she could find was in the closet in the dressing room.
She walked quickly to the largest cabinet, opened the door, and the person she had been searching for finally came into view, putting her anxious and apprehensive heart at ease.
Lin Jin was thin and frail, and she huddled in the corner, looking like a tiny ball. Even in the dim light, her trembling was noticeable.
She kept her eyes tightly closed, her body trembling uncontrollably. When she heard the door open, she only tentatively narrowed her eyes.
Her disheveled hair fell across her high, straight nose, giving her a pitiful and endearing appearance despite her disheveled and fearful state.
When she felt a warm touch on her face, she clung to it like a lifeline, grabbing Cheng Sangluo's arm and pulling her close. "Don't go... please don't go..."
The trembling, uncontrollable sobbing voice was incredibly infectious, filling the room with desolation and making Cheng Sangluo's heart tighten even more.
Cheng Sangluo originally wanted to pull the person out of the closet, but found her huddled in the corner, too afraid to move, so she had no choice but to crawl in after her.
Fortunately, the wardrobe, which was the same size as the wall, was very spacious, and even the tall Cheng Sangluo didn't feel cramped sitting inside.
She sat at the other end of the cabinet and groped her way to Lin Jin's arm in the dark. The touch felt like a layer of frost, so cold it made her heart tremble.
"Come here, don't be afraid..." Cheng Sangluo coaxed softly, grabbing Lin Jin and pulling her into her arms. "I'm here, don't be afraid..."
Cheng Sangluo hadn't realized that this interaction had gone beyond their relationship, and instinctively asked, "Are you alright?"
Lin Jin didn't answer, only kept shaking her head, muttering, "Don't open the door...don't open the door...it's full of demons and monsters outside..."
Before she could finish speaking, another short clap of thunder sounded outside, causing her to cover her ears. "Cheng Sangluo...don't leave me...save me..."
Cheng Sangluo pursed her lips, secretly relieved that her trip tonight hadn't been in vain.
She saw a side of the madwoman that she dared not show to others, but this side was so fragile that even the soft-hearted gods grieved for it.
She held the thin Lin Jin tightly, her arms tightening slightly, not daring to loosen her grip even though the thunder outside had subsided.
Cheng Sangluo suddenly thought of a good idea. She covered Lin Jin's hands with both hands, doubly covering her ears, as if this would block out more disturbances.
She tilted her head closer to Lin Jin's ear, her voice deep but warm, "If you're scared, cover your ears and listen to other sounds. Can you hear a heartbeat through the airflow?"
This was probably one of the few moments Cheng Sangluo showed tenderness. She temporarily set aside all the troubles and simply offered a good way to soothe the soul, because the crazy woman at the moment desperately needed a sense of security.
Lin Jin could feel this tenderness, and her trembling body went limp.
She leaned comfortably against Cheng Sangluo's chest, feeling his strong heartbeat through the thick bathrobe; this real touch dispelled some of her fear.
This fear permeated Lin Jin's entire life; no one knows how helpless and terrified she was on those countless stormy nights.
Those fragmented childhood memories are like thorns, piercing the heart, leaving it bloody and raw, yet healing again and again with the blood and flesh. They can't be pulled out; they can only cause a dull ache with the passing years.
Tonight was the only time it was different; it was Cheng Sangluo's unexpected presence that drove away the dense anxiety and unease she felt.
Lin Jin quickly rolled over, grabbed Cheng Sangluo's clothes, and buried her head in his warm embrace.
Instead of searching for her own faint heartbeat, she should listen to the puppy's heartbeat; she needs that vibrant pulse, so much so.
Cheng Sangluo did not resist such intimacy and tacitly allowed Lin Jin to press her ear against her chest, while her hand, which was suspended in the air, slowly stroked her soft hair.
She asked cautiously, "Are you feeling better?"
"So this is what your voice sounds like from your chest when you speak." Lin Jin closed her eyes and gave a complex smile, as if she had just survived a disaster.
Is there any difference?
“It’s different, very different.” Lin Jin’s fingers gripped her clothes tightly, as if the slightest loosening would send her tumbling back into the abyss.
Cheng Sangluo didn't ask what she had been through. She just stayed quietly by her side until the rain stopped pouring down. Then she asked softly, "Do you want to go out? Are you hungry? Let's get some late-night snacks."
Lin Jin shook her head and pleaded in a soft voice, "I don't want to go anywhere, I just want to stay in your arms. Can you hold me like this forever? Can you always be this gentle with me?"
Cheng Sangluo tightened her grip on her hair and asked in a low voice, "Then can you please stop hurting me? No one is hostile for no reason. Relationships are reciprocal. You should understand that."
"It's so hard to get you." Lin Jin sighed softly, rubbing her cheek against his broad chest. "Cheng Sangluo, let's get married."
That's really bringing up the very thing you shouldn't be talking about.
When marriage was mentioned again, Cheng Sangluo's reaction was much calmer.
She took a deep breath, trying to inhale the cedar scent emanating from Lin Jin, and then exhaled heavily, "We can't stand each other. If we were to actually get married, wouldn't it cause a huge uproar?"
"The puppy has improved; now it knows how to say no more tactfully." Lin Jin smiled contentedly, then asked, "You came to find me in this storm because you were worried about me, right?"
"Uh..." Cheng Sangluo was speechless for a moment. It's better to just keep things to yourself. Why do you have to expose it?
Lin Jin regained her composure, raised her head to search for those bright eyes in the darkness, and teased, "Fine, I won't say it. I know you're hard to talk about."
Cheng Sangluo didn't dare to reply. Those few words easily stirred up her shyness, making her body burn with heat, and also making the person in her arms laugh even more comfortably.
"What...what are you laughing at?"
Lin Jin's lips brushed against Sang Luo's heart, and she couldn't help but place a subtle kiss on it. "You're so contradictory, a soft-hearted god with a heart of stone. Which one of you is the real you?"
In the pitch-black space, after a mental storm, the calm gradually returned, brewing a chaotic ambiguity.
Cheng Sangluo put one arm around Lin Jin's waist, his palm naturally roaming over her smooth back. "I'll give you two choices: if you're hungry, I'll go to the kitchen and make you some late-night snacks; if you're sleepy, I'll carry you to bed."
"Can I only choose one of happiness, or can I choose more?" Lin Jin flicked a strand of hair, brushing it against her nose. Feeling it wasn't ambitious enough, she greedily replied, "Adults don't make choices; of course, we want them all!"
Cheng Sangluo's nose tickled from the teasing. She brushed away the mischievous hand and clicked her tongue, "Tsk, I must have owed you something in my past life."
"Don't we owe each other in this lifetime?" Lin Jin teased with a smile, then suddenly his face darkened, and he reached out and pressed down on Cheng Sangluo's shoulder. "Hmph, speaking of owing me, shouldn't we talk about how you spent a thousand to buy me for one night?"
Cheng Sangluo's body trembled, even his pupils quivered.
Good heavens, how could she have forgotten about that?!
This morning, as she sneaked into the study to find a pen and left a message on the brown envelope, she felt incredibly smug, imagining the crazy woman's furious expression upon seeing the message, and she laughed out loud.
People never think it's too much trouble when they're doing bad things, but why does retribution come so quickly?
"What goes around comes around. Don't you even know such a simple truth?" Lin Jin leaned in and pinned the silent puppy down, forcing them to be only a kiss away. "Am I only worth a thousand yuan? So cheap?"
"No...I...that..." Cheng Sangluo felt guilty, her tongue was tied, and she stammered for a long time without being able to utter a coherent sentence.
"No...you...which..." Lin Jin imitated her stuttering tone and pressed, slowly loosening her grip on her neck until her nails dug into her skin. "You bought me a night of flirtation for a thousand dollars, you're quite good at humiliating people."
"But you don't know..." Cheng Sangluo endured the pain in her neck, her tone not harsh, even sounding pitiful, "That was all I could offer..."
Lin Jin was stunned. The fingers that were gripping her neck gradually loosened, changing to a gentle rub. "You could have given so much more. I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about your gentleness... your feelings... or your heart..."
"Stop it." Cheng Sangluo was afraid to mention her feelings because she had been trying her best to suppress the faint flutter in her heart. This kind of forbearance was very uncomfortable and even more difficult than suppressing anger.
"You're attracted to someone, aren't you?" Lin Jin tilted her head and leaned closer to the neck she had pinched red, kissing it with tenderness, her warm breath teasing the unsuspecting puppy. "Otherwise... why would you have come so gracefully... no... why would you have overcome so many difficulties to see me when the thunderstorm was coming... Why did you do this? You clearly hate me to the core..."
Yes, I hate you to the core.
Cheng Sangluo roared and resisted in her heart, but in the chaotic space, she did not change her embracing posture.
She hesitated, a dry, burning sensation washing over her throat; answering such a question seemed harder than making money.
Stubborn people would rather make fun of themselves than admit to feeling butterflies in their stomachs.
Lin Jin wasn't in a hurry to give an immediate answer; she could let things play out for a while and allow time to let the indescribable emotions develop fully.
"If you're hungry, I'll cook some late-night snacks. How about noodles?" Cheng Sangluo changed the subject, wanting nothing more than to escape the dark wardrobe as quickly as possible.
If they were in a bright and airy room, they wouldn't have seemed so cramped and uneasy.
The softness pressed against one's heart could easily shatter one's resolve, as if a little more closeness would lead to an uncontrollable escalation.
Lin Jin, with a mischievous streak, lifted her chin and gently bit Cheng Sangluo's ear, teasingly whispering, "Can I have some boiled puppy?"
"No." Cheng Sangluo refused, feigning composure, and pushed open the wardrobe door. "The rain has lessened; there shouldn't be any thunder anymore."
Lin Jin didn't move, leaning lazily against the wardrobe, waiting for the puppy to carry her out. "Cheng Sangluo, I'll pay you a thousand for one night of your tenderness, are you in?"
Cheng Sanglu really didn't want to agree to such a deal.
She stood silently in front of the cabinet, bent over, hunched her neck, and scooped the slender person into her arms, easily lifting him up in her arms.
Lin Jin hugged her neck tightly and urged, "Answer me."
Cheng Sangluo went straight to the bed in the bedroom. When she put her down, she was not as rough as before. She handled her gently, just like she was protecting a pot of daisies.
She was about to go to the kitchen to cook something, and before leaving, she echoed the madwoman's words: "My gentleness doesn't need money to buy."
Lin Jin lay on her side, propping her head up with one hand, and lifted her toes to trace the long, slender legs beneath the bathrobe. "I feel like I'm experiencing your tenderness~"
"If you keep acting like this, I'm leaving." Cheng Sangluo had no other choice but to threaten to leave.
This tactic seemed to work; the woman who had been lying on her side on the bed, striking all sorts of poses, quieted down a bit. "Go ahead, I don't eat garlic, I don't eat spicy food, I want my fried eggs runny, um... don't cook the noodles too soft..."
"Stop, stop!" Cheng Sangluo immediately called for a halt, muttering under her breath, "You're making so many demands. Is it because you rarely ask me to do anything that you're trying to fleece me?"
......
The kitchen at midnight is the warmest place tonight.
The new, high-end range hood made no noise, while the iron pot on the stove was bubbling away.
Cheng Sangluo was mixing condiments in a porcelain bowl, thinking that noodles without garlic or spicy food would be so unpalatable, but she still made a light bowl for Lin Jin.
She busied herself heating the oil in the pan, feeling that it would be a waste not to eat, so she decided to fry two more eggs for herself.
This man was very honest and felt that eating two extra eggs was taking advantage of Lin Jin.
Lin Jin was busy with something and only came over after a while.
She didn't immediately go into the kitchen to bother the puppy, but instead leaned against the door and quietly admired the busy figure.
For a fleeting moment, I had the illusion that I had lived with the person in front of me for many, many years, and that the quiet, enduring life was filled with a precious sense of happiness.
This illusion is so wonderful, just like the one I've dreamt of countless nights.
Cheng Sangluo felt a gaze from behind and turned around to look. "What are you looking at?"
Lin Jin didn't hide anything and said whatever came to mind, "I'm thinking about our life after we get married."
She laughed contentedly, as if the storm she had just experienced was merely a nightmare, a case of forgetting the pain once the wound had healed.
Cheng Sangluo's lips twitched. She wondered why this crazy woman was still thinking about this, so she pouted and said, "Don't be delusional. Marriage is out of the question."
Although this person was as stubborn as titanium alloy, the smile on her lips couldn't lie; perhaps she was also enjoying the peaceful beauty after the storm.
Because Cheng Sangluo also felt that illusion, without any messy chaos, the days were as plain as boiling water, plain yet lively.
"Everyone should have dreams~" Lin Jin said expectantly, walking lightly behind the puppy and naturally wrapping her arms around its straight back: "Only with dreams can we have hope. I have inexplicable expectations for you."
Cheng Sangluo wanted to slap away the arm around her waist, but she was busy frying eggs, so she had no choice but to acquiesce to this intimacy. "Why do you keep thinking about marrying me? If your explanation is just for revenge or something, I don't think the motive is enough."
Lin Jin buried her face in her back, inhaling the reassuring scent, and replied in a muffled voice, "I like you, can't you tell?"
Lin Jin felt a little regretful, regretting that she shouldn't have confessed her feelings so easily, as it would make her seem too frivolous in her relationships. However, she was also satisfied.
When you say "I like it" out loud, a huge weight that's been pressing on your heart finally collapses, making you feel incredibly relieved.
"That's not right. President Lin, who loves women, changes women like he changes clothes. He's a womanizer who falls in love with every one he meets. He shouldn't have the urge to hang himself on one person, right?"
Cheng Sangluo made a dismissive joke, but her hand paused for a moment because the person behind her made her look stiff.
Lin Jin's relaxed smile vanished. He grabbed her shoulder, turned her over, and whispered a reprimand: "Who told you that? It must have been Shu Wan, right?"
Cheng Sangluo realized she had let something slip, so she mumbled, "Does it matter who said it? What matters is whether you're that kind of person, right?"
Lin Jin suddenly roared, "Important! Of course it's very important!"
She frowned, her emotions erupting suddenly, causing her shoulders to tremble. "Why should you believe that woman's words after only a few words? Why?"
Cheng Sangluo felt that the crazy woman was making a mountain out of a molehill and didn't want to get entangled in the matter, so she tried to change the subject, saying, "If you say it's not true, then it's not true. I'm not going to say anything more."
"But saying that means you believe it!" Lin Jin wasn't going to let it go easily, glaring at her with her neck stiff. "You genuinely believe that, don't you? Anyway, in your eyes I'm no different from mud, am I?"
Cheng Sangluo also got a little anxious and blurted out, "Calm down, did you forget to take your medicine?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jin fell silent, her lips trembling uncontrollably, and a sadness welled up in her eyes, as if something had stabbed her heart.
She tilted her head and stared straight at Cheng Sangluo, her eyes seeming to say: You think I'm mentally ill from the bottom of your heart, and I feel very embarrassed, right?
"I...I didn't mean you're sick...I just wanted you to calm down..." Cheng Sangluo stammered, realizing she was making the atmosphere worse. "I really didn't mean to make you angry..."
Lin Jin smiled sadly, closed her eyes, and relied on deep breathing to relieve the discomfort in her heart. After a moment of silence, she only uttered one word: "Get lost."
Cheng Sangluo also lost her temper, and her single word "get out" was enough to destroy the distance that had been painstakingly narrowed tonight.
Instead of storming out, she turned around and intensified her cooking of noodles.
Without saying a word, she made a few spitting noises with the kitchen utensils in her hands, and in just a few quick movements, the steaming noodles were ladled into a bowl, and she even picked up a soft-boiled egg as a final garnish.
She didn't glance at Lin Jin again, and strode out of the kitchen with suppressed anger, yet her anger was also filled with the lingering feeling of having taken good care of everything.
Lin Jin felt a gust of wind beside her, stared at the steaming bowl of noodles, her eyes filled with panic and uneasy regret.
She reached up and smoothed her long hair, a deep sense of defeat creeping onto her face. Perhaps she already regretted it the moment those words left her lips.
Why are my emotions so out of control? It was just a few words of gossip from Shu Wan, why should I take all my anger out on a completely unrelated puppy?
Yes, Lin Jin cared too much about Cheng Sangluo's opinion of her. Even though she always acted indifferent and even though she argued irrationally, she couldn't hide how much she cared about those words.
I wouldn't have been like this before. Perhaps it's because I love so deeply that I'm so calculating.
Cheng Sangluo searched everywhere for her clothes, and only when she got to the balcony and saw the washing machine running did she belatedly realize that Lin Jin had just washed her clothes.
She glanced down at the bathrobe she was wearing, thinking that she could just leave like that, since there was no one on the street in the middle of the night anyway.
If that's what you think, then do it.
Cheng Sangluo felt a surge of resentment, thinking she had been a laughingstock tonight. Her overly compassionate heart had only earned her the word "get lost."
What joke could be funnier than this?
Cheng Sangluo thought about how dangerous it was to rush through the torrential rain. She just wanted to go faster and faster. Even if she couldn't find a reason to convince herself, she still wanted to fulfill the wish of the person who abandoned Lin Jin that night.
So what's the point of being chased by security guards? What's the point of climbing more than ten floors while holding your breath? And what's the point of risking being taken to the police station?
It seems meaningless now. The word "get lost" has such destructive power, utterly destroying the concern that started from impulse.
She tightened the belt of her bathrobe, quickened her pace, rushed to the foyer, and walked away without looking back, her wet shoes slamming against the door.
Hearing the heavy noise coming from the foyer, Lin Jin's hunched back twitched, and her deep eyes widened, revealing a hint of resentment and loneliness, along with a thin layer of redness.
She picked up the bowl of noodles, curled up, and slid down to sit on the ground. After taking the first bite, deep frown lines appeared on her brows.
It tastes awful, so awful I can't swallow it. It's not because it's bland, but because it makes my heart ache, so much so that swallowing it feels like swallowing a knife.
A wave of uncontrollable soreness rose in my nose as I regretted treating that soft-hearted god in the worst possible way.
When he took the second bite of noodles, the sour and astringent sensation spread from the tip of his nose to every nerve in his body, and the person who had been pretending to be strong finally broke down completely.
She tried her best to suppress the sobs that came with her crying, put down her chopsticks, and ran desperately towards the hallway.
This noodle dish isn't good. We need to win back that stubborn person and get her to make a new bowl.
Perhaps the reason has to be absurd enough to fill the void in one's heart.
[Author's Note]
1. Haha, although I'm a few hundred words short of reaching 10,000 words in a day, I've still fulfilled my promise of getting 800 favorites for my pre-order novel.
The next daily 10,000-word bonus will be when the pre-orders for "The Detective's Lover" reach 1000 words, so please add this pre-order novel to your favorites!
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