Chapter 124
A shocking secret
In the darkness, Cheng Sangluo stubbornly hunched her back, forcing the thin person in her arms against the edge of the table.
Their lips, locked in a passionate embrace, seemed to melt into a cloud of rain, a love so tight that no one could pull them apart. It spoke of how deeply they were drawn together and how unwilling they were to part. Yet, a sudden realization came so subtly, turning into a harsh slap in the face amidst their entanglement, painfully shattering her resolve to leave.
Why did you have to drench me with such cruel reality when I loved you the most?
I don't want to abandon you, I don't want to live the rest of my life in a world without you, but I can't forgive you so easily.
Even though I have embraced freedom, my soul is still imprisoned within four walls of ice, so I hate you!
But... the more I hate you, the more I love you.
Such feelings are so contradictory and complex; they are an unsolvable problem.
The kiss reached the end of despair, and Lin Jin's tears stained Cheng Sangluo's face.
Even though those heartfelt words didn't come out of Cheng Sangluo's mouth, even though the darkness prevented her from seeing her lover's expression, she could still feel how bitter that kiss truly was.
She was caught up in Cheng Sangluo's sorrowful emotions and empathized with him, which is why she was so moved and cried uncontrollably.
Lin Jin stroked Cheng Sangluo's eyebrows and eyes as usual, but her fingertips trembled terribly.
She traced and sketched the outline again and again, memorizing its features, so that when she spent the long, endless nights alone in the future, she could close her eyes and remember her lover's face.
As if realizing she couldn't bring back the person determined to leave, she turned her face away with a desolate sigh, ending the unbearable kiss.
Losing the soft, warm touch, Cheng Sangluo couldn't get used to the icy coldness on her lips for a moment, so she could only brace her hands on the edge of the table, trapping the silent person in her arms.
She remained silent for a moment, then whispered her innermost thoughts: "I know you still have many things you're hiding from me, but I've never forced you to make things clear. You always complain that I'm not good at taking the initiative, but do you know, I've actually been waiting for you to take the initiative. But it doesn't matter, whether I know about those things you haven't said or not is no longer important. What's important is how we should proceed with this game. I will cooperate with you to get rid of Lin Sheng, this troublemaker, so that at least no one will be trying to harm you anymore."
Lin Jin gripped Cheng Sangluo's clothes tightly with both hands, and the words "it doesn't matter anymore" made her heart ache.
Overwhelmed with grief, she pressed her forehead against her lover's neck, her nose stinging and her breath catching in her throat, and she couldn't help but let out two sorrowful sobs.
She screamed in her heart: You've forgotten that I once barged into your world, how can something like that not be important?
Cheng Sangluo hesitated for a moment with her hand suspended in mid-air before slowly placing it on Lin Jin's back and gently stroking it, trying to dispel the sadness that she could not understand.
Lin Jin slightly raised her chin, her gaze towards Cheng Sangluo gradually becoming firm, as if she were facing her greatest fear.
Not long after you went to prison, Cheng Xing was led by the nose by Xu Songheng and ended up accumulating a huge debt.
He took your things and sold them to use as gambling money. Fortunately, I found out about it in time and gradually recovered all your belongings.
I locked them and that evidence in a dark room, where no one but me knew, waiting for the day when you could take them away yourself.
I also have a cowardly side. I don't know how to tell you this in person, and I don't dare to face how terrifying it is to be in the same room with you.
After much planning, we finally found a way that would allow you to get what's rightfully yours while also advancing the entire plan.
The message that I sent you to search for the secret room on the top floor of the villa was ostensibly sent by Lin Sheng, but it was actually something I arranged for Sheng He to reveal to him that day.
I anticipated things would come to this, and I knew you would inevitably turn against me because of this. The only thing I could do was to subtly let you know; there was no other way.
After saying that, Lin Jin breathed a long sigh of relief. The huge stone that had been weighing on her heart for many years finally slid off, and she no longer had to endure the pain brought by the secret.
Cheng Sangluo was speechless, feeling both jealous of Cheng Xing for selling off her valuables and grateful to Lin Jin for preserving her former glory.
She didn't remain silent for long, nor did she offer a grateful hug. Instead, she took two steps back, bowed solemnly, and said, "Thank you for taking such good care of them for me all these years."
Lin Jin leaned against the wall and stared at the figure in front of her. Even though the view was dim, she could see that the tall figure had bent down for the first time.
She smiled faintly and shook her head, replying softly, "I have never asked for anything in return for everything I have done for the people I love, nor do I need any thanks, because you deserve it, because you have given so much more."
"Have you ever made any sacrifices?" Cheng Sangluo pondered, and the question returned to its starting point, "I still want to ask again, Lin Jin, have we known each other for a long time?"
Lin Jin has never answered this question directly, and no one knows what she is so obsessed with or what she has been through.
Now, when Cheng Sangluo raised the question again, she finally wavered, wavering at the fact that this idiot still couldn't remember her, and wishing that this blockhead could search through his memories.
"Sigh...you..." Lin Jin sighed helplessly, hesitated for a moment, and then asked in return, "Do you still remember many years ago...that year the seas experienced something that happened only once in a century..."
The sudden ringing of her cell phone interrupted her, sounding urgent, like a cry for help.
The moment the bell rang, Lin Jin's brows furrowed, and she quickly stepped aside to avoid the person blocking her way.
"I'm going to answer a call," she said softly as she hurried toward the door.
Cheng Sangluo had never heard such a ringtone before. She thought it must have been specially set up, and the other party must be someone important, otherwise Lin Jin's reaction would not have been so alarmed.
Looking at that slender figure in the darkness, she couldn't help but remind him, "Walk slowly, your foot injury hasn't healed yet."
Perhaps startled by this sudden concern, Lin Jin's back stiffened for a moment.
When the door was opened, light flooded into the dark space.
Cheng Sangluo uncomfortably raised her hand to shield her eyes, watching the backlit figure disappear through her fingers as it vanished at the doorway, and suddenly experienced a fleeting hallucination.
The feeling was like drowning in the deep sea, with water submerging your neck like an unintentional hand choking your throat, making you take a deep, frightened breath.
Cheng Sangluo didn't understand what she was afraid of. Maybe it was the fear of pushing away her lover, or the unbearable feeling of having her hard-won habit of being together suddenly broken.
Unconsciously, she stepped one foot into the sunlight. Her hesitation stemmed from constantly telling herself not to waver, but the fear of not seeing Lin Jin's emotions pushed her forward, so she took another step forward, followed closely by him.
She hurriedly walked to the door and saw Lin Jin standing in the stairwell not far away. Her inexplicably choked throat calmed down a little.
Lin Jin seemed to hear the noise and turned around to look at her, then hung up the phone. "You go home first, I have something to take care of."
"I'll go with you." Cheng Sangluo's words reflected her heart; it was an instinctive desire to follow. To make herself seem more natural, she added, "I promised to go with you today."
Lin Jin hesitated for a moment while holding the phone, but seeing how insistent the puppy was, she didn't object anymore. "Okay."
*
Good evening, viewers. Welcome to our evening financial news program.
Today's headline focuses on Zhouhai Linshi Group, which officially went public today with an issue price of 68.88 yuan per share. The stock immediately hit its daily limit up, pushing its market capitalization above 10 billion yuan, making it one of the most anticipated tech IPOs of the year.
'Drip—drip—drip—'
The voices of financial news broadcasts, along with the sounds of the vital signs monitor, created a brief moment of noise in the quiet ward.
Lin Jin sat sideways on the sofa, her fingertips tapping rhythmically on the armrest.
The planning had been fraught with twists and turns, outlasting Old Master Lin, and finally leading to the listing of the Lin Group. She only needed to add one more spark to lure Lin Sheng into her carefully crafted scheme, but for some reason, she didn't feel happy.
After reading the news about the Lin Group, she put the tablet aside, got up and walked to the bedside, looking down at the unconscious Sheng He.
Sheng He's injuries were very serious, but fortunately he survived.
He leaped down the cliff, only to be stopped several times by layers of dense bushes, which did cushion his fall. However, when he landed, his back hit a rock, and he rolled a considerable distance down the mountainside, sustaining numerous fractures.
He endured the excruciating pain, dragging his battered body, clinging to his last breath, and hid in a pile of rocks, managing to call Lin Jin for help before losing consciousness.
Lin Jin stared at Sheng He's face, which was scratched by branches and leaves, and never before had she faced their relationship so directly.
Logically speaking, they should be enemies who can never forgive each other. If it weren't for Sheng He's father that night, how could her mother have fallen off the cliff?
She suddenly recalled the scene when she first met Sheng He.
Cheng Sangluo carried the thermos into the ward. Seeing Lin Jin staring intently at the person on the bed, she couldn't bear to disturb her and could only gently place the food container on the bedside table.
"The first time I met Sheng He was in a deserted old village on the outskirts of the city. Back then, he had a full beard, carried a basket of firewood that was several heads taller than himself, and stood on a bare hillside with a simple and honest smile. He was completely different from his current appearance in a suit and tie." Lin Jin did not turn her head to look at Cheng Sangluo, and her opening remarks were quite abrupt.
Cheng Sangluo didn't say anything, but pulled up a chair and held her shoulders so that she could sit comfortably.
Lin Jin raised her hand and placed it on the back of Cheng Sangluo's hand, still looking straight at Sheng He, who was wearing an oxygen mask. "Actually, Sheng He was also a soldier. You should be able to feel the difference in his temperament, right?"
Cheng Sangluo had noticed Sheng He's appearance before, especially his pair of dumpling ears, which were a symbol of a ruthless person who could fight and withstand attacks.
She originally thought Sheng He was just Lin Jin's bodyguard assistant, at most a thug with rich fighting experience, but she never expected that he was also a soldier.
Lin Jin changed the subject abruptly, asking a somewhat strange question: "Do you know what the similarities are between the 'Sheng' in Lin Sheng's name and the 'Sheng' in Sheng He's name?"
Cheng Sangluo pondered for a moment, but couldn't think of anything that could be so strange about the relationship between the two, so she shook her head slightly and said, "I don't quite understand what you mean."
Lin Jin suddenly looked up at Cheng Sangluo and revealed a shocking secret: "They are half-brothers, in other words, he is also Ruan Jinxian's son."
[Author's Note]
1. My pre-order novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for collection.
2. Forgive my recent laziness. I always felt that no one would read this article, so I just left it to languish. I'm guilty, I kowtow.
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