Chapter 173: Extra Chapter 19: Hold Me Tight, Kiss Me, and Say You Love Me
Ciyun Cemetery is not large, occupying only two hilltops, but this area is an excellent feng shui site. Most of the people buried here are prominent figures in Zhouhai, as well as powerful families. Among them, the relatives and collateral relatives of the Lin family are buried here, as if they were bound together in life and must be clustered together in death.
Lin Jin had only a bunch of plump white chrysanthemums in his arms. He was explaining the family history to Cheng Sangluo, and at the end he did not forget to make a sarcastic remark: "Maybe they are afraid that the ancestors will be lonely, so they all gather here. It is not a bad choice. At least they will not be missing a corner when playing mahjong down there."
Cheng Sangluo had been listening attentively, but was amused by the lame joke and burst into laughter. She then wondered, "Logically speaking, your Lin family is such a large clan, with its own ancestral hall and extensive cemeteries. How come in your generation, without any illness or disaster, the number of members has dwindled to such a low level?"
"What's so surprising about this?" Lin Jin took her hand and led her to a side road at the fork in the road. "I think it's retribution."
"Retribution?" Cheng Sangluo raised her eyebrows, curious. "What do you mean by that?"
“No matter how capable Ruan Jinxian is, she wouldn’t be so bold as to openly hire someone to kill. My mother’s death is inextricably linked to Lin Zhen. Isn’t this retribution?” Lin Jin’s expression became extremely desolate as she mentioned the past, as if she was still feeling sad about her mother’s tragic death.
She happened to walk up to her mother's tombstone. She raised her eyebrows, as if trying to compose herself, before quickly putting on a gentle smile.
She leaned down and placed the white chrysanthemum in front of the tombstone, then gently stroked her mother's portrait with her palm, and began to speak to herself: "Actually, right after we got our marriage certificate, I wanted to bring you here to meet her."
That gentle tone, carried by the damp, cold wind, suddenly vanished into the quiet cemetery.
Lin Jin had been looking forward to a quiet conversation with Cheng Sangluo, but after a long time without a response, he turned around to see what she was doing.
Upon seeing this, she felt she wanted to laugh but dared not, and wanted to make a few jokes but felt it was really inappropriate.
Cheng Sangluo was kneeling on the ground, kowtowing three times to the tombstone, muttering, "I didn't know Lin Jin brought me to see you. I came empty-handed for the first time, which makes me seem so ignorant! I should have bought incense, candles, and paper money. I would have offered you everything on New Year's Day. Please don't scold me, Mom. I was wrong."
This kid, he calls "Mom" so fluently.
Lin Jin quickly grabbed the dog by the back of its collar and struggled to pull it up, both amused and exasperated: "What are you doing?"
Cheng Sangluo struggled to get up, grinning foolishly: "Of course we have to perform a grand ceremony when meeting the parents for the first time. That's how it's always been during our village's ancestral rites."
Lin Jin laughed at her honesty, then bent down to brush the dust off her trousers, comforting her, "You're such a good girl, Mother will definitely like you. Maybe she'll even appear in my dream tonight and say: 'Little Jin, this girl is good. It's better for you two to have a good life together than anything else~'"
Cheng Sangluo was stunned for a moment, then quickly imitated his wife's tone playfully: "Then she should have appeared in my dream. She would definitely say: 'Little Cheng, you must take good care of Xiao Jin. She has a bad temper, so you have to be more tolerant of her.'"
"Hey, you think I have a bad temper?" Lin Jin protested, pinching the puppy's cheek. "You've got some nerve, haven't you? Daring to criticize me in front of my mom?"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch—it hurts!" Cheng Sangluo grimaced in pain, begging for mercy: "You are the best wife in the world, how could I dare to complain about my good fortune, right!"
After some playful banter, Lin Jin composed herself and said, "You stay here and chat with Mother for a while. I'm going to see Lin Zhen."
"Huh?" Cheng Sangluo saw his wife about to leave and quickly grabbed her arm, not wanting her to face that awful person alone, so he whispered, "I'll go with you."
"No need." Lin Jin refused lightly, but seeing that Da Ke'ai wouldn't let go, she patiently explained, "It's time to settle this grudge. I want to keep the appointment alone. Be good, I'll be back soon."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade her otherwise, Cheng Sangluo had no choice but to give up and said, "Fine, if you're not back in twenty minutes, I'll go and beat you up."
"I suggest you stay here peacefully. You should at least show your determination to my mother or something, right?"
Having said that, Lin Jin, not wanting to waste too much time, turned and headed towards the Lin family cemetery.
Her frail figure appeared and disappeared among the withered pine forest, the wind blowing from the valley stirring up a desolate chill, emitting a hoarse lament amidst the heavy stone tablets.
After Lin Zhen passed away, she visited him at the Future Cemetery and did not attend the grand and pretentious funeral, because she despised the lavish funeral surrounded by relatives and did not want to see this so-called father off on his final journey.
Today is different. Today is a day to celebrate. People cheer to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new, while she celebrates the moment when the seven-year-long chess game has finally come to a complete end.
Sending Lin Sheng and Ruan Jinxian to prison, destroying and rebuilding the Lin Group, and smashing and burning the ancestral home and ancestral hall—none of these were Lin Jin's ultimate goals.
At this moment, she had her hands in her pockets, staring intently at Lin Zhen's tombstone with her usual disdainful gaze, as if everything else were dust.
After a silent gaze, she broke into a radiant smile, as if spring had just arrived.
She arrived before her father on time with an outstanding answer sheet, which was her ultimate goal.
Lin Zhen's tomb is very impressive. His life story is engraved on a high-quality marble stele, as if to remind future generations of his outstanding life. There are even stone benches and tables for visitors to rest on.
Lin Jin let out a soft sigh and sat down on the stone bench.
She crossed her legs and swayed slowly on her tiptoes, her tone slow as she spoke, "The Lin Group will soon be gone, and your proud century-old family business is also falling apart."
so...
Are you satisfied with the results of your "breeding poison" style of education?
It's ridiculous. You think you can salvage the Lin family's foundation by throwing me a betting agreement before you die?
When you overestimated Lin Sheng and underestimated me, it was already destined that we would end up like this. You're so good at scheming, how could you not have predicted the outcome?
Don't blame me for forgetting my ancestors and family, and don't blame me for being heartless. The one who destroyed all of this is your son, whom you raised with such elite education.
But it doesn't matter. Your eldest son will go down to join you in the near future. As for Ruan Jinxian, she will naturally live a conscious life in the world. She must experience the bitterness of losing her family and being destitute in her old age before she can go to the underworld to join you.
I am very satisfied with the ending of your family of three, so let the Lin family's story end here.
As the saying goes, a person dies twice: once physically and once forgotten. This is my first time seeing you, and naturally there will be no next time. Just lie here quietly, and time will slowly wither your existence away.
Lin Zhen, farewell.
*
The city is incredibly noisy tonight. As dusk approaches, the neon lights have already set off a festive atmosphere for the New Year's Eve celebrations.
Shopping districts of all sizes were packed with people, and even restaurants that were usually quiet were now full of customers.
The young couple cancelled their plans to dine out and instead bought plenty of ingredients at the supermarket, deciding to return to their hillside villa for a quiet New Year's Eve.
After parking the Bentley in the garage, Cheng Sangluo did not get out of the car.
She held the steering wheel with one hand, turned to look at the sleeping Lin Jin, and couldn't help but gently tug at the coat covering her lover.
She deliberately made her approach very softly, and even slowed her breathing a little.
In her eyes, Lin Jin seemed to have not slept so soundly in a long time. Her relaxed brows exuded a tranquil ease, and she did not seem uncomfortable leaning against the window.
She traced her lover's delicate features with her gaze, wanting to give him a light kiss, but afraid of disturbing his sweet dreams, she could only suppress her love and gaze at him silently.
Happiness is actually very simple. It doesn't require exaggerated language or ambiguous physical entanglements. Just looking at each other can generate a continuous sense of satisfaction.
Cheng Sangluo happens to be an easily satisfied person, so a deeply affectionate gaze is the happiness she desires.
Love is a natural filter; it always amplifies the good and hides the bad.
She was mesmerized, secretly marveling at how beautiful her wife was, and longing to touch her sharply defined face with her fingertips.
Seemingly sensing that the car was no longer bumpy, Lin Jin frowned slightly, squinted her eyes, and wondered where she was.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the puppy close to his face. He stretched out his arm and wrapped it tightly around the neck of the person in front of him, smiling lazily: "Have we arrived?"
Cheng Sangluo sighed softly and said gently, "If you're still sleepy, I'll carry you back to the bedroom for a nap, okay?"
Lin Jin buried her face in her neck and said in a muffled, coquettish voice, "No, I just want to hug you right now."
"Okay, hug." Cheng Sangluo's arms were still so strong, and she held her beloved delicately with one hand. She sighed, "You are sleeping so soundly. I don't want to wake you up, but I haven't eaten much all day, and I don't want you to go hungry."
"I'm a little hungry." Lin Jin lifted her chin and gently nuzzled her chin with her nose. "Can I eat some puppy?"
Cheng Sangluo laughed at her unintentional teasing, which always carried a powerful and lethal force. She could only nod repeatedly in agreement: "However you want to eat it, I'm proficient in frying, boiling, steaming, and deep-frying."
Lin Jin hooked her tie around her fingertips a few times, and ordered in a soft, sweet voice: "I like sashimi~"
"Oh~ you want to eat puppy sashimi~" Cheng Sangluo understood, rubbing her lover's ear cartilage and coaxing her with a smile: "This late-night snack has to be saved until 11 pm tonight. It's the grand finale dish. Wife, please wait patiently."
"Mmm..." Lin Jin's heart trembled from the tantalizing kiss, and she couldn't help but let out a short sigh. She then turned her head and bit her lover's lip. "Looks like you have a surprise for me tonight?"
"Of course!" Cheng Sangluo nodded firmly, guaranteeing, "This is our first New Year's Eve, if I don't prepare something special to make you happy, it would seem like I'm not caring at all..."
Seeing Lin Jin's tired face, she paused for a moment, thinking about how she had been running around all day and how exhausting it would be tonight. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her wife's thinness. "Come on, I'll go to the kitchen to prepare dinner. You go back to the bedroom and catch up on some sleep. I'll wake you up when dinner is ready."
Lin Jin tilted her head, scrutinizing the earnest-looking puppy, then suddenly realized what she was thinking. She playfully tapped the puppy's nose, teasingly asking, "Why are you keeping urging me to go back to my room to sleep? Oh~ does someone perhaps want to... tonight?"
Being exposed at a glance, Cheng Sangluo's face instantly flushed red. She quickly raised her hand to touch the tip of her nose, and her gaze became unsteady.
She wondered how many tricks this woman had up her sleeve, how she could be seen through so easily.
"I was just worried about you dealing with the Lin family's affairs all day, you didn't even have time to eat..." The puppy vehemently denied it, sitting up straight again and stammering, "N-no, I didn't mean what you thought... I didn't have any ill intentions like you thought..."
"Hmph, you ungrateful bastard, did I say you had ulterior motives?" Lin Jin exposed their affectionate little scheme, but not wanting to be left empty-handed, with a piece of tie still wrapped in his hand, he pulled it forcefully in front of him. "Did I say you've had enough of hugging? Did I give you permission to leave? Come back."
Cheng Sangluo's sulking lasted only a second before he smiled ingratiatingly and moved closer to his wife again: "Wife~ I love you so much~ Sometimes I feel like it's inappropriate for me to be so clingy, but I just can't help wanting to stay close to you all the time, what should I do?"
Lin Jin was branding a strawberry on her neck when she heard this sweet and soft declaration of love. She couldn't help but smile and her pearly teeth secretly added a little more force, leaving deep red teeth marks on her wheat-colored skin.
She stroked her masterpiece, temptingly saying, "When you want to hug, hug without reservation; when you want to kiss, don't miss a second; when you want to say 'I love you'..."
As she spoke, she placed her hands on Cheng Sangluo's shoulders, letting her gaze merge into her lover's eyes, her lips, breathing heavily, drawing ever closer with each word.
It turns out that love can truly be like rich, unmelting chocolate, and it can also be something that is always fresh and new.
Their gazes met, creating a deep and intimate atmosphere. Their breaths caught in their throats, and their heartbeats seemed to lose their rhythm. In the cramped carriage, their eyes and brows overflowed with love.
"And then? What should I do?" Cheng Sangluo suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and slowly leaned closer, humbly asking for guidance: "Teach me... please..."
Lin Jin suddenly stopped approaching, enticing the puppy, its eyes brimming with rosy hues, to come closer to her. "You should hug me tightly right now, kiss me hard... and tell me you love me..."
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