Chapter 25

Lu Yi was momentarily stunned. Once she regained her composure, she exchanged polite handshakes with the others.

One of them complimented her beauty, saying that she and Lin Jinshen made a great match. They also mentioned that Lin Jinshen had spoken about her before, saying that the two of them were polar opposites—she worked in the arts, which was very different from his field.

He had talked about her?

Lu Yi turned to glance at him, more curious than surprised.

Lin Jinshen’s expression remained calm as he explained, “A harmonious family indicates low risk and greater stability.”

“Oh.”

She realized this was simply a professional consideration.

Lin Jinshen introduced Lu Yi again, emphasizing her role as a curator and mentioning the two exhibitions she was responsible for, both of which had intriguing themes. He admitted he didn’t know much about art and relied on her explanations.

His tone was measured and composed. Everything he said was truthful, without embellishment, yet there was an unmistakable hint of marital affection in his words.

After some light conversation, the group prepared to head upstairs.

Lin Jinshen, aware that Lu Yi had come with her friends and wouldn’t enjoy business functions, instructed his subordinates to take the team ahead while he stayed behind to greet Lu Yi’s friends.

Though he wasn’t particularly warm by nature, he made an effort out of consideration for Lu Yi.

“My wife is in your hands.”

“Mr. Lin, you’re too polite. We’ve been good friends for years. We’ll make sure Lu Yi is returned to you in one piece.”

“Thank you.”

Lin Jinshen’s gaze shifted, locking eyes briefly with Wu Sidong, who stood nearby. His eyes were cold and indifferent, a stark reminder of the events from the previous night. Wu Sidong suddenly felt a pang of guilt, as though he were a guilty party caught red-handed. His smile stiffened.

Heavens knew that he and Lu Yi were entirely innocent.

“You all have fun. Put everything on my tab,” Lin Jinshen said, before turning to Lu Yi. “I’ll take my leave now.”

“Okay,” Lu Yi nodded.

As he took a step forward, he paused, leaned slightly closer, and said softly, “Drink less.”

It was just a casual reminder, but Lu Yi couldn’t help feeling it was a veiled reference to that night when she had drunk too much and lost control. She bit her lip lightly, a faint blush creeping onto her face.

“Hmm.”

Her friends were collectively stunned.

Moments ago, they had been venting their frustrations over Lin Jinshen’s perceived indifference toward Lu Yi. But now, he had come down personally, with a group in tow, to greet her friends. It wasn’t indifference—it was attentiveness.

Yu Yin, who had always been critical of Lin Jinshen, was especially taken aback. She had complained about his cold demeanor, their first meeting at a hotel exhibition, and even how they had taken time out of a workday to get their marriage license—all of which seemed to indicate his attitude toward the marriage.

But now, her opinion seemed to shift.

Not only had Lin Jinshen introduced Lu Yi’s identity, but he also naturally mentioned her profession and spoke briefly about the exhibitions she had curated. For one of them, he even knew more details than Yu Yin herself, suggesting he had visited the event in person.

This was not the Lin Jinshen Yu Yin had imagined.

It seemed he genuinely respected Lu Yi and their marriage.

After Lin Jinshen left, the friends returned to their seats. Wu Sidong clutched a cushion and quipped, “Mr. Lin’s gaze felt like he was interrogating a criminal. When he glanced my way, I suddenly felt like confessing.”

“What crime would you confess to?”

“Being too handsome. Why else would Mr. Lin be so jealous of me?”

“Get lost!”

“Shameless.”

“…”

Lu Yi was still recovering from the unexpected encounter. The residual warmth on her waist only fueled her wandering thoughts.

Noticing Lu Yi spacing out, Yu Yin nudged her and said awkwardly, “I take back what I said earlier. If you chose him, it must mean he has his strengths.”

“I’ll cut back on criticizing him. Honestly, you two looked quite matched just now.”

They did look good together.

Lin Jinshen’s tall stature and composed, mature demeanor complemented Lu Yi’s gentle and cool elegance. Their appearances and temperaments were equally pleasing.

Lu Yi snapped out of her thoughts and chuckled, “Just one moment, and you’ve switched sides?”

“I call it skepticism followed by affirmation. If I blindly judged, wouldn’t that reflect poorly on me?”

“You just realized you have issues?” Wu Sidong teased.

At that moment, a server arrived with a tray of drinks, setting several glasses of juice on the table.

“Did they bring it to the wrong table? We didn’t order this,” Wu Sidong asked, raising an eyebrow. He had only ordered alcohol.

The server smiled. “There’s no mistake. Mr. Lin ordered these for you.”

“More drinks are still being prepared.”

Yu Yin frowned. “There’s more?”

“Yes. Mr. Lin requested one of each non-alcoholic beverage available,” the server replied with a professional smile before heading back to the bar.

Lu Yi: “…”

Even if she didn’t drink alcohol, there was no way she could finish all this.

“Wow, ordering everything on the menu. What’s he trying to do? Leave us a tab and some dog food too?” Yu Yin couldn’t hold back her laughter.

She teased, “Lu Yi, maybe you should go sit at the kids’ table. I don’t think there’s enough space for all these drinks.”

“Marriage is great, isn’t it? Someone actually cares enough to stop you from drinking.”

Lu Yi sighed, covering her forehead as she picked a glass of orange juice. “Let’s change the subject.”

“How about you tell us what really happened that night for him to remind you so pointedly not to drink today?” Wu Sidong, now in full dramatic mode, clasped his hands over his stomach and imitated Lu Yi’s voice. “Next time, come over when my husband isn’t home.”

“Guess what? Let’s plan to meet again next time, just the two of us.”

“…”

The group burst into laughter.

Only Lu Yi knew that what they were joking about was the least significant part of that night. She quietly sipped her orange juice, only to frown and examine the glass suspiciously. Was there alcohol in it?

The server made three trips to deliver everything Lin Jinshen had ordered.

The table was overflowing with drinks, drawing amused glances from the people around them, who assumed they were playing some new game.

Lu Yi couldn’t bear to look. She snapped a photo and sent it to Lin Jinshen to show him the result of his casual remark.

She messaged: [So much of this is going to go to waste.]

A few minutes later, Lin Jinshen replied: [If it keeps you from drinking, it’s not a waste.]

Lu Yi: […]

She wasn’t a heavy drinker.

Lin Jinshen sent another message: [.]

That single punctuation mark signaled the end of the conversation.

Lu Yi stared at it, frowning and closing her eyes. She suspected he had done it on purpose.

By nine o’clock, Lu Yi checked the time and decided to leave. She had been keeping an eye on the clock ever since Lin Jinshen arrived. It was better to leave early and avoid any complications once his evening ended.

“Leaving so soon?”

“We live in the same city. There’s plenty of time, not just today.” Lu Yi was firm, grabbing her bag and standing up. “See you next time.”

“Alright, travel safe. Call us when you get home.”

As Lu Yi stepped out of the club, the night wind carried lingering traces of the day’s heat, matching the restless unease simmering within her.

Her car was parked just two minutes away.

The street at nine was dim and quiet, its coolness contrasting with the brightly lit Tang Palace in the distance. The scene looked like the faded edges of a once-vivid painting.

In front of the parking spot where Lu Yi’s car was parked, she saw a familiar license plate—it was her own car. She thought it was too much of a coincidence, but then Lin Jinshen stepped out of the vehicle.

Her first instinct was to turn around and leave. The car could stay there; she could retrieve it anytime.

Before she could take a step, Lin Jinshen called out to her.

Maintaining a calm demeanor, even feigning a bit of surprise, Lu Yi walked over, clutching the strap of her bag tightly. She tried to sound as natural as possible. “You’re done with your event already?”

She hadn’t seen him leave the building.

“No,” Lin Jinshen replied as he closed the car door. The dense darkness of the night made his profile even more defined.

“Then why are you here?” Lu Yi asked, confused.

“Because if I waited any longer, someone might try to slip away,” he said in an even tone. When Jiang Xun had passed along the message earlier, he already knew Lu Yi was avoiding him. Even her excuse for not returning home had been clumsy.

Then, seeing her at Tang Palace and noticing her deliberate avoidance of eye contact further confirmed his suspicion.

Lu Yi understood what he was implying, but she wasn’t the only one reluctant to confront things. She countered, “Weren’t you staying at the hotel for a week?”

“The first night, yes. But the following days were for work. There’s no reason for me to lie about that,” Lin Jinshen said honestly. At first, he’d felt a little out of place, but they were married, and what had happened that night wasn’t entirely out of line.

Lu Yi, with her thin skin, felt her face heat up slightly, though she wasn’t sure if it was due to the weather or something else.

Lin Jinshen continued, “That’s why I think we need to talk.”

He was right—they couldn’t just stay awkward like this forever.

“Car keys,” he said.

“Mine?” Lu Yi pulled the keys from her bag and handed them over.

The driver took the keys, walked past the Bentley, and got into the Mini parked in front.

Lin Jinshen opened the Bentley’s passenger-side door and gestured for her to get in. “Tonight, I’ll be your driver.”

His demeanor was calm and composed, not a hint of impropriety—just a gentleman.

Lu Yi took a deep breath and stepped forward. Once she was seated, Lin Jinshen closed the door, walked around the car, and got into the driver’s seat.

The car didn’t move immediately. The air conditioning inside was set to a comfortable level. Leaning back against the seat, Lu Yi decided to take the initiative. “Let’s do this—let’s just forget about what happened that night. Pretend it never happened.”

Her tone was stiff and formal, as if reciting a clause from a contract.

Lin Jinshen’s hand rested on the steering wheel, his knuckles prominent. As she spoke, fragmented memories of that night flashed through his mind.

Lu Yi continued, “We were both not ourselves that night. I had too much to drink, and you had a fever. Neither of us was in a clear state of mind, which led to us doing… irrational things and saying some… unpleasant things.”

“From now on, let’s forget everything and go back to how things were before.”

After a moment of silence, Lin Jinshen looked at her and asked, “Are you sure you can forget?”

That was nothing more than self-deception—both of them knew it, yet they were trying to maintain the facade.

“I’ll try my best,” Lu Yi replied.

“Sorry, I can’t,” Lin Jinshen said evenly. “I may be two years older than you, but I’m still far from senility.”