As everyone knows, Lin Heng hates anything fluffy.

It’s not that he’s a chauvinist and thinks liking cute, soft things would hurt his image as a domineering CEO.

He just has a slight allergy to plush items.

On top of that, Lin Heng has some OCD tendencies.

His suits are always perfectly pressed, not a single extra crease, and he has a very sterile vibe, almost devoid of any human warmth.

— He was born to do (print) big (money) things!

Penguin chicks and Lin Heng?

Hmph.

Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, while Lin Heng lives in the Northern Hemisphere.

Moreover, penguins will always remain out of Lin Heng’s sight and reach, and there’s a reason for that.

Lin Heng’s face looked grim.

Shang Xinglu secretly laughed in her heart.

Lin Heng didn’t say whether it was good or bad. Instead, he told the servant behind him, “I want a strawberry cream cake.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Shang Xinglu shrugged her shoulders.

Was he going to throw the strawberry cream cake in her face and tell her that she was overthinking things?!

Clearly, coffee, orange juice, or plain water could have had the same effect.

It turned out Shang Xinglu had been overthinking.

Lin Heng wanted the cake for eating.

He took one bite after another, finishing the cake before getting another piece.

His expression subtly relaxed.

Soon, though, he remembered something irritating, like the penguin chicks, and his brow furrowed again.

Shang Xinglu blinked, and only then did she remember that Marilyn had told her this morning that Lin Heng loved sweets.

PS. He really loved them.

…So, was he eating the sweets to calm himself down?

Shang Xinglu dared not speculate on his “royal intent” and, after devouring two pieces of cake at lightning speed, Lin Heng finally spoke.

He said, “Are you interested in the resort project that Runyu is about to launch?”

Runyu is a listed company, with many diversified projects, listed on the US stock market.

The Lin family is the largest shareholder, and the chairman is Lin Heng’s father, Mr. Lin Maoxian.

— This was all introduced in the original text.

So Shang Xinglu knew about it.

But she quickly became confused and dazed.

Shang Xinglu: “What are you talking about?”

Lin Heng: “The resort was planned last year and is still in the preparation phase. It covers five zones, one of which is an oceanarium. Aren’t you interested in that?”

His tone and expression seemed to suggest: If you’re not interested in that, are you really only interested in penguin chicks???

Shang Xinglu, with her vase-like face, clueless and utterly unhelpful, said, “Isn’t that the case? How could I be interested in business projects? I’m only interested in penguin chicks.”

Lin Heng: “…”

Lin Heng began to reflect.

He had made the same mistake again—misjudging Shang Xinglu and overestimating the gap between humans and apes, the distance being roughly the radius of the Earth!

Then Shang Xinglu shamelessly lied, “I want to raise penguins!”

Lin Heng: “…”

Shang Xinglu: “I really want to raise penguins!!!”

Lin Heng: “…………”

He felt like saying, “I see you’re aiming for the sky.”

But he knew if he said that, Shang Xinglu’s next response would probably be, “Okay, okay, then I’ll go play in space.”

It was… hopeless.

The despair of the communication gap between humans and apes.

However, Lin Heng was someone with a rich inner world, but he rarely expressed himself.

After some thought, he decided to hold back.

What he said was, “Let’s discuss it next time.”

Such a calm response made Shang Xinglu unsure whether they should continue the topic.

After all, since Lin Heng wasn’t angry, what more could she say to him?

They continued eating breakfast, each with their own thoughts.

Shang Xinglu, not content with the silence, started acting up again.

She glanced around and said, “Yesterday, at the cocktail party, Shi Rui was bragging that her husband bought her a new yacht.”

Then she fell silent.

To be honest, since graduating from college, she hadn’t asked her parents for money.

She had been independent for many years, and although supporting herself was difficult, suddenly asking some rich, handsome stranger for money felt like… a lot of pressure.

Shang Xinglu quickly did some mental preparation.

Who was she now?

Mrs. Lin.

And with one adjective added: soon-to-be-divorced Mrs. Lin.

Has anyone ever seen a couple about to divorce still living together?

She couldn’t let Lin Heng be disappointed in her!!!

Shang Xinglu said, “I want to buy one too, should I ask for some pocket money?”

Lin Heng was very generous. “How much do you want?”

Greedy vase-like thoughts ran through her mind: fifty million, just buy a private jet. But she was too virtuous and good, so she said instead, “…Five million.”

Lin Heng gave her a measuring look.

Then, he said nothing.

Shang Xinglu was absolutely fed up with this silent man!

But after all, when asking others for money, Shang Xinglu, from her body to her heart to her aura, was far inferior to him.

She trembled as she extended two fingers.

“How about… a discount? Two and a half million would work…”

Lin Heng furrowed his brows this time.

Shang Xinglu glanced at him, quickly withdrew her gaze, then cautiously looked at him again, still deciding to stick to her plan.

She pretended to not care, though she was secretly feeling small as she said, “If that doesn’t work… fifty, fifty million would be fine…”

She hesitated and dared not look at the person offering the money.

She heard Lin Heng sigh.

That made her feel even more small!

The situation felt like when she was in school, and the teacher, who she was worst at the subject with, called her up to the board to solve a problem.

After finishing, her heart raced with uncertainty, but the teacher wouldn’t confirm if she got it right or wrong, only sighing as if to say, “You still can’t do such an easy problem? I’ve explained this already!”

Shang Xinglu, irritated, glared at him.

Lin Heng was even more impatient.

He finally spoke, “Fifty million…”

What was this, huh? As a domineering CEO, he was being so stingy? No wonder he couldn’t win over Yin Yao!

Lin Heng said, “Any of your cards can handle fifty million. Who do you think you’re underestimating?”

Shang Xinglu: …

Lin Heng looked at her with disdain, letting out another sigh.

Shang Xinglu: …

… Huh???

In the end, after finishing his breakfast, Lin Heng left a check for ten million, saying, “Feel free to buy some jewelry, clothes, or bags you like. Don’t worry about Yunshi or your brother’s issues. I think you’re under a lot of pressure.”

Shang Xinglu quickly counted the zeros on the check.

… Huh?!

No one can stop her from changing her last name to Lin! From today on, she officially declares Lin Heng as her father!

She hadn’t even finished her breakfast, but staring at the zeros on the check was enough to fill her up.

Marilyn came to her side, saying, “Madam, why do you keep triggering Mr. Lin’s temper? First, Yunshi’s stock price fluctuated, then you angered your mother-in-law, who used to care for you. Now rumors are spreading that you have no one supporting you at home, and that Mr. Lin wants to divorce you.”

Marilyn thought her madam was being very strange.

In the past, they had called it free-spirited; now, it seemed like reckless behavior.

Though she had become more restrained lately, why did it feel like she was trying to upset Mr. Lin every day?

She couldn’t help but worry about her.

Marilyn spoke earnestly, “You signed a prenuptial agreement before, so even if you go to court, alimony won’t be much. Yunshi is struggling right now… Didn’t you say you wanted to keep Mr. Lin close starting from now?”

Oh, so not keeping Lin Heng’s heart, but keeping him physically close—looks like Mrs. Lin was quite self-aware, Shang Xinglu thought.

“But I can see Mr. Lin cares about you. He’s really tolerant with you. Madam, please cheer up and work on your relationship with him.”

Marilyn didn’t know all the thoughts Shang Xinglu had in her mind and, “having a narrow perspective,” thought a few billion in alimony would already be a victory for the divorced wife.

She continued asking, “So madam, what are you doing today? Actually, your cooking’s not bad.”

She was clearly hinting that Shang Xinglu should prepare a loving wife’s lunch.

Shang Xinglu smiled.

First, she smiled at the ten million check, then smiled at Marilyn.

Marilyn thought, “Madam must be having a breakthrough!”

The next moment, Shang Xinglu said, “Let’s dress up nicely today. We’re going to…”

She blurted out not “Runyu,” but—”Huanlongshi!”

Marilyn: …

Marilyn’s eyes became deadpan, as if saying, “Hah, woman, No zuo no die, why you try?”

Actually, Shang Xinglu wasn’t going to Huanlongshi to celebrate or to get herself in trouble; she was going to find Xiao Zai.

This little brat really had no credit.

If she didn’t settle this score, she would… she would…

Make President Lin write his name backward!

That was the plan. On the way to the beauty salon, Shang Xinglu received a call from Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang had been helping the Shang family for a long time and had often taken care of Shang Xinglu when she was young.

She had a high status in the Shang family.

On the phone, Aunt Wang told Shang Xinglu that Shang Xingyu was upset because his girlfriend suddenly broke up with him.

During the breakup, Jian Xi had said many unpleasant things, and Shang Xingyu later heard from friends that she had already found someone new.

Shang Xingyu, unable to accept it, knew Jian Xi was introduced to her current partner through the party Shang Xinglu had taken her to.

Shang Xingyu felt double-crossed, so he locked himself in his room and refused to go to work.

Aunt Wang also mentioned that Yunshi called and said that today, a company from the U.S. they were collaborating with would have a video conference.

For the sake of showing respect, the Shang family had to send someone to attend.

Shang father and mother were both out of town for work and very busy.

Since this meeting wasn’t about making decisions, it had been agreed that Shang Xingyu would attend.

But who knew this little brat would ditch at the last moment because of some love drama?

Aunt Wang said, “You know how to handle the young master. Please come back and talk to him. It’s bad if he delays the important business.”

Yes, yes, the family can’t go bankrupt, and I definitely don’t want to use the alimony to pay off debts.

Shang Xinglu nodded vigorously.

She asked, “When does the meeting start? Which company is attending? Can’t we reschedule it? I’m worried Shang Xingyu might be too stubborn.”

Aunt Wang said, “Uh, I’m not sure about these things…” her tone anxious, “It seems to be something called Stark… Group, or Stark Industries?”

Shang Xinglu: …

Here it comes!

Another Tony Stark!

Where’s “Exclusive Love: The CEO’s Starry Little Wife”? Why is Manbi out again?!!!