The little cow and puppy made Marilyn take another car back.

Shang Xinglu, on the other hand, was with Lin Heng.

They pretended as if nothing had happened during the ride.

Soon after getting home, a servant came to inform them that dinner was ready.

Tonight’s dinner was in Chinese style.

Just the two of them, five dishes and a soup, plus a dessert. It looked like a lot, but the portions were small, just enough for two people.

This was also a rare opportunity for Shang Xinglu and Lin Heng to have a meal together.

The chef seemed to have been inspired, either by the previous street snack or something else, as the dinner was prepared with extra care and elegance.

Mrs. Lin had been a true gourmet, always articulate when it came to tasting and talking about food.

That was probably why she couldn’t stand dining with Lin Heng—he insisted on going to the same restaurant and ordering the same dishes every time without ever getting tired of them.

Lin Heng wasn’t picky about food at all.

He could eat anything.

As for Shang Xinglu?

She wasn’t completely non-picky.

It’s just that, aside from Mrs. Lin’s rabbit dishes, every meal served to her so far had been delicious!

One must be content.

She already had billions, and with a Michelin three-star chef on standby in the kitchen, what more could she complain about?

They ate in silence.

Lin Heng wasn’t used to talking while eating, and Shang Xinglu, if unnecessary, didn’t like to talk to him either.

It wasn’t long before they both heard a dog barking in the distance.

Even though the dog’s place was far from the dining room, the house was so quiet that even the slightest sound felt particularly loud.

Shang Xinglu glanced at Lin Heng secretly.

Lin Heng’s hand was steady as ever while picking up his food. Even hearing the dog bark didn’t make him flinch, and his face remained unchanged.

Though Lin Heng was good at pretending, earlier, he had been clearly nervous, his muscles taut. But he still didn’t show fear on his face.

This lack of expression, compared to the earlier one, had a certain shift in the atmosphere.

Shang Xinglu inferred that, as long as Lin Heng didn’t see the fluffy dog in person, he would be fine.

She suddenly felt curious about Lin Heng.

She once had a female relative who was terrified of fluffy animals. As long as it had fur, she’d stay far away.

But Lin Heng, the typical domineering CEO, in the original story was capable of doing anything—rich, good-looking, talented, and even had a connection with Yin Yao. He could solve all the female protagonist’s problems.

Yet he was afraid of fluff?

Thinking back to Lin Heng’s earlier behavior…

Ahem…

Shang Xinglu quickly turned her face away, trying to suppress a smile.

But there was still one thing bothering her.

Her female relative never allowed any pets at home.

Though Shang Xinglu hadn’t witnessed Lin Heng’s frightening side, based on their interactions, she felt Lin Heng was a tough nut to crack.

She hadn’t really planned on keeping a pet, but she never expected Lin Heng to agree so quickly…

As expected, men’s minds are like the bottom of the sea—impossible to fathom.

However, hearing the dog barking, Lin Heng was the first to break the silence, asking, “Have you thought of a name for the dog?”

“I have. It’s a meaningful name, symbolizing good fortune,” Shang Xinglu said proudly.

“Mhm, tell me about it,” Lin Heng replied.

Shang Xinglu, very satisfied with herself, said, “It’s called—Wang Cai.”

Lin Heng: “…”

The dining room fell into silence.

Not just Lin Heng, but even the servants who were usually quiet, fell silent as well.

The atmosphere was suffocating.

Shang Xinglu, not yet fully evolved into the “blunt” type, asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You can name it whatever you want,” Lin Heng said, continuing to eat as if nothing had happened.

His nonchalance made Shang Xinglu a bit upset.

Why was Lin Heng being so “casual” about this?

She knew what Lin Heng liked and disliked. She had thoroughly asked Marilyn about it beforehand.

Well, Marilyn focused mainly on the “dislikes” part.

Shang Xinglu thought she had been carefully testing the limits of what Lin Heng disliked.

But it seemed like she was always safe.

Shang Xinglu felt frustrated.

If she was always safe, didn’t that mean she was living within Lin Heng’s tolerance zone?

Yin Yao smiled so beautifully, with such a strong protagonist aura. What if Lin Heng never even noticed her, and their marriage was meant to end?

There was a reason she stayed in the research institute.

Because Shang Xinglu was always full of curiosity!

As a good student, she didn’t hesitate to ask questions when she didn’t understand.

“Weren’t you mildly allergic to furry animals? Why did you agree to let me get a dog?” she asked.

Lin Heng looked up.

His sharp phoenix eyes, hidden behind his glasses, scanned Shang Xinglu. It was like the gaze of an ice-cold blade.

Shang Xinglu imagined the unspoken words: You know I’m allergic, yet you insisted on getting a furry pet?

Uh…

Shang Xinglu shrank back and quickly tried to change the subject.

Lin Heng leisurely finished chewing and then spoke slowly, “I’m just curious. Why did you need to ask my permission?”

Shang Xinglu was stunned.

Why…

Did Lin Heng even need to ask why?

After all, keeping a pet was troublesome. Wasn’t it natural to ask your housemate for their opinion?

…Wait.

She thought carefully about the question.

Back to the point of pets being troublesome.

Why are they troublesome?

Because you have to scoop their poop, feed them, take them to the vet when they’re sick, they might bark or make noise, and they could take up space in your shared living area, shedding fur all over the place, and so on…

That’s why they’re troublesome.

But all these problems wouldn’t apply in their case.

Because Wang Cai would have dedicated staff to care for it, have its own room, the room could be soundproofed, and it could be kept far from Lin Heng. If they really coordinated, Lin Heng might never even see the dog.

Oh!

Why did she even need to ask Lin Heng for his opinion?

Why did she make it seem like she cared about his feelings?

Shang Xinglu: …

She had made a major class-based mistake…

But, it was fine.

Now that it was out in the open, she could immediately reduce her affection.

Did she think all those years of playing Gal games were for nothing?!

Shang Xinglu casually said, “I was just asking, but no matter if you agree or not, I’m still going to adopt it.”

“Is that so?” Lin Heng shrugged, looking casual.

So casual, it almost seemed like he didn’t believe it…

Shang Xinglu: “It was really just a casual question!”

Lin Heng calmly replied, “Hmm, I understand.”

“Really!”

“…”

Shang Xinglu didn’t want to emphasize it anymore.

Based on her years of experience with Gal games, wasn’t her performance just now the textbook example of tsundere?!

… Anyway, an emotional wound.

This round, Shang Xinglu admits defeat.

After dinner, Shang Xinglu wanted to play with Wang Cai, but was told by the servant that it was best to wait until the dog had been dewormed and received its shots before playing with it.

After taking a shower, Shang Xinglu came out, and Lin Heng was again leaning against the headboard reading.

He seemed to really like physical books.

For the past few days, Lin Heng had been staying at the Shanhai Guan, and even Shang Xinglu wouldn’t be surprised to come out of the bathroom and find him still there.

Anyway, she and Lin Heng only covered themselves with blankets and had purely casual conversations.

It seemed the rumors about men who smoke mint cigarettes being impotent were true after all.

Shang Xinglu let herself relax and prepared to sleep.

No falsehood!

Just before turning off the lights, Lin Heng suddenly remembered something and casually mentioned it.

“In two weeks, it’s my father’s sixtieth birthday. I’ve already prepared a gift, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

No, no, no, don’t even talk about worrying.

I don’t have the slightest intention of doing so…

Shang Xinglu nervously gripped the corner of her blanket.

She gave a soft reply.

The two exchanged very superficial goodnights, and the light went out.

Once the room was completely dark, Shang Xinglu’s eyes snapped open.

She had just remembered!

Two weeks without reviewing the original text, and she almost forgot.

How could she forget something so important?!

In the original story, Lin Heng developed feelings for Yin Yao during his father Lin Mao Xian’s sixtieth birthday party!

Ohhhh!!

I’ve been waiting for you!

Thank goodness I didn’t give up!

Shang Xinglu was so excited, she almost sang out loud, only to be met with Lin Heng’s disdain.

“What are you singing?”

Shang Xinglu, still with a smile in her voice, replied, “Just singing randomly.”

But in her mind, she thought, Lin Heng, impotence is not scary, as long as you’re still thinking about wanting to flirt, I’ll help you and the female lead have a happy ending for a hundred years!

As for the male lead…

What’s that?

Is it edible?

Anyone who reads romance novels knows that the female lead and the second male lead… uh, Lin Heng doesn’t even count as the second male lead…

The female lead and the Nth male lead are the real true love!

Shang Xinglu happily fell asleep.

The next morning, she woke up, still not opening her eyes.

…

Something feels off.

Did she sleep with a body pillow last night?

Soft, but not the cotton-soft, more bouncy, very resilient and nice to touch.

It felt pretty good, so Shang Xinglu rubbed it a couple of times.

Then, she opened her eyes.

— Lin Heng’s face, without glasses, in a high-definition version, appeared right in front of her.

Shang Xinglu: …

She didn’t have time to retreat back into her corner.

Lin Heng opened his eyes.

Shang Xinglu: !!!

Lin Heng didn’t even need to open his eyes to know what was happening.

After all, he had been the one “pressed down” by the ghost last night.

By the time his vision cleared, there was still a moment’s pause.

Shang Xinglu hurriedly closed her eyes again.

I must have opened my eyes wrong, I must have opened my eyes wrong, I definitely opened my eyes wrong!!!

But the feeling on my hand…

A flash of white light crossed her mind, and Shang Xinglu came up with a cheeky move.

If she pretended to sleep and casually called out another man’s name…

She thought of her contacts list, a mix of Chinese and English names.

Shang Xinglu let out a soft sound, like talking in her sleep, calling out, “Edmond…”

She cleverly avoided names starting with L or H—definitely not Lin Heng’s English name!

Shang Xinglu clenched her fist in victory.

“Hm?”

At that moment, Lin Heng, still not fully awake, spoke in his husky, sexy voice right in her ear.

Shang Xinglu: Hm???

Lin Heng seemed to observe for a moment and muttered to himself, “…Oh, it’s just sleep-talking.”

Shang Xinglu: …………

I…

You…

You actually called yourself Edmond…

Your name is Lin Heng, but your English name is Edmond!!!

Who gave you that name?! Watch me beat them to death!!!!!

Shang Xinglu froze in place, unable to move.