Shang Xinglu really went to take a cold shower.

But it wasn’t the cold water from the showerhead in the bathroom.

No, she dove straight into the cold water of the private swimming pool outside.

In a flash, she stripped off her clothes, changed into a swimsuit in five seconds, and then sprinted toward the pool with the speed of a 100-meter dash.

And then…

Splash!

A pig fell into the water.

Ahem, correction.

An elegant swan (mistakenly), jumped into the water.

Just as it happened, Marilyn was by the floor-to-ceiling window and saw the whole scene. She quickly ran outside to ask, “Madam?? What’s going on?”

Shang Xinglu wiped her face and said, “I’m just venting some extra energy!”

Marilyn: “…”

Wasn’t the Madam always complaining about how exhausted she was after work? Even if she did nothing at the office, she was constantly saying she was like a dead dog?

Extra energy?

Energy?

… Marilyn, the all-knowing assistant, couldn’t quite understand.

Meanwhile, Lin Heng came out of the room dressed, only to see… his wife had left a trail of clothes everywhere.

Including underwear.

Lin Heng: “…”

He thought about what just happened.

Lin Heng: “…………”

His male pride was seriously hurt.

Lin Heng was sure that Shang Xinglu hadn’t developed a hobby of running around naked in the house. So, he walked towards the pool, and sure enough, he saw her swimming in the water.

She was swimming fast, as though she were at a competition, really getting the adrenaline going for any sports enthusiast watching!

After a few laps, Shang Xinglu climbed out of the pool, completely exhausted.

Marilyn had prepared some cold drinks and was waiting nearby. When she saw Shang Xinglu get out, she hurried to hand her a towel and the drink.

After the sudden burst of energy, Shang Xinglu was out of breath.

She tilted her head back, gulping down half the drink in one go, and panted, “Ah, I’m so tired. I’ll definitely be sore all over tonight… Huh—!”

She froze, realizing something.

Lin Heng, dressed in just a white T-shirt and black casual pants, had come out from behind the window.

Before Lin Heng could speak, Shang Xinglu hurriedly handed the drink and towel to Marilyn, then leapt back into the water.

Lin Heng: “….”

Lin Heng stood by the pool, his forehead now full of veins!

This wasn’t even about whether he was hurt or not—it was about being seriously annoyed!!!

Lin Heng stood by the pool and said, “Let’s see how many laps you can swim.”

Shang Xinglu was equally angry.

Don’t think that just because you’ve defeated the cowardly Lin Heng, you can act all smug!

Watch as I swim 3,000 meters!

After 300 meters…

Honestly, swimming was exhausting.

Shang Xinglu couldn’t take it anymore.

She gave up her “cold bath” and swam back to the side of the pool, half her face still submerged in the water, hiding like a crab.

She was like a crab, blowing bubbles on the edge of the pool.

Lin Heng walked a few steps and squatted down in front of her.

He reached out to pull her up.

Shang Xinglu refused to take his hand, still blowing bubbles.

Lin Heng didn’t try to pull her anymore. Instead, he asked, “Why do you always run away when you see me these past few days?”

The crab-like Shang Xinglu attempted to use a highly effective “change the subject” skill.

She angrily asked, “Why did you tell your mom that I dropped the penguin in the water? Don’t you care about my face?!”

Lin Heng froze for a moment.

“I didn’t. You posted it on your WeChat moments yourself, about the penguin being sick. My mom probably just guessed, and you confirmed it.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

No, I couldn’t have been so foolish!

Just by looking at her expression, Lin Heng already knew what had happened.

So, Lin Heng got back on topic, “Why do you always run when you see me these past few days?”

Shang Xinglu wanted to say, I, Shang Daren, how could I run when I see you? It’s more like, seeing you, I run because I’m afraid of being seduced by your beauty! It’s totally different from just running away from you!

But when she thought about Lin Heng’s expression…

It seemed… it seemed a little…

A little… what’s the word?

Full of pride?

Shang Xinglu, now still lying in the water, stopped blowing bubbles. She just peered up at him with wide eyes and held her breath!

At that moment, Shang Xinglu finally realized… even though Lin Heng might be scared of fluffy things, he was still a man…

Uh, erectile dysfunction counts too.

Even if their marriage is as plastic as it gets, it’s still a marriage…

Shang Xinglu calculated this on her fingers.

If Mr. Lin didn’t cheat, didn’t look for all kinds of mistresses, sweethearts, red-faced confidantes… Oh, sorry, no brothers… then…

Hmmmm…

She might be a little inhumane.

But at this point, after consulting the stars and calculating, she realized that there’s less than a month left until the divorce deadline…

She! Can only continue this inhumane way!

Shang Xinglu poked her head out.

She said, “Do you know? Recently, in our circle, everyone’s into Buddhism. Before, we’d all fight secretly and openly, but that’s no good, no good. It’s better if we all do some facials together, drink goji berry tea, and recite scriptures, not getting angry—good for your skin and health too.”

Lin Heng figured she was just making this up.

He decided to let her continue her story.

Shang Xinglu continued, “For example, the Diamond Sutra, it’s great. Oh, don’t misunderstand, it’s not like some greasy old men using it to hook up with girls. We’re girls, we’re here for self-cultivation.”

“Look, lately, when Shang Xingyu bothers me, I don’t get angry? I don’t even curse him anymore. That means I’ve been purified from the inside out, I’ve been elevated!”

“…So, I think all this prohibition can continue, what do you think?”

Lin Heng didn’t speak for a while.

But he felt this was the worst misuse of the Diamond Sutra he had ever seen.

Then Lin Heng, expressionless, said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

…

The two tidied up, mainly Shang Xinglu tidying up, and went to the airport to pick up Lin Maoxian and Gu Wanyu.

Actually, everything was arranged by staff, but since Lin Maoxian and Gu Wanyu hadn’t come back to the country much over the years, Shang Xinglu and Lin Heng went to show their faces to show respect.

The private jet arrived on time. Even though private jets are much more comfortable than public international flights, Gu Wanyu, as a high-society lady, was a class above Shang Xinglu, the fake high-society lady.

She slept like a mess on the plane, and after getting off, she was ready to play for another 24 hours. Gu Wanyu was picky, and after a long flight, she was exhausted.

The four went to the restaurant they had booked and had a simple dinner.

During the meal, Gu Wanyu had no appetite, and her energy was low. After eating, she wanted to go back to rest.

Shang Xinglu was eagerly looking forward to Gu Wanyu returning.

There’s no such thing as a perfect mother-in-law, and from Shang Xinglu’s experience with Gu Wanyu during their time in New York, she knew that if Gu Wanyu got serious, she could be hard to deal with.

To this, Shang Xinglu silently clapped her hands in her mind.

Hurry, mother-in-law, make things difficult for me! I’m the daughter-in-law who refuses to have children and is nothing but beauty!

Shang Xinglu enthusiastically said, “Mom, you don’t look well. Let’s head home quickly so you can rest.”

Yes, back to the Mountain Sea View, where we’ll have a fiery mother-in-law-daughter-in-law confrontation!!!

Shang Xinglu eagerly awaited this.

At that moment, Gu Wanyu said, “Louise, thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need.”

This sudden refusal…

Shang Xinglu’s heart sank.

Gu Wanyu continued, “The Mountain Sea View is far from the resort, and we prefer a quieter place. Our schedules and lifestyle are different from yours. Considering all that, your dad and I have decided to stay at the resort’s hotel. Edmond said it’s already operating and has booked us the presidential suite.”

Shang Xinglu anxiously said, “But you don’t come back often, staying in a hotel feels too distant. Why not give us a chance to spend more time with you…”

At this, Gu Wanyu was shocked.

When did Louise become this thoughtful? Could it be…?

Lin Maoxian said, “We know you two are good kids, thank you for your kindness, but we’ve already decided.”

With that, Shang Xinglu could only smile and respect their decision.

And smile as she escorted them to the hotel.

Finally, she smiled her way back to Mountain Sea View…

…but her smile froze.

How could her mother-in-law be this considerate?

Where was the expected fiery clash between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law?!

Does anyone know that her heart is bleeding?! That it’s crying?!

Lin Heng said in the car, “I didn’t expect you to suggest having Mom and Dad stay at the Mountain Sea View.”

“They rarely come back, after all.”

Lin Heng said, “Yeah, it’s quite rare.”

Shang Xinglu thought there might be a chance, so she eagerly asked, “So?”

“Hmm…” Lin Heng thought for a moment, then replied, “But I don’t want to live with them.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

You! Unfilial son!!!

That night, Shang Xinglu once again tried to sneak Wángcái into the bedroom.

But the deep and wise Mr. Lin had already seen through everything.

And tonight, he didn’t need to intervene; a servant easily carried the dog-like pig back to its rightful bed.

When Shang Xinglu came out of the shower, not only was Wángcái gone, but she also found Lin Heng lying on the bed, asleep.

She felt a bit guilty and mumbled “Amitabha” silently, even reciting a few familiar Buddhist scriptures.

But Lin Heng wasn’t actually asleep. He always sleeps lightly and for short periods. He was just resting with his eyes closed, not even taking off his glasses.

He heard everything she said.

Shang Xinglu noticed Lin Heng hadn’t taken off his glasses, and after thinking about it, she reached out to remove them.

She was unusually close to him, and as she removed the glasses, she admired his profile. She sincerely envied his features; his looks were simply extraordinary.

Unable to resist, Shang Xinglu traced her fingers along his forehead, down his nose, and…

All the way to his lips.

Suddenly, Shang Xinglu snapped back to reality.

I… I… I… Desire is emptiness, emptiness is desire! Amitabha!

She quickly wiped away the impure thoughts in her mind, used both hands and feet, and crawled back into bed, bypassing Lin Heng’s obstruction.

After being groped a few times and waiting a long time, Lin Heng: “…”

Just as he was about to open his eyes, Shang Xinglu clicked on an unread voice message. She had the volume on high, so the voice message suddenly blared at full volume.

It was a man’s voice.

He said, “You’re thinking of me? Hmm, okay, see you tomorrow.”

It sounded familiar.

Lin Heng recognized who it was—it was Xiao Zai, the one who got along well with Shang Xingyu.

Why was he contacting Louise?

And sounding so slick…

Lin Heng continued eavesdropping…

Ahem, Lin Heng continued pretending to sleep.