Shang Xinglu was scolded by her aunt, but in fact, she wasn’t sad or upset.

However, she cried so pitifully, as if her husband had just died on the side of the road, and she was at the police station identifying the body like a widow.

She, crying like Lin Heng…

Pfft.

Lin Heng, that capitalist vampire, would definitely live to see the end of the world!

As this metaphor crossed Shang Xinglu’s mind, she suddenly found it incredibly funny.

She was afraid that if she wasn’t careful and laughed out loud, it would ruin the pitiful white lotus image she had been carefully crafting.

So, she made a decisive move and pinched her thigh hard.

Ouch! That really hurts! Tears flowed instantly.

Shang Xinglu quickly covered her face and cried, her sobs full of grievance.

Shang Xingyu was about to explode with anger.

He had comforted Shang Xinglu for a long time, but she was still crying.

Meanwhile, her aunt was still angrily yelling and cursing, saying things like, “Shang Xinglu is just pretending! You’ve all been fooled by her, she said so many nasty things just now!” Shang Xingyu was furious, and he gestured to the security guards. As he lowered his head, he saw Shang Xinglu pinching herself.

Yep, she really was pinching herself.

Then, his sister cried even harder…

Shang Xingyu: “….”

He had felt something was off at first, but didn’t think too much about it.

Now, it was clear that Shang Xinglu was really acting.

And Shang Xingyu’s orders had already been given.

The burly bodyguards could easily subdue a delicate lady, but no one could stop her mouth. With a slight gesture from him, one of the guards moved swiftly.

There was a sharp “crack,” and he dislocated Shang Yingxue’s jaw like dismantling a LEGO set.

Shang Yingxue’s jaw dislocated, forcing her to become quiet.

She was quickly dragged away, and in her wide, tear-filled eyes, there was not only pain but also an expression of disbelief and fear.

Shang Xinglu watched this scene, stunned. She forgot all about her fake crying.

She dumbly looked up at Shang Xingyu, but in his eyes, there was no sign of pity, not even much emotion.

His eyes were like clear, high-quality glass beads, transparent and cold.

Shang Xinglu didn’t know what to say at that moment.

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “The timing was perfect just now. Dad only heard her scolding you. If you cry a little more, be careful. Dad might see through it and give your aunt the chance to act pitiful.”

Shang Xinglu snapped out of her daze and immediately began to cry even more sadly and grievously, full of fake grievance.

Shang Xuesong was so angry, his head ached. He sat on the sofa, holding his forehead, silent for a long time.

Shang Xinglu’s crying gradually weakened. After a few more sobs, she finally stopped.

Then she said a classic white lotus line, “Dad, don’t be angry, it’s not good for you to get too upset. Aunt has been upset lately, it’s my fault for making her unhappy just now…”

At this point, Shang Xuesong’s headache became even worse.

He glared at Shang Xinglu, “The person is already gone, what are you still acting for?”

No one understands a daughter better than her father. Usually, even if Shang Xinglu cried out of grievance at home, she could never say such disgusting lines.

It was way too out of character, and Shang Xuesong was so angry that he almost lost his mind, but he knew his daughter was acting.

Because he knew, he also understood his daughter’s intentions.

— Don’t help Shang Yingxue because of a momentary soft heart.

Shang Xuesong was very troubled.

Why could the two kids understand something so clearly, but he, as a father, was still hesitant?

It even required the two kids to join forces to act…

Shang Xuesong sighed repeatedly, waved his hand, and went upstairs to calm down.

Shang Xinglu and Shang Xingyu exchanged glances.

“Uh, do you think this will have the opposite effect?”

Shang Xingyu remained silent.

He… he didn’t know either.

Even if he did, he would be the last to know, right? Isn’t that always how it goes?

At that moment, a voice suddenly interrupted.

“What’s going on? Why are you crying?” someone asked.

Shang Xinglu turned around and saw Lin Heng walking in quickly.

She hurriedly wiped her eyes, trying to remove all the extra tears, but her red, bloodshot eyes still showed she had been crying.

Just as Shang Xingyu was about to explain, Lin Heng suddenly looked over, his gaze behind his glasses as sharp and cold as a blade reflecting cold light.

Shang Xingyu: “!”

He quickly waved his hands, “It’s not me, it’s not me! Brother-in-law, I’m innocent! I didn’t make my sister angry!”

Lin Heng usually didn’t show much expression, but his presence was cold and distant, keeping people at arm’s length.

Now, though, he seemed like a massive iceberg from Antarctica, radiating an ominous chill.

Shang Xingyu automatically stepped aside.

Shang Xinglu quickly said, “This time, it wasn’t Shang Xingyu who made me cry.”

This time?

Shang Xingyu’s hairs stood on end. Sister, when have I ever had the ability to make you cry?!

Shang Xinglu explained, “Just now, my aunt tried to approach dad, but I said some harsh things to anger her. When she scolded me back, dad happened to overhear, so I just played along with it. Now my aunt’s been kicked out!”

She wasn’t ashamed of her acting. In fact, she felt proud of it.

Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal, and Shang Xinglu had no intention of making it public. She just told Lin Heng the truth when he asked, without any concealment.

Lin Heng might think she was scheming, but to her, this was just how she handled her family affairs.

And she didn’t think she needed to ask Lin Heng for approval on how to handle her own matters.

Anyway, after confessing, the likely outcome would be a quick drop in favorability and accelerating the divorce…

Hmm???

Shang Xinglu froze for a moment.

Why was she viewing this situation from the “worst-case scenario” perspective?

In fact, isn’t this “worst-case scenario” a good thing?!

Shang Xinglu froze again.

Yes, yes, lowering the affection toward her was a good thing, so why feel down about it?! Get excited!!!

Just then, Lin Heng reached out and pulled Shang Xinglu into his arms.

He whispered, “You’ve worked hard.”

Shang Xinglu’s eyes involuntarily widened.

Hard work?

What had she worked hard for?

She had hurried back to put on a show, got several people to cooperate, playing the roles of the white lotus, the villain, and the poor little thing, just to make her father realize that her little aunt couldn’t be of help?

Oh, and in the end, she even got a little pinch from herself.

What’s so hard about this?

Not hard, not hard at all.

She tried to think this way, but her brain betrayed her, and she buried herself in Lin Heng’s embrace.

It was still that indescribable scent, a refreshing mint mixed with a certain woody undertone, from the cologne.

Light and faint, very pleasant.

It calmed her.

Shang Xinglu, a lively and active person with a rich inner monologue, surprisingly stayed this still for quite a while.

She didn’t know how long it had passed, only that it felt a bit too long. This didn’t seem right. Shang Xinglu forced herself to turn her head…

Shang Xingyu was slouched on the sofa, eating fruit while watching them, his expression like that of a bystander in a meme.

Shang Xinglu: “…”

She stared at Shang Xingyu.

Shang Xingyu continued eating his fruit.

Shang Xinglu pushed away Lin Heng and asked, “Why are you staring at me?”

Shang Xingyu kept eating fruit and said, “You two, this is quite rare. I’ve never seen this before, so I just wanted to see how long you can keep hugging.”

Lin Heng: “…”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Then, Shang Xinglu took off her high heels and grabbed one of them, chasing after Shang Xingyu.

Shang Xingyu: ???

He threw the fruit away and ran, wondering, “What did I do wrong?!!!”

…

After dinner at the Shang family, Shang Xinglu and Lin Heng went home.

They had lingered a bit long at the Shang family’s house, so it was already late by the time they got home. Shang Xinglu went to take a shower, and then Lin Heng went to shower as well.

At that moment, Shang Xinglu received a call from Gu Wanyu.

Gu Wanyu said the custom-made dress had already been delivered to the hotel and asked Shang Xinglu to come try it on tomorrow. She also wanted to go shopping tomorrow and asked if Shang Xinglu had time.

Shang Xinglu quickly replied, “Yes!!!”

What she was thinking inside, however, was, “Gu Wanyu, she finally came to find me!!!”

The most wicked villain in the Wicked Valley, and tomorrow, I’ll make sure it’s settled!!!

Come on! Let’s have an explosive showdown filled with tension between us, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law!!!

Shang Xinglu suppressed her excitement and said a few more words on the phone with Gu Wanyu, then Gu Wanyu hung up.

The moment the call ended, Shang Xinglu jumped three feet high on the bed, “Great!!!”

Lin Heng happened to come out and asked, “What’s so exciting?”

“Your mom asked me to go shopping!” Shang Xinglu said in a playful tone, still jumping on the bed.

Lin Heng heard that and turned around to walk away.

Shang Xinglu was confused. What was Lin Heng doing?

She had asked Gu Wanyu to stay at Shanhai Guan, but Lin Heng had refused. Now, when Gu Wanyu was mentioned, Lin Heng just turned around and walked away.

Could it be…?

Could Gu Wanyu actually be Lin Heng’s stepmother?!

At that moment, Lin Heng came back.

He handed her a black card and said, “If you see anything you like, buy it.”

Shang Xinglu stopped jumping.

She slid off the bed.

Her eyes widened as she took the card.

She didn’t seem happy but rather hesitated.

Lin Heng seemed puzzled, “Don’t you buy things when you go shopping?”

“Of course.”

“My mom usually likes expensive things, so you can take this card too,” Lin Heng said.

Shang Xinglu turned the black card over and looked at it…

Honestly, as an enthusiast of trivial things, she had heard of the legendary black card in the past, but she had never actually seen one…

Shang Xinglu opened her mouth and was about to bite it.

Lin Heng’s pupils contracted, and with quick reflexes, he grabbed the card.

“…”

Indeed, like a dog, Shang Xinglu had tried to bite Lin Heng’s hand.

Lin Heng had already figured her out: “…You can’t be sure if it’s real or not by biting it.”

Shang Xinglu scratched the back of her head, somewhat embarrassed.

She then, with dog-like behavior, grabbed Lin Heng’s hand and licked it to comfort him.

Her soft tongue was wet and soft, and when it licked the sore spot, it seemed to carry a slight electric current.

Lin Heng’s gaze darkened suddenly.

He was very particular about cleanliness.

If he touched something dirty, he would want to wash his hands ten times, and if his clothes got a tear or a woman’s tears, he would immediately burn them and take three showers!

He had clearly let someone lick his hand.

But Lin Heng didn’t pull his hand away.

Instead, he reached with the other hand and caressed Shang Xinglu’s cheek, running his fingers through her thick hair, his fingers brushing past her sensitive ear, sending waves of strange shivers through her.

Shang Xinglu didn’t look up.

She didn’t dare to look up.

Suddenly, she covered her mouth, collapsed on the bed, and rolled around in pain, “Ah! Poisoned! Your hand is poisonous! It’s poisonous!!!”

Lin Heng: “…”

Lin Heng looked at her dramatic performance on the bed.

Lin Heng: “…………”

Shang! Xing! Lu!!!