The next day, Shang Xinglu woke up a bit late.

Even though she had an appointment with Gu Wanyu, she almost ended up being late.

It wasn’t because of traffic or anything objective…

But because she woke up late due to subjective reasons.

Shang Xinglu couldn’t help it—her butt was sore.

Because last night, she had endured President Lin’s ruthless punishment.

Just thinking about it made Shang Xinglu shed a couple of tears. She was truly suffering!

She had just acted a little naughty last night. To be fair, she had been naughty before, and Shang Xinglu was sure this wasn’t the most rebellious thing she had ever done.

But Lin Heng… he got angry.

Very angry.

When Lin Heng was angry, he didn’t shout or make a scene. He just became eerily quiet.

Shang Xinglu closed her eyes and played along, while Lin Heng remained silent. She had no idea whether he was really angry or not, but after playing along for a while and still hearing no response from him, Shang Xinglu finally noticed something was off.

She bent over like a shrimp, squinting as she stole a glance at Lin Heng…

Before she knew it, Lin Heng grabbed her, flipping her over and pinning her down across his legs.

No, it wasn’t the “woman’s position” kind of pinning. It was more like when you hold down a misbehaving child, flipping her over face down, and his legs were supporting her stomach.

A slap landed on Shang Xinglu’s sore bottom.

Smack!

The sound was loud, but the pain wasn’t so much.

Shang Xinglu let out a yelp—she was startled, but it didn’t really hurt.

Lin Heng’s voice was calm as he asked, “Still playing along?”

“No, no, no, I’m not playing anymore.”

Oh my, I was wrong…

Another slap followed.

“Do you think I’m the kind of person who would force you to do things?”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

If it were forced, it would be simple. The real problem was that she couldn’t resist President Lin’s charm but had to refuse…

Shang Xinglu was silent for a long time. After a while, she said, “Isn’t this just forcing me to get my butt slapped…?”

Lin Heng: “…”

Lin Heng released Shang Xinglu.

Shang Xinglu struggled to get up. She stood on her hands for a while, her head feeling light from the blood rush. When she finally stood up, she felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet, then plopped back down onto the floor with a thud.

“Ahhh!!!”

This time, it really hurt.

Shang Xinglu flipped over, rubbing her sore butt, then rolled her eyes.

Fine!

At least it’s always her butt that gets hurt!

Hmph.

Lin Heng went to his study to deal with work, and when he came back, Shang Xinglu had already pretended to be asleep in bed.

When Lin Heng lay down, the lights naturally dimmed, leaving only the small nightlight by the wall glowing.

The room was quite dark.

Usually, Shang Xinglu wasn’t a good sleeper and would occasionally roll over in a daze to snuggle up next to him, but tonight she was lying firmly in her own corner.

Lin Heng lay there for a while with his eyes open.

Then, he turned over, facing away from Shang Xinglu.

Shang Xinglu felt the bed shake, so she turned over as well. Bravely, she cracked open her eyes just a little bit—

She could only see Lin Heng’s back.

In the dim light, it looked like a dark, cold wall.

Shang Xinglu felt an inexplicable sense of panic.

It felt like drinking too much coffee, heart rate accelerating, not knowing what she had done or what she had failed to do.

She wanted to ask Lin Heng, “Are you mad? Are you really mad? Why are you mad at me? Can I fix it?”

But as soon as she thought of the last question, she gave herself a huge mental slap.

… Think of your ultimate goal, Lu Lu!!!

Just change your attitude already!

Sleep!

Shang Xinglu arrived late, but Gu Wanyu wasn’t angry.

Because Gu Wanyu hadn’t waited for her at all.

She had already started trying on the dress.

When Shang Xinglu walked in, Gu Wanyu was in front of the mirror, scrutinizing and discussing the details with the brand designer, who was jotting down notes.

The scene was very reminiscent of an imperial court drama, with the empress dowager giving orders.

Gu Wanyu saw Shang Xinglu through the mirror and said coolly, “You’re here?”

Shang Xinglu felt a little embarrassed.

At the same time, she was refreshingly straightforward. She said, “I woke up late…”

Marilyn quickly pulled her aside, looking scared out of her wits!

But Shang Xinglu, unable to understand the hint, stood there like a fool.

Yes!! Scold me!! Hurry up and scold me!!!

On the surface, Shang Xinglu looked like a fool, but inside, she was actually very excited.

Gu Wanyu glanced at her again through the mirror, and this glance was especially meaningful.

Gu Wanyu said, “Well, there’s no rush to go shopping, no need to get up so early. You can try on your dress and see if there are any adjustments needed.”

Shang Xinglu was stunned.

Wait… Is the issue of being late just being brushed off like this?

Shang Xinglu suddenly remembered the time when she had first begun to provoke Lin Heng, constantly testing his limits, but always managing to get away with it…

Wait… How is it that the people of the Lin family have such good temperaments???

Shang Xinglu felt a bit lost as she went to try on the dress.

This time, the dress was a very elegant little black dress. Mrs. Lin, who was beautiful and had never considered hiding her looks, usually didn’t opt for conservative, classic black at banquets.

She wore whatever made her stand out.

Her “standout” philosophy had probably penetrated the minds of every stylist she worked with. This was Shang Xinglu’s first time wearing a low-key black dress.

No problem here, the chest is flattering, and the legs look great…

Shang Xinglu admired herself in the mirror for a while.

The designer hurriedly came over to shower her with compliments, “Madam, this dress is all about the cut. It makes your waist look exceptionally slim and gives you an excellent proportion. It’s truly beautiful!”

Shang Xinglu smiled and nodded, “I think so too!”

The designer continued, “And Mrs. Lin (referring to Gu Wanyu) brought matching jewelry for you.”

At that moment, a bodyguard with handcuffs on a safe opened the lid to reveal a set of sapphire jewelry, over a hundred carats, stored in a velvet box. Under the soft lighting, it gave off a quiet yet dazzling glow.

Shang Xinglu: “!!!”

Ah! My poor eyes are almost blinded by the shine! How much is this worth?!

Shang Xinglu couldn’t estimate how many zeros were behind the price of this collectible set of jewelry.

Someone came to help her wear it, and when she looked into the mirror again, she immediately felt surrounded by the fragrance of money!

At that moment, Gu Wanyu had already changed out of her dress and walked over, saying, “As I thought, this jewelry suits you perfectly.”

Shang Xinglu had indeed heard that, excluding ordinary jewelry sold in regular stores, in wealthy families, these collectible-level pieces were often locked away in vaults.

The daughters-in-law had to rent them from their mothers-in-law if they wanted to use them, and there were many rules surrounding that.

She quickly recalled the jewelry she had worn at past events.

While those weren’t as stunning as the full set, they probably had a lot of zeros behind them too…

However, she had never worried about where those pieces came from.

But no matter what, this time, Gu Wanyu had gone out of her way to bring this jewelry to her personally…

Shang Xinglu shuddered, feeling a sense of foreboding.

She quickly suppressed the chill.

What was she afraid of? This was exactly what she had been waiting for— the peak confrontation between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, full of tension!

Gu Wanyu said, “Louise, about the matter I asked you and Edmond to check last time, I was overthinking. Don’t be upset, I was just anxious.”

Oh, here it comes, it’s really happening!

Shang Xinglu blinked, looking at Gu Wanyu with eager anticipation.

Gu Wanyu continued, “Later, Edmond explained it to me, and you two are still planning it. Sigh, why didn’t you mention it to me back then?”

Shang Xinglu: “Well… it wasn’t…”

Gu Wanyu: “I’ve always thought of you as my own daughter, so what’s there to feel awkward about?”

Shang Xinglu froze.

She remembered the last time Gu Wanyu had asked her to go for a checkup, she had dragged Lin Heng into it. They planned to go together, but later, for some reason, the checkup was canceled after Lin Heng talked to Gu Wanyu.

He said… this?!

Shang Xinglu was now very angry.

Where was the plan?

Forget planning, there wasn’t even a hint of a plan, because they hadn’t even done anything!

Mr. Lin, you big pig’s foot!

How could you deceive your kind-hearted mother like this?!

So, Shang Xinglu said, “Huh? Mom, plan? What plan? I didn’t hear Lin Heng mention anything…”

Gu Wanyu was stunned.

Then she smiled, “You really are a shy one.”

Shang Xinglu: “It’s not…”

Gu Wanyu smiled knowingly, “I’ve been living abroad for a long time, so I’m not too familiar. But I’ve heard that in China, some pregnant women won’t tell anyone except their husbands before the three-month mark. Could it be that your family has this rule?”

Shang Xinglu panicked, almost biting her own tongue, “No, no, my family doesn’t…”

“You don’t need to explain more, I understand, I understand.” Gu Wanyu waved her hand and continued with a mysterious smile, “Well, let’s not talk about this anymore. Anyway, you young people will arrange it yourself. You have this plan, so I’m relieved! Does this Catherine Princess set suit you? If you like it, I’ll give it to you. Our family doesn’t have many girls, so when you give birth to an heir, these jewels won’t be lacking.”

“Have you finished trying on the dress? Then let’s go shopping.” Gu Wanyu’s tone was light.

No!!!

Why is it that when I say no, you don’t believe me, but when Lin Heng says something, you completely believe him?!

Shang Xinglu’s mind was filled with rage, but Gu Wanyu’s gentle, understanding face countered everything.

Oh, and that set of sapphires worth millions, she couldn’t utter a single word.

Shang Xinglu immediately felt drained and couldn’t help but admire the strength and generosity of a wealthy mother-in-law.

She wanted to immediately retreat to a small corner and draw circles.

Shang Xinglu was depressed for a few minutes. While Gu Wanyu was preparing to leave, she snuck out to the balcony to call Lin Heng.

She called his private number, and he answered quickly.

Shang Xinglu: “What did you tell your mom when she asked us to go for that checkup last time?!”

There was a pause on Lin Heng’s side for a few seconds.

Then Lin Heng replied, “Otherwise? Do you really want to go for a checkup?”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Actually, it wouldn’t be so bad if Mr. Lin accompanied me for the checkup.

Come on! Let’s mutually harm each other!

Lin Heng leaned back in his chair, rubbing his brow with a serious tone, “Or should I tell her that we haven’t been intimate for a long time, which is why we don’t have kids yet? Do you think that would be better?”

Even though he wasn’t in front of her, even though it was just over the phone, Shang Xinglu froze in place, shrinking into a ball.

Uh… Mr. Lin’s resentment seems to be turning into a black thread, winding through the phone and tying her up completely!