Shang Xinglu was once again taken back to the room by Lin Heng.

She walked while crying the whole way.

Shang Xinglu wasn’t usually someone with overactive tear glands, but at this moment, it was as if a nerve in her brain had been triggered—she was sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for breath.

Even she didn’t know why she was crying.

Maybe she was mad at herself for realizing things too late.

Or maybe she was mad at herself for liking Lin Heng.

Lin Heng was meticulous and mature, definitely not someone easy to deal with. Liking him would surely mean a lot of hardship.

After she finally stopped crying, Shang Xinglu hiccupped from all the sobbing and came to a conclusion—

“I’m so useless.”

She looked at Lin Heng, her face flushed—not from embarrassment, but from all the crying.

At first, Lin Heng was a little panicked because she was crying so terribly.

He thought she was afraid of the dark, so he started to reflect.

He had been angry, yes, but why couldn’t he control his temper at a time like this?

But no matter how he tried to comfort her, Shang Xinglu just wouldn’t stop crying.

Then, he suddenly realized—she wasn’t crying because she was afraid of the dark.

But regardless of the reason, letting emotions out was always better than bottling them up.

So, Lin Heng just held her and waited for her to finish crying.

By the time she was done, a large patch of his shirt was soaked.

Shang Xinglu’s face turned even redder. How could she have cried so much…

This was beyond embarrassing.

She tried to escape by taking a shower.

After washing her face, she realized that her change of clothes was still in her bag outside. So, she quickly ran out to grab them.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Lin Heng taking off his shirt—the one soaked with her tears.

Lin Heng was a bit of a clean freak, so it was already impressive that he hadn’t just thrown her out earlier.

His coat was casually tossed on the bed, and most of the buttons on his shirt were undone, revealing his well-defined chest and part of his abdomen.

The redness on Shang Xinglu’s face, which had barely subsided from the cold water, came rushing back.

She swore—if she had just returned from Las Vegas, the sight of a shirtless ex-husband would never have made her blush.

But clearly, her recent “vegetarian diet” was working.

That body… was ridiculously good.

Lin Heng felt her gaze, turned his head slightly, and raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”

Shang Xinglu felt belittled and snapped back, “So what if I’ve seen it before? If I strip in front of you, don’t tell me you won’t blush?!”

The moment she said it, she wanted to slap herself.

Why was she even talking about stripping?!

And besides, Lin Heng had never blushed before!

Sure enough, Lin Heng remained calm. “No, I wouldn’t.”

He added, “I would just… be interested.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Damn it.

This pervert!

She forced herself to keep a straight face, quickly grabbed her clothes, and rushed back to the bathroom.

Just as she was about to step inside, Lin Heng’s slow, teasing voice came again, “Wanna shower together?”

Shang Xinglu shot him a glare.

An ex-husband wanting to share a shower? Keep dreaming!

Lin Heng, still unhurried, added, “It’ll give you more time to admire?”

Shang Xinglu’s face burned again.

“…”

Oh… well…

And so, she fell right into Lin Heng’s trap.

Inside the bathroom, she suffered a huge loss.

Lin Heng was usually reserved with his emotions.

His earlier temper had been simmering beneath the surface. He was still angry.

Except for that one time after leaving the bar and going to the hotel, he had always held himself back, trying to accommodate this spoiled, physically weak woman.

But this time, he didn’t hold back.

He was relentless, teasing her to the extreme.

She cried and begged for mercy, but Lin Heng remained merciless.

Finally, he carried her out of the bathroom and even dried her hair for her.

And well, the bed in the presidential suite was also quite comfortable.

Shang Xinglu deeply regretted everything. She clung to Lin Heng’s sweaty back and hoarsely whispered, “…I really should have left today.”

Lin Heng kissed her damp forehead, his voice husky with indulgence.

“You still have the energy to complain? Looks like I wasn’t working hard enough.”

His voice was lower than usual, tinged with an unrestrained edge.

A shiver ran down Shang Xinglu’s spine.

Being seduced was one thing, but actually understanding what he meant… that was a whole different story!

Shang Xinglu: “…I was wrong.”

Lin Heng smirked. “How were you wrong? You weren’t lying. You just… happened to use the answer to the second question as a cover for the first one.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Her soul left her body.

Great.

President Lin had been pushed so far that he was resorting to sarcasm.

How could she possibly save herself now?

…Amitabha.

At dawn the next morning, Shang Xinglu woke up.

Lin Heng was already awake before her, sitting at the edge of the bed, about to get up.

Shang Xinglu, still half-asleep, clung to him lazily. She stayed in bed, wrapping an arm around his waist.

“…I want water.”

Lin Heng’s body tensed for a moment, then quickly relaxed.

…Louise was acting different from usual.

She was always shy about these things.

Normally, after waking up, she would either hide or avoid him. Moments like this, where she acted spoiled, were rare.

And so, the great President Lin, who had never poured water for anyone before, obediently went to get her some.

Shang Xinglu sat up and took a few sips.

She drank half the glass but couldn’t finish it, so she handed it to Lin Heng.

Lin Heng had also woken up thirsty, so he took the cup and finished the rest.

She was still drowsy, floating between wakefulness and sleep.

As Lin Heng turned to place the glass on the bedside table, Shang Xinglu leaned against him again, her body draping over his back like a giant human backpack.

Shang Xinglu: “I still want to sleep…”

Lin Heng: “It’s still early, go back to sleep.”

Shang Xinglu’s hands started to move mischievously. “Stay with me!”

Lin Heng grabbed her hand, his voice a little hoarse. “Which kind of ‘sleep’ are you talking about?”

Shang Xinglu instantly sobered up.

She quickly clarified, “The kind where we just sleep under the blanket! Not that kind of sleep!”

Lin Heng chuckled.

Because she was pressed against his back, the vibrations of his laughter traveled through his chest and into her ears. The low hum made Shang Xinglu feel inexplicably satisfied.

Liking Lin Heng was a bit… No, not just a bit—it was very troublesome.

After all, she was a woman whose life goal was to be a carefree pig. She had no interest in being a wealthy wife or maintaining the image of one.

But…

Shang Xinglu suddenly sat up.

“I’ve decided!”

Lin Heng turned to look at her.

With great determination, Shang Xinglu declared, “I refuse to be just a pig raised by CEO Lin. From now on, I will work hard to support CEO Lin!”

She was moved by her own resolution.

To think that she dared to make such a bold vow about a man as precious and powerful as Lin Heng…

Such grand ambition! Amazing!

However, instead of being touched, Lin Heng frowned. He felt something was off.

Lin Heng: “Did you spend all your money already?”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Lin Heng: “Did someone scam you?”

Shang Xinglu: “…I didn’t! I wasn’t!”

Lin Heng’s expression turned serious. “Tell me, what have you been up to lately?”

Shang Xinglu’s eyes welled up.

Why are all these rich and practical CEOs so annoying…

---

Lin Heng couldn’t stay in bed with Shang Xinglu for long.

He was here for a conference, so he got up early to attend a meeting.

Since Lin Heng went off to work, Shang Xinglu decided to have breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

She had barely started eating when she ran into Yin Yao.

Yin Yao sat down without hesitation.

Shang Xinglu’s face instantly turned red. Last night, despite all the persuasion, she had stubbornly insisted on leaving, only to fail in doing so… and even ended up paying extra for ride-hailing fees.

All of this was CEO Lin’s fault!

Unexpectedly, Yin Yao said, “I’m glad you didn’t go down the mountain alone last night.”

Shang Xinglu’s eyes became misty.

Oh, oh, oh! This is what a caring friend is like! Unlike CEO Lin, that petty man who holds grudges and seeks revenge!!!

Yin Yao continued, “Only Mr. Lin can persuade you. Be honest with me, Louise—although you two are divorced, you still like Mr. Lin, don’t you?”

Her tone was casual, but her gaze was serious.

Shang Xinglu’s first instinct was to deny it.

Even Lin Heng didn’t know yet—how come other people figured it out first?

But when she saw Yin Yao’s sincere expression, similar to how Xiao Zai had looked at her that day, Shang Xinglu became serious too.

She nodded. “Mhm,” confirming it.

Yin Yao laughed heartily. “Okay, thank you for telling me. I understand now.”

Shang Xinglu scratched her head. “I don’t see why that’s something to be thankful for…”

The two then discussed Bi Chen’s situation.

Since Shang Xinglu had already agreed to collaborate with Yin Yao, she revealed her motivations as well. Clenching her fist, she declared, “After all, I’m now a woman who needs to support a family!”

Yin Yao: “Support a family?”

And survive? Survive???

Shang Xinglu: “Support CEO Lin! He’s very expensive!”

Yin Yao couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Does Mr. Lin know how ambitious you are?”

Shang Xinglu immediately looked dejected. “He does. He thinks the only reason I want to make money is because I got scammed…”

“Don’t be discouraged,” Yin Yao comforted her, patting her head.

Shang Xinglu let out a long sigh. In a somewhat melancholic tone, she said, “I know this sounds ridiculous. No matter how hard I try in this lifetime, I’ll never be able to accumulate wealth like Lin Heng’s. But… I want to get just a little closer.”

“…I want to become someone worthy of Lin Heng.”

After hearing this, Yin Yao couldn’t help but ask, “Have you ever told Mr. Lin this?”

Shang Xinglu: “No.”

Yin Yao originally wanted to say, You should tell him yourself.

But then, she hesitated. She felt a little bitter herself—why should she help Lin Heng?

Shang Xinglu: “What’s wrong?”

Yin Yao smiled and shook her head. “Nothing.”

“You seem… kind of happy?”

Yin Yao glanced away and changed the subject. “I just saw our dear Second Young Master Shen coming in for breakfast. I suddenly realized… he’s actually kind of interesting.”

If Shang Xinglu had fluffy ears, they would have twitched and perked up at this moment.

Should she start singing Where Is Spring? 🎶

However, springtime was definitely not in Shen Wang’s eyes.

Shen Wang glanced at them, let out a cold snort, and sat at a table nearby.

Yin Yao chuckled.

She deliberately said, “Forget about him. Listen, when we get back, let’s find a top-tier tech expert and try to recruit him to lead our development team…”

Shen Wang: “…”

Wait, you’re not even going to ask me?!?

Shen Wang was fuming.