Chapter 4

Cui Shan struggled to hold back his laughter and coughed lightly.

Lu Chongjin slowly opened his eyes, glanced into the car’s rearview mirror, and saw no sign of the person he had been waiting for.

Cui Shan restarted the engine, pointed ahead at the disappearing bicycle.

Lu Chongjin’s face immediately darkened.

He had waited for her all this time, and what did she do? Completely ignored his presence, even rode on the back of another man’s bicycle.

“Let’s go,” he said slowly, his tone carrying unmistakeable anger.

Cui Shan drove the car, following behind at a steady distance.

The midsummer night was filled with cool breezes.

The sound of the car trailing behind was clear, but Tang Yajun acted as if she didn’t hear it.

Ma Ming wanted to turn and look back, but Tang Yajun stopped him.

So he could only keep his head down, pedaling hard, hoping to reach the Lu household sooner.

The car followed the bicycle, neither too close nor too far.

Lu Chongjin saw that Tang Yajun had no intention of looking back at him.

“Why are you driving so slowly? Don’t you know there are still plenty of matters to handle back home?” he said.

Cui Shan, carefully controlling the car’s speed, nearly burst out laughing at those words. With an effort, he kept a straight face, glanced sideways at Ma Ming, and gave him a “good luck” smile before hitting the gas and driving ahead.

Tang Yajun brushed away the dust and comforted Ma Ming: “Now we can take our time, no need to compete with them.”

Ma Ming felt bitter—this was the most unforgettable bike ride of his entire life.

By the time they reached the Lu residence, it was already past eight at night.

Tang Yajun originally wanted to give Ma Ming some money as thanks, but after searching her pockets, she couldn’t find even a single coin.

Awkwardly, she smiled and told him she’d pay him next time.

Ma Ming hurriedly waved it off, unwilling to accept her money. He returned the bicycle to her and left.

Tang Yajun wheeled the bicycle into the courtyard. Because of Lu Chongjin’s status, they lived in a separate compound, with his parents in the neighboring courtyard.

She pitied herself—after such a long, exhausting day, she hadn’t even had a proper meal.

At the stove, she found some reheated food left for her by Aunt Liu from next door.

After eating and washing up, Tang Yajun lay down to sleep.

Lu Chongjin still hadn’t returned. She couldn’t care less where he had gone. The moment her head hit the pillow, she drifted off.

Half-asleep, she felt someone gently nudging her.

Tang Yajun murmured, “Yuanbao, stop messing around.”

Yuanbao had been her pet dog, who loved to nudge her awake at night.

But the pushing grew stronger. Just as she was about to snap in irritation, a hand suddenly covered her mouth.

Tang Yajun’s eyes flew open in shock—and met the cold, handsome features of a man.

Instantly, she came to her senses, remembering who she was now.

Her wide eyes regained clarity, and she glanced down at the hand covering her lips.

Lu Chongjin released her.

“Make some noise,” he whispered by her ear.

His unique breath washed over her, sending an odd tingling from her ear down to her fingertips.

Playfulness stirred in Tang Yajun. She teased, “What kind of noise do you want?”

But Lu Chongjin’s attention was clearly elsewhere. He turned slightly, his gaze sweeping toward the window.

“Anything,” he muttered.

The mosquito net around the bed glowed faintly with moonlight, casting pale light on the man’s figure.

Tang Yajun hesitated—what other kind of “noise” could there be on a bed?

She remembered she still had something she needed his help with. People under eaves must bow their heads. So, she decided to play along.

Tang Yajun raised her voice deliberately: “Ah—mm—no, don’t—ah, harder…”

One soft, flirtatious cry after another echoed through the still night, at once natural yet startlingly bold.

She stretched out her long leg, pushing against the bed frame, making it creak loudly.

Lu Chongjin had only intended this as a temporary measure, but hadn’t expected her to go this far.

He rolled slightly away, exhaling deeply.

But Tang Yajun showed no sign of stopping. Instead, she leaned close, breathing lightly against his ear, letting out more gasps and whimpers.

Her slender fingers traced down his tall nose, landing on his Adam’s apple that bobbed up and down.

Lu Chongjin immediately turned his back to her.

Yet she pressed closer from behind, her hand sliding down from his collarbone to the firm muscles of his chest. The taut strength under her fingers betrayed his tension.

It was midsummer; both wore only thin sleepwear. His heat was palpable.

When her hand ventured further, he suddenly grabbed it, holding it immobile.

Seeing that the shadow outside the window had finally vanished, Lu Chongjin lay back down.

His voice was hoarse: “That’s enough.”

Tang Yajun’s feigned moans cut off instantly, though her expression hinted at lingering mischief.

“That’s it? Why don’t you dare go further? Could it be true what they say—that you can’t?”

Her tone carried mockery.

No real man could tolerate being told he “can’t.”

Lu Chongjin turned his head toward her, silent for a long moment.

“It’s true. I can’t,” he said, voice low, aura chilling.

Tang Yajun chuckled softly, enunciating clearly, her tone cold: “What a pity.”

Then she turned away, still smiling faintly, sensing his rising fury.

He was the one who had abandoned her on the road earlier, and now he was the one covering her mouth and making her “perform.” Being a daughter-in-law of the Lu family was truly a thankless job.

Just then, a dull thump came from the courtyard.

Lu Chongjin immediately sat up.

Tang Yajun, startled as well, jumped out of bed, not even stopping to put on her outer robe. Slipping on her shoes, she yanked open the door and stormed outside.

She shouted furiously, “I want to see which shameless rat dares eavesdrop at my wall! Since you like listening so much, I’ll let you hear plenty!”

From outside the wall came hurried footsteps retreating, followed by the sound of two men chasing.

Tang Yajun was dumbfounded by the scene.

So, Lu Chongjin had such a kink? Planting men to spy on his own walls, just to show off his “prowess”?

The night wind made her shiver, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she slunk back inside.

Lu Chongjin sat at the bedside, his cold gaze sweeping toward her.

Already chilled, Tang Yajun felt even colder under that look. Only then did she realize—she might have made a mistake.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“You don’t need to know. You don’t care about my affairs anyway, so why bother asking?” His voice dripped with frost.

Tang Yajun’s brief guilt vanished in an instant.

“Fine, don’t tell me. Your business has nothing to do with me. I heard you were forced into marrying me anyway. Sooner or later, we’ll divorce.”

“Divorce? And then what—go back to your Yuanbao? Or to Tang Hewei?”

Tang Yajun was about to deny it, but then asked in confusion, “Wait—how do you know about Yuanbao?”

“If you don’t want people to know, then don’t do it yourself!”