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Chapter 4: A Money Matter
(◎ Marital Joint Property ◎)
Cheng Jinghe looked at Lu Shiyin for a long moment, trying to judge whether she was sincere or simply pressured. Even with just a little thought, he knew — most likely, she had also been questioned by her elders.
Since she, the girl, had taken the initiative to invite him, he couldn’t act coy — that would make it seem like he was being taken advantage of.
“Of course,” he replied. After a brief pause, he added, “You can move in whenever you like. If you need help, just say the word.”
“I’ll go pack up tonight and move in tomorrow.”
Cheng Jinghe asked, “Need a hand?”
“I can manage.”
“Do you know the address?”
“Well… no.”
Cheng Jinghe chuckled, “Then I’ll come pick you up — you name the time.”
Lu Shiyin went along with him: “Tomorrow at ten in the morning, then.”
A moment later, she realized — wait, she could’ve just asked for the address, why did she have to let him come get her?
“Alright. I’ll be there on time.”
She could only respond with a smile.
Just then, Cheng Jingzhi suddenly popped up, hooking her arm around Lu Shiyin’s shoulder. “What are you two talking about?”
Startled, Lu Shiyin patted her chest. “You scared me to death!”
Cheng Jingzhi teased, “Oops, sorry to interrupt you lovebirds whispering.” She poked Cheng Jinghe’s shoulder. “Mind if I borrow your wife this afternoon? We’re going shopping.”
Even knowing she was joking with the title “wife,” Lu Shiyin still nudged her in protest.
Cheng Jinghe, however, seemed to have already adjusted to this kind of address, replying calmly, “Sure.”
Cheng Jingzhi’s eyes lit up. “Little brother, since we’re going shopping — and it’s to get your wife some autumn clothes…”
At that, Lu Shiyin pinched her, telling her to behave, but she didn’t listen.
Cheng Jingzhi rubbed her waist dramatically. “Ow… for your dear Shiyin-jie, how about handing us a credit card to swipe?”
Even though both women were older than him and not lacking in money, asking the younger brother to pay seemed a bit much. Lu Shiyin wondered if they were bullying him.
Seeing her uncertainty, Cheng Jingzhi played with her hair and said, “Don’t feel bad for him — he’s way richer than both of us now. With all those CEOs fawning over him, he can’t even spend all his money. A bit of shopping money is nothing to him.”
Though she said that, the deep sibling bond between the two made that kind of spending feel natural. Lu Shiyin, however, didn’t feel close enough to Cheng Jinghe yet to accept it comfortably.
Just as she was about to turn the offer down, Cheng Jinghe nodded and said, “No problem. I can even be your driver and porter — carry your stuff.”
Cheng Jingzhi clapped Lu Shiyin’s shoulder. “Told you! He’s super generous. Let’s bleed him dry today!”
Cheng Jinghe said, “Cheng Jingzhi, mind your volume — I’m not deaf.”
“No respect! You’ve grown up and don’t even call me ‘Jie’ anymore, always just using my name!”
Cheng Jinghe ignored her and walked off.
After a short break, the group headed to the mall.
On the way, Cheng Jinghe contacted the mall manager to arrange a dedicated shopping guide for the two women.
When they arrived and took the elevator up, a refined-looking young man greeted them and addressed Cheng Jinghe as “Mr. Cheng,” introducing himself as Zian.
He led them to a VIP room where desserts and tea had already been set out.
After asking what kind of new items the ladies were looking for, Zian sent people off to scour various stores.
Watching Zian walk away, Cheng Jingzhi commented to Lu Shiyin, “That guy looks really good.”
Lu Shiyin nodded in full agreement. Zian had smooth, gentle features, a high nose bridge, delicate features — basically a walking manga character.
It was obvious the mall manager had arranged for such eye-candy staff to boost sales.
While the two girls discussed Zian’s looks, Cheng Jinghe heard every word. He sat silently nearby, not joining the conversation. Sometimes he responded to messages on his phone, sometimes he stepped away to take or make business calls.
Cheng Jingzhi remarked that being a CEO wasn’t as glamorous as it seemed — he was always busy.
Just as Cheng Jinghe returned from a call, the mall manager finally arrived, clearly wanting to build rapport with him and introduced a female shopping assistant.
Cheng Jinghe said, “I’m not shopping today. I came to accompany my wife. Assign her to my wife instead — I don’t need a guide.”
The manager realized he’d misjudged the situation and was mentally kicking himself when Zian returned, leading a group of people carrying bags of clothes and accessories for the two women.
The manager followed Zian into the room and tried to figure out who was Mrs. Cheng. One glance at the matching rings on Lu Shiyin and Cheng Jinghe’s hands made it obvious.
Not daring to leave Zian with them any longer, he quickly pulled him away and said to the ladies, “Apologies, Zian has a training meeting this afternoon. Amy will be at your service instead.”
Then he whisked the dazed Zian away, leaving behind the sweet-voiced and sweet-looking Amy.
Neither Lu Shiyin nor Cheng Jingzhi cared who helped them. Amy was great too, and they soon forgot all about Zian.
Cheng Jinghe sat nearby, flipping through a magazine with a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.
Amy was competent but accidentally knocked over the tea, splashing some on Cheng Jinghe. She panicked and tried to help clean it up, but he stepped back and said, “It’s alright.”
“I’ll get you a new suit,” Amy offered, nervously.
“No need.”
Still, Amy insisted and offered to send the suit for dry cleaning.
Just then, Lu Shiyin and Cheng Jingzhi came out of the fitting room, and Cheng Jinghe said, “Go talk to my wife. If she doesn’t mind, then don’t worry about it.”
At that, Amy finally dropped any ulterior motives but still had to go over and report it.
Lu Shiyin was confused and looked over at Cheng Jinghe, who actually gave her a pleading look.
Understanding, she told Amy, “It’s alright. Don’t worry.”
With that, the matter ended, and they went home peacefully.
When they returned to the Cheng family estate, Lu Shiyin finally ducked into a corner to answer a call she had been avoiding.
As soon as she picked up, she was scolded harshly.
Her recent performance at the company had clearly reached her grandfather’s ears — not that she was surprised. In fact, she would’ve been more surprised if it hadn’t.
She said nothing throughout the scolding. When it ended, she simply said she was at the Cheng residence and didn’t have time to go home — which triggered another round of yelling.
She pulled the phone away and hung up. Honestly, it was a miracle her grandfather didn’t have high blood pressure, given his temper.
The phone kept ringing afterward, but she turned it to silent and ignored it.
The housemaid came to take the shopping bags up to Cheng Jingzhi’s room.
Cheng Jinghe, noticing she’d ended a call, came over and asked what was wrong. She shrugged and said it was nothing.
He then asked, “Shall we leave these clothes in the car? I’ll send them directly to the South Shore residence — saves us moving them twice. Sound good?”
Lu Shiyin thought it made sense and agreed, then asked, “How much was my part? I’ll transfer it to you.”
Cheng Jinghe paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “No need. This is considered joint marital property. No need to transfer money back and forth.”
He turned and walked away.
Lu Shiyin stood there thinking — joint marital property? That made sense… but also didn’t quite make sense? When had they ever established any actual marital property?
After dinner, Cheng Jinghe drove Lu Shiyin home. Before getting out of the car, she sincerely thanked him — for backing her up earlier, and for spending so much on her today.
Cheng Jinghe said, “I don’t think we need to be so formal with each other.”
Lu Shiyin replied, “Still, manners matter. Since you won’t take my money, then all I can do is say thank you.”
He went quiet for a while, then asked, “What would you like me to call you from now on?”
To be honest, he wasn’t sure. As a kid, he used to call her jiejie (older sister), but now that he was grown and even called Cheng Jingzhi by name, that felt off. After so many years apart, and now that he was an adult, sister just didn’t seem right anymore.
At lunch earlier, calling her “Yinyin” was honestly just playing along for the moment.
Lu Shiyin didn’t understand what brought that on — she felt Cheng Jinghe had shifted the conversation too abruptly.
Noticing her confusion, he explained, “We can settle on something consistent. I need to know what you’re comfortable with before deciding how to address you.”
Lu Shiyin nodded. “Just my name is fine.” She wasn’t used to being called “sister” or anything like that — they weren’t that far apart in age anyway.
Cheng Jinghe asked, “Then… Lu Shiyin?”
“Mm.”
“Lu Shiyin, since you said courtesy is important, then I’ll treat you with respect from now on. I hope our cohabitation goes smoothly. If you’re ever unhappy with something, just let me know directly.”
He spoke so seriously that it made Lu Shiyin recall the moment yesterday when he took off his suit to shield her from the rain. That memory made his current solemnity seem almost… a little silly.
“Cheng Jinghe, this is your home,” Lu Shiyin said. “There’s no way I’d be unhappy with you.”
What she meant was: she was just a guest — how could a tenant complain about the owner of the house?
But Cheng Jinghe smiled, clearly understanding her unspoken meaning. He removed his hands from the steering wheel and leaned back lazily:
“Lu Shiyin, you’re the hostess now. Even teeth sometimes bite the tongue — living together is bound to bring a few conflicts. If you’re ever dissatisfied, don’t bottle it up. Just speak your mind, okay?”
His voice was warm and gentle. In the closed space of the car, under the cover of night, there was something oddly captivating about it. Without thinking too much, Lu Shiyin nodded.
When she got home, she immediately began packing. As she worked, she kept thinking back to what Cheng Jinghe had said. Something about it felt off. It wasn’t until she was sealing a box full of books and documents that it hit her — he had called her the hostess.
What kind of hostess was she?
She was just a “ceremonial hostess,” nothing more.
Since returning to the country, her career had stalled, her family life was a mess, and even this forced marriage wasn’t going smoothly.
Now, she’d even lost her personal space and become someone else’s guest.
Marriage didn’t mean love — it meant a long, tedious life with no end in sight.
How could two people who married for convenience talk about love?
She quickly packed four cardboard boxes. Since returning to China, she hadn’t bought many clothes. Most of what she had were new purchases, some still with tags, so she just tossed them into her suitcase.
Once everything was packed, she showered off the dust and collapsed into bed. It was already past 1 a.m., and she was completely exhausted. She fell asleep quickly — even forgetting to set an alarm.
Naturally, she overslept the next day.
When she finally woke up, she was already over twenty minutes late for their agreed meeting time.
Annoyed with herself, she didn’t even check her messages — she called him immediately to apologize.
On the other end, he reassured her, told her not to worry, and asked which floor she lived on — he’d come up.
After hanging up, she finally looked at her phone and saw that Cheng Jinghe had arrived long ago. Since she hadn’t responded, he’d gone to grab breakfast outside her apartment complex.
She quickly got up and changed out of her pajamas. She threw on a sweatshirt and tossed her undergarments into the suitcase. After confirming that nothing personal was left out in the open, she went to wash up — all while keeping an ear out for the doorbell so she wouldn’t keep him waiting again.
Just as she finished brushing her teeth, the doorbell rang. She went to let him in and told him to wait just a bit longer while she finished getting ready.
Cheng Jinghe nodded and sat on the couch. He watched as she zipped around like a gust of wind, darting in and out of the bedroom. Within twenty minutes, she had shut off the water and electricity and was fully packed.
She was dressed casually in a hoodie, jeans, and a backpack. No makeup — she looked just like a college student.
Cheng Jinghe noticed a tuft of her hair caught in the hoodie and reached out to pull it loose. She hadn’t layered a T-shirt underneath, so when her hair moved, it tickled her skin.
She instinctively leaned away, and glanced down to see Cheng Jinghe’s slender fingers gently pinching her hair.
He let go at the right moment and said, “Your hair was caught inside.”
“Thanks.”
He smiled. “No problem,” and went to carry the cardboard boxes while Lu Shiyin wheeled her suitcase.
The boxes were heavy — two full ones. In addition to books and documents, they contained daily items, skincare products, bottles, jars — all quite weighty. Creams and liquids made everything heavier.
Thankfully, since she had just returned to the country, she didn’t have too much stuff. Otherwise, these two boxes wouldn’t have been enough.
It was Lu Shiyin’s first time visiting Cheng Jinghe’s home.
As they carried the boxes in, she noticed that one of her boxes had a hole in it and something had fallen out. She offered to go look for it, but Cheng Jinghe stopped her and said he’d check himself — it probably dropped in the car.
He went back out while Lu Shiyin, unsure which room was hers, began exploring. She discovered his house was practically empty — hardly any decorations. Even her footsteps echoed.
The apartment was massive — 600 square meters on a single floor — and the view was stunning. She stepped out onto the large terrace to enjoy the sunshine. It was another bright, sunny day.
Suddenly, a dog barked behind her.
She hadn’t known he had a dog, but her instinctive love for animals kicked in. She turned around, excited to play with it — only to find…
There was no real dog.
It was a grey-black robotic dog, still a work-in-progress. One side of its head had a complete shell, the other exposed wires — red, blue, tangled and blinking.
Startled, Lu Shiyin took a step back. The mechanical dog definitely looked high-tech, but also kind of creepy.
Before she could appreciate it, the bark turned into an aggressive snarl. Its mechanical eyes turned red — ominously so.
Fear kicked in. Lu Shiyin froze in place, unsure if the dog could even understand human speech. She tried reasoning with it: “This is a misunderstanding. I’m a friend of your owner.”
No response — it just kept snarling, clearly agitated.
She found herself desperately hoping Cheng Jinghe would return soon and haul away this mechanical monstrosity.
She reached for her pocket — empty. Her phone was still on the coffee table in the living room.
Feeling a bit hopeless, she started scanning the robotic dog for an off switch — but couldn’t find one. And she didn’t want to accidentally break it either.
She edged along the wall, trying to sneak past. But the dog tracked her every move.
She was almost to the living room when she counted to three and ran for the door.
The lock beeped open — and when she turned back, the dog was hot on her heels.
The door opened just in time — Cheng Jinghe was standing there holding the missing item from her box. She ran straight into him and ducked behind his back like a scared child.
The robotic dog didn’t stop and came barreling after her, wires trailing behind it.
In a panic, she jumped onto Cheng Jinghe’s back and — half sobbing — yelled:
“Cheng Jinghe, what kind of ugly creature are you keeping?!”
[Author’s Note]
Thank you to the little angels who voted or donated Nutrient Solution between 2023-10-24 14:01:05 and 2023-10-27 13:22:31~
Thanks to LUuuuu for donating 10 bottles of Nutrient Solution!
Thank you all so much for your support — I’ll keep working hard!