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She couldn’t even remember how she had left that chaotic scene.
It wasn’t until Lu Shiyin was seated in the passenger seat of Cheng Jinghe’s car that her mind began piecing it together.
He had wrapped her protectively in his arms, maneuvering around the storm’s eye without hesitation or delay.
His body was like a wall, shielding her completely. She remembered when she looked up, all she could see was his firm jawline, clenched tightly, his face cold as ice.
He settled her in the car and was about to leave when she tugged on his jacket.
Her fingers lightly hooked onto the drawstring at the hem of his coat. When she opened her mouth, her voice was so hoarse it didn’t even sound like her:
“My bag… it’s still in the living room.”
“I’ll get it.” He gently closed the car door and turned back into the house.
Moments later, she saw him return with her small handbag in his right hand.
Just as he was about to get in, Lu Qisheng rushed out and said something to him. Shiyin saw Qisheng pleading earnestly, while Cheng Jinghe’s lips were pressed into a thin line, his expression clearly displeased.
When he came back, he handed her the bag silently and started the car without a word.
Her eyes stung painfully as she kept her head turned, staring out the window. The scenery blurred by, streetlights fading in the rearview. The chill of the autumn night crept through the glass and into her nose.
The sour sting in her nose quickly climbed to her tear ducts. Before she realized it, her face was soaked in tears.
She bit the inside of her mouth hard, forcing herself to stop crying—to stop being weak. But that only made her feel even more wronged.
She didn’t wipe away the tears. They fell one by one onto her clothes and pants, quickly soaking a small patch.
She never allowed herself to cry in front of others—no matter how close. She had her pride.
Cheng Jinghe said nothing as he drove, but he knew she was silently crying. He wasn’t good at comforting people, and this moment wasn’t easy for him either. He was afraid that even a hint of concern might shatter her fragile pride.
Eventually, Shiyin couldn’t hold it in anymore. She was sobbing uncontrollably, even her nose was running.
“Do you have a tissue?”
Her voice was hoarse and soft, like she was doing her best to steady her sobs and keep her voice from trembling.
Cheng Jinghe quietly handed her a tissue from the car console.
She felt deeply embarrassed. After wiping away every trace of tears, she finally took a deep breath and exhaled.
Her phone pinged with a short, crisp chime. She looked at it—it was a message from Xiaoting:
[Sister Shiyin, was the necklace a gift from you? Thank you. 😊]
Perhaps afraid of being blamed for thinking of leaving the party, Xiaoting added:
[Sister Shiyin, my room was a bit messy at the time, hehe~ I’m not usually like that.]
Shiyin had no energy to deal with her. Seeing Xiaoting only reminded her of her mother’s attitude that afternoon, which made her want to cry all over again.
By the time they reached the underground garage, the car had fallen into a heavy silence.
Cheng Jinghe picked up his phone and said, “You go up first. I have a work call to make.”
“Mm,” she responded through her nose, grabbed her bag, and quickly left.
She knew perfectly well—at this hour, what work call could he possibly need to make? He was just preserving her dignity. She appreciated that, deeply.
Thankfully, she didn’t run into anyone on the elevator ride. After unlocking the door with her fingerprint, she saw that Auntie Zhang wasn’t home either. She quickly changed her shoes and went into her room.
Cheng Jinghe sat in the car, his right hand resting on the steering wheel, fingers gently tapping the leather.
His brows were tightly furrowed. All he could think about was that slap on Lu Shiyin’s face—and the bruised corner of her forehead.
How had the situation escalated to a wedding? It all started when Lu Qisheng suddenly brought up the board of directors, the stock shares, the company’s image…
The next morning, Lu Shiyin appeared in the dining room wearing a tailored black suit—elegant like a woman from 20th-century Europe. But she had cut heavy bangs. Her long black hair fell straight down—clearly to cover the bruise from the night before.
Oddly enough, the hairstyle actually matched her outfit.
Cheng Jinghe had just returned from his morning jog, drenched in sweat. He was surprised to see her like this.
“Morning!” Shiyin smiled at him. “Come eat breakfast.”
As he got closer, it was impossible to tell she had cried her heart out the night before.
“Mm. I’ll shower first,” he said and went to the bedroom.
After a few minutes, when he came out dressed, he heard laughter from the dining room.
Shiyin was asking Auntie Zhang, “Auntie, do you think my bangs look good?”
Auntie Zhang replied enthusiastically, “Madam looks the prettiest!”
When she saw Cheng Jinghe approach, she quickly added, “Sir, don’t you think Madam’s new hairstyle looks great?”
Caught off guard by being mentioned, Shiyin awkwardly brushed her bangs and asked, “Looks good?”
With her forehead hidden, all the attention fell to her large, expressive eyes.
He pulled out a chair and sat across from her. “It looks good.”
Auntie Zhang beamed, “See, I knew Sir would think so too.”
Cheng Jinghe thought: It’s only been a day, when did these two become so close?
At the table, he asked her, “Does your forehead still hurt?”
Shiyin sipped her coffee and shook her head lightly. “It’s fine now.”
“By the way,” she added, “I forgot to bring my car back last night. It’s still at the Lu house. Can you give me a ride later?”
“Sure, but…”
Before he could finish, she assumed he was refusing and quickly said, “Never mind, I’ll just ask Uncle Qian to pick me up.”
“But I thought you didn’t want anyone to know you’re married?” he said.
“It’s fine. We’re having the wedding soon anyway. They’ll know eventually.”
Cheng Jinghe froze. “I thought you didn’t want a wedding? I was going to talk to Grandpa about it—you don’t need to worry.”
Shiyin was peeling an egg and shook her head. “I’ve thought it through. Let’s do it. No big deal. Plus, we’ll get red envelopes,” she grinned. “Who doesn’t like money?”
The more casual she acted, the more it reminded him of her crying silently in the car last night. A wave of pain stirred in his chest.
“Then don’t call Uncle Qian. I’ll take you,” he said flatly.
“Okay.”
After breakfast, she went to her room to touch up her makeup, grabbed her bag, and slipped her wedding ring onto her finger.
When she came back out, he had finished eating and was waiting on the couch. He immediately noticed the ring and was surprised—she usually wouldn’t wear it on a regular workday.
In the car, Shiyin asked if he was going to Baozhen or Jinghuai first.
“Baozhen. I’ve got a meeting Monday.”
Baozhen was closer to Songcheng Biotech’s offices, so she asked to be dropped off there.
“Why are you going to Songcheng?” he asked, frowning. He wasn’t thrilled about her going back there, especially after last night.
“Just have to say something.” She noticed his furrowed brow and added, “Relax, I agreed to the wedding. I’m not there to stir trouble.”
They soon arrived outside Songcheng headquarters. Before she got out, he reminded her:
“If you need help, just ask.”
She gave an “OK” gesture and left the car.
She headed toward the main entrance, intending to bypass the card scanner, but the receptionist stopped her.
She raised her brow slightly, a bit arrogantly: “Don’t recognize me?”
The young receptionist was intimidated by Shiyin’s aura—cold and elegant. Though nervous, she couldn’t help staring at her pretty face.
Seeing the confusion, Shiyin said, “I’m Lu. General Manager of Mingchen.”
Surely she should be recognized now. But she silently cursed Lu Zhenguo—what kind of GM didn’t even have access to the building? A nominal title with no real power.
The receptionist followed rules strictly and said, “Sorry…”
Shiyin didn’t press her. Instead, she called Lu Zhenguo’s personal secretary.
Once connected, she simply said, “It’s Lu Shiyin,” and handed the phone to the receptionist.
The girl quickly realized who she was, returned the phone politely, and swiped her in with a respectful bow.
Shiyin smiled in thanks—but her smile was so cold that it gave the girl goosebumps.
Her coldness wasn’t directed at the receptionist—it was her silent fury at Lu Zhenguo for not granting her real authority. Coupled with the slap from last night and having to come here herself, it only deepened her frustration.
In the chairman’s office, Lu Zhenguo was leisurely sipping tea. The secretary informed him that “young GM Lu” was here. He chuckled but didn’t respond.
After a while, he told Secretary Sun, “Let her wait.”
So Shiyin waited.
She watched as group after group entered and left his office. When he finally emerged, she quickly stood up, respectful and polite.
But he didn’t acknowledge her directly—just glanced with the corner of his eye and walked into the meeting room.
She waited again. At one point, Qian Mu called and asked why she hadn’t shown up at the company. Employees were gossiping again, and documents were piling up.
Rubbing her temples, she told him she was at HQ and asked him to hold down the fort.
After the meeting, Lu Zhenguo returned, followed by more people. Another small meeting lasted until after 1 p.m.
Her entire morning was wasted on the couch outside his office.
In her mind, Lu Zhenguo was never this busy. He was semi-retired and usually hands-off. Clearly, this was deliberate.
She didn’t call him out on it. Instead, she brainstormed and took notes on her phone.
Finally, at nearly 3 p.m., Secretary Sun let her in.
Though starving, she showed no sign of fatigue.
Lu Zhenguo looked up from his documents with reading glasses and said,
“President Lu of Mingchen, what can I do for you?”
She was used to his formality and strict separation of business and personal matters.
“Chairman Lu, about the nursing robot project I mentioned—I’ll deliver you a perfect proposal if you give me a bit more time.”
“Alright. As you wish.”
There was a fish tank in his office with three red-headed goldfish. He once said odd numbers were lucky, never even.
Shiyin didn’t know the logic, but in the silence, she stared at one particularly fat, ugly-cute fish.
He asked, “Is there something else?”
“About the wedding,” she said, bold enough to strike a deal.
“I’ll agree to it—if you approve funding for my project.”
Lu Zhenguo chuckled:
“Is a wedding such a loss for you? You want a wedding and project funding? You can’t have it all.”
Shiyin was speechless. Was getting married really such a good thing?
He didn’t refuse, but he didn’t agree either—just left her hanging.
“I’ll have the perfect proposal on your desk by Friday. And as for the wedding—feel free to begin planning. I’ll cooperate completely.”
She bowed. “I won’t disturb your rest, Chairman.”
As she straightened, she saw he was still reading and ignoring her. But she knew—this meant the deal was halfway done.
Feeling slightly better, she left the office with a light smile.
Qian Mu came to pick her up as she was eating a convenience store sandwich.
He noticed her new hairstyle and lifted her bangs—sure enough, a bruise.
“Come on, let Uncle treat you to something nice. Don’t eat that sandwich.”
“No time. Send me to the company—I need to finish that proposal by Friday and impress the old man.”
“Did he give you the bruise too?”
“Yeah, Lu Zhenguo—still just as violent.”
Qian Mu sneered, “Let me guess, was it Lu Qisheng stirring things up again?”
Shiyin gave him a thumbs-up, “Bingo!” She finished the sandwich, wiped her mouth, and added,
“Oh, by the way—the wedding’s happening. The old man is arranging it.”
“Didn’t you say no wedding?” he looked confused, then realized—
“Wait, it’s him again…”
“Yep. That irresistibly charming middle-aged man I married.”