---

9 · Softhearted

◎ Would make a great wallpaper ◎

Lu Shiyin wouldn’t give up — she insisted on taking photos. Cheng Jinghe removed his tie and used it to bind her hands behind the chair, then sat to the side, catching his breath and putting his clothes back on.

He was drenched in sweat from the whole ordeal.

At first, Lu Shiyin yelled and kicked up a fuss. Then, when the noise stopped, she began crying. Not sobbing, just quietly sniffling — the kind that tugs at your heart.

Cheng Jinghe finished dressing and untied her. Seeing she was upset, he crouched down and gently said, “Let’s go home and take pictures, okay? Not here. I don’t want others to see.”

That piqued her interest. She got up immediately, eager to go home.

Cheng Jinghe held her hand and led her out. The manager saw them leaving and escorted them to the entrance.

“Where’s President Yan and President Lu?”

“Both leaders have already left.”

“Okay.”

Just as he was about to speak, the manager quickly added:

“President Cheng, I was with President Yan and President Lu the entire time. I don’t know about anything else.”

“Mm.” Cheng Jinghe finally relaxed.

On the drive home, Lu Shiyin was unusually quiet, absorbed in her phone. She stayed like that until they arrived at the underground parking lot of their apartment.

She finally found a photo in her gallery and showed it to him. “This one’s not bad, right?”

Cheng Jinghe unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over. It was pretty good — it captured the moment he was untying his tie, eyes lowered, not looking at the camera.

He affirmed, “Yeah, that’s a good one.”

Lu Shiyin nodded proudly, “Told you it’s good.”

Maybe from all the fuss earlier, she was tired now. She didn’t insist on taking more photos. She was so pleased with that one that she set it as her phone wallpaper.

In the elevator, Cheng Jinghe noticed and smiled. “What are you doing?”

Leaning against the wall, she said, “Just feels like this makes a great wallpaper.”

Standing on his right side, she stared at the mole on his earlobe for a while, then politely asked, “Can I touch your mole?”

He was a bit surprised, leaning down slightly: “Go ahead.”

She gently pinched his full earlobe between two fingers, rubbed it a few times, then tapped the mole lightly. His earlobe turned deep red.

Softly, she said, “Hmm, nothing special. Doesn’t feel like anything different…”

“Oh my gosh, why is your ear so red?!”

Startled, she blurted that out. Beside her, Cheng Jinghe straightened up, his Adam’s apple bobbing several times, heartbeat and breath quickening.

And in the cramped elevator, it only felt like the air was heating up rapidly.

When they reached their floor, he stepped out first, walked several paces, took a deep breath, and then looked back at her.

Lu Shiyin asked nervously, “Are you mad?”

He paused, “No, just too hot.”

“Oh.”

The door opened, and he turned on the lights.

Lu Shiyin, worn out, kicked off her shoes and stepped inside.

Turning back, she saw Cheng Jinghe tidying up her fallen high heels at the entrance.

“Thank you,” she said, giving him a deep bow. “Good night.”

Just before sleep completely overtook her, she told him good night and dived into her room.

She slept until morning.

Groggily waking, Lu Shiyin instinctively checked her phone — then froze at the familiar face on her lock screen. The next second, she shot upright in bed.

Now she was awake. Fully, terrifyingly awake.

She dove into her photo album, utterly shocked. She had no idea how many photos she took — it felt endless just flipping through them.

There were also a bunch of weird-angle shots and blurry junk pics.

Not just photos. There were videos, too. She tapped on one: Cheng Jinghe stood unwillingly in front of the camera, and she scolded him to act professional. He then struck the pose she asked for.

She praised him over and over. Then the camera wobbled, and it ended.

She hurled the phone away, burying her face in her pillow, screaming internally.

What had she done?!

She rolled back and forth in bed in regret, kicking herself for drinking. Why on earth did she drink?!

With messy hair, she sat up, deciding not to dwell on the stupidity of last night. She’d just pretend nothing happened. What she really needed to worry about was — how the hell was she supposed to face Cheng Jinghe now?!

She figured he probably went for a morning run, checked the time, and realized it was still early. She rushed to freshen up and change clothes, sneaking out of the room like a guilty cat.

From the kitchen came the clinking of pots and pans. She closed her eyes, dramatically sighing at her miserable fate.

She had to pass the dining room to get to the door. As she casually strolled past, someone called out:

“Ma’am, you’re up early!”

It was a woman’s voice.

Lu Shiyin turned and suddenly remembered — oh right! Aunt Zhang’s here, not him!

Putting on a smile, she greeted, “Morning, Aunt Zhang.” Then, uncertainly asked, “Aunt Zhang, where’s Cheng Jinghe?”

“Sir went out for a run.”

She let out a breath of relief, and as soon as breakfast hit the table, she stuffed her mouth full. While eating, she called Qian Mu.

He was already up and jogging, his voice slightly breathy: “Yinyin? What’s up?”

Lu Shiyin thought these two men were way too diligent — both up early exercising.

“Uncle, when are you going to the office? Can you come pick me up?”

“You need a ride now? I can come right away.”

She couldn’t bear to make him run around in the middle of his exercise. Though she usually called Qian Mu a friend, deep down she still regarded him as a senior.

“No need — just pick me up if it’s on your way.”

---

Having resolved one concern, she quickened her pace, finishing her meal and hurrying back to her room to tidy up.

Just as she was applying lipstick, she heard movement at the door and softened her motions, leaning close to the door to listen carefully.

It was Aunt Zhang speaking: “Sir is back. Madam just finished her breakfast.”

She heard him respond with an “Mm,” then say, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Lu Shiyin pressed her ear to the door to catch more sounds. When she was sure he’d gone into his room, she waited another two minutes before opening the door to step out.

But the moment she opened the door, she found Cheng Jinghe leaning casually against the wall across from her door, watching her leisurely.

Dressed in sportswear, with damp bangs from sweat, he smiled and said, “Good morning. Going to the office this early?”

Startled, her heart jumped as if caught doing something wrong. “There’s something at work. I’m going in early.”

“Wait for me two minutes, I’ll shower and drive you.”

“No need. It’s too much trouble. I’ve asked Uncle Qian to pick me up.”

“Are you going to take photos of Uncle Qian too?” he said slowly from behind.

Lu Shiyin froze mid-step. She had no face to turn back, so she awkwardly laughed it off: “What are you talking about? I don’t get it… I’m in a hurry.”

And with that, she quickly slipped away.

---

Later

When Lu Shiyin told Qian Mu about what happened last night, he laughed so hard he could barely breathe, practically doubled over in the company parking lot.

“My fault. I really should’ve warned Cheng Jinghe about this. Poor guy—he suffered because of me. I feel so guilty.”

Lu Shiyin glared: “Stop laughing!”

Back when they were in the U.S., Qian Mu already discovered she couldn’t handle alcohol—just a bit and she’d start bossing people around for photos, making them pose in bizarre ways.

He had been one of the victims himself. But unlike others, he wouldn’t go along with her nonsense—they’d just tie her to bed to sleep it off.

He picked up her phone to look at the wallpaper. “Yo, you still haven’t changed this?” He studied it. “Not bad. You actually captured a nice shot of Cheng Jinghe.”

She snatched the phone away: “I didn’t have time this morning! I’ll change it later!”

“I say don’t bother. Might come in handy.”

“Handy how?” Lu Shiyin asked. “What could it possibly help with? What if someone at the office sees it and thinks I’m not being professional?”

Qian Mu shook his head, still smiling: “So what? You’re legally married. No rule says you can’t use a photo of your partner as wallpaper.”

Lu Shiyin rolled her eyes and didn’t bother replying.

They entered the elevator. When it reached the first floor, the doors opened to reveal a young woman smiling sweetly—until she saw Lu Shiyin. Her smile instantly vanished.

Lu Shiyin found her familiar. The woman didn’t try to come in and instead called from outside, “Assistant Lu, Assistant Qian.”

Hearing her voice jogged Lu Shiyin’s memory—she was one of the employees who had gossiped about her in the restroom the previous week.

She didn’t invite her in, but Qian Mu, being approachable, waved her in kindly.

The woman hesitated, then stepped in with her head down.

Lu Shiyin looked at the girl’s long black hair and blurted out, “Ding Wen, did you change your hair color?”

Ding Wen looked startled, clutching her bag tightly. “Yes, Assistant Lu.”

As her sleeve slipped slightly, Lu Shiyin noticed the watch she wore—a Patek Philippe with a pink-lavender band and face, quite fitting for her.

But judging from Ding Wen’s clothes, she didn’t seem like someone who could afford that kind of brand.

Ding Wen’s floor arrived quickly. She bowed to both of them before leaving. Only when the elevator doors closed again did she walk away.

Qian Mu: “You know her?”

“Not really. We’ve just met once or twice.” Lu Shiyin had a lingering suspicion about the girl but quickly let it go.

---

Back to Work

She handed her car keys to Qian Mu, asking him to return the car—it was just easier to drive herself.

As the day wore on, Lu Shiyin grew increasingly anxious. She didn’t know how to face Cheng Jinghe after work. She’d worried the whole day, only to receive a message from him: he was going on a business trip.

He even made sure to say he was already at the airport, so she didn’t need to worry about running into him at home.

Lu Shiyin laughed in frustration and angrily typed out eight words:

“Have a safe trip. Take care of yourself.”

At the airport, Cheng Jinghe looked at her cool and bland message and could practically imagine her furious expression. Grinning at the screen, he stared at the chat for a long moment before finally turning off his phone.

Yuan Hang, watching his boss go from grumpy to beaming within a minute, wondered: isn’t this guy basically a face-changing master?

---

Friday Arrives

Lu Shiyin brought a complete proposal back to the Lu family estate. Her grandfather Lu Zhenguo only worked Mondays and Tuesdays; the rest of the week he stayed home.

When she arrived, he was sipping tea and reading in his old rosewood chair.

She didn’t interrupt, just stood quietly to the side until he looked at her: “Go ahead.”

Only then did she begin her presentation.

With her grandfather, she never dared act spoiled. He was a strict, old-fashioned man who only pretended to accept new things.

When she was young, Lu Zhenguo doted on his only granddaughter, but after her father died, the connection between them seemed to snap overnight.

Now, whenever her name came up, all he showed was disdain.

When she finished presenting, Lu Zhenguo didn’t respond right away. He thought for a long while, then asked a few questions—which she answered perfectly.

Seeing no reason to criticize further, Lu Zhenguo finally nodded.

She had expected this outcome, but the moment he nodded, she was still deeply grateful.

She needed tangible results to gain recognition, and Lu Zhenguo needed her achievements to support her place on the board.

He sipped his tea. “I’ve already arranged people to handle the wedding. You don’t need to worry about it. When you go try on wedding dresses, take Cheng Jingzhi with you. You two get along well. This is your only wedding—pick something you like.”

She had no right to refuse, so she simply nodded and agreed.

“Stay for dinner today. It’s been a while since you’ve eaten at home.”

Usually whether she stayed or not was up to her—he rarely invited her. That he said so today was unusual, Lu Shiyin thought.

Dinner was just the two of them, and not a single word was exchanged. The atmosphere was cold as ice.

For the first time, Lu Shiyin felt sympathy for Lu Zhenguo.

He lived in this huge house alone. One son was gone, the other had his own family and rarely visited. The grandchildren were overseas.

Still, she wouldn’t offer to move back and keep him company. There was simply too much bad blood between them.

After the meal, she got up to leave and said goodbye.

But just as she sat in her car, she got out again, stood on the lawn for a moment, then resolutely walked back into the house.

“Miss, did you forget something?” Aunt Xu asked when she saw her return.

Looking past Aunt Xu, she saw Lu Zhenguo sitting on the sofa, playing chess on his tablet. He even lowered his reading glasses slightly to glance at her.

Cursing herself for being soft-hearted, she raised her voice—just in case the old man misunderstood her reason for returning.

“It’s getting late. I don’t feel safe driving alone. Aunt Xu, could you help me tidy up my room? I’m not going back tonight.”

With that, she lifted her chin and walked upstairs confidently. Aunt Xu smiled brightly and replied in a loud voice.

Lu Zhenguo glanced at the fleeting figure on the second floor and snorted with a chuckle:

“Little rascal.”