Ji Chengyi was a bit surprised. After all, from what he knew, Lin Jindu was a very meticulous person. Any contract he signed would have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by his legal team without a single issue.

Seeing the surprise in Ji Chengyi’s eyes, Lin Jindu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Trusting one’s partner is also a fundamental principle of mine.”

Ji Chengyi’s thin lips curved into a gentle smile, and he reciprocated by signing the contract in front of him.

Guan Yun exchanged the signed contracts between the two men.

After they had signed all four copies of the contract, Ji Chengyi was the first to rise from his chair and extend his hand towards Lin Jindu. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Lin Jindu stood up and shook Ji Chengyi’s hand. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

As they released their handshake, Lin Jindu added, “I’ll come to pick you up at 1:30 PM.”

Ji Chengyi declined, “No need to trouble yourself. I’ll go directly to the marriage registration office.”

Lin Jindu didn’t insist and nodded. “Alright, see you in the afternoon.”

…

In the afternoon, when Ji Chengyi arrived at the marriage registration office on time, he saw Lin Jindu already sitting in the waiting area.

The man on the chair was still dressed in a black suit, but the subtle changes in details made it clear that he had changed outfits. The burgundy tie from the morning had been replaced with a deep blue one.

Compared to the refined restraint of the morning, Lin Jindu now appeared more mature and dignified.

Whether it was because Ji Chengyi’s gaze on him was too noticeable or due to Lin Jindu’s natural sensitivity, he quickly looked up from his phone and his eyes met Ji Chengyi’s accurately.

“President Ji,” Lin Jindu stood up, his dark eyes reflecting Ji Chengyi’s figure.

Although Ji Chengyi didn’t feel like he was late due to Lin Jindu’s early arrival, he still walked over and said, “Sorry for the wait, President Lin.”

Before Lin Jindu could respond, the loudspeaker in the hall called out their number.

Lin Jindu glanced at the number in his hand and chuckled softly. “You’re not late, President Ji. You arrived just in time.”

The reason Lin Jindu addressed Ji Chengyi with formal respect was twofold: firstly, Ji Chengyi’s excellence warranted such respect; secondly, Ji Chengyi had always used formal titles when addressing him.

Hearing such polite language occasionally was no big deal, but using it consistently made Lin Jindu feel as if he were much older than Ji Chengyi. After all, Ji Chengyi looked quite youthful. Especially with his unstyled black hair gently tousled by the wind, he exuded an air of youthful energy. If Lin Jindu didn’t know Ji Chengyi’s actual age, he might have mistaken him for a fresh university graduate just starting an internship.

Ji Chengyi didn’t respond immediately. His attention was focused on his phone, scanning the QR code that Lin Jindu had displayed and successfully sending a friend request. Only then did he look up and reply, “Okay.”

After a brief pause, he added, “I’ve sent the friend request. Please accept it, Mr. Lin.”

Subtly, Ji Chengyi had changed the way he addressed him, without showing any additional emotions. Yet, Lin Jindu, ever perceptive, noticed within those brief moments that Ji Chengyi was a person of strong principles. Most people would have responded to someone while multitasking, but Ji Chengyi clearly wasn’t like that. He finished what he was doing before looking up to respond, which also showed respect.

Although this might seem like a small detail, such nuances often revealed a person’s character. This principle-driven and well-mannered Ji Chengyi matched the personality Lin Jindu had discovered during his investigations.

So, without revealing any other emotions, he softly said, “Okay.”

Then he lowered his head to look at the friend request Ji Chengyi had sent.

Lin Jindu hadn’t gone so far as to investigate Ji Chengyi’s WeChat, so when he saw a friend request from an account with a golden kitten as the profile picture, he asked uncertainly, “Is this cat you, Mr. Ji?”

The question was somewhat amusing.

But Ji Chengyi remained as calm as ever, “The cat is my avatar, not me.”

Lin Jindu was taken aback by Ji Chengyi’s unique humor and couldn’t help but laugh, “Alright, the little cat is very cute.”

There was a hint of surprise in his voice; he hadn’t expected Ji Chengyi to use such a cute animal as his avatar. It didn’t match his cold personality.

Ji Chengyi noticed but didn’t explain. He simply said, “Thank you.”

Even though he didn’t hear any genuine sentiment in Lin Jindu’s serious compliment.

Lin Jindu didn’t continue with the topic, instead moving his fingers to accept Ji Chengyi’s friend request.

When a clear “ding” sounded between them, it meant their WeChat accounts were now connected.

Ji Chengyi quickly noted Lin Jindu’s WeChat as “Shengda Lin,” and was about to say goodbye. But before he could speak, he saw a message with a link pop up from Shengda Lin’s WeChat.

He was puzzled and looked up with a questioning expression.

Lin Jindu explained, “It’s the facial recognition system for the house. Just register your face, and you’ll be able to enter and exit normally.”

Yes, the contract explicitly stated that they were to live together once the cooperation began.

Ji Chengyi hadn’t forgotten this part, as he was planning to have someone clean the new apartment he hadn’t moved into yet.

But since Lin Jindu had sent the house information first, it meant he was silently signaling Ji Chengyi to move in.

Ji Chengyi didn’t care where he lived. Since Lin Jindu wanted to create the appearance of “marrying a wife” for his family, he would cooperate.

“Alright.” Ji Chengyi agreed, then asked, “When would it be convenient for me to move in?”

Lin Jindu said, “The room is already prepared. Mr. Ji can move in anytime.”

Ji Chengyi thought for a moment, “Then I’ll move in after work tomorrow.”

Lin Jindu pondered for a moment. “I have to go on a business trip tonight and won’t be back for two days. Is it okay for you to move in alone, Mr. Ji?”

Ji Chengyi smiled lightly. “No problem.”

Lin Jindu didn’t say much more. “Alright then, see you in two days.”

Ji Chengyi responded, “See you in two days.”

With everything said, they each returned to their respective companies.

Ji Chengyi stayed busy at his company until the end of the workday, then attended a business dinner. Since there weren’t any important figures at the dinner, he only had two small drinks before leaving early to go home and rest.

The next morning.

After finishing breakfast and getting ready for work, Ji Chengyi packed a light gray suitcase and placed it in the trunk. Since he planned to move to Lin Jindu’s place after work, the suitcase contained his essential items. For anything else he couldn’t carry, he would have Guan Yun prepare another set later.

As soon as Shengda and Keao began their collaboration, Shengda Capital’s funds were transferred into the company’s account. With enough money in the account, Ji Chengyi instructed both the research and development department and the factory to start working.

By the time Ji Chengyi finished his day’s work, it was already past nine in the evening. On his way to Lin Jindu’s house, he took out his phone and checked it. The screen displayed several unread WeChat messages.

Ji Chengyi opened WeChat and started checking the messages one by one. When he saw Lin Jindu’s sunset avatar with a red notification badge showing two messages, he paused for a moment before quickly opening it.

Lin Jindu had sent two messages.

One was a floor plan of the house showing the placement of various items.

The other was a text message: [Both master bedrooms are empty, Mr. Ji. You can choose the one you like.]

Ji Chengyi noted the time the message was sent: 17:32. He then glanced at the current time: 21:47.

He replied apologetically: [Sorry, Mr. Lin, I just saw your message now.]

He added another message: [Got it.]

Lin Jindu didn’t respond, presumably busy. Ji Chengyi didn’t wait and continued replying to other messages.

The car drove quietly along the road. Half an hour later, it stopped at the entrance of a residential complex.

Ji Chengyi turned his head to look at the name of the complex: Impression Mountain Lake.

It was a famous luxury residential area in Jin City.

The residential complex spanned over 800 acres but only had 28 standalone villas. The rest of the area was taken up by lakes and greenery.

The scenery was comparable to a wetland park, making it a priceless residential area in Jin City.

Living here wasn’t just about wealth—it was a symbol of an unattainable status.

The car stopped at the security booth.

The driver asked Ji Chengyi, “Mr. Ji, should we drive straight in?”

Ji Chengyi was about to say they probably couldn’t drive in when he saw a security guard in a black suit bow and say, “Welcome home, Mr. Ji.”

The automatic barrier at the security booth lifted.

Ji Chengyi realized that Lin Jindu must have registered his car’s license plate in the security system in advance.

He nodded slightly towards the security personnel.

The driver drove the car inside.

Because there were few residents in Impression Mountain Lake, the villas were spaced far apart from each other.

The car continued driving forward.

Ji Chengyi looked out the window.

Outside, the wind created ripples on the lake’s surface.

It was beautiful.

Ji Chengyi found himself liking the view outside the window.

He decided he might get up early to go for a run the next day.

Then he remembered he hadn’t brought any running clothes.

So he gave up on the idea.

Well, he could just enjoy the scenery as he passed by; there was no need to go out and experience it firsthand.

Soon, the car slowly stopped in front of a villa.

Ji Chengyi got out and looked at the house in front of him.

The villa was three stories high with a Western-style exterior.

The decorations at the entrance were simple yet exquisite.

The smart door lock was on the left side of the front door.

As Ji Chengyi approached, the recognition system immediately emitted a mechanical voice: “Recognition successful, welcome home.”

The villa’s front door opened.

Ji Chengyi walked in.

“Mr. Ji, should I pick you up here tomorrow?” The driver placed Ji Chengyi’s suitcase in the villa’s foyer and stopped there, asking from the entrance.

Ji Chengyi took the suitcase. “Yes, from now on, pick me up here.”

During his collaboration with Lin Jindu, he would be staying here.

The driver nodded. “Alright, I’ll head back now. Have a good rest, Mr. Ji.”

Once the heavy wooden door closed, the entire villa was left with only Ji Chengyi.

Ji Chengyi casually surveyed the overall decor on the first floor. It had dark tones with high ceilings, exuding a refined yet business-like feel.

It suited Lin Jindu’s aura perfectly.

Ji Chengyi had no strong preferences for decor, though he felt the house was a bit too spacious for his liking.

He wasn’t used to the vastness, so he didn’t linger long and took the elevator to the second floor, pushing his suitcase.

There were two master bedrooms on either side of the second floor, both facing south.

Ji Chengyi didn’t deliberate much and headed towards the bedroom on the right out of habit.

He opened the door, and by the light of the hallway sensor, he spotted the switch on the wall.

He raised his hand and pressed the switch.

Warm lighting immediately bathed the room in a soft glow, dispelling the darkness before him.

Ji Chengyi blinked, pushing his suitcase a few steps further.

After two steps, he suddenly stopped.

He stood there, staring blankly as his eyes met those of Lin Jindu, who had just woken up on the bed.

The room was silent.

Ji Chengyi’s gaze involuntarily lowered.

Lin Jindu wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his broad, muscular chest and defined abs were fully exposed to Ji Chengyi’s view.

Yesterday, Ji Chengyi had only noticed Lin Jindu’s height and long legs. Now, seeing this unexpected scene, he realized just how impressive Lin Jindu’s physique was beneath the suit.

Ji Chengyi couldn’t help but think that if Lin Jindu weren’t so rational and focused on profit, he probably wouldn’t have any trouble finding a partner.

After all, if this scene involved someone else, they might have been very excited by now. However, Ji Chengyi simply blinked calmly and then said, “Sorry, I didn’t know you were home, Mr. Lin.”