Chapter 23

Lin Jinshen clenched his jaw tightly, his fingers trembling as if scorched by fire. With great effort, he handed the item to Lu Yi, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

Lu Yi accepted it in silence, her face flushing from her ears to her cheeks, red enough to drip blood.

This unfortunate casualty was entirely Lin Jinshen’s doing. He had kissed her without restraint, and when his initial attempts to remove it failed, he applied too much force with his hands. As for why it was under the pillow—it was probably when he pinned her hands above her head, and somehow, it ended up stuffed there during the chaos.

Better damaged than lost.

Just as Lin Jinshen noticed where his own garment was—two steps from the door.

Hiding under the covers, Lu Yi slowly got dressed. Luckily, her slip dress was on her side of the bed, but unluckily, one of the straps had been torn. She slipped it on but had to hold the front with one hand to keep it from slipping down.

“I’m going to wash up first,” she said.

Grabbing some clothes from the walk-in closet, Lu Yi walked to the bathroom with an odd gait. As she passed by, she caught sight of a pair of black men’s underwear. Her gaze snapped away, and she made a beeline to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Placing the clothes on the counter, she braced herself against the sink with one hand and covered her face with the other. Her head throbbed, both physically and emotionally.

Yesterday had been a complete disaster—a drunken frenzy that left Lu Yi feeling as if she had pulled an all-nighter.

Thankfully, she had taken a personal day off in anticipation of drinking, so she didn’t need to explain herself to her boss at noon.

After a long moment of regret, she slipped off the slip dress and began brushing her teeth. Looking up, the mirror revealed her reflection, her body marked with glaring traces. If she didn’t know what had happened last night, these bruises could easily be mistaken for signs of domestic violence. Even her waist bore faint, shifting finger marks, bruises that were turning from red to blue.

It wasn’t as if Lin Jinshen had intentionally hurt her.

It was the result of her pushing him down when she didn’t have the strength to continue, and he had to hold her waist to support her movements.

“…”

She wished she could delete the memory of last night.

Lu Yi dawdled in the bathroom, but when she finally emerged, Lin Jinshen was already dressed. His shirt was neatly tucked into his tailored trousers, his refined and aloof demeanor completely at odds with the person from the night before.

She didn’t dare look at him directly and headed downstairs instead.

Aunt Fang, the housekeeper, had already arrived for work. Seeing no one around, she had started her usual cleaning routine and prepared a meal for Puff, the cat. Puff was a gluttonous little feline who ate obediently without guarding her food. Aunt Fang watched her eat while stroking her head.

Hearing movement from upstairs, Aunt Fang looked up, surprised to see Lu Yi. “I didn’t see anyone this morning. I thought you’d already gone to work.”

“No, I wasn’t feeling well, so I took the day off.”

“Did you drink too much? I’ll make some porridge to help you feel better.” Aunt Fang added, “I came in early to clean today, but it looks like everything’s already been tidied up. Next time, just leave it to me.”

Aunt Fang wasn’t exclusive to their household, but her 20 years of experience meant she had seen all kinds of people. She enjoyed working here—less work, more pay, and no unwarranted deductions.

“It’s no trouble; my friends took care of the trash before they left.”

Lu Yi poured herself a glass of water, drinking two in a row before her dry throat finally felt soothed. She sipped the third glass slowly.

Aunt Fang stood up. “By the way, I saw Mr. Lin’s clothes when I came in. Did he come back?”

“…Yes.” Lu Yi had nearly forgotten—they had started last night downstairs.

“I saw his clothes and tie scattered on the floor. I thought something had happened and got scared. I’ve already cleaned them up and will send them to the cleaners later.”

Lu Yi felt guilty and didn’t know how to respond. After taking another sip of water, she calmly said, “It was Puff. She carried the clothes downstairs.”

Hearing her name, Puff paused mid-meal and turned to look at Lu Yi. “Meow?”

Lu Yi felt even guiltier and silently resolved to give Puff an extra freeze-dried chicken treat later.

Aunt Fang looked at Puff, surprised. “That’s odd. Puff usually doesn’t go upstairs.”

Because upstairs smelled like Lin Jinshen.

“Maybe she got scared by the crowd last night and ran upstairs, then played with the clothes for fun,” Lu Yi said, tapping her glass nervously while trying to change the subject. “What’s for lunch today?”

“Anything you’d like. I bought fresh groceries this morning.”

As they spoke, the bedroom door upstairs opened again.

Lin Jinshen descended the stairs.

Holding her glass, Lu Yi quickly turned her back to him, pretending to drink water as if nothing had happened.

“Mr. Lin,” Aunt Fang greeted him with a smile.

Lin Jinshen nodded. “Aunt Fang.”

“Madam and I were discussing lunch. Do you have any preferences?”

“No need to consider me. I’ll eat at the office,” Lin Jinshen replied, buttoning his suit jacket as he walked to the entryway to change his shoes.

Aunt Fang glanced between the two, sensing the strange atmosphere. Not even a glance or a word passed between them. Thinking of the clothes from last night, she wondered if Mr. Lin had come back and misunderstood something, leading to an argument.

It seemed plausible—more so than Puff dragging clothes downstairs.

“Mr. Lin, is your cold better?” Aunt Fang asked loudly, hoping Lu Yi would soften her stance. “You need to take care of yourself.”

Lin Jinshen’s tone was indifferent. “It’s fine now.”

Aunt Fang nearly panicked. Why did his cold have to get better at such an inconvenient time? She could only add, “But you should still rest. Your body needs time to recover.”

Lin Jinshen didn’t respond. His posture remained rigid as he changed his shoes and walked out, pausing only briefly to glance at the kitchen island where Lu Yi stood with her back to him. He pushed open the door without another word.

The door closed with a sharp bang.

Aunt Fang, now deeply worried, was convinced they had fought—and badly.

Lu Yi sighed in relief, her empty glass still in hand. If Lin Jinshen had stayed a second longer, she wouldn’t have known what to do. She picked up Puff, nuzzling the cat affectionately.

Aunt Fang hesitated, then cautiously asked, “Lu Yi, did you two have a fight?”

“No, we didn’t.”

Lu Yi grabbed a freeze-dried chicken treat for Puff.

The earlier tension was so palpable that Aunt Fang didn’t believe her. “It’s normal for couples to have disagreements. You’ve only just gotten married. There’s still a lot to work out.”

Lu Yi realized Aunt Fang was serious.

Inwardly, she thought: We didn’t fight. We wrestled. And it was so intense we lost face completely.

For both of them, last night was a black mark on their history.

Lu Yi forced a smile and nodded, saying everything was fine.

But Aunt Fang wasn’t the only one who thought they’d fought. The friends from last night’s gathering, especially Yu Yin, had already bombarded the group chat with questions.

Yu Yin: [Are you two okay?]

8 a.m.:

[Did Lin Jinshen survive last night?]

[Your words last night—I didn’t even have time to cover your mouth.]

[Why does a little alcohol make you spill your guts?]

…

10 a.m.:

[Still no reply? Did things get intense?]

[Did Lin Jinshen act inhumanly?]

…

11 a.m.:

[If you don’t reply, I’m calling the cops!]

[And the doctor!]

“…”

Lu Yi finally replied, saying she was fine and didn’t need the police or a doctor.

Yu Yin: [Do you need a lawyer then?]

Straight to the point—divorce and fireworks to celebrate.

Lu Yi had indeed thought about the word “divorce.”

But she had only ever heard of couples divorcing because of incompatible sexual lives—not because things were too compatible.

After hearing Lu Yi’s account, Yu Yin laughed uncontrollably and quipped, “You two sound like a drunken one-night stand. The next morning, you’re sitting there wondering if you should tip the other person for their hard work.”

“…”

Lu Yi’s mind blanked momentarily. “I didn’t tip him.”

Yu Yin nearly laughed herself into oblivion. “If you had, and I were Lin Jinshen, I’d make sure you wouldn’t be able to get out of bed.”

Lu Yi was at a loss for words, her head pounding harder from the sound of Yu Yin’s laughter.

Feeling bored at home, she began overthinking, as she often did when idle. After tidying up, she decided to head to work in the afternoon despite having taken a day off. Her department had just wrapped up a project, and with no new assignments pending, the atmosphere was relaxed. Taking leave was flexible, and it was rare for someone to take half a day off and still show up at the office.

Knocking on her manager’s office door, Lu Yi entered to find Li Wei, a senior executive at the company since its inception. At nearly 40 years old, Li Wei had been divorced, raised a child on her own, and was now dating increasingly younger men. Her whole demeanor radiated a relaxed, youthful energy.

“You took a day off—what brings you to work?” Li Wei set down her paperwork and asked with a smile.

“I wanted to ask if there are any business trips available,” Lu Yi replied. “I don’t have much to do right now and can take on any assignment.”

Li Wei chuckled lightly in disbelief. “In all my years of work, I’ve never met someone volunteering for a business trip.”

“Is it possible?”

“You just finished two projects back-to-back—aren’t you tired? Besides, there aren’t any new tasks or projects lined up right now. I couldn’t assign you a trip even if I wanted to.”

Crossing her arms, Li Wei asked meaningfully, “What are you trying to run away from? Is it a financial debt or an emotional one?”

Lu Yi froze for a second.

Li Wei quickly zeroed in. “Emotional, then?”

“If it’s an emotional debt,” she said, “there’s no point in running. You can’t escape it. What needs to be faced will have to be faced sooner or later.”

After leaving Li Wei’s office, Lu Yi debated whether taking a vacation might be too obvious. Meanwhile, good news came from Lin Jinshen’s side: he didn’t come home that night.

According to Jiang Xun, Lin Jinshen was busy catching up on work he had missed while sick.

The same thing happened the second night.

And the third.

For an entire week, Lin Jinshen stayed in a hotel.

Suppressing her joy, Lu Yi managed to sound calm and regretful as she told Jiang Xun, “That’s fine. Work is important. Please remind your boss to take care of his health.”

“Madam, you too—remember to take care of your physical and mental health.”

After reporting to Lu Yi, Jiang Xun returned to organizing his boss’s daily schedule. Over the past few days, Lin Jinshen worked until late, returned to the hotel to rest, and maintained the same routine as before his marriage.

And that was the issue

Not long ago, he still made time to come home occasionally. Now, he didn’t mention it at all.

Jiang Xun speculated that there were problems in the couple’s relationship, making his boss reluctant to go home. Out of loyalty to Lu Yi, he discreetly relayed this information to Mrs. Qin, hoping she could mediate and encourage Lin Jinshen to spend more time at home.

Mrs. Qin arrived at the hotel that very day.

After surveying the suite to confirm no one else had been staying there, she set a pack of fever medicine on the table and asked, “How’s your cold?”

Lin Jinshen replied evenly, “If you’d come a little earlier, this might’ve still been useful.”

Mrs. Qin couldn’t keep her composure. Facing his calm, unruffled demeanor, she cut straight to the point.

“Why are you staying in a hotel instead of going home? Are you two fighting?”

“Did Lu Yi cry?”

Lin Jinshen: “…”

His impassive expression cracked slightly as his sharply defined fingers drummed impatiently on the rosewood table.

In some sense, she had cried—more than once.

Mrs. Qin took his silence as confirmation and grew furious. “You need to apologize to her immediately!”

“She might not accept it.”

“That just means your apology isn’t sincere enough. That’s no excuse not to try! You don’t treat girls like that. Lu Yi is such a wonderful person, and you had to go and hurt her. What were you thinking?”

“…”

Clad in a darkly patterned silk robe, Lin Jinshen sat beneath the lamp, silent and immovable like a mountain.

Mrs. Qin pressed a hand to her temple in frustration. “Fine, if you won’t apologize, I’ll go myself. It’s partly my fault for not raising you better.”

Finally, she shot him a glare and demanded, “Can you at least promise not to make her cry again in the future?”

Lin Jinshen: “…”

After a pause, his deep voice answered, “I can’t promise that.”