Chapter 36.1

Wu Sidong repeated what he had overheard on the phone to his friends, word for word, down to the exact tone and pronunciation.

“She’s fine.”

“She’s just tired.”

The last sentence carried a deeper meaning. Wu Sidong was a man—if he didn’t understand women, he certainly understood men.

Tired? Why tired?

In the animal kingdom, what happens when two males encounter each other? Territorial instincts take over, and a scuffle is perfectly natural. Though Wu Sidong considered his relationship with Lu Yi purely platonic, he was still, technically, male.

Being mistaken as a competitor amused him to no end. He couldn’t help but laugh slyly, oddly flattered by the notion.

“Stop grinning like a pervert. Lu Yi isn’t made of iron—of course, she’s tired,” Yu Yin said, throwing a pillow at him.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, and you do!”

“Let’s go, let’s go,” someone interjected.

Since Lu Yi was fine, the group began grabbing their bags and settling the bill, preparing to leave.

Halfway through, Wu Sidong suddenly had a realization. “Wait, did we overlook something? Lin Jinshen has Lu Yi’s phone. What if he saw the stuff we sent?”

The group collectively froze, their expressions stiffening in unison.

Someone spoke up nervously, “No way, right? He wouldn’t, would he? Please tell me he didn’t.”

Those messages were filled with wild jokes—the kind you’d delete even if you were on your deathbed. A person could die, but their dignity had to remain spotless.

If Lin Jinshen saw them and misunderstood, it might negatively affect his already tenuous relationship with Lu Yi. That would be their fault.

“Relax, Lin Jinshen probably just answered the call. He wouldn’t know her password,” Yu Yin said confidently, booking a ride on her phone.

In other words, their relationship wasn’t that close.

“True, true.”

“Alright then, I’m heading out.”

With their worries somewhat assuaged, the group waved goodbye and parted ways.

—

Lu Yi didn’t sleep well that night. Her dreams were restless.

In her dream, she skipped the charity auction and went out with her friends to a bar. They booked the largest private room and ordered the most expensive male models.

All the models were six-foot-two, dressed in black or white shirts. As they entered, they greeted everyone, forming a neat row that seemed to block out the room’s light like a dense forest canopy.

One by one, her friends picked the models they fancied.

Amid a lineup of men whose shirts were unbuttoned to showcase their chiseled chests, one man stood out—his shirt buttoned all the way up to the top. Yu Yin nudged Lu Yi’s shoulder and said, “That uptight, secretly sultry one? Totally your type.”

“?”

Lu Yi instinctively wanted to refute, but the man’s deep, intense gaze bore down on her. Her heart skipped a beat. Something about him felt familiar. The words of denial died on her lips.

On second thought… not bad.

A steady stream of colorful drinks arrived, and the music blared, loud and rhythmic. The male models showed off their talents—some danced, others mixed drinks or sang.

Except for the one next to her.

He seemed incapable of doing anything impressive.

She couldn’t figure out how he made a living. His face? Lu Yi stole a glance. Alright, fair enough—his face alone was a convincing argument.

This particular model didn’t spout flirtatious lines meant to make your heart race. His repertoire of questions included:

“What do you want to drink?”
“We have juice and soda. It’s best not to have alcohol.”
“Want something to eat? How about fruit?”

“…”

He was as dull as he looked.

While the rest of the room buzzed with excitement, her corner was hopelessly boring. Her friends noticed and called the manager to complain. The manager reprimanded the man harshly, his long lashes casting shadows on his face, making him look even more forlorn.

After the scolding, he seemed to improve.

He shoved aside the bottles and glasses on the table, sat across from her with one leg propped up, and leaned forward. His knees brushed against hers. Lifting his dark lashes, his gaze carried a faintly resentful air. He began unbuttoning his shirt…

Lu Yi stared, frozen, as the scene took an 18+ turn. She glanced around, but her friends were too engrossed in their fun to notice.

Her heart raced, palms damp as though she’d weathered a storm.

This isn’t right.

She wanted to protest but stayed silent.

Strangely, she wanted to see where this was going.

When did she realize it was a dream?

It was when Lin Jinshen leaned in close, face-to-face, so near she could count his lashes. His misty eyes were unfocused, and his lips moved.

“Big sister, take me.”

Lu Yi jolted awake, terrified, as if she’d had a nightmare about zombies. She opened her eyes to find an even more horrifying sight—Lin Jinshen sitting by the bed, holding her leg.

“?”

Still reeling from her dream, her mind raced with chaotic thoughts.

“Awake?” Lin Jinshen was far calmer than she was, still holding her leg. The heat of his palm burned against her skin.

Dazed, Lu Yi blinked slowly and asked the question she’d been pondering the day before: “Be honest, do you have a foot fetish?”

Lin Jinshen frowned. “A what?”

“You like feet. Beyond the normal level of appreciation,” she explained.

Lin Jinshen: “…”

“I’m applying medicine,” he said curtly.

Looking down, she noticed the medicine box beside him. He held a cotton swab in his right hand. That’s when her body and mind reconnected—her knee felt icy.

He was applying medicine to her.

Lu Yi quickly pulled her leg back, grabbing the edge of the blanket to cover herself, her embarrassment reaching new heights.

Last night’s exhausting events had left her enjoying this moment of care, but now she wanted to vanish entirely.

Lin Jinshen ignored her awkwardness. He had noticed the bruise on her knee earlier that morning, consulted a doctor friend, and gone out to buy medication. He even got antiseptics for any scrapes.

“Sorry about yesterday—that was my fault. It won’t happen again.” He apologized while tending to her injuries.

Wait, wasn’t the issue what happened yesterday? Not how long it lasted?

Lu Yi remained silent, lost in her embarrassment.

Lin Jinshen finished applying medicine to her knee and moved on to other areas—bruises and marks scattered across her pale skin. Whether they were fingerprints or uneven kiss marks, he applied the ointment carefully.

As he worked, he silently vowed to be gentler next time.

Unaware of his thoughts, Lu Yi enjoyed the attention but became alarmed when his hands began to venture further upward.

The familiar feeling washed over her again. Her legs felt weak. Lu Yi stopped his hand just in time, stumbling over her words as she asked what he was doing.

From Lin Jinshen’s expression, she could practically read the words “Are you serious?”

“I’m applying medicine. Didn’t you say your inner thigh hurt last night? I need to check if it’s bruised or scraped,” he said.

Lu Yi: “…”

She had realized something—Lin Jinshen would say anything without hesitation.

Lu Yi insisted there was no problem, but Lin Jinshen was entirely serious, wearing an expression that practically screamed, “Refusing treatment is just denial.” As if to emphasize his point, he changed to a fresh cotton swab, applied ointment, and wore the stern demeanor of a professional declaring, Patients don’t have genders in front of doctors. If her thoughts wandered, it was clearly her issue, not his.

She bit her lip, closed her eyes, and endured those agonizing seconds.

“Done. Twice a day, morning and night.”

Lin Jinshen discarded the cotton swab.

Lu Yi’s face burned brighter than ever. She hadn’t even felt any pain to begin with—just redness, according to Lin Jinshen. The ointment, like the one for her knees, felt cold but otherwise fine.

She lay there, trying to recover.

Lin Jinshen tidied up, packing the ointment back into the box, tossing the used swabs and paper into the trash.

Lu Yi glanced at the clock—8 a.m. Although it was Sunday, for Lin Jinshen, weekends didn’t seem to exist. He always went to the office regardless.

“Aren’t you going to the company?” she asked.

Lin Jinshen’s expression remained calm. “I am. It’s still early.”

He glanced at her and added, “Aunt Fang made breakfast. Have something to eat before sleeping again.”

Lu Yi was indeed hungry. She hadn’t eaten much at last night’s banquet and had been utterly drained afterward. She desperately needed to replenish her energy.

“I’ll head down first,” he said.

“Okay.”

Lu Yi got out of bed, heading to the bathroom. She inspected the marks on her body closely and found them unbearable to look at. Lin Jinshen is like a dog, she muttered internally. Biting anywhere and everywhere.

And not just that.

Last night… last night, he had leaned into her ear and called her wife.

It wasn’t for show, not in front of others. It was whispered intimately, his low, hoarse voice speaking directly to her. She hadn’t been able to resist at all.

This man was far less proper than he appeared.

At least this week’s tasks were all done. Today was a proper rest day!

After washing up, she dressed and went downstairs, greeting Aunt Fang.

“You’re up! Come sit; breakfast is ready,” Aunt Fang said, turning to bring out small dishes from the kitchen island.

Lu Yi sat opposite Lin Jinshen at the dining table.

In her memory, this might have been their first breakfast together. Despite living under the same roof for so long, their morning encounters could be counted on one hand.