Chapter 46.2

The first few days, she played along, putting on a show to impress her father and others. But once her patience ran out, she conveniently arranged a business trip, supposedly to conduct field research. What she actually did was anyone’s guess.

Probably just an excuse to slack off while pretending to work hard.

Some of them wished they could pull off the same act.

During lunch, a group even placed bets on how long she’d last in her director position.

“Three months, tops,” one person joked, poking at their broccoli with a grin.

“Come on, she seemed pretty serious. I’ve seen her reviewing documents in her office—it looked legit. Maybe she genuinely wants to make an effort,” another offered a more neutral opinion.

This comment drew laughter. “You’ve been fooled, haven’t you? Think about the timing—why join after getting married? From what I know, she’s been back for years. This is clearly just for show, creating the illusion of diligence for her in-laws.”

“The saddest one here is Fang Ge. With the princess occupying his role, he’s stuck warming the bench. If it were me, I wouldn’t stand for it.”

“Well, Fang Ge isn’t a bigwig. It doesn’t matter how hard he works if he doesn’t have the family backing.”

“…”

The meal passed with casual banter. On their way back to the office, they ran into Lu Yi, who had just returned from her trip, with Gan Li trailing behind her.

Mentally groaning at the bad luck, they forced smiles and greeted her. “Good afternoon, Director Lu.”

Lu Yi nodded briefly before heading to her office.

Gan Li, carrying a backpack, politely greeted each of them before following her boss.

One of the employees exhaled deeply. “I swear, you can’t badmouth someone—they’ll show up the moment you do. I almost had a heart attack.”

“Look at you being such a coward. Honestly, I’m surprised she came back so quickly. I thought she’d take at least ten days.”

“Don’t underestimate her. She might’ve actually learned something on her trip.”

“It’s my fault, I’ll apologize to the princess right away.”

The group exchanged strange chuckles before returning to their desks.

During her business trip, Lu Yi hadn’t neglected her work at the company. Urgent matters were addressed in real time, and she’d already reviewed the initial drafts for the latest design project. However, she rejected them.

The message of her rejection sparked discontent, prompting one of the designers to knock on her office door, seeking clarification about the issues in their draft.

“The company wants to launch a new style and break into the high-end market. Right now, the ‘Old Money Aesthetic’ is trending, and we’ve designed according to that direction. What’s the problem?”

Lu Yi replied, “I understand your frustration, but from the design drafts, all I see are changes in color and material. If produced, they wouldn’t be significantly different from our previous products.”

She could tell that the drafts were meant to brush her off, assuming she was an outsider who wouldn’t notice.

When the designer left her office, they tossed the draft aside, their expression sour. Facing the amused glances from colleagues, they snapped, “Go ahead and laugh while you can. I’m telling you, our design department is doomed. An outsider is running the show—can she even read blueprints? She seriously thinks she knows better?”

Lu Yi’s assistant, Gan Li, was also subject to cold shoulders from colleagues.

Gan Li overheard some unkind remarks and, unable to hold back, shared them with Lu Yi. However, Lu Yi’s reaction was calm, which only frustrated Gan Li further. “Aren’t you angry at all? You could argue back, you know.”

“Without strength to back you up, talking alone is useless,” Lu Yi replied, her clarity on the matter evident.

Gan Li mumbled an “Oh,” but she still felt aggrieved on Lu Yi’s behalf. Lu Yi was genuinely putting in the effort, yet people continued to mock her behind her back.

When it was time to leave work, Lu Yi yawned, shut down her computer, and went home.

She had already informed Aunt Fang in advance that she’d be home for dinner after her trip. Aunt Fang had started grocery shopping early in the afternoon to prepare two of her signature dishes.

Lu Yi’s car stopped at Chengxi Garden. After placing her luggage in the trunk earlier, she drove directly home after work.

At the door, she crouched to play with Puff, her cat, who had excitedly run over to greet her. “I missed you so much!” She ruffled the cat’s fur before picking it up and walking inside. After taking a few steps, she noticed someone sitting on the sofa.

Lin Jinshen was in loungewear, his long legs crossed, watching… the finance channel.

He didn’t get up but tilted his head slightly in her direction.

Their gazes met.

Lu Yi was surprised. “You’re home this early?”

In her memory, his usual working hours lasted until seven or eight in the evening—not even considered overtime.

Lin Jinshen was silent for a moment before replying, “You’re home early too.”

“Four days counts as early?” Lu Yi paused, then reconsidered. For someone like Lin Jinshen, whose business trips often lasted ten days or more, she supposed her return was indeed early.

She felt a sudden urge to compete with her husband’s work ethic—clearly, her workload wasn’t intense enough yet.

Aunt Fang brought out the last dish and smiled. “Dinner is ready!” She greeted Lu Yi, removed her apron, and said, “I’ll head out now. Once you’re done eating, just leave the dishes on the table. I’ll come clean up tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Aunt Fang. Be careful on your way home,” Lu Yi said.

Lin Jinshen added, “Stay safe.”

“Goodbye, little Puff! Grandma’s leaving now.” Aunt Fang waved at the cat, picked up her bag, and left.

When the door closed, the house was left with only two humans and one cat.

Lu Yi set Puff down and went to the bathroom to wash her hands. As she squeezed out hand soap and carefully lathered up, a tall figure appeared beside her. In the mirror, their height difference was clear—she barely reached his shoulders.

Her personal space was severely encroached upon by his presence.

The downstairs bathroom sink wasn’t very wide, and standing side by side meant their arms touched.

He reached out for the soap. Unlike Lu Yi’s delicate hands, his fingers were long and well-defined, with pronounced knuckles. The way he washed his hands had an oddly captivating quality.

The two washed in silence, giving off the vibe of a long-married couple.

Nothing was more important than food!

At lunch, Lu Yi had eaten sparingly at a fast-food joint suggested by her assistant. She found it both dry and greasy, only managing to eat a few fries. Now, seeing Aunt Fang’s exquisite cooking made her mouth water.

While they ate, there was little conversation. Perhaps because they had just video-called the night before, there wasn’t much left to say. Most of the time, Lu Yi focused on entertaining Puff.

The little cat, driven by greed, jumped onto a chair and pawed at the table’s edge, making pitiful sounds.

“Oh, you want some?”

“No, you can’t have any.”

“Sweetie, you’re a kitty. Kitties can’t eat this stuff.”

“…”

Lin Jinshen’s gaze remained on Lu Yi. He watched as she carefully ate crab with gloves on, teased Puff with pieces of crab meat, and pulled them away just as Puff opened its mouth. The cat could only eat air while Lu Yi’s expression shifted between amusement and satisfaction.

He had never thought eating with someone could be so interesting.

“You’re not eating the crab?” Lu Yi turned to him, holding half a crab in her hand.

Lin Jinshen lowered his gaze, his expression neutral. “No. You eat more.”

“Then I’ll have to finish it myself. Seafood doesn’t keep overnight.” Lu Yi skipped the rice and nearly polished off the entire dish.

After the meal, satisfied, she took off her gloves. Lin Jinshen, ever meticulous, cleared the table and disposed of the trash, particularly the crab shells—to prevent odors and deter Puff from sneaking a taste.

Afterward, as they went upstairs, he picked up Lu Yi’s suitcase without a word.

Lu Yi played with Puff for a while, giving it a small snack. She then headed into the bedroom to shower and unpack. Among her belongings was a fragile item carefully padded with newspaper.

As Lin Jinshen came out of the study to refill his water, he passed by the bedroom and was stopped by Lu Yi, who held up the item.

“This is for you—a gift from my trip.”

Lin Jinshen froze mid-step, his gaze shifting from her face to her hands. She held a gift box, its contents unclear. He wasn’t particularly interested in gifts; what caught his attention was that it was a trip gift.

Even before unwrapping it, the gesture alone had erased much of his earlier annoyance.

“Open it,” Lu Yi said, handing him the box.

Lin Jinshen set down his cup, feeling the weight of the gift. As he unwrapped it, he found a uniquely shaped ceramic vase. Its slender body featured indented fingerprints, a narrow neck, and a flat, compressed form.

The white base was accented with streaks of blue.

Lu Yi explained seriously, “This is a piece by ceramic master Meng Huaiyuan. It was originally not for sale—he said it’s his most satisfying work recently. I had to persuade him for a long time before he agreed to sell it to me.”

“Was it difficult to acquire?” Lin Jinshen asked.

Lu Yi stood up, pointing to the fingerprints left on the vase’s surface. “Look here. These are the master’s fingerprints. He said the piece is called Release. When people are under too much pressure, if they don’t find a way to let it out, they’ll get sick.”

“Try it and see how it feels.”

Lin Jinshen was skeptical but let her guide his fingers to press against the indentations on the vase. However, it was immediately clear that his hand didn’t fit the marks.

He asked, “The master’s hands are this small?”

Lu Yi nodded. “It’s with these nimble hands that such a masterful work of art was created.”

Lin Jinshen took her hand instead and placed it over the fingerprints. It fit perfectly—neither too large nor too small.

Lu Yi could barely hold back her laughter. “Looks like I have something in common with the master.”

“Indeed,” Lin Jinshen replied.

Unable to continue her story, Lu Yi confessed, “Okay, I’ll be honest. This isn’t a master’s work. I made it myself. It’s not worth much—just 100 yuan for the materials. I made it at a small workshop. Besides this one, I made a few smaller pieces, but none satisfied me as much as this.”

Her brows arched, her eyes sparkling with light and vitality, full of liveliness and charm.

Lin Jinshen quietly observed her, as if caught in a slow-motion scene from a movie. All the sound seemed muted, and each frame of her expression was extraordinarily vivid.

She still had more to say about the vase.

“My favorite piece, so I’m giving it to you.”

“Don’t be fooled by its unique appearance—it’s plain at first glance. But the owner of the workshop praised me for my creativity.”

“He said I had talent and could even change careers.”

“…”

Lu Yi glanced at Lin Jinshen, who had already put the quirky vase aside. When he looked at her again, his eyes were deep, but his expression seemed distant, as if he hadn’t been listening to a word she said.

“You weren’t listening to me,” she accused.

A moment later, her eyes widened, and her face flushed red as she stammered, “Wait, why are you taking your clothes off?”

Lin Jinshen casually pulled off his shirt with one hand. His pale, flawless skin gleamed under the light, his abs devoid of even a hint of excess fat. His movements were unhurried, deliberate—even taking off his watch and placing it aside with a calm precision.

He did it all with a seriousness that suggested it was nothing more than preparing for a shower. But combined with his striking face, the atmosphere suddenly felt charged with something indescribably tantalizing.

He looked up, his voice low and steady. “Save the talk for later.”

Lu Yi: “…”