When Shang Xinglu didn’t realize what she was holding, she thought, “This pillow is really nice. I should buy a few more for home—one for hugging horizontally, one for holding vertically. I can use them however I want.”

But once she realized what she was actually holding… Wait, who she was holding…

Cold sweat, irregular heartbeat, insomnia, shortness of breath…

Shang Xinglu felt that in the next second, she might just be sent to the hospital to get two prescriptions to treat her condition.

The “pillow” in her arms was far from safe—it was a “hot potato,” and if it wasn’t carefully handled, it could burn her!

Though she didn’t remember exactly how it happened, Shang Xinglu, as a diligent researcher always seeking the truth, still tried to recall and deduce how she had ended up in this predicament.

First of all, last night, she was very happy.

She had heard some fantastic news from Lin Heng.

Lin Heng’s money-printing machine had finally started working; he had developed an interest in the female protagonist, Yin Yao, and an important event was set to unfold in the next two weeks.

It was like when you’re grinding through rare materials in a game and suddenly the operation team says there’s a massive event with endless rewards—just for participating!

It was like when you’re struggling with sky-high housing prices in a first-tier city, and someone offers you a massive discount!

In short, it was the kind of news that made people want to celebrate, get promoted, make a fortune, marry off their sons, and sell their husbands!

Now, a bit of backstory.

Shang Xinglu had been sleeping quite uncomfortably during her stay at the luxurious residence at Shanhai Guan.

She was someone who was carefree and didn’t mind sleeping however, wherever.

In the past, she was fine with a 1.5-meter bed—though it was a bit cramped, she managed.

But the single dormitory at the research institute was even smaller, just enough for a 1.5-meter bed, so she had to make do.

Shanhai Guan’s mansion, on the other hand, satisfied her bed needs—she could lie across the entire bed without issue!

The problem arose when there was an extra person in the middle.

Shang Xinglu had been squeezing into a corner for a few days.

Each night, she clutched the blanket, lying stiffly like a corpse in a coffin, never even brushing against Lin Heng’s pajamas.

When she received the amazing news, she… got a little carried away.

Humming a little tune, she fell asleep.

One twist, two stretches, and then—bam—successfully crossed the “line.”

But the real issue wasn’t crossing the line; it was when her arm swung and accidentally landed on Lin Heng’s waist.

By the way.

Lin Heng’s muscles?

They were very well-formed.

Not the giant, bulky kind like a bodybuilder, but the kind with excellent resilience and softness.

The sensation was… well, it felt really good to touch.

After that, well, there was no “after” part.

Oh no, she thought, Is this what they mean by ‘joy leads to sorrow’?

Buddha, I swear I won’t do it again!

Now, Shang Xinglu was half-hanging off Lin Heng, her head on his arm, one arm draped over his waist, and one leg across his.

She resembled an octopus or a spider, clinging to him.

As they say, “It’s easy to climb the mountain, but hard to get down.”

It was difficult for Shang Xinglu to climb into Lin Heng’s space, but now, getting out was proving to be quite a challenge.

Especially after that clumsy move she had just made.

She had thought she was being playful, but the outcome was…

No, Lin Heng, why are you named Edmond? Do you think you’re the Count of Monte Cristo?

But soon, Shang Xinglu had a new idea.

Since she had quietly rolled onto Lin Heng, she could quietly roll off too!

Let’s do it—no mercy!

She tilted her head, trying to shift to the side. She rolled her body with natural ease, getting her hands and legs off Lin Heng, and she started to roll.

She rolled.

She kept rolling.

Look how I roll!

But her rolling wasn’t just aimless; it was a smooth, rhythmic roll, full of acting.

Shang Xinglu paused for a moment, preparing for another roll…

Ah!!!

“My… my hair!!!”

It hurt so much that her tears almost burst out! Forget the tears, she had pulled so hard that she wanted to curse aloud!

…And yet, she still had to pretend to be asleep.

I hate this.

I really hate this!

But how was she supposed to get her hair unstuck from Lin Heng’s pajama button?

Her hair was so long, and Lin Heng’s arm was still under her neck!

How could she roll to the other side of the King-sized bed without breaking her hair free?

Uh… Looks like she was a helpless lettuce girl now.

Shang Xinglu was stuck, turning red from the embarrassment and panic, but she still had to pretend to be asleep.

Just as she was about to win an Oscar for this performance, Lin Heng pulled his arm back and started unbuttoning his pajama.

Shang Xinglu:!!!

Big brother!!! Let’s talk this out!!! What’s the deal with undressing??!!

She tensed up, her whole body on high alert.

Soon, she heard Lin Heng’s sigh.

It was light, full of helplessness, and sounded particularly mocking.

While unbuttoning, Lin Heng asked, “…How long do you plan to pretend to sleep?”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Turns out, the Oscar didn’t owe her a little gold man.

Seeing she wasn’t giving up, Lin Heng calmly said, “If your hair won’t come loose, I’ll just cut it off with scissors.”

Shang Xinglu quickly flipped over from the bed.

“…Ah!!”

She moved too quickly, and once again…

Shang Xinglu clutched her head, gasping for air, “I don’t want to have a bald spot in the middle! I don’t want the Mediterranean look!”

Lin Heng said coolly, “I was talking about cutting the pajama buttons.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Oh.

Alright.

At least she wouldn’t end up being a balding man.

Both the main characters were too proud to let the servants see such a “tragic sight.”

So, the two of them carefully moved down from the bed, then carefully inched their way to the table.

During this process, there were many one-sided dialogues like “It hurts so much!” “Don’t walk so fast…” “It really hurts!” “Ow!” “Can you be gentler?!” and so on.

They were really getting up much later than their usual time, especially Lin Heng.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Marilyn, who had been listening to this series of sounds through the door crack, had her eyes wide open, her cheeks flushed, and her heart was filled with a mischievous “Heh heh heh.”

In any case, “Heh heh heh.”

The couple was so affectionate!

She quietly left, and bumped into a colleague from work.

“Lin Lin, you’re so happy today. Did you pick up some money?”

Marilyn: “Heh heh heh.”

Colleague: “…”

So, so… creepy!

At the breakfast table that morning, Shang Xinglu felt like she was being eyed by the servants.

She thought it was because her hair had a small missing patch, but she didn’t really think much of it.

By the evening, news that the Lin family was expecting a baby soon spread to every servant’s ear in the grand mansion of Shanhai Guan.

And many of these servants had some connections to the main household.

The news began to seep toward the main household.

Meanwhile, the people involved were still lying under the blankets, chatting casually.

Since taking over her brother’s meetings, Shang Xinglu had started going to work herself.

Every day, she did nothing much—just hastily signed a few papers, browsed the internet, drank some tea, had lunch out, and occasionally got a beauty treatment.

Everyone thought she was there to keep an eye on her brother, Shang Xingyu, who had just returned to work.

That was part of the reason.

Another part—she really wanted to see the financial reports, so she had come closer to the source to get a good look.

Although, from both materialistic and idealistic perspectives, she wasn’t really the proper heiress of the Shang family and had initially come for money to avoid the family going bankrupt.

But now, how to say it, the “game” was already halfway through, and there was no way to back out.

Her gut told her that things were not that simple.

She had thought about it before—the financial statements could either be stolen or she could gain real control.

To be honest, managing a company wasn’t easy, and winning people’s hearts wasn’t easy either. By the time she gained real control, Yunshi would probably have gone bankrupt a hundred times.

She thought that stealing might actually be feasible.

So, going to the company every day, chatting with employees, seemed pretty necessary.

No one knew that Shang Xinglu had so many tricks up her sleeve—even her brother Shang Xingyu thought she was sent by their parents to keep an eye on him.

He had actually moved into a dormitory.

The room was smaller than his home’s bathroom, dim and cramped, with no imported supermarket nearby—quite terrifying!

Shang Xingyu had to take a bus two stops to get to an imported supermarket to buy food and drinks. He planned to cook in the dorm, buying a bag of organic vegetables and imported meat, spending a quarter of his monthly living expenses, yet still feeling like he had saved money.

Then, he went out to eat with friends at a cheap place, not a fancy restaurant, but when it was time to pay, his card didn’t work, so he paid in cash.

Then he realized—where’s my money???

Shang Xingyu called the helpline, seeking help from his sister (the devil).

Because his sister (the devil) had already successfully had their parents block his number.

Recently, Shang Xingyu had come to terms with his situation.

He didn’t complain about the bad conditions or lack of money—he was very straightforward and said, “Sis, I’m starving, I don’t have money for food.”

He didn’t believe that Shang Xinglu would really let him starve!

Sure enough, Shang Xinglu said, “Wait, I’ll have someone deliver something to you.”

Shang Xingyu hung up the phone, feeling smug.

An hour later, the doorbell rang in the dorm. Shang Xingyu, wearing slippers, went to open the door.

It was still that big, burly man, with that familiar delivery style.

What was different was that this time, they carried two bags of rice, two jugs of oil, three bags of noodles, several bottles of seasonings, bottles of Lao Gan Ma, and a large sack of long-lasting vegetables—completely filling the already cramped room.

Shang Xinglu called.

“I’ve sent you food, and as for the rest, just wait for your salary next month.”

The burly men came in a hurry and left in a hurry.

Shang Xingyu silently stared at the food scattered everywhere…

He exploded with rage, “Are you even human?!!!”

Shang Xinglu was silent on the other end of the phone.

Long silence.

More silence.

Shang Xingyu felt a little regretful—he’d gotten emotional and hadn’t thought it through.

Had he said too much?

But asking for an apology right now would be such a slap in the face. He couldn’t bring himself to do it…

At that moment, Shang Xinglu spoke.

In a sorrowful tone, she said, “I’m not.”

“No… I didn’t mean… don’t…” Shang Xingyu stammered.

Shang Xinglu continued in a tragic tone, “I did this to you, of course, I’m not human.”

“No… I didn’t think it through…”

Shang Xinglu suddenly dropped the sorrowful tone and shouted passionately, “How could I be human? I’m the savior who gave you food!!! Dumbass!!!”

Click.

The call ended.

Shang Xingyu: …………

He wanted to slam the phone!

He hesitated for a moment but didn’t dare to.

Because he had no money!!!

Damn!!!