What to do? What to do? What to do?

At this moment, should she push Lin Heng away with strength and say, “You underestimate me! I’m not someone obsessed with good looks!”

Or should she remain silent, pretending to be a pitiful little weakling?

Shang Xinglu was stuck in a dilemma.

Soon, she realized…

She didn’t really have much of a choice.

If she didn’t pretend to be asleep now, how could she explain snatching the blanket from Lin Heng just moments ago?

And if she didn’t pretend to be asleep, how could she explain trying to kick him out of bed earlier?!

The blanket thing wasn’t a big deal, but the kicking… Shang Xinglu thought…

This was no ordinary problem!

But… was the distance between them too close?

Shang Xinglu kept her eyes closed.

But this wasn’t a problem that could be solved just by closing her eyes.

Humans have five senses!

Aside from vision, there are still four other senses!

The temperature, the warmth, the touch…

Shang Xinglu felt like she was sweating internally.

Her presence was too noticeable!

She really hoped a village guy would jump out and shut down her five senses!

Since she had no choice but to pretend to be asleep, Shang Xinglu had to do it very naturally.

Because the distance was so close, and the sensations were shared by both of them.

Shang Xinglu knew she couldn’t keep her body stiff—how could someone who’s asleep have a stiff body?

But… should she really relax her body now?

Wouldn’t that be insulting Lin Heng’s muscles and looks?!

She needed to apologize to Lin Heng!

So, Shang Xinglu had no choice but to start mentally hyping herself up with an “A-Q” style of self-hypnosis.

Lin Heng isn’t Lin Heng.

I’m not me.

I’m a penguin, a penguin, a penguin, a penguin…

Penguins are so cute.

Yes, right now, the one holding me is an emperor penguin, and I am the world’s most adorable little Lulu! Oh, no, I should say, the world’s cutest baby emperor penguin.

…I’m a baby, I’m a baby, I’m a baby.

Feel it! This broad, warm embrace, this cozy touch—how could it not come from a penguin mama’s care?

And the brain… it’s the most powerful and dangerous organ in the human body.

Thinking about it this way, Shang Xinglu really started to feel like she was a baby penguin, and Lin Heng’s embrace was like the big, fat penguin mama.

And… it actually felt pretty safe.

Before long, Shang Xinglu fell asleep.

Her sleeping posture was really bad, and her sleep quality wasn’t great. With all the fantasies in her head, she had many dreams, occasionally mumbling in her sleep.

Her sleeping posture was so poor, Lin Heng naturally suffered. He was already a light sleeper, and now he was half awake, half asleep.

In this state, Shang Xinglu started to mumble in her sleep.

Soft, blurry, a murmur escaped her throat, and Lin Heng couldn’t make it out clearly.

Perhaps after clearing her throat, her second murmur became much clearer.

In the quiet bedroom of the estate, where the faint scent of wood lingered in the air, on the large bed adorned with a romantic atmosphere, the couple in each other’s arms—one of them suddenly shouted—

“&@#&…”

Lin Heng still couldn’t hear clearly.

But he remembered that last time, Shang Xinglu had called his English name in her sleep.

When she intentionally called him “hubby,” she would often do it in a coquettish way, but when she called his English name, it was rare. Perhaps because she had studied in the UK, her British accent was so pure, and when she spoke English, it sounded so captivating.

Lin Heng waited for her next utterance.

Then, Shang Xinglu mumbled—

“…Mom.”

Lin Heng: “……”

Huh?

Shang Xinglu nestled into his arms and snuggled again. In her dream, she was now in Antarctica, a baby emperor penguin.

Oh, oh, oh! This soft, fluffy fur!

This penguin’s bouncy belly!

This cute round face!

Shang Xinglu, “Mom!”

She shouted happily!

In the silent bedroom, Lin Heng, lying in bed: “……………………”

He jolted awake in shock.

Well… guess I’ll just go back to sleep.

---

The next morning, Shang Xinglu woke up feeling refreshed.

To be honest, she really liked penguins.

Last night, she had another dream about penguins. It couldn’t have been better.

Shang Xinglu rediscovered her dream of opening a aquarium and raising penguins!

Yes, raise one! No, a whole group of penguins would be worthy of her title as a noble lady of the high society!

But Lin Heng was a man who was afraid of—no, allergic to—fluffy things.

However, Shang Xinglu is not pretending, because she is not afraid of him disliking her. She’s afraid he doesn’t dislike her! Shang, being someone who will argue based on reason until the end!

At the breakfast table, Shang Xinglu took out her phone and said to Lin Heng, “Honey, I want to show you something very cute.”

Saying this, she played a video of an emperor penguin and its chick.

She said, “Look, this penguin mom and its chick, their interaction is super cute, isn’t it adorable?!”

Lin Heng: “……”

Parent-child……

Hmm……

No, that’s not it.

Shang Xinglu continued, “Actually, after the female penguin lays the egg, she lets the male penguin incubate it. So technically, the penguin in the video should be the penguin dad… but calling it mom sounds smoother, what do you think?”

Lin Heng: “…………”

If we change “mom” to “dad”……

Hmm……

Still not quite right.

Shang Xinglu said, “Look, penguins are so cute! Shouldn’t we let more people in the world know how adorable they are?”

Lin Heng: “……”

This is even less the point.

Shang Xinglu smiled and said, “So, honey, I want to raise penguins.”

Lin Heng elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin and quickly responded, “Rejected.”

Shang Xinglu: “…………”

How infuriating!

……

Lin Heng, being a cash machine, has a major trait: no matter where he is, he has to be working.

Shang Xinglu even believed that Lin Heng’s family had opened so many branches just to satisfy his need to work.

In this huge mansion, the number of servants overwhelmingly exceeds the number of the owners, yet it still feels lacking in liveliness.

Shang Xinglu suddenly realized, where’s my mother-in-law?

Lin Heng’s dad probably also needs to work, but from what Shang Xinglu understands, Gu Wanyu is not exactly a “strong woman” character.

Since she doesn’t need to work, then where is my mother-in-law?

Shang Xinglu asked Tony, the third butler of the manor, and found out that it was because her schedule and her mother-in-law’s didn’t align, which is why they hadn’t met.

Gu Wanyu is particularly health-conscious and has lived abroad for a long time, so her circle of friends is also abroad.

Even though she doesn’t work, she is busy with socializing.

At first, Shang Xinglu thought it might be better not to meet, since the last time she had breakfast with Gu Wanyu, it left her with indigestion. She didn’t want a second helping of that.

But unexpectedly, that afternoon, the third Tony came to deliver a message, saying that Madam had invited her to lunch.

By the way, in Shanhai Guan, Marilyn calls her “Madam.”

But here, Gu Wanyu is the “Madam,” while Lin Heng and she are “young master” and “young mistress.”

The hierarchy is quite apparent.

Since Gu Wanyu had called her, Shang Xinglu had no reason to refuse the lunch invitation, so she went.

Before going, however, she did a little research.

The last time they had eaten together, Gu Wanyu had brought up the topic of children, but Lin Heng had stopped her, saying, “Do you want to do this like last time?”

“Like last time”—what exactly did that mean?

Shang Xinglu recalled that last time, it was about the Shang family going bankrupt, Lin Heng’s heart being with Yin Yao, and Lin Heng’s mother, who originally liked Mrs. Lin, no longer supporting her because of her actions.

Mrs. Lin had been isolated in the Lin family.

Shang Xinglu guessed that Lin Heng’s “like last time” probably referred to the incident when Mrs. Lin and Gu Wanyu had fallen out.

Shang Xinglu called Marilyn and purposely asked, “Darling, my mother-in-law invited me to lunch, but I don’t want to go. She will definitely ask about that issue from last time…”

Actually, she had no idea what that issue was.

Her ignorance didn’t matter, as long as Marilyn was clever enough!

As expected, Marilyn said, “Madam, are you bothered by last time’s matter? Actually, you don’t have to be so resistant; you can just think of it as a routine health check!”

Shang Xinglu continued to play along, “But it can’t be treated as a health check…”

Marilyn replied, “It’s just a mental block! You see, even things like fallopian tube imaging and follicle testing are sometimes part of regular check-ups, right? Your mother-in-law just wants to check on you, and you’re unwilling, so there’s some tension. But it’s no big deal. If you soften up a little, it’ll be fine.”

Shang Xinglu finally understood.

So, that was it!

There’s nothing she can’t figure out!

She is indeed so wise!

It was simply about the young couple not having children for two years, and her mother-in-law worrying that she couldn’t conceive! So, her mother-in-law wanted her to get checked to see if she could have children, but she was unwilling, leading to a conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Now, she understood.

At lunch, Gu Wanyu and Shang Xinglu sat in the restaurant.

For the meal, there were some vegetables—just the tender tips, seasoned lightly with chicken broth, a little shrimp with scrambled eggs, a bit of buttered asparagus, and clear stewed beef.

The entire table was green and light in flavor.

Looks like her mother-in-law didn’t really intend to invite her for a meal.

Shang Xinglu sat down, said nothing, and just quietly ate.

After all, Lin Heng was also quiet when eating.

But not long after, Gu Wanyu took the lead and said, “Louise, last time I was too abrupt, but you need to understand me. You’ve been married for a long time, and there’s been no movement. I’m really worried.”

Shang Xinglu nodded, “Mm-hmm, I understand, I understand.”

Gu Wanyu then began to give examples—her friends’ children had become grandparents, her other friends had also become grandparents, and the granddaughters of her friends were particularly cute.

Then she immediately got to the point, “So, what about you and Lin Heng?”

Shang Xinglu lowered her head and ate without saying a word.

Uh, well, mother-in-law…

This isn’t a matter of whether she can have children, it has surpassed the realm of medicine—it’s about whether she’s the Virgin Mary!

Seeing that Shang Xinglu wasn’t reacting dramatically, Gu Wanyu asked, “The medical level here is quite advanced, I’ve already made an appointment with a doctor. Would you like to take some time to see him?”

At this moment, Shang Xinglu finally finished her meal.

She put down her chopsticks, calmly wiped her mouth like Lin Heng had done earlier.

Shang Xinglu said, “I could go, but for efficiency, to make sure it’s more scientific and comprehensive, I suggest…”

“You can say anything, Louise. What can’t the Lin family provide for you?”

“I suggest that Lin Heng and I go together for the check-up.” Shang Xinglu smiled at Gu Wanyu, “You know, infertility isn’t just the woman’s problem, most of the time, it’s actually the man’s issue. Don’t you think so, mom?”