Since it was her own family’s company, Yunshi didn’t care whether Shang Xinglu came to work or how she worked, as long as she didn’t cause trouble or give out random orders.

Although Shang Xinglu didn’t do any actual work, she was quite diligent in showing up at the company. Every day, from nine to five, she clocked in right on time.

For the past two days, she had taken sick leave and was resting at home.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go—it was simply that she couldn’t get up in the morning.

Honestly, Shang Xinglu couldn’t comprehend how someone like Lin Heng could work normal hours, then overtime, sleep only a few hours a night, and still not suffer from… certain issues.

Meanwhile, she felt completely drained—she just couldn’t keep up!

That day, Shang Xinglu did some deep self-reflection.

She realized she couldn’t go on like this anymore.

It was seriously affecting her…

Affecting her what?

She thought about it for a long time but couldn’t quite figure it out.

All she knew was—it was affecting her!

Oh, right! It finally hit her.

Wasn’t Lin Heng just like Daji, the infamous consort of King Zhou in ancient times? Using his charms to repeatedly mess with her decision-making!

She was supposed to be wise and decisive, firm in her belief in staying single, determined to get divorced the moment she decided to—

The next second, Shang Xinglu’s face darkened. Her knees went weak, and she collapsed onto the bed, supporting herself with both hands.

…Oh no, there’s this issue too!!!

She couldn’t be someone who was determined to get a divorce and enjoy her freedom, yet still fooling around with her husband on the eve of their separation.

Wouldn’t that make her seem incredibly heartless?

As someone who loved fluffy penguins, how could she do something so cruel?

Thinking of this, she opened her phone and started scrolling through penguin photos again.

Then, she stumbled upon an article detailing various “scummy” mating behaviors in the animal kingdom.

If these behaviors existed in human society, the entire internet would be up in arms, condemning them as utterly despicable.

She read on, completely fascinated, only to find that towards the end, the article mentioned emperor penguins—describing them as “heartless after mating.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Was this some kind of sign from the universe?

One second later, she angrily shut off her phone!

I only like penguins! I’m not a penguin!

I refuse to be this kind of heartless scumbag.

Shang Xinglu swore to herself.

If she slept with Lin Heng again, she would no longer be human—

She would be human scum!!!

That night, Lin Heng didn’t work late and came home as usual.

The two of them had dinner together, not saying much.

The atmosphere was peaceful and calm—completely devoid of any passionate tension.

After finishing dinner, Shang Xinglu felt relieved.

But when she woke up the next day at noon, her brain went through an agonizing boot-up process—starting, freezing, and restarting again.

Several minutes later, she was once again kneeling on the bed with a dark expression.

Dear heavens, I’m sorry.

…I really am scum.

Shang Xinglu sat up but quickly regained her composure.

—But I will never make the same mistake again! I am not the kind of fool who doesn’t learn from experience!

With newfound determination, she made a vow.

That night, Lin Heng worked a little late before coming home.

On the third day, around 10 a.m., Shang Xinglu woke up again.

This time, she still had that same dark expression—but she no longer knelt on the bed.

…Dear heavens, I’m sorry.

I really am a fool.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, propping her face up with her hands, Shang Xinglu realized something shocking—

She was waking up earlier and earlier.

And worse, she was starting to… get used to it.

Shang Xinglu was deeply troubled.

That evening, Lin Heng came home on time again.

He leaned against the bed, reading a book. Seeing Shang Xinglu lost in thought, he casually—yet very deliberately—asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shang Xinglu let out a long sigh. Then she rolled—

Rolled, rolled, rolled from one side of the bed to the other, finally resting her head on Lin Heng’s lap.

Under the warm light, looking at a handsome man, he seemed even more attractive.

The same logic applied to men as it did to women.

And from this upward “death angle,” Lin Heng still looked so ridiculously handsome…

What a waste of a face—he should’ve been a model instead of working in finance!

Losing all rationality, Shang Xinglu suddenly beamed.

Hahaha! Live in the moment! Who cares anymore!!!

…

That weekend, Lin Heng’s company’s resort was having a trial run. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony during the day, followed by an opening banquet in the evening.

Shang Xinglu had gone to Gu Wanyu’s place earlier to try on dresses for this very event.

But now, she was filled with resentment toward Lin Heng.

The mark on her neck still hadn’t faded…

Since her jewelry was at Gu Wanyu’s place and her dress had been sent there directly as well, Shang Xinglu initially planned to get dressed there before heading to the banquet together.

But now…

She silently walked up to Lin Heng.

“Can you ask your mom to send my dress over? I’ll put on the jewelry when I get there.”

Lin Heng shifted his gaze from his laptop to her. “You’re not going over first?”

Shang Xinglu pulled down her collar slightly, looking utterly aggrieved.

“Look at what you did. If I don’t want your mom to ask questions, I need time to cover this up!”

Lin Heng glanced at her and suddenly, amusement flickered in his eyes.

He reached over, pulled her closer, and placed another quick kiss on the exact same spot.

“Mm, I’ll call her now.”

Shang Xinglu pouted, glaring at his complete lack of remorse.

Lin Heng, after making the call, turned to her and said, “Since you’re not leaving early anymore, we have some extra time.”

An exclamation mark immediately popped up over Shang Xinglu’s head.

She ran to the side with quick steps, tugged at the corner of her eye, and made a face. “Don’t even think about it!”

With that, she ran off.

Lin Heng pushed up his glasses.

Wasn’t this a very normal thing? Why was Louise always so shy?

The two of them left promptly in the afternoon.

Three cars were used in total: one for Shang Xinglu, Lin Heng, the driver, and a bodyguard; another two cars for the assistants and other bodyguards.

The journey was a bit long. They had to drive from one side of the city to the other.

Shang Xinglu felt drowsy in the car. Lin Heng gently rested her head on his shoulder, saying, “If you’re sleepy, sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you when we’re almost there.”

Shang Xinglu didn’t try to stay awake and fell into a light sleep.

However, her sleep was restless.

She had a dream about falling from a great height, and the sensation of weightlessness hit her suddenly. Shang Xinglu bounced up from Lin Heng’s shoulder, sitting up straight.

She looked around; the scenery seemed somewhat desolate, as if they had driven from one suburb into another. Even though it was summer and the sun set late, it had already fully gone down, and dusk had settled in.

The landscape outside the car window was rushing past, and for some reason, Shang Xinglu’s eyelids kept twitching.

At that moment, a car suddenly changed lanes, cutting between the three cars.

Although the driver was skilled, the car swerved a little in response to the sudden situation.

The bodyguard in the passenger seat carefully observed the rearview mirror.

The cars behind them were still following.

Then, a few motorcycles suddenly appeared from behind, overtaking them and speeding ahead.

The bodyguard furrowed his brows.

Not wanting to disturb the two people in the backseat, he whispered to the driver, “Speed up, pass them.”

However, the car in front kept its speed, controlling the distance, and stubbornly didn’t allow the driver to overtake.

The bodyguard’s tone grew more urgent, “Stop wasting time, pass them quickly.”

At that moment, one of the motorcycles moved closer.

There were two people on it, both wearing black helmets.

The person on the back seat turned toward Lin Heng’s side of the window.

As he turned his head, his reflection was clearly visible in the window. Without warning, the helmeted man raised his hand, pointing a gun at Lin Heng…

“Bang——!”

It wasn’t a gunshot; the man used a silencer, and the loud noise was the sound of a bullet hitting the bulletproof glass!

The glass cracked instantly, covered with spiderweb-like cracks!

Shang Xinglu stared in shock, turning her head slowly—

What happened?

“Duck!” The bodyguard shouted, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Her first instinct was to throw herself toward Lin Heng.

But the seatbelt restricted her movements, and Shang Xinglu could only stretch out her hand to push Lin Heng’s upper body forcefully down.

Her eyelids were still twitching.

Shang Xinglu raised her head.

Through the shattered bulletproof glass, she vaguely saw that the helmeted man was still there. She almost heard him click his tongue before he raised the gun again.

“Get down!” the bodyguard shouted again, snapping Shang Xinglu back to reality.

Shang Xinglu immediately ducked down, just as the car in front suddenly decelerated, and another car blocked them from the side.

The driver cursed and slammed the gas pedal, ramming into the car in front.

The car lurched forward with great force, and Shang Xinglu’s head collided with Lin Heng’s protective hand. After the impact, the car speed dropped again.

As the speed fluctuated, the helmeted man, who had been aiming his gun at Lin Heng, now shifted his aim. The gun fired several shots, and one of the bullets pierced the bulletproof glass with a muffled pop, hitting the driver in the head.

Blood splattered, and the front windshield was covered in bright red.

The driver’s body slumped back, and his hand slipped from the steering wheel.

“Damn it!” The bodyguard cursed under his breath as he reached for the steering wheel.

The car swerved toward the helmeted man’s side.

The men on the motorcycles tried to accelerate to escape, but the bodyguards in the back seat had already leaned out to shoot at them, disrupting their path.

The car’s front bumper hit the helmeted man, and the guardrail broke open. Both the motorcycle and the car plunged down a steep slope—!

The sensation of weightlessness hit again.

The feeling from her dream had become reality.

In the alternating chaos of fear, dream, and reality, Shang Xinglu’s mind went blank.

The impact and the deafening crash left her with a ringing in her ears.

Her blurry vision only saw the bright red dots on the windshield and a few sticky, seemingly fixed lumps that stood out the most.

…What happened?

Aren’t we supposed to be going to a banquet?

Shang Xinglu bit her lip hard to keep the scream from escaping.

Soon, she tasted the metallic taste of rust.

Amid this sensation of weightlessness, a feeling of panic and sourness rose from her lower abdomen, and Shang Xinglu’s hand flailed weakly beside her, searching for something to hold onto.

At that moment, she grabbed onto something warm.

Lin Heng’s hand.

It was still warm, gripping hers tightly in return.

He was still alive.

She held on tightly.

A soft, whimpering sound escaped her lips.

Shang Xinglu’s mind finally snapped back from the haze.

What… happened?!