Shang Xinglu thought to herself.

She was really taken by Xiao Zai’s looks and his personality.

When she thought about it, such a smart and handsome young man, every time he obediently called her “sister,” his posture was irresistible to any woman.

Shang Xinglu remembered when it all began, back when Shang Xingyu was still dating that little internet celebrity.

Xiao Zai had asked her if she wanted to join them for a barbecue.

Shang Xinglu hadn’t planned on having a barbecue at all.

But she couldn’t refuse Xiao Zai.

Some men, in this lifetime, could rely on nothing but their looks and not have to worry about anything else.

Xiao Zai was one of those people.

With just his face, even knowing it was a trap, countless girls still waved money around and jumped straight into the pit.

However, at this point, Shang Xinglu had become quite Buddha-like.

It seemed that after eating too much meat, a person would really turn into a vegetarian.

Right now, she just wanted to cleanse her guilty soul.

She felt like if her soul went through a washing machine, the water that came out would surely smell like US dollars.

Being addicted to handsome men wasn’t good, not good at all.

Shang Xinglu, however, was impervious to Xiao Zai’s flirtation. She sighed dramatically, “Well, what a coincidence, I’m not a married woman anymore. Sigh, fate is like that, no match for us.”

Xiao Zai wasn’t discouraged. He said, “It doesn’t matter, Louise. If you marry again, then you’ll be a married woman.”

“Wait a minute…” Shang Xinglu rested her chin on her hand, seemingly deep in thought, “I divorced Lin Heng and got a lot of money. By extension, if I divorce the next one, I can get a lot of money too…”

She slapped Xiao Zai’s shoulder hard, “Gray boy! Thanks to you, I’ve found a way to get rich!”

Xiao Zai: “…”

Xiao Zai forced a smile, “Louise, the situation you’re talking about isn’t being a married woman, it’s being a black widow.”

At this point, Shang Xingyu returned.

Both of them tacitly decided not to mention the topic again.

Shang Xinglu packed up her things. She originally planned to write an autobiography today, but now she’d found a new, albeit questionable, path to wealth. That seemed okay too.

Now she felt a lot better, but she still had an inexplicable fear of the dark. As the day grew later, Shang Xinglu decided to head home first.

Shang Xingyu, who had come with Xiao Zai, was now a “three-no” person—no car, no card, no house—so naturally, he had to walk with Xiao Zai.

Just as Shang Xinglu was walking away, Xiao Zai took out his car keys and unlocked the door with a “beep” sound. Shang Xingyu grabbed the collar of Xiao Zai’s shirt and forcefully pushed him against the wall.

Shang Xingyu stared at Xiao Zai, his usual playful demeanor completely gone. No more teasing, no more acting cute, and he no longer looked like the little brother. He was serious.

Xiao Zai, who was initially frustrated and about to say something rude, saw Shang Xingyu’s expression and immediately quieted down.

Shang Xingyu said, “Don’t use the same old tricks you used on girls to flirt with my sister.”

His voice was low, tinged with barely contained anger.

Xiao Zai’s face darkened.

“I didn’t.”

“I heard everything you two just said. Don’t play dumb with me,” Shang Xingyu’s arm tightened, pinning Xiao Zai’s neck.

Xiao Zai’s face turned red. His neck was being choked, making it hard to speak, but he still forced his voice to sound calm and serious.

This meant he was really serious about what he was saying.

“I’m not just flirting, Shang Xingyu. I really like Louise,” Xiao Zai said.

He didn’t use the term “sister” that had been thrown around carelessly before. Instead, he said her full name.

He was pursuing a woman as a man, and it just so happened she was Shang Xingyu’s sister. That was all.

His tone was serious, and his expression was earnest. Shang Xingyu, who had known Xiao Zai as a brother for so long, had rarely seen him look this way.

For a moment, Shang Xingyu froze, even forgetting to get angry.

Xiao Zai patted his arm, “Let go. Do you want to strangle me for pursuing your sister?”

Shang Xingyu froze for a moment and then released him.

Then he immediately switched back to his usual clueless self, “Huh? You like who, but you like my sister? That silly girl???”

Xiao Zai: “…”

He glanced at Shang Xingyu.

Shang Xingyu: “…Are you okay? Has your family situation made you lose your mind lately?”

Xiao Zai: “…………”

He gave Shang Xingyu another look.

This look was filled with meaning.

Xiao Zai said, “I’ve been friends with you, a silly guy, for this long. I like Louise. Seems like that’s no big deal.”

However, the next second, Shang Xingyu crossed his arms and stepped back, shivering like a proper lady forced into a corner.

“You, you, you’re not secretly in love with me, are you? I’m not into that kind of thing!”

Xiao Zai: “…………”

Then, Xiao Zai got in the car, put it in gear, and was about to drive off. But before he could, Shang Xingyu opened the car door.

“Wait, I’m just joking. Brother, give me a ride…”

…

When Shang Xinglu got home, she told Marilyn, “Wait, Lin Heng will be coming over soon. Let’s prepare some food in the kitchen. I suspect he hasn’t had dinner or just ate something quick.”

Marilyn said “Yes” without asking further, but she had doubts in her mind.

How come Miss Shang… actually, she had successfully switched from “wife” to “Miss Shang”—how come Miss Shang’s ex-husband, Mr. Lin, visited more frequently than when they were married?

Oh, she meant six months ago, when it felt like they were almost separated but not officially.

Actually, Mr. Lin didn’t visit just because he wanted to.

After all, they were divorced now, and him coming back often would send the wrong message to outsiders.

That would make it seem like their divorce had been pointless.

So, when Lin Heng came this time, he had a legitimate reason.

He needed to transfer some assets, and there were several supplementary documents that Shang Xinglu needed to sign.

When he called Shang Xinglu, she was driving and almost home.

Shang Xinglu immediately said, “I’ll come over to sign it now.”

Lin Heng glanced at the sky. “Aren’t you afraid of the dark? You go back first, I’ll come over later.”

Little did he know, his concern was completely unappreciated by someone.

Shang Xinglu shouted, “Who’s afraid of the dark?! You’re the one who’s afraid of the dark!!!”

After shouting, Shang Xinglu came to her senses. No, Mr. Lin doesn’t actually fear the dark.

He’s just afraid of a little furry creature!

She was about to continue arguing, but Lin Heng immediately said, “I’m just allergic.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

As Shang Xinglu expected, Lin Heng did have dinner, but Assistant Yuan secretly added, “He only ate a rice ball, the one I bought at the convenience store this morning as breakfast. He had one left.”

Shang Xinglu snorted.

Hmph.

A man who’s afraid of fur but loves to nag at others, and when it comes to himself, he’s careless about everything.

While Lin Heng was eating his late dinner, Shang Xinglu sat beside him signing documents.

On her way to the café earlier, she had bought a cute little Minion pen, and while flipping through to sign, she accidentally took out her personal planner too.

The planner fell with a loud thud, opening up and landing at Lin Heng’s feet.

Lin Heng bent down to pick it up, and as he did, a photo fell out.

In the photo, Shang Xinglu and Shang Xingyu were laughing joyfully, with Shen Wang, Yin Yao, and Xiao Zai beside them.

Lin Heng: “…”

He gripped the photo tighter.

Then he recalled Shang Xinglu’s previous social media post.

Seemingly casually, Lin Heng asked, “Did you make plans to meet them at the café?”

Shang Xinglu: “No, we just happened to run into each other. It’s really funny, I posted on WeChat half an hour ago, and I bumped into so many people.”

Lin Heng: “…”

Who believes that? Who’s the fool?

But someone here was actually a fool.

Shang Xinglu looked up in confusion. “Why are you asking this?”

And at that moment, an arrow pierced Lin Heng’s heart.

It came… it couldn’t be avoided…

As she looked at him, Shang Xinglu added, “Oh, right, I also gave them gifts. Want one too?”

She then took out her keychain.

Six in total, and now only two remained.

The remaining two were both penguin keychains.

Shang Xinglu felt a little reluctant.

She debated for a while, standing between a baby penguin keychain and an Adélie penguin keychain…

With her eyes closed, she finally handed over the Adélie penguin keychain.

Seeing how reluctant she was to give it up, Lin Heng: “…”

It’s just a keychain, does it really matter that much?

But looking at the furry thing in front of him, even though it was just a doll, it was still repulsive.

Lin Heng: “…”

Lin Heng stared at the penguin for a while, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

“Oh, isn’t this the kind of penguin… the one that pushed you into the water before?”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

A few seconds later, Shang Xinglu replied, “… Shut up.”

By the time Lin Heng finished his delayed dinner, Shang Xinglu had already signed all the documents.

She even ran back to her room for a while, grabbed something, and hid it behind her, not letting Lin Heng see it.

She said, “Actually, besides the keychain, I bought other gifts, and there’s one I’ve been thinking about for a while. I think it’s especially suited for you.”

Lin Heng was surprised.

He didn’t expect Louise to specifically buy him a gift.

Lin Heng’s expression softened as he asked, “What is it that’s especially suited for me?”

“Ta-da!” Shang Xinglu did her own sound effects, pulling out a black leather book with a red spine from behind her.

It looked quite classical.

The cover had a golden-embossed word in English: Bible.

The Bible.

Lin Heng stared at the Bible, not understanding what Shang Xinglu meant by this.

Shang Xinglu said, “Well, Lin Heng, I’m not complaining about anything, but I just think that this young man… his desires are a bit too strong, which isn’t really good. It harms himself, and it’s also a hassle for others! Of course, I’m not complaining, really not! I just think that a bit of moderation and keeping your heart clear could help your mind and body, and this book could really give you spiritual guidance… What do you think?”

Lin Heng remained silent.

A very unusual kind of silence.

Even Shang Xinglu, no matter how silly she was, could sense the heavy atmosphere.

She was about to run, but then she remembered, the Mountain Sea View was her territory now! Why would she run?!

Shang Xinglu stood her ground.

Lin Heng took the book from her hand.

At that moment, he actually smiled. He tapped the book in his hand, then asked softly, “What do you mean by ‘hassle,’ I don’t really understand.”

“…”

He added, “Who’s the one saying they still want more, whispering in my ear?”

Shang Xinglu looked up sharply.

Mr. Lin???!!!

“Shut up?!!!”