Lin Heng was a man of pride, and as a domineering CEO, his pride was even stronger.

In some situations, maintaining face was important, but there were times when saving face wasn’t the first priority.

This meant that some things were more important than the so-called “face.”

Shang Xinglu crossed her arms and said, “We’re divorced, so if I start dating a new boyfriend, what’s it to you? Don’t say I have a new boyfriend—what if I change boyfriends every day? You can’t control that, can you?”

It was a blatant provocation.

Shang Xinglu was righteous about it.

In fact, this was the very reason why she initially wanted the divorce.

Lin Heng was so perfect, and Shang Xinglu was just an ordinary person.

Somehow, she became Mrs. Lin, and while she had thought about living well with him, working together as a power couple, creating an enviable business partnership, the more she thought about it, the more she realized it wasn’t for her.

Marriage meant a commitment.

She hadn’t even decided whether she wanted to get married, and even if she did, why should she marry Lin Heng? What was she promising?

So now, they were in a state of no commitment, just two people enjoying each other’s company, fulfilling their own needs.

Shang Xinglu looked at him, thinking her logic was sound.

No problem was no problem…

But then, Shang Xinglu immediately felt embarrassed.

Wait a second, this was just like the lines of a TV drama’s bad girl.

She slept with someone, didn’t take responsibility, didn’t give a label, and was even saying such things face-to-face…

What had Shang Xinglu gone through to become this kind of person, worse than the heartless men from those gossip tabloids?

Lin Heng, however, didn’t fall for her provocation. He caught a single word in her sentence.

Lin Heng said, “Even though we’re divorced, that doesn’t mean I can’t pursue you again.”

“Ah?” Shang Xinglu’s face suddenly changed, panic taking over.

Lin Heng added, “Since I’ve chosen to pursue you again, I think I have the right to know if you have a boyfriend.”

“Ha???” Shang Xinglu looked completely confused. “We… did you know what you’re saying?”

“I do. So, do you or don’t you?” Lin Heng’s gaze was calm and clear.

The more calm he was, the more flustered Shang Xinglu became.

If he had been aggressive, Shang Xinglu could have easily dismissed it, seeing it as her justified behavior. But with him being so steady, so straightforward, and not even getting angry, Shang Xinglu immediately felt deflated.

Not only deflated, but also embarrassed.

Lin Heng was saying… he was going to pursue her.

Pursue her again.

Her face flushed redder and redder, but it felt off.

In the original novel, their marriage hadn’t followed the usual pattern of courtship, dating, and getting married. The specific details weren’t even written out.

Shang Xinglu tilted her head. “…Did you ever pursue me before? Re-pursue? Re-pursue me???”

Lin Heng: “………”

Every question she asked felt like a dart, and Lin Heng was the target.

He hadn’t pursued her before, that much was true.

Shang Xinglu, now genuinely curious, asked, “By the way, Mr. Lin, do you even know how to pursue someone?”

Lin Heng: “………”

Lin Heng cleared his throat. “If it’s not your business, don’t worry about it.”

“Oh…” Shang Xinglu dragged out her voice and gave a mischievous smile.

Lin Heng cleared his throat again, looking somewhat unwell. He gave up on this awkward conversation, heading toward the bathroom. “I’ll go take a shower, then head to the company.”

Just as he turned, Shang Xinglu, with her cheeky nature, leaned forward, cupping her hands near her mouth like a makeshift microphone, and whispered, “By the way, I’ll secretly tell you, the well-known Ms. Lin doesn’t have a boyfriend right now. She just has an ex-husband who likes to eat his own leftovers. Mr. Lin, if you come when he’s not around, you might avoid a messy situation…”

Lin Heng froze mid-step.

He understood exactly what Shang Xinglu meant.

He was eating his own jealousy… and it seemed like he could lose all sense of reason.

Lin Heng sighed silently.

What nonsense about pursuing, he never even meant to say it out loud.

Forget that, even if he really wanted to pursue her, he wouldn’t say something like, “I want to pursue you.”

Besides, this wasn’t the right time.

He suspected that Louise wanted a divorce because of the incident two months ago, and he agreed to it. That was also because of what happened.

He needed to handle things properly.

Because, more important than the marriage, was ensuring that Louise would continue to live safely.

But she had easily disrupted his plan.

Lin Heng turned on the shower, removed his glasses, and stood under the cascading water.

He tilted his head.

Forget it…

If she didn’t mess with his schedule, she wouldn’t be Louise.

The two of them sat down to breakfast together.

At the table, Lin Heng remained silent for a long while, as if contemplating deeply.

Finally, he spoke. “The things that happened that night… you got involved because of me.

“Don’t say sorry to me.” Shang Xinglu quickly interrupted him.

Her face was calm at this moment, and her words flowed out quickly and concisely.

Shang Xinglu said, “I don’t care whether I’m involved or not, but you’re not the one who ordered those people to act. You’re just a victim, and I don’t have the habit of blaming victims.”

“Victims shouldn’t be fighting each other like this.”

“However, Lin Heng…” Shang Xinglu’s finger gently traced the rim of her coffee cup, “I don’t blame you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not scared. I’ve never experienced anything like this, and I don’t want to. I’m afraid, so I ran. I don’t know if you can understand.”

Lin Heng’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“There won’t be anything like this again,” he said.

How could you guarantee that?

Shang Xinglu didn’t voice the question.

She simply cheerfully said, “Hmm,” then walked over and kissed Lin Heng on the forehead, ready to go back to sleep.

When she kissed him, her hand lightly rested on his shoulder. Her lips were soft and warm, like a butterfly gently brushing against the surface of water before flying away.

Lin Heng caught her hand. He said with certainty, “I’m handling this, and it won’t happen again.”

There was a brief pause.

Shang Xinglu responded with another “Hmm,” then asked, “Are you trying to get a kiss by saying that?”

Shang Xinglu knew that Lin Heng was shy and didn’t easily flirt.

Who knew that Lin Heng was evolving in terms of time measured in seconds?

“Hmm.” Lin Heng nodded.

Shang Xinglu: “……”

Which Lin Heng is this… I don’t know him!

So, the perfunctory kiss, like the delicate touch of a dragonfly on water, returned.

Shang Xinglu kissed Lin Heng again, wanting only to go back to sleep, but she couldn’t leave. Lin Heng pulled her to sit on his lap, ensuring she kissed him properly.

Shang Xinglu’s awareness quickly faded, with Lin Heng taking over her thoughts.

At this moment, a “cough cough” sound broke the silence.

Assistant Yuan, professional and calm, said, “Mr. Lin, the meeting this morning is very important. If you don’t leave now, you’ll be late.”

Shang Xinglu suddenly snapped back to reality in the middle of the kiss.

She knew she was being a jerk… but she still felt embarrassed being caught in the act. She immediately blushed, covered her face, and ran toward the bathroom.

As she ran, she shouted, “Don’t worry about me, go ahead! I’ll take a cold shower!!!”

The first half of her sentence sounded like something out of a war or spy movie, but the second half turned into a cliché from a low-tier romance novel, with the male lead’s line…

The abandoned Lin Heng: “……”

Assistant Yuan: “……”

After observing for a while, Assistant Yuan cleared his throat again and said, “Mr. Lin, would you like to take a cold shower as well?”

There was a subtle implication in his tone.

Lin Heng: “…………”

Lin Heng’s face was like ice. “Be quiet.”

……

Shang Xinglu went back to sleep, only to wake up when it was time for Lin Heng’s lunch.

She wandered around the house, checked her gifts, and called Xiao Zai.

According to Shi Rui, she was supposed to throw Shang Xinglu a “Back to Single” themed party, so she could give the gifts to her friends then.

The gift she had for Xiao Zai in the café wasn’t his real gift.

Yin Yao wanted to have a meal with her, so she could give it to her then.

As for Shen Wang, although he wanted to meet up, as an ex, he didn’t get a gift.

Only Xiao Zai was tricky.

Shang Xinglu called him directly.

The moment Xiao Zai answered, she heard some noise in the background. Shang Xinglu didn’t waste time and got straight to the point, “I brought you a gift from the US, not that keychain I gave you last time. Where are you? I’ll bring it to you.”

Xiao Zai replied, “I’m at the hospital.”

Shang Xinglu: “Huh? What happened to you?”

Xiao Zai’s voice sounded emotionless as he replied, “Sister, can I call you back in a bit? My dad just passed away.”

At this moment, Shang Xinglu heard the sound of someone crying and yelling in the background. It was Liu Mei, crying out, “No!!! I won’t sign it!!! Wuwuwu… My poor child…”

Her voice was sharp and painful, even through the phone, it made Shang Xinglu’s ears hurt.

Shang Xinglu had originally intended to ask more questions.

But before she could say anything, she stopped herself.

“Okay.” She said.

Xiao Zai hung up the phone.

He walked into the hospital room.

When he was in the hallway, there was still some softness in his eyes, the kind that a human should have. But when he entered the room, his eyes were cold, void of emotion.

He looked at Liu Mei.

This woman, who was only ten years older than him, was now lying on the hospital bed crying uncontrollably. This wasn’t the usual delicate, tear-streaked crying of a lady, but a loud, desperate wailing. Her eyes were red, showing her panic.

In front of her was an agreement. If she signed it, she would have no claim to the Xiao family’s estate. Her son’s share would be handled by the lawyer until he came of age, and as for her husband’s inheritance, she could only receive 20%.

This was directly opposite to the will Xiao Zai’s father made before he fell into a coma.

It’s no wonder Liu Mei refused to sign.

Though not a small sum, she had been used to the life of a rich wife, and wouldn’t be satisfied with such an arrangement.

Xiao Zai and Liu Mei had been in a prolonged legal battle, but these cases usually don’t get resolved quickly.

However, no resolution was needed anymore.

Xiao Zai approached her and patted her on the shoulder.

His voice was gentle, “If you won’t sign, I won’t force you. But if you take my father’s prescription drugs and cause him to fall ill again, I’ll be forced to hand the evidence over to my lawyer.”

Liu Mei’s face turned pale. She screamed, “That’s a lie! I didn’t do it!!! You’re framing me!!!”

Xiao Zai smiled. “Hmm? What are you saying? I don’t understand.”