Shang Xinglu hid behind some greenery, staring at the beautiful young woman.

Then, she turned her gaze to Lin Heng.

Finally, her eyes returned to the beautiful woman.

…She was truly beautiful.

To be honest, Yin Yao was beautiful too. At first glance, she wasn’t striking, but she grew on you, and her smile was sweet.

Even under the “provocation” in the original text, Shang Xinglu had never disliked Yin Yao.

But this beautiful woman was the kind of refined beauty that commanded attention—her presence was undeniable. Her smooth, glossy black hair could be featured in a shampoo commercial.

Shang Xinglu, who had always been enchanted by beauty (no matter the gender), could usually develop some goodwill towards pretty girls, but not this one.

She had once gone shopping with Gu Wanyu, and Shang Xinglu knew this was the type of appearance Gu Wanyu liked.

Who was Gu Wanyu?

Lin Heng’s mother.

The woman Lin Heng’s mother favored was dining with him in an exquisitely romantic French restaurant, perfect for a date.

It was technically a four-person table, but the other two people hadn’t returned yet.

Before Shang Xinglu had entered this “book,” the few blind dates her mother had forced her into had always played out in a similar manner.

The matchmaker’s job was just to get people together, then sneak off at the first chance. It was a familiar routine.

Shang Xinglu bit her finger and silently reminded herself, I won’t get upset. I can handle this.

She mentally ran through several scenarios.

Should she walk over and call him “hubby” in a cute voice? …That wouldn’t work anymore since he’s now my ex-husband.

Or should she go over and ask the young woman for her name and age? …That would make it seem like she was interested in her.

Or maybe she should just walk over and call Lin Heng to come over?

…That could work.

But after hesitating with her phone in hand, Shang Xinglu decided against it.

She should trust Lin Heng more.

After all, Lin Heng was the president of such a large corporation. It wouldn’t be strange if some of his business partners or subordinates were pretty women.

Having dinner together? That was perfectly normal.

She shouldn’t be so paranoid.

And besides, what reason did she have to be paranoid?

Shang Xinglu sighed silently, telling herself she was still the timid Shang Xinglu and wouldn’t turn into the bold one today.

After talking herself down, she quickly turned around and headed back to her table.

However, just as she turned, she was startled to see a waiter standing right behind her, smiling politely.

Shang Xinglu: “!”

The waiter said courteously, “Excuse me, ma’am, but you’ll need to return to your seat. Some guests mentioned that you’ve been staring at the tables ahead, and it’s been disturbing their meal.”

Shang Xinglu’s face immediately turned red.

No, I swear, I’m not some kind of stalker!

But then she remembered how close this was to Lin Heng’s table and realized her voice might have been loud enough for him to overhear.

It was embarrassing enough to be caught and warned by the waiter.

What if my ex-husband hears this too?

That would be the end of me!

Shang Xinglu bit her lip and whispered, “Sorry, I was lost.”

Even the experienced waiter couldn’t help but give her a strange look.

She’s beautiful, sure, but her voice… It sounds like a shrieking chicken, and it’s terrifying.

Waiter: “…”

Shang Xinglu: “I’m at Table XX.”

Waiter: “…”

Shang Xinglu, the “screeching chicken”: “Can you point the way?”

No, please stop talking.

The waiter, stifling a laugh, kept her professionalism and directed Shang Xinglu back to her seat.

Shang Xinglu quickly walked back along the original path.

Yin Yao couldn’t help but ask, “What took you so long? Are you feeling unwell? I was about to call you.”

Shang Xinglu hung her head, dejected. “Don’t mention it… I ran into Lin Heng.”

“Ah?” Yin Yao didn’t understand why encountering Mr. Lin would make Shang Xinglu upset.

Shang Xinglu replied, “…With a beautiful young lady.”

Yin Yao couldn’t help but laugh.

She said, “If you’re suspicious, you could’ve just gone up and asked him directly.”

Shang Xinglu: “Huh? Can I? Isn’t the proper response in those Gal Games to show trust at a moment like this?”

Yin Yao shook her finger, looking like an expert on love.

She squinted slightly, her eyes glimmering.

Yin Yao said, “Louise, your problem isn’t being too suspicious, it’s that you’re not suspicious enough. Besides, even if they’re just acquaintances, it’s normal to greet them when you run into them.”

Shang Xinglu looked up, confused. “Huh?”

Yin Yao continued, “Today’s horoscope: Love requires courage.”

…

After the celebratory dinner, aside from a tiny bit of jealousy over Lin Heng dining with a beautiful young woman, everything was fine and enjoyable.

They had eaten for quite a while, mainly because they had a few extra drinks.

Both Shang Xinglu and Yin Yao drank wine, so there was no issue with one of them driving the other. They both took a cab home.

The two parted ways, agreeing to meet again at the company tomorrow.

Shang Xinglu reported the address of Shanhai View.

The sky outside had already turned completely dark.

Though she had gradually become less afraid of the dark, she still had a lingering fear.

She asked the driver to turn on the car’s interior lights.

Suddenly, the once-dark car lit up, as if illuminating some kind of clarity in her heart.

Then, she changed the destination.

She said, “Please go to the Ritz on XX Road.”

The Ritz there was a serviced apartment located in the city center, close to Lin Heng’s office. Before moving back to Shanhai View, Lin Heng had lived there.

Shang Xinglu knew about it but had never been there before.

This was her first time going to find Lin Heng.

She felt a little anxious.

When she arrived downstairs, she realized she couldn’t go up on her own, so she called Assistant Yuan.

Assistant Yuan quickly made arrangements, and someone came to escort her.

The elevator went straight up and only stopped at the top floor.

An entire floor.

A well-dressed middle-aged butler led Shang Xinglu to the lounge and informed her that Mr. Lin was busy with something urgent in the study. He then asked what she would like to drink.

Shang Xinglu replied, “Black tea.”

The butler left.

Before long, he returned, not only bringing black tea and a tea set but also leading in another woman.

Shang Xinglu looked carefully.

—Wasn’t this the beautiful woman who had just been having dinner with Lin Heng at the restaurant?!

Wasn’t it just a meal?!

Why was she at his home now?! She was going to see how Lin Heng explained this!!!

Ahhh!!! All men are pigs!!!!!!

Inside, the little person in her heart was having a meltdown, wildly pounding the ground in frustration. On the surface, she remained calm and composed.

She took a sip of tea and continued to appear unfazed.

She could feel the beautiful woman sizing her up. Shang Xinglu kept drinking her tea, still maintaining her indifferent act.

It was that effortless I don’t care kind of attitude!

Maybe she was overdoing it.

Suddenly, the beautiful woman asked the butler in English, “Who is she?”

Shang Xinglu: “……”

I’m your damn ancestor!!!

The butler only smiled without answering. Instead, he said, “Miss Meng, I’ll prepare a cup of tea for you. Would you like Darjeeling or Earl Grey?”

“Darjeeling.”

The butler left.

In the large lounge, only Shang Xinglu and “Miss Meng” remained.

At this moment, Miss Meng, speaking in somewhat broken Mandarin, said, “Hello, my name is Meng Huaiqing. You can call me Emma. May I ask who you are?”

Shang Xinglu: “Louise.”

Meng Huaiqing: “Are you here to see Lin Heng?”

Shang Xinglu nodded.

Meng Huaiqing: “I’m Lin Heng’s fiancée. And you? A subordinate? A friend?”

Shang Xinglu: “……”

Her smile froze.

Emmmmm…

Emmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

The lemon slice that came with the tea suddenly tasted extra sour.

Still, Shang Xinglu kept smiling, her expression as warm as a spring breeze.

She said, “What a coincidence. I’m Lin Heng’s ex-wife.”

Meng Huaiqing’s expression changed instantly.

Shang Xinglu continued, “You, the fiancée, are the future. I, the ex-wife, am the past. I wonder where the present stands?”

Just as she said this, Lin Heng happened to enter the lounge.

Lin Heng: “……”

Does someone really not know who the present is?

Yet, that someone truly had no clue.

Not only that, but she also had no confidence.

Shang Xinglu set down her tea, stood up, and walked toward the door with a smile.

If one looked closely, they would see her smile had stiffened.

Lin Heng sighed silently.

He grabbed Shang Xinglu’s hand and then turned to Meng Huaiqing, saying in English, “Emma, regardless of what my mother told you, unless I personally acknowledge it, please do not claim to be my fiancée.”

Meng Huaiqing stood up as well. “But, Edmond, who else could possibly match you besides me?”

Lin Heng’s gaze turned cold. “I already made myself clear at dinner today. I hope I don’t have to repeat myself.”

The chill in his eyes instantly left Meng Huaiqing speechless.

Her panic lasted only a moment before she gracefully straightened her posture, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles in her clothes. She walked up to Lin Heng and said, “Edmond, your decision is irrational. But it’s okay, I’ll forgive you.”

With that, she turned and elegantly walked out.

Lin Heng then looked at Shang Xinglu with an unreadable expression and said, “You really don’t know who the present is?”

Shang Xinglu pouted.

She kept pouting.

Pouting and pouting, until she suddenly broke into a grin. Shang Xinglu rested her head against Lin Heng’s chest and said in a silly voice, “Since you put it that way, I guess it must be me… Hehehe.”

Lin Heng felt utterly helpless.

“Guess?”

It is you.

Then he asked, “Why did you come here today?”

Shang Xinglu wrapped her arms around his waist, rubbing her head against him once, twice. She said, “I came to study hard and improve every day!”

Lin Heng instantly tensed.

He suddenly remembered the sheer horror of being bombarded with her endless questions during meetings.

Lin Heng muttered, “You might as well have not come.”

Shang Xinglu immediately looked up, pretending to leave.

Lin Heng sighed, “Fine, it’s okay that you came.”

“Just ‘okay’?” Shang Xinglu sniffled dramatically. “I… I… I really am the past! Waaaahhhh!”

Lin Heng: “……”

He had forgotten how addicted she was to acting.

Headache.

Shang Xinglu: “Come on, comfort me!”

Lin Heng: “……”

Lin Heng was momentarily stunned, then raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

Was she… acting cute?