Falling After Marriage - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Being Rough with Me Isn’t Necessarily Off-Limits

The sudden sound of the door breaking instantly put Cheng Sangluo on high alert.

Her first reaction was to hide in the darkest corner, staring menacingly at the scattered wooden planks.

The ingrained anti-reconnaissance awareness was extremely strong. In just a few brief seconds, she formulated a plan of action.

She tightly wrapped the towel blanket around her hand, which could serve both as a defense against an attack and as a means to choke the opponent when they were unprepared.

The space in the attic was too low to stand straight, so she could only move towards the doorway, half-squatting with her back against the wall, inch by inch.

The elevated position offered poor visibility, but Cheng Sangluo could capture subtle details.

For instance, at this moment, without seeing anyone, she could estimate the number of people downstairs and their locations by the slight movement of light and shadow in the stairwell.

The opponent seemed aware of her formidable combat skills, so they didn’t appear, only throwing a cell phone onto the steps.

Continuing the standoff was fruitless. Cheng Sangluo broke the silence: “Say what you need to say. What’s the point of breaking my door and then hiding?”

“Look at the phone. Here’s a hint—Cheng Xing.”

That long-unspoken name instantly stirred Cheng Sangluo’s emotions. Her questioning tone grew more vigilant: “Who are you?”

The question received no reply. When she craned her head to look down from the attic, the person was already gone.

After confirming the coast was clear, Cheng Sangluo climbed down the wall to the steps and picked up the phone.

The phone wasn’t locked. The page displayed a video.

She pressed the play button, and a chilling plea echoed through the stairwell.

In the video, a man was being beaten with sticks by a group of thugs.

He was curled up, protecting his head, while begging for mercy: ‘Ugh… Please stop hitting me… I’ll find a way to get the money…’

‘Three million, principal and interest—can you raise that much?’ The creditor squatted down, aggressively patting the man’s face in humiliation: ‘Even if we chop you up and sell your parts, it won’t be enough to cover the debt. So, what’s the plan?’

Hearing them talk about removing his organs, the man frantically hugged the creditor’s leg: ‘There’s a way… there is… I have a sister… she can help me pay off the debt…’

‘Which relative would be willing to take on debt for a gambling addict like you? Do you take me for an idiot?’

‘She’s my biological sister. She’ll definitely find a way…’

The creditor remained silent for a moment. Realizing he couldn’t squeeze any more money out of the man, he grabbed his head and faced the phone: ‘Then it depends on whether your dear sister is willing to save your life.’

The man, like a stray dog, crawled toward the phone, urgently pleading: ‘Sangluo… I know you’re out… for the sake of Mom and Dad, help your brother… A family should share thick and thin, shouldn’t they… Help me… please help me…’

Before he could finish, the creditor kicked him away and picked up the phone, threatening: ‘I’m a man of principles. I’ll give you three days to raise the money. Meet at the Seventeen Port Pier at 11 PM the day after tomorrow. Either you bring the money and redeem the person, or we’ll be dragging out a corpse from the sea.’

The chaotic video abruptly ended.

In the empty stairwell, all that remained was the sound of Cheng Sangluo’s feverish breathing.

Three million was an astronomical number, with countless zeros, effortlessly bending the back that she had always held straight.

Cheng Xing’s begging still vibrated in her ear canal, triggering painful memories.

“You worthless burden!” Her father’s spit flew outside the prison bars, his bloodshot eyes almost bulging out of his sockets: “All the retirement money from the military has to be paid back! That’s your brother’s marriage money!”

Her mother also wailed tearfully: “Your dad hasn’t taken his blood pressure medicine for days because he’s so angry. All the neighbors know we have a jailed daughter. How shameful!”

Cheng Sangluo remembered that was the last time she had seen her parents in all those years. There was no comfort or worry; the bleak world contained only sharp insults.

These screams were never faded by time, gradually twisting into more cruel fragments in her mind.

“Why bother with university? Go join the military for a few years. It saves household expenses and lets you save money for your brother’s wedding. Then I’ll find you a factory job. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”

With a few short sentences, her father sealed Cheng Sangluo’s life. When he rolled a cigarette, he casually tore off half of her university acceptance letter. The moment the flame licked the gilded school badge, she saw the scorching mark of kinship clearly for the first time.

How ironic.

The retirement money, for which Cheng Sangluo had gambled her future, was earned by her one cent at a time, through blood, sweat, and performance. Yet, not a single penny belonged to her in the end.

Despite being blood relatives, in her parents’ eyes, she was more like an outsider, or perhaps even less than that.

Tearing herself away from the painful thoughts, Cheng Sangluo pressed her palm fiercely against the wall, her fingernails scratching deep white marks into the mottled plaster.

She asked resentfully: “Why? Why do this to me?”

Since the day she was born, this world had gifted her injustice, never letting her go at every important turning point in her life.

So, why?

In the office of the CEO of Senyao Group, the investment department was reporting on the progress of several major projects.

The piercing cold air carried Lin Jin’s imposing presence, making everyone breathe cautiously.

She sat half-perched on the edge of the desk, lightly plucking the petals of a small daisy. She occasionally spritzed it with water from a spray bottle, as if the prosperity of the flower was more important than this dull meeting.

Lin Jin was a typical ‘smiling tiger’—her attitude toward employees was not exactly aloof, but her unpredictable temper always made people nervous.

When she heard important figures, she would look up and stare at the speaker, causing them to hesitate or even doubt themselves.

In reality, she was merely contemplating how to maximize the profit.

‘Knock, knock, knock—’

A knock on the door broke the low pressure in the office.

“Come in.” Lin Jin waved her hand to dismiss the meeting. The group of people hurriedly left as if granted amnesty.

“Boss, here are the documents you requested.” The subordinate approached, handing over a manila envelope: “During this period, I found out…”

Lin Jin took the envelope but didn’t open it immediately, raising her hand to indicate he didn’t need to say more.

She looked down, admiring the little daisy, a relaxed smile on her face, and chatted: “Is this flower beautiful?”

The subordinate was confused. The boss never lacked flowers from admirers, and compared to those extravagant arrangements, this pot of daisies was rather humble. But seeing her unusually gentle expression, he answered conventionally: “It’s beautiful.”

Lin Jin was dissatisfied with the response. She stood up and sat down in her office chair: “Sheng He, are people like you, who only know how to fight, all incapable of appreciating romance?”

Sheng He was stunned, guessing who the boss was alluding to. He smiled and explained: “It’s not that I can’t appreciate romance, it’s just that I’m clumsy with words and don’t know how to describe the flower’s beauty. However…”

Seeing his subordinate hesitate, Lin Jin lazily swung her swivel chair: “However, what?”

“You are very attentive to this flower, just as you are to its owner.”

“Am I?” Lin Jin mused over the word ‘attentive,’ smiling bitterly: “But in that person’s eyes, I am completely rotten.”

“Time will show the truth.” Sheng He checked the time; it was almost lunch. He asked: “Do you need to go out for lunch?”

“Prepare the car, let’s go to the usual place.”

“Understood.”

Once the subordinate left, Lin Jin finally pulled out the documents from the envelope and read them.

Seemingly intrigued by some content, she lightly rubbed her chin with her fingertips, her eyes narrowed in a smile: “Quite interesting.”

It was the scorching heat of midday. Cheng Sangluo had been pacing outside the Senyao Building for a long time. The persistent high fever caused her temples to throb painfully.

Only after building up her mental readiness did she walk hesitantly into the lobby, her collar already soaked with sweat.

She thought seeing Lin Jin would be easy, but she didn’t expect the building’s security to be so strict; even taking the elevator required passing through a security gate.

Cheng Sangluo was stopped by security and had to go to the front desk to state her purpose.

“I’m sorry, visitors must have a prior appointment, or you can tell us who you are here to see, and they can inform us.” The receptionist politely explained, then ignored her.

Cheng Sangluo awkwardly tucked her hands into her pockets, wondering if she should go wait in the parking garage.

“Did the little puppy miss me?”

First, that deep-seated, familiar fragrance wafted into her nostrils, followed by a low murmur that brushed and tickled her ear bone.

Cheng Sangluo got goosebumps, realizing the person she needed to see had appeared behind her.

She was startled by the sudden encounter and blamed herself for being so careless that she didn’t detect the crazy woman’s approach.

Turning to meet the teasing gaze, she slightly raised her chin, showing disdain for the implied longing. But the figure in her eyes showed no intention of lingering, walking away with a resolute stride.

Cheng Sangluo’s arrogance lasted less than three seconds. She quickly stepped to pursue: “Hey… you…”

Lin Jin curved a playful smile, seeming to enjoy the pleasure of this chase with the puppy.

Once she got into the Maybach parked outside the entrance, she leaned back, looking at the person whose breathing was ragged, and teased: “I have no reason to receive you; after all, you don’t have an appointment, unless you say you missed me very much~”

Lin Jin didn’t mention the seven-day wager, but the smile in her eyes already implied: See? I told you you would come to me.

Cheng Sangluo scoffed, stubbornly refusing to say flattering words.

She firmly held the car door with her hand, pushing and squeezing herself into the back seat.

Lin Jin accepted the person who had squeezed into her embrace with a smile, even wrapping her arm around the puppy’s waist without her noticing: “Is this considered throwing yourself into my arms?”

Cheng Sangluo retorted in a low voice: “Lin Jin, I don’t have time for your nonsense!”

By the time she realized something was wrong, the mischief-making hand had already slipped under her T-shirt, stroking her abdomen repeatedly.

Before the puppy could resist, Lin Jin let her fingers trace the contours of her abs, sighing: “Ooh, great physique~”

Cheng Sangluo quickly pressed down on the hand on her abdomen, glaring at the beautiful face that looked utterly satisfied: “That’s enough. Don’t force me to get rough.”

“Being rough with me isn’t necessarily off-limits. It’s not like you haven’t done it before. Besides…” Lin Jin fanned the flames, leaning close to the puppy’s ear to provoke her: “It’s happened more than once or twice~”

“Stop it!” Cheng Sangluo struggled to break free from Lin Jin’s embrace, her back against the car door as she questioned: “Why are you holding my family hostage?”

“Holding your family hostage?” Lin Jin murmured to herself, raising an eyebrow: “I’m only interested in you. I wouldn’t bother involving your family.”

Cheng Sangluo had thoroughly considered it on the way here. Lin Jin’s motive was the only thing that could explain everything that had happened today. She stated firmly: “If it’s not you, who else could it be? You’re more suspicious than my enemies, especially since you’re the only one who wants me to grovel.”

Lin Jin’s frivolous smile vanished, and her eyes chilled: “So, in your eyes, I’m just someone who only uses dirty tricks?”

“Aren’t you? What have you done to me since the day I got out of prison that wasn’t a dirty trick?”

“Do you remember what I said outside the convenience store?” Lin Jin turned her head, admiring the street view outside the window, her gaze a little lonely: “I said I was here to help you. You didn’t believe me.”

Cheng Sangluo pressed her lips together, swallowing the response, ‘How could I believe you?‘

If it weren’t for Lin Jin’s false kindness stirring her heart, she could have chosen to run away during that heavy rain, even when the police car drove by, but she didn’t.

Cheng Sangluo sighed heavily, carrying a sense of misplaced grievance.

Lin Jin was silent for a moment, then suddenly threw out an enticing hook: “I probably know who is holding your family hostage, and I can even explain the whole situation. Do you want to know? Beg me~”

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