Falling After Marriage - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: A Good Way to Torment Cheng Sangluo

The previously relaxed atmosphere was shattered by Lin Jin’s sudden proposal. Fortunately, the gentle breeze swayed the curtains by the window, creating some movement in the pin-drop silent hospital room.

Cheng Sangluo held the warm bowl of porridge with both hands, her sharp eyes wide, as if she hadn’t yet emerged from the awkward situation.

Those few words coalesced into a falling boulder, fiercely crashing into her heart, sending out ripples that refused to settle.

She remained silent, unable to figure out what new trick the crazy woman was playing. She simply scooped up a spoonful of porridge and mechanically ate it bite after bite, almost forgetting how difficult it was to swallow.

This was a way of escaping reality by letting her thoughts wander, using the heat of her full chest to extinguish the momentary wavering she refused to admit.

Cheng Sangluo deeply feared that nascent wavering, even mocking herself: Had she been clashing with the crazy woman for so long that she developed some terrible case of Stockholm Syndrome?

Haven’t you been abused enough? Have you no shame?

Lin Jin casually draped her arm over the back of the sofa, elegantly crossed her legs, occasionally tapping her fingertips on her knee, while the tip of her crocodile-skin high heel gently swung up and down rhythmically.

This posture, at a glance, looked nonchalant, but upon closer inspection, one could find the undeniable assertiveness of a superior beneath the pretense.

Watching the puppy’s complex expression of surprise and daze, she couldn’t help but raise a look of determined success: “This marriage thing isn’t an invitation; it’s a notification.”

“Notification?” Cheng Sangluo’s heart sank, and she immediately refused: “Why are you always so impulsive? What’s wrong with playing any other game, why choose this dead-end game of marriage? I won’t play along.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Lin Jin dropped the smile on her lips. Her aura of non-negotiable authority intensified. “From the perspective of debt, you cannot refuse me, because every request I make carries a value that offsets your debt.”

Indeed, when it comes to negotiation tactics, the cunning Director Lin has the upper hand.

Such rhetoric immediately made it clear that she had carefully thought about how to effectively manipulate the puppy.

And so, the puppy exploded… yet again.

“Come on! It’s only been eight days since we first met! You keep talking about wanting to possess me, and now it’s marriage. Even if you were desperate, you wouldn’t go this far!” Cheng Sangluo protested, raising her voice, then muttered to herself: “Hmm? Offsetting the debt?”

“Haven’t you always asked me why I do this, and why I do that?” Lin Jin planted a small hook in the conversation. Since this tactic always worked on the puppy, she maintained the suspense: “I will answer every one of your questions at the appropriate time, provided you are obedient and listen to me. So now…”

Cheng Sangluo was almost holding her breath, waiting with wide eyes for the rest of the sentence.

But there was no “rest of the sentence.”

She was annoyed beyond patience, angrily slamming the bowl onto the bedside table: “Can you just say what you mean all at once? Does keeping people in suspense also satisfy your sadistic pleasure?”

“Yes, I love seeing you so angry and agitated.” Lin Jin was very pleased with the puppy’s flustered reaction, then commanded: “Finish your nutritious porridge, or we’ll stay here all day.”

“Huh?” Cheng Sangluo heard the demand to drink all the porridge in the thermos, suppressing the urge to gag. “I’m full.”

Seeing her utter resistance, Lin Jin’s face instantly darkened, and her tone became icy: “What, you don’t like it?”

“I don’t have much of an appetite,” Cheng Sangluo politely refused, secretly wishing she could shove the salty porridge into the crazy woman’s mouth, letting her taste the torture.

In a moment of inspiration, she threw back the blanket and got out of bed. The intense pain throughout her body made her sway. She leaned on the bedside table to steady herself for a long moment before dragging her steps toward the crazy woman.

Lin Jin knew the puppy had been badly beaten last night. Her brow unconsciously furrowed a few times. Her lips parted, wanting to stop her, but she awkwardly swallowed her concern.

She wanted to see what this dog was up to.

Cheng Sangluo directly grabbed the fair arm, deliberately avoiding the scald, and scrutinized it for a while before softening her voice to ask: “So… you cooked the porridge?”

The bright red mark was particularly noticeable against her cool white skin. Looking at it for too long reminded her of the twisted scar tissue on her own scapula.

She could have seized the opportunity to mock her, but the words came out differently: “If you can’t cook, don’t.”

Lin Jin saw the puppy’s complaining yet concerned expression. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with a subtle light, but she spoke against her true feelings: “You’re really giving yourself too much credit. How could someone like me step into a kitchen?”

She slightly raised her chin, maintaining an arrogant posture. Feeling the excuse wasn’t convincing enough, she shook her wrist and emphasized: “It’s a coffee burn.”

“Oh, it’s a coffee burn.” Cheng Sangluo secretly laughed at the crazy woman’s stubbornness, deliberately repeating the words. But she didn’t continue to expose the ridiculous need to save face.

She hissed in pain as she straightened up, rubbing her lower back repeatedly. She wondered why the X-rays didn’t show any broken bones if it hurt so much she couldn’t stand straight.

A warm palm suddenly covered the back of her hand, bringing a subtle kneading motion that quietly eased the soreness in her back.

“Get on the bed and lie on your stomach.” Lin Jin stood behind Cheng Sangluo. Although it was a command, her tone softened the rigidity: “Let me see.”

“Uh… let’s skip the examination. It’s nothing serious…” Cheng Sangluo was most afraid of the crazy woman’s sudden tenderness, always feeling that hypocrisy hid a bone-scraping hidden weapon.

“I don’t like to repeat myself.” Lin Jin showed her authority, raising her hand and giving her a push, though the force was so light it was more like a poke: “Hurry up.”

Cheng Sangluo was extremely unwilling, but didn’t want to waste any more time. She grimly complied, obediently lying prone on the hospital bed.

Lin Jin sat on the edge of the bed, finding the puppy’s shirt tucked into her pants hilarious.

Is she trying to guard against me? What a pathetic method!

Lin Jin instantly felt playful, intentionally tracing her fingertips back and forth across the puppy’s waist, refusing to pull the shirt out.

Cheng Sangluo turned slightly, looking at the slyly smiling face, and unhappily smacked away the unruly hand: “Hey, hey, hey, if you’re going to examine me, examine me properly. Don’t start getting handsy right away.”

Saying that, she lifted her own shirt hem, a hint of shyness mixed in, quietly pulling it down a little, then urged quickly: “Look, look, hurry up and look.”

Lin Jin had fully anticipated enjoying a beautiful sight. She loved the puppy’s attractive figure and, having finally found an excuse to grope her, intended to fully appreciate it.

However, the moment the malicious thought sprouted, it was quickly extinguished.

The sight of large and small bruises stole Lin Jin’s sly smile.

Cheng Sangluo’s back was covered in old scars from her military days, now overlaid with a patch of purple-black contusions. The sight was horrifying and left anyone who saw it with a heavy heart.

Lin Jin bit her lower lip tightly, unconsciously holding her breath. She wanted to gently touch the bruises, but her trembling fingertips hesitated to land.

What does it feel like to care deeply for someone?

It feels like those injuries have all fallen onto your own body, wedging themselves into your bone joints, making you ache painfully when you breathe, and filling your heart with sorrow when you hold your breath.

Lin Jin felt a sting in her nose, struggling to suppress a choked sob: “I call you hard-boned, and you really are hard-boned. How could those sticks not hurt when they hit you? You insist on fighting when you could solve things with your mind.”

Cheng Sangluo rested her chin on her arm. Hearing the crazy woman’s broken complaints, she calmly closed her eyes: “Tch, now you’re blaming me for fighting, but who caused all this trouble in the first place?”

Cheng Sangluo didn’t realize she was smiling, the corners of her mouth curling naturally. The ease in her response overshadowed the complaint.

Lin Jin ignored the grumbling. She arranged things herself: “When we go home tonight, I’ll get some ice packs for you. You were the one who taught me how to reduce swelling and bruising.”

Cheng Sangluo’s pupils dilated. She quickly asked: “What do you mean ‘go home’?”

“You don’t need to be hospitalized, so of course you’re coming home with me.” Lin Jin knew what the puppy was afraid of. She patted her butt: “Hurry up and get ready. Are you planning to stay at the Convalescence Center forever?”

Cheng Sangluo endured the feeling of her body falling apart, quickly rolled over and sat up, refusing instinctively: “I have my own place to live. I can’t go to your house.”

“What, afraid I’ll drug you again?” Lin Jin tried to poke the puppy’s head, but the defiant person turned away. Her hand, left hanging in the air, slowly tightened into a fist after a while.

Her expression grew dark, devoid of a smile: “You must move into my house. I said we have many important things to deal with next. Don’t forget what your status is now, and what attitude you should take toward me.”

Lin Jin’s tone was authoritative, laced with a demanding air.

Her arrogance was ingrained. She was accustomed to others being submissive. Cheng Sangluo was like a sharp thorn lodged in her throat, impossible to pull out, and impossible to swallow.

This kind of troublemaker often required special means to polish, such as now, where she had to bring up the debt to suppress that unyielding stubbornness.

Cheng Sangluo hated Lin Jin’s arrogance: that condescending look, that non-negotiable tone, and that hateful fake smile—every bit of it disgusted her.

She held her neck stiffly, counter-questioning in a deep voice: “What attitude do you think I should adopt? Should I be subservient or groveling? Owing you a debt doesn’t mean I have to obey your every command. I acknowledge this debt and will do my best to repay it, understand?”

Hearing this self-righteous statement, Lin Jin struggled to suppress her anger, her fingers clenching the bedsheet until her knuckles turned white.

She was silent for a moment, then sneered sarcastically: “You’re proud and never yield. What can I do with you? But one thing: even if I trust your character, what can you guarantee that you won’t run away? After all, you don’t even have a single decent possession to use as collateral.”

Lin Jin was too skilled at sophisticated verbal abuse. This was undoubtedly using a needle to poke at Cheng Sangluo’s emotional wounds one by one, refusing to stop until she was riddled with holes.

But what could she do? Although Lin Jin’s words were nasty, they were full of logic.

“If you don’t trust me, you can write up a promissory note now. I’ll sign and seal it immediately. If legal procedures or notarized authorization are needed, I will not delay,” Cheng Sangluo offered a solution, even appearing highly cooperative.

She had never considered running from the debt. Even if she was dirt poor and her life carried an indelible stain, she refused to become contemptible garbage.

“Fine, write it now.” Lin Jin conceded, taking out her phone to contact legal counsel to draft the debt agreement. After hanging up, she demanded: “Take me to see your residence. I need to know you’re not some homeless dog, otherwise it will be troublesome if I can’t find you.”

Lin Jin didn’t genuinely care about the three million, nor did she intend to let Cheng Sangluo go easily.

She was cunning and knew when to retreat to gain an advantage. Pushing the conversation to a dead end wouldn’t benefit her, so it was better to appear generous.

The atmosphere in the Land Rover cabin was frozen solid.

The two stubborn individuals sat at opposite ends, still unwilling to yield to the other.

They drove in silence until Sheng He stopped the car by the street in the old city redevelopment area: “Boss, the car can only stop here. The roads inside are too narrow, I don’t think we can drive in.”

“Stop here. You don’t need to follow me.” Lin Jin lazily opened her eyes. She watched the puppy open the door and leave. Seeing her brought a brief sense of calm, quickly replaced by displeasure.

Cheng Sangluo ignored the slow-moving person and walked straight into the alley. But she stopped after only two steps.

She turned around to face the unhurried crazy woman, clicking her tongue: “Can you hurry up?”

It was only the length of an alley, so there was no need to rush. However, the residents here were mixed, and Lin Jin was an anomaly, as if on a different layer of reality. If she walked through the alley alone, she could easily encounter harassment.

Cheng Sangluo was awkward and refused to overtly show concern. Unable to find an excuse to wait, she pretended to rush her impatiently, making everything seem reasonable.

But she forgot how shrewd the crazy woman was. How could Lin Jin not see the pure kindness wrapped beneath the pretense?

“Are you concerned about my safety, or are you concerned about my safety?” Lin Jin teased, glancing around the cramped walls. A strong sense of discomfort gathered in her eyes.

The uneven flagstones, the damp moss everywhere, and the persistent musty smell in the air made her cover her nose with her hand.

Cheng Sangluo always felt Lin Jin shouldn’t be in a place like this, not in terms of worthiness, but suitability.

In her mind, the crazy woman’s essence was dazzling gold, infused with the clarity of crystal. So for a vibrant rose to suddenly appear in a scene of decay was more than just out of place.

When they arrived at the entrance of the rental building, the old landlord was, as usual, swaying his fan.

Seeing Cheng Sangluo return, he happily greeted her: “Little Cheng, you’re back.”

He peered over and noticed Lin Jin following behind, quickly covering his mouth with the fan, gossiping: “Who is that?”

Cheng Sangluo didn’t know how to explain the complicated relationship. She couldn’t very well say “my creditor,” could she? How would people look at her then?

She could only make something up: “A friend of mine.”

With that, she turned and pulled Lin Jin into the narrow stairwell.

Lin Jin hadn’t adapted to the surroundings yet. Suddenly being yanked into the dusty stairwell made her feel suffocated.

She maintained the gesture of covering her nose, her brow furrowed. Her tone was deeply disdainful: “You live in a place like this?”

“What did you expect? Here, my room is up there,” Cheng Sangluo pointed upward with her finger toward the attic: “But you can’t go up and visit. It’s not convenient to climb the ladder in those heels.”

Lin Jin already thought this area was like a rat’s nest in a sewer. Seeing the attic where the puppy lived made her vision go dark: “Is this a place for humans to live?”

“Why isn’t it? The rent is only ten or twenty yuan a day, including water, electricity, and gas. It’s pretty good,” Cheng Sangluo busied herself setting up the ladder, explaining proudly, as if she had found some rare, good spot.

Lin Jin climbed a few steps before she could barely make out the layout of the attic. Her expression instantly shifted from disdain to an indescribable pity.

How could her puppy live in a place like this? There wasn’t a decent air conditioner, and even the door looked flimsy.

She couldn’t even imagine what it felt like to lie on that hard mat, let alone that this was just a small box in a corridor, offering no sound insulation or privacy.

Lin Jin felt a choking sorrow and suddenly called out: “Cheng Sangluo.”

“Hmm?” Cheng Sangluo heard the movement downstairs and suddenly popped half her head out. Her sneaky look made her appear somewhat adorably foolish: “What is it?”

“I just suddenly wanted to call your name.” Lin Jin tilted her head, feigning the look of someone teasing a puppy, but the smile on her lips couldn’t hide the pity: “You could clearly have a decent doghouse, where you have your favorite daisies and a soft, plush bed. Why insist on living in this dark, godforsaken place? Why put yourself through this?”

Cheng Sangluo leaned against the rickety wooden door, staring at the affectionate yet resentful beautiful face, lost in thought.

She didn’t understand this feeling. The crazy woman’s words were three parts disdain and seven parts harshness, yet why did a warmth flow through her heart, extending along her veins, bringing a soothing comfort that permeated her soul?

To be cared about by someone is a kind of happiness, but because this care came from Lin Jin, she couldn’t accept it.

Cheng Sangluo tried to suppress her involuntary smile, quipping: “Yes, but that place also has an irritating crazy woman. I don’t want to suffer.”

“Your prejudice against me is deeply ingrained.” Lin Jin didn’t like this superficial evaluation. The smile on her lips faded, and she said gravely: “Hurry up and find your ID card. The legal department is waiting for a copy. I’ll wait for you outside.”

With that, she turned and walked out of the oppressive stairwell, intending to take a breath of fresh air. However, the dim alley made the sky look like a mere sliver.

The landlord, guarding the entrance to his convenience store, smiled and nodded at Lin Jin, pointing with his fan to a freshly cut watermelon nearby: “It’s hot. Have a slice of watermelon to cool off. Want one?”

Lin Jin didn’t accept this friendly gesture from a stranger.

She followed the sound and looked at the simple fruit display, her eyes full of critical disdain. Then she shook her head indifferently, not even bothering to offer a polite thank you.

Fortunately, the jovial old man didn’t mind. He talked to himself, praising Cheng Sangluo’s good character, saying he rarely encountered such a kind-hearted person among his tenants. She sometimes helped him watch the store and even proactively replaced the motion-sensor light in the stairwell. When he offered payment, she refused. Even when he offered to deduct it from her rent, she refused.

Lin Jin hadn’t intended to engage with the stranger’s small talk, but the topic concerned Cheng Sangluo, so her interest piqued.

She listened quietly, occasionally letting out a faint “hmm,” thinking that the puppy wasn’t just stubborn with her; she was kind to everyone equally.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck. A cunning smile curled on her lips, as if the old man’s chat had given her an idea.

Lin Jin conceived a new way to restrict Cheng Sangluo—a good way to torment her that she wouldn’t be able to refuse.

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