Falling After Marriage - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Coax Me, Please Coax Me

Lin Jin was already entangled in the abyss of despair. In the endless dark night, how could she find Cheng Sangluo, who had slammed the door and left?

From the kitchen to the entrance hall, her thoughts were a complete mess.

This intelligent, manipulative person was now as panicked and helpless as an inexperienced girl, full of confusion and distress.

The moment she pulled open the apartment door, what greeted her eyes was not the cold, dark corridor, but a long, white silhouette.

She held her breath, steadying herself against the door frame. The disarray on her face was instantly uncontrollable, and unconcealed shock suddenly surfaced in her eyes.

At this moment, her anxious heart was settled. The fragmented light in her eyes clung to the white figure in the gloom. Ripples stirred in her deep gaze, finally concentrating into a flush at the corners of her eyes.

Compared to a frantic search across the world, seeing the person she desperately missed in one glance made Lin Jin even more uncontrollably flustered and heartbroken.

She felt resentment, resenting that Cheng Sangluo had abandoned her without looking back, yet she also felt great pity, pitying this unjustly treated person who always responded to the world with tenderness.

After slamming the door in anger, Cheng Sangluo took two furious steps, but on the third step, she turned around and went back to the door.

She rested her head against the door, wanting to slam her fist against it, to smash her own recklessness tonight, to smash all the grievances and distress. But the fist raised above her head never fell.

She was angry, yet contradictory, and all this stemmed from an unwillingness to admit that she couldn’t let go.

Only when she heard hurried footsteps inside the apartment did she snap back to reality and dejectedly straighten up.

At this moment, her face was devoid of expression. The aura surrounding her was full of helplessness, and a hint of concealed softness.

In the end, she still couldn’t bring herself to leave Lin Jin alone through the storm. Otherwise, why would she be so conflicted and unwilling to depart?

She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning red and white. She bit her molars and remained silent, staring intently at the madwoman who had suddenly appeared.

Her sulking look was quite endearing, with her nostrils flaring and her breathing heavy and labored.

She was truly angry!

Angry at the person’s unpredictable mood swings, angry at her own incredible soft-heartedness. The rush of blood throughout her body caused her scalp and fingertips to tingle.

Cheng Sangluo stood in the darkness but was like the sun, radiating a different light in Lin Jin’s eyes.

Lin Jin stood in the bright world but couldn’t grasp a single ray of light, so she intensely craved the glimmer in Cheng Sangluo’s eyes.

In her hesitant state, she took a small step forward, but the involuntary urge was thwarted by her pride. Only her gaze was filled with an unspeakable surrender.

That look seemed to say: Coax me, please coax me. I’m very easy to coax.

“It’s improper to walk around outside dressed like this. I’ll wait until my clothes are dry before leaving.” Cheng Sangluo mumbled, hesitating for a long time before offering this extremely weak excuse.

Even though it was weak, the reason was utterly plausible.

She wasn’t convincing Lin Jin; she was convincing her own wavering, reluctant heart.

Cheng Sangluo’s emotions returned to calm. The process was brief but incredibly difficult. No one knew how she tore up her anger and grievance, swallowed them whole, and was left only with exhaustion and boundless melancholy.

She wanted to take a step, but her feet felt encased in concrete, heavily fixed to the spot, unable to lift.

She hated that her stubbornness had become impure. Why did a trace of softness hide within her rigidity?

So, in this awkward moment, Cheng Sangluo desperately wished Lin Jin would take a gentle step back, even just saying ‘okay,’ which would bring immense comfort.

Lin Jin was also painfully swallowing her distress. Complex emotions flickered in her eyes: joy, restlessness, and the expectation of being soothed.

After a long, silent standoff, she didn’t get the response she hoped for.

So, for the first time, this arrogant woman showed a side she shouldn’t have shown to the puppy.

“I’m sorry.”

Lin Jin apologized.

Of course, she only felt apologetic for the word ‘get lost’ that had slipped out.

For Cheng Sangluo right now, seeing the overbearing madwoman lower her proud head, this apology carried considerable weight.

This honest person was always easily satisfied, and she even began to seriously search for her own faults within this apology.

She secretly persuaded herself that it takes two to tango. If she hadn’t said those offensive things, they wouldn’t have ended up in such an embarrassing situation, right?

At this moment, Cheng Sangluo truly resembled a puppy, with her head lowered, whimpering with a look of grievance, yet shaking her tail twice with wide, round eyes.

After a moment of dejection, she spoke apologetically in a muffled voice: “I… um… I shouldn’t have judged you… and I definitely shouldn’t have said things that opened old wounds… I was also wrong… um… I’m sorry…”

Lin Jin looked as if she had misheard something. Incredulous surprise flashed in her deep eyes.

She knew how hard it was to get an apology from this person, having experienced it before, so she hadn’t expected this apologetic response to come so suddenly.

She didn’t act like she usually did, showing infuriating provocation upon receiving the puppy’s submission.

She sniffled her stuffy nose, finally taking a large step forward, reaching out and wrapping Cheng Sangluo’s bathrobe sash around her fingers a few times. It was as if lightly holding the sash was enough to hold onto the heart that might run away at any moment.

Lin Jin had composed many lines in her mind, but what came out was: “The noodles didn’t taste good without you.”

Yes, without you, everything tastes bland and tasteless.

I need your equal opposition so that I won’t have to put on a pitiful solo act.

This sentence seemed to be effective. Cheng Sangluo rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to hide the blush spreading across her face.

Whether the noodles tasted good or not, she didn’t know, but she certainly knew that Lin Jin meant more than the literal words.

Cheng Sangluo hesitantly took a step, letting her tall frame envelop the frail person.

This was a silent romance. Even without arms, she could embrace you perfectly.

The puppy flared her nostrils again, puffing out her cheeks. It was as if she gathered all her strength before declaring loudly: “Since you sincerely apologized, I forgive you!”

Lin Jin tilted her head and smiled sweetly. She slightly tightened her arm and pulled the puppy into her embrace, “Then I also forgive you for leaving without saying goodbye.”

Hugs require full strength to truly feel each other’s temperature and breath.

Cheng Sangluo was still not used to the sudden closeness, but she felt a hug was necessary at this moment to represent reconciliation. So, after a few seconds of hesitation, her arm finally rested on the smooth back.

Lin Jin wasn’t necessarily in the mood for romance, but her hands became restless as soon as they touched the puppy.

While Cheng Sangluo wasn’t paying attention, her fingers slid into the gap of the sash and gently hooked it, exposing a large area of tan skin beneath the white robe.

Lin Jin’s gaze was flirtatious, tracing every inch of skin like a kiss—not vulgar, but revealing, “You look like a milk chocolate bar, tempting and delicious~”

Cheng Sangluo frantically grabbed the lapels, wrapping herself tightly again, and snapped: “You’re still in the mood for that? I’m certainly not…”

“I just wanted to tease you~” Lin Jin saw the puppy’s shy expression, grabbed her arm, and walked towards the living room, “Come on, let’s have a good talk.”

Cheng Sangluo was suspicious, “Talk about what?”

Lin Jin didn’t answer immediately. Only after leaning lazily into the sofa did she reply: “Let’s talk about the person I dislike… the person you like…”

Cheng Sangluo sat beside her. While fussing with the sash on her body, she let out an odd exclamation: “Shu Wan?”

Lin Jin felt her embrace was empty, so she squirmed and squeezed herself into the puppy’s arms, “Can you hug me?”

“Where else do people make up this quickly right after an argument?” Cheng Sangluo muttered, but still draped one arm over her shoulder, “Don’t you think this is childish?”

“Childish? You were the one who made me angry first. If I hadn’t also said the wrong thing, I wouldn’t have apologized to you so easily.” Lin Jin complained, but her tone wasn’t as sharp as usual, soft like cotton candy.

Cheng Sangluo didn’t want to bicker, afraid of starting another fight, so she changed the subject: “Talk then, how do you want to talk?”

Lin Jin played with the puppy’s chin with her fingers, asking lazily: “You answer me first. Did Shu Wan tell you those things?”

The puppy nodded: “Mhm.”

The madwoman was curious: “And do you care?”

Cheng Sangluo pressed her lips together and didn’t answer, wondering if she cared. If she didn’t care, wouldn’t she have avoided saying those things in the kitchen just now?

She wanted to lie, to pretend to be indifferent and unbothered, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it, so she answered with silence.

Lin Jin found the answer in the puppy’s fluctuating expression. She smiled faintly and didn’t press further, changing the topic: “I’ve taught you so many lessons, but you haven’t learned anything in the end. There are people whose true faces you can’t discern. But surely you can discern what I’m like?

I repeatedly deceived you, humiliated you, and bullied you, not just to satisfy some perverted hobby, but because I truly wanted you to fall flat on your face. People only remember things when they get hurt.

This world is full of tricksters and villains. You should know this better than I do. Once you learn everything I teach you, you’ll naturally be able to handle more difficulties and bad people.

For instance, right now, some people can easily set a trap for you, with little effort—just a few words.

See? Shu Wan is that powerful. Just a single sentence was enough to make us fall out. That’s what you call skill.

She’s good at grasping people’s hearts because she doesn’t appear sharp. She smiles with great affinity and uses small favors to win people over, so you think she’s great.

This tactic is called ‘using a tiny force to move a great weight.’ Do you understand?”

Lin Jin rarely spoke with such patience and earnestness.

Her assessment of Shu Wan was spot-on, frighteningly accurate.

Perhaps if she hadn’t said this, Cheng Sangluo would forever believe she had malicious intentions.

When looking back at the past month from a higher perspective, the truth behind those unpleasant encounters was revealed. Cheng Sangluo then saw the full extent of Lin Jin’s careful planning.

She looked up, gazing at the madwoman’s calm face, and realized like waking from a dream: “Initially, I thought you were just playing games, that’s why you kept harassing and bullying me, until you showed up at Seventeen Harbor, until you suddenly talked about marrying me.

To be honest, I’ve never been able to figure you out. I don’t know what you truly want, but one thing is clear: what you want is absolutely more than just me and my heart.

There must be a very important matter that requires my involvement, which is why you’ve used every means to bring me into your fold, right?”

Lin Jin was also surprised. She always thought Cheng Sangluo was smart, but she hadn’t expected her perception to be so strong. She couldn’t help but sigh: “My little puppy is so clever~”

Cheng Sangluo didn’t want to joke around in a serious moment. She said sternly: “Actually, from the day I was released from prison, your approach was no accident. What is your true intention? Answer my question.”

Lin Jin rested her cheek on one hand, and lazily countered: “Then you answer me first: why do you think I want more than just your person and heart?”

“You’ve said many times that you are a businesswoman who pursues absolute profit. You also said your vision is ruthless, and your investments have never failed. So you saw me.” Cheng Sangluo’s gaze was fiery, analyzing their encounters and extracting the underlying logic. She asserted: “I must be very valuable to make you open the show by smashing an expensive bottle of red wine, and then lay the foundation with three million dollars.”

Cheng Sangluo paused, her gaze growing sharper, as if it could pierce through all the conspiracies, “Lin Jin, what do you want to use me for?”

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