Falling After Marriage - Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Cohabitation Naturally Means Sharing a Bed

In the dimly lit, warm bedroom, the fragrance of shower gel permeated the air. A slender figure was nestled in the soft bed, more alluring than the crescent moon outside.

Lin Jin was lying comfortably on her stomach, hugging a fluffy pillow, and leisurely dangling one foot in the air.

Illuminated by the bedside lamp, her clear face still had the moist blush of a freshly emerged hibiscus. Without any makeup, her delicate features were breathtakingly beautiful.

Her bathrobe was worn carelessly, the naturally open collar had slipped below her shoulder blade, exposing a large area of pale, smooth back.

The light enhanced everything, decorating the lines of her spine with distinct shadows, and even softening the visibility of an ugly scar.

Her damp, long, curly hair trailed down one side of her shoulder. Drops of water rolled down the clear line of her back, creating a heart-stirring, seductive lure.

When is the crazy woman at her most beautiful?

Perhaps, it was at this moment.

Cheng Sangluo, holding a hairdryer, was drawn in by the beautiful figure on the bed the moment she walked out of the bathroom. She even forgot her steps, standing rooted to the spot, silently gazing.

She had never thought that in some fleeting moment, she would give birth to such an ethereal question, nor could she resist the attraction that felt like a glimpse into a thousand years.

Hearing the slight movement, Lin Jin half-turned her face and glanced back. The smile curving on her lips was filled with contentment, “Why are you standing there blankly?“

As she urged, she turned onto her side and raised her arm, beckoning: “Come here quickly, don’t make me wait, okay? I don’t like waiting for you.“

In an instant, the exposed, snow-white peaks, unmarred by any attempt to conceal them, shone with the confidence of an arrogant sunrise.

Cheng Sangluo couldn’t gather her scattered thoughts immediately, but a sharp shock quickly seized her, making her steps toward the bedside hurried and clumsy.

She reached out and pulled the crazy woman’s collar shut, firmly wrapping up the seductive scene and forcefully suppressing the turbulent impulse in her heart.

She didn’t open her mouth to scold, nor did she show her usual disdain. She simply sat silently on the edge of the bed, busy fumbling with the hairdryer.

Lin Jin propped herself up, taking the opportunity to climb onto the little dog’s broad shoulder, whispering brokenly into her ear: “Why are you ignoring me?“

The crazy woman at night had an added touch of charm. Her questioning voice was sweet and flirtatious, subtly hinting at what she wanted.

Cheng Sangluo tried her best to maintain an unmoving composure, but in Lin Jin’s eyes, it was all pretense.

She lifted a strand of wet hair and brushed it across the little dog’s nose, continuing: “If you want something, just take it. You know I never refuse you.“

Cheng Sangluo’s nose was itching, and so was her heart.

She avoided the harassing hand, trying to remain calm before her reason completely dissolved, making her speech clipped: “Don’t move.“

“Do you want to play the game of ‘Statues’ with me?” Lin Jin paid no mind to the little dog’s feigned calmness and continued to tease by biting her ear: “I can stay completely still. You can manipulate me however you want, as a celebration of us cohabiting~”

Cheng Sangluo slumped her shoulders, wrapped one arm around the disruptive person, hugging her into her embrace, and gently explained: “I don’t want to play anything. I just want to help you dry your hair.“

The crazy woman smiled seductively: “Then blow it~”

The little dog retorted quietly: “Then stop moving around!“

The crazy woman acted pitifully: “Little doggies shouldn’t be mean to their owner~”

The little dog insisted: “I wasn’t.“

Lin Jin was relatively cooperative. After a moment of teasing, she nestled against Cheng Sangluo’s chest, quietly enjoying the rare service.

Through the noise of the hairdryer, she kept looking up into Cheng Sangluo’s eyes, which shone even brighter under the lamplight.

She smiled lightly, also feeling the coarse friction of the little dog’s fingertips passing through her hair, stirring a captivating itch.

Cheng Sangluo didn’t avoid the crazy woman’s kiss-like gaze. Instead, she asked, “Why are you staring at me?“

“Because you’re handsome~”

“You’re the beautiful one.“

This mouth that unexpectedly spoke sweet words was a novelty, causing Lin Jin to cover her mouth and stifle a laugh. “It seems your mouth isn’t entirely clumsy, after all. You know how to say nice things to please me.“

Cheng Sangluo held the hairdryer with one hand and rubbed the crazy woman’s hair with the other, pausing and giving an excuse: “I’m only being nice because you’re injured. I don’t want to nitpick with you.“

Sure enough, this person can only be sweet for three seconds, awkwardly saying things contrary to her heart’s desire.

“These few days, I’ll have the lawyer draft a prenuptial agreement. After we sign it, let’s pick a good day to register our marriage~” When discussing registering the marriage, Lin Jin’s eyes sparkled brightly.

That look of intense anticipation, visible in Cheng Sangluo’s eyes, was so pure that it disallowed any refutation.

Cheng Sangluo nodded slightly: “Okay, I’ll follow your arrangement. My ID card is with you anyway. Do as you wish.“

“Oh, you agreed quite readily.” Lin Jin sighed with emotion, then said playfully, “Why don’t you ask me why I’m in such a hurry?“

Cheng Sangluo suddenly decided to tease the crazy woman and indulged her: “Whether I ask or not, the certificate still has to be signed, right?“

Lin Jin grew anxious and urged: “No, you have to ask! Ask me quickly!“

Having no choice with this woman, the little dog had to cooperate: “Then why are you in such a hurry?“

“Because I want to claim you as mine quickly. You can only be my little dog~” Lin Jin laughed, messing up Cheng Sangluo’s hair, then suddenly became serious: “There’s a very important business banquet in November. Many important people will be attending, including some people you and I dislike. Of course, I need to bring my partner. You need to gain some experience and have a legitimate identity to annoy those people. This is part of my plan.“

Cheng Sangluo nodded in understanding but didn’t continue the conversation.

She turned off the hairdryer and prepared to get up and leave, but the clinging woman in her arms stopped her.

“You can’t go. We’re cohabiting. Can’t we share a bed?” Lin Jin wrapped her arms around the little dog’s waist, seizing the opportunity to secretly pinch her. The texture was as good as ever.

Fearing the stone-hearted person might refuse, she pleaded in a sweet voice: “Even if we’re sleeping in the same bed with different dreams, it’s okay, as long as you’re by my side.“

Cheng Sangluo sighed helplessly: “Oh, I was just going to put away the hairdryer.“

She had indeed planned to go back to the guest room to sleep after finishing her task, but now it seemed impossible.

Lin Jin snatched the hairdryer and tossed it onto the bedside table. She turned, lifted the covers, and called out dependently: “Without the little dog’s hug, I can’t sleep soundly. I’ll have nightmares~”

Cheng Sangluo had learned to accommodate the crazy woman and reluctantly climbed into the covers.

She habitually spread out her arm so the clinging woman could snuggle into her embrace, emphasizing: “Let’s be clear first! Sleeping is just sleeping. No funny business allowed.“

Lin Jin successfully jumped into the little dog’s arms, rubbing her head and agreeing: “Okay~”

However, her hand was already secretly sneaking into Cheng Sangluo’s clothing.

A little more molesting doesn’t count as breaking the rules, right?

The next day.

Since Lin Jin’s injury, most of the company’s affairs had been handled by the Vice President and the secretary.

She specifically took time today to preside over the company, to review the mountain of documents and hold a work summary meeting.

No one likes tedious and boring work. Even CEO Lin, worth over a billion, looked resigned because of the heavy investment projects.

She had just summoned and reprimanded a senior executive from a certain department and was currently in a state of low pressure.

At this moment, only the sound of turning pages echoed in the silent space, a subtle sound that contained immense displeasure.

Cheng Sangluo sat in the corner of the office, personally witnessing the crazy woman’s ruthless side. That overbearing temperament, wrapped in her command over affairs, was a cruel and unapproachable indifference.

She dared not speak, and being idle made her restless, so she could only repeatedly flip through a commercial magazine she didn’t understand.

Lin Jin probably felt she had nowhere to vent her emotions. She unleashed a strong, irresistible aura, aiming at the innocent-looking little dog, and commanded: “You, come here.“

Cheng Sangluo closed the book in her hand and walked honestly to her, pointing at herself and asking foolishly, “Am I going to get lectured too?“

“What, did I scare you?” Lin Jin smiled slyly, supporting her face with one hand and shifting into a more comfortable sitting position. “I wouldn’t bear to be fierce with you~”

Under the table, her uninjured foot was restless, sneaking into the little dog’s trouser leg, the provocation blatant and obvious.

Cheng Sangluo couldn’t withstand the crazy woman’s sudden harassment. She stepped back to evade, saying coldly, “It’s working hours. Can you be serious?”

“What counts as serious, and what doesn’t?” Lin Jin took a sip of coffee, unconcerned, and said self-righteously: “I can’t say for sure about other things, but at least in this building, I can do whatever I want.”

“Fine, fine, fine. If you want to jump off the building, I won’t even try to stop you.” Cheng Sangluo rolled her eyes, preparing to shrink back into the corner to daydream.

Lin Jin quickly grabbed her wrist. “You’re bored anyway. Why don’t you find something to do? Otherwise, I’ll feel unbalanced.”

“What ‘unbalanced’?” Cheng Sangluo most disliked the crazy woman trying to drag her into trouble, acting like a lit firecracker. “You earn so much money a day. What’s wrong with being busy? Why keep bothering an unemployed person like me?”

Lin Jin enjoyed watching the little dog grumble and started her old game: “You know, I love giving you choices.”

The little dog bristled: “Here we go again, ‘Happiness N-choices-in-one.’ Aren’t you bored?”

“It’s fun~” Lin Jin raised her shoulder and smiled sweetly. “You can choose to let me support you. You don’t have to do anything. Just take my card and swipe as you please. The condition is that you have to be an obedient little dog. Of course, you can also choose to find something to do, earn some pocket money, offset some debt, or something, to show the value of your cheap life.”

“Hmph.” Cheng Sangluo sneered, secretly cursing Lin Jin for knowing her too well. Knowing she wouldn’t choose to be supported, Lin Jin still offered such a suggestion. “Just tell me directly what you want me to do.”

Lin Jin tilted her head, looking at the little dog grinding her teeth, and asked knowingly: “Besides fighting, what else can you do?”

“Murder, arson, and stuff…” Cheng Sangluo suddenly blurted out, then, on an impulse, leaned into Lin Jin’s ear, shamelessly suggesting: “Can sleeping with you—that kind of technical work—be used to offset debt?”

In an instant, the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence.

“Hiss… Cheng Sangluo, I didn’t see that coming!” Lin Jin stared at the little dog in disbelief, her lips twitching with a half-smile: “I always thought you were concerned about your image. Turns out you’re shameless. You want to sleep with me and offset debt? You use an honest facade while engaging in shady behavior?”

“You!” Cheng Sangluo was rendered speechless, stomping her foot in exasperation: “How am I shady? Explain yourself!”

“It seems I’ve upset the little resentful wife.” Lin Jin didn’t mind making things worse, continuing to rub salt in the little dog’s wound. An innovative idea for dog training sparked in her mind, and she proposed: “We’re implementing a task-for-debt system, aren’t we? I happen to have a task now. Do you accept it?”

Cheng Sangluo was previously grinding her teeth in anger. Hearing ‘task for debt,’ her eyes instantly lit up. Without even asking what the task was, she immediately accepted: “I accept. Anything to offset debt, I’ll take it.”

We’ve already seen each other naked anyway. How bad can the task be?

“I want to carve some signature stamps. Since you’re free, you can learn to do it slowly. Each carved stamp can offset 1,000 yuan, up to a maximum of 20,000 yuan, which is twenty stamps. The condition is that the fonts and styles cannot be duplicated, though size and specifications don’t matter.” After Lin Jin finished, she dialed her secretary’s number. “Help me to the conference room. It’s time for the meeting.”

Before leaving, Lin Jin instructed: “Little dog, you have the duration of one meeting to find materials, tools, and design the fonts. Remember to get receipts or invoices, or I won’t reimburse you.”

Seeing the crazy woman about to disappear at the door, Cheng Sangluo quickly called out: “Lin Jin, Lin Jin, Lin Jin!”

Lin Jin paused and turned half her body into the doorway: “I just disappeared from your sight, and you’re already missing me?”

“If I’m shameless, then your face is thicker than a city wall.” Cheng Sangluo scoffed, then asked, “Do you need any more errand services?”

“No, I have a secretary and an assistant.” Lin Jin raised an eyebrow and refused. She took two steps forward, then turned back, reminding her: “Cheng Sangluo, if you only had me in your heart, this debt would be easily cleared. I told you… I’m easily appeased…”

Cheng Sangluo stood foolishly in place, pondering for a long time, unable to figure out what “easily appeased” meant.

Cheng Sangluo skipped out of Senyao Building, her light steps full of cheer. Her good mood was more radiant than the blazing sun above.

This person was good in every way, except for her destiny to be overworked and anxious. If she didn’t do something for a day, she would feel uneasy.

Lately, she was so idle she felt like she was growing moss. Suddenly getting a debt-offsetting chore, she happily lifted her head to enjoy the sun’s embrace.

As she searched for a stationery store, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. Surely a big boss like Lin Jin, who manages countless affairs every day, wouldn’t lack a signature stamp, would she?

She shook her head, deciding there was no need to be suspicious.

The crazy woman was probably just looking for fun. It wasn’t like she didn’t know how awful this person’s temper was—she was simply bored.

Cheng Sangluo was quick to act. In less than half an hour, she had all the tools and materials ready.

She bought a pile of wood and stone materials for carving, then rushed to a printing shop to have various font samples designed.

Seeing that she still had plenty of time, the little dog wagged her tail and came up with a bunch of little tricks.

Hiss, twenty signature stamps! That would take so much time and effort!

Why not find a carving shop and cheat? Order three, five, or ten yuan stamps and mix them in. Wouldn’t that offset nearly ten thousand yuan of debt?

Cheng Sangluo thought she was so clever, being able to come up with such a method. She couldn’t help but clap for herself right on the main street!

Passersby looked at her sideways, as if she were an idiot.

As a matter of fact, this person had strong execution. She really found a small private workshop to order the stamps.

She spent most of the day haggling with the owner over the price of a few dozen yuan, getting into small arguments.

After leaving the carving shop, to celebrate this brilliant act of cutting corners, she treated herself to an ice cream cone and squatted by the convenience store entrance, enjoying it thoroughly.

After finishing, the little dog looked lost again. She looked back at the freezer inside the store, wondering if she should buy one for Lin Jin too.

But then she remembered, the crazy woman was so picky. How could she possibly look down on such cheap things?

Forget it. Ice cream can’t be reimbursed. Don’t waste my hard-earned money!

In the meeting room with extremely low pressure.

Lin Jin leaned sideways, listening to the senior executives from various departments report on the current work status.

The phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence.

She glanced down. It was a call from Sheng He. She motioned for the executive to continue reporting and answered the phone herself. “Speak.”

“……”

Lin Jin’s expression was initially normal. After listening to Sheng He’s brief report, an irritated smile curved her lips: “Heh, dog thing.”

After hanging up, she wasn’t in the mood to listen to the pretentious reports anymore. After assigning the recent work tasks, she dismissed the meeting.

In the corridor leading to the CEO’s office, Secretary Zhou carefully helped her boss and simultaneously reminded her of important upcoming itineraries.

Lin Jin suddenly stopped and turned sideways, startling the secretary, who quickly stopped too. “CEO Lin, is there a problem?”

Lin Jin tilted her head and brought up a different topic: “Find someone to order two sets of work suits for Cheng Sangluo, one black and one gray. The quality must be good. Also, move a desk into my office and make her an employee badge.”

“Understood.” Zhou Ran noted down the boss’s request, then cautiously asked, “Are there any other requests?”

“I’ll slowly walk back to the office myself. Go get a few boxes of band-aids. Handle the things I’ve just told you to do quickly.” Lin Jin’s tone was calm, but the command to ‘handle quickly’ indicated her attention to the little dog, and those few boxes of band-aids surely hid all the concern she was unwilling to show.

Seeing Secretary Zhou leave, she added: “From now on, when you bring me coffee in the morning, also prepare a cup of milk, hot, with some sugar.”

That stray little dog has a bitter life; she needs a little sugar.

Secretary Zhou heard the boss’s instructions and quickly turned around to agree from a distance.

She had been with Lin Jin for five or six years and had only ever seen the boss’s sharp and mean side. Since that young woman who worked high in the air appeared, the boss had changed somewhat, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how.

At least at this moment, the boss stood by the corridor window, her cold face bathed in golden sunlight, looking warm. Her words were not sharp, and her requests were gentle.

Lin Jin returned to the office, lightly tapping her palm with her phone.

She looked around, probably thinking about the best location for the little dog.

She finally decided to place the new desk directly in front of hers. Although it would affect the aesthetics of the office, being able to look up and see the little dog carving diligently made other things seem less important.

The small daisies of September were entering their second bloom.

Lin Jin leaned against her desk, reaching out to pluck a flower, admiring it closely.

She had specifically instructed Secretary Zhou to take good care of them during her absence.

Tending to small daisies requires care: they need sufficient sunlight but shouldn’t be scorched, and the indoor temperature also matters. Thus, her office maintained a constant temperature of $20^circtext{C}$.

Initially, this potted plant was in the mud, stubbornly dirty, refusing to droop a single head.

Lin Jin tended to them with such care that the scattered flowers turned into a flourishing cluster, not failing the meticulous attention they had received all along.

When Cheng Sangluo walked into Lin Jin’s office, sweating profusely and carrying large and small bags, the first thing she noticed was the change in the room.

The brand-new office desk was pushed up against Lin Jin’s desk, and there were some extra items, like a computer, a cup, and some decorations.

And that pot of small daisies that originally belonged to her.

“Here, it’s back to its original owner.” Lin Jin gestured with her mouth, then plucked a daisy and held it to her lips, smiling gently: “You took such good care of it. You wouldn’t be petty enough to refuse to give me one, would you?”

Cheng Sangluo stared at the flower framed by the red lips, making them look even softer, and was momentarily lost in thought.

She paused for a long time before taking a step closer, placing the items in her hands one by one on the desk. “No need to give it back to me. It’s yours now.”

Lin Jin didn’t want the flower; she only wanted a compliment, but when it didn’t come, she felt quite disappointed.

But Cheng Sangluo’s words held a deeper meaning. Wasn’t that flower her?

The little dog looked up at the silent person, grinned: “You said it would live a miserable life with me, right? Look how well you’ve taken care of it now~”

With that, she found the bought pastries and iced drinks from a pile of bags. “I don’t know if you’ll like them, but I saw many people lining up, so I followed the trend and bought some. There are ice cream puffs, mochi with milk raisins… and this, this… chocolate-flavored floss pastries. I heard they’re their specialty…”

Cheng Sangluo patiently arranged every pastry and then grabbed a cup of milk tea. “Honeydew Oolong tea, no ice, lightly sweet. I also had to wait for ages for this stuff!”

Lin Jin was still savoring the little dog’s compliment, and seeing so many treats on the table, she broke into a knowing smile.

In fact, she never allowed anyone to eat in her office, including herself.

The little dog didn’t know, but she had become the exception to the rule.

Lin Jin mused, Has this person finally figured things out? Then she thought, The sun must have risen from the west for her to be this generous.

Yes, this person who couldn’t bear to buy an ice cream cone for the crazy woman ended up emptying her wallet to buy a pile of treats for her.

Lin Jin opened an ice cream puff, pinched one, and put it into the little dog’s mouth, asking with a smile: “Why is there only one cup?”

“I don’t like to drink that kind of thing.” Cheng Sangluo certainly wouldn’t say she was reluctant to spend money on herself. She just muttered softly: “It cost over twenty yuan. You have to drink it!”

With that, she sat in the chair, carefully touching the solid wood desk. She had never imagined she would have her own workspace, even if there wasn’t much work to be done.

But having such a place gave one the illusion of having a refuge.

Lin Jin could tell the little dog was very satisfied, even faintly seeing her wagging her tail. She couldn’t help but tease: “Since I’ve provided you with such a good working environment, working right under my nose means you can’t be lazy at all.”

Cheng Sangluo patted her chest, guaranteeing: “Don’t worry. I promise to complete this debt-offsetting task as quickly as possible, and the quality will be assured!”

Lin Jin took a sip of the iced drink. Although she wasn’t a fan of this type of dessert, since Cheng Sangluo bought it, the taste was naturally good.

Hearing the little dog’s confident words, she lifted the corner of her eye and retorted, dragging out her words: “Is that so?”

“Of course! You don’t trust my efficiency?” Cheng Sangluo hadn’t realized the seriousness of the problem yet and was secretly delighted.

I hired a physical cheat! Of course, the quality will be assured! Hehe!

She took out a few receipts, specifically clipping them together with a paper clip, and handed them to Lin Jin: “You promised to reimburse me. Give me the money quickly.”

“I certainly won’t deny you the money, but…” Lin Jin took the receipts, checking them one by one. The few slips added up to only a little over two hundred yuan.

“But what?” The little dog thought the crazy woman wouldn’t reimburse her and earnestly explained: “I’m telling you, the fact that this little money bought so many things is because I spent a lot of breath haggling to buy them.”

Many times, Cheng Sangluo cared about small amounts of money, amounts that couldn’t even buy Lin Jin a single breakfast, but they were sums she earned little by little.

Lin Jin silently looked at the small figures on the receipts, a surge of heartache overwhelming her.

Fortunately, she quickly composed herself and got back to the point: “Someone reported you for secretly ordering private goods at a stamp-carving shop.”

Cheng Sangluo’s little cleverness didn’t last three seconds!

Hearing Lin Jin say this, the little dog stammered, biting her tongue: “I… I didn’t… I just went to ask them… how to carve stamps…”

Lin Jin crossed her arms, leaned her face close, with a “look-me-in-the-eyes” expression, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter: “Cheng Sangluo, don’t you know you’re terrible at lying?”

“Am… am I?” Cheng Sangluo stuttered, her whole face flushed.

“Didn’t you know? When you lie, your eyes dart around everywhere. You just can’t look at me.” Lin Jin reached out and messed up the dog’s head: “You dare to deceive me with such fraudulent practices? Did you go to ask how to carve stamps, or did you order eight private stamps with different fonts? You argued for half the day, and the boss gave you a 70 yuan discount, and you paid the deposit…”

Cheng Sangluo stared at Lin Jin’s beaming face. She could barely process the solid evidence, and she didn’t even care who Lin Jin had hired to follow her.

Lin Jin showed no trace of blame, her eyes twinkling with amusement, as if she were delighted to catch the little dog in her misdeed.

Cheng Sangluo, are you really that bad at lying?

Cheng Sangluo silently asked herself, her expression growing more confused.

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