Falling After Marriage - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Put Sunscreen on Me

The sea breeze ruffled Cheng Sangluo’s bangs and wantonly lifted the hem of her shirt.

She rested her hands on the railing, gazing at the second-generation rich kids boarding the yacht, her lips gradually pressing into a thin line.

No matter when, these people standing at the top of the pyramid could easily ignite her sense of disgust.

Their expensive, glamorous attire, the occasional bursts of laughter, or the subtly mocking glances—any single detail could sting her eyes.

The beautiful woman beside her was the epitome of all this resentment. She only needed to curl her lips into a smile, and Cheng Sangluo would immediately raise her high mental walls.

“It’s still early, anyway. You can think about it.” Lin Jin maintained a languid posture, even drawing out her words slowly.

She considered herself not a good person and often displayed arrogance toward many things, yet she possessed an inexplicable patience for Cheng Sangluo.

Cheng Sangluo turned to look at the carefree crazy woman. Her eyes were too deep, making it impossible to grasp any extra information.

She shoved her hands into her pockets and asked plainly: “Is this your way of slapping me, then giving me a piece of candy?”

Lin Jin leaned her head against her shoulder, smiling seductively: “What a vivid metaphor~”

“It’s not a metaphor, it’s a fact.”

In Cheng Sangluo’s eyes, Lin Jin was a contradictory existence, who once made her lose her job but now offered her an olive branch. Her inconsistent attitude was too complex to understand or predict.

Lin Jin saw Gu Shinian waving, so she asked: “So… are you taking this service job?”

“You’re right, why should I turn down money?” Cheng Sangluo finally agreed, pulling out her phone: “Pay half the wage upfront, so you don’t find some way to trick me later.”

Lin Jin glanced at the puppy, who was all business, and smiled: “Are you obsessed with money, or just afraid you won’t get paid afterward?”

‘Drip—’

Despite the teasing, she quickly scanned the QR code: “Don’t worry, when it comes to paying, I am not only trustworthy but also very generous.”

Cheng Sangluo stared at her phone, mentally counting the digits, then looked up blankly: “You paid too much. I don’t want the extra.”

“That’s a bonus. A bonus for learning to bend a little.”

Lin Jin felt her ‘second lesson’ wasn’t wasted. There had to be some reward mechanism, although she was being stubborn and unwilling to state her material concern too directly.

Cheng Sangluo scoffed and asked: “What do I need to do?”

Lin Jin pointed at her yacht: “You get on that boat. Just help out if any guests need service. You worked at a club, you’re not clueless, are you?”

“That’s it?” Cheng Sangluo was suspicious. Is this money too easy to earn?

Lin Jin spread her hands and shrugged, mocking: “You wouldn’t be able to perform acrobatics for the guests, now would you?”

“Then I’ll go say hello to my friend first.”

“I don’t have much patience. My things are waiting for you to take them up.”

Lin Jin didn’t want Cheng Sangluo to stay with Bai Mu, so she made up an excuse. In reality, her belongings had already been taken care of.

“What things, where are they? I’ll go get them.”

Lin Jin didn’t speak, just pointed at herself.

“Funny, no one refers to themselves as ‘things’… You are not a ‘thing’.” Cheng Sangluo mocked overtly, then subtly, turning to look for Bai Mu.

Lin Jin hooked her finger onto the hem of Cheng Sangluo’s shirt, criticizing: “So rude to your employer. Can’t you show some service professionalism?”

She appeared relaxed and generous on the surface, but internally, she was cursing: This troublemaker’s mouth is truly spiteful and venomous!

“Who are you looking at?”

Gu Shinian sat on the armrest of the sofa, leaning into the rigidly upright person beside her.

Ji Nanxing was staring thoughtfully at the floor-to-ceiling window, the direction pointing toward the viewing terrace.

“Nothing.”

She recalled her gaze and shook her head. Just as she reached out to embrace Gu Shinian’s waist, the lithe body settled onto her lap.

Gu Shinian raised her eyes to look at the distant figure and smiled: “You seem quite interested in that person.”

“No, I just find her somewhat familiar, but I can’t recall where I’ve seen her.”

Ji Nanxing was the captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment in Zhouhai. Her sensitivity to things was higher than normal. The moment she saw Cheng Sangluo, she had a sense of déjà vu, but she couldn’t remember if their paths had ever crossed before, even after racking her brain.

“You, you look at everyone as if they’re criminals.” Gu Shinian hooked Ji Nanxing’s chin for a kiss: “You finally took time off to be with me. Can you stop being so tense?”

“Okay. You’re the most important today. I’ll listen to you.”

Ji Nanxing always said doting words with an expressionless face. She was usually cautious, but unable to resist the birthday girl, she returned a light kiss.

The two were in the throes of a passionate relationship, clinging to each other for everything.

It wasn’t until Lin Jin approached with Cheng Sangluo that the rapidly heating, intimate atmosphere was disrupted.

“Committing ‘dog slaughter’ in public is not nice.” Lin Jin teased them for being overly affectionate, then glanced at Cheng Sangluo, as if saying, You could be holding and kissing me like that too.

Cheng Sangluo’s gaze swept over Ji Nanxing’s face. Her eyes were distant, but concealed a hint of scrutiny.

As an outsider, she felt no need to participate in the conversation and prepared to leave: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll wait for you on the yacht.”

Lin Jin sensed the deep discomfort and once again grabbed the hem of her shirt: “No, we go together.”

Lin Jin’s yacht was large and luxurious, with three decks of space capable of accommodating at least 15 people for living and dining, like a mobile hotel on the sea.

The yacht club’s service staff wore matching uniforms, so there was no shortage of manpower.

Cheng Sangluo stood awkwardly on the stern deck, realizing she had been fooled yet again, and felt a wave of dizziness from anger.

At this moment, both yachts were heading toward a private sea area.

On the top-level party area, loud music mixed with laughter shattered the tranquility.

Lin Jin stayed with the guests symbolically for a while, then slipped away down the spiral staircase, seemingly searching for something.

She had changed into a sexy bikini dress. The striking red of the outfit set off her fair skin, making her glamorous without being vulgar, seductively captivating.

Finally finding the puppy hiding away, her eyes lit up: “Why aren’t you going up to have fun?”

“There’s nothing fun about it.”

Cheng Sangluo’s concept of entertainment was still rooted in her time in the service.

Rest days in the military were lively, with various group activities. They could play ball, sing, or at least play VR games.

She didn’t drink and wasn’t good at socializing. After years in prison, it was even harder to fit in, especially with rich people’s gatherings like this.

Lin Jin put her hands behind her back and leaned in close: “Put sunscreen on me.”

“Don’t you have hands yourself?” Cheng Sangluo deliberately distanced herself, as if Lin Jin carried a scorching heat. Her jawline was taut as a fully drawn bowstring.

Lin Jin grabbed her collar: “Don’t forget, I’ve already paid for your service.”

Cheng Sangluo felt guilty, a blush rising on her cheeks. She stammered: “Fine… How do I put it on…”

“Just rub it in, like that.” Lin Jin sat down on a deck chair and threw a tube of sunscreen into her lap: “Hurry up. If I get a tan, you can’t afford my maintenance fees.”

Cheng Sangluo reluctantly gripped the sunscreen tube, her knuckles turning white from the excessive force she used while squeezing.

When she saw Lin Jin untie the bikini strap, she spun her head away violently, the veins in her neck bulging: “Hey, hey, hey… What are you taking that thing off for…”

Her knuckles, holding the sunscreen, cracked loudly. She quickly grabbed the strings and tied them into a knot: “There’s a limit to how much you can mess with people.”

Lin Jin turned back, staring at her in disbelief: “What did you do?!”

“Preventing you from flashing!” Cheng Sangluo retorted righteously, then squinted her eyes and rubbed the lotion evenly onto her palms.

“This is ridiculous.” Lin Jin coldly scoffed and lay on her stomach, her long hair naturally sliding onto her shoulder blades.

When Cheng Sangluo brushed the hair aside, a rich scent of cedar wafted up.

Whenever she smelled that familiar scent, her breathing would subconsciously increase, somehow feeling inexplicably calming.

As her gaze fell on the scapula on the right side, her brows furrowed. There was a scar the size of a palm.

It was dark, wrinkled, and looked exactly like a face twisted in sorrow.

She hesitated for a moment, but her fingers gently rubbed the scar. The uneven texture gave the illusion that it must have hurt terribly.

Lin Jin’s previously relaxed back trembled slightly, imperceptibly: “Does it look ugly?”

Cheng Sangluo couldn’t see the faint sadness that briefly clouded the eyes of the woman who always smiled with confidence. Lin Jin quickly gave a nonchalant laugh: “It’s nothing serious.”

This sounded like Lin Jin comforting herself, but she wanted to hear what the puppy would say, even though she knew the puppy’s mouth spoke no sweet words.

Despite her hatred for Lin Jin, Cheng Sangluo wouldn’t use this old injury as a weapon.

She just didn’t understand why someone as rich as Lin Jin, who could easily solve body scars with cosmetic procedures, would keep this particular mark.

“Tsk, this is nothing.” Cheng Sangluo temporarily put aside their grievances, patted Lin Jin’s shoulder, and gestured for her to look at her.

Lin Jin turned her head. The puppy had already taken off her shirt and was busy lifting her vest.

The myriad of old scars on her back were shocking, covering almost her entire back.

Cheng Sangluo shrugged dismissively: “Now this is ugly. You’re so rich, medical scar removal is easy. Why keep it?”

Lin Jin’s eyes were shattered, and her throat constricted painfully.

She didn’t ask how the scars came to be. Her voice suddenly sounded like it was immersed in ice: “I keep them as medals. Is that a problem?”

Cheng Sangluo was momentarily speechless, her lips trembling silently.

She had expected her display of old, work-related injuries to have a comforting effect, but instead, the atmosphere fell into a dead silence.

She lowered her head and resumed applying the sunscreen.

The rough texture of her thumb felt unique, tickling Lin Jin’s heart and bringing a hidden pleasure.

Lin Jin folded her hands beneath her face, closing her eyes to savor the moment, and softly asked: “Are you very afraid of me?”

Afraid I’ll eat you alive?

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