Falling After Marriage - Chapter 80

Chapter 80: What About You? Do You Like Me?

Cheng Sangluo hadn’t expected entering that unknown room to require such a tedious verification process. Besides entering numbers, it involved fingerprints and even iris scans.

She held Lin Jin in disbelief, unable to help grumbling: “Is there a mountain of gold inside? Is it worth having three layers of passwords?!”

“The things inside are more valuable than a mountain of gold. You’ll understand once you see them,” Lin Jin smirked arrogantly, then commanded: “Puppy Cheng, pull the door open. The material is explosion-proof grade; it’s very heavy.”

Cheng Sangluo shot her a suspicious look and grabbed the handle, pulling outward with all her might. It was indeed heavy; she wondered how this woman, who was as thin as a sprite, usually got in.

When the lights in the collection room flickered on, a row of orderly displayed auction masterpieces came into view. Cheng Sangluo felt dazzled. Expensive items, large and small, were housed in dust-proof transparent cabinets, lined up in staggering numbers.

Curious, she walked to the cabinet nearest her and leaned in to observe. It was a hairbrush made of pure gold, its tassels inlaid with agate, sparkling brilliantly under the overhead spotlight. This antique looked authentic at a glance; beyond the intricate craftsmanship, it carried a heavy sense of history. She couldn’t tell which dynasty it belonged to.

“Come on, I’ll give you a tour. There are many more pieces inside—good things I’ve bid on at auctions over the years.” As the host, Lin Jin was generous, indicating that she could touch the items not under glass, provided she wore cotton gloves.

Cheng Sangluo felt as if she were in an antique museum. She looked left and right, and though she didn’t understand the technicalities, she found Lin Jin incredibly impressive. She sighed at these priceless treasures; they looked so expensive that she didn’t dare touch them. If she broke one, her life wouldn’t be enough to pay for it.

“I’m a mountain pig who can’t appreciate fine bran; looking is enough,” the puppy mocked herself, then rubbed her hands and whispered: “Hey, how much is this room of stuff worth? Don’t take it the wrong way, I’m just purely curious.”

“Do you see that painting on the wall?” Lin Jin pointed randomly, recalling: “I bought it for about thirty million. It’s a master’s legacy. It should have multiplied several times in value by now. You can estimate the total value from that.”

“Ah?! That much money!?” Cheng Sangluo let out a startled low cry at the ink wash painting. She instinctively took two steps back to stand as far away from the display cases as possible.

She was already afraid of accidentally bumping into something; hearing that staggering amount made her heart race. Thirty million—not three thousand! Was this madwoman spending ten thousand yuan like it was a single dollar?!

“These cabinets are very sturdy. You won’t break them by bumping into them.” Lin Jin laughed at her overly cautious reaction and narrowed her eyes. “Your wife has your back. What are you afraid of?”

Cheng Sangluo didn’t respond to this confident confession. With a faint smile, she pushed Lin Jin through the aisles of display cases.

As they approached the wall that hid the secret room, Lin Jin hesitated for a few seconds. She chose to remain silent.

In those few seconds of silence, Cheng Sangluo noticed a small dagger on a display shelf. The design was unique, and since she naturally liked sharp objects, her gaze was drawn to it. Just as she was about to step closer for a better look, her sleeve was pulled from behind.

Lin Jin’s heart leaped into her throat. That dagger was the switch for the secret room. If the puppy twisted it in the right direction, the hidden door in the wall would open, revealing the secret buried deep in her heart.

“Cheng Sangluo!” she called out just in time, her tone so urgent that her volume naturally spiked.

“What is it?” Cheng Sangluo turned back and took her hand, grumbling softly: “Why are you so jumpy? You scared me!”

“No… nothing… we’ve reached the end. Let’s turn back.” Lin Jin forced an unnatural smile and quickly made up an excuse: “It’s late and we haven’t had dinner. I’m a bit hungry. We agreed to have a seafood feast to celebrate, but with all that drama, we missed out.”

“Hungry? Then I’ll cook. Let’s have a simple meal tonight.” Hearing the madwoman was hungry, Cheng Sangluo immediately got behind the wheelchair and pushed her back, cheerful again: “It’s not too late to have the seafood feast tomorrow.”

From an angle Cheng Sangluo couldn’t see, Lin Jin’s brows knitted tightly. Her face showed a look of narrow escape, quickly replaced by a sense of loss. She was frustrated; taking Cheng Sangluo to the collection room was a pretext—her real intention was to bring her into that secret room filled with memories.

They were only a wall away. She could have opened her heart at that moment and counted the years of solitary waiting for the person who didn’t know. The time and place were right, yet the indomitable Lin Jin had lost her courage. She bit her lip in silence, annoyed that she wasn’t mentally prepared to confess everything.

At the exit, Lin Jin patted the back of the puppy’s hand. “The password is 20190629. If you like the things here, you can record your fingerprint and iris. You can come in whenever you want to browse.”

“You really don’t treat me like an outsider. Aren’t you afraid I’ll suddenly get a bad idea and sneak away a few pieces to make a fortune?” Cheng Sangluo teased, then declined: “I’m not interested in auction pieces. At most, I’m looking at them as a novelty. It gets boring after a while.”

“I told you, Cheng Sangluo’s character is worth more than a three-million-yuan endorsement. I trust you~” Lin Jin sighed, then added playfully: “Besides, what bad intentions could a puppy have?”

“Alright, I’m going to cook. Where do you want to stay? I’ll take you there first.” Cheng Sangluo asked while closing the heavy blast door. “What do you want for dinner? You can order from the ‘menu’.”

Lin Jin leaned back and studied the puppy. She remembered how she used to whine for ages just to cook a simple meal; today she was being proactive, even offering a menu.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Cheng Sangluo rested her hands on her bent knees and waved a hand in front of her. “Where do you want to go and what do you want to eat? Answer me.”

“I want to go to the kitchen to supervise ‘Chef Puppy.’ As for food… well… whatever. I’ll eat what you make. Since you’re being so good today, I won’t make it difficult for you.” Lin Jin was also being unusually easygoing.

The two shared a smile, both feeling happy because today was a special day. Lin Jin tilted her head, asking for more: “I think you should say something to me. Something nice, for example.”

The puppy wagged her invisible tail, acting proud: “Why do I suddenly have to say something nice?”

The madwoman replied matter-of-factly: “Because today is a good day~”

The puppy thought seriously: “Hmm, let me think…”

The madwoman teased: “I’m starting a countdown~”

The puppy bared her teeth: “Give me a second… come on, brain, think… oh! I’ve got it!”

A spark of inspiration hit Cheng Sangluo. She quickly knelt on one knee in front of Lin Jin, grinning to show her white teeth. “Wife, happy wedding.”

Lin Jin hadn’t expected this “unrefined” person to pull out such a big move. The momentum of kneeling was exactly like a proposal. Calling her “wife” and wishing her happiness gave her a momentary illusion—an illusion that she and the person before her had truly achieved a perfect ending.

Lin Jin froze for a long while before her eyes slowly crinkled into a smile. A thin mist of moisture gathered in her eyes; the emotion was hard to define—it seemed to be because she was too happy, or perhaps because of a certain type of touch.

But that moving smile lasted only briefly. The atmosphere that had drawn them closer was quickly dissipated by a question.

“Cheng Sangluo, have you fallen in love with me?”

Cheng Sangluo was stunned. The smile at the corner of her mouth stiffened. She slowly stood up, her hands awkwardly searching her trouser pockets. Silence brewed expectation, and thus expectation turned into disappointment.

Lin Jin understood: her direct probe had failed. Love hadn’t received a timely response. She slumped her shoulders and sighed inwardly. Who said that “persistent thoughts will eventually bring an echo”? Why was there only dead silence for her?

Cheng Sangluo couldn’t get over that question about “liking.” She hesitated over what she was actually doing. Only when she thought deeply did she realize: what did that proactive kiss in the car mean? The kisses that followed, like countless moments of intimacy, had become an uncontrollable release—a secret addiction to the taste.

But when these dazed, passionate interactions were labeled as “love,” she became a coward. She couldn’t tell if her wavering heart carried genuine affection or just an escape.

Lin Jin lowered her eyelids, her fine lashes trembling slightly. She moved her lips and let out a light laugh: “I was just teasing you. We’re both adults; it’s just each getting what they need. Where would love come from?”

Cheng Sangluo looked down at Lin Jin. She almost—just almost—believed this fake expression. But Lin Jin at this moment wasn’t as frivolous as usual. She wasn’t raising her eyes, she didn’t have her trademark fake smile, and she didn’t drag out her words.

Cheng Sangluo’s lips moved. After a moment of hesitation, she countered with a question: “What about you? You’re trying to possess me every second of every day. Do you not like me even a little bit?”

This feather-light question carried the force of a tidal wave. Silence brewed the moonlight outside the window.

The next morning.

Lin Jin sat at the dining table, enjoying the breakfast Cheng Sangluo had prepared while viewing a news link sent by Secretary Zhou on her phone.

‘Latest news: Mr. Lin Zhen, a famous entrepreneur in our city and Chairman of the Lin Group, passed away early this morning after failing to respond to emergency treatment… As a key figure in our city’s business community, the Lin Group under his leadership made significant contributions to local economic development… Currently, the Lin Group has released an obituary…’

The morning news suddenly broke the silence of the quiet dining room. Cheng Sangluo, who was stuffing toast into her mouth, heard the news of Lin Zhen’s death. She peeked at Lin Jin’s face.

That beautiful face showed no excess emotion; only her deep eyes dimmed slightly. The puppy couldn’t help but wonder to herself: this woman’s cold-bloodedness was beyond her imagination. Her father was gone, and she didn’t say a word. But thinking back, it made sense—there was no point in missing a father who was of no use.

What was most tragic was that, as his biological daughter, she learned of her father’s death through the news. That malicious mother and son truly were capable of anything.

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