Falling After Marriage - Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Spicy Bingbing and “Crazy Enough to Blow Up the Earth”

The hotel Lin Jin checked into was far from the towering skyscrapers common in modern cities. Instead, it was the Langting Ancient Mansion—a historic estate with ultra-luxury facilities and rigorous security. To protect guest privacy, these types of hotels never open to the public; they only host VIPs from exclusive invitation lists or special membership tiers.

A single night costs at least six figures, and with bespoke private services, the charges can be limitless.

Lin Jin’s room was a small traditional courtyard suite. Trained bodyguards were stationed throughout the verandas, ensuring a high level of security.

As autumn reached its peak, the ginkgo trees in the courtyard were draped in golden leaves. With every gust of wind, yellow leaves danced through the air, drifting into the stone-sculpted pond and painting a poetic, vivid picture of the season.

Currently, she was sitting in an antique rattan rocking chair by the pond, engaged in a playful verbal spar with Cheng Sangluo over the phone. Even without the speakerphone on, Cheng Sangluo’s voice—calling out her “miss you” over and over—echoed clearly through the quiet courtyard.

Lin Jin rocked lazily, occasionally covering her mouth to hide a giggle. She found it hilarious that the “dog thing,” usually so bad with words, could do nothing but repeat how much she missed her.

Suddenly, she pulled back her wide smile and asked in a deep voice: “Wait… who exactly is ‘Crazy Enough to Blow Up the Earth’!?”

“Um… that… well…” The puppy on the other end stuttered, likely racking her brain for a way to dodge the topic.

“Since when did you become a stutterer? Is speaking that difficult?” Lin Jin was stubborn; she wouldn’t let it go until she got an answer. She teased, “Cheng Sangluo, I’ve realized you’re quite childish. Why do you always like giving people nicknames? Do you really think I’m that crazy?”

“It’s just a contact name I made a long time ago, it doesn’t mean anything. Fine, I’ll change it back to your real name,” the puppy grumbled, then had a sudden spark of “flawed logic” to defend herself. “Don’t you think our nicknames match?”

“Spicy Bingbing? Tell me, how exactly do they match?” Lin Jin tapped her toe on the ground as a warning. “If you can’t explain it, don’t even think about hanging up.”

“Spicy Bingbing is ‘Crazy Enough to Blow Up the Earth’!” Cheng Sangluo read it out in a mischievous voice, then explained with forced reason: “Listen, doesn’t it form a full sentence? It’s a very typical Subject-Verb-Object grammatical structure.”

“Hmph, you have a glib tongue,” Lin Jin snorted, but she repeated the phrase in her mind. Though the nickname the dog gave her wasn’t particularly “nice,” when put together, she found it somewhat cute.

Cheng Sangluo waited a moment, and when Lin Jin didn’t reply, she whispered: “Blow Up the Earth… do you not have any plans tonight?”

Lin Jin spoke with a half-smile: “Spicy Bingbing, I think you’re looking for trouble.”

“Hey, you call me ‘Puppy’ and ‘Dog Thing’ every other breath, but I’m not allowed to make a few nicknames? Isn’t that ‘the magistrate being allowed to set fires while the commoners aren’t allowed to light lamps’?” Cheng Sangluo protested, then repeated: “Crazy, do you really have no plans tonight?”

Lin Jin realized Cheng Sangluo was quite good at being annoying; her little mouth could be as sharp as poison when she wanted it to be. Lin Jin rolled her eyes and quickly moved to “discipline” the person on the phone. “Call me ‘Wife’ properly, and I’ll answer your question.”

“Ugh…” Cheng Sangluo started stuttering again. “Um… well…”

It was strange—to the outside world, she called Lin Jin “Wife” with perfect ease, but facing Lin Jin directly, she became a mute. Ababa ababa.

Lin Jin, not getting the desired title, said impatiently: “Stingy ghost. Come back to me when you’ve learned how to address me correctly.”

Hearing the madwoman about to hang up, Cheng Sangluo burst into a desperate fake cry: “Wife! You left me alone in Zhouhai to blow in the lonely wind and spend the solitary night! How can you be so heartless!”

Tsk, there she goes with that act again.

Lin Jin clicked her tongue. “Well, unfortunately for you, my time here will be very fulfilling. For instance, I have a very important date tonight. Candlelight, dinner, fine wine, and a ‘beauty.’ It won’t be lonely at all.”

Clearly, she was intentionally provoking the puppy, especially stressing the word “beauty.”

Sure enough, the dog on the other end started howling: “What?! Candlelight dinner is one thing, but fine wine and a beauty? Lin Jin, although this is a marriage of convenience, we are legally married! It’s only been a few days—are you already trying to put a green hat on my head?”

“So what? The agreement clearly states we can play around after marriage. Note: Party B cannot do anything to wrong Party A, but it doesn’t say Party A can’t wrong Party B. Can you stop me?” Lin Jin spoke with mock malice and hung up abruptly, her petty revenge blatant.

Coincidentally, Secretary Zhou led a young woman in professional trousers through the veranda. She stepped aside and said politely, “Chief Engineer Jin, the boss has been waiting in the courtyard for a while.”

Jin Manni returned the smile and nodded. “Thank you for leading the way, Secretary Zhou.”

“You’re welcome. You two talk, I’ll go prepare some tea.” Knowing their conversation was private, Zhou Ran found an excuse to slip away.

Jin Manni, carrying a laptop and important R&D documents, looked at Lin Jin in her rattan chair and sighed. “The situation has reached a critical point, and yet you’re still here acting so leisurely.”

Lin Jin tapped her phone against her palm. Hearing her most capable subordinate’s teasing, she unhurriedly pointed to the empty seat next to her. “The autumn scenery is beautiful; one must appreciate it. Sit.”

Jin Manni didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down, complaining: “I’ve been inviting you to see the project’s progress for ages—you’re harder to invite than a Buddha. Now, you show up without a word. Can you consider the plight of us workers? Preparing data and debugging takes time.”

Jin Manni was a special talent—a tech expert who had returned from overseas. She held a pivotal role in the company’s AI development. When Lin Jin first established Zhongyao Technology, she invited Jin Manni to join with a technical stake; she was the core leader of many R&D projects.

Jin Manni opened her laptop and handed the documents to Lin Jin, ready to report. “Look over the data first. Ask me anything.”

Lin Jin flipped through the thick documents. As her eyes fell on the dense data, a faint smile appeared. She was clearly satisfied with Jin Manni’s work.

“Is the military satisfied with our technology?” she suddenly asked, pivoting away from the documents toward a long-established project.

“The feedback is quite good. We’ve had several calls; they seem interested in a second collaboration. This time it’s about test programming for drone combat—integrating with the previous project for human-machine collaborative warfare.

However, since it involves military secrets, they haven’t detailed the requirements yet.” Jin Manni adjusted her glasses, then suddenly laughed. “Even though we only see each other a few times a year, the gossip about you never stops. How is it going with that female soldier you’ve been pining for? How far have you two gone?”

“Keep it to work. Why are we talking about the boss’s gossip?” Lin Jin closed the folder. Thinking of the puppy she just hung up on—who was likely stomping her feet in rage—she chuckled. “How else could it go? I coaxed and tricked her into getting the marriage certificate. It hasn’t been an easy road.”

“What did you say?” A researcher like Jin Manni was usually composed, but hearing that the temperamental woman in front of her was married made her lose her cool. She leaned in toward Lin Jin as if looking at a rare monster. “No way, Lin Jin.

No matter how much you like her, you shouldn’t joke about marriage. What’s her background? Her character? Do your personalities even match? You should observe her for a while before deciding. Getting married just like that… are you ‘love-brained’?”

“Does she need more observation?” Lin Jin was supremely confident in her own judgment. “I read people like I invest in projects—accurately and ruthlessly. When have I ever slipped up?”

“Then why did I hear from Secretary Zhou that Sheng He ran away?” Jin Manni teased. She turned back to her keyboard. “Since you’re here, let me upgrade and debug your GPS system. The new version adds interactive features and is more compatible with your home’s smart butler security system. This update will significantly increase the safety factor.”

“I trust your work. The GPS must be debugged perfectly; it will be of great use later.” Lin Jin leaned back, looking up at the square of sky above the courtyard. Contemplating the military collaboration, she sighed: “It seems making a company big and strong brings its own troubles. What if we get absorbed by the military?”

“Don’t call it ‘absorbed.’ Working with the military is a massive boon. Why are you sighing?” Jin Manni typed rapidly, thinking Lin Jin was just humble-bragging. She confirmed: “Are you really going to implant this into ‘that person’? Have you asked for her opinion? Not everyone can accept such a decision. Think about it—at least get her consent.”

“I don’t need her consent. What I decide must be done.” Lin Jin’s expression was serious and unyielding. “I’ve invested a lot of money in this GPS system. I even used myself as a test subject. The goal was always to adapt it for her. Stopping now isn’t my style.”

Jin Manni knew Lin Jin was someone who meant what she said, so she stopped arguing. “Fine, fine. You’re the boss. I’m just afraid you’ll reach a point of no return.”

“I hope that day never comes.” Lin Jin exhaled, then shifted back to business. “In two days, I’ll arrange for Senyao to set up an evaluation team. Zhongyao Technology has always operated independently, but I plan to merge it into Senyao. I’ll handle the military negotiations. We must win the drone project. This is vital to the group’s future. If it fails, Senyao might change hands.”

“Understood. I’ll give my full support. Wasn’t Zhongyao established for this very purpose—to have more leverage later? It’s time to show our blades.” Jin Manni had always admired Lin Jin’s boldness.

She thought for a moment, then asked curiously: “I assume because the old man passed away and Lin Sheng’s hands aren’t clean, you’re preparing a major move?”

“That old fox didn’t plan to let me go. Even in death, he made me sign a gambling agreement. Within a year, Senyao’s net profit must exceed the Lin Group’s by 30% to take 90% of the old man’s controlling shares. Originally, I planned to bring Gu Shinian in for financing, but now I don’t think it’s necessary. Zhongyao Technology was built for this day. It’s time to play the game against Lin Sheng.”

Lin Jin lazily tapped her toe, bringing her years of planning to the surface. “Do you know when a person is most easily defeated?”

Jin Manni hit the ‘Enter’ key, finishing the GPS update. “Please enlighten me, wise President Lin.”

“In their moment of greatest glory, of course.” Lin Jin looked at the tea snacks Secretary Zhou brought, picking one up and chewing slowly. “Lin Sheng is in the spotlight now, thinking he’s inherited everything and can sit securely as Chairman. His brain is only good for petty, self-serving tricks. Stabilizing a massive family estate? Difficult.

He’s always wanted to take the Lin Group public—he fought with the old man about it countless times and secretly had investment banks evaluate it. He was just waiting for the old man to die to make the final move.

He probably thinks that once the Lin Group is public, I’ll no longer be a threat. But he never imagined that my long hibernation was purely to wait for the day he goes public. The more glorious he becomes, the more successful he makes the Lin Group… the harder I can make him fall into total ruin.”

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