Falling After Marriage - Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Finally Admitting She Likes Lin Jin

Cheng Sangluo couldn’t stand the smart butler’s tendency to drop lewd comments at the drop of a hat. Hearing her own identical voice say those things sent a shiver down her spine.

A wave of cold dread washed over her, leaving her with goosebumps. She shrunk her neck, shivering, and snapped a command: “Shut up right now! You don’t learn anything good, only these crooked ways. Who taught you this?!”

The puppy was asking a question she already knew the answer to; she was clearly exasperated.

The responsive butler replied instantly: “Master taught me well, of course~ I know many more things to please Master. You only need to say: ‘Cheng Sangluo, make me happy,’ and I will activate the smart Q&A mode for your perfect experience.”

Hah! You mean we haven’t even reached the Q&A part yet?!

Cheng Sangluo raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, she narrowed her eyes with a wicked smirk. Her interest was piqued; she was curious how the madwoman used to “train” this AI. She asked, “Fine, tell me—how did Master used to play with you when she was bored?”

“Ah… ah…” “Master… my dear Master…” “Do you like it?” “Do you like it when I… lick you like this…” “Not enough… it’s not enough… I want to pin you against the corner…” “Take you hard!”

In an instant, the entire villa echoed with the sound of “Cheng Sangluo’s” passionate moans. It was lawlessly flirtatious and wildly breathless!

Cheng Sangluo was hit with a “zero-frame” full-power attack. Startled, she nearly knocked over the pot on the gas stove. She screamed her command: “Shut up! Shut up right now!”

God in Heaven, Lin Jin plays this dirty when she’s home alone?!

Ring— Ring.

Fortunately, the smart butler reacted quickly and went silent upon the command. The subsequent ringtone made the puppy jump. She picked up the phone, saw Lin Jin’s caller ID, and answered in a fury: “You madwoman! You, you, you…”

Lin Jin, met with a barrage of shouting, was baffled. “What ‘you, you, you’? Did you eat gunpowder? Why are you so angry this early in the morning?”

“Your, your… your smart butler is sick… seriously ill!” Cheng Sangluo stuttered in rage. “What did you teach it? I was wondering why you set it up with my voice. I didn’t see it coming, Lin Jin—you play this dirty all by yourself?!”

“Oh~ did you hear something you shouldn’t have?” Lin Jin likely knew the puppy had discovered her little hobby. Instead of being ashamed, she laughed so hard she trembled. “How is it? Smart ‘Cheng Sangluo’ is much more fun than the wooden-headed real version. At least she can satisfy my needs~”

“Where is it fun?! Thank God this villa is in the mountains. If this were a crowded neighborhood and those sounds played that loud, I could jump into the Yellow River and still never be clean again!” Cheng Sangluo turned back to stir her porridge, her voice shifting from shouting to a sudden, piteous whine: “It’s all your fault… your fault…”

“My fault for what? You’re the typical ‘curiosity killed the cat.’ If you hadn’t asked, would the butler have replied?” Lin Jin retorted with a smile, then switched to a soft, sweet tone: “Have you had breakfast? We agreed on three meal photos a day, and you haven’t submitted anything yet.”

“I’m simmering Eight-Treasure Porridge, and the buns are still steaming. It’s not that fast,” the puppy answered honestly, then showed her concern: “What about you? Did Secretary Zhou arrange breakfast? I know your temper—when you’re busy, you just live on air. Watch out for low blood sugar.”

Lin Jin giggled. “Not bad, knowing how to care for your wife.”

“It’s just to play the role well.” Cheng Sangluo kept up her daily routine of being “as stubborn as a dead duck,” but her tone was soft. She warned: “Busy or not, you have to keep up with your meals. The first thing you do when you get home is step on the scale. If I find out you’ve lost weight, I’ll stuff pig feed down your throat.”

“Alright, enough bickering. Give me a proper report—what do you plan to do today?”

“Staying indoors, only one thing: working on the seals to meet the deadline, so you don’t suddenly get a whim to nag me.” Cheng Sangluo pouted, her tone growing more resentful: “It’s so boring. When are you coming back? Arguing over the phone is pointless; I still prefer arguing with you face-to-face.”

“Are you a masochist?” Lin Jin spoke with a half-smile, but hearing the puppy’s grumbling, her heart softened. “Be good. I’ll reward you well when I get home. You can have whatever you want.”

Cheng Sangluo stared down at the bubbling porridge. She had no appetite and could only respond with a muffled “Mm.” She didn’t know what to say. Hearing Lin Jin speaking to someone else in the background, she felt she couldn’t cut in and just listened to the ambient noise.

Lin Jin noticed her silence. “Hello? Why aren’t you talking?”

Cheng Sangluo whispered, “Are you busy?”

“Yes, I just finished getting ready and am heading to the company for a meeting,” Lin Jin answered truthfully. Knowing the puppy was feeling down, she coaxed her gently: “Go eat your breakfast. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“Oh,” Cheng Sangluo replied gloomily, reluctantly adding, “Then I’m hanging up.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’m really hanging up now!”

Lin Jin left the act of hanging up to Cheng Sangluo, but after all that lingering, neither wanted to end the call. Lin Jin sighed: “You really are like a puppy—a clingy little puppy.”

The puppy felt dejected: “Do you not want to hear me say any parting words?”

“From a dog’s mouth? You won’t produce ivory. I’m just thankful if you don’t make me angry.” Lin Jin gave a sharp critique but decided not to let the “dog thing” off too easily. She prompted with a smile: “Well? What does Spicy Bingbing want to say to Crazy Enough to Blow Up the Earth?”

This time, Cheng Sangluo didn’t stutter. Her pronunciation was clear and round: “Wife, I miss you.”

Lin Jin pushed her luck: “And?”

“Um… and… well…” Cheng Sangluo gripped the phone tightly, humming and hawing for a long time, mentally cursing her own mouth to be more useful.

“Mm, mm, mm… silly mouth, can’t even say something nice.”

“With you not here, I found the bed has become very big. Um… I can’t seem to eat anything… and I hate talking to the smart butler; it’s like talking to myself like an idiot…” Cheng Sangluo started venting her feelings, finally concluding: “Maybe you should just scold me. A few arguments would be fine. This house is so big, so empty… there’s loneliness everywhere.”

“What kind of bizarre request is that? Usually, when I scold you, you’re like a lit firecracker. Now you’re begging for a fight? Are you really that much of a masochist?”

Lin Jin’s light laughter was like a bell brushed by the wind—crisp, ethereal, and incredibly pleasing to Cheng Sangluo’s ears. It was a sound that tugged at her heart.

“Fine, fine, I’m a masochist, I’m just that pathetic.” Cheng Sangluo admitted crossly. After a long exhale, she prepared to hang up. “I won’t bother you anymore. You hang up. Go rule your kingdom, and finish early so you can come home.”

The line was quiet for a few seconds before Lin Jin called out deeply: “Cheng Sangluo.”

“Why are you calling my name so seriously all of a sudden?”

“Give me a good morning kiss. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Cheng Sangluo’s face flushed red instantly, but she didn’t give her usual refusal. Instead, she pressed her lips to the phone like a chick pecking at grain: “Good morning, Lin Jin. M-u-a (Shy to the point of trembling.jpg).”

Lin Jin was generous, returning the kiss with a smile: “Muah~ remember to break the time down into seconds. Think of me second by second, and maybe the time won’t be so hard to pass.”

The cold dial tone signaled that the madwoman had hung up.

Cheng Sangluo came to her senses, turned off the gas, lifted the lid, and grabbed a scalding hot white bun. She took a huge bite, completely forgetting how hot it was. That dry, plain bun was like life without Lin Jin—tasteless, hard to swallow, leaving nothing but a heavy, blocked feeling in her chest.

She felt a bit annoyed with herself. She should have used the limited time to say more things to make Lin Jin happy. Now, she could only practice by herself:

“Wife, I miss you.” “Wife, what are you doing?” “Wife, are you eating well?” “Wife, are you bored?” “Wife, the weather in Zhouhai is good today; the sun is very bright.” “Wife, I really want a seafood feast. Come back quickly!” “Wife…”

As she spoke, she grew quiet, bun still in her mouth. She suddenly realized that life alone was very uninteresting. This lack of interest wasn’t just because Lin Jin wasn’t there; it was because she had made her own life so bland that the words coming out of her mouth sounded lifeless.

Unable to sort out her emotions for the moment, she took a bowl of porridge and walked piteously into the garden to eat.

Living alone was just like that—any scenery looked gray and monotonous. The sunlight hitting the autumn-yellowed leaves should have been a field of gold, but to her eyes, it was just desolate. The wind was cold, the clouds were lonely, and even the sun felt heatless.

When a person is alone, they see many emotions they usually overlook.

Cheng Sangluo poked at her porridge with a spoon until it was a watery mess. She sighed repeatedly but didn’t put the porridge in her mouth, feeling dazed and wondering what was wrong with her.

However, the answer came quickly.

The heart that had refused to admit its fluttering countless times was suddenly broken open by a longing so strong it couldn’t be suppressed. The gate to her heart, once seemingly cast in concrete—immovable and untroubled by desire—collapsed unexpectedly with the force of a falling skyscraper.

They had only been apart for two days. How could she miss a person she supposedly “loathed” so much that it felt like an illness?

Why couldn’t she eat? Why couldn’t she sleep? After being companions with solitude for so many years, why was she suddenly so afraid of it?

Cheng Sangluo sat alone on the steps leading to the garden, putting down the tasteless porridge and looking out at the vast mountains. Her sharp eyes gradually dimmed, filled with disappointment in herself. She was disappointed that before her revenge was even complete, she had fallen into the trap of romance. Love would destroy all her plans; it would throw her into chaos.

But her eyes also overflowed with an unstoppable wavering—an unprecedented shaking that, like a runaway horse, dragged her feelings for Lin Jin across the sky.

What did it feel like? It was like a gale blowing through autumn leaves, scattering them into a tangled mess. Was there any way to stop this storm in her soul? No.

She never had a “way” when it came to Lin Jin.

Finally, this stubborn, restrained person admitted the fact she had been flatly denying: She liked Lin Jin. She liked her to the point of being unable to eat or sleep. It was like an incurable case of lovesickness. That unspoken “like” had turned into a surging flood that broke the dam of her heart and destroyed her orderly life. She could no longer use denial to brush it off.

It turns out that when a person becomes important, you forget her faults. Those vivid humiliations become trivial matters. It turns out that when that person isn’t there, losing interest in food and drink becomes the norm, and even dreaming of her becomes a luxury. It turns out those uncontrollable kisses and embraces, those nights of endless passion, were all based on a logical heartbeat.

It all stemmed from liking her—an addictive liking for Lin Jin.

Cheng Sangluo slapped her forehead, laughing and crying at the same time: “Of all the things to like, you had to like the person you hate most. Cheng Sangluo, are you a masochist or what?”

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