Falling After Marriage - Chapter 91

Chapter 91: The One Biting the Back of the Neck

For the “puppy” guarding an empty room, waiting for the first light of dawn was no easy feat.

These past few days had worn her down until she was haggard, as if she had endured a blizzard in the depths of her soul. Finally, the promise of spring arrived, bringing with it the illusion that her days of suffering were over.

She glanced out the window at the pale, dawning sky and let out a long, weary yawn. Her handsome face was etched with fatigue, but it also held an irrepressible spark of excitement and nerves.

Cheng Sangluo finally understood the meaning of “wasting away with longing.” It was the pallor of a life lived without flavor, where food held no taste and every activity felt hollow. It was the exhaustion of tossing and turning all night, stuck in a haze where she couldn’t sleep but wasn’t fully awake.

If there was one sensory detail left, it was bitterness. Without the sweetness of Lin Jin, everything was bitter—even her breath.

In a single heartbeat, the urge to see Lin Jin became an obsession. It sprouted in her chest, quickly taking root and branching out until it bore the fruit of a singular, absolute resolve: she had to see her.

Having never booked a flight on a mobile app before, her fingers felt clumsy as she entered her information. The “puppy,” usually stingy with herself, was unprecedentedly generous. The last-minute ticket was expensive, nearly draining her modest savings, but she didn’t even blink as she hit “pay,” focused only on snagging one of the few remaining seats.

She calculated the time; from leaving the house to boarding, there wasn’t much room to spare. With a graceful “carp leap,” she sprang out of bed and began packing. Her speed was measured in seconds, as if she were responding to an emergency mission.

She was frantic, she was desperate; she wanted to appear before Lin Jin in the blink of an eye to embrace her fervently, to kiss her madly, and to dissolve the loneliness and longing accumulated over these days.

The journey was a blur of travel and exhaustion. Cheng Sangluo didn’t remember boarding the plane, nor did she have the heart to admire the sea of clouds outside. Her mind was crowded with images of Lin Jin from different moments. As memories surged, her expression shifted from anger to smiles complex, slightly ridiculous, and utterly endearing.

She likely remembered the far-from-pretty beginning at the private club, then found the memories of their first embrace and first kiss. Such a contradictory sentiment—hateful yet sweet.

By the time she snapped out of it, Cheng Sangluo found herself standing in the Zehai airport, bewildered. Standing stupidly at the airport shuttle bus stop, she finally emerged from her trance. She had been so rushed and anxious that only now, in an unfamiliar environment, did she realize an important detail: Where exactly is my wife?

Right. Where was Lin Jin staying?!

Before boarding, she had called Lin Jin, acting like her usual honest self. She gave her routine report on what she was eating for breakfast and what she planned to do for the day. She had played the part so convincingly that she forgot to trick the hotel location out of her.

She slapped her forehead. Knowing her lying skills were poor and she could never outsmart the meticulous Lin Jin, she decided to call Secretary Zhou to fish for information.

“The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment… sorry…”

The “puppy,” who a moment ago looked like she had everything under control, now looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. She tried Zhou Ran’s number several times, but each attempt ended in a dead tone. She stared blankly at the unfamiliar bus stop, her composure crumbling into frantic hair-pulling. “I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed…”

Ding!

A lightbulb went off in her head. She quickly scrolled through her chat history with her wife. She was thankful that, to stave off boredom over the past few days, she had repeatedly stared at the photos Lin Jin sent. After careful observation, she finally found a clue in the corner of one photo.

The hotel logo on the napkin wasn’t obvious, but for a “puppy scout,” this tiny bit of intel was enough to track down the location.

Cheng Sangluo successfully found the hotel where Lin Jin was staying.

Standing before the hotel’s magnificent entrance, looking at the large decorative bronze tripod in the portico, she let out a country-bumpkin sigh: “Wow!!! Staying here for one night must be incredibly expensive!!!”

She moved to walk toward the lobby but was blocked by a security guard in a crisp suit. “Pardon me, Miss, you cannot enter without a VIP invitation.”

Cheng Sangluo pulled back her long legs, staring at him in confusion. “Aren’t you a hotel? Why can’t I go in?”

“Apologies, our hotel is not open to the public,” the guard explained professionally. “If you are here as a guest’s invitee, please provide the room number and information of the VIP. We need to verify it and obtain consent before allowing entry.”

Cheng Sangluo thought about the fact that she came all this way to surprise her wife. If she exposed her location now, wouldn’t it lose its meaning?

Seeing she had no intention of leaving, the guard reached for his earpiece, preparing to call colleagues to handle the situation. The puppy scratched the back of her head and waved her hands with a dry laugh. “Oh, never mind then.”

She walked away, looking back every three steps. Seeing the guard watching her warily, she pretended to leave and circled into his blind spot. She decided to resort to her old tricks. She had plenty of time; she’d circle the perimeter of the hotel wall to see if there was a place to climb over.

Thus, the scout with peak execution skills began her reconnaissance. However, this was a private hotel costing six figures a night. The security was ironclad. After circling several times, she couldn’t find a single gap to sneak through.

“Aieee! I underestimated them!” She crouched by the roadside to catch her breath, feeling like a mosquito trying to sting a seamless egg. She had worked so hard only to achieve nothing.

The night grew thick. The silver moon was a cold, arrogant onlooker, and the autumn wind chilled to the bone.

As a black Mercedes business van slowly drove into the hotel, several five-man security teams were hurrying through the lobby.

“President Lin, watch your step.” Zhou Ran supported a heavily intoxicated Lin Jin out of the car. She glanced at the tense security teams, wondering what had happened. Given her boss’s refusal the night before, she had grown smarter; she gestured to the bodyguards behind them, and someone pushed over an electric wheelchair.

Lin Jin’s face was deathly pale. She was too drunk to speak and too weak to stand. She was practically lifted and placed into the wheelchair. Today’s socializing had lasted all day and was even more intense than yesterday’s. She had hosted major clients since noon—a business meal that lasted the entire afternoon, moving from white spirits to red wine, round after round of toasts.

That was the reality of negotiating partnerships and investment. Even at the top of the pyramid, there are times when one is at the mercy of others.

Zhou Ran pushed her through the long corridor, noticing more security than usual. She pulled one aside to ask, “Is there a special guest today? You all look busy.”

“Team A, no suspicious figures found. Report complete.”

The guard naturally wouldn’t reveal the truth to avoid panicking the guests. The hotel was famous for privacy; a major breach would ruin their reputation, so no one dared go public. However, his earpiece was loud enough for Secretary Zhou to hear. He whispered an explanation: “We heard someone broke into the hotel. We are conducting a tight search. Please rest assured, we will protect every guest’s safety and privacy.”

“Better hope nothing happens,” Zhou Ran replied coldly, hurrying her boss toward the courtyard suite.

Inside the room, Zhou Ran was about to help Lin Jin up when Lin Jin raised a hand to stop her. “Go get some hangover soup… my head is killing me…”

The alcohol had hit her hard; her head was thrumming with pain. Her brow was deeply furrowed, and even the constant rubbing of her temples couldn’t dispel the misery.

“Alright, I’ll order it immediately.” Zhou Ran asked softly, “Boss, do you want me to stay and look after you tonight?”

Lin Jin didn’t accept the kindness. Even when the world was spinning, she hated being disturbed. She felt as though her territory was being invaded and met everyone with hostility. She waved her hand to dismiss her: “No need… get out…”

“Fine.” Zhou Ran had no choice but to leave the room quickly.

Once the door closed, Lin Jin finally let her tense shoulders drop. She looked as thin as a sheet of paper, her exhausted state suggesting she had used up every bit of her mental energy. However, today’s business talks had gone well; everything was proceeding according to plan.

Lin Jin leaned limply in the wheelchair, gathering her strength. She struggled to stand up, but even that small movement left her breathless. The alcohol made her body sway.

Just as she was about to fall back into the chair, the light clicked off. The room was plunged into absolute darkness.

Suddenly, a powerful hand clamped onto Lin Jin’s arm. A momentary feeling of weightlessness followed. Her breath hitched, and terror flashed in her drunken eyes—but before she could process it, she was pulled into a familiar embrace.

That broad, warm chest, smelling of clean laundry detergent, instantly soothed her fear. Lin Jin looked up, searching for a face in the dark, but she couldn’t see the serious expression on Cheng Sangluo’s face. However, the puppy’s tall stature and sharp silhouette were branded into her memory; she could recognize them even in the blur.

Lin Jin mistakenly thought she was so drunk she couldn’t distinguish between a dream and reality.

“Did a little puppy sneak into my dream?” she whispered, her head lolling weakly as she gave a silly smile. She laughed at her own consciousness being so numbed by alcohol that she was hallucinating this vividly.

No one knew exactly how Cheng Sangluo had sneaked in, but the stolen bodyguard suit she wore held many secrets. She had been in this room all afternoon, pacing with excitement, even hugging her wife’s pillow and sniffing it obsessively, imagining the intensity of their reunion. She had imagined every possible reaction from Lin Jin, picturing a kiss and embrace like a “prairie fire”—but she never expected this.

Cheng Sangluo realized that Lin Jin had been just as drunk during their call last night. Her brow furrowed into a deep frown. She didn’t speak, her eyes brimming with heartache. She had seen Lin Jin drown her sorrows and seen her act crazy on alcohol, but she had never seen this beautiful woman look so broken by it.

Lin Jin leaned softly against Cheng Sangluo. The scent of cedarwood mixed with the heavy scent of alcohol, creating a complex, mellow aroma. Cheng Sangluo wanted to carry her lover to the soft bed and let her fall into a sweet sleep. Perhaps in dreams, they could break all shackles and lose themselves in each other.

But the person who had been lonely for too long felt a selfish urge. Despite her heartache, she contradictorily wanted to taste that bright red moisture to fill the long-standing void of her loneliness.

Longing is a storm that belongs to one person. She craved Lin Jin’s kiss. Her fingers pinched that thin chin, her tenderness laced with possessiveness. She gazed into those deep, pool-like eyes. No flowery words were needed, nor any explanation of the arduous journey she took to get here.

A lingering gaze isn’t a kiss, but it’s better than one; it says “I love you” in silence.

Cheng Sangluo leaned down slowly, with a hint of timidness and irresistible impulse. Finally, she blocked those long-awaited red lips, tasting a flavor beyond her imagination. Those soft, elastic lips held a trace of alcohol—like a boozy gummy candy, sweet and intoxicating.

Initially, her kiss was light, for fear of disturbing Lin Jin’s “dream,” but as their tongues entangled, it became uncontrollable. Lin Jin was drowned in the suffocating kiss, responding with a desperate, reckless intensity. Even if it was an impossible dream, she would give everything she had to answer her beloved.

Cheng Sangluo turned her around, pinning her against the wall. No longer satisfied with just a kiss, she arched her back and began to bite and kiss that fragrant back of the neck.

She deliberately covered Lin Jin’s mouth with her hand, feeling the hot breath against her palm. Pushed tightly against the wall, Lin Jin had to brace her hands against the surface. Stung by the puppy’s bite, her lips parted in a hiss: “Ssh…”

As a small revenge, Lin Jin ground her teeth against the base of the puppy’s thumb, a dazed, enjoying smile appearing on her face. Their intimate interactions had always been a silent understanding—wasn’t this a form of private, possessive play?

Lin Jin was moved beyond control by Cheng Sangluo’s teasing. She reached back to ruffle and mess up the puppy’s hair, her rapid breathing punctuated by a few beautiful sighs: “How are you… even in my dreams… so naughty…”

Cheng Sangluo looked up and uttered a name she had never said before: “Dear Wife, this isn’t a dream.”

Lin Jin’s pupils dilated at the words “Dear Wife.” She turned around frantically to confirm, her pale cheeks flushing with a faint glow. Her heavy drunkenness was jolted awake by this sudden address, and the face before her became clearer.

Cheng Sangluo had appeared in her world in an impossible way—a surprise, a miracle, a reality she could reach out and touch tonight without needing to dream.

Lin Jin whispered in disbelief: “Sangluo?”

Her fingertips traced the puppy’s features—over the eyebrows, the bridge of the nose, the slightly cool lips, finally stopping at the chin that had grown thinner. Still feeling it wasn’t real enough, she pressed her ear against the puppy’s chest, listening to the powerful, rhythmic thumping of her heart.

She closed her eyes peacefully, smiling inwardly: Her puppy had come to find her master, wagging her tail.

Cheng Sangluo placed her hand gently on Lin Jin’s head, stroking her hair with deep emotion. She lifted a strand to her nose and inhaled deeply. Although she had been sniffing her wife’s pillow every day like a real dog to dissolve her longing, the scent from the hair was truly fresh—a warmth that catalyzed deeper feelings.

She leaned close to Lin Jin’s ear and whispered: “Didn’t you want me? So, I came.”

Lin Jin smiled like a spring breeze. She reached out, pulled off Cheng Sangluo’s necktie, and tied it over the puppy’s eyes, teasing her with interest: “Yes… I want you…”

In the dim light, she admired the puppy’s blindfolded face. The high bridge of the nose and sharp jawline were made even more three-dimensional, stirring a wicked urge to possess her quickly. Fueled by the alcohol, she delivered a kiss filled with the weight of her long-held loneliness, luring her beloved: “The one who can only bite my neck… why not be a little more wild?”

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