Chapter 100: An Ling's Secret [Word Count Restored]

An Ling never expected to run into Xu Huoqing at the restaurant.

He had found out the truth earlier than she anticipated, and, unsurprisingly, was using it to blackmail her.

Sitting in the passenger seat, she looked down and gripped her phone, until suddenly, someone cupped her cheeks.

"What is on your mind, darling?"

An Ling paused slightly, turning her head to meet the man's gentle eyes.

Without her noticing, the car had already parked downstairs outside her office building.

Shen Linyan unbuckled his seatbelt and reached over to adjust her scarf. "Is something at work bothering you? You didn't seem to have much of an appetite during the meal either."

Seeing Xu Huoqing had disgusted An Ling so much that she truly had lost her appetite.

After a brief silence, she looked up and smiled. "I just ran into a really annoying person at the restaurant earlier. But it's no big deal, I gave him a piece of my mind."

"I'll head up now. Drive safe," An Ling said, opening the car door.

"I'll pick you up after work."

"Okay."

Watching her figure disappear into the building, Shen Linyan sat in the car and pulled out his phone to make a call.

Secretary Chen's voice came through the line: "Chairman Shen, what are your orders?"

Shen Linyan lowered his eyes and said, "Pull up some security footage for me. Find out who An Ling interacted with. The address is..."

Knock, knock, knock.

Before he could finish, someone tapped on the car window.

He paused and lifted his eyelids for a quick glance.

Outside the window stood an unfamiliar young man wearing a black baseball cap.

When Shen Linyan rolled down the window, the man casually leaned against the frame.

"You're Shen Linyan, right?"

"Can I help you?"

Noticing the man's cold gaze, Xu Huoqing let out a chuckle.

His smile seemed friendly, but a subtle contempt was hidden in his eyes. "You might not know me, but I know An Ling. And I have some secrets about her that you'll definitely find interesting."

Hearing this familiar arrogant tone, Shen Linyan paused slightly, his dark eyes slowly sweeping over the other man's face.

His long fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, his thoughts unreadable.

"...Chairman Shen?" Secretary Chen's hesitant voice came from the phone.

He withdrew his gaze, his voice indifferent. "I'll send you the address in a moment."

Seeing him hang up, Xu Huoqing was about to speak, but the man in the car slowly raised his eyes.

"You mentioned An Ling's secrets just now?"

The man in the driver's seat wore a sharp suit, boasting deep, handsome features and an innate aristocratic aura. He didn't look the least bit like someone who had gone bankrupt.

A hint of gloom flashed through Xu Huoqing's eyes, and he silently clicked his tongue.

Just a bastard who happened to look decent. Could that face-blind woman An Ling even recognize him?

"Yeah," Xu Huoqing smirked. "Secrets you absolutely don't know."

He was completely confident that An Ling would never tell Shen Linyan about these things.

The An family didn't even dare to let the internet know about their daughter's face blindness; why would she tell a loveless marriage-of-convenience partner?

Weren't the two of them just together for clout and money?

Thinking of this, Xu Huoqing's gaze became meaningful. He deliberately lowered his voice, "You probably don't know this, but An Ling actually has face blindness."

As soon as the words fell, the man's fingers stopped tapping the steering wheel. His cold, heavy gaze swept over Xu Huoqing outside the car. Though devoid of emotion, the look was suffocating.

A sudden chill ran down Xu Huoqing's spine.

What the hell, why did he feel a bit scared?

What was there to fear from a bankrupt illegitimate son?

But the oppressive feeling vanished in an instant. The man's expression returned to its usual refined elegance as he asked calmly, "Who told you that?"

Xu Huoqing forced down his fear and twitched his lips. "I found out myself. If you don't believe me, go test her. An Ling can't actually tell anyone apart."

Once he knew about An Ling's face blindness, he didn't believe this man would remain indifferent.

He had given An Ling a chance, so she couldn't blame him for resorting to this method.

Not forgetting his objective, he took out a business card and handed it over. "Once you confirm that I'm telling the truth, you can contact me."

Glancing at the name on it, Shen Linyan suddenly chuckled, the sound carrying an ambiguous meaning.

After Xu Huoqing left, Secretary Chen sent a message.

[Chairman Shen, as instructed, we found the person. The Madam chatted with a man in the restaurant corridor. It was Xu Huoqing, the one you investigated last time.]

Shen Linyan cast a sidelong glance at the business card in his hand and slowly tore it into pieces.

[Dig up all the information on this person.]

[Yes, sir.]

Shen Linyan dialed a number.

On the other end, Gu Xiaochi looked at the caller ID on his phone with a surprised expression.

Shen Linyan was actually calling him on his own initiative?

He answered the call, put the phone to his ear, and leaned back comfortably, slouching lazily in his chair.

"How rare. Our busy Chairman Shen actually has time for me. Listen..."

Before he could finish, the man's icy voice abruptly cut him off.

"Gu Xiaochi, I asked you to deal with Xu Huoqing. How exactly did you deal with him? Bring that Guo Yu, or whatever his name is, and meet me at the club tomorrow night."

Gu Xiaochi's face instantly stiffened.

Wait, what?

He really had dealt with him!

After work, An Ling looked down as she packed her things and stood up.

Tonight she was going back to the An family home for dinner with Shen Linyan, and after dinner, she could move back.

She thought happily. She pressed the elevator button, and while waiting, she heard a colleague's voice beside her.

"Ah Leng, are you getting off work too?"

She paused and turned to look, finding a few colleagues there. Her gaze fell on their faces, but she could only vaguely recognize Sister Lin Ya among the group.

Her face blindness was acting up again. She clenched her palms and could only curl her eyes into a smile. "Yes."

One of the colleagues linked arms with her. "Sister Lin Ya is treating us to karaoke today. Do you want to come?"

An Ling blinked, smiling as she waved her hand to politely decline. "No, no, I'm a terrible singer. Plus, I have plans tonight, so I can't go."

"Plans again?" the colleague asked in surprise. "You didn't come to the dinner party yesterday either."

Saying that, another colleague made a teasing sound.

"Ooh~ Could it be a date? Does our Ah Leng have a boyfriend?"

She continued, looking at Xiao Yang next to them, "Just like Xiao Yang. Didn't we talk about Xiao Yang's blind date last time? She finally started dating him last week."

Before An Ling could say anything, Sister Lin Ya beside them suddenly spoke up in a surprised tone.

"Boyfriend? Ah Leng is already married."

As soon as the words came out, the other colleagues were slightly stunned and instinctively retorted, "No way, right? An Ling said she didn't have a boyfriend. We even asked her about her requirements for finding one last time."

Sister Lin Ya looked confused. "Huh? The first time we had dinner together, An Ling said she was married. Her husband even came to pick her up. What are you guys talking about?"

As her words fell, the scene instantly went quiet.

Several pairs of eyes turned to look at An Ling in unison.

An Ling's face stiffened slightly. "......"

Oh no... I forgot to synchronize the information.

Back when she told Sister Lin Ya, she and Shen Linyan hadn't divorced yet.

Under everyone's gaze, An Ling let out a few awkward laughs, her scalp tingling. "Um... I am indeed married. When you guys asked, I..."

I was divorced then, but now we've remarried.

If I told anyone about how things developed, it would be no different from writing 'My husband is Shen Linyan' right on my forehead.

An Ling's eye twitched, her tone strained.

"I... my husband and I had a conflict before, pretty much like a divorce, and we just recently made up."

...

Even after leaving the company, An Ling couldn't forget the complicated and meaningful expressions of her colleagues.

She got into the car, leaned back weakly in her seat, and sighed.

"I feel like my colleagues have figured out that I'm An Ling."

Hearing this, the man driving next to her smiled and held her hand. "What's wrong?"

"They know I'm married, and they probably guessed I'm divorced too."

Initially, she didn't think anyone would discover her identity at all. After all, there are many people with the same name in the world, and what normal person cares about the name of a corporate group's daughter.

But the identity of Shen Linyan's ex-wife had just been popping up way too frequently.

Taking advantage of the red light, Shen Linyan turned to look at her, his voice gentle and slow. "Does my wife not want them to know because of me? Or... is there another reason?"

"No, it has nothing to do with you."

An Ling lowered her head and played with his fingers. "I didn't want to hide it at first, but they have discussed me right in front of my face. I feel like it would be really awkward if they found out."

Anyway, once the variety show finishes filming, no one will discuss this matter anymore.

She let go of the man's hand, her eyes curving into a smile. "Forget it, if they find out like this, that's fine too. You won't have to hide when you come to pick me up in the future."

Shen Linyan paused for a moment, then curled his lips. "Okay."

...

After arriving home.

An Ling held Shen Linyan's hand and smiled as she greeted Father An and Mother An on the sofa.

"Mom, Dad, we're back."

Beside her, Shen Linyan paused and also called out warmly, "Dad, Mom."

Father and Mother An stiffened slightly, exchanged a glance, and then smiled and nodded.

"You're back."

An Ling looked around. "Where's my brother?"

Mother An pointed. "He just got back not long ago too. He should be upstairs in his room."

Hearing this, An Ling turned to Shen Linyan and blinked. "You chat with my parents for a bit. I'm going to find my brother."

Shen Linyan smiled and gently squeezed her hand. "Go ahead."

Watching the man sit on the sofa and chat with her parents, An Ling turned and went upstairs.

Reaching the upper floor, An Ling knocked on the door.

"Brother?"

The door opened. An Zhou must have just been changing clothes; his hair was a bit messy, and he was adjusting his loungewear. "What is it?"

An Ling blinked. "I need you for something. Can I come in to talk?"

An Zhou lowered his hands, his eyes suspicious. "Need me? You didn't cause some kind of trouble again, did you?"

Despite his words, he stepped aside to let her in.

An Ling went in and sat on the sofa. Without waiting for An Zhou to ask, she said, "Can you help me deal with someone?"

Huh?

An Zhou looked surprised. "Deal with someone?"

Oh wow, this was the first time An Ling had ever used such a phrase.

He grew somewhat interested. "Who? And you need them dealt with..."

"Xu Huoqing."

His voice stopped abruptly, and An Zhou's smile instantly faded.

His expression froze. He thought for a moment, then frowned deeply. "Is it that kid from back then who knows you have face blindness?"

An Ling nodded gently. "Yes."

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "He's been looking for me these past few days, and now he knows I'm the daughter of the An family. He's using my face blindness to threaten me. I'm really getting annoyed by him. Just find someone to intimidate him."

Without a substantial lesson, this kind of person wouldn't give up.

"It's just that when the time comes, he might expose the fact that I have face blindness..."

Thinking of that scenario, An Ling paused. Countless faces flashed before her eyes in an instant, and mocking laughter seemed to echo in her ears.

Her heart tightened slightly, and she unconsciously clenched her hands. Her eyelashes fluttered twice as she pursed her lips and whispered, "Brother, suppress it if you can. If you can't... then there's nothing we can do..."

Seeing the woman's tightly clenched palms, An Zhou's gaze paused.

He watched for a moment, then walked over and patted her shoulder, his tone relaxed. "It's a small matter. Your brother will help you teach him a lesson. I wanted to teach him a lesson back then, and now he still dares to jump out."

As he spoke, his movements suddenly stopped, his tone a bit strange. "By the way... does Shen Linyan know you have face blindness?"

Hearing this, An Ling looked up and blinked. "He... kind of half-knows?"

"Half-knows?"

An Zhou looked confused. What did half-know mean?

Thinking of what she had done before, An Ling rubbed the tip of her nose in embarrassment. "I lied to him before, saying that I only get face blindness when I drink."

"..."

Meeting An Zhou's speechless expression, An Ling laughed awkwardly. Her face reddened slightly as she muttered, "I was just a bit embarrassed about how to bring it up. I have to apologize first before saying it, right? After all, I lied to him before."

It had been so long, and she didn't know how to tell Shen Linyan.

She needed to build up to it; just suddenly blurting out her face blindness dryly would be a bit awkward.

An Zhou was already used to his sister's god-like maneuvers.

But it made sense. For so many years, An Ling had hidden it so well. Her daily life looked no different from an ordinary person's. Sometimes, even he would forget that his sister had face blindness.

It was quite normal that Shen Linyan hadn't noticed.

But An Zhou still felt a bit regretful, clicking his tongue. "If Shen Linyan knew you were face-blind, you should tell him about Xu Huoqing."

"Why?"

An Zhou: "I just feel like he's better at handling this kind of thing. And it would also let you see that Shen Linyan really isn't some kind, good person."

Her brother was at it again.

An Ling stood up speechlessly. "What nonsense are you spouting? Besides, Shen Linyan has been busy with company matters lately. He's very busy."

An Zhou's expression was odd. "What do you mean? Is your brother not busy? Do I look like I have a lot of free time?"

The woman didn't answer. She just smiled, opened the door, and walked out.

"So hungry, so hungry. I'm going downstairs to eat. Brother, hurry down too."

An Zhou: "..."

After dinner, An Ling simply packed up her things and planned to go home with Shen Linyan.

While taking the elevator, the man carried the suitcase, and An Ling stood beside him, looking down at her phone to buy cat toys.

"Ding—"

Just as they stepped out of the elevator, they saw a middle-aged woman standing at the door of their home.

The woman was wearing a coat and a hat on her head, with jade earrings dangling from her ears. Dressed wealthily, with her hands in her pockets, she was frowning and silently watching them.

An Ling stopped in her tracks, her gaze falling on the other person's face, and she froze for a moment.

Who was this? The neighbor from downstairs?

The next second, her hand was gently held, enveloped by a warm palm.

An Ling put away her phone, but when she looked up, she met the man's quiet gaze.

Seeing that he wasn't speaking, she blinked, as if asking what was wrong.

Looking at the woman's puzzled expression, Shen Linyan lowered his eyes, curled his lips, and gently touched her face. However, his eyes were pitch black, with dark tides surging silently within.

An Ling held his hand. Just as she was about to speak, she heard the woman's cold sneer from beside them. "Shen Linyan, you've grown bold now. You actually dared to block me."

The familiar tone made An Ling's face instantly stiffen.

She turned her head to look again, her brow furrowing.

Wait a minute...

Is that the old hag?