Chapter 12: What a Fine Husband

Startled by the sudden sound of a man's voice, An Ling jumped and instinctively turned her head.

She saw Shen Linyan standing behind her; she had no idea when he had appeared.

The man was wearing pajamas, looking as though he had just stepped out of the shower. A towel was draped over his head, and his damp black hair clung to his temples, with a few stray strands falling to obscure his deep, expressive eyes.

His usual daytime elite persona was now softened by an air of casual, lazy elegance.

For some reason, An Ling felt a pang of guilt, like she had been caught sneaking a midnight snack.

She set her phone down and discreetly blocked the food packaging behind her back.

"Nothing much, just... throwing together something to eat."

Shen Linyan took off the towel. "You didn't eat dinner?"

An Ling turned her head and gave a dry laugh. "Haha... yeah, I didn't."

She had slept straight through to the evening; how could she have eaten?

As she was thinking, the sound of footsteps drew closer, and a shadow suddenly fell over her.

The man had just bathed, and the damp, warm air hit her face. A familiar woody pine scent, mixed with the crisp aroma of cedar, drifted to her nose.

Her face grew inexplicably hot. She instinctively shrank back, bumping her waist against the counter. Looking up at the man in front of her, she blinked. "What's wrong?"

Shen Linyan didn't say a word, his gaze falling on the packaging she was trying to hide.

Just as he was about to look away, he caught sight of the glowing screen of her phone out of the corner of his eye.

When he clearly saw what she had been searching for, he paused slightly, took a step back to give her some space, and lowered his eyes, asking gently, "You're planning to eat this for dinner?"

She had been caught after all.

An Ling sighed silently. "Yeah. Do you want some too? I was just looking up how to..."

"I'll cook it for you."

The unexpected offer caught An Ling completely off guard.

She looked up in astonishment. "You'll cook for me?"

Shen Linyan gave a soft hum of agreement, turning around to place his towel and phone on the table. He rolled up his sleeves and opened the refrigerator.

"I'll add some extra lettuce and fry an egg, is that okay? Or do you want something else?"

He was actually going to do it?

An Ling was baffled, but when she turned her head, she saw the search screen she had left open on her phone.

She blinked, instantly understanding. Silently, she put her phone away and stepped aside to make room. Standing nearby and sipping water, her eyes unconsciously drifted to the man.

Shen Linyan had excellent proportions. It was obvious when he wore suits, with his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long, slender legs. Even now, in pajamas, he was incredibly pleasing to the eye.

Just then, Jiang Mai sent another message.

"Did you ask Shen Linyan about that news? Maybe he was the one who had it taken down."

An Ling replied, "Didn't ask. He's cooking dumplings for me."

Jiang Mai: "? Cooking dumplings? For you?"

An Ling was about to explain when another message popped up a second later.

"Wow, the Chairman of the Shen Group comes home from work and cooks for his wife. What a perfect husband. An Ling, you lucky girl, you're eating well."

Caught completely off guard, her eyes widened, and she choked on her water. She quickly turned her head away, covering her mouth as she coughed. Her face turned bright red, though it was hard to tell exactly why.

Seeing the man look over, she hurriedly locked her screen and, still blushing, changed the subject. "You know how to cook?"

Shen Linyan looked at her for a moment, sliding the fried egg onto a plate. "I learned when I was studying abroad," he said gently.

An Ling took the plate he handed her. Noticing his bare fingers, she paused, her gaze lingering for a couple of seconds.

He had already taken off his ring?

She turned and set the plate on the table. "Shen Linyan, where's your ring? Give it to me, I'll put it away."

The man's tall, straight back stiffened slightly. He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. His expression was faint, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his dark eyes stared at her calmly.

An Ling was confused. "What's wrong? You didn't throw it away, did you? We still need to wear them next time."

"...No."

He withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes to stir the dumplings in the pot. His gentle voice gave nothing away. "It's in my room. I'll get it for you later."

Since he was cooking for her, An Ling felt it would be rude to just sit on the sofa and wait.

She sat at the dining table and asked casually, "Did you have that news taken down from the internet? The one saying I was chasing after Lu Jingshen."

"Yes."

This answer was exactly what An Ling had expected.

Resting her chin on her hand, she swung her legs idly under the table, her clear eyes fixed on the man's broad back.

For some reason, Jiang Mai's words popped into her head again.

She touched her burning ears and guiltily looked away.

When Shen Linyan brought over the cooked dumplings, she reached out to take them. "Do you want to eat together?"

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The muffled vibration of the phone on the table made them both pause and instinctively look over.

The caller ID read: Zhou Wen.

In the middle of the night, his younger brother's wife suddenly calling—no matter how you looked at it, it was a bit strange.

Shen Linyan's gaze faltered for a second, and his long fingers covered the screen.

"Sorry, you go ahead and eat. I need to take this."

"Okay."

An Ling looked away, lowering her head to pick up the soup spoon from her bowl.

The man went to his room to answer the call. The door wasn't completely shut, and through the intermittent conversation, she could faintly make out the words "news" and "don't worry."

Couldn't he have closed the door tighter? It wasn't like she wanted to eavesdrop.

An Ling sighed silently. It seemed Shen Linyan wouldn't have time to share a midnight snack with her after all.

After finishing the last dumpling, she put her bowl in the dishwasher, grabbed her tablet and phone from the sofa, and headed back to her room.

By the time Shen Linyan finished his call and came out, the living room was empty, and the dining table was cleared.

He stood there in silence for a moment, the ring in his palm growing warm from his tight grip. Finally, he turned off the lights and went back to his room.

The click of the door lock echoed in the air.

The pitch-black, quiet house seemed to return to its usual cold and lonely state.

In the morning, An Ling woke up from her dreams.

She was dazed for a few seconds before remembering that she had time-traveled two years into the future. Glancing at the time, she yawned and got out of bed.

After a quick wash, she opened her door and stepped out.

But as soon as she reached the living room, she stopped dead in her tracks, staring blankly at the unfamiliar auntie busying herself in the kitchen.

Who was this auntie?

Hearing the noise, the auntie turned around, her tone respectful. "Madam, you're awake."

"...Mm."

An Ling replied without changing her expression, using the moment she took a sip of water to think.

What was this auntie's name again?

Why didn't she have any memory of her?

Before she could recall the name, the auntie's voice rang in her ears.

"Sir has already left for the company. Would you like to have breakfast now, Madam? Sir also asked me to let you know that if you plan to eat at home, you can tell me in advance, and I will prepare it for you."

An Ling paused, instantly recalling what had happened last night. "Did Shen Linyan ask you to come? Didn't you cook before?"

The auntie looked at An Ling with some surprise.

"Yes, because you never eat at home, Madam, and Sir rarely comes back either, so I usually only clean the house and restock the groceries."

An Ling genuinely hadn't known this. She had always assumed Shen Linyan didn't come home because he was too busy with work.

It turned out that she was the one who never came home, which explained why she had so few memories of this house.

An Ling let out a breath. "Alright, I'll go change my clothes and then come have breakfast."

"Will you need me to prepare lunch and dinner for you today?"

"Not today. I'll eat out."

"Understood."

In his office, Shen Linyan received a message from the auntie at home.

"Sir, Madam said she will not be coming home for meals today."

He stared at the screen for a long while. Just then, a phone call suddenly came through.

Once the call connected, a resigned male voice came through the line.

"The guys set up another gathering and said they absolutely must have you there this time. Should I just turn them down for you?"

"No need. I'll go."

The voice on the other end sounded surprised. "Didn't you say you were busy tonight?"

The man lowered his gaze, his fingers gently tracing the intricate patterns of the ring. Slowly slipping it onto his finger, he spoke in a calm voice:

"I have time now."