Chapter 120: You Don't Need to Pretend to Be a Gentle Person in Front of Me Anymore

That night, they still slept in the same bed.

An Ling hadn't mentioned moving out, and Shen Linyan hadn't asked her to move either.

When Shen Linyan came out of the bathroom, An Ling was sitting on the bed watching TV.

Hearing his footsteps, she looked up.

After their eyes met, she lowered her gaze, put away her tablet, and quietly lay down, turning her back to him.

Shen Linyan paused, pursed his lips, and with light steps, pulled back the covers and lay down beside her.

Click - the lights went out, and the room instantly plunged into darkness.

Everything seemed exactly as it used to be.

Yet, somehow, everything had changed.

Outside the window, the night was hazy. The rain had gradually lessened, leaving a fine, continuous patter. There was no thunder, only a gentle yet slightly cold sound.

In the quiet bedroom, the dim light shone on the girl, casting a soft glow over her. Through her dark hair, the tip of her small, pale ear was visible.

Her hair was scattered across the pillow. He slowly reached out, carefully touching it, and gently twined a strand around his fingertips.

"Wife..."

He lowered his eyes and said softly, "Do you still like me?"

He was answered by a quiet silence.

The girl lay with her back to him, completely motionless, seemingly already asleep.

Shen Linyan's eyelashes trembled.

His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty as he continued to speak:

"Wife... on the day you came back, I actually had the security footage of you hitting Lu Jingshen, but I didn't give it to An Zhou. Since then, I haven't made any moves against the An family."

"You teaching me how to be the bad guy was also very useful to me."

"So please don't be afraid of me, okay? I won't hurt you..."

He wanted to go back to how things used to be.

But the room remained unusually quiet.

The pattering rain enveloped their quiet breathing.

Shen Linyan pursed his lips, his voice growing fainter. "Honey, shall we go see a movie tomorrow night? It's been a long time since we..."

"Okay."

The girl suddenly interrupted. It was a single, brief word, spoken in a calm tone that betrayed no emotion.

Shen Linyan's voice came to an abrupt halt.

As if his reaction was half a beat too slow, he remained silent for a long time before slowly withdrawing his hand. "...Sorry. Go to sleep."

The room was quiet for a moment before the girl suddenly let out a very soft sigh.

"Shen Linyan, there is no need for you to pretend to be a gentle person in front of me anymore."

The man's eyes widened in stunned silence.

It felt as though his heart had been struck by a heavy hammer, and a dull, aching soreness spread through his chest.

His gaze trembled slightly, and his lips twitched with a bitter feeling. The word "why" was chewed over countless times in his mouth. His fingertips rubbed his wedding ring back and forth forcefully, the movement hiding a restless anxiety he hadn't even noticed himself.

But looking at the girl's back, he still answered softly and with difficulty, his lips trembling:

"Okay."

The room returned to silence.

Half an hour passed.

A sudden movement of someone rolling over came from beside him, and Shen Linyan opened his eyes.

There was not a trace of sleepiness in his eyes; he was completely awake as he turned his head.

The girl had already turned around. She was breathing steadily with her eyes closed, her long eyelashes casting light shadows under her eyes, and the corners of her eyes were still slightly red.

Just as he expected, she had fallen asleep very quickly.

After a moment of silence, Shen Linyan reached out and pulled her into his arms.

The man looked as if he had regained a lost treasure. He lowered his eyes, bowed his head, and cherishedly kissed the girl's forehead.

His movements were very light, as if afraid of waking the person in his arms. He lightly sniffed the warm, faint fragrance on the girl, and only then did he slowly close his eyes while listening to the sound of the rain.

The sound of the rain outside the window remained the same, but the long-cooled air inside the room finally began to warm up.

...

The next day, the alarm clock rang.

An Ling slowly opened her eyes and reached out to turn off the alarm. She rubbed her somewhat sore eyes and turned her head to look.

The other side of the bed was empty.

Sitting up, she saw that the room was also empty.

An Ling reached out to touch the other side of the bed and found that it was already completely cold.

She paused slightly, pursed her lips, and threw off the covers to get out of bed and wash up.

Opening the bedroom door and stepping out, Auntie Cheng was feeding the cat. Seeing her come out, she smiled and said, "You're awake, Madam."

An Ling nodded, her gaze pausing for a moment on the empty dining table.

Before she could speak, Auntie Cheng stood up and walked over.

"Sir had something to do and left early. There is something he left for you on the table."

An Ling looked over and indeed saw a bag on the table.

She picked up the bag and found a long velvet box inside.

Opening it, a blue diamond necklace immediately caught her eye. It sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight, looking quite expensive at first glance.

Auntie Cheng walked over to take a look, sounding surprised.

"It's a necklace, how beautiful! Would you like to try it on now, Madam?"

An Ling's gaze lingered on it for a moment before she slowly closed the box. "I won't try it on. I'll eat breakfast first. Auntie Cheng, could you help me serve a bowl of..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly noticed a sticky note in the bag out of the corner of her eye.

The handwriting on it was lean and sharp, the strokes ending very cleanly without any messiness. It was clearly Shen Linyan's handwriting.

[A gift I bought for my wife last week. I hope my wife likes it.]

There were originally two ^^ symbols after this sentence, but they had been crossed out by the man.

An Ling stared down at this sticky note and slowly blinked.

Just as Auntie Cheng was about to go serve her some porridge, the girl's voice sounded behind her.

"Auntie Cheng, could you help me put this on?"

Turning around, she saw that the girl had reopened the box and was curiously examining the necklace in her hand.

The sunlight fell on her face, her small and pretty face flushed with the rosiness of having just woken up. Her skin was fair and delicate, but the corners of her eyes were red. Anyone with experience could tell at a glance that she had cried last night.

Auntie Cheng recalled the scene from that morning.

The man had also stood in this spot. With his handsome features and crisp suit, he carried the noble air of an elite. Yet at that moment, he looked as if he had lost his soul, standing there in a daze, completely lacking his usual sharpness.

He lowered his eyes, his fingertips gently rubbing the gift bag, and softly instructed:

"If she says she doesn't want it... could you ask her not to throw it away?"

"Also, please have her use some eye drops, and don't tell her I said so."

Seeing him like that, it was obvious that something had happened between the two of them last night.

It didn't look like a fight; it was more like they were at odds with each other.

Auntie Cheng smiled and walked over.

"Of course, Madam."

Throw it away?

Sir was worrying far too much.

She helped the girl put on the necklace and said, seemingly casually, "Madam, you should take better care of your health. Don't work too hard. Your eyes are a bit bloodshot. Would you like some eye drops? I'll go get them for you."

An Ling nodded. "Okay."

She picked up the mirror in the living room. The blue crystal was clear and exquisite, and the surrounding broken diamonds refracted the light, making her skin look even fairer.

It was truly beautiful.

An Ling had never had any resistance to this kind of diamond. She nodded in satisfaction, picked up her phone, and took a picture.

Out of habit, she wanted to send it to Shen Linyan, but she paused and silently canceled the message.

[I saw the necklace, thank you.]

The man replied very quickly.

Shen Linyan: [Okay, you're welcome.]

Her gaze lingered on this message for a moment. An Ling blinked and slowly put her phone away.

...

In the afternoon, after work.

An Ling picked up her bag and walked toward the elevator.

The phone in her pocket vibrated slightly.

She took it out and looked at it.

Shen Linyan: [I'm already downstairs.]

An Ling: [Okay.]

Stepping into the elevator and pressing the floor button, An Ling's eyes swept over the screen a couple of times.

She had only exchanged two sentences with Shen Linyan today.

One in the morning.

And one just now.

Her fingertips paused on the screen for a moment before she sent a message to Shen Fuyuan.

[You there? I want to ask you something.]

Shen Fuyuan: [What is it?]

An Ling: [Do you and Shen Linyan usually chat?]

Shen Fuyuan: [?]

Shen Fuyuan: [No, we don't. Big Brother usually doesn't send me messages.]

Because if he ever did, it meant he was coming to settle a score with her.

Shen Fuyuan hesitated before typing: [Why are you suddenly asking me this?]

An Ling: [Nothing much, just curious about what it's like when he chats normally with you guys.]

Ding—

The elevator doors opened, and An Ling walked out.

Spotting the familiar license plate by the road, she opened the passenger side door and met the eyes of the man in the driver's seat.

There was a momentary silence in the air. She retracted her gaze, sat inside naturally, and casually confirmed, "Are we watching the movie first and then eating?"

Shen Linyan's gaze fell on the girl's neck. When his eyes touched the scarf, he pursed his lips and looked away.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but seemingly thinking better of it, he closed it again. Lowering his eyes, he started the car and gave a soft "Mm."

An Ling glanced at him.

Her phone kept vibrating. Ever since she sent that last message, Shen Fuyuan had been bombarding her with texts.

[What do you mean?]

[What do you mean by 'chats normally'?]

[Why don't I quite understand?]

[Do you think my brother's chats with you aren't normal?]

Judging from this reaction, the girl probably knew exactly what kind of person Shen Linyan was.

But that made sense. In the Shen family, only Shen Fuyuan had a decent relationship with Shen Linyan.

No wonder Shen Fuyuan used to be afraid of him; was it because she knew the truth?

An Ling thought for a moment, then looked down to reply to Shen Fuyuan.

[I mean, when I'm not around, what is it like when Shen Linyan interacts with you?]

Seeing this message, Shen Fuyuan immediately sat up straight, her face filled with horror. "Holy crap, is Big Brother about to be exposed?"

If this leaked out through her, her brother would absolutely slaughter her!

She hastily took a screenshot, just about to send the chat history to Shen Linyan.

As if guessing what she was about to do, An Ling beat her to the punch and sent another message.

[You don't need to tell Shen Linyan. I already know, I was just asking out of curiosity.]

Shen Fuyuan: "..."

Since when?

She typed cautiously: [What did you... discover?]

An Ling: [I roughly figured out... that Shen Linyan is not someone to be trifled with?]

Holy moly!

Shen Fuyuan was stunned!

[How did you know? Did you ask Big Brother? Or did he tell you!?]

She remembered that back when they had their arranged marriage, her brother had always maintained a gentle and modest attitude toward An Ling.

Even after they remarried, he hadn't changed at all.

Furthermore, she had noticed that her brother cared deeply about his image in front of An Ling.

When exactly did An Ling find out!?

An Ling: [I found out myself. I just wanted to ask, is Shen Linyan really that scary?]

Shen Fuyuan thought to herself, "Scary" doesn't even begin to cover it.

She could never even tell if her brother was happy or angry when he smiled.

But for the sake of her own little life, she picked her words carefully.

Shen Fuyuan: [I wouldn't say scary, it's just that Big Brother is actually very cold. His gentleness toward outsiders is all an act, so he's quite hard to figure out.]

Seeing this, An Ling turned her head to look at the man driving next to her.

That was certainly true...

Being stared at so intently by her, the man's posture stiffened slightly.

While waiting at a red light, he turned to look over.

But An Ling quickly turned her head back toward the window.

His eyes showed a hint of surprise, and then he silently turned his head back to the front.

His hands gripping the steering wheel tightened slightly.

The car arrived at the movie theater. Since it wasn't the weekend, there were fewer people than usual.

The movie wouldn't start for another thirty minutes, so they had to wait outside for a bit.

Shen Linyan was picking up the tickets while An Ling stood beside him.

She buried her face in her scarf, her gaze slowly landing on the popcorn counter.

Come to think of it, it had indeed been a long time since she last went to the movies.

She had come a few times with Jiang Mai before, but after starting work, they had less time to hang out, let alone watch movies.

After collecting the tickets, Shen Linyan turned around and saw the girl staring fixedly at a certain spot.

He followed her line of sight, and his gaze paused slightly.

An Ling was still lost in thought when the man's deep, calm voice suddenly rang in her ears.

"Do you want to buy some?"

She paused slightly, lifting her head to meet the man's deep eyes.

This seemed to be the first actual sentence Shen Linyan had spoken to her today.

An Ling blinked at him, thought for a moment, and gave a gentle nod.

The overhead lights cast a shadow under the girl's long eyelashes. Her dark eyes were clear and clean, perfectly reflecting his silhouette.

Shen Linyan's pupils dilated slightly, his heart feeling as though it had been lightly brushed by a feather. He averted his gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and his fingertips curling inward.

He really wanted to kiss her...

A short while later, a bucket of popcorn was placed into An Ling's arms.

Sitting in a chair in the waiting area, she popped popcorn into her mouth, her eyes glued to the trailers playing on the theater's screen.

It was showing a recently popular animated movie.

It was the same one they planned to watch today; she had heard it was very good.

She turned to look at the man beside her, who was also watching the screen, and offered the popcorn. "Do you want some?"

The man fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "No, thanks."

"Okay."

An Ling pulled it back and ate it herself.

The heating in the cinema was on full blast. An Ling belatedly realized she was feeling a bit hot. She placed the popcorn on the table and raised her hands to untie her scarf.

Just as she folded the scarf and held it in her arms, she casually lifted her eyes and caught the man staring at her neck.

An Ling was taken aback at first, but then she realized what he was looking at. She forced herself to sit up straight, pretending to be calm, while the tips of her ears quietly flushed red.

She had completely forgotten about this...

She forgot to take it off after trying it on this morning.

Underneath, the girl was wearing a soft, off-white V-neck knit sweater. A blue diamond necklace rested in the hollow of her collarbone, its cold light glinting faintly, which only served to make her collarbone look even more slender and delicate.

Shen Linyan's gaze slowly swept across that inch of skin.

He could barely bring himself to look away. Countless emotions surged in the depths of his dark eyes, only to be forcibly suppressed. His voice was very soft, his tone kept as close to polite courtesy as possible.

"It suits you very well."

An Ling's eyes blanked for a second, and she looked up at him quietly.

A few seconds later, she suddenly nodded solemnly. "Thank you for the compliment, and thank you for the gift. I will get you a return gift."

Shen Linyan froze, his hand instantly tightening around the tickets he was holding.

He lowered his eyes and spoke softly, his voice a bit hoarse. "There's no need for a return gift... The ring you gave me before is enough."

An Ling blinked. After a moment of silence, she spoke slowly, "It's not the same. That was what I gave to my..."

"It is the same."

Before she could finish her sentence, her wrist was tightly grasped.

The man's pitch-black eyes stared fixedly at her, the depths of his eyes tinged with red. His voice was hoarse, his breath trembling, carrying an almost pleading tone.

"It is the same, An Ling..."

An Ling stared at him, then turned her head and popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth, her voice calm.

"Let's go home, Shen Linyan."

"I can't continue this date with this version of you."