Chapter 126: I Want to Be Your Only Gentle Second Male Lead [Added]

In that instant, An Ling froze in place.

A scene she had never anticipated was unfolding before her eyes right now; she even thought it was an illusion.

Her heart was pounding crazily.

It beat so hard that her eardrums trembled, and even her breathing lost its rhythm.

From behind, an arm wrapped around her waist.

The black overcoat accentuated the man's outstanding, ascetic temperament, and the wedding ring on his long, slender finger was dazzling.

"Do you like flowers, my wife?"

An Ling turned her head and looked at him blankly. "...For me?"

"Yes."

The man lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her hair. His voice was deep, and his breath brushed against her ear.

"Yesterday, when I was looking at that document, I finally realized that when I was wooing you, I forgot to give you flowers."

He had given An Ling the best material things, giving her everything she could ever want.

If An Ling wanted diamond jewelry, he would bid for it at auctions.

He had always thought that this was love.

Giving the best was love.

Satisfying An Ling's every need was love.

Wanting to treat her well was love.

But it seemed that even an emotionless system knew better than him what it meant to woo someone.

An Ling blinked and turned to look at the bouquet.

On the seat, wrapped in matte black paper with fine golden sparkles, bright red Floyd roses were slowly blooming, their dark red petals still dotted with water droplets.

Tucked among the flowers was a card.

An Ling reached out and picked it up. On the card was his familiar, vigorous and sharp handwriting.

[Day one of wooing my wife.]

Shen Linyan smiled and said gently, "I'm sorry, it's my first time wooing someone too, so I don't know much about it yet. How about I send you flowers every day from now on?"

An Ling let out a slow laugh and turned to look at the man.

Her eyes were bright, the corners of her eyes slightly red, whether from the cold or some other reason.

"Okay."

The heavy snow had stopped at some unknown point.

In the cold night, the crowd dispersed. On the dim, secluded roadside, the streetlights cast a faint glow, illuminating this quiet stretch of street.

An Ling brushed away the lingering snowflakes on the man's shoulder, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his lips.

"I originally wanted to give you flowers, but I didn't expect you to beat me to it."

She looked at the man, her eyes slowly curving into a smile.

"What do I do now? I don't even know what to give you anymore."

Shen Linyan smiled and pulled her into his embrace. "Then could you promise me two things?"

An Ling rubbed her face against his chest, looked up, and asked curiously, "Hmm? What two things?"

This was much easier than giving a gift.

The man helped tuck the loose hair behind her ear and slowly spoke:

"First, I hope you won't be afraid of me anymore."

An Ling paused, then looked confused. "Didn't I already say it? That night of the first snow..."

"Back then, you said you believed me."

Shen Linyan gently interrupted her.

He cupped her face, his dark eyes looking at her with unwavering gentleness. "But more than that, I don't want you to be afraid of me. Whether it's the things I've done to others, or what I did to Zhou Wen, I will never do those things to you."

"I hope you can continue to treat me as your gentle second male lead."

"An Ling, I want to be your one and only gentle second male lead."

The expression on An Ling's face froze.

She stared at the man in front of her. A moment later, she smiled and reached out to hug his neck.

"Are you really going to be with a vicious female supporting character like me? That doesn't fit the logic of a novel."

Shen Linyan lowered his head to kiss her cheek, his lips curving into a faint smile. "Why doesn't it fit? Don't the female supporting character and the second male lead sound like a perfect match?"

An Ling was just teasing him, and upon hearing this, she nodded in mock realization. "That actually makes sense. I think we're a perfect match too."

She kissed the man with a beaming smile. "Then I agree! So what is your second thing?"

Shen Linyan lowered his eyes, smiling as he held her hand. His fingertips gently caressed the ring on her finger, his movements tender and affectionate.

"I want to marry you."

"The kind of marriage where we hold a wedding ceremony, honey."

Both of their previous marriages had just been low-key registrations without any ceremony.

The first time went without saying.

The second time happened right when Shen Linyan was exposed as an illegitimate child, leaving absolutely no time to plan a wedding.

But Shen Linyan had never forgotten about this.

He gazed at the woman in front of him, his voice very light, as soft as the moonlight tonight.

"My wife, once this winter passes and your ending is complete, let's have a wedding, okay?"

An Ling's eyes curved in a smile as she took the initiative to hold his hand.

"Okay."

...

The last time An Ling saw news about the Shen Corporation was on the news.

The Shen Corporation had completely declared bankruptcy and delisted.

Employees jumped ship one after another, the building was acquired by Shen Linyan, and the signboard that once read Shen Corporation had been replaced by AL Group.

Although Lu Jincai still had the Lu family's properties behind her, after so many years, the Lu family had long become a small company dependent on the Shen Corporation. With the Shen Corporation dead, this little bit of property could only support herself and was completely insufficient to bring the Shen Corporation back to life.

In the past, Lu Jincai had doted on Lu Jingshen and wanted him to inherit the Shen Corporation.

But upon returning to the Lu family, she didn't even trust Lu Jingshen herself. She preferred to hold the power in her own hands and wasn't even willing to write a proxy agreement like Shen Zhong did.

All of this was just what An Ling heard from Shen Linyan.

She didn't know if this was the final ending.

Or perhaps, the ending had already changed.

...

At eight o'clock in the evening, at the entrance of the clubhouse.

"Mr. Wu, looking forward to this cooperation. Have a safe trip back."

After seeing off the investor and watching the other party get into the car and leave, Sister Lin Ya turned to look at the two people behind her and smiled, "How are you guys getting back?"

Nan Zhechuan rubbed his hands together, exhaling cold air. "I called a designated driver. They should be here soon."

Saying that, he turned to look at An Ling beside him.

"Ah Leng, are you going back with us?"

An Ling had just finished sending a message. Hearing this, she looked up. "No, Shen Linyan will come pick me up later. You guys go ahead."

Nan Zhechuan revealed an expression of 'I knew it'. "It seems the probability of my guess being right is still very high."

Sister Lin Ya was curious. "What probability?"

Nan Zhechuan: "Usually when we come out for a banquet or a film set, and it's time to go home, ninety-nine percent of the time Ah Leng has someone to pick her up. I already witnessed the rare one percent last time, so from now on, it should always be Chairman Shen picking her up."

An Ling smiled and lifted her chin. "Alright, I see a designated driver coming. Is that the one you called? Go back and rest early."

The designated driver came over and confirmed the last digits of the phone number.

Sister Lin Ya turned to look at her. "Then we'll be leaving first. See you at the company tomorrow."

An Ling waved at them. "Okay, see you tomorrow."

After they left, An Ling reopened her phone. The screen was displaying messages from An Zhou.

An Zhou: [...You there?]

An Ling: [?]

An Zhou: [I have a friend who recently made his girlfriend angry, and she is really mad. What kind of gift should he buy to apologize and coax her back?]

An Ling: [You made Sister Qin You angry?]

An Zhou: [What do you mean me! I told you it's a friend of mine! Just tell me straight, if Shen Linyan made you angry, how would he usually handle it?]

An Ling: [That's a bit difficult. Shen Linyan doesn't seem to have ever made me angry.]

An Zhou: [...]

The other side didn't reply again, seemingly rendered speechless by her.

An Ling chuckled out loud and was just about to reply seriously.

Suddenly, the sound of a man and a woman arguing came from nearby.

"I told you I don't have any money right now! What else do you want me to do?!"

"No money? Doesn't your mother still have her company?! I don't believe you're broke! Believe it or not, I'll sue you in court!"

"Fine, go ahead! Do you think I'm afraid of you? Let's see if you can actually win!"

An Ling had originally just cast a casual glance over.

Just as she was about to look away, she heard the woman's voice grow agitated: "Lu Jingshen, do you have no shame?! I've been with you for so long, and yet you can't even bear to pay the divorce settlement! If you don't pay, how am I supposed to afford to live? How am I supposed to eat?!"

At the familiar name, An Ling's gaze instantly froze.

She looked back and forth between their faces again.

It really seemed to be the male and female leads...

Talk about bad luck.

An Ling stepped aside slightly, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Lu Jingshen had failed to secure a project today and was already in a foul mood. Having just stepped out after drinking, his head was heavy and throbbing. He had originally just wanted to go home and sleep.

But as soon as he came out, he ran into Zhou Wen, who had also been drinking here.

His head pounded even harder from the noise, and he rubbed his temples impatiently. "I said I don't have any money! Can't you understand? Besides, didn't I give you several million before?! You still think it's not enough! What more do you want?!"

Several million was already a massive fortune for normal people.

But Zhou Wen was long accustomed to a life of luxury, and her friends all knew she had married into a wealthy family. Going from extravagance to frugality was practically killing her.

A few million wasn't nearly enough for her to spend.

Moreover, the house they had agreed upon was gone too.

Her anger flared further, and she let out a cold laugh. "You have money to drink, but no money to pay me. Lu Jingshen, you're really something! Just like before, you're utterly useless at everything except drinking!"

Having been married to him, Zhou Wen knew exactly what to say to hit Lu Jingshen where it hurt the most.

Sure enough, Lu Jingshen's temper instantly flared. "What did you say?! Fuck, what right does a gold-digger like you have to criticize me! You were a wealthy wife for a few days, and now you think you're better than everyone else! Let me tell you, Zhou Wen, you're destined to be poor for the rest of your life!"

The two traded insults back and forth, drawing the attention of passing pedestrians who stopped to watch.

Zhou Wen was particularly concerned about her public image; she had come here to drink today specifically to hook another rich man.

Noticing the stares from the onlookers, her expression stiffened slightly, her beautifully made-up face struggling to maintain its composure.

She shot Lu Jingshen a look of disgust. Catching a glimpse of An Ling in the crowd from the corner of her eye, her gaze froze completely. Gritting her teeth, she quickly turned and hurried away.

An Ling cast a sidelong glance at her before looking away.

Just as she was about to look down and text An Zhou, a message suddenly popped up on her screen.

Shen Linyan: [Honey, look up ^^]

She raised her head.

A few meters away stood a man with an outstanding aura. His hair was meticulously styled, and his noble appearance in a tailored suit made him stand out strikingly in the crowd.

Smiling, An Ling put her phone away and walked over.

Shen Linyan took her hand and used his other hand to gently touch her face. "My wife didn't drink too much today."

An Ling hummed indignantly. "Don't make it sound like I always drink too much. I'm just prone to flushing; even a little bit of alcohol makes my face turn red."

They chatted as they walked toward the car.

Lu Jingshen, still irritated from his argument with Zhou Wen, looked up and saw An Ling not far away.

He paused for a moment, suddenly recalling the time An Ling had come to pick him up when he was drunk, and a faint light flickered in his eyes.

He was just about to step forward and chase after her.

But when he saw Shen Linyan beside her, Lu Jingshen's footsteps abruptly stopped, and his face turned an ugly shade.

He stood rooted to the spot, watching helplessly as the girl looked up and smiled while talking to Shen Linyan. The two of them held hands, fingers tightly intertwined in an incredibly intimate posture.

Shen Linyan guided An Ling into the passenger seat and closed the door.

Sensing the stare, he slowly lifted his gaze and shot a glance over. There was not a single trace of emotion in his pitch-black eyes.

As their eyes met, Lu Jingshen's expression stiffened slightly.

Remembering that phone call from before, he clenched his fists and ground his teeth.

...

Lu Jingshen dragged his exhausted body home. Just as he opened the door, a stack of dozens of papers was smacked directly into his face with a loud slap.

"Hiss, you—"

The edges of the papers were sharp, sending a sting of pain across his cheek. He was about to explode in anger, but when he saw his expressionless mother standing in front of him, all his fury was instantly extinguished.

"Mom..."

"Don't call me Mom!"

Lu Jincai stepped on the documents scattered at her feet, her eyes icy cold. "Lu Jingshen, explain to me why you couldn't even hold onto this project!"

"Well..." Lu Jingshen's face paled slightly, his lips parting. "I can explain..."

Lu Jincai's voice sharply rose. "Explain what?! Do you know that every single project is crucial to us right now?! I gave you the easiest one! And this is how you repay me?!"

Lu Jingshen hurriedly explained, "Mom, no, it's... it's all Shen Linyan's fault! Yes, Shen Linyan hijacked it halfway! Shen Linyan has been targeting me!"

"Enough!"

Lu Jincai interrupted him impatiently. Her icy gaze harbored disgust, and every word she spoke pierced his heart. "Lu Jingshen, in the past, I only told you not to be too flashy so Shen Linyan wouldn't notice anything amiss. But look at you! You've actually turned into an incompetent piece of trash!"

"I haven't! Mom! This time was really an accident! This time it really was Shen Linyan intentionally targeting me! Give me one more..."

Before he could finish, Lu Jincai cut him off coldly.

"How many more chances do you need? Lu Jingshen! How could you be so inferior to Shen Linyan? From childhood until now, I've desperately fought to get you opportunities. I've constantly suppressed Shen Linyan, but what about you?! You can't even catch up to his shadow!"

Looking at her own biological son, Lu Jincai felt both furious and deeply powerless.

She took a deep breath, frowning as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Forget it. Don't involve yourself in the company's affairs anymore. Just go back to eating, drinking, and playing around."

She paused, unable to hold back a disappointed click of her tongue, and turned to head back to her room.

"You're not even as good as your sister."

Lu Jingshen stood in place, gritting his teeth in silence.

The lighting cast dark shadows across his face. His knuckles turned white from clenching them so tightly, and his expression grew increasingly obscure and dark.

It was all Shen Linyan...

It was all Shen Linyan...!

His entire life had been ruined by Shen Linyan!

A surge of deep resentment bred in Lu Jingshen's eyes, gradually spiraling into a violent storm.

...

That night after showering, Shen Linyan stepped out of the bathroom.

The blanket on the bed was humped up in a small mound, and the sound of music from short videos drifted out.

Walking closer, he saw the young woman lying quietly under the covers, lying on her side and scrolling through her phone.

On the screen was a wedding video of another influencer.

After it finished, the system automatically played the next video.

But An Ling swiped back to the previous one, not forgetting to leave a like on it.

He paused for a moment, a certain part of his heart softening. Smiling, he slid under the covers, wrapped his arms around her waist, and gently nuzzled his nose against her hair.

"What is my wife looking at?"

"Hmm? I'm just scrolling through videos." An Ling locked her phone and turned to bury her face in his chest. "I feel like the algorithm is eavesdropping on us. It recommended several wedding videos to me."

His little wife muttered, "They did a really beautiful job with it, though."

"Ours will be beautiful too," Shen Linyan smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

The young woman looked up at him with a playful blink. Tipping her head back, she pressed a soft kiss to his jaw, her voice sweet and lingering. "Thank you, husband."

Shen Linyan kissed her cheek. "Go to sleep. My wife has to work tomorrow."

With a soft click, the room went dark.

Shen Linyan closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep with the woman he loved held securely in his arms.

But when he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had completely changed.

In the dead of night, heavy snow drifted slowly from the sky. A woman lay motionless on the ground, the blood pooling beneath her staining the pristine snow a stark red. She just lay there, utterly lifeless.

For a moment, Shen Linyan couldn't process the sight. But as the woman's face came into focus, his pupils constricted in sheer terror. His voice trembled uncontrollably. "Wife?"

The horrifying scene flashed by in an instant.

The next second, Shen Linyan jolted awake from the nightmare.

He lay there gasping for air, his eyes wide open. A thin layer of cold sweat coated his forehead, and a lingering panic still danced in his eyes.

The woman in his arms seemed to be roused by his sudden movement. She let out a sleepy, confused murmur.

"What's wrong?"