Chapter 35: Now the Lady Finally Recognizes Me

The dinner party was held at a famous local restaurant.

Throughout the meal, everyone was still buzzing about the events of the day.

"You guys have no idea. When An Ling stood up to the Shen heiress, I was terrified and exhilarated at the same time!"

"Haha, me too! I was thinking, this new colleague just arrived today, is she going to be fired already?"

"As expected of Ms. Chen's student! Her ability to control the room was incredible. It was so satisfying to watch, haha!"

"She handled the most difficult person for us. We really owe An Ling a toast."

With that, someone raised their glass.

An Ling smiled and picked up her own glass. "No, no, I was actually scared too. I just forced myself to go through with it."

With one person leading the way, several other colleagues stood up to offer toasts.

After a few glasses, Ms. Chen frowned and cut them off. "Alright, that’s enough. Drink your own drinks and stop pestering An Ling. This is a dinner, not a drinking contest."

The colleagues quickly waved their hands in apology. "Sorry, sorry! An Ling, we're just so happy to have a new colleague."

An Ling signaled that it was fine with a smile. "It’s okay. It’s just that I’m not a very good drinker. Please, everyone, just enjoy yourselves."

As she sat down, Ms. Chen lowered her voice and asked, "Did you drive? Don't drive later; call for a designated driver."

An Ling shook her head. "I didn't drive. My husband is coming to pick me up."

Lin Ya, who was sitting nearby, overheard this and instinctively lowered her voice in surprise. "You're already married?"

They were speaking softly, and with the other colleagues being loud and boisterous from the alcohol, no one else heard them for the moment.

An Ling looked up and nodded at her with a smile. "Yes."

Lin Ya arched an eyebrow. "Well, it seems you and your husband have a great relationship if he’s making a special trip to pick you up after a work dinner."

"..."

Ms. Chen, who knew the truth, remained silent.

An Ling let out a soft laugh and gave a vague response. "No, no, it's just average. He happened to be finishing up his own social engagement nearby, so he’s just picking me up on the way."

A great relationship?

It probably wouldn't stay "great" for much longer.

-

After the gathering ended, An Ling saw Ms. Chen into a car and then waited for Shen Linyan by the entrance.

She looked down at her phone. Shen Fuyuan, whom she had just added that afternoon, suddenly sent a message.

Shen Fuyuan: Oh ho~ I heard Zhou Wen actually delivered it.

An Ling’s gaze paused. While she was hesitating whether to reply, Shen Fuyuan sent another message.

Shen Fuyuan: Humph, you want to ask me how I know? Naturally, it's because I asked Zhou Wen. She said she gave it to Big Brother tonight. Guess if he accepted it or not? Beg me and I'll tell you the result. (≖‿≖)

Shen Fuyuan: But she did end up giving him that ugly tie. She gave him the perfume, too.

Below these words was a disgusted emoji.

Tonight?

Wasn't Shen Linyan at a business social tonight?

And what was there to guess? Would Shen Linyan ever refuse Zhou Wen?

After thinking for a moment, An Ling replied.

An Ling: Why are you telling me this? By the way, Ms. Shen, have you received the new arrivals you wanted to buy today? You should at least cooperate with me regarding your schedule tomorrow, right?

The other side went silent instantly.

It took several seconds before a slightly reluctant reply came through.

Shen Fuyuan: Received them, received them. For the sake of these things, I’ll cooperate with you a little bit.

An Ling chuckled and replied with an "OK" emoji.

After finishing the conversation, she stared at Shen Fuyuan's previous messages for a long while, murmuring softly, "So he really took that tie..."

If Shen Linyan wore that tie, even his face probably wouldn't be able to save his look.

Maybe then, she wouldn't like that face of his quite so much.

An Ling gave a helpless smile and put her phone away. When she looked up again, she noticed a man standing not far away.

The man was dressed in a suit, with long legs, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist—his proportions were exceptional.

In the dim light of dusk, he stood quietly in the distance, looking in her direction.

An Ling froze.

...Shen Linyan?

Was it him?

It was too dark to see clearly; she could only make out a blurry silhouette, but it felt like him.

the moment she looked over, the man started walking toward her.

As the distance closed and the face became clear, An Ling’s eyes flickered.

She remained standing where she was, her gaze instinctively sweeping over his tie.

As the man reached her, his tall shadow loomed over her. The familiar scent of woody pine filled her nose, and his voice was clear and gentle.

"Has my wife been drinking?"

Drinking?

Startled by the sudden question, An Ling blinked blankly before she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I have. Why didn't you come over just now?"

The man lowered his head and smiled softly. His expression was tender, and his eyelashes cast faint shadows over his eyes, which were filled with a light shimmer of amusement.

"Because I was waiting for my wife to slowly realize it was me. After all, if my wife didn't recognize my face and mistook me for a bad guy, what would I do?"

He reached out his hand, his voice growing even more gentle in the night air.

"Now that you've finally recognized me, shall we go home?"

The night was as dark as ink, and the wind carried a hint of chill. The man's palm was broad, exuding an indescribable sense of security, making it easy to imagine the warmth of being enveloped by his hand.

An Ling didn't move. She looked down quietly, the night breeze blowing away the last of her intoxication.

In this moment, she suddenly felt a strong urge to refuse—to refuse this indiscriminate tenderness.

An inexplicable temper brewed within her, a frustration she felt too weak to even voice.

Could it be the alcohol making her overly sensitive?

An Ling’s fingertips, hanging at her side, curled slightly.

Finally, she lifted her head and offered her hand with a smile, her tone sounding no different than usual.

"With a face like yours, Chairman Shen, you don't look like a bad man no matter how one looks at it."

Her cool fingertips brushed against his warm, dry palm, and in the next second, the man gripped her hand firmly.

Walking beside him, her hand held in his, she was enveloped in a seamless warmth that chased away the night chill.

Yet, at this moment, An Ling felt none of the heart-fluttering excitement she had experienced the night before.

She even felt a sudden urge to shake him off, a psychological aversion to the contact and the warmth he offered.

An Ling lowered her head, her expression a bit dazed.

She thought to herself that Jiang Mai’s previous worries had been making a mountain out of a molehill.

See? Love and hate can flip in a heartbeat.

She didn't like Shen Linyan right now.

She didn't even like his face anymore; in fact, she found him a bit annoying—annoyed that he had come to pick her up, and annoyed by his gentle, considerate nature.

They were only in a marriage of convenience; there was no need for him to go this far.

An Ling could vaguely sense why she felt this way.

The truth was, after experiencing Shen Linyan’s tenderness, she found herself caught between thinking it was wonderful and resenting him for treating everyone the same way.

Not being able to have it makes one frustrated.

Having it, only to realize everyone else gets it too, is even more frustrating.

It wasn't that she didn't like Shen Linyan; it was that she had developed a sense of possessiveness over that tenderness.

But Shen Linyan liked Zhou Wen.

Zhou Wen was his "White Moonlight," his savior, so it was only logical for him to accept a gift from her.

As for her...

The tenderness Shen Linyan showed her was merely his standard setting; the only exception was reserved for Zhou Wen.

Had it been any other woman as his wife, he would have treated her exactly the same way.

Her thoughts were like a tangled mess of string, knotted together without rhyme or reason, dragging her emotions down with them.

Just then, the man’s voice sounded in her ear.

"You seem to be in a bad mood tonight, Madam. Did something upsetting happen today?"

An Ling snapped out of it and looked up, intending to deny it.

But the words died in her throat.

She pursed her lips and forced a smile. "It's nothing. When did your social engagement end?"

"There wasn't much going on tonight, so it ended early. I was at home waiting for your message," Shen Linyan replied naturally, hiding nothing.

Reaching the car, he opened the passenger door for An Ling.

She got in and buckled her seatbelt.

As the man entered the car, she caught a glimpse of the wedding ring on his left hand as he fastened his own seatbelt. Her gaze faltered for a moment before she slowly looked away.

Throughout the drive, the cabin remained silent.

The atmosphere was even more hushed and strained than during their very first meeting.

While waiting at a red light, Shen Linyan turned to look at her.

She was leaning against the headrest, her head turned toward the window. Her eyelashes cast long shadows under her eyes, and she looked listless, appearing as though she had simply lost her energy from drinking too much.

The man’s eyes darkened, and he didn't pull his gaze away until the light was about to turn green.

His jaw tightened, his dark eyes devoid of emotion and clouded with a faint chill. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the steering wheel, his lips pressed into a flat line.

The car drove smoothly into the underground garage.

Just as he parked and unbuckled his seatbelt, about to speak, her voice suddenly rang out.

"Shen Linyan, I ran into Zhou Wen at the mall today. She said she wanted to buy you a gift."