Chapter 37: Why Did the Lady in the Garage Just Kiss Me

In the dimly light room, the door opened.

A man entered, gently laying the person in his arms onto the bed.

He carefully removed his jacket, tenderly smoothed the woman's trapped hair, and slowly pulled the quilt over her.

Having done all this, Shen Linyan was about to stand up and leave when his hand was suddenly grasped.

The woman had opened her eyes at some point. Under the soft glow of the nightlight, her features appeared even more beautiful and delicate, with strands of dark hair scattered across her cheeks. It was unclear if she was fully awake or still intoxicated as she stared directly at him.

He paused, sitting on the edge of the bed, and softened his voice. "Did I wake you?"

An Ling stared for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and hooked his tie, immediately looking at him with pleading eyes.

Shen Linyan hesitated for a moment before a helpless smile curved his lips. Leaning over slightly, braced against the bedside, he made it easier for her.

In the dim light, the woman's slender, pale fingers slowly loosened the tie, then gradually undid the knot.

The soft rustling sound of fabric rubbing together was suggestive in the quiet night.

An Ling held the black tie, looked at it for a while, and slowly curved her eyes into a smile.

"Give this to me."

Shen Linyan gazed into the woman's beautiful eyes, restraining an unnamed impulse, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "Alright, it's yours."

An Ling clutched the tie in her palm. It was truly bespoke; both its texture and feel were top-notch.

Shen Fuyuan wasn't wrong. In comparison, the one Zhou Wen bought was indeed rather unsightly.

It also surpassed the one she had bought.

As their eyes met, she pursed her lips and whispered, "Since I took yours, I'll compensate you with another one."

Shen Linyan chuckled softly in agreement. "Okay."

An Ling silently turned her head away, covering her eyes with the back of her hand.

A moment later, she suddenly spoke. "On the table."

Shen Linyan was slightly taken aback. "What..."

Suddenly realizing something, he abruptly stopped speaking and looked up towards the nearby vanity table.

Amidst various bottles and jars, an exquisite white gift bag stood quietly on the table.

And that bag had been there since last night.

He had thought it was cosmetics An Ling bought, but it was for him?

Shen Linyan stood frozen in place.

The mumbling sound of the woman talking to herself reached his ears.

"It's fine if you don't wear it. I just wanted to give it to you, as a thank you for the fountain pen..."

Shen Linyan slowly shifted his gaze from the bag.

He looked down at the girl who had turned her face away uncomfortably and said with a soft laugh,

"I will wear it. Since it's a gift from my wife, I'll definitely wear it."

An Ling moved her hand away, revealing one eye.

"You really will wear it? What if it doesn't look good? It's okay if you don't wear it, I won't be angry."

Under the dim lamplight, the man's eyes held a soft, amused glint as he nodded, his tone serious. "If my wife chose it, it means she likes it, so I like it too. I will wear it."

An Ling stared at him for a moment, then slowly sat up.

She seemed hesitant, looking down and winding the tie around her finger.

Jiang Mai's words and Shen Linyan's words kept colliding in her mind.

After a pause, she bit her lip.

"You... did you refuse Zhou Wen because of what I said?"

Shen Linyan didn't respond immediately, just quietly watched her.

He suddenly spoke. "I just realized... my wife seems quite concerned about me and Zhou Wen."

An Ling stiffened, instantly regretting asking that question.

Were they about to have a big argument over this?

She didn't speak, just silently lay back down, turned her back to him, buried half her face in the quilt, leaving the man with her back view.

Then she whispered, "Is that not allowed? I am your wife, even if it's just a marriage of convenience."

She mumbled again, "And we agreed beforehand that you can't develop feelings for anyone else. I'm afraid our beneficial arrangement would end because of that."

Shen Linyan's expression froze for a second before he understood.

She was concerned because of him...

He couldn't help but let out a low chuckle, his fingertips gently hooking a strand of hair behind the woman's back. "What is my wife thinking? How could I possibly develop feelings for Zhou Wen?"

"..." Hasn't she heard of old flames rekindling?

The woman on the bed remained silent, a form of wordless disagreement.

Shen Linyan finally figured out what his little wife was really thinking.

Bracing his hand on the bed, he leaned closer and said with a soft laugh, "As for the gift, I did refuse it because you said to, but even if you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have accepted it. That would have crossed a line."

He paused, then added with another low laugh, "From now on, I'll only accept gifts from my wife, okay?"

His crisp, woody scent of pine almost enveloped her, so close she could almost feel the warmth of his body.

An Ling's ears gradually flushed pink. She glanced at him slowly. "Really? What if I ask you to refuse Zhou Wen in the future?"

"Why single out this particular person?" Shen Linyan's eyes curved into a smile. "I thought when my wife said 'refuse,' it meant refusing everyone except my wife."

An Ling's movements halted, and she silently turned back around.

What Jiang Mai said wasn't quite right.

Mentioning Zhou Wen didn't lead to anything terrible.

The 'white moonlight' didn't seem so powerful after all.

Nestled under the quilt, An Ling looked at the man and blinked.

Shen Linyan looked down at her, quiet for a moment before suddenly asking, "Why did my wife kiss me in the garage earlier?"

"......"

It was coming after all.

An Ling's eyes darted around. "Because I was drunk at the time."

"Is my wife sober now?"

"...Yes."

Feeling guilty, An Ling shrank back a little, her mind frantically searching for an excuse to brush it off.

The man's voice sounded unexpectedly in her ear:

"Then, now that you're sober... will you still kiss me?"

"Huh... what?"

She was stunned, looking up to see the man gazing at her gently, his tone as casual as asking if she wanted to eat.

"Will you?"

"...?"

Was she still drunk? Was this a dream?

An Ling was dazed for a second, but still instinctively refused. "No."

Shen Linyan's eyes flickered.

The smile on his lips stiffened for an instant. The hand braced on the bed tightened its grip slightly, and he lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions in his eyes.

After a long silence, he finally smiled and slowly straightened up, his voice still gentle.

"My apologies."

He said, "Rest well, my wife."

An Ling sat up, watching the man walk to the door.

She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly spoke just before he opened the door.

"Are you serious?"

Shen Linyan stopped, his hand on the doorknob, and turned to look at her.

His gaze was deep, the emotions in his eyes hard to discern. After a moment, he spoke, his usually warm voice now slightly huskier.

"Why would you think I'm joking? It was my wife who kissed me first."

An Ling: "..."

Even though she was the one who couldn't resist first, but...

What's with this accusatory tone?

Has Shen Linyan's sense of spousal duty reached this level?

After a brief silence, An Ling silently turned her flushed face away.

"Then come here."