Chapter 42: Let me try again, okay, Madame

In the end, An Ling went upstairs.

Opening the door, she paused when she saw the man sitting on the sofa in the room.

"You didn't rest?"

The man seemed to be looking at something on his phone. Hearing the door open, he calmly turned off the screen and offered a gentle smile.

"Why did you come up, Madam?"

An Ling closed the door. "I'm tired. I don't want to play anymore."

She flopped onto the bed, turning her head to look at the man on the sofa. Her eyes were thoughtful before she slowly looked away.

"Shen Linyan..."

"Hmm?"

"Actually, you didn't have to say those things in front of my parents."

The man on the sofa paused slightly and slowly looked up. "What do you mean by that... Madam?"

An Ling still minded it a bit.

Truthfully, she didn't quite like Shen Linyan's way of speaking today. It was too easy for people to misunderstand.

The novels she had stayed up late reading last night wrote all about it.

A marriage of convenience where the husband had a 'white moonlight' first love in his heart was a big no-no. It would easily lead to trouble later on—like the white moonlight getting sick, and the husband abandoning his pregnant wife to go see her.

She had been so angry reading those novels yesterday, feeling both furious and sad, and secretly swore she would never end up like that.

Lying on the bed, sleepiness gradually washed over her mind. An Ling yawned, her tone lazy.

"I mean, my parents know ours is a marriage of convenience, so you don't need to put on an act that we're deeply in love. Just act normally..."

Remembering that Shen Linyan had good intentions and didn't want her parents to worry, she paused and changed her tune. "I just mean you don't need to say things against your own heart. I know you mean well, but my parents aren't outsiders."

Saying things like he liked her would make her parents misunderstand.

If he said it too much, she would misunderstand too.

An Ling had closed her eyes, so she completely missed how, in that split second, the smile on the man's lips abruptly froze.

Shen Linyan lowered his eyes, gripping his phone tightly. His dark eyes carried an unyielding heaviness, and his tone was very light. "I don't quite understand what you mean, Madam. What do you mean by... against my heart?"

"Huh?"

An Ling didn't hear him clearly at first. She slowly opened her eyes and looked toward him in confusion. "What did you say?"

Silence hung in the air for a moment before the man's voice sounded again.

"Was Madam not satisfied with yesterday's kiss?"

"..."

It was as if someone had pressed the pause button in the room.

An Ling stared blankly, her eyes wide open. She wasn't sleepy anymore.

Her mind went completely blank, and she didn't even know what to say.

The man, however, suddenly stood up, walked over to the bed, and rested one of his long, straight legs on the mattress, kneeling on one knee.

As his tall figure leaned over, bringing with it the crisp scent of cedarwood, the outline of his broad shoulders and narrow waist completely trapped her against the bed.

An Ling instinctively reached out to press against his chest.

But the next second, her wrist was grasped by a scalding hot palm.

Shen Linyan's eyes were half-lowered, his long eyelashes casting shadows. His pitch-black pupils quietly stared at the woman's shocked expression, his voice soft and slow.

"Did I fail to meet your expectations? Did I disappoint you, Madam?"

Because he didn't do a good job.

Therefore, that affection had faded.

Therefore, she was unwilling to accept his status as her husband.

He held the woman's hand, lowering his head to kiss her fingertips. He moved down little by little—the palm, the wrist—leaving every inch of her skin tainted with a damp, sultry heat.

His thin lips pressed tightly against her palm, branding a kiss there.

His eyes curved slightly. Those noble eyes now carried a bewitching darkness, and his voice was tender and enchanting.

"Let me try one more time, alright? Madam."

Only by doing better could he maintain this relationship.

At this moment, An Ling was completely dumbfounded.

She felt like her husband was seducing her.

Although she didn't understand what Shen Linyan was talking about, whatever.

Anyone who could resist this wouldn't be human.

The novels from yesterday didn't say what to do when a husband was being this seductive.

She swallowed hard, remained silent for a moment, then slowly pulled her hand free and gently wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Let's... try."

As her words fell, the man leaned down and pressed against her. He tilted his head slightly and kissed her earring.

A few strands of his dark hair fell, brushing against the side of her neck, his breath scorching.

His scattered kisses were restrained and gentle, landing lightly on the corner of her eye, the tip of her nose, the corner of her mouth, and her chin, as tender as if he were treating a precious treasure.

"Does Madam like it like this?"

The tip of his tall nose rubbed against her, making her heart itch. The warm breath from his words brushed against the corner of her lips, incredibly bewitching.

An Ling lay on the bed, her dark hair scattered. The corners of her eyes flushed with an alluring red, and her clear, bright eyes reflected the man's face.

She slowly lifted her head, taking the initiative to kiss the corner of the man's lips, chuckling softly as she panted lightly.

"I like it."

Shen Linyan's eyes widened in surprise.

The hand propping him up on the bed suddenly clenched, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

The freshly cleaned room had been crisp, but at this moment, it seemed to be filled with a rich, fragrant scent. The familiar aroma of citrus and orchid wafted from the blankets, stimulating every nerve in Shen Linyan's body.

He stared at her for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing. He slowly lowered his head to capture her soft lips, sucking on them little by little, the tip of his tongue gently grinding against the parting of her lips, his movements both restrained and urgent.

His thin lips were scalding hot, their breaths intertwining. The crisp cedarwood scent from his nose mixed with his burning breath, wrapping around her and making her whole body tremble.

Her parents were just downstairs, yet here they were in a tightly closed room, intimately embracing and kissing on the bed An Ling had slept in countless times.

-

The events of that afternoon had been too sudden. It was only later that An Ling realized something wasn't quite right.

She stared at the document in her hand but didn't absorb a single word of it.

What did Shen Linyan mean by those words back then?

Why did they suddenly start kissing out of nowhere?

She stroked her chin, deep in thought.

Was this the adult world? How fascinating.

She could now somewhat understand why the male and female leads in those arranged marriage novels were able to fulfill their marital duties.

"Hey... Hey!"

A woman's dissatisfied voice rang in her ear.

She looked up and saw Shen Fuyuan crossing her arms and frowning at her. "What are you thinking about? I'm talking to you."

"Sorry, I zoned out for a bit." An Ling quickly snapped back to reality and turned the page of the document.

"We have already understood Miss Shen's itinerary. If there are any special arrangements, please let us know in advance so we can send someone to set up the camera positions."

Shen Fuyuan looked her up and down a few times. "By the way, about the gift from that day, did you know Zhou Wen didn't manage to give it out?"

An Ling paused her movements, then looked down and continued organizing the files. "I know. Shen Linyan already told me."

Shen Fuyuan leaned back in her chair and curled her lips. "How boring."

She paused for a long while before speaking again slowly, "But I heard you don't like Second Brother anymore. Is that true? Then who do you like now? Big Brother?"

That morning, Gu Xiaochi had suddenly sent a message saying that Big Brother had issued a warning, telling her not to cause trouble for An Ling.

This reversal was too sudden. Did Big Brother actually believe it?

Wasn't he afraid it was a trick?

An Ling didn't know where Shen Fuyuan got her information. She raised an eyebrow. "Miss Shen prying into my personal matters during work hours is probably against the rules."

"..."

Shen Fuyuan threw back the phrase from last time: "I do what I please."

An Ling: "Well, I don't."

Shen Fuyuan: "...Tch..."

Seeing the girl's deflated expression, An Ling laughed out loud.

"It's true that I don't like Lu Jingshen."

As for Shen Linyan...

She smoothly skipped over that topic without batting an eye.

Picking up her bag and standing up, she asked politely, "It's getting late, time to get off work. Miss Shen, would you like to grab dinner together tonight?"

Shen Linyan had business to attend to tonight and said he wouldn't be coming home. She planned to take this opportunity to bond with her sister-in-law, hoping to avoid any more trouble during the upcoming shoot.

Shen Fuyuan answered without a second thought, "Of course!"

Never turn down a free meal! She was going to make An Ling bleed cash! High-end restaurants, here she comes!

Just as she was about to get up, Shen Fuyuan glanced down at her phone. Her gaze paused, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Almost forgot."

She looked up at An Ling, who was standing by the door.

"Looks like I can't go after all. I have to make a trip back to the Shen family estate."