Chapter 63: If I don't get married, can we still be friends forever

After a momentary daze, Shen Linyan turned his head, a helpless smile appearing on his face. "That must be about me, then."

An Ling blinked in feigned surprise, but the smile in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Our Chairman Shen actually has such a disobedient side? Refusing to get an injection when you're sick?"

Hearing the teasing in the woman's words, the man chuckled. His hoarse voice carried a hint of doting. "Alright, I'll reflect on my mistakes."

"You have more than just that to reflect on, Mr. Shen."

An Ling stuffed her hands into her pockets. "You didn't go to the hospital when you were sick, insisting on having a meal with me instead. Auntie Cheng told me you didn't eat dinner, either. I didn't expect to add 'dislikes injections' to the list. When we got divorced, didn't I say..."

As she spoke, her voice suddenly stopped, and her expression stiffened slightly.

These words... didn't seem quite appropriate to say out loud.

As soon as the word "divorce" came out, it instantly exposed the relationship between them.

She had no standing to say such things now, nor should she. Her actions today were already a bit out of line.

The man didn't seem to notice her pause. His expression remained unchanged as he smiled softly. "You're right."

An Ling, however, didn't dare to utter another word. She turned her face away to avoid his gaze, nervously touching the earring on her earlobe.

The elevator suddenly fell quiet.

After a moment of silence, the woman suddenly spoke up in a low voice, "By the way, when will the divorce announcement be released?"

Shen Linyan's eyes froze. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the bag in his hand until his fingertips turned white, and then abruptly released the tension.

He lowered his eyes to conceal his emotions, curling his lips into a gentle smile. "It will be released in the next couple of days."

"I see..."

An Ling hesitated, wanting to say something more, but the elevator doors opened at that moment. In the end, she said nothing and followed the man out of the hospital.

After getting into the car, Mother An happened to send her a caring message.

[Lingling, are you working overtime this late today? Do you want your brother to pick you up?]

She hadn't told her mother that she was accompanying Shen Linyan tonight, simply using working overtime at the company as an excuse.

[Mom, go to sleep first. No need for my brother to pick me up. I'm on my way back and will be there in about ten minutes.]

[Okay, focus on driving. Mom won't bother you.]

After replying to the message, An Ling glanced at the man beside her from the corner of her eye, the little boy's words echoing in her mind again.

She stared at her own hands for a moment, then slowly shifted her erratic gaze away.

The car cabin was a bit too quiet. An Ling could only look down at her phone, pretending to be busy, not really daring to start a conversation.

If she wasn't careful, she might say too much, and the more she said, the more mistakes she'd make. It was better to just stay quiet.

Suddenly, the man's voice broke the silence in the car.

"An Ling, when my mother called me that night, she actually talked about more than just the video."

Hearing this, she instinctively raised her head.

The thought of staying quiet from just a moment ago was instantly thrown to the back of her mind.

"More than that? What else did she say? Did she really ask you to take the blame for Lu Jingshen?"

Hah! She knew that old woman was wicked!

"No matter what she said, it's a good thing you refused."

It definitely wasn't anything good, anyway.

The man didn't speak, lowering his eyes as if lost in thought.

A few seconds later, he slowly raised his eyes.

The night was dark and heavy. The car windows occasionally reflected the streetlights passing by. The dim light traced the man's handsome features, making them appear even more profound in the shadows.

His dark eyes looked at her quietly. His thin lips parted, and his voice was low and slow.

"She said she wanted to introduce my next marriage alliance prospect to me."

An Ling's expression suddenly froze. The words on the tip of her tongue got stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.

When she recovered, she blinked rapidly and opened her mouth, hesitating. "Ah... so it was about that... Then this also needs to be..."

Her voice gradually faded away. An Ling shifted her gaze out the window, rubbing her phone with her thumb thoughtfully.

A marriage alliance prospect...

It made sense. Once the divorce announcement was released, the news that the head of the Shen family was single again would definitely attract a large number of people throwing themselves at him.

Shen Linyan would also start looking for his own love.

After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly smiled and sighed. Turning her head, her tone was no different from usual.

"It seems my guess back then was spot on. They really are arranging blind dates for you. Did you refuse?"

The man nodded. "I refused."

An Ling continued to smile. "That's good. Like I said back then, you should choose one yourself..."

"I told her I wouldn't marry again."

"..."

Her smile instantly froze, thinking she had misheard.

The car was filled with a relaxing, soothing incense, and gentle music was playing. It should have been a relaxing atmosphere, but right now, it felt somewhat heavy.

The man in the seat lowered his eyes and softly repeated it, his deep voice exceptionally clear in the car.

"An Ling, I won't marry again."

In that instant, An Ling's heart skipped a heavy beat.

She stared blankly at the person in front of her, unable to utter a single word.

Not getting married?

What did that mean?

After a long while, she finally opened her mouth and found her voice. "Not getting married... what does that mean?"

Could it be because his previous marriage left such a terrible impression on him that Shen Linyan didn't want to get married at all anymore?

So, was it because of her?

An Ling gripped her phone tightly, her brows furrowing.

"Shen Linyan, if you don't want to get married because of your previous marriage with me, I can assure you that your future marriage will definitely not be like that. Although our marriage was indeed a bit unpleasant at the beginning, there was a reason for that. I told you before, you will meet someone..."

Shen Linyan was taken aback, initially not realizing what the woman was saying.

Once he clearly heard her words, his eyes curved, and a helpless, light chuckle escaped his lips.

He leaned forward and raised a hand to gently cover her chattering mouth.

A crisp, cold woody scent wafted over her. The woman stopped talking, her watery almond eyes looking at him in confusion. "Mmh?"

Shen Linyan released his hand. His long fingers helped tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His movements were natural, his voice gentle.

"An Ling, the reason I don't want to get married is indeed because of you, but not for that reason."

His fingertips inadvertently brushed against her earring, his warm finger gently touching the woman's soft earlobe before naturally withdrawing his hand.

The man lowered his eyes and rubbed his fingertips together.

He slowly raised his eyes, gazing at her gently.

"I know that if I get married, you will keep your distance to avoid suspicion and stop contacting me. We would gradually become strangers."

"If I don't get married, can we be friends forever?"

An Ling stared blankly with her dark, clear eyes. Her beautiful face was filled with complete bewilderment. Her rosy lips were slightly parted, and her mind had already gone completely blank.

She forgot how she even got out of the car in the end.

By the time she came to her senses, she was already standing at her front door.

...What just happened?

She took a long time to process it before absentmindedly touching her forehead.

Was she running a fever too? Was this actually a dream?

Otherwise, why did it feel just like a dream?