Chapter 68: But I Wish My Wife Were You

The moment the man's lips pressed against hers, An Ling's mind went completely blank.

Clatter—the bag in her hand dropped to the floor.

It wasn't until her lips were gently suckled that she instinctively raised her hand to push him away. Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked up, only to meet the man's dark, unreadable gaze.

Sensing her resistance, Shen Linyan stiffened. He immediately let go and took a step back.

He gently turned his head away, a hint of panic breaking through his usually cold and handsome features. His lips were flushed under the light, and the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, giving him a desolate look. His voice was a bit hoarse: "I'm sorry."

The woman was still in a daze, a blush tinting her delicate, porcelain-white face, her full lips looking incredibly alluring.

She lowered her head and blankly touched her lips.

Had she actually just been forcibly kissed by Shen Linyan?

Her shock over this fact far outweighed any anger.

"You..." An Ling had absolutely no idea what to say in that moment.

Shen Linyan bent down to pick up the bag from the floor, his Adam's apple bobbing. "An Ling, if you have needs, you don't have to spend money to find those... male models. What I mean is, I can help you too."

An Ling's face turned another shade redder. "I... I haven't said I'm going to remarry you."

Shen Linyan: "That doesn't matter. I can still help you."

An Ling: "..."

She paused. "Are you doing all this... just to get me to agree to remarry you?"

The man placed the bag in her hands. "If doing this will make you remarry me, then I will do it."

"..."

An Ling's expression was complicated.

She felt that Shen Linyan's feelings were very strange. It was as if he liked her, but at the same time, it seemed like he didn't—he just had a desperate urge to be close to her.

He was like the gentle second male lead in a novel, always silently watching over the female lead, yet perfectly capable of watching her marry the main character without any desire to fight for her.

He would say some incredibly ambiguous things without even realizing it himself.

Jiang Mai had even called her a scumbag, but the real scumbag was right here.

But the only thing she could be sure of was that, at least for now, Shen Linyan only had this special dependency on her.

Thinking of that contract that had suddenly appeared, An Ling looked thoughtfully at the man in front of her.

She wasn't sure if that contract was the key to Shen Linyan's ultimate bankruptcy.

But if it weren't for the remarriage, given Shen Linyan's kind, non-competitive nature, he definitely wouldn't fight for the shares.

Once the contract expired, he would be left with nothing, which would essentially count as bankruptcy.

The Shen parents were truly bizarre in their own unique ways.

One was biased, and the other didn't trust their own eldest son, leading to the signing of such a ridiculous contract.

An Ling placed her bag on the table and slowly sat back down on the sofa. "Shen Linyan, I hope you can get the shares back, but as for remarrying... I can't give you an answer right now."

Setting aside whether Shen Linyan could successfully take back the shares from the male and female leads, An Ling didn't want to bear the guilt of causing his bankruptcy.

Furthermore, although she was quite fond of Shen Linyan's face and sympathized with him, she didn't love him deeply enough to stake the rest of her life on him.

She wasn't joking with Shen Linyan. If she were to truly get married, she would choose someone she loved, and who loved her back.

As her words fell, the living room descended into silence.

The man suddenly walked over and softly said:

"An Ling, I won't deny that what I did for you in the past was out of a husband's duty. Even now, I don't know exactly what my feelings for you are."

"You once asked me, if my wife wasn't you, would I still do those things? My answer is still yes."

He knelt on one knee, gently taking the woman's hand. Lowering his eyes, he whispered, "But I want my wife to be you."

Whether it was desiring An Ling's companionship or being reluctant to let her go.

These were emotions he was experiencing for the very first time.

"An Ling, although I don't know how to love someone, I will learn, okay?"

The man's voice was low and gentle. His large palm enveloped hers, making her hand feel hot. An Ling's eyelashes fluttered; she pursed her lips and said nothing.

After a moment of silence, she quietly turned her face away, a barely noticeable blush spreading across her cheeks. She mumbled:

"I said I can't give you an answer right now..."

Shen Linyan froze for a second, then his eyes gently curved into a smile.

"Then, can my wife also promise not to look for male models in the future?"

"..."

An Ling, her face red, pulled her hand back. She crossed her arms, leaned back, and stubbornly said, "That's hard to say... Maybe the moment I step out this door, I'll go to a club to find one."

Besides, they hadn't even remarried yet. Why was Shen Linyan already calling her his wife?

Just as she finished speaking, a shadow suddenly fell over her.

An Ling's voice hitched. She looked up stiffly, locking eyes with Shen Linyan.

The man braced his arms against the sofa, his long legs slightly bent. His deep eyes gazed down at her quietly. His straight nose was so close it was almost touching hers, and his hot breath gently brushed against her face, carrying the familiar, warm scent of cedarwood.

His long eyelashes lowered as he leaned in, testing the waters.

An Ling instinctively shrank back.

When they looked up at each other again, the air grew increasingly heated in the silent eye contact.

This time, it was unclear who leaned in first, but their lips slowly met.

The man cradled the back of the woman's head, her soft hair tangling around his watch strap. The faint blue veins on his cold, pale skin bulged slightly, exuding a palpable sexual tension under the light.

An Ling wrapped her arms around his neck. Blushing, she closed her eyes as her body was pressed back against the sofa.

A shower of delicate kisses fell on the corners of her mouth. Then, her lips were captured, gently savored along the edges with a tender, restrained force.

A damp heat permeated the narrow space. With their lips and teeth entangled, the kissing man and woman on the sofa didn't even notice the passage of time.

Suddenly, a ringtone pierced the air.

"Ring, ring—"

The unexpected sound shattered the intimate atmosphere.

The man pulled back slightly, their lips still brushing. He lowered his head to kiss away the moisture at the corner of her mouth, his nose gently nuzzling hers, his warm breath fanning her lips.

"I think that's your phone."

Of course she knew that.

"I need to take this." An Ling's fair face was flushed crimson, her beautiful eyes shimmering with moisture. She pushed the man away, pursed her tingling lips, and got up to grab her bag from the coffee table.

When she saw the caller ID and the current time, her eyelid twitched violently.

[Brother.]

Crap.

Crap, crap, crap.

The heat drained from her face instantly, and the rationality she had lost quietly returned.

She covered her face in regret. Feeling guilty, she silenced the call, glanced out of the corner of her eye at the man who had gone to pour another glass of water, and stiffly picked up her bag and phone to leave.

"Um... you don't need to pour water for me. I'm leaving."

Hearing this, Shen Linyan turned from the dining table. "Do you need me to walk you home?"

"No, no, no!" An Ling frantically waved her hands and rushed to the door to change her shoes. "I can just take a cab back. Get some rest."

If she let Shen Linyan take her home, her brother would absolutely explode if he saw them.

Beep—

The front door closed and locked automatically. The man standing by the dining table slowly put down his water glass. The lighting outlined his tall, slender figure, highlighting his sharp jawline and elegant profile.

After a moment of silence, he lowered his head and touched his lips. His eyelashes cast a shadow, his dark fringe falling over his eyes as the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.

"As expected... I still have to exploit my wife's soft spot."