Chapter 75: This was the first time Shen Linyan had ever lied to her.

The sky grew dark, and the rain fell heavier.

The curtain of rain blended into the night, blurring the neon lights on the streets, while the noisy patter of raindrops splashed against the glass.

An Ling sent a message to Shen Linyan saying she had arrived, then turned and leaned over to grab the umbrella from the floor of the passenger seat.

Just as she picked it up, someone gently knocked on her car window.

Knock, knock—

An Ling thought she wasn't allowed to park there, but when she turned her head, she met the man's smiling eyes.

Slightly surprised, a smile bloomed on her face as she hurried to open the door and step out. Why did you come out?

The man held a black umbrella, his knuckles distinct and strong. A luxury watch peeked out from his wrist. Water droplets rolled off the umbrella's edge, leaving dark, damp patches on the shoulders of his navy blue suit.

His eyes crinkled slightly as he tilted the umbrella toward her. He took her hand, wrapping it in his palm, and spoke in a gentle voice.

Are you cold?

No.

An Ling shook her head, then mysteriously stuffed his hand into her overcoat pocket.

Shen Linyan paused for a moment before his fingertips brushed against something warm.

The woman's proud and playful voice rang in his ears.

I have a secret weapon.

He bent down, smiling, and felt it again to figure out what it was. A heat pack?

Yeah.

When she left the house this morning, she specifically checked the weather forecast. Seeing that it would rain and get colder today, she packed a few heat packs in her bag.

An Ling raised an eyebrow at him triumphantly. If your hands are cold, I can share one with you.

The smile on Shen Linyan's lips deepened. He looked down and took her hand again. Your hand seems to be warmer than the heat pack.

An Ling's face flushed slightly. She held his hand and walked toward the pet store. Didn't you say you picked up a cat? Let's hurry up and go see it.

Shen Linyan had previously sent her a photo of a kitten getting checked out, saying he had found it.

Inside the pet store, a gray-and-white kitten was kept in a warm incubator basket. Its fur was still a bit wet. It rested its chin on the edge of the basket, its left leg wrapped in a white bandage, and its ears drooped.

An Ling squatted beside it and gently touched its little paw with her finger. Without even opening its eyes, it whimpered and meowed softly.

There are no major issues. After the checkup, we found a small wound on its leg, probably from an accidental scratch. It's a little girl, about three months old, a mix between a Ragdoll and a Silver Shaded British Shorthair. She has very good features, the shop assistant explained from the side.

An Ling nodded in agreement.

Even though she didn't know much about cat breeds, she still thought it looked incredibly cute.

She touched the kitten's ears again, listening to its comfortable purring, and looked up at the man. Are you going to take it home and keep it?

Shen Linyan's gaze swept over the kitten in the cage.

Yes. You can give it a name.

Me? An Ling pointed at herself, pursing her lips in slight embarrassment. But I'm terrible at naming things.

It doesn't matter. The man squatted down beside her and said gently, It likes you very much, so it will like the name you give it.

Since Shen Linyan put it that way, An Ling didn't refuse.

Looking at its gray fur, she thought for a moment, then turned her head with a smile and blinked at him. Let's call it Huihui. Do you think that's okay?

The woman's fair, beautiful face held a look of anticipation. Her eyes were clean and clear, incredibly captivating when they curved into a smile.

Staring at this smile, Shen Linyan recalled An Zhou's words again.

Childhood sweethearts.

Why would a blind date be a childhood sweetheart? Aren't they usually arranged with strangers?

His wife hadn't told him that she was going on a blind date tomorrow either.

He lowered his eyes to hide his emotions, curled his lips, and said gently, Yes, it sounds very nice.

After paying the bill, An Ling and Shen Linyan didn't linger and left the pet store.

Watching the couple leave, the shop assistant lowered her head to sort out the bills.

Another assistant walked over, holding a freshly bathed cat.

Hey, didn't a college student bring in that sick cat? How did it suddenly become that handsome guy's?

Without looking up, the first assistant replied, The college student didn't have the money to pay for the treatment. That handsome guy happened to be in the store picking out a pet at the time.

When the college student was begging her to help treat the cat, the man had glanced at the sickly kitten and suddenly spoken up: I can pay for it.

As for his only request...

The man took out his phone and added indifferently, Just say I brought it in.

Having organized the bills, the assistant looked up again.

She had a puzzled expression on her face.

It's a bit strange, though. It looked like he wanted to give it to his girlfriend.

He came all the way to the pet store to pick a pet for his girlfriend, but ended up choosing a stray cat.

Truly strange.

Outside the pet store, An Ling looked down at her phone.

7:23.

Even if they went back now, they wouldn't make it in time for dinner.

Before she could speak, the man suddenly asked, Has my wife had dinner yet? Do you want to go eat together?

Sure. An Ling had been just about to bring that up.

Shen Linyan had asked her out many times before, but she had been quite busy lately. Their schedules always clashed, so they hadn't actually managed to go on a proper date yet.

She looked down and opened an app to search. Where should we go eat? I'll set up the navigation.

Let's go home.

The man opened the umbrella and turned to look at her, his appearance gentle and noble. Smiling, he said softly, Shall we eat at home? I've already had Auntie Cheng prepare dinner.

An Ling blinked, smiled, and put her phone away. Okay.

...

After walking through the door, An Ling placed her bag on the sofa.

She took off her coat and instinctively turned to look at the dining table. When she saw that the table was completely empty, her expression froze in surprise.

Huh?

Didn't he say dinner was already prepared?

Seeing the man walk over, An Ling pointed in confusion. Did Auntie Cheng put the food in the fridge? Let's heat it up first then.

Saying that, An Ling stepped toward the kitchen to open the refrigerator.

As she walked past him, the man grabbed her wrist.

No.

A deep voice sounded above her head. There's no need to look, my wife. There's no food in there.

She was stunned for a moment, not quite processing it yet. Ah? Then where is it?

The man looked down at her dazed little expression and sighed with a helpless smile. Feeling a tickle in his heart, he gently pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her soft, slender waist, and lowered his head to nuzzle the top of her hair.

My wife, I didn't ask Auntie Cheng to cook.

An Ling blinked, her face pressed against his chest. Feeling a bit of novelty in the moment, she tilted her head up and looked at him eagerly. So you lied to me?

This was the very first time Shen Linyan had lied to her.

Yes, the man admitted softly.

He reached out and cupped her face, his palms warm. He rubbed his nose against her cheek and lowered his head to kiss the corner of her lips.

He lifted his gaze, his pitch-black eyes staring straight into hers.

Because I missed my wife very much. Did you not miss me?