Chapter 8: Because I'm Your Wife

This was the first time An Ling had heard gossip about Shen Linyan.

Although the rumors those employees were spreading were false, at this rate, it wouldn't be long before they became reality.

Following the standard script of a vicious female antagonist, she ought to storm over right now, slap those employees across the face, and then flex her authority as Mrs. Shen. She should sneer and tell them they were fired, thereby further ruining Shen Linyan's reputation within the company.

An Ling tapped her finger against her arm, her gaze slowly sweeping over the employees who were whispering among themselves.

Catching her eye, the employees stiffened and lowered their heads like frightened quails.

Sensing the brewing storm, Secretary Chen quickly turned to her. Young Madam, please don't worry, I will handle—

But finding empty air behind him and seeing the woman already striding toward the front desk, he panicked. Young Madam!

Oh, for the love of God!

Ding! The elevator chime suddenly rang out.

The elevator doors slowly slid open.

Upon seeing the man inside, Secretary Chen's eyes widened in horror. He just wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

Sir... he stammered, just about to speak.

But the man merely raised a hand slightly, gesturing for silence.

Meanwhile, An Ling had already clicked her way over to the front desk in her high heels.

Under the pale, terrified gazes of the receptionists, she leaned lazily against the counter. Having a good chat, are we? How about letting me join in?

At her words, the group trembled even harder.

An Ling's gaze swept across their faces. Propping her chin on her hand, she asked with a beaming smile, Why did you stop? You specifically chose to discuss this right when I walked in. Didn't you want me to hear it?

One of the employees immediately apologized, his voice shaking. I'm so sorry, Madam... Please be the bigger person and forgive us this once. I really need this job.

The others quickly followed suit.

Madam, we are so sorry! Please forgive us just this once. We promise it will never happen again.

Yes, Madam, we wouldn't dare gossip like this ever again.

Madam, we were truly wrong. Please let us off the hook.

Seeing the receptionists being put on the spot, some onlookers who didn't know the full story began to whisper among themselves.

What's going on here...

Looks like they're being given a hard time.

That's Mrs. Shen, isn't it? Is she here to cause trouble again?

How awful. Those poor guys are doomed.

The whispers drifted into her ears. Everything was playing out exactly according to the predetermined plot.

No matter who was actually at fault, as long as she, the vicious antagonist, intervened, she would be the one to blame.

It was almost too classic.

An Ling blinked, then suddenly burst into laughter. What's with the long faces? You're making me look like the bad guy, as if I'm going to fire all of you.

Relief was just about to wash over their faces when the woman's tone abruptly shifted.

Although, I suppose I really am the bad guy.

...

An Ling offered a sweet, amicable smile. Tell you what. I'm not an unreasonable person. Who started the rumor about the board of directors? I don't know where you heard it, but this counts as slander, doesn't it? It might even damage the company's image.

The others shook their heads in sheer panic and immediately pointed at a man standing next to them. Madam, we didn't say it! He was the one who said it! We were just listening to him.

Yes, exactly! He said it! We don't know anything about it!

The accused man jumped, his face turning an ugly shade of pale.

An Ling took a brief look at the man.

Whatever, she couldn't remember his face anyway.

She'd just let Secretary Chen remember it.

With that thought, An Ling turned toward the elevators.

However, her gaze locked when she saw the man standing next to Secretary Chen.

The man was tall and straight. His dark black suit was perfectly tailored to highlight his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His features were mild and refined. With one hand casually slipped into his pocket, he exuded an innate, aristocratic elegance. It was unclear how long he had been standing there watching.

Honey, what are you doing down here? I was just on my way up to find you. Without letting her smile falter, An Ling clicked over to him in her heels.

From the very first second their eyes met, she knew exactly who he was.

She stopped in front of him, looking up with crinkled, smiling eyes. Someone was spreading rumors about you. I was just helping you catch the real culprit.

Upon hearing this, the other receptionists hastily spoke up to clear their names. Chairman Shen! We didn't say anything! He was the one spreading rumors; it has nothing to do with us!

Yes, yes! He was the one doing all the talking! He's the rumor-monger!

The tide had turned entirely too fast. Betrayed by his colleagues, the male employee's face grew even more livid. Don't try to shift all the blame onto me! You guys were gossiping too!

The others widened their eyes and waved their hands frantically. Don't talk nonsense! We're nothing like you! You were the only one talking!

Exactly! We didn't say a word!

The bickering escalated as the employees fought over who was at fault.

Meanwhile, the true instigator of this chaos stood right in front of him, smiling like a picture of innocence, reaching out to brush some imaginary dust off his shoulder.

Honey, I'll leave the rest to you, okay? I'll wait for you in the elevator.

Beside them, Secretary Chen's eye twitched. He lowered his head, trying his hardest to blend into the background.

Shen Linyan watched the woman's retreating figure. He lifted his gaze to the front desk and, with almost no hesitation, said,

Fire them all.

As his calm, emotionless voice fell, the color drained from the employees' faces.

Inside the elevator, An Ling raised an eyebrow when she heard this.

Once the man stepped inside, she leaned against the wall, gave a lazy yawn, and teased with a smile,

Firing all of them? What if people start gossiping about our Chairman Shen again?

Shen Linyan's lips curved upward out of habit. The smile in his eyes was exceptionally faint, overshadowed by a calm indifference, though his voice remained as mild as ever.

It sounds like my wife is looking out for me.

How could she not look out for him? After all, if he went bankrupt, the male lead would come after her.

An Ling looked down to play with her phone and tossed out a casual excuse. Because I'm your wife, of course. Who else would I help?

She failed to notice the man's frame stiffen slightly at her words.

The smile in Shen Linyan's eyes froze for a fleeting second.

His gaze gradually darkened into an abyssal stillness, and the fingers resting by his side curled slightly. He glanced at the woman beside him and suddenly gave a faint, mocking tug of his lips.

That won't be necessary. Miss An should know very well that ours is merely a marriage of convenience. You don't need to concern yourself with my affairs, and I won't interfere with whatever you wish to do. We are simply taking what we need from each other.

Just like it had always been. There was no need for this sudden change.

Whether her love for Lu Jingshen had turned to hate, or if she was planning some other sort of revenge, he had no interest in getting dragged into it.

Huh? An Ling looked up in surprise.

This was the first time since she woke up that Shen Linyan had spoken to her in such a tone.

He was so bluntly exposing the true nature of their arranged marriage, even going so far as to call her Miss An.

In the past, Shen Linyan had never cared about what the original An Ling did, much less felt the need to emphasize that their marriage was purely transactional.

Astutely sensing that the man's mood was off, An Ling put her phone away and asked directly,

Shen Linyan, I was just helping you protect your image. Why are you getting mad?

The man paused, turning his head to look at her.

Ding—

The chime rang out, and the elevator doors slid open.

Yet, the two people inside remained completely still in silence.

An Ling blinked, shifting her gaze elsewhere.

Never mind. If you don't like it, I just won't help you next time.

What a weirdo. She was doing him a favor and he was actually annoyed about it. It wasn't like this had anything to do with the female lead, anyway.

An Ling, his deep voice suddenly called out her name.

She threw him a nonchalant glance, silently asking what he wanted.

A thick, unspoken tension silently filled the air.

A second later, a faint sigh seemed to brush past her ear.

The coldness in the man's voice finally began to thaw. Pressing the button to unlock the door, he spoke softly,

"I'm not angry. I just don't want you to waste your time on me. You married me to get close to Lu Jingshen, and I married you to fulfill an agreement. We both get what we want out of this."

Truth be told, Shen Linyan wasn't wrong.

That was exactly what their relationship was. The system had used her body to marry Shen Linyan for the sole purpose of getting close to Lu Jingshen.

It would be more surprising if her sudden change in behavior hadn't made him suspicious.

No wonder Shen Linyan had been acting so strangely, sometimes seemingly considerate, and other times completely distant. Clearly, he still had his guard up around her.

Staring at the man's back, she pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking up,

"What if I told you I don't have feelings for Lu Jingshen anymore?"

Shen Linyan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her.

"Shen Linyan, we did enter this to get what we both wanted, but my needs have changed. I want you to secure your position as the Chairman of the Shen Group, so we can solidify the partnership between our two families."

An Ling stepped up to him and raised her hands to straighten his tie. With a soft smile in her eyes, she murmured,

"So, my dear husband, I won't allow anyone to jeopardize our mutually beneficial arrangement, not even myself."

Shen Linyan remained silent.

The man's calm, dark eyes rested quietly on her. The emotions in his gaze were like a faint mist hovering over a lake, so elusive that it was impossible to tell whether he believed her or not.

In truth, An Ling couldn't care less if he believed her.

Initially, she hadn't even wanted to bother explaining herself to him.

After all, infidelity between couples in arranged marriages was hardly uncommon.

Even Shen Linyan himself was still secretly in love with the female lead, Zhou Wen.

She was only saying this now to put his mind at ease. She wasn't going to stir up trouble like she used to, so there was no need for him to be so guarded. After all, they still had to work together moving forward.

Smiling, she let go of his tie. "You should go. Don't you have a meeting to attend? I'll wait for you in the office."

Suddenly, the man's gentle voice sounded from behind her. "Of course I believe my wife."

An Ling turned her head to meet his gaze.

Her eyes curved into a sweet smile. "Thank you for believing me, hubby."

Watching the office door click shut, Shen Linyan withdrew his gaze. After a moment of silence, he turned and dialed a number.

"Find out who An Ling met with today."