"Rou'er!"
Mrs. Lin was startled by Lin Zhirou's venomous words.
"She has the Lu family behind her! Lu Jinsheng. Your father and I really can't afford to offend him..."
It was already not easy to keep the Lin family afloat. If they offended Lu Jinsheng, the Lin family's foundation would be on the verge of collapse, and they would no longer be able to gain a foothold in Shanghai.
"Then let her be disgraced! I want Lu Jinsheng to live a life worse than death!"
Lin Zhirou roared hysterically, out of control.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears rolled down her face. Mrs. Lin's heart ached seeing her daughter being bullied like this.
Determined to help her daughter, Mrs. Lin gritted her teeth.
"Okay, Mom will help you!"
As long as they could keep it a secret and Lu Jinsheng couldn't trace it back to them, she didn't believe that Lu Jinsheng would be able to find an excuse to target the Lin family.
...
Shen Jianyi didn't notice that danger was approaching.
She looked at the gift in her hand. Tian Tian was smiling brightly beside her. The sadness from not getting the role was long gone.
"Sister Yiyi, Sister Qin Yue, I've decided! I'm going to work hard!"
Tian Tian made a gesture to cheer herself up.
"I've endured such a tough life. I don't believe I'll be depressed just because I missed out on a second - lead role!"
Shen Jianyi was infected by her optimistic spirit and smiled. She looked at Qin Yue beside her.
"How's the progress of the autumn makeup line?"
"Pretty good. We're almost done. But we haven't found the right models yet. For the female models, I've short - listed two candidates: Tian Tian and another girl. But the male model is still undecided."
Qin Yue flipped through the folder in her hand and showed Shen Jianyi a sample of the autumn makeup products.
"The designer hopes the male model can be delicate - looking. After all, fresh - faced and cute young men are quite popular these days."
Cute young men?
A face suddenly popped into Shen Jianyi's mind.
"Don't look for the male model for now. I'll decide."
She handed the file back.
Qin Yue raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh? Did you have an encounter? Aren't you afraid your boyfriend will get jealous?"
She had seen in the news that Lu Jinsheng had taken Shen Jianyi to a charity dinner. Wasn't that practically a public announcement?
"This is work."
Shen Jianyi said calmly. Her face, without makeup, carried an air of authority.
Qin Yue knew how serious Shen Jianyi was about her work. She stopped joking and replied, "Yes."
...
It was already dark when Shen Jianyi returned to the Lu family mansion.
She thought Lu Jinsheng had already had dinner. But as soon as she walked in, the smell of delicious food filled her nostrils.
On the long dining table, there were all her favorite dishes and her favorite red velvet cake.
"The young mistress is back!"
Sister Gu greeted her happily and took Shen Jianyi's schoolbag.
"The young master has been waiting for you to have dinner. Sister Gu made all your favorite dishes today. Go and see if they suit your taste."
Shen Jianyi was both amused and touched by Sister Gu's doting.
"Thank you, Sister Gu."
She said obediently. After washing her hands, she sat down beside Lu Jinsheng.
Lu Jinsheng was on the phone.
"Have you sorted out the Tu family's matter?"
Lu Jinsheng glanced at Shen Jianyi. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and asked into the phone.
Shen Jianyi's heart skipped a beat.
The Tu family?
Tu Nan?
"Lu Jinsheng."
She called out. "Are you talking about Tu Nan?"
"Yeah."
Lu Jinsheng replied calmly and continued talking on the phone. "Suspend the cooperation with the Tu family and withdraw the investment—"
"No need, Lu Jinsheng."
She interrupted him.
"I can handle this myself."
Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?
It was just Tu Nan. It wasn't necessary to turn the Tu family into the next Lin family because of such a trivial matter.
Lu Jinsheng raised his eyebrows in confusion. "He slandered you."
"I never care about what others think."
Shen Jianyi scooped up a spoonful of cake and stuffed it into her mouth. Her words were a bit mumbled. Her chubby cheeks made her look like a little hamster.
Lu Jinsheng hesitated for a moment, then picked up the napkin beside him and wiped the cream off her lips.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, she coquettishly pleaded, "Just listen to me this time."
Looking into her soft eyes, Lu Jinsheng smiled helplessly.
"Okay."
Then he said into the phone, "No need."
Only then did Shen Jianyi feel relieved and focused on the red velvet cake in front of her.
"Have your dinner first."
Seeing how engrossed she was in the cake, Lu Jinsheng was afraid she would get too full on the cake and couldn't eat her dinner.
"I haven't had cake for a long time."
Moreover, the taste was so similar to Lisa's!
The more she ate, the more convinced she was that it tasted exactly the same as Lisa's.
She casually asked, "Where did you buy this cake?"
Sister Gu walked over with a bowl of soup, smiling. "The young master invited Miss Lisa over. He said he saw that the young mistress liked her cakes last time, so he asked Miss Lisa to teach me how to make them. How do you like the taste?"
Shen Jianyi was enjoying the cake so much that there was even a bit of cream on her nose.
Her mouth was full of cake, and she couldn't speak. She just gave Sister Gu a thumbs - up.
...
Lu Jinsheng finished his dinner first. Just then, Mo Yun came to report some work, so he went to the study.
Only then did Shen Jianyi rub her slightly bloated belly and lazily sit on the sofa.
She didn't go into the study until Mo Yun left.
"Lu Jinsheng, I have some homework today."
She stood in front of Lu Jinsheng and said seriously.
"Homework?"
He looked at her with amusement.
"When did Tsinghua University start assigning homework?"
"I... I assigned it to myself."
Shen Jianyi said without a trace of guilt.
Lu Jinsheng put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "What kind of homework?"
She pursed her bright lips.
After a moment, she opened her hand. A pocket watch lay in her palm. "Hypnosis."
Lu Jinsheng knew what she was up to.
His eyes darkened, and his hand on her waist tightened unconsciously.
Thinking that he didn't trust her skills, Shen Jianyi quickly explained, "I've already tested it on the professor after class. He said I have a talent for it."
"So—"
She paused and looked at Lu Jinsheng with a hint of pleading. "Give it a try, Lu Jinsheng."
Deep down, she was shouting: Let me help you, Lu Jinsheng. I also want to do something for you.
Moved by the passion and plea in her eyes.
Lu Jinsheng's body responded before his mind.
"Okay."
He said hoarsely.
...
In the quiet study.
On the sofa, Lu Jinsheng lay with his head on Shen Jianyi's lap. She held a pocket watch in her hand. The silver watch ticked as she whispered.
"Now, imagine you're lying on a calm ocean..."
Time passed by.
Accompanied by her soft voice, a wave of drowsiness came over Lu Jinsheng, and he fell into a nightmare.
Shen Jianyi stared at the handsome face in front of her. She was both excited and nervous as she asked the question.
"Lu Jinsheng, the person you want to see the most is standing in front of you. Can you tell me her name..."