Lin Wan was reluctantly brought to the same acupuncture clinic by Chen Jin, who half-forced her. The needles were inserted into some acupoints like San Yin Jiao and Guan Yuan. When they stepped out of the clinic, Lin Wan walked ahead, and suddenly, Chen Jin paused, hesitated, and said, "Wan Wan, your pants are dirty."
Lin Wan's face flushed instantly. She stood there, at a loss, unsure of what to do. No matter how much she hated this man, he was still a man, and no woman could calmly face such a thing. Chen Jin took off his coat and draped it over her, saying nothing more, walking ahead to lead the way. Lin Wan wished she could just disappear into the ground.
When they got to the car, Lin Wan hesitated for a moment. Chen Jin went around to the driver's side, turned back, and said, "It's fine, get in. Aren't you afraid of being seen?" At that, Lin Wan quickly bent down and got into the car.
Chen Jin drove her to the apartment building and, just before she got out, casually reminded her, "Hurry up and change your pants."
Lin Wan didn't respond, her face red with embarrassment. She quickly got out of the car and rushed into the building. Straight to the bathroom she went, and upon checking, there was no problem at all. That bastard, Chen Jin had been messing with her! She was furious. Just then, her phone rang. Seeing that it was him calling, she answered and immediately scolded, "Chen Jin, are you sick? Is this how you spend your time?"
On the other end, he laughed, "Aren't you the sick one? Stay at home and rest. I just asked for leave for you." He hung up after that.
Lin Wan was fuming, this man was always so domineering, treating her like a puppet—how infuriating.
The acupuncture actually worked. Over the next few days, Lin Wan felt much better. In fact, she had been quite worried. After being soaked in the water for so long, and then foolishly eating ice cream, it was just asking for trouble. She almost felt like she was tempting fate. Sometimes, she thought she didn't fear death, but she sure feared menstrual cramps. The pain was unbearable, almost like a fate worse than death. She wished she could just end it all with one quick crash. But deep down, she realized, she was still afraid of dying.
Some people say time is relative. Chen Jin used to disagree, back when he was strong and unaffected by his surroundings. But now, he had to admit it, for his life had gained a point of reference—Lin Wan. When she was causing trouble, time seemed to drag on forever. But when she was calm, time flew by. Indeed, time passed quickly—before he knew it, over a month had gone by.
The reason Lin Wan had been calm lately was that she had a new playmate: a small, grey, clumsy puppy she had found. The first time Chen Jin saw it, he was shocked. It was like a lump of cloth. His instinct was to pick it up and throw it away. But when he saw Lin Wan holding the poor thing with a stubborn look on her face, and then noticed its big, round eyes staring at him, he suddenly smiled. "This must be your relative, huh? Looks a bit like you."
He thought for a moment and added, "Well, we can keep it, but we need a cage to keep it in. I'm afraid I'll accidentally step on it."
The little creature let out a small whine, and its eyes sparkled. Chen Jin thought, it really did look like Lin Wan.
And so, the little lump of fur was kept. Lin Wan named it Nini, but Chen Jin later discovered it was a male dog, so he started calling it Mud. With her new companion, Lin Wan stopped moping around. She even smiled at times when he wasn't around, and Chen Jin couldn't help but feel pleased. But slowly, he began to feel uncomfortable. Lin Wan and Mud were inseparable, almost like they were joined at the hip, practically cuddling together to sleep.
Chen Jin became jealous. What made him even angrier was that Mud, once spoiled, no longer recognized him. Every time he pulled the dog out of Lin Wan's arms and tossed it onto the ground, it would bark at him and even show its teeth. Chen Jin gritted his teeth, thinking, Do they not know who the real boss is here? The food it eats, the balcony it lives on, even its owner, it's all mine.
Sometimes, when Lin Wan wasn't looking, he would secretly step on the little dog's tail with his slipper. The dog would bark and whine in protest, and Lin Wan would rush over, demanding to know what was going on. Chen Jin would calmly reply, "Who knows what's wrong with it this time? Maybe it's just acting up again. You didn't pick up a mad dog, did you?"
A few times, when he came home, he found Lin Wan sitting on the couch watching TV, mud tightly pressed onto her chest. The coffee table was cluttered with the remnants of their snacks, and it made Chen Jin furious. Look at his perfectly fine apartment, turned into a mess by one woman and a dog! Every time he saw this, he couldn't help but ask himself, how did he allow this to happen?
The answer was simple, really—because Lin Wan was willing to put up with him in order to keep the dog. For example, when he told her he wanted to try something new in bed, and she didn't understand, he explained. When she refused, he threatened, "Then I'll throw that dog out of the window." Lin Wan immediately turned pale, and Chen Jin chuckled, thinking how easy it was to get her to do whatever he wanted.
There's a saying, "When one thing decreases, another increases." Lin Wan had calmed down, but his family chaos had intensified. His mother called him every few days with some excuse to make him come home, claiming she had a headache one day and a stomach ache the next. After she was done, she'd start on his father, knowing well that he was a dutiful son. And every time he went back home, there was always a girl waiting for him.
On the other hand, his grandfather was as stubborn as ever, refusing to acknowledge him as a grandson unless he softened his attitude. His two uncles were caught in the middle, trying to mediate the situation. The tense relationship finally eased on his grandfather's 90th birthday. At the birthday party, his eldest uncle introduced him to a woman—Zhang Yunyi, the daughter of a minister. His uncle whispered to him, saying it was just a meal, no harm done, and that it wasn't worth fighting with the elderly over. He even added, "The old man knows about your little girlfriend, so what are you planning to do? Force him to take action?"
Chen Jin thought it over. Honestly, he didn't want to make things too awkward with his family over one woman, but he also didn't want Lin Wan to be disturbed. Looking at Zhang Yunyi, she seemed elegant and well-mannered, and she didn't seem like the type to cling to someone. As his uncle said, it was just a meal, no big deal, and he could always find a way out without getting too involved.
Once Chen Jin had settled his family issues, his birthday was approaching. In the past, he would have celebrated with his childhood friends, drinking and partying until they were all too wasted to remember anything meaningful. This year, he decided to do something different—he wanted to spend his birthday with Lin Wan.
A week before his birthday, he had to go to the U.S. for an industry summit. As they were heading to the airport, he forcibly dragged Lin Wan into the car to send him off. Throughout the ride, he held her hand tightly. When they reached the airport parking lot, he turned to her and said, "You've got a week to think about what you're going to give me for my birthday."
Lin Wan turned her head, ignoring him. Just as Chen Jin was about to speak, he saw Old Li in front of him, so he waved his hand, dismissing him. "I've said all I can to soften her up. I can't let a third person hear it," he thought to himself. After Old Li left, he turned Lin Wan's face to look at him and asked, "I'm talking to you, did you hear me?"
Lin Wan rolled her eyes and said, "I can't think of anything."
"I think you're just too lazy to think. Fine, I'll pick something," he said after a moment's thought. "How about a bowl of noodles?"
"I can't make noodles."
Chen Jin snorted in disdain, "Don't try to fool me. If you can't cook, are you even a woman?"
Lin Wan ignored him, and as he thought for a moment, he leaned closer, saying, "Fine, I don't want noodles anymore. I want my gift now." He glanced at his watch and muttered, "There's still 40 minutes left, a car shake should be enough."
Lin Wan's eyes widened, like she didn't understand, but at the same time, she clearly did. Chen Jin pushed her against the car door and, with a suggestive tone, asked, "Noodles or car shake, A or B?"
As he reached to undo her clothes, Lin Wan quickly pressed his hand down and closed her eyes, saying, "A."
Chen Jin laughed and kissed her cheek. "I'm leaving now, my flight's about to board." He then opened the car door on his side, leaving Lin Wan frustrated. Unable to hold back, she cursed, "Can you be any more shameless?"
Chen Jin turned back, winking at her, and said smugly, "You know me, I can."