Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

Su Tingwan stood in the corridor, listening listlessly to the man's departing footsteps. Her hands fell limply to her sides, her eyes involuntarily reddening, and tears streamed down her face.

A year ago, Ji Linzhou said he had been set up and needed a married identity, asking her if she could go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with him to get a marriage certificate immediately.

Although she was overjoyed at the time, she felt that it was too hasty.

Before they get their marriage certificate, he should at least prepare a surprise for her, a romantic proposal, and a grand engagement ceremony.

She comes from a scholarly family, how could she just casually get a marriage certificate and marry herself off?

Finally, she took her friend's advice and went abroad.

Before leaving, she sent Ji Linzhou a message: "If you're truly sincere, find me within a week and propose."

During that time, she wore full makeup every day and wandered the streets of various romantic cities in Europe, waiting for Ji Linzhou to appear at some point and propose to her.

This is not meant to make things difficult for him.

With his power and background, finding out which country and city she is in is as easy as eating and drinking.

She just needed a ritual from him to prove that he couldn't live without her.

But this wait lasted a year.

He didn't contact her at all, not even a phone call or a text message.

Even now... he still seems to be angry about what happened back then.

She took a deep breath, looked up, and glanced towards the end of the corridor.

A reporter emerged from the shadows.

He put down the camera: "Don't worry, it's all filmed, and it'll be trending tomorrow."

"Um."

Su Tingwan sniffed and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Since Ji Linzhou is unwilling to propose to her again, she will use public opinion to force him to choose her again!

A black Cayenne was parked in front of the restaurant.

Ji Linzhou opened the car door, got into the back seat, and frowned slightly: "Where is she?"

He thought she would be in the car, waiting for him here just like Bai Cheng.

"You mean your wife? She took a taxi and left."

Bai Cheng replied in a low voice, "I wanted to take her back, but she said... she told me to wait here, and that you and Miss Su would come over later..."

Ji Linzhou frowned, pinching his brow in annoyance: "Let's go home."

As Bai Cheng started the car, he cautiously glanced at the man in the back seat through the rearview mirror: "You and your wife... had a fight because of Miss Su?"

Ji Linzhou turned to look out the car window: "No."

If only she were willing to argue with him because of Su Tingwan.

But the truth is, she wasn't jealous at all, nor did she have any intention of arguing with him because of Su Tingwan, her ex-fiancée.

She would even voluntarily give him space to spend time with Su Tingwan.

The man frowned, his mood involuntarily becoming irritable.

Even if this marriage is just a transaction, she is still the biggest beneficiary.

Why doesn't she cherish it at all?

In this marriage, Lin Qingmian was clearly the one who benefited the most, so why didn't she cherish it at all?

Soon, the car arrived at the Deep Blue Apartment building.

When Ji Linzhou opened the door, Lin Qingmian had already finished washing up and was lying on the bed in the bedroom talking to Jiang Yao: "You really don't need to pay me back that money. I met a sucker today, making over ten thousand yuan just by transferring money from one pocket to another..."

"How about I treat you to a meal once Auntie's condition stabilizes?"

The woman spoke with a teasing, amused tone, as if the events at the restaurant had had no effect on her whatsoever.

Or rather, she simply doesn't care what her husband is doing or what he might do with other women.

Ji Linzhou loosened his tie, the feeling of frustration in his heart intensifying.

He took off his coat, turned around and went straight to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of ice water from the refrigerator, and gulped it down.

The loud noise outside made Lin Qingmian frown instinctively: "I'll tell you later, it seems like a thief broke into my house."

"Your neighborhood has such good security, how come there are thieves?"

Jiang Yao said helplessly on the other end of the phone, "Is Ji Linzhou back?"

"Unlikely..."

Lin Qingmian glanced at the time.

It had only been twenty minutes since she returned from the restaurant.

Did he and Su Tingwan finish their conversation so quickly?

After hanging up the phone, I carefully walked out of the bedroom.

She was still holding her phone, her finger hovering over the emergency button that Ji Linzhou had set for her.

The living room was quiet, with the man's discarded suit and tie lying on the floor, stretching all the way to the kitchen.

It really is Ji Linzhou.

Lin Qingmian breathed a sigh of relief, put away her phone, and walked towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the man was leaning against the refrigerator door, holding a bottle of ice water and chugging it into his mouth.

Water droplets rolled down his Adam's apple and into the open collar of his suit jacket, wetting his white shirt and making the shape of his chest and abdominal muscles, which were covered by the shirt, stand out even more clearly.

Sensing her gaze, Ji Linzhou threw the empty water bottle into the trash can and looked up at her.

His eyes were deep and unfathomable, carrying emotions that Lin Qingmian couldn't understand.

After a brief silence, she frowned and asked, "Did you finish your chat with Miss Su so quickly?"

"you……"

Before she could finish speaking, the man standing in the kitchen strode over.

He was so tall that when he stood in front of her, he completely blocked the light from the overhead incandescent bulb, casting a huge shadow over her.

The next second, the man lifted her chin, stared at her cherry-like lips for a while, and then kissed her as if venting his anger.

By the time Lin Qingmian came to her senses, the man's hand had already slipped under the hem of her pajamas.

The slight stinging sensation gradually brought her back to consciousness.

"no."

She frowned, gripped his hand firmly, and pressed her fingertips against the prominent veins on the back of his hand: "I don't want to."

The surroundings became quiet.

The desire on the man's face gradually faded, and his gaze turned cold: "Why?"

The woman pushed him away, her eyes cold yet stubborn: "I just don't want to do it."

The first time she was not in her right mind, the second time he was not in his right mind.

But now, they are both very clear-headed.

Even when she was sober, she couldn't convince herself to completely succumb to desire and have this kind of relationship with a man who was thinking about other women.

The air grew colder and more oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

Finally, the man withdrew his hand from Lin Qingmian's body and turned to leave.

The moment their bodies brushed against each other, the sharp edge of the steel watch on his wrist grazed her arm, causing a stinging pain.

"Bang--!"

The door was slammed shut.

Lin Qingmian remained in the position where he had pressed her against the refrigerator door, and slowly closed her eyes.

……

The next morning, Su Tingwan's name dominated the trending searches.

#Why did the newly opened restaurant shed tears?#

#Neglected by her fiancé, Su Tingwan is suspected of being affected by rumors surrounding her new drama!#

As if orchestrated, the gossip media outlets unanimously pushed Su Tingwan's gossip to the top of their headlines.

The photos accompanying the news were all of Su Tingwan at the restaurant last night.