Under Lin Jinshen's oppressive gaze, Lu Yi remained silent at the right time.
The interior of the Bentley had always been of a high standard, with straight grained walnut gleaming and a mix of imperial blue and linen white leather, impeccable from design to texture.
"Not really," Lu Yi said.
Those bright almond-shaped eyes were more like a question, "So, are you okay?
Lin Jinshen's face did not look good.
His fingers on the steering wheel tapped twice. After looking at Lu Yi's innocent and open face for too long, he looked away, and when he looked forward, the high ridges of his eyebrows almost formed a knot.
His tone was deep and tense: "I didn't want to marry you in name only."
"Oh."
It didn't sound very convincing.
Lin Jinshen's jawline tightened even more as he said, "I can be sure that there is nothing wrong with your body or heart."
The last part of the sentence was said in a low voice, and no matter how he tried to explain it, he didn't know.
Lu Yi half believed and said, "I believe you.
"..."
Lin Jinshen endured it for a while, and at that time, the car in front of them started to move. The 500-meter section was blocked for 15 minutes. Fortunately, after passing that section, the rest of the journey was smooth, and they were able to arrive in time for dinner.
Lu Yi remembered that the gift was in her car and said, "I forgot to bring a gift and it's still in my car.
"Trunk, I prepared it for you." Lin Jinshen's face brightened.
Lu Yisong let out a breath, "It's too much trouble for you, thank you."
"No trouble, the assistant prepared it. The navigation prompted to turn left at the next green light, and Lin Jinshen turned the steering wheel slightly and drove onto another main road.
She almost forgot that someone like him didn't have to do everything himself.
"Thank you anyway, otherwise just calculate it and I'll transfer the money to you?" Lu Yi said politely, the price wasn't so high that she couldn't afford it.
Lin Jinshen looked at her sincere expression in the rearview mirror of the car and said, "We don't need to be so clear with each other."
"It's all yours anyway."
There was no emotion on his face when he said this.
It was just a statement of fact, not meant to please her with flattery.
Lin Jinshen said this, and Lu Yi didn't take it seriously. She leaned back in her seat and looked out the window.
There is a saying in Beijing that the east is rich and the west is noble. The Lin family is located on the Second Ring Road in the west, and the closer you get, the quieter the environment becomes. Privacy is emphasized. When you enter the community, the unique architectural style is much more restrained compared to its price.
Before getting out of the car, Lu Yi smoothed the hem of her skirt, calming her nerves on the way.
"Nervous?" Lin Jinshen looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
Lu Yi gritted her teeth and let out a sound from her throat: "Hm.
It was hard not to be nervous when meeting one's elders.
Lin Jinshen walked next to her with his head down: "Don't be nervous."
After a moment, he added, "My mother really likes you, you should have something to talk about."
"I hope so."
Seeing her up close, Lu Yi relaxed. She called them "uncle" and "aunt", her posture poised and graceful. It was better than she had imagined. Before coming here, she had feared that the whole family would be like Lin Jinshen. In fact, both Lin Zheng and Qin Ruyun had very good personalities without a hint of arrogance, and they chatted with her with smiles on their faces.
Mrs. Qin had only seen Lu Yi's photos before, and after meeting her in person, she couldn't stop praising her, saying that she was beautiful and had temperament, and that it was her family that had married above their station.
"I also have a younger daughter who is studying in the UK and hasn't come back yet. She kept saying on the phone that she wanted to say hello to you. If I remember correctly, Lu, you also studied in the UK before, didn't you?"
Lu Yi nodded, "Yes, Auntie, which school did my younger sister go to?"
"..."
The more Mrs. Qin talked, the more she liked her. After dinner, she asked, "When are you planning to get married?"
Lu Yi didn't know how to answer, so she looked at Lin Jinshen instead.
Lin Jinshen looked at her and calmly replied, "I haven't decided yet.
"...No rush," Lu Yi added.
"Hurry, how can there be no rush?" Ms. Qin Ruyun turned around and called Lin Zheng, asking him to make an appointment with Lu Yi's father to meet with the two families. Once things were arranged, the necessary procedures had to be carried out quickly.
There was no need to dawdle.
Lu Yi was even more reserved due to the enthusiasm of the Lin family.
Mrs. Qin also realized that her attitude had embarrassed the younger generation, so she covered it up with a smile and said, "Xiao Yi, Jin Shen is a bit boring. He usually has a stern face and doesn't smile much. You may have to be more tolerant of him in the future. If you have any problems getting along with him in the future, you should communicate well with him."
"No, Auntie," Lu Yi averted her eyes and looked into Lin Jinshen's deep, unwavering eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, "Men are more attractive when they are calm."
"..."
Lin Jinshen's dark eyes seemed to say that there was no need for that.
Lu Yi forced a polite smile, but inside, she was about to collapse.
Anyone can say polite things, the key is to say it to the person in person, but the person in person is being unreasonable, not only immune, but even condescending to her performance.
"In the future, you have to bear with Yi, if there is anything he does that is not good, you can tell us, Auntie and Uncle will definitely stand by your side."
"We should all put up with each other."
Lu Yi: "Thank you, Auntie and Uncle."
Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Jinshen sat upright, expressionless, like an armored cavalryman holding a long sword in an ancient castle.
The contrast was strangely fitting.
Lu Yi smiled as she lowered her eyes.
Her small expression was captured, and Lin Jinshen tilted his head and asked confusedly, "What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing." She pursed her lips and pressed down the wavy corners of her lips.
After dinner, after staying for a while, Lu Yi declined Ms. Qin's invitation to stay the night. Her car was still parked at the company, so Lin Jinshen took the keys and drove her to pick up the car. The two of them returned to the car, and she buckled her seatbelt and said, "Auntie seems a little anxious.
"Mm."
Lin Jinshen said, "Maybe she's worried."
"Worried about what?"
"Worried that you might run away."
"..."
Lu Yi felt mixed emotions. If Lin Jinshen hadn't stood in front of her in perfect health with no missing limbs, she would have suspected that Lin Jinshen had a problem, so she quickly took advantage of being able to trick one.
There was indeed a problem.
Not being close to women...
Lu Yi digested this for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Has anyone ever run away before?"
At least according to the information she had received, no one had.
Lin Jinshen: "If you run away now, you'll have the honor of being the first."
"?"
A cold joke from Lin Jinshen?
The air conditioning in the car suddenly dropped ten degrees. Lu Yi pulled down her clothes. Anyway, tonight was finally over.
As they drove to the vicinity of the company, Lin Jinshen stopped the car and got out with her, "It's late. I'll take you to the parking lot."
"Don't bother, it's only a few minutes away."
Lin Jinshen had already walked up, his eyebrows lowered as he said, "In reality, there are quite a few cases of women being stalked or even assaulted by perverts when they walk alone late at night."
"..."
She hadn't thought much about it at first, but now she was scared. She said, "Thank you."
Lin Jinshen looked at her with mixed emotions. She couldn't change the way she addressed him in such a short time.
The two of them went to the parking lot and got into Lu Yi's small car. As she was about to thank him again, she noticed that his eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he looked at her car, as if he was looking at a small toy.
"Shall I drive you up?" Lu Yi asked.
"No need."
Lin Jinshen refused, still sticking to the old school argument: "Remember to send a message when you get home to let me know you're safe."
"Okay. Goodbye, Mr. Lin."
"Mm."
Lu Yi got into the car, fastened her seatbelt, looked up, and saw Lin Jinshen's back. Guessing the length of those long legs, and then looking at the passenger seat, he realized that the space was indeed a bit cramped for him.
...
The meeting between the two sets of parents was scheduled for the weekend. Lin Zheng and Lu Kangcheng knew each other, and the two mothers had even met a few times. They weren't intimate, but they weren't strangers either.
Over a meal, they laughed and joked and set a date for the wedding.
Planning a wedding takes time, and there is no rush. Lu Yi cannot be neglected, but they can get a marriage license first and move out to live alone, which will be convenient for the young people to cultivate their relationship.
Seeing the parents, getting engaged, and getting the marriage license, time seemed to speed up, and before she knew it, it was over.
The day of the marriage license was an ordinary day, a weekday, and both of them had work. He had a meeting and she had an exhibition. She had more flexible time than him, and she waited to call him after he was done.
Yu Qian saw her wearing a crisp white shirt and jeans, neat and clean, and knew that she had to leave after a phone call, so she was in a hurry. She teased, "What, in a hurry to get married and get your license?"
She knew that the last time she went on a blind date, the topic of marriage was used as a joke by the women.
Lu Yi didn't hide it either, fixing her makeup in the mirror and saying, "Yes.
"?"
Yu Qian's eyes widened: "Really? Getting married and getting a marriage certificate? With whom? That stingy guy from the blind date?"
Lu Yi smiled but didn't say anything and waved goodbye.
Yu Qian was stunned and stayed where she was.
No matter what, she couldn't understand why Lu Yi had rejected Li Chengming's potential stock pursuit and decided to marry the blind date arranged by her family.
Lu Yi was not someone with a confused mind.
Could it be that there was something extraordinary about him?
Lu Yi arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau on time and went in with Lin Jinshen. There weren't many people in the afternoon, and the process went smoothly. She signed her name with each stroke, but there was still a subtle strangeness in her heart. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lin Jinshen holding the pen and signing with an imposing gesture.
"Done,"
The staff member handed over two brand new red books.
"Thank you,"
Lu Yi said.
The two of them took the books separately.
The staff member watched them for a long time, and after congratulating them, she added, "It's just that you two seem a bit unfamiliar with each other, which is quite interesting.
She had worked here for several years, and this was the first time she had seen a newlywed couple applying for a marriage license, not to mention physical contact, and they had not even looked into each other's eyes a couple of times. They were more polite to each other than to the clerks.
"..."
Lu Yi was at a loss for words for a moment.
Lin Jinshen calmly stood up and said, "You'll get used to it."
Lu Yi was once again at a loss for words and did not feel comfortable looking at the staff's expression, so she thanked them and quickly left.
Will they get used to it in the future?
Lu Yi doubted it.
The two of them left one after the other, taking their time to get their marriage certificate. After getting the certificate, they said goodbye to each other and went back to their work.
As they were leaving, Lin Jinshen called out to her, "Are you free tonight?"
Lu Yi froze for a moment, thinking that he wanted to celebrate, but that didn't seem like his style, so she asked, "What's wrong?"
The afternoon light was fading, and he had not put on the suit he had taken off for the photo shoot. He was wearing a white shirt with one button undone, revealing a small part of his neck. He had deep eyebrows and eyes and was quite a sight to behold.
"Go take a look at Chengxiyuan's house. You haven't been there before, so go today and familiarize yourself with the place so that it will be easier for you to move in later."
He had sent her the information before, but at that time, there was no way to know if it would work, so she said there was no rush.
A few days ago, Lin Jinshen had her notarize it, and without even being there in person, the apartment had already been transferred into her name.
She still had the little red book in her hand, the hard edges against the soft flesh of her palm.
"Okay."
Lu Yi said that she would go there directly when the time came.
Chengxiyuan was her choice. It was in the Dongcheng district, not a single-family villa, but a duplex penthouse. The floor-to-ceiling windows provided a panoramic view of the city at night. It was a busy area, not far from her company.
The two met downstairs and took the elevator up.
The house was originally furnished by Lin Jinshen for himself, but after he got used to living in the old house, he never moved out. If it wasn't for this marriage, it would probably have remained empty.
Before entering, Lu Yi's fingerprints were taken.
Lin Jinshen turned on the light, and the furniture in the room was clearly visible.
The first impression was one of openness and a wide field of vision.
The designer didn't have to think about space utilization for the 500-square-meter apartment. According to Lin Jinshen's requirements, all non-supporting walls were knocked down and the kitchen was made open. The wall near the stairs to the second floor was turned into a bookcase, and the books filled the entire wall.
The floor-to-ceiling windows provided a 360-degree view.
It was supposed to be beautiful at sunset.
Since no one had lived there, the house was clean and immaculate, like a showroom.
"The bedroom is on the second floor," Lin Jinshen reminded her.
Lu Yi went up the stairs and noticed that the upper floor was also open, with only two rooms: an oversized master bedroom and a study. There was no guest room.
The style of the master bedroom was to her liking, simple but with clever design details. There was also a large walk-in closet. The bathroom had a white and platinum bathtub, quite large, more than enough for two people to lie down in.
In fact, Lu Yi liked the design of the entire suite and there was nothing to complain about.
She came out of the study and ran into Lin Jinshen, who was leaning against the railing. His tall figure blocked the way, and the spaciousness that had just been there seemed to have become crowded.
He stood up straight, half as tall as her head, and when he looked down at her, he had a condescending air about him.
"Only one bedroom?" Lu Yi asked.
"Mm."
Lin Jinshen said, "I don't think you'll mind sharing a room and a bed in the future."
Without waiting for Lu Yi to respond from her state of shock, he added nonchalantly,
"After all, I can't."
"..."
Lu Yi was momentarily speechless as she felt like she had been hit by a boomerang she had thrown herself.
Lin Jinshen then asked, "I wonder when you plan to move in?"