In the master bedroom on the second floor of the villa.
Lin Zhishui still kept to the same strict routine she’d followed while living at the Lin Family home in the Gang District.
When it was time, she went back to her room to sleep.
She’d just finished her bath and changed into a light, thin silk nightdress, and was now lying on her pillow.
Her fingers tapped lightly on her phone screen as she seriously sent a message to Ning Shangyu, [I was wrong,]
Before she got a reply, she lowered her eyes and continued editing her next message, [Actually, I really don’t understand why Shen Linshu wants to pursue me. Besides, he clearly knows I’m engaged, yet he still tries to interfere. I don’t really admire people with morals that low. I only agreed to meet him because I was foolishly trying to get back… and the medicinal cuisine, I should have made it for you in private. I shouldn’t have let the butler and the others know about it.]
Lin Zhishui had been mulling over this all day.
She felt it was necessary to be honest with Ning Shangyu, so it wouldn’t affect the feelings between them as an engaged couple—a relationship that hadn’t even started to develop yet.
The next second.
Before she finished editing, a new message popped up in the chat window.
Ning Shangyu, [You weren’t wrong, it was me.]
He was wrong for letting his heart soften towards her last night, for being unable to restrain himself.
Lin Zhishui’s fingertip hovered above the send button for a long time, then, one by one, she deleted everything she hadn’t sent.
For some reason, she couldn’t quite imagine these words coming sincerely from Ning Shangyu’s mouth.
In fact, she even felt a bit confused, as if he was being passive-aggressive.
The more Lin Zhishui looked at it, the stranger it seemed.
So, quite naturally, she sent a soul-searching question, [What exactly did you do wrong?]
Ning Shangyu was brief and to the point, [I was too soft-hearted, like a bodhisattva.]
Lin Zhishui’s eyes, framed by her lashes, stared at the screen without blinking.
What?
Isn’t having a bodhisattva’s heart a good thing?!
Lin Zhishui replied with utmost seriousness, [Actually, it’s good for a man to be a little kind-hearted.]
Then, she went online and forwarded a few news articles:
[Generous men have the best lives.]
[When your beautiful wife accidentally makes a mistake, what should you do? Of course, you should forgive her unconditionally…]
Ning Shangyu replied with six ellipses.
A moment later, Ning Shangyu’s message came again, [I’ll have someone accompany you tomorrow.]
The implication was obvious—she was too idle, which was why she spent her days browsing such trivial news.
Lin Zhishui lay on her pillow, biting her lower lip, thinking, as expected, he’s being passive-aggressive.
***
The next day, Ning Shangyu sent Ning Panyu to accompany her.
Ning Panyu spun the keys to a supercar around his long, jointed fingers, speaking in his usual lazy tone, “My brother said, to keep you from overthinking at home, he’s appointed me as your ‘companion ambassador.’ So, tell me, where do you want to go?”
Lin Zhishui stood quietly on the steps, dressed in a pale green silk dress, like a tender leaf newly unfurled over a forest lake in midsummer, making even the sweltering weather feel especially refreshing.
After a brief silence.
She furrowed her brows, finally digesting the phrase “companion ambassador.”
Then, convinced that this was probably just one of Ning Panyu’s improvisations, she thought about her unfinished conversation with Ning Shangyu the night before…
After a pause, Lin Zhishui’s tone was calm and even, “Oh, and what else did your brother say?”
Did he mention her?
For example, did he ask to forgive his future virtuous and gentle wife?
Ning Panyu’s tone was still lazy and languid, “Why don’t you guess?”
Lin Zhishui knew well that he was a bit of a mischievous type, so she refused to play his guessing games.
Since she had a free driver, she might as well make use of him.
She skipped the topic and said directly, “I want to go to a charity auction, but I don’t have an invitation.”
Ning Panyu, “That’s easy.”
In Si Cheng, and even in other regions, as long as someone from the Ning Family wants to go somewhere, there’s nowhere they can’t get into.
An invitation is nothing for someone like Ning Zhiyu, who’s used to getting his way.
But Lin Zhishui wanted to keep a low profile, so she reminded him to pick a seat in a more inconspicuous corner.
She didn’t realize that with Ning Panyu accompanying her, no matter where they sat, they would instantly become the focus of every influential figure’s attention.
The hall was dimly lit, with enough space between the VIP seats to ensure privacy.
All the guests invited by the organizers, men and women alike, were dressed impeccably.
When Lin Zhishui appeared, a man with peach blossom eyes a few meters away was instantly stunned by her beauty.
He adjusted his suit cuffs, ready to strike up a conversation, but then saw Ning Panyu trailing behind her.
The Ning Family—
The man with peach blossom eyes calmly sat back down.
Everyone present, regardless of eye shape or social status, knew that men of the Ning Family possessed a top-tier, animalistic possessiveness in their genes.
For the sake of their own interests, they would stop at nothing, and never hide their sharpness—especially those higher up in the family, who were the most dangerous.
And it was easy to tell who belonged to the core of the family’s power structure.
Only those who had entered the inner circle were qualified to wear items engraved with the family crest.
At this moment, Ning Zhiyu, standing behind Lin Zhishui, had one hand in his pocket, his exposed metal watch looking simple and understated, but to those watching from afar, it was extremely conspicuous.
That seat was—
“To have Ning Panyu personally escort her, and with looks like that, who else could she be?”
“Ning Shangyu’s…” someone whispered softly.
Clearly, Lin Zhishui’s presence represented Ning Shangyu’s authority, instantly suppressing the group of well-dressed wolves and tigers lurking nearby.
Lin Zhishui, oblivious to all this, had rarely attended public events since being sheltered by the Lin Family.
So, when faced with unfamiliar, prying eyes, she didn’t overthink it, but quietly found her seat.
She was calm.
Ning Panyu, on the other hand, was chatty as ever, lounging lazily against the chair back, idly spinning his watch.
“Did my brother really forgive you so easily that night? That doesn’t sound right.”
This little driver couldn’t scare her, and he still seemed to be brooding about it!
Lin Zhishui’s eyes curved but she didn’t smile.
“Normal social interaction—does that require forgiveness?”
“Not necessarily.”
Ning Panyu raised an eyebrow.
“Since we’re all family, as a kind-hearted soul, I’ll let you in on a secret: my brother has a serious obsession with cleanliness. He’s never kept any old toys since he was a child, hates things others have touched, and absolutely won’t allow anyone to covet what’s his.”
He deliberately dragged out his words, as if a little regretful, “Yet you’re perfectly fine.”
Lin Zhishui was at a loss for words, Thank you, you thunderstruck ‘kind-hearted soul.’
Ning Panyu wanted to keep chatting.
But Lin Zhishui’s patience and manners had run out.
She couldn’t be bothered to humor this alarmist driver anymore, so she lowered her gaze and began flipping through the auction catalog in earnest.
When the charity auction began—
It wasn’t as fiercely competitive as Lin Zhishui had imagined.
She had her eye on a celadon Ru kiln washer donated by a well-known collector.
When she raised her paddle, the entire hall fell silent.
For a long time, no one dared to bid against her.
Lin Zhishui subconsciously glanced around.
In the dimly lit surroundings, Ning Zhiyu’s eyes were full of arrogance, his tone slow and unhurried, “Don’t bother looking at them. My brother already said, whatever you want is yours.”
After a moment, Lin Zhishui softly replied, “Oh,” and said nothing more.
She didn’t want much, but if she so much as glanced at something, Ning Zhiyu would help her bid for it.
As the auction drew to a close, the attention of the guests had shifted entirely to Lin Zhishui.
Several people at other tables had already whipped out their phones to quickly share the news within their circles.
Sharing the fact that Lin Zhishui, who had long lived in the Gang District, and whose rare beauty had always been hidden among the wealthy, had finally appeared at a top-tier event—for the sake of donating to endangered wildlife.
Lin Zhishui had never liked the high-profile jewelry auctions; she preferred smaller charity events, going purely to do good.
In this regard, no one understood her better than Ning Zhiyu.
These days, he’d gotten her at least three or four invitations.
Of course, Ning Chao Yu’s only role was to provide invitations.
As for paying, that person was busy with official affairs and rarely in Si Cheng.
When the weekend came, Ning Zhiyu unexpectedly suggested taking her out for a taste of “wine and revelry.”
Wine and revelry?
Lin Zhishui’s eyes widened in surprise.
She thought she should already be grateful for this bit of newfound freedom, especially since Ning Shangyu had been uncharacteristically “understanding” lately and hadn’t imposed any curfew like Ning Panyu’s previous scare tactics.
Now she was actually free to go indulge in “wine and revelry”?
“Of course you can.”
Ning Zhiyu answered carelessly.
“What’s the point of staying home reading fairy tales about the ocean all day? There’s so much more fun out there.”
Lin Zhishui had spent the morning sorting through boxes of marine science books, not realizing that in Ning Zhiyu’s eyes, she looked like she was reading a fairy tale, just one step short of acting spoiled and calling her brother over to read to her.
This time, Lin Zhishui didn’t bother arguing.
She kept walking, her steps steady, both excited and curious, imagining how Ning Chao Yu—who seemed to revel in the pleasures of the world—might show her the bright lights.
As the sun set, Ning Zhiyu took her by private jet to a winery on New Zealand’s North Island, with a whole entourage of bodyguards and assistants in tow, so that even prying eyes couldn’t get close.
It wasn’t until she saw the temperature-controlled wine cellar, surrounded on three sides by walls and displayed like a luxury showcase, that she realized what kind of “wine and revelry” Ning Si Yu had in mind.
He took out a bottle of foreign wine, its vintage older than hers…
Lin Zhishui, “This is your idea of ‘wine’…?”
“Wine and revelry,” Ning Miaoyu spun the stem of a wine glass with his long fingers, then poured a half glass of what looked like a beautiful but low-alcohol wine, handing it to her.
“You take the ‘wine,’ I’ll handle the ‘revelry.’ Fair, right?”
Clearly, Ning Chao Yu had gotten tired of being her driver and wanted to vacation here himself, summoning a group of model and celebrity friends—both men and women—to party around the outdoor pool.
The place was packed.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhishui was left alone in the luxurious wine cellar, like a beautiful, fragile glass bottle being carefully stored by the owner.
And in the absence of supervision, since childhood, Lin Zhishui’s sense of taste had never fully recovered, and she usually found most food bland and tasteless.
Unconsciously, the strong aroma of the liquor finally let her taste a hint of flavor.
And so, she gradually kept drinking.
At this point, Lin Zhishui was still clear-headed.
At least, she knew how to open and read the message from Xin Jingxuan:
[The medicinal cuisine recipe is ancestral! Absolutely authentic!!! You didn’t drink it right. You have to drink it for three days in a row for it to work wonders!]
So it needs three days?
Lin Zhishui’s fingertip pressed against the cold screen, dazed for a moment.
If Ning Shangyu hadn’t had enough for two days, she wondered, staring at the wine bottles in front of her, which seemed to sway as if in an earthquake.
The next second, it felt like they would all topple over.
Just then, Ning Zhiyu, who had appeared at some point, picked up the empty bottle by her hand and quirked an eyebrow.
“You drank it all?”
He’d only poured a little, thinking Lin Zhishui must have learned the basics of wine tasting at the Lin Family, knowing what it meant to savour and stop at a taste.
Clearly, he’d been mistaken.
Lin Zhishui had drunk it all, and now, like a crystal wine bottle filled to the brim, her skin—already pale—was tinged with a faint, drunken pink all the way to her fingertips.
“Wine and revelry should be shared equally,” Lin Zhishui said, her demeanor perfectly composed, drinking as if it were water.
She sat upright and asked earnestly, “Can you call Ning Shangyu over? I have something important to discuss with him…”
Are you just tipsy and want to nap, or are you hoping my brother will come read you a fairy tale?
“You’d better get him,” Lin Zhishui said softly and gently, her tone utterly calm, but it was not a request—it was a command.
She emphasized, “It’s very, very important.”
The only reason Ning Chao Yu dared to bring her here without fear was because Ning Shangyu was also at the New Zealand winery, negotiating a business deal.
And as the highest authority in the power structure, Ning Zhiyu was like a fanatical follower, always putting his esteemed elder brother’s interests first.
If Lin Zhishui hadn’t claimed it was something important…
Ning Zhiyu wouldn’t have bothered.
But once she’d had a bit of wine, she clammed up, only insisting on seeing someone.
Ning Panyu had no choice but to bring her over.
As dusk settled, Ning Shangyu finished a second, deeper round of negotiations with his business partner.
The elite team dispersed, each returning to their rooms to rest.
There was another social banquet at the winery that night, but Ning Shangyu had no interest and declined the invitation.
Xi Yan, who followed behind, understood and stopped at the door of the luxury presidential suite.
Just as he was about to scratch off an item from the schedule and leave, Ning Shangyu’s cold voice sounded from inside, “Come in.”
When Xi Yan was summoned in, the brilliant crystal chandelier was ablaze, illuminating everything with nowhere to hide—including the two fair and beautiful young men standing nervously in front of the wine cabinet, almost frozen, pink silk tied from their necks to their wrists in bows, like carefully wrapped gifts.
Ning Shangyu glanced over indifferently, his thin lips parting to utter a single sentence that snapped Xi Yan back to his senses, “Find out who abandoned these here.”
Abandoned?
What kind of word was that?
Trust their Ning President—he could turn even such a seductive gift into a social news headline with a single word.
Xi Yan dared not argue and went to investigate.
Three minutes later, he learned that the owner of the winery, Lu Yuheng, had earnestly wanted to show hospitality and prepared this surprise for Ning Shangyu.
It wasn’t a casual gesture—Lu Yuheng had gone to great lengths to learn that Ning Shangyu was rumoured to be suffering from cancer, though it wasn’t confirmed.
He’d also heard that, in the business world, many had tried to offer themselves to Ning Shangyu, but whether it was for business or to curry favour, any woman sent to him was met with cold indifference.
Lu Yuheng, taking a gamble, figured that someone as powerful as Ning Shangyu wouldn’t openly state his preferences, and would be hard to please, so he wouldn’t accept just any “gift.”
He even worried that Ning Shangyu might really be ill, so he sent two, just in case.
Xi Yan’s temples throbbed wildly.
It was obvious their Ning President had no interest whatsoever, his eyes colder than ever.
He quickly reported the truth, not missing a word.
Ning Shangyu sat on the sofa, wearing two rings engraved with the family crest on his middle and index fingers, idly tapping the armrest.
With a faint sneer, he said, “Reject these two foundlings and send them to Lu Yuheng’s room.”
As soon as the words fell—
Before Xi Yan could carry out the order, both doors suddenly swung open.
Ning Zhiyu knocked three times, completely unserious, “Honored elder brother, your fiancée says she has something urgent to discuss with you. As your dutiful little brother, I had no choice but to bring her here. Please sign for her.”
“Mission complete, I’m off.”
With that, he ran.
Right after, Lin Zhishui really did appear, strolling in slowly.
The thick, expensive carpet swallowed the sound of her footsteps completely.
Ning Shangyu’s gaze shifted slightly to her.
But Lin Zhishui wasn’t looking at him—she was looking at—
The two “foundlings” in the room were simply too conspicuous, those bows impossible to ignore.
Lin Zhishui was momentarily stunned, then dropped her gaze to Ning Shangyu.
Her mind, fogged by alcohol, slowly recalled what she’d vaguely heard Ning Shangyu say at the door earlier.
Then, pointing with her slender finger at the two of them, “Are these your children?”
“You’re going to abandon them?”