Lin Zhishui had no idea Ning Shangyu was about to explode right where he stood.
She woke groggily at dawn, the silk quilt slipping off her shoulders, revealing her neck and skin flushed with a delicate, translucent redness.
Lin Zhishui had no complicated thoughts—she was simply used to sharing her reactions with her fiancé.
She also subtly hinted: please, take seriously the traditional advice she suggested last night.
Just as she placed her phone back on the pillow, it beeped repeatedly, abruptly pulling her drifting thoughts back.
She lowered her eyes and saw that Ning Shangyu had sent a video call invitation.
Just one sentence.
He could have replied casually, so why insist on a face-to-face conversation through the screen?
Could it be that, as an engaged couple connected by a special bond, Ning Shangyu wanted to rigorously discuss traditional relationship norms with her…?
Thinking this, Lin Zhishui raised a finger and gently tapped to answer.
Soon, Ning Shangyu’s stunningly handsome face appeared on the small screen, but Lin Zhishui’s eyes suddenly widened, first noticing the golden sunlight bathing his eyes, turning them into a deep molten gold.
This was unlike his usual dignified appearance—his tie was undone, one suspiciously loose button on his shirt, and because the camera was close, she could clearly see his exposed Adam’s apple protruding.
Lin Zhishui suddenly leaned closer to the screen, furrowing her brow: “Where did you come from? Why do you look like that?”
Ning Shangyu asked in a calm tone, “How do I look?”
“Disheveled,” Lin Zhishui replied.
He smiled slightly, his handsome face composed, but those amber eyes burned fiercely: “So, what do you think I should do?”
Lin Zhishui frowned slightly, thinking of course he should button up his shirt properly, fix his tie, and not let strangers have a chance to peek at him like this.
But those words sounded a bit controlling, so she swallowed them and instead softened her tone: “You have a spare suit in the car, right? Change into that.”
Ning Shangyu did have one.
Under Lin Zhishui’s silent urging through the screen, he casually unbuttoned his shirt.
Through the phone screen, she could make out the outline of his chest as it was gradually revealed in the sunlight—the sharp, firm, and smooth lines of muscle like a piece of finely sculpted art.
Who would have thought?
Beneath the tight embrace of his usual high-end suit, Ning Shangyu concealed such a breathtaking sight.
Lin Zhishui leaned on her pillow, her heart racing uncontrollably.
When he tossed his shirt at his feet and started undoing the metal collar pin, her eyelids twitched, the flushed color returning beneath her skin, and she finally remembered to look away.
She instructed, “You should put on the new shirt properly, then change the rest.”
Ning Shangyu, however, had no intention of listening: “Can’t we take it off and put it on together?”
“No.”
Lin Zhishui tried to keep her voice steady, suppressing her racing heart, speaking seriously: “I’m thinking of your health. If the cold wind gets in, it won’t be good.”
Ning Shangyu glanced at the fine suit fabric for two seconds, then smiled.
After a while, Lin Zhishui returned her gaze to the screen, a bit stunned to see him lazily leaning back in the seat, still watching her.
Those amber eyes were strange, like dangerous whirlpools that could swallow her soul whole.
Every second they faced each other seemed stretched infinitely, until her nearly dizzy mind finally remembered to act seriously.
She pursed her lips and changed the subject: “You haven’t asked—aren’t you curious about my dream?”
Ning Shangyu looked up again.
Perhaps the car had just passed a row of plane trees, casting shadows that redefined the contours of his exquisite features and making his expression ambiguous and hard to read.
But it only lasted a moment.
When the light returned to the cabin, Ning Shangyu, as if not particularly curious, said flatly, “Forgive me for being blunt, but I don’t understand how Miss Lin, who hasn’t taken a single biology class, could have any meaningful dreams based purely on imagination?”
What was wrong with not taking biology?
At least she had done some practical lessons!
Lin Zhishui felt an instinctive slight to her pride, maybe it wasn’t just an illusion—Ning Shangyu simply wasn’t interested in her dream at all.
He really underestimated her!
Though belittled, her temper flared. Since Ning Shangyu wasn’t genuinely here to discuss or learn, she raised that slender finger again and hung up the video call without warning.
Lin Zhishui didn’t know what Ning Shangyu would do after being hung up on unilaterally.
She, however, was in a good mood.
Since she had woken up early with plenty of time, she decided to take a fragrant bath first.
She filled the water and dropped a bath bomb into the classic white porcelain tub.
As it slowly dissolved on the surface, it released the scent of natural plants.
Lin Zhishui lay back in the water until her shoulders shimmered with a watery glow.
Lowering her eyes, as if at the Lin Family Old Residence, she idly rubbed some transparent bubbles together.
Before long, she managed to create an enormous bubble.
She froze slightly, those naturally tender, compassionate eyes losing some of their purity as they fixed on the large bubble on her fingertips.
Her mind flashed through the dream fragments from last night, and Ning Shangyu…
Suddenly, Lin Zhishui couldn’t bear to look anymore.
Her fingertips, as if scalded by hot water, curled up sharply, and the next moment, she climbed out of the tub.
She didn’t go downstairs.
The butler had prepared breakfast and patiently waited, with no one daring to disturb upstairs.
When Lin Zhishui went to the dressing room to get dressed, she sent a message to Wan Lu, who was in the Gang District, politely but straightforwardly asking if there was any “tutorial” type course for couples or spouses.
Wan Lu understood immediately and replied: [You want videos that help improve marital relations?]
Then she sent an “I get it” emoji.
She definitely understood something quite different from what Lin Zhishui wanted!
Naughty intentions!
Lin Zhishui’s finger hovered over the screen, slightly flushed and translucent in the light, and she pondered for a moment before replying: [No, no, I meant something like traditional tutorials.]
Wan Lu was lazily lying on the counter reading messages, her flowing water-red qipao accentuating her radiant complexion and adding a hint of seductive smile.
Her long nails slid over the screen for several seconds, probably guessing this little troublemaker’s girlish thoughts.
But she herself had little experience in romance.
Did she really think “traditional” meant truly conservative?
Wan Lu thought, “What a little fool.”
Not daring to jump to conclusions too soon, but her family had been tailors for generations, and from a young age, she had developed keen eyes.
The moment she saw this little troublemaker’s fiancé for the first time, she knew these two were seriously mismatched in this aspect…
Hence, she kindly reminded Lin Zhishui to try out more things before marriage.
Of course, in various flashy ways.
Wan Lu smiled faintly and casually picked some wildly passionate and daring European and American short clips from her rich sexual knowledge archive.
Then she thoughtfully renamed the packaged files: [Traditional.]
After sharing them with Lin Zhishui, she received a sincere voice message a second later: [Boss Wan, you are the best, best, best boss in the world. Thank you.]
Wan Lu listened to it ten times in a row.
Feeling very satisfied as if she had done a small good deed, she put down her phone.
Trusting her, Lin Zhishui did not open the file first. She forwarded it to Ning Shangyu’s phone intact and carefully typed a message: [This is a tutorial I painstakingly compiled… For us to harmoniously practice before marriage, I hope Mr. Ning will pay special attention despite his busy schedule.]
It wasn’t until noon that Lin Zhishui, lazily lying on the large sofa in the living room flipping through an oceanography book, received a reply from Ning Shangyu: [?]
What was so worth a question mark?
Lin Zhishui had exaggerated her efforts earlier, fearing he wouldn’t take it seriously.
Sure enough, Ning Shangyu’s attitude wasn’t very impressive.
She looked down at the screen quietly for a while, then pressed the voice button and said: [Please make time to finish this super important knowledge tutorial. Hmm, it’d be best if you learn something from it. Then we can set a good day, Mr. Ning, Ning President… what do you think?]
Ning Shangyu replied with a few words: [Have you learned it well?]
“Of course,” Lin Zhishui’s fingertips lazily caressed the precious book beneath her eyes.
She thought to herself, she wasn’t going to learn that traditional tutorial in the file—this was something Ning Shangyu, as fiancé and future husband, was duty-bound to learn.
She really did spend the whole morning studying oceanography.
Then she deliberately mixed the two topics and dragged the tone out: [I have a natural talent for learning and finished it long ago… just waiting for you.]
Ning Shangyu didn’t reply for a long time.
Doubting his study attitude, Lin Zhishui waited patiently, then boldly sent another message: [Busy man, remember to write me a review after watching, thanks.]
She needed to gauge how much he had learned.
Whether he was taking it seriously!
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.