Ning Shangyu changed into a high-end suit again, and when he stepped outside, the morning mist had yet to dissipate.
Meanwhile, inside the master bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window, Lin Zhishui sat on the carpet, loosely wrapped in the obviously wrinkled black velvet fabric of the suit.
The warmth left by Ning Shangyu still lingered on it.
Her legs were bent subtly, her knees burning hot to the touch, the milky white skin mottled with uneven patches of red.
It was all caused by Ning Shangyu’s rubbing and bumping.
Even more pitiful was the huge black velvet bed in front of her, which had shifted out of place.
Lin Zhishui raised her eyes and stared intently for a moment.
Then, she extended her pale index finger and pressed lightly against the bed’s edge.
In the utter silence, she heard a clear creaking sound.
Just by the sound alone, it was obvious the bed had been turned into an oversized shaking bed by Ning Shangyu’s collision!
Lin Zhishui’s ears burned red.
She quickly retracted her finger, calmed herself for two seconds, and then slowly got up from the soft, comfortable carpet.
She first went to the bathroom to wash up and change, then pretended to be calm as she went downstairs and ordered the butler to prepare the car for departure.
She was determined to move back to the private villa she had lived in before, the one with the garden full of hydrangea trees.
As for that huge shaking bed upstairs that was now completely broken—whether to replace it or not—that was Ning Shangyu’s problem as the real owner of the house…
Not hers!
Although Lin Zhishui’s beautiful face had been almost shattered by his reckless collisions, she managed to patch it up herself and pretend nothing had happened when she returned to this residence.
But she didn’t know who the big mouth was who spread the news.
Near noon, Ning Zuoyu sent her a message remotely asking: 【I heard after you’ve stayed for a while, my dear brother’s master bedroom bed got broken from use?】
Lin Zhishui lowered her eyes, shocked, staring at the message box for several seconds before typing slowly: 【You have issues with your character, why are you concerned about your brother’s bed?】
Who exactly was this gossiping big mouth???
Before she could beat around the bush and ask, Ning Zuoyu replied: 【Xi Yan has been busy all morning redesigning the master bedroom bed, planning to replace the original designer, saying the bed’s quality wasn’t good and it all collapsed…】
That excuse was flimsier than the bed’s quality.
Anyone with eyes could clearly see what really happened.
Moreover, even if Lin Zhishui was unaware, the secretary and others knew well… all of Ning Shangyu’s beds in his private quarters were custom-made by top designer teams, crafted precisely according to his sleeping habits, body features, and muscle relaxation needs.
How could just adding the weight of fragile Lin Zhishui break the bed so easily?
Ning Zuoyu even picked on her: 【Your picky habit about beds is worse than my dear brother’s. Xi Yan told the new designer to widen the bed. It’s such a big bed, how can you and my brother still not have enough space?】
Lin Zhishui: “Yeah, such a big bed and your brother still managed to turn it into a shaking bed.”
Ning Zuoyu was just overly curious, obsessively concerned about Ning Shangyu in every aspect.
Seeing Lin Zhishui not reply further, he didn’t press the issue.
He probably figured Ning Shangyu was so fastidious and quiet-loving that he wanted a wider bed because Lin Zhishui’s breathing at night disturbed his sleep.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhishui’s fingers trembled slightly as she bombarded Ning Shangyu with messages: 【No changing the bed now, no changing the bed!】
At least wait until the two of them had lived apart for a while before getting a new one.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t set foot in the master bedroom again!
Ning Shangyu hadn’t replied yet.
Lin Zhishui nestled into the sofa, a little annoyed for a moment, staring at the blooming flowers outside the glass window. Suddenly, her phone beside her chimed.
She lowered her eyes to see a message from Xi Yan, like a bearer of good news:
Cui Daiyun had passed the assessment and officially joined the Ning family’s core scientific research team.
Lin Zhishui was momentarily stunned, the anger inside her dissipating on the spot, a faint smile lingering in her eyes.
Just as she was about to reply, Xi Yan sent her a number of bed style options and respectfully asked: 【Miss Lin, Ning ordered me to have you choose. Are any of these satisfactory? Or do you have any special requests?】
Having suffered two major blows to her dignity in a short time and hiding here, Lin Zhishui had gradually entered an immune state.
She typed back expressionlessly: 【Please report to Ning Shangyu that my request is simple: the bed must be large, hard, and able to withstand his crashing.】
Her beautiful face was already completely lost.
That truly villainous Ning Shangyu wouldn’t be allowed to go unscathed either—down to hell with him!
The word “crash” was thunderous enough to scare any secretary straight.
Though Xi Yan knew about the reduction of sedatives used, he didn’t dare be curious.
He closed his eyes and acted as a messenger, reporting truthfully.
After two or three minutes.
Lin Zhishui’s phone vibrated sharply in her tightly clenched white knuckles.
She swiped it open and saw Ning Shangyu had finally replied despite his busy schedule, his words concise: 【Can you take it?】
【Didn’t you already crash it?】 she typed back word by word, then gently but firmly blocked and muted Ning Shangyu, taking advantage of his busy work schedule to get some petty revenge.
Then she sent the news of Cui Daiyun passing the assessment to him as well.
There was no immediate reply.
Lin Zhishui knew scientific researchers got so absorbed they neglected everything else.
She waited patiently and, to pass the afternoon, found some tutorial videos online to learn how to tie a suit tie.
She hadn’t lied to Ning Shangyu in the morning—she really didn’t know how.
The etiquette courses from the Lin family deliberately excluded all practical knowledge except for what was necessary in arranged marriages.
Now, after being bumped into, her instincts told her to learn this skill secretly.
So next time that big villain Ning Shangyu got a whim to use this as an excuse to crash into her, she’d be ready.
She took a tie made of luxurious fabric from the wardrobe, studied the tying methods in the videos for a long time, and finally favored an Eldritch knot.
Though complicated, it was extremely beautiful.
Lin Zhishui focused on learning until almost nightfall, skipping dinner.
When she finally mastered it, she examined the knot in the lamp light, holding it between her fingers like a budding black flower, exquisitely delicate.
She lifted her chin and admired it for a moment, then switched her phone to selfie mode, moving her face into the frame and taking a photo with the tie.
Then she unblocked Ning Shangyu temporarily.
Opening the chat, her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Ning Shangyu had sent a quick reply earlier but the slight network delay had prevented her from seeing it in time.
【Not satisfying enough】—these three words almost hit her clear eyes.
Not satisfying enough???
The bed had already been turned into a shaking bed, how could he want more satisfaction?!
Lin Zhishui pressed her lips and thought Ning Shangyu truly deserved his rare sex addiction diagnosis—his craving was huge.
Then, sending him the photo through the air, she teased lightly: 【I learned how to tie a tie, but I’m purposely not tying it for you.】
After the clean screen showed successful delivery, Lin Zhishui’s action was like a cat’s claw playfully scratching before quickly withdrawing, muting Ning Shangyu again.
Feeling victorious in the moment, she leaned against the large cushion and smiled smugly for a bit, then suddenly remembered something and grabbed her phone again.
It had been a while.
Cui Daiyun still hadn’t replied.
Lin Zhishui felt a little strange, her thoughts fluctuating for a moment, then she decided to call him.
But after patiently waiting, Cui Daiyun’s call went unanswered and hung up automatically. She had dinner, and before showering, called him again.
The phone’s glowing light gradually faded, but still no answer.
She repeated this three times. On the fourth, she called Ying Shixian, the secretary-general beside her mother, and quietly asked, “Sister Ying, has Uncle Cui been to work at the research institute?”
Ying Shixian was accompanying Sheng Mingying at a banquet.
The background was noisy as she walked toward the corridor and said, “Professor Cui seems to have been busy preparing for your recommendation to the Ning research team, staying at the institute all night. Is there something urgent for him? I’ll ask my colleagues.”
Lin Zhishui wanted to use Cui Daiyun; she hadn’t informed anyone.
Sheng Mingying knew and didn’t stop her, clearly tacitly agreeing.
She waited patiently for news again.
Sitting quietly on the edge of the bed for about ten minutes, Ying Shixian finally replied, “Strangely, Professor Cui hasn’t been at the institute all day, and his assistant can’t get in touch either.”
“Uncle Cui would never refuse my call.”
Lin Zhishui’s tone was soft but resolute.
“I’ve been calling him, but no one answers. Sister Ying, please send someone to search everywhere. We must find him tonight.”
Cui Daiyun had just passed the Ning family’s core scientific team assessment, and now he had vanished.
She couldn’t help but suspect the two things were connected.
Lin Zhishui even suspected that their competitor, the Qin family, had done something underhanded—kidnapping Cui Daiyun and locking him away in a secret research facility, cutting off all outside contact to force him into research.
Thinking of this, her head buzzed, like a small animal’s instinctive scent.
Years ago, before Lin Xiguang’s marriage alliance with the Chu family, there had been a medical supply chain deal to renegotiate in Deep City.
Lin Zhishui had inexplicably felt a burning sensation inside, her frail body on fire, instinctively wanting to stop Lin Xiguang from leaving through those two imposing gates of the old residence.
Seeing her looking so ill and anxious, Lin Xiguang’s trip was postponed out of concern.
Much later, it was discovered that the supposed refined gentleman on the other side of the deal was, in fact, a paranoid, perverse sadist who wasn’t interested in business at all but wanted to keep Lin Xiguang under his control like a dog.
All night long, Lin Zhishui clutched a pillow lying in bed, hardly sleeping, her thoughts fixed on this matter until nearly five in the morning.
No news had come from the Hong Kong area, and she could no longer bear it, sitting up.
She unmuted Ning Shangyu and called him.
One call, two calls, three… until the tenth, the screen finally showed “calling.”
Before he could speak, Lin Zhishui’s voice, tinged with grievance, broke through: “Why aren’t you answering?”
Ning Shangyu was on a business trip and had just finished work past midnight.
After resting for less than half an hour, her call disturbed his sleep.
He rubbed his brow lightly with long fingers, his voice hoarse from just waking: “Just woke up.”
Lin Zhishui replied straightforwardly: “I’m heading back to Hong Kong now.”
Her breathing was faint but noticeably more hurried than usual.
Ning Shangyu keenly caught the abnormal urgency behind her sudden return to the Lin family’s place, then softly said, “You can go back. I’ll send Ning Zuoyu to escort you.”
Seeing him easily agree and not restrict her much, Lin Zhishui’s subconscious dependence on him suddenly doubled.
She adjusted her breathing for a long time before calmly saying a complete sentence: “Cui Daiyun is missing. We haven’t found him all night. Shangyu, I have to go back personally to search.”
She didn’t know why this happened, but this call wasn’t made to her mother or sister—it was inexplicably to Ning Shangyu.
Hearing his voice, the emotion she had suppressed for so long suddenly welled up in her throa