She choked back a sob, her acting skills exploding into full force.
“It’s precisely because I care about you so much—because I’m so scared!”
Wiping her tears, she let her emotions spill out.
“I’m afraid I’m not good enough! I’m afraid your friends won’t like me! I’m afraid I’ll embarrass you! I know you’re outstanding, from a powerful family. I don’t dare interfere too much in your life, and I don’t dare rush into your social circle. Someone as stupid and willful as me doesn’t deserve you at all.”
She looked at him through tear-blurred eyes.
“Let’s just break up. You don’t understand my insecurity or my anxiety. You don’t understand how I feel.”
A tear slid down at just the right moment.
“You only believe what you see. You’re not even willing to think about why I acted that way! You even think I don’t love you enough!”
Jin Yihan’s anger and suspicion were still frozen on his face.
She acted that way because she cared too much about him? Because she felt inferior?
Looking at Cen Zhi’ning’s aggrieved and heartbroken expression—and comparing it to his own aggressive questioning just now—
A rare sense of self-doubt and guilt took root in his chest.
His heart seemed to clench painfully, making it hard to breathe.
His expression turned slightly flustered. Subconsciously, he grabbed her wrist, his tone softening, even carrying a trace of barely perceptible panic.
“Stop crying.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
He awkwardly wiped her tears. His fingertips felt the wet warmth, and his chest ached fiercely.
“That’s not what I meant!”
Cen Zhi’ning secretly let out a sigh of relief. She knew the crisis was temporarily over—but the performance had to be thorough. Her voice trembled with sobs.
“That is exactly what you meant. You don’t trust me at all. This is the second time. I don’t want to deal with you anymore!”
After saying that, she sniffed and turned to leave.
Jin Yihan grabbed her wrist again.
“Fine. I was wrong.”
Even Jin Yihan could lower his head first—she almost clicked her tongue in disbelief. But she still turned her face away, letting out a small huff through her nose.
“You keep saying you trust me, but deep down you think I’m not worth trusting. We should just break up.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Jin Yihan suddenly stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her waist and roughly hoisting her over his shoulder.
She let out a startled cry, legs suspended in the air, struggling uselessly.
“Jin Yihan, what are you doing?”
There were still a few staff members in the dessert shop peeking over.
Humiliated and furious, she pounded his back.
“Put me down!”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he gave her a firm smack on the hip—not too hard, but clearly a warning.
“Stop making noise.”
Cen Zhi’ning froze, eyes widening in disbelief.
“Y-you—”
Ignoring the stares around them, Jin Yihan pushed open the dessert shop door and strode out, intent on carrying her back to the apartment.
Only after stepping outside did he grind out in a low, icy voice through clenched teeth,
“You’d better swallow the words ‘break up.’ Try saying them again.”
With countless eyes on them, she felt both embarrassed and indignant.
And there was a high chance Mu Chenchuan and Jiang Jingmian hadn’t left yet. She didn’t dare make a sound. Like a cat caught by the scruff of its neck, she lay obediently over his shoulder.
Jin Yihan seemed satisfied by her silence.
“Can we talk properly now?”
She puffed up in anger and said nothing.
【Congratulations, Host. Possessiveness has dropped to 15%. With acting skills like yours, it’d be a waste not to be an actress. You’re even more professionally trained than the professionally trained.】
“……”
Was this turning misfortune into a blessing?
The matter of meeting his brothers was left unresolved. The two returned to the apartment.
Cen Zhi’ning curled her legs beneath her on the sofa, savoring the mousse cake they had just bought. The creamy fragrance blended with fruitiness, the sweetness perfectly balanced—rich but not cloying, like eating a soft, gentle cloud.
Her mood healed considerably.
Jin Yihan sat beside her, watching.
Normally, his wife would invite him to share. Though he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, he liked using the same spoon as her, sharing a single dessert.
But now she ignored him completely. Ever since they came back, she refused to speak to him.
He sat there, all the composure he usually maintained utterly gone.
He tried to speak several times, only to be blocked by her cold profile.
Taking a deep breath, he silently stood and walked toward the bedroom.
A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened.
Cen Zhi’ning continued nibbling at her cake while playing with her phone, determined to give him the cold shoulder.
She hadn’t planned to look at him—but the silence in the room was strangely unsettling, almost surreal. She couldn’t help sneaking a glance out of the corner of her eye.
That single glance nearly broke her composure.
Jin Yihan had changed into a black silk shirt. The top four buttons were undone, revealing sharp collarbones and a broad stretch of chest. A silver chain hung faintly against his skin.
Her pupils trembled.
A chest chain!!!
Last time she’d watched short videos of a male model dancing with one and had practically drooled. She’d bought one and begged Jin Yihan for ages to wear it—but he refused.
And now he’d put it on willingly?
He wore matching black trousers below, tightly outlining his long legs. On his feet—absurdly out of place—were the same fluffy couple slippers as hers.
Jin Yihan leaned one hand against the doorframe. His expression was still that of someone looking down on the world. His eyes were blindfolded with a strip of black lace ribbon.
Even so, the ribbon couldn’t hide the stiffness in his tight jawline.
Cen Zhi’ning opened her mouth just as the speaker began playing the background music for the sweeping-leg dance she’d seen in the video.
With both hands in his pockets, Jin Yihan closed his eyes as if marching to his doom. He squared his shoulders, straightened his back, trying to puff out his chest and twist his waist.
His abs, adorned with the silver chain, were faintly visible.
His cold, austere aura clashed violently with the flashy outfit. Every muscle in his body radiated despair.
The spoon slipped from her hand and clattered onto the coffee table.
This is so embarrassing. I want to crawl into a hole…
Then came the signature sweeping-leg move.
Jin Yihan seemed to recall the video’s motion. His long leg sliced through the air with fierce momentum.
The movement was clean and powerful—even carrying a hint of killing intent.
Most importantly—
One of the fluffy slippers flew straight off his foot and hurtled directly toward her face.
Close call!
Good thing she dodged in time, or the slipper would have smacked right into her.
The inertia from the sweeping kick made his body sway slightly as he tried to stabilize himself with core strength.
He stood there, apparently shocked himself. The tips of his ears burned red. His thin lips twitched slightly, his face filled with shame and inner collapse.
After a light cough, he tried to salvage his dignity with a blank expression.
“Just a minor mistake.”
“……”
Her shoulders trembled as she bit her lip, trying to hold it in.
He stared at her stiffly, teeth clenched.
“You’re not allowed to laugh.”
Seeing the slipper so close to her—and his rigid posture—
She couldn’t hold it anymore. Laughter burst out of her as she collapsed onto the sofa, laughing uncontrollably.
“Are you trying to kill me with laughter? Oh my god, I can’t—what even is this?”
Hearing her laugh, the tension in his body finally loosened. He yanked off the ribbon and strode forward, pulling her tightly into his arms. His burning cheek pressed into the crook of her neck—more embarrassed than ever before.
“Finally done throwing a tantrum?”
She laughed so hard she could barely breathe. Who would have thought that the usually aloof, untamed, arrogantly dominant Jin Yihan would go this far just to coax someone?
The contrast was lethally adorable.
She slipped her hand inside his shirt. The silver chain crisscrossed along his contours, tightening slightly when tugged, outlining his form even more clearly.