As expected, when Cen Zhen uttered those words of disgust toward her husband, the man’s guard lowered considerably.
[Yuan Jie]: Mrs. Zhang, you really break my heart.
Seeing this message, Cen Zhen’s almond-shaped eyes lit up instantly.
Wow, wow—it was as if she could see money waving at her!
The next second, she pressed on, pinching her throat and cooing in a sugary voice, “Why call me ‘Mrs.’? I’d much rather you call me ‘sister.’”
[Yuan Jie]: May I ask how old you are, sister?
“Sweetie, I haven’t even turned 26 yet~”
After delivering this sickly sweet line, she quickly rubbed the goosebumps on her arm. Ugh, it really wasn’t easy playing the role of a flirt.
But for the sake of money, she could endure a little longer.
Come on, Cen Zhen, you can do this!
Clearing her throat, she was about to press on with full momentum when suddenly, a deep male voice sounded from behind her—
“Cen Zhen.”
Hearing the voice, Cen Zhen felt a chill run down her neck.
When had Fu Linyuan returned?
She immediately turned off her phone screen.
Clutching her phone tightly, she stiffly turned around. When her eyes met his unfathomably dark gaze, her voice trembled.
“Y-you’re back already?”
Hadn’t he said he’d be away on business for a week?
Fu Linyuan stared unblinkingly at the phone she was gripping tightly in her hand and asked without much emotion:
“What were you doing just now?”
Cen Zhen had no idea when he had arrived home, how long he had been standing behind her, or how much he had overheard.
Now, meeting his deep, penetrating gaze, she averted her eyes and instinctively blurted out a lie.
“Nothing much, just playing a game.”
After saying this, with no intention of continuing the conversation, she stuffed her phone into her pocket and began edging toward the bedroom.
“You just got back from your business trip, so you should rest first. I have things to attend to, so I won’t keep you.”
With that, she left Fu Linyuan with only the hurried sight of her fleeing back.
Watching her go, Fu Linyuan’s eyes darkened slightly, and his thin lips moved.
“Cen…”
His only response was the loud “bang” of the door closing.
Clearly, she was refusing to communicate.
Back in the bedroom, Cen Zhen took a deep breath.
That was close!
But she didn’t give herself too much time to dwell on how much Fu Linyuan might have overheard.
For now, making money was her top priority.
Once she dealt with Yuan Jie and secured that huge sum of one million from Yang Wenzhen, it wouldn’t be too late to come clean with him.
After all, her dedication to this could be considered a service to the public.
If Yuan Jie was this easily tempted, who could say whether he might do something inhumane after marrying Yang Wenzhen just for her money?
So, she needed to push even harder.
Once inside the room, Cen Zhen locked herself in the bathroom.
The soundproofing in Fu Linyuan’s apartment was excellent. Even if she pinched her throat and flirted with Yuan Jie, saying all sorts of nauseating things, no one outside would hear.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Under the influence of her sweet, coquettish voice, Yuan Jie gradually began to reveal his true scumbag nature.
[Yuan Jie]: Sister, your husband really doesn’t know how to cherish you.
[Yuan Jie]: If I had a wife like you, I’d do everything in my power to give you whatever you wanted.
[Yuan Jie]: Sister, you’re still so young. You still have choices.
…
As Yuan Jie’s messages came flooding in one after another, Cen Zhen’s eyes nearly rolled to the ceiling.
Sure enough, there wasn’t a man in this world who wouldn’t cheat.
Just as the conversation was heating up, Cen Zhen’s phone suddenly ran out of battery.
She didn’t dare delay and quickly went out to charge her phone.
While it was charging, she didn’t waste time either—grabbing her nightgown, she headed to the bathroom for a shower.
Not long after she went in, Fu Linyuan knocked and entered the room.
During that hour in the study, he had thought about many things.
He felt that some matters still needed to be clarified with her.
Before their marriage, they had indeed agreed to maintain a respectful facade in public and not cross boundaries after marriage, but this “not crossing boundaries” did not include infidelity.
He could remain faithful and hoped she could too…
Just as he was pondering how to bring this up with her, he searched the bedroom but couldn’t find her.
In the quiet room, only the phone charging on the nightstand kept buzzing incessantly.
Without permission, Fu Linyuan had no habit of snooping through others’ phones.
But Cen Zhen’s earlier words, “My husband and I are just putting on an act,” echoed in his ears again and again, stirring his emotions and compelling him uncontrollably toward the bedside.
His strides were long.
In just a few seconds, he was already by the bed.
The charging phone vibrated intermittently, its screen never dimming.
With a casual downward glance, he saw a message from someone named Yuan Jie that completely defied his moral standards.
【Sis, when do you have time to book a room together?】
Just as he read this, another message quickly followed, 【I’m young, definitely better than your husband. You’ve suffered all these years—I’ll make sure you have a blast [smirk]】
The light from the phone screen fell on Fu Linyuan’s face, casting his originally calm and indifferent features into sudden darkness.
Cen Zhen emerged from her shower twenty minutes later.
Having nearly secured evidence of Yuan Jie’s infidelity, with a million yuan soon within reach, she couldn’t help but hum a cheerful tune.
“Naughty, don’t you come near, do you love me or not, let me conquer you, one two three four five six seven, OH…”
However, just as she was humming with great enthusiasm, she looked up and met Fu Linyuan’s intensely oppressive gaze.
“You finished work so early today—”
“Cen Zhen, we need to talk.”
Fu Linyuan cut her off, his sharp eyes fixed on her.
Cen Zhen was startled by his cold, fierce aura, her heart skipping a beat as her fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her clothes.
“…Talk about what?”
Fu Linyuan stared at her unblinkingly, getting straight to the point.
“Are you dissatisfied with me?”
As soon as he said this, Cen Zhen was immediately one hundred percent certain he had overheard her conversation with Yuan Jie earlier.
For some reason, she instinctively explained.
“I’m not.”
Then, feeling her response was too simplistic, she quickly added, “I’m quite satisfied with you. Earlier, I was just role-playing to help a friend.”
Fu Linyuan didn’t respond.
However, the fierce intensity around him eased slightly, and the tension in his jawline relaxed a bit.
But his deep, unfathomable dark eyes remained locked on her.
His expression was unreadable, leaving Cen Zhen utterly unable to decipher his thoughts.
Under such quiet yet oppressive scrutiny, her heartbeat grew inexplicably flustered. “I—”
“Cen Zhen, I don’t want a third person interfering in our marriage.”
His voice was low, carrying an undeniable force.
Cen Zhen’s heart tightened, and she nodded almost immediately. “I know. I won’t do anything immoral.”
Fu Linyuan watched her quietly for a while longer.
Perhaps satisfied that she wasn’t lying, his cold tone softened slightly.
“Come here.”
Cen Zhen hesitated but approached. “What is it?”
No sooner had she asked than the man abruptly reached out and seized her wrist.
In the next moment, she found herself seated firmly on his lap. Then, without giving her any chance to react, he leaned in and kissed her.