Using Marriage as Bait : Chapter 54
Chapter 54: He Just Wants to Eat ‘Candy’
Lu Junting returned to the backyard to find Lin Xiyu sitting on a chair, eating fruit absentmindedly. Her gaze was distant as she stared ahead, clearly distracted. Lu Junting walked up to her, standing in front of her.
A shadow suddenly fell over her. The man was tall, and Lin Xiyu had to tilt her head up to see his face. With the light behind him, his facial features were cast in deep shadow, making his already handsome face appear even more defined.
His good looks momentarily dazzled her. Lu Junting leaned down, placing his hands on the armrests of her chair, trapping her in his arms. He asked, “Why are you daydreaming?”
Lin Xiyu sighed softly, “I was just thinking, why do I always get deceived? Am I too foolish?”
“Clearly, it's the people who lie who are jerks. Why blame yourself for being foolish?”
“......”
“You're innocent. Whether it's Lin Xiqian or me, we're the ones who are jerks.”
He said it with such seriousness that it was almost funny—who calls themselves a jerk so earnestly? Lin Xiyu couldn’t help but chuckle.
The weather was perfect, with warm sunlight and a gentle breeze. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and flowers. As Lu Junting gazed at the girl in front of him, laughing because of his teasing, he paused for a moment.
It was a genuine smile—unguarded and without reservation.
Even though they had already confessed their feelings for each other, every time he truly felt that she had accepted him, it filled him with joy. His eyebrows lifted slightly, and a smile reached his eyes.
He indeed comforted Lin Xiyu. Feeling in better spirits, she used a toothpick to skewer a piece of apple and handed it to him. “Want some?”
He pointed at her lips and said, “I'll eat it if you feed me with those.”
Lin Xiyu: “......”
She was increasingly realizing how playful and unserious this man could be.
Lin Xiyu gave him a playful glare. “Stop messing around.”
Not wanting to indulge him, Lin Xiyu put the apple into her own mouth instead. But before she could chew for long, the man suddenly grabbed her chin and kissed her. Completely caught off guard, his tongue quickly invaded, hooking the half-bitten apple from her mouth and swallowing it.
Lin Xiyu's shock overshadowed the sudden embarrassment of being kissed. She recalled how particular he normally was—he wouldn’t even tolerate anything unclean. His clothes always had to be impeccably neat, and before he came home, the house was cleaned multiple times, even with air fresheners.
Yet now, he had just taken the apple directly from her mouth.
Lin Xiyu looked at him with a complicated expression. “You... you're not grossed out?”
Lu Junting held her chin with his index finger, his thumb gently brushing her lips. He smiled, his eyes glowing warmly in the sunlight. “How could anything from my woman's mouth be disgusting?”
His voice was low, with a slight rasp at the end, making it sound irresistibly magnetic. Though he said ‘my woman’ gently, there was a distinct sense of possessiveness in those words.
A sudden rush of emotion overwhelmed Lin Xiyu, leaving her speechless and frozen as she stared at him.
Her face turned a rosy pink, while the rest of her skin remained soft and pale, like a perfectly steamed peach. Her eyes sparkled, bright and vivid, as if stars were twinkling inside them.
Seeing her like this, Lu Junting felt an urge to kiss her. Without hesitation, he leaned down, aiming for her lips.
Lin Xiyu snapped out of her daze just in time. She hadn’t forgotten that they were still outside. Panicking, she quickly pushed him away and blurted, “No.”
Mr. Lu’s mood visibly darkened after being rejected, and Lin Xiyu noticed the sudden dimming of his gaze. She felt a pang of guilt—after all, he was being affectionate, and her cold refusal must have hurt his feelings.
Taking a small step back, Lin Xiyu relented and said, “Just one kiss.”
A breeze blew through, carrying not only the fragrance of flowers but also her scent. To Lu Junting, that aroma was practically intoxicating, and with her current expression—like a student sneaking snacks during class—she seemed to be bargaining with him as if saying just one bite.
How could she be so adorable?
This incredibly cute woman, however, was making Lu Junting feel the heat all over, his mind filled with indecent thoughts. Yet the warm sunshine, the lush greenery, and the overall peaceful atmosphere made everything seem pure and beautiful. And what the girl was expecting was nothing more than a simple, innocent kiss.
Struggling to contain his desire to just pin her down, Lu Junting forced himself to comply with her request, giving her exactly what she asked for—just one kiss.
A few days later, Lin Xiyu received a text from Lin Xiqian. He told her that he was leaving.
“Xiyu, I’m planning to go back to the United States. This time, I likely won’t return. I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you. I wanted to take care of you, but I failed to be a good brother. If you’re still willing to stay in touch, please send me some pictures of you and the child from time to time, so I can hold on to that memory. Of course, if you’d rather not contact me, I won’t force it. I’ve thought about this for a long time. Maybe I really have been too controlling. You have your own life, and all I can do is silently support your every choice and be prepared to catch you if you fall, rather than constantly telling you what to do. Perhaps that’s why you’ve grown to dislike me. Anyway, I won’t say more. I sincerely hope you have a happy life. Goodbye, Xiyu.”
Lin Xiyu read the message together with Lu Junting. After reading it, Lu Junting asked her, “Are you going to see him off?”
“He didn’t ask me to, so there’s no need to go,” she replied.
Lu Junting said nothing more.
With Lin Xiqian gone, Lu Junting felt like a major threat had been dealt with. He never liked giving Lin Xiqian any attention in the first place, especially since that man had an irritating habit of poking at his weak spots.
But what Lu Junting didn’t expect was that with one problem solved, another would soon arise.
That day in the office, Assistant Zhou Jin came to see him.
“Mr. Lu, there's a new post on the company forum about Mrs. Lu.”
Hearing it involved his wife, Lu Junting set aside his work and looked at Zhou Jin. “What post?”
Zhou Jin carefully handed over his phone. “Mr. Lu, you should take a look.”
On the screen was the Changheng Group forum page. Lu Junting glanced at it and quickly spotted the post related to his wife.
‘Female Calligrapher and Changheng Executive Colluding Shamelessly.’
Just reading the title made Lu Junting frown. He clicked on the post, initially thinking that someone might have noticed the relationship between him and Lin Xiyu. But as he finished reading, his face darkened completely.
His expression turned cold, and the surrounding air seemed to tighten with tension. Zhou Jin, standing nearby, didn’t dare to breathe too loudly.
The post included several photos, and while the girl in the pictures was indeed his wife, the man wasn’t him. It was He Shuo, the manager of the PR department.
The photos showed Lin Xiyu and He Shuo standing together, chatting. In one of the pictures, they appeared quite close—close enough that it seemed they could kiss at any moment. Based on these few pictures, the post spun a story claiming that Lin Xiyu and He Shuo were romantically involved and that Lin Xiyu’s collaboration with Changheng was entirely due to He Shuo giving her special treatment. The post even self-righteously condemned this supposed act of abusing public office for personal gain.
Seeing his beloved wife in such photos with another man would stir any man’s emotions, and Lu Junting was no exception. However, as a seasoned decision-maker, his greatest strength was the ability to calm himself down quickly when emotions flared.
He didn't believe for a second that there was anything between his wife and He Shuo. Collecting himself, he regained his usual calm demeanor and said to Zhou Jin, “Have you traced the poster’s IP?”
Zhou Jin responded, “When I found the post, I immediately contacted Storm Technologies. They were quick and traced the poster’s IP to Canada.”
“You did well. Keep investigating. Find out who the poster is as soon as possible.”
“Okay.”
Lu Junting handed the phone back to him. As Zhou Jin was about to leave, Lu Junting added, “Focus on looking into the deputy manager of the PR department.”
Zhou Jin understood immediately and nodded. “Don’t worry, Mr. Lu. I’ll conduct a thorough investigation.”
Lu Junting wasn’t foolish. This post was clearly targeting He Shuo. The accusations of abusing power for personal gain could lead to anything from a demotion to outright dismissal. Whoever would benefit most from He Shuo’s downfall was likely the culprit behind this.
Later that day, when Lin Xiyu finished work, she quickly noticed the familiar car parked outside the club. It was her husband, coming to pick her up. Overjoyed, she hopped into the car, only to notice that her husband didn’t look too happy.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Lu Junting took out his phone and showed her the post he had prepared. “Explain this.”
Lin Xiyu read the post and was utterly shocked. “This... this... there's nothing between me and Manager He! We are absolutely innocent!”
“Oh? Didn’t he ask you to dinner last time?”
“I didn’t even go,” she replied, growing anxious, her eyes misting over. “These photos are clearly photoshopped. I’ve never even stood that close to him.”
Lu Junting, ever rational, knew well enough that there was nothing between her and He Shuo. Even though the background in the photos had been intentionally blurred, he could still tell that they were taken at Changheng. With all the surveillance at Changheng, and everything happening right under his nose, he already knew exactly who she was with and what was said.
But Lu Junting, ever the schemer, knew well that sometimes logic doesn’t win the day. After all, there’s a saying: “The child who cries gets the candy.”
And he… well, he just wanted a bit of sweetness.
Even after Lin Xiyu explained herself, Mr. Lu’s expression didn’t soften. Growing more anxious, Lin Xiyu suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I swear, Manager He and I are innocent.”
Looking down at the flustered young woman in his arms, Lu Junting had to bite his lip to stop himself from smiling. See? There it is—the sweetness.
Hiding all of his delight behind that impenetrable facade, Lu Junting watched as Lin Xiyu grew even more desperate, nearly on the verge of tears. “How could I have anything going on with Manager He? I only agreed to help Lu Yuan with that Changheng ad project because it gave me an excuse to visit Changheng and see you! My heart was always with you. How could I ever be involved with anyone else?”
Lu Junting knew when to stop teasing. He hadn’t planned on pushing her further, but when he heard those words, he froze for a second.
“You agreed to work on the Changheng billboard project just to see me?”
At this point, Lin Xiyu had no reason to hide anything. She nodded, her wide, glistening eyes locked onto his, full of hope that he would believe her.
Lu Junting felt as though he had accidentally opened a window, revealing an entire room filled with surprises. But even though the joy was overwhelming, the old schemer kept his expression mostly unchanged.
“Really? You did all that just to see me?”
“Of course, it was to see you,” Lin Xiyu said, now feeling a bit shy. She buried her head in his chest, adding in a quieter voice, “I was thinking about you every day back then, just looking for a way to see you.”
Her confession jogged another memory in Lu Junting’s mind. He asked, “So all those times you stopped by my office for no reason… that was for me?”
“En.”
Lu Junting had always assumed she’d gotten close to him for the sake of the child, only falling for him later. But now, hearing her say this… had she already had feelings for him back then? Had she been looking for opportunities to get closer to him?
The immense joy of this realization left Lu Junting momentarily at a loss. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before letting his hand rest on the back of the chair. It still didn’t feel right, so he pulled her closer into his embrace.
Lin Xiyu, nestled against him, had no idea about his subtle movements or the small smiles that occasionally surfaced on his lips—smiles he quickly suppressed.
Lin Xiyu was focused entirely on convincing him.
“Junting, please, trust me. There’s really nothing going on between me and Manager He.”
“En. I believe you,” he replied.
Hearing his words, she immediately looked up at him. Despite his efforts to suppress it, Lu Junting couldn't hide the joy bubbling up inside. His expression was visibly lighter, far different from earlier.
Relieved, Lin Xiyu snuggled back into his embrace and hugged him tightly. “I only like you, no one else.”
Lu Junting realized that stirring things up a bit had been worth it. Not only had he gotten a surprise, but he’d also heard another sweet confession from his wife. Even though it wasn’t the first time, every time she expressed her feelings, it brought him a deep sense of satisfaction.
As the car approached home, the driver was about to head straight for the garage, but Lu Junting instructed him to stop at the front door instead. He got out first, and just as Lin Xiyu was about to step out, he suddenly scooped her up in his arms with ease. The movement was so unexpected that Lin Xiyu, startled, instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
“What are you doing? Put me down,” she protested.
Carrying her toward the house, Lu Junting didn’t pay attention to her words. In the living room, their son, Lu Chengmao, was playing and quickly ran to the door upon hearing the commotion. When he saw his mother in his father’s arms, he stretched out his little arms and demanded, “I want a hug, too!”
Lin Xiyu was beyond embarrassed, her face flushed as she avoided looking at their son.
With one arm securely holding Lin Xiyu, Lu Junting bent down and patted his son’s head. “Daddy and Mommy need to talk first. I’ll hug you later.”
Before their son could respond, he hurriedly carried Lin Xiyu upstairs. Once they were in their room, Lu Junting gently set her down. Finally, Lin Xiyu asked, “What did you need to tell me? You ignored our son for this. Is it really that important?”
Without answering, Lu Junting casually took off his suit jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt. Lin Xiyu, puzzled, watched his movements. “Weren’t you going to say something? Why are you undressing?”
With a calm expression, Lu Junting tossed his shirt aside and, in a matter-of-fact tone, said, “I prefer to talk with my clothes off.”
“......”
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