121: Chapter 121 "If you're craving me, just say so. Don't be so coy."

At five in the evening, Lin Chen finally dragged himself home.

The traffic was a nightmare again, damn it.

Beijing's traffic is a lost cause. They're always shouting about fixing the congestion, but it just keeps getting worse.

The villa they live in out in the suburbs isn't too bad. If they lived in the old city center within the First Ring Road, that would be true despair.

A five-kilometer drive can easily turn into an hour-long ordeal.

He had just pulled out his keys to open the door when, with a 'click', the door was pulled open from the inside.

Guli Nazha, wearing a pure white spaghetti-strap mini dress, stood prettily in the doorway.

The hem of her skirt was calculated to perfection, stopping right at the mid-thigh to reveal a pair of straight, shapely, and flawless legs that were simply divine.

Her face was adorned with an exquisite 'no-makeup' look, her long hair casually swept back with a hairpin. Combined with her signature sweet smile, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

"You're back?" Her voice was so soft and sweet it could melt butter.

"Hmm."

Lin Chen gave her a casual glance, replied expressionlessly, changed into his slippers, then squeezed past her and headed straight for the kitchen.

Guli Nazha's smile froze instantly, and a wave of bitterness surged within her.

Damn it!

I spent a whole hour and a half on this 'no-makeup' look, and I specifically put on this 'straight-man-killer' outfit!

And you just give me a 'hmm'?! Would it kill you to look a little longer?!

She really wanted to rush over and deliver a flying kick to the back of this blind man's head.

Of course, that was just a fantasy born of impotent rage.

She took a deep breath, quickly adjusted her mindset, and a cold, confident smirk curled at the corners of her lips.

Stubborn straight man, you heartless dog!

Enjoy playing it cool for now. Just wait until tonight, and I'll show you how I can drain you dry in bed!

"What are you busy with?"

In the kitchen, Lin Chen walked silently up behind Tong Liya. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, asking softly.

The tone and attitude were like night and day compared to how he'd just treated Guli Nazha—a textbook example of double standards.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. If you get sick from anger, no one will take your place..."

Guli Nazha, standing at the kitchen doorway and witnessing it all, saw her smile stiffen completely.

She frantically recited a calming mantra in her head while turning and walking quickly toward the living room.

Out of sight, out of mind. If she kept watching, she was truly afraid she wouldn't be able to stop herself from grabbing a kitchen knife.

"I'm steaming some egg custard. I've got tonight's meal covered."

Tong Liya turned back and kissed Lin Chen on the cheek, smiling.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Did the sun rise in the west today? Mrs. Lin has actually deigned to grace the kitchen herself?"

Tong Liya pouted coquettishly. "I've always been the model of a virtuous wife, okay? I was just afraid my cooking wasn't good enough and I'd poison you, so I didn't dare show off. You'll have to guide me more from now on. Once I've mastered it, I'll cook up all sorts of different dishes for you every day."

Lin Chen nodded approvingly, then gestured with his chin toward the glass bowl in Tong Liya's hands. "Good attitude. But could you first pick out those two large pieces of eggshell floating in the egg mixture?"

"Ah!" Tong Liya blushed, let out a small cry, and hurriedly grabbed her chopsticks to fish out the eggshells.

To cover her embarrassment, she nudged Lin Chen with her elbow. "Oh, just go! Stop getting in the way. Go to the living room and watch your TV. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

In the living room, as soon as Guli Nazha saw Lin Chen walking over, she immediately picked up her phone and lowered her head, pretending to look at the screen.

She frantically brainwashed herself: If the enemy doesn't move, I don't move! Stay cool! Stay reserved! I must maintain my final shred of stubbornness!

I'm a dream lover to countless straight men, after all. I'm throwing myself at you, and you dare to give me attitude? You really think I don't have a temper, huh...

"Slap!"

As Lin Chen passed by her, he unceremoniously gave her long, fair swan-like neck a slap.

Guli Nazha shuddered at the sudden attack, nearly dropping her phone.

"You're always looking down at your phone all day. Do you not want your neck anymore?"

Lin Chen delivered this reprimand expressionlessly, then walked over to the sofa opposite and sat down.

Having been slapped and scolded for no reason, Guli Nazha wasn't angry in the slightest. Instead, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up, and her eyes were filled with a smile.

This cold-blooded straight man was actually caring about her?!

A flash of inspiration struck Guli Nazha's mind, as if she had suddenly grasped some cosmic truth.

She had discovered a shocking secret!

Lin Chen wasn't the heartless scumbag he appeared to be on the surface!

On the contrary, he was actually an incredibly repressed, stubborn tsundere!

He definitely had feelings for them, but his damn personality wouldn't let him lower his guard to express them!

Yes, that must be it!

If it were just a case of 'taking responsibility after sleeping together,' then there are so many women on the street—could he just grab any one of them, sleep with them, and bring them home as a wife? Nonsense!

There was only one truth: this tsundere had no room left in his heart for anyone else; he was just holding out, waiting for them to throw themselves at him!

"So that's it!"

Guli Nazha's mind was running wild with dramatic scenarios.

Thinking back on the past few days with the Film Crew, although Lin Chen had been cold and sarcastic on the surface, he had actually been silently protecting them in many small ways.

That's what you call a tough mouth but a soft heart!

Convinced she had seen through the truth, Guli Nazha's smile was instantly brighter than a blooming flower.

She tossed her phone aside, strode over to Lin Chen on her long, fair legs, and straddled his lap. Wrapping her soft, white arms tightly around his neck, she clung to him like a piece of taffy.

"What's gotten into you? It's the middle of summer—don't you feel hot?"

Lin Chen frowned and reached out to pry her arms from around his neck.

Guli Nazha refused to let go; in fact, she tightened her grip. Her seductive, almond-shaped eyes stared straight into Lin Chen's. "Confess honestly. In those few hours you were on your way to the airport, did you miss me?"

Lin Chen stared at her for a long moment without a word, then turned his head away in disdain, trying to avoid her gaze.

Guli Nazha wasn't about to let that happen.

She domineeringly reached out and cupped his face, forcing him to look at her, then pressed her forehead against his until their breaths mingled.

"You did miss me! Even if you won't admit it, I know! Hmph, you're just impossibly stubborn. You're clearly dying to have me, but you have to play hard to get and wait for me to throw myself at you. You're a grown man—would it kill you to take the initiative just once?"

Lin Chen's previously expressionless face suddenly broke into a wicked, infuriating grin.

"Yep, it would kill me. You got a problem with that?"

Guli Nazha was so tickled by his shameless answer that she burst into laughter, her body shaking.

She quickly pecked him on the lips and said with a smile, "I'm convinced! How could I dare be anything else?"

"After all, the man I've set my sights on is a once-in-a-century genius. Geniuses are supposed to be a little eccentric and pretentious. If you were like those simps outside, hovering around me all day, I probably would have dumped you ages ago."

Lin Chen was just about to retort when his phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket.

He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. The caller ID read: Liu Shishi.