Chapter 89: An Unexpected Visit

The footsteps grew louder, finally arriving at his front door.

Chen Lin stood up from the sofa, watching the entrance warily.

Knock, knock, knock. Someone was knocking on the front door.

Chen Lin’s heart sank again. Yan and Shihan both had keys to his place. If it were them, they wouldn’t have bothered to knock. They’d have just walked in.

That was what they always did. They came and went as they pleased, never asking for his permission.

Chen Lin was extremely nervous, but he also knew that if it really was Liying, there was no escaping it.

“Who is it?” Chen Lin asked warily, silently praying that Liying wouldn’t answer.

But given his bad luck, such prayers were probably useless. Experience had taught him that whatever he feared most was exactly what happened.

“It’s me, of course. Why aren’t you replying to my messages or answering my calls?” Shihan’s voice came from outside. Even though he usually hated when Shihan came over, at that moment, Chen Lin felt incredibly grateful it was her.

“Since you’re home, I’m coming in,” Shihan said, using her key to unlock the security door.

After opening the door, Shihan looked oddly at Chen Lin, who was standing stiff as a pole in the living room. She felt something was off.

When she usually came over, Chen Lin would be lounging on the sofa, relaxed and at ease. But now he seemed tense. What was going on?

And that wasn’t all. He hadn’t replied to the dozen messages she’d sent earlier, nor answered her phone call. Before coming, Shihan had worried that Chen Lin might be sick or something had happened to him.

But seeing Chen Lin’s guilty look, a bad feeling crept into her heart. Could there be another girl hiding in his apartment? Was he so busy flirting that he had no time for her?

The thought that the person she liked might be hiding another girl behind her back was unbearable. Of course, Yan was an exception — that had been agreed upon, and Shihan had no choice but to accept it. But aside from Yan, she absolutely would not tolerate a third party.

On instinct, Shihan turned and locked the security door behind her, cutting off any escape route. Chen Lin’s place wasn’t big. She figured a few minutes would be enough to search for any hidden girls.

Chen Lin watched in confusion as Shihan wandered around his apartment without a word. He had no idea what she was thinking. If he could understand a girl’s mind, he wouldn’t be in such a mess.

Anyway, Shihan was already a regular at his place. There were no secrets from her. Chen Lin was too preoccupied to care what she did. She could do whatever she wanted, as long as she didn’t try to cook and wreak havoc in his kitchen.

Chen Lin sat back down on the sofa, breathing a sigh of relief. It seemed his luck wasn’t so bad today. The worst-case scenario hadn’t happened.

Sitting on the sofa, recalling what Shihan had said, Chen Lin took out his phone from his pocket. He saw several messages from Yan and over a dozen from Shihan that he hadn’t replied to. The call that had come in earlier was from Shihan too.

So if he ignored her messages too long, Shihan would show up in person. Chen Lin felt he had learned something new. Knowing this might save his life someday, in more ways than one.

Chen Lin first checked Yan’s messages. She asked what he wanted for breakfast on Friday. He quickly typed a perfunctory reply. He checked Yan’s first because she wasn’t there. Since Shihan was right beside him, not replying to her was fine.

Then he opened Shihan’s messages. It seemed she just wanted to chat. The messages were trivial but interesting.

Shihan finished her search, confirming there was no girl hiding in Chen Lin’s apartment. A bit embarrassed, she smoothed her skirt, feeling she shouldn’t have suspected him. She was too sensitive. Such thoughts shouldn’t have even crossed her mind.

But even so, Shihan didn’t think she was at fault. It was Chen Lin’s fault for not replying, making her paranoid. If he had just replied properly, she wouldn’t have had to come all the way here.

Seeing Chen Lin on the sofa, Shihan sat down beside him and leaned into his embrace. She didn’t feel him pull away, which reassured her a little. At least he wasn’t ignoring her because he disliked her. But she was wrong. Chen Lin simply didn’t dare to move.

Blinking her jewel-like bright eyes, Shihan leaned close to his ear and said in a seductive, coquettish tone, “Seriously, why didn’t you reply to my messages?”

Chen Lin, seeing that Shihan had stopped her search, had his excuse ready. “Sorry, I really didn’t notice. If you hadn’t called, I’d still be dozing on the sofa.”

He lied without hesitation. He knew he couldn’t tell Shihan what he had done after school today.

“Really?” Shihan seemed skeptical.

“Of course. I haven’t had dinner yet. I was just going to make some instant noodles,” Chen Lin said.

“Eating instant noodles for dinner is no good. Since I’m here, let me cook for you,” Shihan said, perking up.

Chen Lin wasn’t keen. Last time she made steak, she had left the kitchen a mess. It was only thanks to Yan’s cleaning that it was spotless again. He was tired today and wanted to just have instant noodles. If Shihan messed up the kitchen, he’d have to clean it. That would be more trouble than cooking himself.

“Forget it. I’ll cook for myself,” Chen Lin said, preparing to get up.

“No, no. Let me handle dinner tonight, please. I promise it won’t be like last time,” Shihan begged.

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