Lu Xinyi checked the links Yuan Jin sent before his call. Her eyes grew wide as saucers with her mouth open, speechless from what the netizens say about her.
In the articles, there was a photo of her and Shen Yi lip-locked in an embrace, but the worst part was the headline portraying her a slut seducing the demon king—only to seek advantage from him. Some even say that Shen Yi was using her to cover up the rumors about his sexuality.
Just like what Yuan Jin said, Lu Xinyi found other pictures of her with Shen Yi online. They were all over the internet and had reached the spot in search engines. It was by then her peaceful life had been thrown into the public’s interest. People were now asking who she is and where she came from.
Even her association with the Sun family had been brought up. This fueled her anger to whoever sent that reporter during the entrance examination.
Was it Sun Feiyan? Why would she do something like this? Shouldn’t she try to discredit Lu Xinyi and deny her connection to the Sun family?
Lu Xinyi felt that something wasn’t right.
“We’re being followed…” she pointed out the obvious thing at the moment. Shen Yi nodded, but he wasn’t doing anything… or was he?
Of course, Shen Yi was aware of what was happening. A moment after they left the museum, his assistant informed him about the malicious articles that appeared online. He told Qiao He to find the source of the pictures and slap those reporters with libel cases.
“What should we do?” Lu Xinyi asked him worriedly. He didn’t seem like he was surprised or affected.
“Just let them talk. They can speculate whatever they want. As long as you are with me, I don’t care what others may think of you.” Shen Yi said nonchalantly. Now that their relationship was out, he didn’t need to feel the need to restrain himself from going out with Lu Xinyi.
Lu Xinyi’s heart skipped a beat on his bold declaration. She tried to suppress her blush and thought of something else when all she wanted to tell him that if she had two hearts, she would’ve fallen for him twice.
“So where are we going after this?” she asked, pushing the unwanted thoughts away from her mind. If Shen Yi wasn’t bothered by the rumors, then she didn’t need to waste time worrying about such trivial things.
“We will meet Kang Wei and Zhao Xi later. They’re late, and since the media somewhat found out where we were, we can’t go back to the museum this time.”
Lu Xinyi understood then that it would be hard for them to hide their relationship. When their food arrived, she was still spacing out, wondering if attending Silver Leaf was worth the trouble for Shen Yi.
“You don’t like the food?” Shen Yi’s question brought her out from her reverie. She let a small smile curling her lips and shook her head.
The gaifan with mapo tofu she ordered was served in front of her while Shen Yi got the house special. She was glad that Shen Yi agreed not to go to a fancy restaurant this time. She briefly wondered if someone was following them. How did they know that she and Shen Yi would be in that museum? ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
She looked around the local restaurant and couldn’t find someone suspicious. Whoever it was, Lu Xinyi was sure that they wouldn’t give up and leave them alone.
Lu Xinyi inhaled the aroma of her meal and was deeply satisfied. “So glad that I could eat a meal that I didn’t cook myself.”
Shen Yi arched a brow after placing a steamed dumpling on her plate. “Are you tired of cooking?”
“Of course not. Cooking is something I cannot give up so easily. Attending Silver Leaf will be hard, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up without trying.”
She thanked him for the dumplings and started eating. Lu Xinyi chewed her food and moaned a little. This mapo tofu was one of the best she tasted so far.
“This is so good, Shen Yi. You should try it.”
The spicy, pungent, and appetizing flavor of the mapo tofu complimented the steamed rice well. The spicy fermented bean paste was on its best quality. Aside from that, the freshly cooked chili oil added another layer of flavor to the dish. It tasted so much better than store-bought ones.
The milky tofu was enriched with brownish red ground beef and chopped green onion. It was really a tasty delicacy.
Shen Yi chuckled. He could tell that he just lost his wife to her taste buds again. At least she wasn’t moping around although his curiosity about what troubled her was still there.
Another ring from a phone disturbed his thoughts. This time, it was his. Taking it from his coat, he saw Qiao He’s name on the screen and answered it. Lu Xinyi stopped eating and waited for Shen Yi.
“What news?” Shen Yi asked his assistant. He didn’t like the interruption of his vacation. His frown deepened when Qiao He mentioned another wave of speculations thrown at Lu Xinyi. He cut the call and checked the news online. He and Lu Xinyi weren’t part of the entertainment circle, yet the public binged the rumors as if they were celebrity stars.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Xinyi asked worriedly, her appetite was almost forgotten. Did they need to make a change of plans because of these rumors?
“Nothing that can’t be handled, but Xinxin, can you explain this to me?” Shen Yi turned his phone and let Lu Xinyi read today’s headline with a photo. It was her leaving a clinic with Yang Liqing following behind her. The headline maliciously implied that she was trying to trap Shen Yi into marriage.
‘Oh, shit,’ Lu Xinyi cursed inwardly. She wasn’t prepared to tell her worries to Shen Yi yet.
