Chapter 38: Beautiful things are born to be admired!

The day of Lin Xianxian and Shang Yang’s wedding was fast approaching. During the preparations, Lin Xianxian’s excessive demands and capricious behavior had earned her a reputation as a spoiled brat among everyone who knew her. Many pitied Shang Yang, unable to fathom why he would choose to marry such a woman. It was common knowledge that for the past few years, she had been shamelessly chasing after his nephew. Most assumed that marrying Shang Yang was merely a ploy to make the nephew jealous.

Shang Yang smiled faintly at the pitying gazes directed at him. They had no idea how good she truly was to him.

Watching the bento box that Lin Xianxian had tossed toward him like trash, Shang Yang caught the sympathetic glance of his female secretary. He smiled gently and opened the meal. "It’s delicious. Xianxian’s cooking is truly excellent!"

"Wuwu! He’s so gentle! His voice is so low and magnetic, so charming! System, he’s seducing me!"

The system was speechless. "Host, he is just saying the food is good."

"Of course it is! I, a top-tier foodie, waited in line personally to buy this limited-edition gourmet bento. It has to be good!" Lin Xianxian felt a sense of pride.

The system replied, "If I may be blunt... Host, you only waited in that line because of the male lead."

"What else? If it weren’t for the sake of the plot, who would waste two hours queuing for a lunchbox? I could have just paid a delivery runner. It would save me the effort and give them work. But to drive the plot forward and show that I, the cannon fodder female lead, am still obsessed with the male lead even on the verge of marrying his uncle... I had no choice but to go myself!"

Lin Xianxian complained internally, "Do you have any idea how hurt I felt standing there for two hours, pretending to be lovesick, only to take that bento to that idiot Shang Beiming and be coldly rejected?"

The system was silent for two seconds. "Host, if I recall correctly, you brought a chair, hired someone to hold an umbrella for you, and spent those two hours playing on your phone while lounging on a recliner. You only took a photo of the crowd when you first arrived to show how hard you were working."

"So what! I wasted two precious hours! I could have been lying at home playing on my phone!"

The system sighed, watching as Lin Xianxian complained in her mind while simultaneously staring unblinkingly at Shang Yang as he ate. "Host, if the uncle knew this was intended for his nephew—and that you only gave it to him after being rejected—I wonder if he’d still be eating so happily?"

Shang Yang’s expression remained calm, and he continued to enjoy the meal with leisurely poise. Lin Xianxian snapped at the system in her thoughts.

"System, you’ve become wicked!" She gazed at Shang Yang again, adding, "He wouldn’t care. In fact, I suspect he might have known all along!"

Shang Yang’s movements paused for a split second, barely perceptible, before he continued eating. Lin Xianxian did not notice his reaction.

She continued to muse internally, "Shang Yang isn’t the type to care about such things. In the original plot, even when the wicked Lin Xianxian tried to seduce Shang Beiming on their wedding day, Shang Yang married her without blinking. He simply wanted to be responsible for her. As for whether he likes her... System, you’re too naive. Do you think a man like Shang Yang, who built a business empire rivaling the Shang family’s on his own in such a short time, cares about petty romance?"

"He doesn't care. That’s why, even if she refuses to share a bed with him after marriage, leaves him to sleep alone, and constantly goes after Shang Beiming—basically wearing a green hat for him—the outside world gossips, but Shang Yang never changes. He treats her exactly the same as he did before they married."

"He’s even more generous! Because Lin Xianxian is already his wife. Shang Yang is so perfect he’s practically a robot; he’d never lose his heart!" Lin Xianxian sighed with regret. "So, even if he knows I queued for this bento for Shang Beiming and was rejected, he’ll eat it without changing his expression. Besides, the food is good, so why shouldn't he enjoy it?"

A hint of amusement flickered in Shang Yang’s eyes. She understood him well. He believed that if he couldn't hear her inner thoughts and truly believed she was just a spoiled socialite obsessed with his nephew, he would indeed be able to eat the bento she gave him after being rejected by Shang Beiming without batting an eye. As she said, it was good food, and he never wasted anything. Having been trained in the military by the old man, he was different from the typical "domineering CEO." He had a stomach of steel and zero interest in wasting food.

"That's right. A grown man over 1.8 meters tall giving himself an ulcer... people would think he’s some overworked laborer," Lin Xianxian scoffed. "Only the male lead needs that kind of character arc. Our Uncle Shang is the best—handsome, good-tempered, and steady. He won't suddenly fly into a rage or lose his mind over a single word from the heroine."

"Look at our Uncle Shang, so pleasing to the eye even when eating. He eats a simple bento so elegantly... Wuwu, this side profile is so handsome! Those arm muscles... I want to sit on his lap and have him feed me!"

The system was disgusted. "Host, if Shang Yang heard you, he’d be too nauseated to eat!"

That, at least, was unlikely.

Shang Yang lowered his lashes and sped up his eating, but his ears turned a shade of red.

"Why are his ears red? Is he hot? The indoor AC is set to 23 degrees..."

The system remarked quietly, "Perhaps it’s because you’re staring at him, Host."

Lin Xianxian remained unrepentant, showing no intention of looking away. "So what? Beautiful things are meant to be admired! Besides, he’s going to be my husband soon. What’s wrong with me staring at my own man? I even want to reach out and touch him, and maybe... hehehe."

The system silently retreated.

Shang Yang finished his last bite, took a deep breath, stood up, and naturally carried the eco-friendly bento container to the pantry to wash it.

Lin Xianxian thought, "He’s so frugal, I love him!" Although the shop used high-quality, reusable containers that many customers kept as souvenirs—some even queued specifically for the exclusive tableware—Shang Yang was a man who lacked for nothing, yet he hadn't just thrown it away.

"Wuwu, he’s washing the dishes himself! He didn’t throw them away, and he didn’t have someone else do it—he just washed them! A man who served in the military truly is the best. What do I do, I love him even more!"

"System, if I can’t control myself on our wedding night and tackle Shang Yang, what will happen? Does that count as violating the plot? But..."