A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 152 - 151 Who was so cruel to my Jingjing_1

Shen Jing didn’t celebrate her birthday. She felt it was of little significance and rarely mentioned it to others, preferring to have dinner at her grandmother’s place.

Time just passed.

Her grandmother was the only one who remembered this clearly. "Where’s Nannan’s boyfriend? Why haven’t you brought him over yet?"

Shen Jing bluffed, "I don’t think he’s presentable, so I don’t want to bring him."

Her grandmother laughed. "You and that sharp little mouth of yours, always so stubborn."

In the end, neither of them brought up the subject again.

During that time, Shen Jing went to visit her master again, diligently learning and practicing the pipa.

Xing Fei, seeing her so busy she was almost late for work, remarked, "You’re already so good. Why continue learning? Are you that bored with life?"

Shen Jing tied up her hair and went downstairs to the stage. Looking back, she responded, "I can’t just stick to one thing my whole life. When I’m older, I might want to become a pipa teacher. How can I teach if I have no skill?"

Xing Fei laughed and teased her, "When you’re old, you should be in Zhou Luchen’s villa, tending to flowers and playing with cats."

"Is that possible?" Shen Jing mused. "The thought of such peaceful years is quite nice."

Knowing it was just a joke, Shen Jing didn’t discuss it seriously.

Xing Fei scrutinized her, then clicked her tongue. "Dress warmer, and remember to cover that hickey on your neck. Who was so bold as to leave such a fierce mark on my Jingjing?"

Who else could it be?

Shen Jing pushed Xing Fei’s face away with her hand. "You pervert."

Xing Fei descended the stairs with her arms crossed, laughing uncontrollably.

Shen Jing pushed all her vacation days to the end of the month, taking a long continuous break. She bought tickets and flew to Yang City, then to An City, staying in various places, learning from masters while also managing her self-media channels.

Xing Fei loved watching her live broadcasts. "People just can’t compare. You’re so rich, yet so hardworking. How are those less wealthy than you supposed to live?" Xing Fei then directly urged her, "Just go for it. Have Mr. Xiaozhou put together a team to help you set up a company."

Such a joke reminded Shen Jing of her college days when she had elected to study journalism and communications. A young calf’s ideas are always too naive, and reality is cruel.

Starting a company all by herself? What a joke.

It wasn’t that she lacked ambition; it was that, apart from money, she had nothing else to her name.

She was constantly busy.

She didn’t plan to seek out Zhou Luchen proactively. It was a little stratagem on her part; she wanted him to take the initiative for once, to see if he would miss her.

Gradually, Zhou Luchen rarely returned to Yunding, treating it merely as a temporary retreat. If the door was open, he would return; if not, he had his tender havens elsewhere.

What kind of man was Zhou Luchen? He would only think of her when he was lonely.

「United Bank branch, President’s Office.」

Director Liang of Juntai Technology personally came to United Bank to see Mr. Xiaozhou. They had previously arranged a dinner, but Mr. Xiaozhou had missed it. When capital confronts greater capital, a personal visit is the only recourse.

The meeting was halfway through.

Director Liang, a portly middle-aged man with a voice thick and rough, said, "Mr. Xiaozhou, please review the contract."

Zhou Luchen was tired. He reached out his hand.

The female secretary, having filled the pen with ink, leaned in close beside Zhou Luchen, disregarding personal space as she handed it to him.

He took the pen.

The secretary’s long, curly hair brushed against Zhou Luchen’s suit. He didn’t move it away, signing the contract with an enigmatic smile that was hard to decipher.

As if sensing tacit approval for her flirtation, the secretary leaned even closer, her breath ghosting evenly across his ear. "Mr. Xiaozhou, there’s one more here."

He glanced at her. The secretary looked slightly nervous meeting his gaze. In the depths of his dark eyes, an indistinct, captivating allure swirled.

The secretary smiled with warm gentleness. This was her fourth day working at United Bank, and she had finally been assigned to the president’s office as his personal secretary.

"I’ll go get you coffee."

Zhou Luchen withdrew his gaze, refocusing on the contract.

Director Liang, at the side, pretended not to notice. He had seen Zhou Luchen frequently accompanied by a very delicate beauty—not this flirtatious secretary.

Perhaps all men are insatiable, always yearning for more.

The female secretary brought coffee, placed it beside Zhou Luchen, and whispered intimately near his ear, "Mr. Zhou, please try it. I ground the beans myself."

The new secretary had hit a snag; Mr. Zhou didn’t drink coffee.

Li Heng, who was beside them organizing notes, covered his face and took the coffee away.

The secretary’s smile vanished. She leaned in again by Zhou Luchen’s ear and asked, "Is Mr. Zhou feeling unwell?"

Zhou Luchen capped the pen and handed it back to her.

"A cold."

With a perfunctory claim of having a cold, he picked up his suit jacket and left.

After discussing follow-up matters regarding the contract with Director Liang, they entered the elevator together.

「Parking Lot.」

As soon as Zhou Luchen got into his car, the secretary hurried over with cold medicine. Standing by the car, she bent down and offered the medicine to Zhou Luchen. "You have a cold; remember to take your medicine."

Zhou Luchen didn’t take it.

Director Liang from Juntai Technology, standing nearby, had no choice but to take it on his behalf.

It seemed Mr. Zhou really did have a cold. He let out a low cough when he took out his cigarette case, then put it back on the center console and twisted open a bottle of mineral water to drink.

Director Liang asked the man in the driver’s seat softly, "Shall I drive you to the hospital?"

Zhou Luchen’s voice was hoarse. "No need to trouble Director Liang. It’s just a slight cold."

Director Liang nodded. Holding the elegantly packaged bag of medicine, he was unsure where to put it. "Why don’t you take the medicine first?"

Watching the secretary’s polished smile vanish as the elevator doors closed, Zhou Luchen’s own smile turned cold. "It tastes awful."

His words were so cold and emotionless. Director Liang took back the medicine. "Then please take care of yourself. It’s cold out; make sure to keep warm."

At 9:00 p.m., Zhou Luchen drove out from the CBD Building, flooring the accelerator all the way to The Bund.

The Bund was crowded, and Zhou Luchen was forced to ease off the accelerator, alternating between pressing the gas and engaging the electronic handbrake for pedestrians.

He rarely drove this stretch of The Bund; there were too many pedestrians, and he lacked the patience to wait.

He picked up his phone, tapped the screen, and saw the time: 21:34.

His phone’s notification screen was blank—no messages at all. The endless stream of pedestrians crossing the road only made the young scion more irritable.

He tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. He wasn’t sure what was bothering him, but he knew he had little patience for waiting on people.

A few hundred meters of road took three waiting periods before he finally reached the entrance of the Peace Hotel.

Chen Yao, who had been squatting by the entrance, spotted the license plate. He immediately stood up, opened the car door, and slid into the passenger seat. "I thought you weren’t coming to get me."

How rare, Chen Yao thought. Usually, he’d just claim to be busy or pass the task to Zhuang Ming. It seemed Second Young Master Zhou was exceptionally idle today, with nothing better to do.

Zhou Luchen rested his hand on the car window frame. "What are you doing here?"

He hadn’t turned on the heat. Chen Yao could only pull his coat tighter around himself, huddling against the cold seat. "My family won’t let me go home. What about you? Why aren’t you going home?"

Zhou Luchen remained silent, sitting there lighting a cigarette and smoking.

Suddenly, Chen Yao blurted out, "Your good girl isn’t home, huh? Since she’s not around, why not go out and have some fun? No one’s rushing you home this time. Feels great, doesn’t it?"

He casually tapped the ash from his cigarette, a playful yet disdainful smile touching his lips as he looked at Chen Yao. "ABD."

"Hey, no insults, alright?" Chen Yao protested, flustered.

Zhou Luchen didn’t respond, simply turned the car around and drove off.

He wasn’t going home, and Chen Yao was just as homeless; the Chen family hadn’t concerned themselves with him for a long time.

The car cruised aimlessly through Huangpu District, circling a few times. Suddenly, neither of them knew where to go.

Zhou Luchen’s cold seemed to be worsening; his nasal congestion grew more pronounced, and his eyelids were visibly heavy with fatigue.

Chen Yao was utterly astonished. "Zhou Luchen, you’re actually sick?"