A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 158: That tiny bit of pampering is too meager (3)_1
The accident had just occurred two hundred meters ahead, and the Porsche’s owner was no longer there.
Faint, intermittent cries could be heard, enough to soften anyone’s heart. Shen Jing had barely taken two steps when she suddenly stopped and looked ahead from beneath her umbrella.
The streetlights were misty.
A man in a black suit stood on the roadside, exposed to the rain, gazing down at the woman crouching on the ground.
His back was turned, so his expression was hidden. Only the Bentley at his side, with its hazard lights flashing, was visible.
Wenxin’s face was buried in her knees; she hadn’t bothered with an umbrella.
Her low, continuous sobs persisted for a while before she looked up at Zhou Luchen, the second son of the Zhou Family, who stood looking down on her.
Even drenched in rain, an innate nobility seemed etched into his very bones; he showed no sign of discomposure.
"Why wouldn’t you help me find an organ donor? Why? Why did you present his criminal evidence? Why couldn’t you have found someone else to take the blame when he was gravely ill? The police are constantly guarding the ICU, ready to arrest him. He couldn’t hold on, so he just... left." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
The events of the day had driven Wenxin to the brink, beyond reason.
Zhou Luchen stood in silence. After a few seconds, he finally spoke, his voice cold, "You came to me asking for help with the Procuratorate. Who lives or dies has nothing to do with me. I was merely acting impartially."
What a way to "act impartially."
So, no matter how affectionate this man might appear, a cold-blooded side was always hidden deep within him.
Wenxin vaguely remembered Zhuang Ming relaying the second son’s words: "Then let everyone die together."
In the end, he calmly revealed the evidence, truly letting everyone "die" to satisfy them all.
Did he consider her father’s critical condition? Did he ever think to inform her before he acted? He did not.
"Do you even have a heart? Why didn’t you tell me who the mastermind was earlier? Why? We could have prepared other countermeasures, couldn’t we?"
She looked up at Zhou Luchen. The misty rain shrouded his tall figure; his neatly trimmed, slightly damp hair glistened. His expression, hidden in the backlight, was exceptionally faint. Even though she stood right before him, her noble bearing seemed unable to touch him.
He just pursed his lips slightly. "Are we that familiar?"
"Zhou Luchen, ah, Zhou Luchen, don’t you know my father is dead? It’s been two days! Why haven’t you appeared? When he was alive, he’d brew tea and chat with you, treating you like his own son-in-law. Wasn’t he good to you? Couldn’t you even come to see him one last time after he died?"
Suddenly, a car stopped nearby.
Zhuang Ming approached, holding an umbrella over Zhou Luchen’s head, and replied softly, "Out of past acquaintance, the Zhou Family will send someone to your family’s funeral. Such matters do not require the second son’s personal attendance. Miss Wei, please accept our condolences."
Yes, with his noble status, he disliked attending funerals.
But when he was indulging in a decadent life with Shen Jing, did he ever consider the Zhou Family’s rules?
Wenxin’s emotions surged, and tears flowed uncontrollably. "Did you enjoy playing with your actress, indulging your whims? Copying Buddhist scriptures, was that enjoyable? Keeping her here, was that enjoyable? You’re going to Switzerland—do you think the Zhou Family approves of you and her being like this? What is she, anyway? She was never part of our world."
"It’s all because of her. She brought Xing Fei into our circles, ruining the long-arranged marriage between Chen Yao and Liang Yingning. If it weren’t for her, Chen Yao would never have met Xing Fei. The moment she appeared, she wrecked our world. Is anyone around you doing well now?"
"And Alin’s project in Tong Village? For the sake of an old lady’s radish patch, Alin himself was forced to change the plans countless times. The project funds were constantly over budget, allowing competitors to exploit loopholes. Zhou Xiangqun even interferes, conducting spot checks for compliance! Dare you say this isn’t because of Shen Jing? Ultimately, everyone around pins the blame on me. They say I maliciously harmed Alin to secure the Wei Family chairmanship. Why should I suffer such an injustice? Who among you has cleared my name?"
"You get to do the good deeds and be the good guys, while the Wei Family foots the bill, payment after payment. If we refused, villagers would storm the company gates to protest."
"Oh, and you were all in Tong Village during that time. How laughable! What kind of demonic charm does she possess, that her mere indirect presence makes everyone’s life miserable?"
Zhou Luchen moved the umbrella to cover Wenxin’s head. His voice, husky and indistinct, carried over the sound of the rain, "She wasn’t involved."
Wenxin looked at his absurd gesture. Is he pitying me for getting drenched?
But Zhou Luchen was openly keeping Shen Jing here, right behind them in that large apartment at Yunding No.1, the one with Shanghai’s most beautiful night and river views.
"You just protect her. She can cry, but I can’t, right?"
"You were the one who told us! You said you wouldn’t marry her. Those were your words! Chen Yao knows, I know, Liang Yingning knows—everyone knows! Have you forgotten?"
Wenxin’s cries grew hoarse. She was no longer the proud young lady who would only lift her chin arrogantly. Small and petite, she burrowed into Zhou Luchen’s embrace, tears falling one by one onto his chest.
That black shirt he wore, the black suit—she had personally helped him put them on that morning.
Shen Jing’s lips quivered. Push her away, Zhou Luchen, push her away...
Hearing Wenxin’s cries grow more heart-wrenching.
"Achen."
"My dad is gone. I have nothing left..."
"What right do you have? Why is it always others chasing after you? So what if you lower your head? So what if you forgive me? So what if you give me a little love like before?"
He didn’t push her away.
Shen Jing turned. Her trembling hands, struggling to hold the umbrella steady, grew paler. She suddenly laughed. "My father is gone too. Would you hold me like this while I cry?"
It was as if she suddenly understood Lu Siyuan’s ’advice’; that person would never belong to you. Aren’t you afraid of having to return something that belongs to someone else one day?
An ex, a rainy day, the dead of winter—what a perfect match.
Shen Jing looked down at the floor, murmuring to herself, Do you want to marry her? Is that why you’re set on grooming her to be the mistress the Zhou Family desires, making her the chairwoman of the Wei Family? A lady from an aristocratic family, with a visible lineage, someone your grandmother approves of. Yet, you also want to keep an actress for pleasure. You can’t play it like this, Zhou Luchen. Does your Zhou Family have such a precedent? Be devoted to one, or give one up.
Behind her, the umbrella fell. Seeing Shen Jing’s distraught and distracted state, the security guard decided against reminding her. He stepped out, bent down to pick up the umbrella, and planned to return it to Mr. Zhou later.
She didn’t know how she got back to Yunding.
She didn’t know if it was cold outside. Inside Yunding, the heating was so effective that she felt comfortable in just a dress.
Shen Jing leaned against the door of the kitten’s room, careful not to wake it.
She looked down and typed a message, intending to send it. But then she saw that the latest entries in the chat history were all her own unanswered messages; Zhou Luchen hadn’t replied to a single one. In the end, she deleted what she’d typed.
She found Liang Yingning’s number.
"Are you asleep?" Shen Jing’s voice was choked.
Liang Yingning fell silent. Shen Jing’s tone was too fragile; a sob was clearly audible.
After a long pause, Liang Yingning replied, "Still driving, haven’t reached home yet. What’s wrong?" She seemed to understand the reason for the late-night call and suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Jingjing, are you asking me out? If so, come on out!"
Shen Jing hung up, put on her coat, and picked out the car key that most appealed to her.
