A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 170: Time-Limited Addiction (Part 3)_1

It wasn’t exactly an arranged marriage, as the two of them just happened to see eye to eye.

In ancient times, a bride from the Xie Family would have been celebrated with a grand procession stretching for miles, complete with an eight-bearer sedan chair.

Coincidentally, when the Xie Family came to fetch the bride, they saw the young master of the Xie Family. He was surrounded by elders and aunts, who were chatting and teasing him, yet he handled it all with ease.

He was a natural charmer, a real hit with the older ladies.

He was dressed in a dark blue groomsman suit with a pink boutonniere. His hair, possibly waxed, faintly reflected the shine from the crystal lights above. This getup really did a disservice to his handsomeness; that expensive floral shirt and those designer sunglasses suited him better.

So it was *this* Xie Family from Beijing, she thought. No wonder they insisted she return for the event.

Shen Ci looked at Shen Jing, puzzled. "Why are you staring at Qinyang like that? Do you know him?"

Shen Jing withdrew her gaze. "No, but he stands out like a peacock. Hard to miss."

Old Master Xie had a son late in life, and this young master was thoroughly doted upon. With the eldest son managing the family business, the younger one could roam and play without any fear of squandering the family fortune.

Shen Ci didn’t find it strange; Xie Qinyang’s handsome appearance would naturally catch any young girl’s attention.

Shen Ci said, "Thank you for your hard work, coming all the way back to be a bridesmaid on your first day."

Shen Jing raised the thick red envelope in her hand. "There’s a red envelope to collect. Brother-in-law is generous."

「Later that afternoon, they arrived at the Xie Family’s residence.」

At the grand entrance of the Xie Family estate, they noticed Zhou Xiangqun’s driver delivering a congratulatory gift. The Xie Family had invited the Zhou Family, but true to their preference for keeping a low profile, none of them had shown up at such a grand event.

From a distance, Zhou Xiangqun’s driver looked in Shen Jing’s direction for a long time, his face showing confusion.

Old Master Xie personally greeted the driver, asking, "Has the eldest young master not come?"

The driver presented the congratulatory gift with both hands. "He’s caught up in official business. This is a small token from the Zhou Family. Please accept it."

The Xie Family courteously instructed their servants to carefully store the gift away, as if it were a precious treasure.

What great gift could someone like Zhou Xiangqun possibly provide, anyway?

"And the second young master?"

"He’s in Shanghai. His gift is included in there as well."

"Everyone’s so busy. It must have been troublesome for you to come all this way to deliver the gifts."

"Not at all, Mr. Zhou said that the Xie Family’s grand wedding certainly deserved our presence. Everyone is just too busy and sends their deepest apologies," the driver replied and then turned to leave.

Yet, he still couldn’t help glancing in Shen Jing’s direction again.

They also saw people from the Min Family in Hong Kong arriving to deliver congratulatory gifts.

The Xie Family indeed had significant influence. They were well acquainted with tycoons and politicians alike.

Shen Jing sat at her seat during the banquet, eating while observing the grand stage of high society’s social exchanges.

Soon after, Xie Qinyang, who had changed his shirt, approached her table, a bottle of whiskey in his hand.

That proof... Shen Jing frowned slightly.

Xie Qinyang sat down beside her. "Is Shen Ci a good friend of yours?"

Shen Jing glanced at him and corrected, "You should call her sister-in-law."

He poured a drink. "Oh, come on, no one’s listening."

Shen Jing then clarified, "She’s not my friend; she’s my older sister."

Xie Qinyang froze, watching her calmly pick at her food. "Are you kidding me? You’re really a Shen? The Fourth Miss of the Shen Family?"

"If I’m not a Shen, are you?" she retorted.

"A pleasure to meet you, relative-in-law," Xie Qinyang suddenly extended his hand for a handshake, but Shen Jing ignored him.

"Little auntie?"

Shen Jing rested her hand on her cheek and chuckled softly. "Give me a red envelope, and you can call me whatever you like."

"Luchen is rich; did he shortchange you on your red envelope?" Xie Qinyang fumbled in his trouser pockets but found nothing. He’d been rushed by his family to join the wedding party. "A measly red envelope? I’ll get Luchen to give you one."

"Then don’t call me that," Shen Jing said. "It makes me sound old, and I’m still young."

When Zhou Luchen was mentioned, Shen Jing’s expression visibly fell. She fumbled three times trying to pick up an almond pastry from the small dish.

Xie Qinyang noticed everything but quickly dismissed it as normal. "You’re not with him anymore?"

"I can’t afford to be," Shen Jing replied softly. "He has someone else. And I’ve already been... returned."

Shen Jing didn’t drink, and Xie Qinyang didn’t press her.

Sitting together for the meal, their conversation mostly revolved around Zhou Luchen.

Zhou Luchen was doing this and that in Beijing.

Shen Jing’s good mood vanished. She was, by all accounts, heartbroken. Every time he was mentioned, Zhou Luchen’s handsome, yet infuriatingly hateful, face would appear in her mind.

Xie Qinyang’s friend suddenly appeared behind them. Perhaps he’d had a few drinks, as he didn’t recognize Shen Jing. He assumed she was like the usual naive young girls, trying to find out through acquaintances what type Second Young Master Zhou preferred or how to catch his interest.

"Talking about Second Young Master Zhou, are we, miss?" the friend slurred. "Why bother with him? He’s not an easy catch. Besides, he has a girlfriend. We were all hanging out at Yanbo Mountain Villa just last time. Don’t go messing with a guy who’s taken. A’yang, what are you worrying about for no reason? If Zhou finds out you’re helping her, he’ll give you a piece of his mind."

Yanbo Mountain Villa was a famous SLH Luxury Hotel.

Xie Qinyang gave his friend a cold look. "Get lost."

The friend smirked at Shen Jing. Another moth to a flame, he thought.

"Don’t misunderstand," Xie Qinyang explained. "That’s Wenxin he’s talking about. We all just hang out together. It’s definitely not what you’re thinking."

Shen Jing’s red lips curled slightly. "What am I thinking? That they went to get a room? Zhou Luchen isn’t so low as to cheat on me behind my back. If he wanted to, he’d do it openly. He wouldn’t be afraid of me finding out. He’d probably even dare to do it right in front of my face."

"You really do understand him," Xie Qinyang said, impressed this time.

Perhaps she understood him too well. So well that she’d carelessly become obsessed, unable to extricate herself.

Shen Jing leaned back in her chair. "It’s not hard to see. He’s in Beijing to bring the Wei Family back from the brink. With a name like ’Zhou Luchen,’ anything he wants to do is easy. That Miss Wei is ultimately the one he’s determined to protect."

Xie Qinyang didn’t say anything more, just motioned for her to eat. This bridesmaid had certainly been busy today.

Shen Jing ate hastily, bade farewell, and left.

Her driver, Old Liang, followed slowly in the car. He didn’t rush to remind her to get in, sensing her bad mood. He let her walk as far as she wanted.

Snow was falling. She wore a silver evening gown, her shoulders simply draped with a wool coat. Her figure swayed unsteadily under the streetlights, as if a fine layer of icy snow drifted down upon her head. She idly kicked at a clump of snow.

The Shen Family’s business covered many areas, including cultural media, real estate, and film production.

Her grandfather had asked about her plans, suggesting that if she liked any particular line of business, she could try getting a position in one of the family companies to learn the basics.

Now that her older sister was married, she couldn’t oversee such matters for her.

For the next few days, Shen Jing rarely went out. She spent her time in the courtyard, chatting with her grandfather and making sure he took his medicine.

The pet sitter from Yunding No. 1 called several times. Seeing that her grandfather was deeply asleep, Shen Jing walked to the balcony and closed the French doors before answering.

"What’s happened?"

The pet sitter’s voice was frantic and timid. "Miss Shen, I... we... Meimei is gone! While the housekeepers were cleaning, it sneaked into the elevator and ran out. We checked the security cameras; we saw it go downstairs, but then there was no trace of it. We are truly... so very sorry."

Shen Jing gazed up at the night sky. "You should contact Mr. Zhou. Forget finding a cat; he could probably dig three feet underground if he needed to find something."

"I’ve called, but he didn’t answer."

"Alright, don’t panic for now. I’ll find someone."

Shen Jing contacted Sun Qiyan. He was in the residents’ group chat and could ask if any of the other homeowners had seen the cat.

All night, intermittently, there was still no sign of the kitten.

A message came from Sun Qiyan: "Don’t worry, the residents have been keeping an eye out recently."

She didn’t want to worry either. She’d had the cat for over a year and had grown attached. It was the first time the little thing had ever sneaked out.

In the past, just a little scare from Zhou Luchen was enough to make it behave perfectly.