A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 174 - 173"What treasure? You?"_1
Xie Qinyang wanted to say something, but that person’s surname was Zhou, and he really couldn’t bring himself to speak up—it wasn’t his place to interfere in the Zhou Family’s affairs.
Shen Jing tried to drag Xie Qinyang away with all her might but didn’t have the strength. She murmured, "Xie Qinyang, if you don’t leave now, I’ll really get angry." Though it was clearly a command, her pearly teeth bit her tender lips, then relaxed, leaving behind a faint, rosy mark.
Seeing her like this, Young Director Cheng’s eyes locked onto her, unwilling to stray even for a moment. Such an exquisite, endearing beauty—he absolutely had to have her. Even if she was taken, he wanted to snatch her away. Here, at the foot of the Imperial City, there wasn’t a thing or person he couldn’t obtain.
"Xie Qinyang—go home."
The beauty’s eyes were clear and bright, almost brimming with tears. It seemed as if she would shed her ’little pearls’ the very next second if he didn’t try to smooth things over.
Whose pampered little treasure was this, to be so easily aggrieved to the point of tears? Cheng Jinchuan’s heart suddenly thumped hard, and he abruptly decided not to bicker with Xie Qinyang anymore.
"What a rarity, to see Xie Qinyang, who has been single for twenty-seven years, so protective of her for the first time. If I were him, I’d also want to hide her behind me and protect her."
"Shut up."
Xie Qinyang then let go of the other man’s collar and left with Shen Jing.
The Xie and Cheng families had been friends for generations, so the elders regarded the squabbles of the younger generation as mere child’s play.
After leaving the nightclub, the two of them squatted by the roadside at GT, their Jeep Wrangler parked right in front of them.
Under the street lamp, their laughter and conversation mingled with the white puffs of their breath and the wisps of cigarette smoke swirling in the air.
"Don’t cooperate with him. He’s just a pretty boy, yet he still has the gall to declare he’ll definitely get you. What’s with that domineering CEO act he’s putting on in front of us?"
The young master’s tone was wildly arrogant.
A faint smile touched the corners of Shen Jing’s eyes. "It’s not like the Cheng Family is irreplaceable."
"I’ll help you find another one," Xie Qinyang said.
Shen Jing looked up and sighed regretfully, "Which one? The Cheng Family is the client the Shen Family is most desperate to partner with."
"There are plenty of others. As if the Cheng Family is so special," Xie Qinyang said, offering her the Huanghe Building cigarette he held. "Want one?"
"Yes."
"No way." Xie Qinyang teased her, laughing as he pulled it back. "Luchen will get angry."
"What’s there to be angry about?" Shen Jing rested her cheeks in her hands, her long lashes fluttering down dejectedly. "He doesn’t want me anymore."
Music played intermittently from the car stereo, a soft Cantonese song drifting out through the window.
"No need to ask me to stay,
The world is so colorful.
You must learn to turn away and ask no more.
No need to ask me to stay,
Don’t be naive for my sake.
Perhaps for this entire life,
I’ll be unwilling to ask again..."
Xie Qinyang looked at her. "You two were never going to last long anyway. Listen to this younger brother-in-law’s advice: don’t go back to Shanghai looking for him."
"Although this place can’t compare with glitzy Shanghai, there are still good men around."
Shen Jing began to sing along to the song.
"No need to ask me to stay,
The world is so colorful.
You must learn to turn away and ask no more..."
Her voice was husky yet tender. An oversized diamond-patterned scarf was wrapped around her small, smiling face as her lips moved, pure and gentle.
"You sing quite well. Why not be a singer?"
"I don’t have that dream."
「In Shanghai, Night Mansion.」
In the shower room, under the icy spray of the showerhead.
The man stood naked, letting the cold water rush over him as he pushed his wet hair back.
When the water stopped, the man wrapped himself in a bathrobe and stepped out. Wenxin was lying on the large white bed, flipping through a magazine. Hearing movement, she looked up, her heart rate instantly becoming erratic, her gaze hazy as she stared at the man.
Zhou Luchen’s neatly trimmed black hair was damp, and he was rubbing it with a towel in one hand. His white bathrobe wasn’t tied properly, hanging open. When their eyes met, he tossed the towel aside and then, unhurriedly, tied the robe’s belt, covering himself.
The contours of his muscular upper body, partially exposed, hinted at a virility the bathrobe could barely contain.
Only then did Wenxin realize she had lost her composure. She lifted the keys in her hand. "You gave me these keys, so this doesn’t count as trespassing in a mansion, right?"
Zhou Luchen sat on the sofa, his powerful, compact physique seeming to dominate half of it. The bathrobe strained slightly across his lap, its white hem just managing to conceal what lay beneath.
What a seductive scoundrel.
He tilted his head and lit a cigarette, holding it between his lips. He looked at Wenxin meaningfully, his eyes narrowed slightly in disdain. "Are you that shameless? Enjoying the view so much?"
Wenxin sat up. She, too, possessed captivating looks, her red lips curved in a bright, provocative smile.
She didn’t try to hide the infatuation in her heart.
"So stingy. You’re not going to let me look?"
She, too, had her own passions and desires. The alluring charm hidden beneath her cool exterior, that beauty she occasionally, subtly revealed, was the most soul-stirring.
"Shen Jing doesn’t even know where Night Mansion is. Have you ever brought her here?" Wenxin said, gesturing to the bed she was on.
He smirked, a hint of nonchalance in his eyes. "What’s that got to do with you?"
Wenxin truly hated how he could utter such cruel, heartless words with a smile. Even his casual remarks could carry a mix of genuine and feigned provocation.
"Didn’t she break up with you? You were the one who got dumped, right? I even thought Second Young Master Zhou would be heartbroken and in need of my comfort."
There was no sign of him being heartbroken, just as she’d expected. She knew very well that Shen Jing alone could never have truly occupied a place in his heart. He had invested far more in her than he ever did in Shen Jing.
Her gaze never left his face. "Dry your hair quickly, or you’ll catch a cold."
Zhou Luchen took the cigarette from his mouth. "What do you want?"
"Of course I do. Why else would I be here?"
She slipped off the bed. Dressed in a tight, hip-hugging skirt and sheer black stockings, her curvaceous figure swayed gracefully as she approached Zhou Luchen. She settled onto his lap, meeting his eyes. They were bottomless, and looking into them made her feel increasingly lost, as if he could lure her into a deep abyss from which there was no escape.
Zhou Luchen chuckled and pushed her away. "Keep your distance. I’m not dressed under this."
His words were always unfiltered, but his actions were exceptionally cold and distant, indirectly creating a gap between them.
Wenxin was already used to this side of Zhou Luchen. She leaned down, smiling at him.
On Zhou Luchen’s face, not a single pore was visible; his skin was even smoother than a woman’s.
"Why don’t you call your ’treasure’ to fly back and put out your fire? Aren’t you craving her?"
"What treasure?" Zhou Luchen pinched her chin with his fingers. After a long moment, he let out a low chuckle. "You?"
Those two simple words, spoken so teasingly, effortlessly shattered her pride. "Am I still?"
Zhou Luchen released her chin, picked up his phone and cigarette case, and walked past her into the study.
He left without any warning, and Wenxin suddenly felt a chill. Deep down, she was somewhat afraid of Zhou Luchen. Now that his affection was gone, his temper had become even more unpredictable to her.
She wanted to ask about other things but swallowed her words.
"Today is Little New Year. You didn’t go home, nor did you attend any social engagements, so you probably haven’t had dinner, right? Grandmother Zhou asked me to bring some over. Are you hungry?"
"Not hungry."
The study door clicked shut.
Since Shen Jing left, he had been staying here frequently, and the Zhou Family had hired two maids to take care of him.
Aunt Zhang came out of the kitchen. Seeing Wenxin coming downstairs, her gaze was distant, as if she were lost in thought. "Miss Wei, please watch your step on the stairs."
Wenxin snapped back to attention, a sudden smile playing on her lips. "Prepare a late-night snack for him and send it to the study. Remember to make it light and go easy on the seasoning."
Wenxin got into her car and glanced back at the lit study window on the second floor.
He and Shen Jing broke up rather quickly. She’d thought those two could be together for three to five years without him getting tired of her. She was gone, but nothing much had changed in Shanghai; their social circle carried on as usual. Always trying to use separation to measure the depth of love. But he didn’t have any love to give in the first place.
