A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 189: Boundless Zhou Luchen_1
Shen Jing held the cigarette to her nose and sniffed. Its aroma was much stronger than the clean, sharp scent that usually clung to him.
She also grabbed the lighter; she bowed her head to light it. CLICK.
Remembering how, she took a drag and slowly blew the smoke toward Zhou Luchen’s profile. The Nicotine mixed with a milky scent, seductive and practiced.
Zhou Luchen’s lips curled slightly, and he spat out a curse, "Fuck you."
He was always without limits, and his usual unrestrained behavior now carried an added layer of subtle, erotic suggestion.
Even in the dim atmosphere, the unfastened buttons of the beauty’s qipao collar, the fabric pulled taut where it concealed her figure, revealed glimpses of skin as white and luminous as a string of pearls.
This darkened Zhou Luchen’s gaze.
Shen Jing felt Zhou Luchen was being too restrained at this moment.
Looking up at him, she saw his fiercely taut neck, the tendons bulging prominently beneath the thin skin—a state she had clearly perceived when they kissed.
The more he restrained himself, on the verge of exploding, the more the tension of his barely contained control became incredibly sexy and desirable.
With the hand holding the cigarette braced on the man’s thigh, Shen Jing leaned close to his face. In a honey-soaked voice, she asked, "Do you like this smell of smoke, Second Young Master Zhou?"
After she had only two puffs, Zhou Luchen snatched the cigarette from her hand, broke it, and threw it out the window.
Shen Jing wanted to light another. Adopting a playfully fierce air, she reached for one, but he, showing no gallantry, refused to let her touch them.
In the ensuing struggle, she stumbled right into his embrace, feeling even more easily bullied.
Zhou Luchen eyed her wind-tousled hair, his expression unreadable. He smirked, "Were you hoping I’d mess around with you in the car here?"
Her posture in his arms, at this moment, was fraught with danger.
"I’ve been taking Chinese medicine for the past two days to regulate my body. It’s arrived, understand?" This was the source of Shen Jing’s boldness in tantalizing him.
His arm stretched out of the car window, slowly flicking ash off the cigarette with his fingertips. His movement wasn’t overtly sensual.
"Do you think I wouldn’t dare?" he uttered slowly.
Shen Jing quickly moved away from the man who lacked self-control. However, he simply reached out with one hand, pressed the back of her head into his embrace, his palm firmly gripping her hair.
A pair of deep, dark eyes stared at her.
"Mmm?"
His voice was extremely low, rumbling in his throat.
A buzz went through Shen Jing’s head as if he had stepped on her tail, sending a tremor all the way to her fingertips.
Zhou Luchen chuckled, a sound laced with mockery and deeper meaning, as he released her.
"Still trying to provoke me, unaware of how deep the water is," he said.
Shen Jing sighed in relief and raised her hand to fasten the buttons of her qipao.
In truth, Zhou Luchen had no real intention of punishing her then. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do without her; he just wasn’t so base as to force things when he wasn’t in the mood.
The cigarette in his hand had burned down to its end, and Zhou Luchen stubbed it out.
"I’m leaving tomorrow."
In the lingering smoke and darkness, his voice was hazy.
At that moment, Shen Jing felt as if something was being taken away from deep within her heart, leaving an empty void.
"I wish you a smooth journey..."
Zhou Luchen remarked, "When we first met in Shanghai, you were quite good at flaunting your status as Zhou Luchen’s girlfriend."
Shen Jing was no fool. "This is Beijing. Even if I said it, no one would believe the Second Young Master Zhou has an official girlfriend."
"From now on, no one will dare to bully you," Zhou Luchen added indifferently. "You’re having such a miserable time in Beijing; you’ve followed me for nothing."
His surname was Zhou. That was all. After their breakup, this was the final sanctuary he offered her.
In that moment, Shen Jing calmly accepted the last piece of goodwill he offered. Zhou Luchen, however much of a rogue or however heartless he might be, when it came to matters outside of romance, never mistreated those he aimed to protect—regardless of the method or the nature of their relationship.
Zhou Luchen’s voice grew lower and softer. "Do you really need to debase yourself like this? Staying here, you’ll only be trampled underfoot by people like Cheng Jinchuan for their amusement."
Shen Jing rested her hand on the steering wheel and looked at him. "But I have you. Even if there’s nothing between us, you’re willing to deceive everyone to protect me."
He snorted softly. "Pushing your luck. You think I’m so idle I can protect you for a lifetime?"
What Zhou Luchen said was true; it was the harsh reality. In the future, he would marry, and she too would marry someone else. Shen Jing did not contradict him, nor did she expect him to protect her for a lifetime.
In the silence between them, time ticked by, second by second.
As the night deepened, fewer cars passed along this road.
After a moment, Zhou Luchen’s eyelids grew heavy. He kicked the car door. "Get out. Walk back yourself."
Shen Jing pushed the door open and slammed it shut.
She turned and walked away.
The black sedan sped off, disappearing into the night. Shen Jing walked back to the old family home under the moonlight.
The tide of emotion that had risen between them was once again thoroughly suppressed.
Zhou Luchen glanced at the road in the rearview mirror. The view gradually shifted to city avenues as he completely left the Xihe River district.
He had, it seemed, tried to make her stay. Whether it was due to desire, an unwillingness to see her bullied, or some other reason. Truly, he had tried to make her stay, but this was as far as his bottom line could stretch. Any further, and he couldn’t do it.
「Some time later.」
Shen Jing didn’t know exactly when Zhou Luchen went to New York. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
He left without a sound, without a trace. For a long time, no one in their circle mentioned the name Zhou Luchen.
It was as if he were some taboo figure.
Between the Zhou Family and the Cheng Family, the relationship of the elders had reached a stalemate. The Zhou Family was unwilling to engage with the Cheng Family, even though the Cheng Family had done what was necessary.
The people of the Zhou Family were all individuals of iron will and ruthless methods. Once they fell out with someone, the damage was irreparable, leaving no room for negotiation.
Cheng Jinchuan rarely appeared anymore. The most recent sighting was during a shopping trip. He was at a mall where entire floors were filled with luxury goods—a mall that, as it happened, belonged to the Cheng Family.
That day, Cheng Jinchuan had been assigned to inspect the stores. He ran into Shen Jing and said, "I’m sorry."
Shen Jing did not accept apologies in any form.
An "I’m sorry" is useless. Don’t even bother listening to it. That’s what Zhou Luchen had taught her.
She said, "We’re all adults. We weigh the pros and cons before deciding what to do. Since it was done, and it was a mistake, then in the end, those words, ’I’m sorry,’ become cheap. Zhou Luchen taught me that."
She held her iced fruit juice and calmly excused herself past him.
You can truly feel whether someone loves you or not. She knew even more clearly that Cheng Jinchuan felt nothing close to affection for her. It was purely because he couldn’t have her; his desire to conquer beautiful women was too strong.
