A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 225: Are you with him now (3)_1

Meanwhile, in a mansion estate on Long Island, New York.

Zhuang Ming saw off his honored guests, watching one luxury car after another leave. Due to travel security concerns, these distinguished visitors required armed accompaniment. One by one, the burly guards in military attire stood stationed around the yard for security. The sight terrified Zhuang Ming’s sister, who had never experienced such a scene, and she hid inside the fireplace, refusing to come out all night. They seemed to have forgotten about the already timid precious cat in the house.

Zhuang Ming asked the repairman to come to the estate to dismantle the fireplace, but the cat only hid deeper inside it.

The servants couldn’t coax it out, and Zhou Luchen had little patience. He looked indifferently at the cat quivering in the pipe.

"Come out," he chided gruffly.

Clearly, it didn’t work—the cat hid even deeper.

He pursed his lips. "It wasn’t intentional. Next time, I won’t let them come." Only then did the cat softly mewl "Miaomiao" and, finally lifting its eyes to meet the man’s intrinsically aloof expression, still refused to come out.

Having exhausted his patience—or rather, having none to begin with—Zhou Luchen turned away coldly. "Damn it, I’ll throw you back to Shanghai tomorrow." If the cat wouldn’t come out, the visiting Joanna had to stay by the fireplace, attempting to soothe it in its place.

"Do you still remember me? Last time, I even brought you little dried fish."

The cat couldn’t understand English, and it burrowed deeper until it vanished completely.

Joanna turned her head and watched the man as he ascended the staircase. His sleek, black dress shirt was the epitome of simplicity, and his demeanor remained uninvolved and indifferent. Joanna said, "Your cat is quite haughty. It doesn’t take kindly to scolding, nor is it easy to comfort."

No matter what anyone did, the cat still sat there with a proud and unaffected poise.

Zhou Luchen simply pulled out a cigarette, placing it against his lips without turning back. His tall, rigid back was as calm as still water. Once again, Joanna witnessed his ruthlessness.

When in good spirits, the cat was spoiled beyond limit. It would commandeer an eagle’s gilded cage to live in, break expensive items at United Bank, or snuggle in his bedroom to seek affection. But upset him, and he turned his face faster than anyone.

It all hinged on whether he was willing to lower his head or not. Lately, many elites tried various schemes to present beauties to the President of United Bank.

If in the mood, the president would gracefully accept the red wine poured by the beauty, allowing her to cuddle close while languidly chatting. If not interested, he would simply smile, a cold flicker passing by—such was he, sentimental yet inscrutable.

The cat hadn’t warmed up to the foreign beauty with striking features and refused to come out. She only spoke English and other foreign languages, leaving the cat baffled by the attempt at communication.

In silence, Zhuang Ming stood by, watching. This beautiful European woman was not afraid of cats anymore.

In the end, the guests left, and the floors emptied.

Zhuang Ming brought food for the cat and, crouching down, reached into the fireplace. "Don’t be scared anymore. Didn’t he promise you he wouldn’t let those people visit again? Aren’t you satisfied yet? What more do you want from him? When has he ever casually agreed to such requests? You haven’t been hurt, have you? Come out and eat."

"Master Zhou’s promises are only upheld in business dealings. You really don’t recognize favors, do you? If he really gets angry, you won’t be able to sneak into his room anymore."

After a while, the cat emerged staggering to have dinner, filling up before crawling back to sleep.

In the days that followed.

Gradually, Joanna visited the estate less, and only then was the cat willing to come out for walks. Zhuang Ming indifferently stood upright, allowing the white fluffy cat to bite at his trouser legs and leather shoes.

"Miaomiao, Miaomiao..."

The cat was deemed more valuable than people.

Zhuang Ming suddenly murmured, "You only bite me. Dare to bite his leather shoes and see if he gets mad at you or not." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The man he referred to was sitting on the sofa working. As the president of the First Credit Group and chairman of the World Trade Organization, he would personally preside over tomorrow’s financial summit. If nothing unexpected happened, Miss Shen would arrive in New York tomorrow.

-

Shen Jing arrived in New York the night before the summit and stayed at the Park Hyatt Hotel.

She had booked a suite with two bedrooms.

Sun Qiyan pushed the luggage cart while she walked ahead to check the room numbers. "This must be the place, it’s so luxurious it dazzles, I’m dizzy with all the riches." Sun Qiyan laughed at her. "Look how happy you are. Last time you sneaked here and even got followed—first point, you’re not allowed to go out alone, you know that."

"I know," Shen Jing said as she swiped the card to unlock the door and pressed the code. "If that won’t work, I’ll just hire two bodyguards to come over." He pushed the luggage cart effortlessly, saying faintly, "I hired some."

Shen Jing was surprised for a moment. "Really?" Sun Qiyan curved his lips in a smile, his voice gentle. "I’m afraid there might be a gang here to steal you away."

The lights came on and Shen Jing laughed cheerfully, trying hard to accept the situation. She had been trying very hard. There was still a thorn in her heart that hadn’t been completely removed. She thought, maybe if she let someone else stay, that thorn would go away.

"I’ll take this room, you take that one."

"Mm."

Shen Jing had no desire to shop and no pleasure in traveling. She stayed in her own room, completely focused on tomorrow’s World Trade Summit. She didn’t know who would be there tomorrow, as it was all confidential. The World Trade Organization comprised business tycoons and politicians from various countries. If a terrorist attack or hostage situation occurred and the invited high-class elite were harmed, the global economy could regress by over a decade. She didn’t care who would be there; she only cared about the future of Sheng Peng.

Her neck was sore, and she rubbed it, looking out the window. At 3 a.m., New York’s buildings were still lit up, the night view dazzlingly bright and intoxicating.

She didn’t know if it was excitement or some other reason, but it kept her awake. It was probably jet lag. She thought. Pondered. The person next door must have fallen asleep by now.

Shen Jing got up to go to the living room for water, just as she opened the door. It so happened that Sun Qiyan also came out for water.

Even the action of taking a cup and closing the door was the same. They looked at each other and smiled.

Sun Qiyan was wearing a dark robe, and so was she. A man in a robe, late at night.

In her mind, an image surfaced of Zhou Luchen as she had seen him before. He wore a bathrobe so elegantly that it accentuated his broad and fit figure. The loosely tied belt around his waist hinted at a sensual masculinity—an aura unique to Zhou Luchen.

This time, the person before her had a style completely different from Zhou Luchen’s: subtle, metaphorical, gentlemanly, neat. In short, everything about this man in front of her was also well hidden.

After a while, Sun Qiyan stared at the cup in her hand. "You first." Shen Jing smiled gently. "Then I won’t be polite."

"Why are you still up? How will you have energy for tomorrow?" he asked. Shen Jing filled her cup slowly. "I’m not quite used to a different bed; I kind of miss the one at home."

The other person simply leaned against the door frame. "Is it the bed you’re not used to, or is it someone you’re thinking about?" She finished filling her cup and freed one hand to wave.

"Good night, Boss Sun."

And just like that, she had sidestepped his question.

Sun Qiyan watched her figure disappear behind the door before he went to fill his own cup. Sometimes it was hard to empathize. What kind of enchanting spell had Zhou Luchen cast on her in the past?

He felt a bit like asking for the recipe. But on second thought, since she was trying so hard to forget, he shouldn’t bring it up or ask about it in front of her.

Maybe she was really ready to let go of Zhou Luchen; otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed for him to accompany her.