A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 230: She smiles, quite shoddy" _1

"I was in there for four hours with nothing but champagne and mineral water. Don’t you think I’d be hungry?"

Shen Jing was stating a fact.

She touched her lower abdomen; it felt lean, not an ounce of fat. She casually gave it a pinch.

Shen Jing let out a small cry, then suddenly said, "Chairman Zhou isn’t thinking of joining us at the restaurant, is he? I don’t mind. If you want to come, please do. You’re generous; if you’d like to treat us, that’s fine too."

This mouth of hers...

He said in a deep voice, "Get off."

Alright, she could finally escape. She quickly scrambled off Zhou Luchen, clutching her wrinkled dress.

She stepped on something sharp that made her stumble in pain, and she couldn’t find her high heels.

"Turn on the light, Zhou Luchen! I can’t find my shoes."

The light remained off. The shadowy figure had already reached the door, opened it, and left without a single backward glance.

Zhuang Ming had been searching for Zhou Luchen and finally found him. He had an urgent matter to discuss. However, upon seeing Zhou Luchen emerge from the dim room, followed by a soft, trailing voice, Zhuang Ming decided to postpone his urgent business for the moment.

Zhou Luchen glanced at Zhuang Ming. "Find a pair of shoes."

Zhuang Ming thought for a moment. "Still size 36?"

He didn’t remember. Without half a second’s thought, Zhou Luchen replied, "Buy all of them."

All these sizes?

What Zhuang Ming brought were flats, not high heels.

At that moment, Shen Jing was sitting barefoot in the 58th-floor reception hall, where attendants were pouring water and offering coffee.

Her phone, which Zhou Luchen had confiscated, kept ringing in his hand. When he looked at her, his eyes, though not cold, seemed to say: Wear the shoes properly, and you’ll get your phone back.

Shen Jing took the shoe boxes, wondering why there were sizes 35, 36, 37, and 38.

Looking at Chairman Zhou’s straight back as he stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, Shen Jing even considered testing his limits by asking him to put the shoes on for her. But she didn’t go so far as to actually ask; she had her own hands and feet.

She leisurely put on her shoes. "Can I have my phone back now?"

Zhou Luchen walked back and stuffed it into her arms, as if casually tossing aside something he found distasteful.

Shen Jing paid no mind to his opinion, bowing her head to type: "Something came up. I’ll be there soon."

"You haven’t left yet? I couldn’t find you earlier. Are you here buying shoes? Do they sell shoes here?"

Hearing the voice, Shen Jing looked up to see Blaire emerging from the event hall, along with several middle-aged foreign business magnates.

Blaire’s question was directed at her.

She eagerly hurried over. "Teacher, wait for me! Let’s go together."

Blaire stopped to wait for her. "Come here. Did you get lost, you clever little thing?"

Every word of this exchange reached Zhou Luchen’s ears.

Just a second ago, she had been meekly following behind him.

"Chairman Zhou, we’ll see you tomorrow."

Someone even spoke up to greet Zhou Luchen, who was only two meters away.

The distance was merely two meters.

She slipped over to Blaire’s side with incredible speed.

The chandeliers on the 58th floor sparkled with a unique brilliance as people came and went.

Zhuang Ming had assumed she would take the executive elevator with Chairman Zhou. But she didn’t. Like an unruly little rabbit, she darted into the elevator Blaire was taking, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Looking at the tall figure walking ahead, Zhuang Ming said, "Second Master, Miss Shen left with Blaire."

He merely hummed in acknowledgment.

Zhuang Ming said no more.

—

Sun Qiyan had already sent people upstairs to look for her, but they couldn’t access the 58th floor. When he saw Shen Jing again, her dress was somewhat wrinkled.

He understood instantly.

Out of gentlemanly courtesy, Sun Qiyan didn’t ask. He took off his overcoat and draped it over her shoulders. "It’s the middle of winter. Get in the car and warm up first."

Unexpectedly, as soon as Shen Jing got into the car, she brought it up herself. "I just ran into Zhou Luchen. He kept me upstairs. Sorry for making you wait; this meal is on me."

Since she had brought it up, Sun Qiyan stared for a long moment at the creases on the fabric around her waist. "Did he bully you?"

Shen Jing said lightly, "No, not at all. I’ve been tricking him the whole time, telling him you’re my boyfriend. That made him act all prudish."

"Then he..." Sun Qiyan’s lips twitched slightly. "He must be furious."

The car was warm. Shen Jing rubbed her hands together, musing, "I’d have to really curse him out to make him angry. A privileged young master like him has probably never been truly provoked."

"Fasten your seatbelt." Sun Qiyan chuckled softly. "What you can’t have always seems best; what you can’t steal is the most fragrant. After all, he’s had her. He knows her worth. To suddenly see her in someone else’s hands... he must be somewhat unwilling to accept it." He walked around the back of the car and got into the driver’s seat.

Shen Jing didn’t hear that last remark.

「Meanwhile.」

As they passed a convoy of black executive cars, the man in the backseat of one of them donned his silver-rimmed glasses. His index finger bent slightly, slowly pushing the frames, as his eyes took in every nuance of Shen Jing’s expression as she got into the other car.

Her exquisitely made-up face wore a smile that was rather brazen.

His assistant cautiously asked, "Chairman, there’s a dinner at six in West District P2, Mr. Qiao Site’s family banquet. Will you be attending? You didn’t make it on Christmas night, and he’s been mentioning you."

Zhou Luchen asked indifferently, "Christmas?"

The assistant glanced at the lingering Christmas atmosphere outside—the unremoved decorations, the obvious Christmas tree, and the building’s light show—feeling a touch of pity for the man beside him.

How on earth, he wondered, did the Chairman manage to remain so utterly oblivious to the world’s commotion?

"Perhaps you were too busy and forgot? It’s the end of the year, the 27th. The day before yesterday was Christmas."

"Are there any plans for New Year’s Day? Mr. Qiao Site is still hoping you’ll join him for a meal at his home."

He said softly, "Since it’s a family banquet, I won’t go just to make up numbers."

The assistant nodded. "That makes sense."

「A moment later.」

His well-defined fingers swiped across his phone screen. Zhou Luchen dialed Zhuang Ming’s number. "The GHT-plated jeep behind us."

Beneath the lenses, his eyes were rippleless, dark, and inscrutable.

Zhuang Ming on the other end confirmed, "Do you want it stopped or hit?"

Those two are very different.

Zhou Luchen closed his eyes. "Captain Zhuang, are you a bandit?"

Calling him ’Captain’ was deeply significant. Quite rare.

Zhuang Ming could only manage an, "Mm."

Then he quickly added, "I know my limits. I won’t let Miss Shen get hurt."