A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 235: He’s not here again"_1

"I once got drunk and promised to give Young Master Xie the lion stone statues from my family’s gate, but I never did," Shen Jing added.

Zhou Luchen scoffed, "Idiot."

Her legs clamped tightly around his narrow waist, deliberately so. Shen Jing passed the buck. "It’s not me; he’s the one who led me astray with drinking."

Listening, Zhou Luchen lifted her slightly higher in his arms, holding her firmly. A hint of drunkenness flickered in his eyes. "Daddy, Mommy, wait to bury Xixi..."

His Cantonese was surprisingly magnetic, with a simple yet sophisticated tone. Shen Jing was instantly amazed. "How do you know that phrase?"

Isn’t that something the heiress of a wealthy family would say? She had once... She didn’t remember doing anything to Zhou Luchen behind his back.

"Come on, how do you know?"

Zhou Luchen didn’t give a straight answer and put her down.

"Is it too far?" he asked, his voice very soft.

He was waiting for her to leave, Shen Jing thought. She turned her head. "It’s not far. I’ll treat it as a morning walk for exercise. Besides, my noodles are waiting for me back home."

Zhou Luchen leaned against the car door. His gaze shifted, watching her walk back with a few indifferent glances, showing no apparent emotion.

He took the mineral water Zhuang Ming handed him, twisted off the cap, and drank.

He’s probably still not sober, Zhuang Ming thought. He didn’t even sweet-talk her into going back home.

Zhuang Ming didn’t ask questions; his only responsibility was to ensure Zhou Luchen’s safety. Having been with him for so long and witnessed the endless quarrels and cold wars between him and Shen Jing, he had seen and heard too much. It was difficult not to pay subconscious attention.

As the saying goes, men always seem to be infatuated with women who don’t love them. The less they are loved, the more they are savored. No wonder Miss Shen could easily get close to Sun Qiyan; he’s a man with a temperament so different from the Second Young Master.

「Later」

When Shen Jing returned to the farm, Sun Qiyan was already awake. He had dumped the overcooked noodles from the table into the trash can. "They’re ruined."

Shen Jing felt it was a pity. "I’ll cook some new ones."

But Sun Qiyan had already prepared breakfast, seemingly anticipating her return.

During the meal, Sun Qiyan handed her a soup spoon. "I have to go out to attend to some matters. Can you manage on your own?"

Shen Jing nodded.

Since she didn’t ask, Sun Qiyan didn’t elaborate, just quietly watched her for a moment.

It was as if she had completely forgotten about last night, not bringing it up, probably to avoid making things awkward for either of them. Or perhaps, having seen Zhou Luchen, she had guessed whose sports car was downstairs last night. She had seen through his scheme. She was always clever; it wouldn’t be hard for her to figure it out. Yet, she never seemed to dwell on it and still chatted with me as usual, he thought.

Just as he was thinking this, as Sun Qiyan turned to leave, Shen Jing asked, "Qiyan, what are you going to do?"

Sun Qiyan smiled warmly and gracefully. "I’m helping my sister with some business matters. She was a client of yours before, remember?"

Shen Jing took a sip of her porridge. "I remember. She was my biggest client. Your sister is very kind, just like you."

Changing the subject, Sun Qiyan advised, "Don’t wander off. If you need anything, have the foreign staff we hired buy it."

"Got it."

Sun Qiyan picked up his car keys. "I’m off."

Their interactions remained simple and uneventful. He wasn’t around during the day and would return as soon as it got dark.

Shen Jing would occasionally wait for him for meals, but if she was hungry, she wouldn’t. He always let her know in advance when he would arrive at the farm.

She rarely went out, usually just to the nearby vegetable garden to buy cabbages and fruit.

The final summit concluded on January 6th, New York time.

At the venue, Zhou Luchen was still nowhere to be seen.

Shen Jing quite enjoyed watching Chairman Zhou strategize before the capitalists of various nations, taking control and setting the terms of discourse.

She could finally understand what had once so bewilderingly attracted her to Zhou Luchen: his serious demeanor when working; his dignified and composed presence, always calm and unflappable. Aside from his tendency to treat relationships like a game, there was really nothing else to fault him for.

The EMEAP parliamentarian announced the successful conclusion, mentioning something about stabilizing the global financial system and preventing major financial risks. Shen Jing had no choice but to join in the applause.

As she was leaving the venue, Shen Jing unexpectedly saw Zhuang Ming carrying a safe as he exited the parliamentary building from another side.

Mr. Blaire said, "Don’t stare. What his bodyguard is carrying is secret."

Shen Jing replied confidently, "It’s not very amusing for you to hint at such things to me."

Mr. Blaire joked, "I don’t know what it is either. So, do *you* know?"

How would Shen Jing know? She lowered her head, booking her flight back to China and wondering where to spend her last two days for fun. She had just stepped out of the building when she suddenly overheard someone mention that a wealthy man from a neighboring country had encountered danger right after leaving Manhattan.

Looking back at the group of old capitalists, they seemed to take such news in stride, their expressions indifferent. After all, they all had bodyguards, and the building’s security measures were well-established.

Shen Jing didn’t rush to leave the building. Instead, she sat in the lounge chatting with Mr. Blaire. No one discussed how the supposedly irrelevant wealthy man had met his misfortune.

Who knew if he had encountered some enemy or was just an unlucky fellow, perhaps kidnapped for ransom? she mused.

This sparked a flurry of uneasy thoughts in Shen Jing’s mind. Why hadn’t Zhou Luchen presided over the last three sessions, leaving it to the EMEAP representative instead?

She wanted to ask Mr. Blaire, but his motorcade was already parked by the building’s portico. He invited her to join him, and they left together.

Engrossed in their conversation, Shen Jing didn’t refuse and got into the car.

That day, she took the opportunity to visit her former teacher’s home and had dinner with him and his wife.

This place, the wealthy district, is a paradise for the rich. Other cities have the homeless and the constant threat of shootings, she reflected.

It was that very evening, the night the summit concluded, that Zhuang Ming took the safe to South Chicago—right when chaos erupted there.

The news was even suppressed.

She only found out because she overheard Mr. Blaire mentioning it while he was on a call.

The call lasted just a few minutes.

Mr. Blaire didn’t stay for dinner; instead, he went upstairs to discuss matters with a visitor who had arrived.

All this secrecy, Shen Jing thought, it’s making my mind race with wild speculations.

She vaguely overheard the gist of their conversation.

"Did the call go through?"

"Three hours ago, we spoke on the phone. Mr. Zhou and his bodyguard had just arrived in the South."

Mr. Blaire tried calling Zhou Luchen himself but couldn’t get through.

"This is a matter of safety. I need to step out. I’m going to the New York authorities to inquire about the situation."

「A little later」

Mr. Blaire and the visitor went into the study for two minutes. When they came out, they were formally dressed, their faces somber. They got into the motorcade and left, one car following the other.

He left without a chance to say goodbye to Shen Jing, perhaps even forgetting her presence.

Mr. Blaire’s wife, Madam Averill, personally attended to Shen Jing.

"He’s always like this, rarely home for a proper meal," Madam Averill said. "In a little while, I’ll have the driver take you back to the farm."

Shen Jing nodded politely. "It’s quite all right. Teacher has always taken very good care of me in the past."