Chapter 72: Shen Jing, want to get married? _1

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Fortunately, Sun Qiyan’s home wasn’t in the same building as hers.

This made Shen Jing somewhat consider moving to Daoli Mansion; facing acquaintances, she could never explain why she lived in Yunding.

Sun Qiyan, on the other hand, always maintained his politeness, never asking.

He didn’t even ask for the apartment number.

Shen Jing washed the vegetables while Sun Qiyan chopped them.

"Come over for a meal when you have time."

Sun Qiyan just casually shared the door code.

"That’s fine," Shen Jing said, picking up some bok choy and placing it in a basin. "Can I have this bok choy sour?"

Sun Qiyan glanced at her. "Sure."

Shen Jing hadn’t expected it, but Sun Qiyan, as it turned out, was a restaurateur with top-tier culinary skills.

The in-house cook suddenly seemed less appealing.

When Uncle Sun was to return to the lane house, Shen Jing personally escorted him, and they left together.

Uncle Sun stuffed a peeled apple into Shen Jing’s arms.

"It’s up to you young people; I won’t force you," he said.

With such an obvious matchmaking attempt, everyone understood the situation.

Uncle Sun wasn’t an unreasonable person, though; he knew his boundaries.

Uncle Sun sighed. "You, child... you could have been a wealthy heiress, but instead, you chose to struggle alongside your mother and granny."

Her maternal grandmother had no other children; Shen Jing was her only grandchild.

"Whether you like Qiyan or not, when you were little, you used to follow him around like a shadow, calling him ’big brother.’"

Uncle Sun walked ahead of her, hands clasped behind his back, smiling in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Shen Jing didn’t speak, just ate her apple.

After bidding Uncle Sun farewell, Shen Jing turned and headed back to the top floor.

Zhou Luchen still hadn’t come back.

Shen Jing curled up on the sofa, knees hugged to her chest, and sent a text to explain: "I wasn’t really on a blind date. Uncle Sun’s family has always taken care of my grandmother; it was just a meal."

That should be enough to appease him.

The following days were continuously overcast with rain.

Zhou Luchen still hadn’t returned.

His assistant said that he was busy with matters in Shenzhen.

Essentially, President Zhou was very busy.

President Zhou had left her hanging here, completely ignored.

Shen Jing asked Chen Yao, "What does one generally have to do after annoying the Second Master?"

Chen Yao sent a travel selfie. "My gentle suggestion from over here? Wait for death."

Shen Jing told him the whole story.

Chen Yao sent a shocked emoji. "He hired a doctor and a housekeeper to look after you day and night, and you turn around and hop off on a blind date behind his back? Sis Jing, you’re wild!"

Shen Jing replied, "Day three of being banished to the Cold Palace by President Zhou."

Chen Yao: "Sis Jing, I’m bowing down to you. I never thought you could still give him such a hard time. When Lu Siyuan was with him, she wouldn’t even dare to film a kiss scene so brazenly; she always used a body double."

After hearing this from Chen Yao, Shen Jing gazed at the painting of the Macedonian Dynasty on the wall.

After all, with his status and his arrogant, tyrannical temper, it was only natural for him to act as if nothing had happened.

But why should he be the one to get angry?

She had sent him a text message explaining everything clearly, and he hadn’t replied to a single one.

Now she was angry too.

Shen Jing moved a chair over and began to open Zhou Luchen’s stash of wine.

Half a glass in, her vision started to blur.

Shen Jing eyed the red wine as past events unfolded, scene by scene. He was so wanton and indulgent!

Sitting on the sofa, knees hugged to her chest, she watched as it seemed to start raining outside. This made her feel even more aggrieved. In a drunken haze, she dialed his number.

RING RING...

It rang for a long while. Eventually, an automated voice said, "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."

Shen Jing swiped to call a second time; it would be her only other attempt.

The phone rang for a long time before he finally deigned to answer.

Hearing his breathing, Shen Jing’s tears fell. "My stomach hurts."

Zhou Luchen’s tone was, as always, nonchalant. "Find a doctor."

"Can I not have a doctor?" Shen Jing’s nose tingled. She knew she was demeaning herself. Even knowing how cheap this made her seem, she just couldn’t stand it.

"I want you to come back, Zhou Luchen."

He was silent for a moment. "Still busy."

Her words were futile; Zhou Luchen had already hung up.

"You could at least listen to my explanation! But can you stop giving me the cold shoulder? Just tossing me into the Cold Palace like this... Do you even know how I’ve been these past two days?"

"Zhou Luchen, you’re an asshole!"

Shen Jing threw her phone aside and lay down in a daze.

At one-thirty in the morning, she slept restlessly. Turning over, she rolled slightly and, finding the space beside her empty, almost fell off the sofa.

She murmured twice, reaching out her hand, only to realize she had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Only one lamp was on. From the dim shadows, a man’s low chuckle—’heh’—drifted over, creating a serious, suffocating atmosphere.

Shen Jing opened her eyes groggily.

A man was sitting on the black leather sofa opposite her. His white shirt was fully unbuttoned, revealing a magnificently muscled, bare upper body. His long legs were stretched out with an imposing air, his every posture exuding a noble, handsome aura.

The black leather belt of his trousers had been undone at some point and hung casually over the armrest—a striking, almost searing sight.

Shen Jing’s heart leaped at the sight of that belt.

Zhou Luchen smoked a cigarette, watching her coldly through wisps of smoke, his expression unfathomably deep.

And she, she felt this man was even colder than before. Pursing her lips, she softly, pitiably probed, "Is the Second Master of United Bank still angry?"

Zhou Luchen blew out a cloud of smoke, not uttering a word, just listening.

Shen Jing added, "I just went to make an appearance, to go through the motions."

Zhou Luchen’s tone was heavy. "Feeling better, are you?"

Shen Jing lowered her eyelashes. "Yes."

How could she dare say she wasn’t better? After all, just a few days ago, she’d been well enough to go gallivanting off on a blind date.

Just one glance down, and she saw two bottles of red wine placed near the man’s black leather shoes.

So wild, President Zhou?

Shen Jing removed the thin blanket from herself, intending to get up, but her legs felt weak.

He watched her dispassionately the entire time.

Not until the cigarette had burned down did he slowly crush it into the ashtray. "Were you interested in him?"

Shen Jing bit her lip, approached Zhou Luchen, and was quickly pulled into his lap.

His gaze remained profound as he looked at her.

Shen Jing cooed lightly, "I didn’t fancy him. No one is as handsome as my President Zhou at home."

Zhou Luchen’s elegant fingers carelessly played with the thin straps of her nightgown, his words casual. "Building B, 7033."

Shen Jing froze.

He knew about her visit to Building B, 7033.

But as the biggest shareholder in Yunding, how could he possibly not know her whereabouts? For him, a simple phone call was all it took to find out.

"And the C Brand endorsement?" Shen Jing countered.

Zhou Luchen’s fingers gently pinched her chin, lifting it. He blew smoke leisurely onto her face, his eyes crinkling with a smile that was particularly deep. "When she was with me, were you even in the picture?"

"That was because I hadn’t had the chance to meet you yet, wasn’t it?" Shen Jing lifted her small face, trying to look endearing. "If you had met me earlier, President Zhou, wouldn’t you have chosen me first?"

Zhou Luchen smiled immediately. "No, I wouldn’t."

That sounded a bit too sincere.

Shen Jing had even thought he might try to coax her, lie to her, tell her he would choose her.

He didn’t even bother to lie.

Just straightforward and clear.

Shen Jing said, "When I knew the person in Building B, 7033, I hadn’t met President Zhou yet."

Zhou Luchen’s expression suddenly darkened. Silent, he lifted her hips with one hand, picked up the red wine at his feet, rose with her in his arms, and kicked open the bedroom door.

Red... red wine.

The wild ways of a playboy.

Shen Jing screamed, continuously trying to explain, "Just a normal friend! Really, just a normal friend!"