A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 118: His infatuation (1)_1

With her gone, Zhou Luchen didn’t return to Yunding that night.

The $2 billion Missouri ice-breaker private yacht set sail from the island at night. It belonged to the Italian Club Group and was designed specifically for the second son of United Bank. With its unique global-standard configuration, complete with bodyguards, top-tier security, and absolute privacy, it offered the luxury of a private island. Four levels, it had the immediate feel of a massive seaside villa.

Aside from the crew, the thousand-square-foot luxury yacht was filled with affluent friends from their exclusive circle.

This time, Zhou Luchen smoked fiercely. The acrid nicotine still left his throat feeling dry and tasteless. He squinted, watching the ash slowly accumulate on the tip of his cigarette.

It reminded him of the pinch marks on Shen Jing’s waist, a harsh red that lasted three days—a stark reminder of his cruelty, of how rough he’d been. She’d refused to apply medicine. At night, she wouldn’t even turn off the lights, insisting that he, from his position behind her, could see that small wound. He hadn’t intentionally hurt her. But in the end, his own eyes bloodshot, he had accidentally hurt her again. She was furious with him, absolutely livid.

Around midnight, some wealthy young scion, timing it perfectly, popped a bottle of champagne and exclaimed, "Happy Valentine’s Day!"

Wei Sulin looked at the man smoking indifferently at the deck railing and approached. "Where’s your little vixen?"

Zhou Luchen raised a hand slightly, flicking ash. "Don’t mention her."

Wei Sulin faltered, his gaze flickered away from Zhou Luchen’s impassive profile, unintentionally landing on the ashtray beside him. It was an antique silver ashtray by Seignolles, its French enamel lacquerwork depicting a starburst pattern, now piled with eight or nine scattered cigarette butts. The cigarette filters bore the white ribbon logo of the And The World brand.

He’d smoked that much?

Wei Sulin rested his hand lazily on the handrail, face turned to the bracing sea breeze, and clinked his brandy glass against Zhou Luchen’s. "The young lady’s throwing a fit, I get it."

Zhou Luchen leaned against the brass and steel guardrail and took a sip of his drink, his face betraying no emotion.

Wei Sulin watched the dolphins cruising by. "Not into celebrating? How come you’re not into anything this year?"

Zhou Luchen continued to puff on his cigarette. "Pointless."

"Just playing the market is interesting to you, I suppose," Wei Sulin laughed.

Zhou Luchen managed a faint smile, then his expression quickly reverted to its usual indifference. Wei Sulin waved a hand and went off to amuse himself, his spirits currently high.

Zhou Luchen didn’t reply, instead using tongs to pick up a piece of Spanish mackerel and toss it into the sea for the dolphins. A dolphin leaped up, deftly snatching the meat with a CHIRP CHIRP sound.

Zhuang Ming, holding a container of dolphin feed nearby, lowered his voice slightly. "A director from United Bank just called. The tide has turned; your father found out you bypassed United’s traders for the operation."

Zhou Luchen occasionally glanced at the dolphins leaping and tumbling out of the sea. "If I were afraid of him finding out, I wouldn’t have done it."

Zhuang Ming asked, "And the risks involved?"

Zhou Luchen said lightly, "Extend 16 billion in standby credit, cast the net, then pull it in."

He meant there was no risk. He was a top-tier trader, one who always ensured victory and never entered a game without an exit strategy.

Zhuang Ming understood Zhou Luchen. He was a capitalist driven to devour everything he saw. In the business world, he wielded the ultimate scepter of authority.

His opponent was the British-owned Futai Group. Futai, a company that had weathered thirty years of storms, saw its equity diluted to the point where his stake reached 75% through his capital injections, allowing him to silently absorb the group. The top executives at Futai could only sigh in dismay.

Henceforth, from Europe and America to Asia, the title of the largest securities dealer and the leading figure in corporate lending could belong only to Zhou Luchen. And by extension, only to the Zhou Family of United Bank.

Was Zhuang Ming afraid of him? Yes, at this moment, he was.

"Understood," Zhuang Ming continued his report, "Miss Shen hasn’t returned home. When asked, she said she’s ill and that staying in Su City is more convenient."

First business, then personal matters.

What illness could it be? So delicate, Zhuang Ming mused.

Zhou Luchen instructed in a low voice, "Head to shore. Prepare the car."

「On Valentine’s Day, February 14th.」

A pure black Maybach with consecutive Shanghai license plates was parked in front of the Hongtan Teahouse. The teahouse, an old establishment, featured blue brick paving that extended to its redwood panels. Tall willows cast long shadows. The Maybach, particularly eye-catching, exuded an air of quiet dignity and low-key luxury.

This was probably the most conspicuous Zhou Luchen had ever been on a visit to Su City.

The teahouse owner, Xing Wendong, leaned down to greet the person in the car. "Mr. Zhou, your arrival is quite sudden. I’m afraid we’re fully booked."

Through the half-lowered window, Zhou Luchen, in the back seat, raised his arm to glance at his wristwatch. "Buy out the place."

Xing Wendong nodded. "Alright, I’ll handle it."

On Valentine’s Day, many couples and tourists came to listen to the Pingtan storytelling, and Hongtan’s tickets for the day were sold out. Because his arrival was so unannounced, the day’s tickets had long been sold out. Zhou Luchen couldn’t get a single one.

Thus, he had the audience’s tickets bought back at a premium, effectively booking the entire venue.

Xing Wendong stood at the entrance, addressing the queued patrons, "My sincerest apologies, but Hongtan Teahouse will be closed today. We regret preventing you from enjoying the Valentine’s Day storytelling. As a token of our sincerity, our employer is willing to buy back your tickets at fifty times the original price."

Fifty times the price! They hadn’t misheard. This was sheer extravagance.

"Wow! You mean we actually get 5,000 yuan for returning one ticket?"

Zhuang Ming, his expression impassive, opened a safe and a payment app. "Yes, our boss wishes to book the entire venue."

Several patrons were instantly swayed.

A ticket bought for one hundred yuan could now be sold for five thousand! Tsk, what a windfall! The teahouse was open daily; they could always come another time.

"We’re willing to return our tickets! We can do it right now!"

"We wouldn’t want to disrupt your boss’s Valentine’s Day plans. With a gesture like this, we completely understand."

"We understand. We can always come back tomorrow to see Little Ajing."

The ticketed patrons lined up one after another to return their tickets.

About fifteen minutes later, Zhuang Ming, having collected all the tickets, said, "We wish you all a happy Valentine’s Day and apologize for any inconvenience."

The bodyguards were powerfully built, yet their manners were impeccably polite and considerate, their conduct gentle and thorough. The patrons weren’t upset in the slightest.

Even the bodyguards were so deferential; one could only imagine the distinguished bearing of the magnate in the Maybach, truly the grace of an aristocratic family.

One patron remarked, "No trouble at all! Feel free to do this hundred-for-five-thousand exchange a few more times!"

In the heart of the quaint Jiangnan Water Town, a top-of-the-line black Maybach was parked. Its exquisitely diamond-cut headlights gleamed, and its exterior lines were sleek and flowing. The car’s stark black finish was imposing, projecting an indefinable aloofness that commanded awe. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Bodyguards stood sentinel at the teahouse entrance.

Through the tinted windows, the wealthy occupant’s appearance remained obscured. Even his vague silhouette exuded the mysterious aura of power—clearly, this was a person of significant influence.

He knew the teahouse owner, yet instead of directly closing the venue and issuing refunds, he chose to spend lavishly, ensuring all parties were satisfied.

A few minutes after the crowd dispersed, the rear door of the Maybach swung open. A man in a black suit emerged and strode directly up the steps.