A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 191 - 520’s pink chocolate and roses_1

The pesky suitors weren’t important; this was about nipping even the good opportunities in the bud. Xie Qinyang glanced at Shen Jing beside him. "Little sister-in-law, after this, no one in Beijing will dare come to your door with a marriage proposal, not if it means having to contend with a formidable figure like someone from the Zhou family." No wonder Grandfather Shen has been so happy lately, no wonder he views Achen so favorably.

Shen Jing herself didn’t care about romantic encounters; she just wanted to eat, drink, have fun, and work well. "One Zhou Luchen is enough to make me hit a wall and swear off love." Sometimes she really doubted if Zhou Luchen would ever truly want to devote himself wholeheartedly to a single person. Would he? It seemed unlikely a playboy like him would ever truly change his ways.

The villa renovation on the Jing-Hang Grand Canal was completed. Looking at the Austrian crystal chandelier in the living room descending from the ceiling, it was as big as a car. With its exquisite peony-shaped lights and gracefully flowing crystal pendants, the light scattered, creating a dreamy effect, as if the room were filled with real diamonds—she was very satisfied. It was identical to the one in Zhou Luchen’s home. Beautiful as it was, it was an electricity hog. No wonder Zhuang Ming was so favored by Zhou Luchen.

On May 20th, Shen Jing received a box of pink chocolates from Dubai and a bouquet of red roses. Opening the velvet jewelry box, she found an engraved four-leaf clover lucky bracelet inside. The gift-giver hadn’t left a name, but the card, written in a steady hand, read: "Best wishes. Remember to come back to Shanghai when you have time." Shen Jing accepted the gifts, peeling chocolates and tasting them during a meeting. She didn’t like chocolate, and that person clearly knew. Yet, they had found an unconventional way to satisfy her taste buds and cater to her girlish fondness for pink.

"Team Leader?" The young assistant knocked and entered, immediately smelling the fragrance of the flowers. "The roses smell so wonderful, and there’s even pink chocolate! My girly heart is overflowing." Seeing the delicate pink chocolates on the desk, the assistant’s eyes gleamed. "Who sent these to you, Team Leader? They’re so pretty..."

The young assistant had just graduated this year. She was still on probation—chatty, clever, but with average work abilities. Still, she’s willing to learn from me, so she can be trained, Shen Jing thought. Handing a few chocolates to the assistant, Shen Jing explained, "A friend."

"Have you got a new boyfriend?"

Shen Jing flipped through the procurement documents, patiently explaining, "Just a friend, someone I’ve known since childhood."

The assistant clearly thought it was a boyfriend. After all, what gift sent on May 20th didn’t seem like something a boyfriend would carefully prepare? Since Shen Jing couldn’t finish all the chocolates and was in a good mood, she shared them with everyone she met. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

...

She took a private jet back to Beijing for an important meeting. As soon as it landed, the convoy headed straight for the business skyscraper in the Eastern District. The Rolls-Royce convoy passed by the East Third Ring. On a building to their left was the iconic sign: Shen Ji Shengpeng Holdings Subsidiary.

In the back seat, Zhou Luchen removed the gold-rimmed glasses from the bridge of his nose, his eyes lifting slightly. He happened to see Shen Jing standing by the roadside holding roses. Her summer JK pleated skirt suited her well, and her long, bare legs were so fair they seemed to glow. Old Liang, with a joyful expression, opened her car door and took the roses from her hand. Zhou Luchen couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Shen Jing’s smile was radiant, gentle, and soft. It reminded him of when she was in Shanghai, receiving red roses from him.

The car sped by in a flash. Zhou Luchen lowered his gaze, methodically wiping the lenses of his glasses with the gray chamois cloth in his hand.

The driver, Zhuang Ming, asked cautiously, "Second Young Master, should we stop?"

"We have a meeting."

His tone was both rational and calm.

Having just landed in Beijing, Zhuang Ming thought of the old compound in the West District. "Will you be visiting the old gentleman in the West District later? So I can inform them to hold dinner for you."

Zhou Luchen glanced at his wristwatch. "I’m in a rush. Tell her I’ll visit next time."

"Understood."

Eventually, the convoy stopped at the entrance of the business skyscraper. The men gathered there, mostly older and not ones to celebrate May 20th, were analyzing and discussing the formulation of financing standards. Leading the way was the president of United Bank, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose bridge. His aura, honed from years of navigating the cutthroat business world, was vastly different from the carefree, somewhat rakish young master he had once been.

As the sun set, the meeting concluded. The private jet then departed, flying back to New York. His trip to the Imperial Capital had lasted a mere four hours.

On a desk in the plane’s second-floor lounge, a single red rose adorned a white porcelain vase. Zhou Luchen picked up the red rose, twirling it slowly in his palm. A smirk played on his lips, heavy with sarcasm. When one man looks at another, it’s not hard to tell who is sincere and who is disingenuous. No matter how well hidden it might be, for someone as shrewd as Zhou Luchen, seeing through Sun Qiyan’s thoughts was no challenge at all.