A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 205: In the Zhou Family genealogy, everyone is a sly person_1

Chapter 205: In the Zhou Family genealogy, everyone is a sly person_1

The temple had reopened as usual.

The small white Mercedes-Benz could no longer catch up to the Hongqi.

Shen Jing drove, the passenger seat holding the black card the man had given her and the tie pin that had fallen from him.

She chased it all the way to the West District.

The Hongqi never noticed her car, much less realized Shen Jing was the one driving the small Mercedes.

She watched helplessly as the Hongqi drove into the large compound.

The guard at the sentry post only allowed the Hongqi through. He stopped Shen Jing’s car without even coming over to ask, standing ramrod straight as he continued his watch.

It was as if an invisible class barrier separated her, marking her as someone who didn’t belong to Second Master Zhou’s world.

Fine. She really couldn’t enter a place like this, not even on foot, let alone in her car.

Her hand tapped lightly on the steering wheel. I really don’t understand how a card and a tie pin made me chase him all the way here.

Aimlessly, Shen Jing returned to the temple in a daze. She went to the front courtyard to offer incense, donated to the temple, and bid the Abbot farewell before heading down the mountain.

The Abbot, feeling truly apologetic for having opened the doors without permission the previous night, personally saw Shen Jing down the steps. "I hope I didn’t disturb your rest last night, Benefactor," he said.

She shook her head. "No."

"Does Mr. Zhou often come to the Hall of Heavenly Kings to offer incense?" she asked.

The Abbot nodded. "Mm, he offered incense once. Since he was here, he paid his respects."

Shen Jing remarked, "It’s rare indeed for someone like him to actually offer incense and pray to Buddha."

Perhaps his temperament really had changed. The only thing that hadn’t was his approach to relationships.

For example, it didn’t seem to matter to him whether they met again or not.

Sun Qiyan helped her with her belongings, walking by her side. Her knee was injured and required daily meditation, so descending the mountain early would allow her to see a doctor and facilitate her recovery.

"Missing him?"

Shen Jing exhaled. "No. I just don’t want to keep his things."

"Why didn’t you call to wake me up?" Shen Jing asked again.

Sun Qiyan had indeed considered it at the time. But why should he have called? If Zhou Luchen found out that *he* knew, Zhou Luchen might have become even more relentless.

Men understand men, after all.

"I’ll treat you to that meal I promised," Sun Qiyan said. "I always keep my word."

「West District Courtyard.」

Behind an old screen bearing an inverted "Fortune" character.

Zhou Luchen handed the scriptures he had copied to the old lady.

The Second Lady of the Zhou family was still lying in her rocking chair by the charcoal fire, relishing the CRACKLE of the flames, a sound she particularly enjoyed every winter.

The old lady put on her reading glasses and perused each meticulously copied page of scripture, her smile kind.

In a deep and deliberate tone, the old lady said, "Luchen, dear, didn’t I tell you a casual copy would suffice? Your hands must be tired. You child, you copied it so diligently, even your Second Grandma is a little surprised."

Zhou Luchen sat down in a nearby old, carved sandalwood chair and flicked a string of Buddha Beads on the table.

After a moment, he looked at the old lady. "You clearly disliked Wenxin the most, so why did you agree with First Grandma to the marriage alliance, even letting the wedding preparations become such a public spectacle?"

The old lady smiled at his words. "And so what if I did? I only agreed because I didn’t want things between the two families to become too ugly. Did my agreeing mean you would actually marry her? Of course not. So, my agreement was irrelevant. Does this even need to be asked? You make it sound as if my agreeing would have forced you to marry her. I know you far too well for that, dear."

"Our Luchen definitely has the guts to flip the table if he wants to. If he’s unhappy, he wouldn’t just defy First Grandma; he’d defy the Old Master himself."

This grandmother of mine is truly sharp.

In fact, one could say everyone in the Zhou family tree was sharp.

Every single one of them.

It wasn’t that they resorted to underhanded schemes; rather, they were like patient hunters, content to watch others play out their dramas.

Zhou Xiangqun, who was reading a newspaper nearby, chuckled. "Don’t push Second Brother too hard. That boy can’t be forced."

"You wicked man," Zhou Luchen said, glaring at his elder brother. "Old fox."

The old lady said, "I agreed with your First Grandma because I didn’t want the relationship between our families to reach an impasse over Wei Wenxin. I’ve always believed in you, Luchen; I knew you could make your own decisions." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

She knew the temperament of the grandson she doted on like the back of her hand.

He could do as he pleased; if he stirred up trouble, she would be the one to clean up his mess.

Zhou Xiangqun added more charcoal to the fire, chuckling softly. "Our Second Grandma really spoils Second Brother, always thinking of what’s best for him."

"Look who’s talking!" the old lady laughed. "Don’t I dote on you too? And you spoil Luchen yourself. Who was it that tricked him into going to that temple in the suburbs to copy scriptures, not to mention meeting that Shen family girl? Was it you, Aqun?"

Zhou Xiangqun didn’t dare take the credit. "It’s Second Grandma who spoils him the most. I just thought that particular temple was quite spiritually potent."

Hearing this, Zhou Luchen subtly glanced at the "old fox," his eyes chillingly cold. "You’re truly perverse."

Zhou Xiangqun just grunted, offering no rebuttal.

The charcoal fire burned brightly, and the atmosphere among the family members was warm and harmonious.

The Second Lady gathered the scriptures and had someone put them all away in a drawer. As she did, she instructed Zhou Xiangqun, "Anyone who tries to undermine your relationship as brothers, I’ll crush them flat. Troubles can be handled; find something to smooth them over. We’ll just clean up Luchen’s messes, that’s all."

Zhou Xiangqun nodded.

Zhou Luchen put down the Buddha Beads he was holding. "That won’t be necessary. I’ll handle any trouble I’ve caused myself."

"Still, you really do detest Wenxin, don’t you, Second Grandma?" Zhou Xiangqun remarked.

The Second Lady removed her glasses. "She’s a Bone Demon. It’s a good thing Luchen didn’t let things get strained between you two back then because of her."