A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 48: What are you doing, Director Zhou_1

Wei Sulin walked over to the Maybach and knocked on the rear seat window.

"Second Young Master."

After a while, the car window rolled down.

Zhou Luchen closed his laptop and, with his ring finger, pushed up the thin, silver-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, casting a sidelong glance at Wei Sulin.

Wei Sulin’s hand froze in mid-air, stunned.

It was rare to see Zhou Luchen wearing glasses. He only wore them to protect his eyes when he had been working on the computer too much.

Every time he wore them, women were left flustered.

The silver, thin-rimmed glasses concealed those long eyes that seemed flirtatious even when merely looking at a cat. Silver, a color that best exemplified a noble air. The asceticism in his look paired with the aura of decadent indulgence he exuded.

That kind of bad-to-the-bone allure was fatally attractive.

Wei Sulin took a couple of looks. The Second Young Master was a bit of a scoundrel, sure. But in a world full of them, it wasn’t unreasonable that girls fell for him. His assets were all there: handsome, powerful, and happy to give whatever was desired.

Zhou Luchen’s voice was a little hoarse. "What is it?"

Wei Sulin snapped back to reality, pointing towards the two-story courtyard. "Your little vixen is right there in Old Madam Xu’s house."

Zhou Luchen removed the thin, silver-rimmed glasses from his nose and gently looked up, gazing out of the car window.

The young girl was drying radishes in the courtyard, each one tied with string and carefully hung on a bamboo pole by her.

The scattered glow of the setting sun fell upon her, her long, flowing hair seeming to shine with an ethereal light.

She was looking directly at him, their eyes meeting.

Shen Jing was caught off guard.

Facing the man sitting in the luxury car, her feelings were indescribably complex.

She quickly dismissed the thought that he had come especially for her. He must be with Wei Sulin, here to persuade Old Madam Xu to sign the document.

Even more unexpected was that Zhou Luchen himself had come. He seemed determined to make the old lady move.

And so, she watched the impeccably dressed Young Master Zhou step out of the car and walk towards her, handing his glasses to his assistant.

Shen Jing had never imagined what a heart-stopping vision of languid ease Young Master Zhou could be with those silver-rimmed glasses.

But he paid her no attention, walking straight past her side without even a glance.

All dressed up for nothing.

If he wouldn’t look, so be it. Pretending not to know her was hardly out of character for Young Master Zhou.

When they partied together, this Second Young Master Zhou wasn’t so cold; he was clearly quite susceptible to beauty and charm.

Why so cold?

Shen Jing exhaled softly and focused on drying her radishes.

In the courtyard was a stone mill repurposed as a tea table.

Zhou Luchen sat down opposite Old Madam Xu and took the contract from Wei Sulin’s hand.

He laid it in front of Old Madam Xu.

Zhou Luchen’s face was expressionless. "If you find it too noisy, we can move your house across the river."

Shen Jing thought, He really is ruthless. No matter who he faced—young or old, male or female—the pampered, noble young master showed no empathy whatsoever.

Old Madam Xu put on her reading glasses and examined the contract closely. "Do young people these days act so decisively?"

Zhou Luchen continued softly, "The whole village has signed; you are the only one who hasn’t. You’re blocking the entire village’s financial prospects for your own reasons." He paused. "Is that appropriate?"

Old Madam Xu didn’t yield. "I have my choices. If I don’t wish to, then I don’t. Other people’s financial prospects have nothing to do with me."

Zhou Luchen stated, "Tomorrow, the construction vehicles will arrive to start work."

Shen Jing glanced at Wei Sulin and gave him a discreet wave. Wei Sulin looked around, perplexed, then pointed at himself.

Shen Jing nodded, and only then did Wei Sulin approach.

Wei Sulin asked in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"

Shen Jing asked softly, "Are you guys going to move Old Madam Xu’s house to the other side?"

Their voices were so low that only they could hear each other.

Wei Sulin nodded. "The funds have already been allocated, and we can’t delay any longer."

Shen Jing said, "Old Madam Xu is used to living here. Have any of you considered her feelings?"

"I was hoping you could persuade her," Wei Sulin said.

Shen Jing refused. "I won’t."

"Ajing, serve them tea and treat them well, so their trip isn’t wasted," Old Madam Xu suddenly called out.

Shen Jing murmured an acknowledgment, dried her hands, and turned to fetch the teapot from inside the house.

The setting sun cast a perfect glow as she bent slightly at the waist, a few strands of her soft, long hair falling forward.

She gently placed the teacups.

Zhou Luchen caught sight of the ring-shaped hemostatic bandage on her right hand. Her movements were clumsy, and she scalded her fingertips with the hot tea, quickly retracting her hand.

Their eyes met in silence.

Her misty eyes lowered, and with a blink, conveyed a mix of reproach and resentment.

Zhou Luchen let out a slight chuckle.

He didn’t touch the tea.

If the other party wouldn’t sign, there was no need to drink it.

Old Madam Xu couldn’t bear to part with her radish patch, couldn’t bear to leave the land she had walked on for decades. Moving across the river wasn’t really far, but how could she bear to leave?

Zhou Luchen pushed the agreement in front of Old Madam Xu and calmly rose from his seat.

He glanced at Shen Jing, his expression unchanged. "Come with me."

"Drying radishes." Shen Jing lowered her head, gently caressing the radish in her hand.

That one was white and plump.

The wind tousled her hair. The white cheongsam hugged her waist tightly, making her appear delicate yet resolute.

It was rare for him to encounter a woman with such a fiery temper, one who didn’t readily resort to feigning weakness or coquettishly demanding his affection.

Zhou Luchen withdrew his gaze, his expression gradually losing the ease it held when he first spoke.

His leather shoes strode away, his tall, imposing figure gradually receding from view.

The driver respectfully extended his hand. "Please come with me, Miss Shen."

Shen Jing tossed the radish in her hand into the basket and followed him into the Maybach.

The driver closed the door and walked a short distance away to smoke and wait.

Wei Sulin, unsure where to go, found himself intrigued by the task of drying radishes. It was something the young master had never done, and he found it novel and curious.

***

The air conditioning in the luxury car was set intensely low.

Shen Jing obediently sat beside Zhou Luchen, her hands resting on her thighs.

He asked, "What happened to your hand?"

Zhou Luchen didn’t look at her.

From her perspective, the man’s expression was unreadable, his profile sharp and distinct, exuding an air of indifference.

"I told you," Shen Jing said, her hand gently propping up her cheek. "You didn’t care about me."

Zhou Luchen turned slightly towards her, his dark eyes staring intently as if demanding a clear explanation.

Shen Jing averted her gaze and hesitantly opened her mouth. "It’s an injury from the pipa. I came to ask Old Madam Xu to take me as her student."

He looked at her skeptically. "It split?"

Shen Jing nodded. "And you were mean to me."

Zhou Luchen laughed. "How was I mean?"

"You just were," Shen Jing said, still holding a grudge. "Your tone was so harsh."

He took her hand, holding it in his palm. "Let me see."

"Half the nail on my index finger is gone. It bled so much."

Shen Jing held her finger up for him to see, looking as pitiful as a lost kitten.

Zhou Luchen pulled her by the waist into his embrace, placing her on his lap. He held her, mischievously examining her finger. "How pitiful."

There wasn’t a hint of genuine sympathy in his voice; it was as if he were merely idly toying with an injured kitten.

Shen Jing’s other hand hooked his tie and tugged it down. His body leaned slightly forward, his shadow falling over her.

They locked eyes, their breaths mingling at a teasingly close distance.

The beautiful woman’s face bore a foxy charm when she smiled. Her fingertips slowly caressed the man’s silky tie, seductively enticing. "What’s the matter, President Zhou? You were so cold and harsh to me on the phone. Can’t you stand to see my tears in person?"

Zhou Luchen pursed his lips, a smirk playing on them. "Conceited?"