A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 77: If he’s not as good as Qiyan, then don’t bother.

Lu Siyuan remained silent, her eyelashes drooping despondently.

The agent said, "Think about Song Yun, who debuted with you, and how poorly she’s doing. Her acting outshines many formally trained actors by a mile, but has any director even glanced her way these years? There are plenty of actresses with great acting skills. If you don’t have connections, who would bother with you? Don’t tell me you’re relying on ’hard work,’ are you?"

Lu Siyuan knew it wasn’t easy for anyone; it was tough to make it in the entertainment industry without family background or connections.

The agent took out her phone. "I’ll ask the company how they plan to handle this."

Lu Siyuan scoffed. "No need. Has the company ever looked after us over the years? If it weren’t for the Second Young Master’s support, who would even know the name Lu Siyuan?"

The agent sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I told you not to fall for him. Why didn’t you listen?"

Of all people, why did it have to be Zhou Luchen?

Lu Siyuan opened another can of beer and chugged it down, wiping the foam from her lips with the back of her hand as she stared at the myriad city lights ahead. "You try getting close to him. You try it, and then come back and lecture me."

"Try and see if you can keep your heart under control, do you understand? That’s Zhou Luchen! A mere smile from him can captivate everyone. He’s backed by the powerful Zhou Family, leaders in their alliances. I’m already a goner just from his looks," Lu Siyuan said, closing her eyes briefly.

"I’ve already resigned myself to my fate, An."

You tried to subtly dissuade me, An, even if you had your own agenda. But Shen Jing is such a resolute person, and yet, she herself is completely under his spell. Did anyone think Shen Jing was naive? She’s very shrewd; how could she not understand what Zhou Luchen is really like? Anyone who gets close to him becomes addicted.

"He doesn’t care about me anymore, An. He really doesn’t care about me anymore."

Lu Siyuan’s tears streamed down her face.

How could he be so heartless? Am I not obedient enough? I do whatever he says, pampering him, yielding to him. I’ve never crossed any lines, never mentioned a single word about him to the media.

She even wished he would lose his temper with her, but there was nothing. How could someone who didn’t care possibly get angry?

The agent, who was already married, turned her head. "Stop loving him. He never asked you to pour out your heart and soul. If you give him your heart, you’re destined to lose."

Lu Siyuan’s sobs grew heavier. "It’s not something I can control."

Ultimately, Zhou Luchen just kept her by his side for his convenience, as something pleasing to the eye.

When he was bored, he’d throw resources at her.

Trapping her, making her feel less than human, spinning a cocoon of her own making.

「-」

The weather grew colder still.

Shen Jing hated the cold; she couldn’t stand the slightest chill. No matter how warmly she dressed, her hands and feet always remained icy.

The clothes she was meant to wear were hung up in the dressing room. She rarely stayed at Yunding during the day, so she didn’t know when the boutique had delivered them.

The housekeeper ironed each piece neatly and arranged them.

The housekeeper said, "I’ve organized everything. When you want to wear something, just pick it out. There are all sorts of styles. If you don’t like them, we can get a new batch."

The quality was excellent, and they were all beautiful.

Shen Jing looked around her spacious, bright dressing room. Zhou Luchen’s suits were on the left, and her dresses were on the right; everything one could need was there.

In the past, she too had experienced the simple joys of a young girl, loving beautiful clothes that brightened her mood. Aside from her father, rarely had anyone bought her an entire roomful of dresses.

But she knew, none of them had been personally picked out by Zhou Luchen.

The brands had provided them according to her style—all in light, gentle colors.

Zhou Luchen liked to see her in cheongsams. Once, when he was feeling affectionate, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and asked him, and that was the answer she received.

She rarely touched the formal gowns in the dressing room, only rummaging through them when she went out with Liang Yingning.

For work every day, she had to wear a cheongsam.

She noticed that many woolen shawls had been carefully added to a cabinet in the corner.

Zhou Luchen seldom stayed home during the day, unless he was in the mood to keep her in bed with him all day long.

But come evening, he would dress and be gone again.

How did that saying go?

Use them and lose them. Cold and heartless afterwards.

If she had to point out where Zhou Luchen fell short, it would be that he seemed to care for her, but it wasn’t love. Aside from that, she couldn’t find any faults.

When Shen Jing had free time, she went back to have a meal and chat with her grandmother.

"Do you like Qiyan?"

Shen Jing said playfully, "Which kind of ’like’ are you asking about, Grandma?"

The fondness of childhood sweethearts, or the affection between a man and a woman? The gap was wide.

Grandma, understanding Shen Jing’s subtle thoughts, reached out to smooth her hair. "You’re already 30. Do you still want to live with me? Isn’t it better to do whatever you want?"

Shen Jing patiently corrected her, "I’m not 30 years old."

Why did Grandma always make her out to be several years older?

With a memory like that, how could she rest easy leaving Grandma so far away?

Grandma seemed to recall. "Oh, Qiyan is 30. Qiyan looks mature for his age, that’s good. I feel reassured."

Shen Jing didn’t respond.

Qiyan didn’t like her, and she had no such feelings for him either. Old folks just loved to play matchmaker without any basis.

Whenever she tried to refute it, Grandma would simply touch her ear and claim she couldn’t understand.

"Actually," Shen Jing said, "I have a boyfriend, and he’s exceptionally handsome."

This time, Grandma understood. "So, you’re with Qiyan now?"

"He’s not Qiyan," Shen Jing replied. Zhou Luchen’s handsome face surfaced in her mind. "He’s a very bad man," she added softly.

Grandma lay back in the rocking chair, eyes closed, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Bring him here for me to see. If he isn’t as good as Qiyan, then don’t be with him."

Shen Jing wilted like a flower.

How would Second Young Master Zhou ever condescend to come?

Shen Jing admitted honestly, "He can’t come."

The old woman’s memory might be muddled. But having lived for most of a century, she understood the dynamics of relationships between men and women all too well. "What do you mean he can’t come? Does he look down on you?"

Shen Jing continued to gently massage her grandmother’s legs. "His family wouldn’t approve. I wouldn’t bring him back, and he wouldn’t come anyway."

The disparity in their statuses was quite significant.

Zhou Luchen was expected to enter into a marriage alliance, one that required a match of equal social standing.

Just like Liang Yingning and Chen Yao.

Grandma turned on her side. "If he doesn’t want to meet me, he definitely doesn’t like you."

Shen Jing suddenly laughed.

She hadn’t even asked him.

The idea of meeting the parents so soon would seem preposterous to Young Master Zhou.

It seemed preposterous to her as well.

Under what identity would she introduce him to her grandmother? For what reason?

Their connection was merely a biological impulse, a collision born of loneliness, an indulgence in fleeting pleasure.

She was just deceiving her grandmother into thinking she had a boyfriend.

Grandma smiled, looking her over for a moment, then reached out to rub her head.

She said Shen Jing was just being silly.

"You have too few worries, you rebellious little imp," Grandma mused before asking again, "What about Feng Jian? Is he still pestering you for money?"

Shen Jing confessed, "I had him sent in."

To make him reform and kick his habit.

If he couldn’t quit, she wouldn’t care anymore whether he lived or died.

Grandma didn’t understand what "sent him in" meant and continued to warn, "Don’t confront him directly. Desperate men like that are violent. What will you do if he hits you?"

Shen Jing didn’t say anything.

Even if she explained, Grandma wouldn’t remember much of it anyway.

In the days that followed, Shen Jing worked at the teahouse during the day and returned to Yunding at night.

Occasionally, Zhou Luchen began to stay out all night, merely having Zhuang Ming inform her that he was busy.

Shen Jing had grown accustomed to it, so she wasn’t particularly bothered.

It’s just that today was the Winter Solstice.

Shen Jing had learned from the housekeeper earlier how to make sweet dumplings, and she was waiting for Zhou Luchen to return.

The housekeeper handed her a tissue and, watching nearby with a smile, commented, "For just one bowl of sweet dumplings, you’ve already changed the filling several times!"