A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 88: Blazing Flames Everywhere (3)_1

The passenger seat was filled with red roses he had given her. Encased in exquisite black gauze packaging, it was an oversized bunch that filled the entire spacious seat. It was the Christmas she wanted.

Shen Jing leaned against the gull-wing door, a smile on her face. "Surely I’m not the only one you’ve sent roses to."

Zhou Luchen chuckled. He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and casually opened the convertible’s roof. "From now on, you’ll have the most."

She was greedy, indeed.

Was this supposed to be appeasement? That’s just how Zhou Luchen was.

Shen Jing’s eyes curved into a smile. "I forgive you then."

Zhou Luchen turned with a smile, signaling her to get in the car.

She carefully straightened her cheongsam and bent down to pick up the roses. "Zhuang Ming," she instructed, "take them back to Yunding."

Zhuang Ming, having received the signal, came forward to take the roses.

Just then, Shen Jing plucked a red rose, held it to her nose to inhale its fragrance, and then got into the car.

Guests entering and leaving the hotel were rather curious about the unfamiliar sports car—the Zhou Family’s young man and his lover.

Such an enormous bunch of roses. Oh, it’s Christmas Eve. In two more hours, it’ll be Christmas.

"The young lady in the passenger seat, I know who she is."

"Who?"

"A well-known wealthy lady from Hong Kong, Mrs. Cao, showed off her photos on Weibo. What’s her name again? Little Ajing. Quite an eye-catching beauty."

"What’s so unusual about that in a hotel? Let’s go."

"A date with a young lover from the noble Zhou Family of Xiangshan Baiqing Garden—tell me that’s not unusual."

"Then I must take a photo of this."

-

The luxury car and the beautiful woman left the hotel, turning onto the main road and heading towards the suburbs.

She didn’t know where he was taking her. She never took issue with his decisions and scrolled through her phone, letting the night breeze wash over her.

The phone on the high-tech center console rang.

She wasn’t sure who was trying to reach Zhou Luchen; the phone’s screen was face down.

Shen Jing asked, "Aren’t you going to answer it?"

Zhou Luchen picked up the phone and glanced at it out of the corner of his eye. Instead of answering, he put it back down. Then, he deftly took her hand, placed it on his thigh, and interlocked their fingers.

His expression remained unchanged, as usual.

The warmth of his palm comforted her cold hand.

Shen Jing paused for a moment at his action. He turned and glanced at the cheongsam she was wearing.

He raised an eyebrow. "You’re wearing so little."

With the convertible top down in this weather, it was naturally cold. Shen Jing fluttered her long eyelashes and cooed that she was cold.

He suddenly laughed and pressed a button; only then did he remember to close the convertible roof.

Zhou Luchen had forgotten to hold her hand again. For a brief moment, Shen Jing glanced at the man.

His hand rested casually on the electronic handbrake, his knuckles clean and well-defined, the blue veins prominent beneath his skin—extremely eye-catching.

His hands were skilled in *that* regard.

They were both a poison and an unsteady antidote for the soul.

Shen Jing thought about it. With such adept manipulation of emotional scales, he must have had many women in the past—playing games of ambiguity, engaging physically but not emotionally, one after another falling for him.

Yet he always withdrew calmly, never becoming entangled in feelings he shouldn’t entertain.

She remembered Liang Yingning had hinted at it.

Zhou Luchen was a man laden with romantic debts.

Once, at a business banquet, he had whimsically offered to drive the young Miss Xie home. At that time, he was in the throes of a passionate romance with his then-girlfriend, Wenxin.

As a result, his ex, Wenxin, saw them. She chased Zhou Luchen’s car for six kilometers before forcing him to stop, consumed by jealousy.

However, the truth was that Young Master Zhou and his ex were deliberately trying to provoke each other.

Thinking of this, Shen Jing’s fingers hooked the back of Zhou Luchen’s hand, attempting to interlock their fingers again.

Zhou Luchen turned his head slightly, stepped on the accelerator, and gripped her hand, pressing their fingers firmly together.

"Is this what you want?" He laughed, his eyes darkening with a teasing glint.

Shen Jing laughed heartily, letting him hold her hand.

This was exactly it.

She liked him holding her hand.

The car drove into a secluded Tea Mountain Villa. The estate was so vast its boundaries couldn’t be seen, and on either side were various low-profile domestic car models not typically found on the market.

Black-clad security guards led the way.

Zhou Luchen unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the car, and tossed the keys to a guard with a casual, fluid motion.

Shen Jing followed, pushing her door open and stepping out.

Shen Jing had never seen such a high-class establishment. It was huge but deserted, clearly not open to the public.

The air was filled with the ethereal and mellow scent of tea; such an elegant place hidden in the suburbs.

Shen Jing didn’t recognize anyone in the Villa’s courtyard. They weren’t Chen Yao and his group.

She hurried to catch up with Zhou Luchen. "Who are these people?"

Zhou Luchen said they were the children of wealthy families.

They didn’t usually celebrate Christmas; they just gathered here to drink tea and chat in their leisure time.

The person who greeted Zhou Luchen was surnamed Nie—Nie Yanzuo.

"Luchen, you’re quite late," Nie Yanzuo said. "I was almost afraid you’d gotten lost."

Zhou Luchen just smiled lazily. He freed one hand to wrap around her waist as they entered. "I have a child at home who only woke up at 9 p.m. I had to take care of her."

At these words, some people glanced at Shen Jing and nodded with a smile.

Nie Yanzuo responded, "Of course, of course. We were all waiting for you to start."

What "9 p.m."? Out of sight, Shen Jing pinched Zhou Luchen’s arm. Her hand was soft, mostly just grabbing a fistful of his clothes.

"My waist hasn’t even recovered. From now on, we’re sleeping in separate rooms to recuperate."

"Is that so?" Zhou Luchen replied in his usual restrained manner, his deep voice close to her ear, audible only to them. "The one I desire, I’ll sleep with her to my heart’s content."

Shen Jing buried her head low, huffing, bristling all over.

He was... quite the refined and noble young master.

Zhou Luchen’s fingers, neither too light nor too heavy, playfully kneaded her waist, as if smoothing down her ruffled feathers.

His phone, which was in her bag, rang again at this moment.

That was the third time.

Shen Jing felt certain it was the same person calling.

Zhou Luchen let her go, deciding to answer the call this time.

Shen Jing watched him walk aside to take it.

Under the high-hanging, traditional-style lanterns, his figure moved within the warm, soft light. It made the black suit he wore appear elegant and serene. With one hand in his trouser pocket and his back to her, she suddenly felt that Zhou Luchen wasn’t so aloof after all.

While on the phone, he seemed to be in even better spirits.

His voice was very soft. "What is it?"

The person on the other end was silent for a long time and didn’t reproach him for only answering on the third call. "A peaceful Christmas Eve to you."

He laughed, exuding a languid charm. "Wei Wenxin."

Wenxin chuckled along, her tone seemingly cool and clear as she exhaled softly. "Are you spending Christmas at the Tea Mountain Villa with her? Do you like her? Is she prettier than me?"

Zhou Luchen was as composed as ever. "What do you think?"

That was Zhou Luchen for you; even if you knew, what could you do about him? Wenxin had always possessed an arrogant confidence. "Achen, stop fooling around. No one can steal you from my grasp. Don’t you understand that yet?"

That was the formidable aspect of her unwavering confidence: she used the word "steal," not "snatch."