A Twisted Love Affair-Chapter 96: President Zhou, your love debt (2)_1

Shen Jing merely listened, her back against the bar as she surveyed the venue.

The Zhou Family members who had come were all treated as the most important guests.

It was a marriage alliance between powerful families, and the Zhou Family’s willingness to attend signified their acknowledgment of the joyous union between the Chen and Liang families.

She frequently overheard elderly men in suits asking Zhou Family members about the whereabouts of the Crown Prince, expressing their desire to offer him a cup of tea.

The Zhou Family members sipped their tea lightly, their faces betraying no emotion, nor did they breathe a word about their Second Young Master’s affairs.

The world of fame and fortune, indeed, was never a pure land.

They discussed power, not money.

Money was never their primary concern; discussing it was beneath them, much like Zhou Luchen himself.

Shen Jing had encountered many wealthy individuals, but the Zhou Family relied on power. Whether distant relatives or direct lineage, they operated with decisive, ruthless efficiency in every sector.

However, even if the Zhou Family members noticed Shen Jing in the venue, they didn’t spare her a glance. What did it matter if it was reported in the public media?

Shen Jing withdrew her gaze and took a sip of her fruit juice. Just like that.

Shen Jing kept feeling as though someone was watching her from behind; the sensation of being locked onto was intense. Momentarily dazed, she turned her head in bewilderment.

Above her head were the curved railings of the second floor, adorned with white marble pillars entwined with dragons.

The chandeliers hanging from the French dome cast a brilliant, dazzling array of light and shadow.

Zhou Luchen stood leisurely behind the railing, his long arms resting easily on the balustrade, his slender fingers casually interlaced. A glimpse of his sturdy wrist was visible beneath the cuff of his suit. His RICHARDMILLE watch flashed under the cold lights, lending him an air of sophisticated luxury and a chilling aura, as if he stood above everyone else in this world of fame and fortune.

This dignified presence attracted numerous gazes; people raised their glasses to him in greeting.

His surname was Zhou; this was inevitable.

Their eyes met across the distance, and Shen Jing’s reaction was a trifle slow.

Zhou Luchen lifted his eyelids slightly, the haughty coldness in his exceptionally dark, thick eyebrows lessening a fraction. He neither smiled nor spoke.

He seemed to have forgotten the incident at the entrance when he held an umbrella for his ex, and Shen Jing’s eyes instantly welled up.

Even though he had once held an umbrella for her too.

For a moment, Zhou Luchen turned, took a handful of candies in his left hand, and gestured for her, standing downstairs, to catch them with something.

Shen Jing immediately averted her face, forcing herself not to look at him, and casually picked up a tray.

Within seconds, several candies wrapped in red paper tumbled down, landing precisely in the tray.

He made no attempt to be discreet, even in front of everyone.

The entrepreneurs present who witnessed the scene didn’t dare to stare; it was best not to scrutinize the Crown Prince’s amusements.

Shen Jing didn’t touch the candies, instead placing the tray back on a nearby table.

Her emotions were clearly written all over her face.

She was no longer being docile; she had been provoked.

Zhou Luchen watched her retreating figure, the corners of his lips twitching upwards slightly. "Ajing."

His voice was husky and cold.

Strangely, amidst the noisy crowd and the clinking of glasses, Shen Jing could still hear his voice clearly.

When she looked back again, Zhou Luchen was already gone. Behind the white marble balustrade, only emptiness remained.

Only the lavish, flickering shadows of the lights lingered.

Shen Jing glanced at the candies in the tray. His ex-girlfriend is upstairs, yet he tossed these down to me, someone no one in the crowd below even recognizes.

A slap, then a piece of candy to appease her. This is so typically Zhou Luchen.

If this were the Zhou Luchen of yesterday, she would have eaten the candy. She would have remembered that someone, at a high-profile party, had so indulgently tossed candy from the second floor just to make her happy.

Thinking of her good friend’s joyous occasion, Shen Jing’s emotions settled. She left the candy where it was, untouched.

"Not eating?" Liang Yingning turned and asked her. "These aren’t the complimentary candies prepared for the banquet."

Shen Jing’s gaze fell on the tray; only then did she realize the wrappers all bore Turkish script. They were Turkish delights, quite famous ones at that. The candy’s name alluded to "Joy from Turkey." They were produced only in spring and sold only in spring; once the season passed, they were gone and not easy to find.

Did he find these for her?

Liang Yingning wanted to try one but felt too embarrassed to touch them. "Should we go to the VIP lounge and see what’s going on? This is my event; I’ll back you up."

Shen Jing laughed. "What’s there to see?"

Liang Yingning was at a loss for words. Absolutely ridiculous.

Shen Jing, however, was rather nonchalant and could still laugh.

Shen Jing found it odd that Liang Yingning, despite being from a circle of wealthy young ladies, didn’t get along with Wenxin.

Liang Yingning said, "She used to be the princess doted upon by the Zhou Family’s Second Young Master. We commoners aren’t worthy of aspiring to such heights."

Shen Jing didn’t inquire further.

Liang Yingning herself seemed completely unconcerned about her own banquet, her thoughts solely on Shen Jing.

"Did you hear?" she asked. "Lu Siyuan has completely fallen from grace. There haven’t been any trending topics about her online recently, and her movie has been suppressed.

"She used to love copying your style, acting all pure and coquettish. But she learned it so poorly it was obvious at a glance. Could she ever be as pure as you? She couldn’t even fake it properly."

Did she think Zhou Luchen couldn’t see through it? Lu Siyuan wasn’t being herself, so it was only natural for him to be repulsed. Young Master Zhou wasn’t one to be satisfied with a single flavor. Zhou Luchen’s nature was so unrestrained, his desires so strong—how could one type satisfy him?

Shen Jing, hooking two fingers around her juice glass, raised an eyebrow. "At least she once stood at the peak and enjoyed the limelight."

"She wouldn’t dare imitate Wenxin’s style," Liang Yingning mused. The Second Young Master likes Shen Jing’s particular style; he’s even kept her in Jinwu.

Shen Jing said, "Wenxin’s style is something she can’t imitate."

Wenxin’s confident aura, a blend of coldness and gentleness, projected the image of a poised and wealthy lady—the type one might call a princess among mortals. As for Zhou Luchen’s taste... in a field where a hundred flowers contend in beauty, he’d just pick any pretty one he saw.

「It was now 2 p.m.」

It was a carefully selected auspicious time.

Chen Renjun personally came to invite Liang Yingning.

"Call me ’Father,’" he said.

Liang Yingning was visibly reserved, but facing Chen Renjun’s imposing presence, she dared not refuse. She forced a smile. "Fa... Father."

"Such a sensible girl," Chen Renjun said, handing her a red envelope and offering her his arm.

Liang Yingning accepted the red envelope and secretly signaled to Shen Jing: It’s really thick!

They exchanged a coded glance that only the two of them understood.

Unhurriedly, Shen Jing raised her glass to Liang Yingning, signaling back: I saw it!

The central podium was now vacant.

Liang Yingning smiled as she followed Chen Renjun, slowly ascending the steps to the stage onto the bright red carpet.

Her floor-length gown, with its lake-blue, fan-pleated skirt—how could it not be eye-catching when worn by a young lady from an aristocratic family, one who had grown up steeped in wealth?

Today, Liang Yingning was truly beautiful.

Shen Jing was genuinely happy for Liang Yingning, but her smile faltered unconsciously at the thought of Xing Fei.

It was unfortunate that Chen Yao hadn’t come to see this.

Despite the wayward son’s absence, the Chen Family hadn’t allowed Liang Yingning to suffer the slightest grievance. The Chen Family matriarch and Chen Renjun personally escorted her onto the stage.

In front of everyone, they showered Liang Yingning with boundless affection.

Chen Renjun began to clap, then announced, "From now on, Yingning is a child of the Chen Family. Today, let us all witness this. I sincerely thank everyone for gracing us with your presence despite your busy schedules. I, Chen, am deeply honored. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."

He didn’t say ’a member of the Chen Family’; he said ’a child of the Chen Family.’

The respect shown to Liang Yingning was self-evident.

Voices from prominent guests in the audience responded.

"Chairman Chen certainly knows how to pick a daughter-in-law. Yingning started her own business at twenty; she’s very enterprising."

"Director Nie, you’re too kind. It’s the Liang Family that raised their daughter so well. I had quite a hard time snatching her away."

The middle-aged man surnamed Nie squinted his eyes and smiled in return, his bearing meticulous. "Let’s go upstairs for tea. We won’t be drinking alcohol today."

"My thoughts exactly. I’m getting old; I can’t handle alcohol anymore."

Chen Renjun had spent most of his life with an incompetent son; now, he seemed as joyful as if he had gained another daughter.

"I’ve wanted a daughter for many years, but my wife wouldn’t agree. Alas, I realized having a son is useless."

"Chairman Chen, you have quite a sense of humor. Your esteemed son has quite an eye in the investment banking circle."

"Investment banking?"

Hearing these words, Chen Renjun’s tone was filled with disdain.

He truly looked down on Chen Yao’s meager abilities. He was still no match for that young man from the Zhou Family.

As he was mulling this over, Chen Renjun suddenly noticed Shen Jing nearby.

Naturally, Shen Jing and Chen Renjun merely brushed past each other.

Neither looked at the other.

It was as if they belonged to two different worlds, yet both were present at this grand and luxurious upper-class banquet.

If she stood next to Zhou Luchen, who would even notice her? But she wasn’t seeking attention from others; she was just acutely aware of the vast gap in status between them.

Three words.

Impossible.

It was impossible between her and Zhou Luchen. She was merely a momentary diversion, a passing fancy during Young Master Zhou’s journey through a field of countless flowers.

This was the unspoken consensus everyone seemed to share.