That day, a Hongqi sedan stopped outside the door.
It was Shen Jing’s first ti seeing the Zhou Family’s eldest son.
He wore a white woolen turtleneck, modest and unassuming, his deanor as proper as an upright official’s.
Neither old nor young, he walked with particularly steady steps.
Sitting down on the stone bench, Shen Jing flipped through sheet music while silently morizing it.
Zhou Xiangqun helped Old Lady Xu into the house.
"You need to control that relative of yours from the Zhou Family! He’s practically digging up the ground beneath my feet! He’s bullying an old woman like , threatening to tear up my radish patch if I don’t move out."
Zhou Xiangqun nodded. "Yes, Achen has always been unruly. I apologize to you on his behalf."
Old Lady Xu’s complaints grew more severe. "He even wants to dig up my late husband’s ashes! It’s absolutely outrageous! All this talk of millions and millions—hasn’t he ever seen money before?"
Old Lady Xu was adamant about not moving.
He even wants to move my house, foundation and all, to the other side? she fud internally.
"How would you like to resolve this, Madam Xu?" Zhou Xiangqun asked.
Old Lady Xu pointed her cane toward the plot of land in the backyard. "Make him compensate for my radish patch."
Zhou Xiangqun’s voice was soothing as he cald Old Lady Xu. "Compensation will be made. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied, Madam Xu."
"Now that you’re here, don’t be in a rush to leave," Old Lady Xu said. "Stay and have a good chat with . It’s been over ten years."
Zhou Xiangqun spoke respectfully, "Yes."
This connection of his is quite powerful, Shen Jing thought, able to veto the Wei Group’s matters with just a stamp.
Zhou Xiangqun arrived late, so dinner was served in the courtyard. The driver who accompanied him left two bags with a change of clothes, relayed a few instructions with a nod, and then drove off.
So, this man is planning to stay here, Shen Jing mused.
「Deep into the night.」
Only two adjacent rooms in the small building were lit.
Shen Jing turned on the light; her cellphone was on her left, a notebook on her right.
Suddenly, she heard the door of the adjacent room open. A mont later, two soft KNOCK KNOCK sounds ca from her window.
Shen Jing spoke up, "Mr. Zhou."
"The courtyard only has one bathroom. I hope I’m not disturbing you, Miss Shen."
Zhou Xiangqun’s voice was llow and deep, a richness only an older man could possess.
Shen Jing gathered her notes. "Not at all."
Soon, there was silence. Shen Jing rembered that this man hadn’t taken a shower yet. He was rely notifying her, as the bathroom was right next to her room.
Shen Jing stared out the window for a while, then grabbed her phone and went for a walk outside. The brick walls didn’t offer much soundproofing; she certainly couldn’t sit here and listen to soone showering.
The past few days had been overcast, and the nights were even darker now.
Footsteps gradually approached. Zhou Xiangqun stood not far off, hands tucked into the pockets of his cotton trousers, his posture ramrod straight.
"Are you Achen’s...?"
He didn’t say ’girlfriend,’ being all too familiar with the colorful romantic history of the family’s Second Young Master. However wild his escapades, however freely he played the field, he wasn’t one to commit to a relationship easily.
Shen Jing looked up at the man, who was wearing only a thin cotton T-shirt despite the cool night.
"Aren’t you afraid of mosquito bites?" Shen Jing asked him.
Suddenly, Zhou Xiangqun slapped his arm. SMACK. The sticky residue on his palm made him frown slightly.
Mosquitoes loved such well-cared-for skin; it was an easy target, Shen Jing observed.
"Haven’t they bitten you?" he asked.
Shen Jing pulled her jacket tighter. "I’m wearing thicker clothes."
Zhou Xiangqun stood rooted to the spot, his stance exuding an imposing pressure. "I’ll be staying here tonight. My apologies for any disturbance."
Shen Jing lowered her gaze, casually swiping at her phone screen. "It’s no bother. I’m a night owl anyway."
Another SMACK. Mr. Zhou Xiangqun returned to the courtyard, his face dark.
"What vicious mosquitoes," he muttered.
Tough skin was no defense. Even Zhou Luchen, with all his untad energy, would get several welts from bites here, Zhou Xiangqun thought.
That night, assuming Zhou Xiangqun had gone to sleep, Shen Jing tidied her things and headed back to her room. She found the lights in the adjacent room were still on, and from ti to ti, she heard the PFFT-PFFT sound of an aerosol spray.
Just then, the door opened. A tall figure filled the doorway; the fra was so low he had to stoop. "Do you have any soothing ointnt?"
"Wait a mont." Shen Jing pushed her door open, went into her room, and returned with a tube of ointnt, which she handed to him.
"Thank you." Zhou Xiangqun started to close his door but then seed to reconsider. He stepped out. "Let’s talk, Miss Shen."
Shen Jing stopped. "Go ahead."
Zhou Xiangqun hesitated for a mont. "Is Achen treating you well?"
Shen Jing said, "I believe you’re mistaken. I currently have no relationship with the Second Young Master."
"Currently?" This man was incredibly shrewd, seeing right through Shen Jing’s unspoken aning in an instant.
A smile touched Zhou Xiangqun’s lips. "Are you planning for a future developnt, Miss Shen?"
He continued, "I don’t ddle in Achen’s private affairs, but I’ve looked out for him since he was young. I’m rely curious, Miss Shen, where are you from?"
Shen Jing chuckled. "Mr. Zhou, are you conducting a background check?"
Zhou Xiangqun let out a soft laugh.
Finding out about her wouldn’t be difficult. Zhou Xiangqun didn’t usually involve himself too much in such things, but the na ’Shen Jing’ had been creating quite a buzz around him recently.
The paparazzi’s candid shots were headlined sothing like this:
#United: Second Young Master Zhou Comforts Beauty in His Arms After Fierce Brawl!#
#United: Second Young Master Zhou’s Steamy 18-Min Kiss with Mystery Woman in Luxury Car! Her Rosy Cheeks Under His Touch! Who is This Extraordinary Beauty Driving Him Wild?#
#United: Second Young Master Zhou & Mystery Beauty Nightly at Luxury Ao Area Hotels!#
These young people, each more sensational than the last; the photos were shockingly clear and authentic.
However, no dia outlets in HK or Macao dared to publish them. They were only in this line of work to make so money, after all.
Such a young woman. He wondered if she might one day beco his sister-in-law. Curiosity simply got the better of him.
Zhou Xiangqun raised his head to look at the night sky. "I was the one who bought the photos taken by the HK and Macao paparazzi. You two were snapped on Nathan Road. You both owe for the cost of those photos."
Nathan Road? Shen Jing was stunned. "Even that... was discovered?"
Zhou Xiangqun glanced sidelong at Shen Jing. Was she naive, or did she simply not understand the Zhou Family and Zhou Luchen at all?
"Do you want the photos?" he asked.
Shen Jing nodded. "Yes."
Zhou Xiangqun didn’t make a deal with her. Instead, he closed his door. "Thank you for the ointnt, Miss Shen. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." The mont Shen Jing turned away, a deep blush spread from her face to the nape of her neck.
Her romantic escapades in HK... surely they hadn’t all been revealed to the Zhou Family?
They hadn’t been. Zhou Xiangqun had intercepted everything. Acting almost like a guardian, he managed Zhou Luchen’s many romantic entanglents. And this current ’blossom’ was the most spectacular one yet.
Zhou Xiangqun made an international long-distance call. "Would you like to hear so interesting news?"
「Along the tea plantation path on the slope.」
Zhou Luchen had only half a glass of red wine at a social event, and Chen Yao had subsequently taken over as his designated driver.
A white cat was nestled asleep in Zhou Luchen’s arms. The kitten was behaving this ti, and he patiently stroked its fur. His long fingers combed through the soft coat with an easy, practiced motion, sotis playful, sotis teasing.
The man’s rugged physique, the small creature curled up in a lazy nap—man and cat ford an unexpectedly harmonious picture in the passenger seat.
The white cat let out a contented OW.
He frowned slightly. "Quiet."
The white cat burrowed its head deeper into the crook of his arm, becoming still and obedient.
Chen Yao worried that Zhou Luchen might suddenly get annoyed and toss the cat out the window.
Chen Yao ventured, "Did Zhou Xiangqun reject the docunts?"
Chen Yao already knew about it.
Wei Sulin was about to take over the Wei Group and eager to make his mark. He had set his sights on the developnt zone in Tong Village, and Zhou Luchen intended to help him.
The two of them always stuck together in their ventures. With Zhou Luchen backing the Wei Group’s investnts, their decisions were immutable. If a building needed to be moved, the Second Young Master could have it cleared away completely.
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