Liang Yingning brought snacks to see her.
She wasn’t wearing a coat today, and her sweater barely covered the hickey on her neck. It looked slightly better after she pulled it up.
Liang Yingning’s eyes were sharp. "Why is your neck all red in one spot?"
Shen Jing blurted out, "A mosquito."
Obviously, Liang Yingning didn’t believe her.
Shen Jing tossed the explanation to the old man upstairs reviewing contracts. "If you don’t believe , ask Mr. Zhou. He gets bitten by mosquitoes every day; he’s practically on the verge of deploying a whole team to exterminate all the mosquitoes here."
Zhou Xiangqun slowly capped his pen, his voice deep and steady. "Yes, that particular mosquito gets frisky the mont it nears her."
Liang Yingning, sharp as ever, retorted, "Male or female, that’s one vicious mosquito!"
Shen Jing tried to correct Liang Yingning’s thinking. "Female."
Zhou Luchen, that male mosquito, wasn’t just vicious or promiscuous; he wanted to suck her dry of blood. Zhou Luchen would never stop until she was at death’s door. She let him, and he, in turn, loved to retaliate, his touch even fiercer. The hickeys were so obvious, Shen Jing didn’t know how to cover them when she looked in the mirror. Would people think she was silly for wearing a turtleneck in this weather?
Liang Yingning ca to pick her up; she was moving her luggage back to Su City.
Old Mada Xu had given her the musical scores to practice on her own back ho. She had taught her what she could; the rest depended on talent.
Liang Yingning was having a birthday party.
They were going to party hard at a club.
Apart from Chen Yao and his group, Shen Jing didn’t know anyone else, so she didn’t try to socialize much with them.
Everyone in their circle knew her status as his fiancée, and Chen Yao was the type who absolutely had to attend, bringing Song Tingting along—what a cliché love triangle.
Song Tingting’s wristwatch even matched Liang Yingning’s.
Soone with a loose tongue just had to bring it up.
Song Tingting smiled graciously. "Yao gave it to ."
A classic case of a dog basking in its master’s glory! Could she smile so happily without Chen Yao backing her? Liang Yingning thought bitterly. She then snatched her own watch off her wrist and threw it directly into the trash.
But the reality was, Song Tingting did have soone backing her. Liang Yingning’s status as fiancée was rely an arrangent decided by their parents; no one else acknowledged it.
In the restroom, Liang Yingning hugged Shen Jing. "I’m not going to live long, Shen Jing. Sothing vile has tainted my unlucky zodiac year."
Shen Jing gently patted Liang Yingning’s head. "Nonsense. Go out and eat three bowls of longevity noodles to make up for it."
Liang Yingning knew she was just saying comforting nonsense but couldn’t help believing her. Dear Shen Jing, so gentle and kind, her own love life a complete ss, yet she faced each day with composure, quietly living her life.
"Will it work?"
Shen Jing had already asked the kitchen to prepare them. "Definitely."
In the private room, Liang Yingning, right in front of Chen Yao, ate three bowls of longevity noodles.
Chen Yao, his arm around Song Tingting’s waist, watched in silence, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Song Tingting poured juice for Liang Yingning, appearing magnanimous. "Slow down. It’s not like anyone’s going to fight the birthday girl for a bowl of noodles, right?"
Liang Yingning shoved the juice away. Her movent was so abrupt that juice sloshed out, spilling across the table.
"Get her out of here!"
Chen Yao finally reacted. He calmly took a napkin and wiped the table, his voice devoid of any inflection. "You insisted I co. Now that I’ve brought soone, you’re still not happy."
"Anyone but Song Tingting."
Liang Yingning was used to being willful and didn’t hesitate to call people out by na in the private room.
In that instant, the air seed to freeze.
The two of them had been at odds for more than a day or two, and this ti, things completely blew up.
Chen Yao tossed the napkin aside and looked up at Liang Yingning. "Tingting hasn’t done anything to provoke you. Everyone knows she’s my girlfriend. Don’t you? I dote on my girlfriend the most; I like to have her by my side wherever I go." As he spoke, he pulled the beauty beside him into his embrace. "No need to curse her. Curse if you must."
Liang Yingning surveyed the scene and scoffed. "Chen Yao, you can fool around behind my back all you want, but don’t you dare humiliate to my face."
Shen Jing placed a hand on Liang Yingning’s shoulder. "Alright, let’s go have fun in another room."
Chen Yao nodded, gulping down his drink, one mouthful after another. But for so reason, as Liang Yingning’s gaze t his for a fleeting mont, he thought he saw tears welling in her eyes, tears she was desperately trying to hold back.
She can cry? I’ve never seen it.
Sotis, Chen Yao truly felt his life wasn’t his own. He couldn’t even make decisions about his own marriage. Marrying soone he didn’t love was torture for everyone involved; a clean break was better than prolonged suffering.
Chen Yao turned his head slightly. "I’m just that rotten; everyone knows it. Even the dia speculates, linking to being a third-generation wastrel from an aristocratic family. If you marry , you won’t have a good life, understand?"
Liang Yingning didn’t look back.
Her twenty-fourth year was not a happy one.
Shen Jing’s twenty-third year hadn’t been much better.
eting Zhou Luchen ant indulging in sensual pleasures on one hand, and losing her heart, her will, her very self on the other.
Before returning to Su City, she dialed that number again.
Shen Jing rested her hand on the car window, feeling the breeze and watching the lavish cityscape through the windshield as she waited for Zhou Luchen to pick up. Finally, the call connected.
She smiled. "I just passed the United Bank branch building."
She didn’t know which floor his CEO office was on; she’d never been up there.
Zhou Luchen’s voice was particularly low and gentle. "Who’s driving?"
His question imdiately reminded Shen Jing of his indulgence, of that embarrassing incident on the highway.
She glanced at the driver, who was focused on the road. "Liang Yingning."
He gently rubbed the spot between his eyebrows and said softly, "Be safe."
Shen Jing teased, "Our friend Liang Yingning is an experienced driver, very steady."
Liang Yingning then chid in loudly, "The Second Young Master is an even better driver!"
Zhou Luchen didn’t quite catch what the girls were joking about. "When are you coming back?"
His question seed particularly obscure and profound.
"Not sure," Shen Jing mused for a mont. "Su City isn’t that far. Maybe you should co find ."
It was a bold invitation on her part.
After a long pause, Zhou Luchen’s lips curled into a subtle, unreadable smile. "Alright."
Hearing his chuckle, Shen Jing said, "I’m hanging up."
Zhou Luchen’s smile slowly widened. "You hang up."
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Shen Jing picked at her newly grown fingernails, quietly listening to his breathing. The rhythm was almost imperceptible at first, then grew clearer, as if he were right beside her ear, an intoxicatingly dangerous intimacy.
Neither of them hung up. The traces of their past nights, filled with ambiguous passion, couldn’t be easily erased—whether it was uncontrollable desire or simply their fundantal natures.
When they ca together, they both lost control.
Young Master Zhou rarely refrained from coldly hanging up on her. His attitude was a bit better this ti. Shen Jing chuckled. It wasn’t really praiseworthy; it was just normal.
An unknown amount of ti passed.
His deep voice broke the silence. "Shen Jing, a National Day gift for you."
Shen Jing propped her chin on her hand. "What is it?"
Zhou Luchen’s tone was even. "Unwrap it yourself tomorrow."
Shen Jing replied, "Alright then."
"Hanging up."
This ti, he really did hang up, without a mont’s hesitation.
「Upon arriving in Su City.」
The two parked the car. Just as they entered the elevator, Liang Yingning leaped onto Shen Jing’s back. "What gift do you think Zhou Luchen is planning to get you?"
Shen Jing, unable to support Liang Yingning’s weight, pried her friend’s hands off. "How would I know? It’s a blind box."
"He’s giving gifts for National Day? What kind of Zhou Luchen-esque custom is this?" Liang Yingning suddenly had a thought. "Oh, right. The Zhou Family always sends gifts for National Day."
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