A Twisted Love Affair
Chapter 122: What if a wild man takes you away_1

Chapter 122: What if a wild man takes you away_1

She was carried into the car, still deep asleep in Zhou Luchen’s arms, her hair completely buried in his chest. A strand of her hair had caught on a button of his shirt. Zhou Luchen supported her back with one hand while leisurely disentangling it with the other.

She shifted slightly in his arms. Her long, closed eyelashes trembled; she looked sleepy and pitiable.

Zhou Luchen’s expression was composed as his slender fingers elegantly and meticulously unfastened the button. He looked down at her, displeased by her body’s incessant quivering and its sensitivity.

"Don’t move," he commanded in a low voice.

She would murmur a soft "Mhm" and snuggle obediently against him.

Zhuang Ming glanced at the rearview mirror, then closed the partition and concentrated on driving towards Yunding No. 1.

Shen Jing was sleepy but not too troublesome; the only thing that irked Zhou Luchen was her refusal to use a pillow. She only wanted his embrace, holding on tight as if afraid he would drop her.

「At night」

All the crystal chandeliers in the grand, high-level flat at Yunding No. 1 lit up at once.

Zhuang Ming set down the black chain-link, small Chanel-style bag, closed the door, and left.

Zhou Luchen tossed Shen Jing onto the bed, closed the door behind him, and stepped out.

The heavy white drapes of the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows automatically parted.

Before him lay the night view of Shanghai. The Bell Tower, illuminated by thousands of lights, shone as brilliantly as a pearl.

"MEOW..."

Zhou Luchen, standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, lowered his gaze to the small cat looking up at him from his feet.

His expression was particularly cold, so the little cat could only slink dejectedly to the carpet and lie there quietly, not daring to make a fuss.

"Haven’t eaten yet?" he asked lightly.

The little cat patted its whiskers with a front paw and made no sound.

Zhou Luchen’s gaze was indifferent, devoid of emotion. Just like her, quick to feel aggrieved at the slightest neglect.

The little cat looked up at him pitifully. After a moment, it stood up and padded back to its own room, presumably distressed from the lack of petting.

He didn’t understand the meaning in its pitiful gaze, nor did he wish to feel any sympathy.

The news of Shen Jing accompanying Zhou Luchen to the Chamber of Commerce event was a hot topic in the financial reports.

Naturally, the prominent Zhou Family was well aware of it.

At nine in the evening, Zhou Luchen’s phone began to ring incessantly.

The phone was on the table, set to speakerphone.

Zhou Luchen stood leaning back against the sofa, listening with leisurely composure.

The calls were all about media misreporting, mistaking the Wei Family’s Miss Wenxin as the woman with him.

He hung up and flipped through the pictures sent by his assistant.

He tossed the phone aside.

It wasn’t a media error; the Zhou Family had pulled strings to cover up Zhou Luchen’s scandalous affair with a pipa musician from Jiangnan.

The Zhou Family was accustomed to maintaining a low profile and disapproved of their powerful members generating salacious rumors.

In the eyes of the Zhou family elders, she was little different from an entertainer.

They wouldn’t directly interfere, but they insisted that the Second Young Master of the Zhou Family’s marriage must, at the very least, guarantee impeccable lineage and upbringing, allowing no room for mistakes.

「At the same time.」

Shen Jing emerged from the bedroom. She only remembered sleeping very soundly and, upon waking, found herself in the large bed here.

She heard the CLICK of a lighter.

As she walked towards the living room, she looked up. Zhou Luchen stood there, clad in a black silk robe loosely draped over his tall, well-built frame. He leaned against the sofa, head tilted, lighting a cigarette.

Thin wisps of smoke drifted upwards. He gently lifted his long arm; the open robe offered a seductive glimpse of muscle, yet his movements remained elegant and sumptuous.

Seeing her approach, Zhou Luchen’s eyelids lifted slightly, his gaze sweeping over her.

Shen Jing stood before him, pulling the knitted shawl tighter around her shoulders.

"Your family dislikes me that much, huh?"

Zhou Luchen frowned subtly. "Why would they need to like you?"

Indeed, there was no need.

She wasn’t genuinely concerned; she was merely asking to see his attitude.

She always wanted to see if there was even a sliver of absurd permission.

It was laughable, that’s what she had thought back then, and there was no shame in admitting it.

Zhou Luchen removed the cigarette from his mouth. "Come here."

Shen Jing slipped off her slippers and, barefoot on the soft carpet, threw herself into his arms.

She buried her head in the crook of his arm. Her slightly dazed, liquid eyes stirred Zhou Luchen, prompting his fingertips to endlessly caress their alluring, upturned corners.

"Slept enough?"

Shen Jing turned her face slightly in his palm, her breathy voice soft. "I remember you carried me back, and I told you about a dream I had."

Who would remember her dream? Zhou Luchen certainly hadn’t.

A disdainful smile touched his lips. "You slept the whole way, stuck to me the whole way."

Shen Jing retorted, peeved, "Then why didn’t you just dump me on the roadside?"

"Dump you where?"

Zhou Luchen took a drag from his cigarette, his voice muffled and hoarse. "And let some stray dog drag you off?"

Shen Jing interpreted that as him implying some other man might take her away.

She responded slyly, "Dragged off? You think that would scare me?"

Zhou Luchen lowered his gaze and chuckled.

In the ensuing silence, Shen Jing leaned on Zhou Luchen’s shoulder, admiring the Macedonian Ancient Painting on the wall. Gazing at its most prominent feature, the sixteen-rayed sun symbol, she asked, "What does this Macedonian Dynasty painting really mean? Did you buy it and hang it here just because it’s expensive and rare? It’s not like it’s a family heirloom. Aren’t you afraid I’d sell it?"

He glanced at it. "The Vergina Sun."

"Depicted in pure gold?" Shen Jing asked.

Zhou Luchen hummed in affirmation, casually explaining, "A symbol of the Royal Family. The ancient Indo-Europeans regarded the sun as most sacred. Perdiccas used his dagger to trace the sun’s rays, then symbolically drew them to his chest three times, signifying his claim to and defense of the land, inviting the sun god to bear witness."

"Is it the sun god’s lucky symbol?" she asked, looking up at him. "Then who is your lucky star?"

Zhou Luchen raised his hand, playfully tapping her smooth forehead.

She feigned distress with an ’UH!’ and quickly burrowed into his embrace. "Ouch, that hurts."

"It didn’t," he stated, as composed as ever. "Go take your bath."

"I just started the water. I’ll go in a bit." She leaned against his chest, idly playing with her fingernails.

It was a chilly spring evening; although the bathroom heater was on, she still felt the cold and wasn’t quite ready.

Zhou Luchen decisively scooped her up, strode forward, and kicked open the bathroom door.

The sudden movement made her head spin; biting his silk pajama collar was futile.

The bathtub was already filled with water.

Two pieces of clothing lay crumpled and drenched beside the bathtub.

A torn lace waistband dangled from the bathtub’s grab bar, swaying precariously before pitifully dropping to the floor.

Steam filled the air, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Two people in the bathtub.

She leaned against him.

Zhou Luchen took her hand and guided it to a certain spot beneath the water’s surface.

She looked down, observing the clear view beneath the water.

She neither resisted nor played coy. Blushing, she simply rested against him, watching his expression.

"You’re being indecent," she murmured hoarsely.

A chuckle rumbled in Zhou Luchen’s throat. His chiseled, distinguished features were partly obscured in the dim light. Sweat trickled down the strong, defined line of his jaw, disappearing onto his broad chest.

To her, his aura seemed particularly hazy and indistinct, yet overwhelmingly domineering and potent.

He casually extinguished the cigarette. His lazy, almost imperceptible smile lingered as he met her gaze. His eyes, seemingly dissolving with desire, were like magnets, drawing her soul in, pulling it into a turbulent abyss.

How fortunate she was to witness, in such a moment, this devastatingly handsome side of him, capable of enthralling all.

She gently kissed his lips, then, smiling, nuzzled her nose against his, whispering softly, "So brave and skilled in battle, are we?"

Zhou Luchen’s fingers gripped the back of her neck, tilting her head up, while his other hand tightened around her waist, pulling her down.

The movement sent ripples spreading across the water, splashing onto the floor around them.

...