A Twisted Love Affair
Chapter 127: Be careful of the power outage in Building B_1

Chapter 127: Be careful of the power outage in Building B_1

Zhou Luchen got back late.

Shen Jing went to Building B to scrounge up a meal, to change things up a bit, and to have Uncle Sun bring a gift to Grandma.

They were chatting about family matters.

She played chess with Uncle Sun, though she was not skilled at it.

Her mood was good today, her eyes always shining with a bright, sparkling light.

Sun Qiyan stood by, passing by the battlefield, occasionally glancing at her, and whispered some advice, "Move the knight, to 3x5."

Uncle Sun rolled his eyes. "The two of you ganging up to bully an old man." He made his next chess move, still slaughtering Shen Jing without leaving her a single piece intact.

"Checkmate."

With her mediocre skills, Shen Jing was no match for the grandfather who pondered over the game daily.

Sun Qiyan set down the mop he was holding and chuckled softly. "My fault, I forgot to watch out for Grandpa’s chariot."

Uncle Sun happily drank some warm water. "You two kids."

Shen Jing turned around and exchanged a knowing, light glance with Sun Qiyan, and they both suddenly laughed. Is it possible that we deliberately let you win? they seemed to convey.

It was only for a moment before Sun Qiyan courteously looked away.

"I’ll cut some strawberries for you."

She turned. "I want pineapple berries. Uncle, what about you?"

Uncle Sun didn’t know what pineapple berries were; Qiyan bought the fruits, so he echoed, "Then pineapple berries it is."

Just then, Shen Jing’s cellphone rang. She swiped to unlock.

Zhou Luchen: "Three minutes. Be careful of a power outage in Building B."

Shen Jing stood frozen for quite a while, knowing exactly what Zhou Luchen meant. If she didn’t go back soon, Building B might very well lose power. He was wicked, and capriciously arrogant.

It wasn’t until Uncle Sun reminded her to make her move in the game that she responded vaguely and moved her piece.

She freed up a hand to type: "Are you threatening me?"

Zhou Luchen didn’t respond; the chat window remained silent and still.

Shen Jing put her phone in her pocket and waved goodbye as she left.

「Three minutes.」

She couldn’t wait for Sun Qiyan to finish cutting the pineapple berries; her mouth was watering for some after a dinner of rich meats.

Glancing at the tall figure busy in the kitchen, she said, "Brother Qiyan, I’m heading back now."

Sun Qiyan paused his actions and gently reminded her, "Wait a moment."

Shen Jing made a questioning sound, then saw Sun Qiyan walking over with a box of cut and cleaned strawberries in hand.

"Take these home to eat."

Shen Jing thanked him and accepted the box.

Sun Qiyan felt she was being too polite. "Take your time, no rush. No one’s going to get you."

She subconsciously hummed a response as the door closed completely behind her.

Carrying the strawberries, she returned to 9099. The housekeeper was just finishing up work, taking the prepared meal with her as she left.

The housekeeper said apologetically, "I made dinner, but when I realized you weren’t back, I threw it all away."

Shen Jing just hummed in response, entered, and closed the door softly behind her.

She quietly changed her shoes and tiptoed to the study. Every crystal lamp in the house was lit, yet Zhou Luchen was nowhere to be found.

Just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, she turned and was startled by the man standing lazily behind her. She involuntarily let out a shriek.

There wasn’t much space between them; a slight turn and she would touch his chest, prominent under the thin satin fabric.

He licked his lips and teased, "Playing the thief?"

"Why do you walk without making a sound?" Shen Jing, startled by his silent approach, took a step back.

As Zhou Luchen advanced, Shen Jing suppressed her petulance and kept retreating.

Without a word, he backed her up to the couch, and she fell onto it, caught off guard.

Shen Jing’s heart pounded as she looked up at him.

She noticed he wasn’t wearing the white shirt he had been in before. After meeting his ex, he’d secretly changed it. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. She found she couldn’t even start an argument with Zhou Luchen.

Shen Jing spoke first, "I was too bored, so I went to a friend’s place to eat."

Zhou Luchen glanced at the box of strawberries in her hand, his expression clearly indifferent.

Shen Jing was particular; even when eating strawberries, they had to be cut into small pieces, and she always ate them slowly and with exceptional elegance. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed that.

"He understands you very well."

Shen Jing was puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Zhou Luchen suddenly turned away, his voice still devoid of emotion. "Nothing."

Shen Jing put down the strawberry box, a transparent plastic container, and noticed nothing amiss with it.

"Have you eaten yet?"

His retreating figure seemed to fade. "I’ve already eaten," he said, his voice still devoid of emotion.

A gust of wind from an unknown source blew the white sheer curtains by the floor-to-ceiling window apart, and the room suddenly fell silent.

Shen Jing wondered. Was he jealous? Or was it his possessiveness acting up, his displeasure at her constantly freeloading meals in Building B? She didn’t know.

Shen Jing lowered her head. "Why did you change your clothes?"

There was no answer; the study door was already open.

Right then, Shen Jing wanted to satisfy her craving. She sat down and quietly speared strawberries to eat. They were sweet.

She didn’t save any for Zhou Luchen. He had never needed that small kindness from her anyway.

"Just be good, Shen Jing."

"What can you even offer me?"

His words, whenever recalled, were like a jolt of medicated oil to the eyes—stinging, sharp, and sobering.

Shen Jing took a shower and went to her room to sleep.

After all, a corporate drone like her had to work tomorrow, unlike President Zhou, who could freely arrange his own life and the lives of others, doing whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased. If he was happy, he might tease you. If you provoked his noble young master’s temper, he’d just leave you out in the cold to fend for yourself.

「Later that night.」

Shen Jing didn’t know how he got in.

He was fierce, demanding.

The last time she had seen Zhou Luchen like this was on the day of their matchmaking blind date.

「In the morning, they went their separate ways.」

Zhuang Ming was still her driver.

The black Bentley parked opposite was also Zhou Luchen’s car.

He leaned back in the driver’s seat, not in a hurry to press the accelerator, separated from her by two car windows.

They looked at each other from a distance.

Silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

Zhou Luchen rested his slightly bent arm on the car window and said casually, "If you don’t want to take the pill, don’t. It’s not certain you’ll get pregnant, and I can bear the consequences."

Responsibility without love? Spare me. Last night, in his frenzy, he hadn’t used a condom. He couldn’t restrain himself, yet he knew her health was frail and worried the medication would harm her—a declaration that seemed responsible on the surface but was, in truth, profoundly heartless. After all, any child conceived would be illegitimate.

Shen Jing averted her gaze. "My mental state is currently normal. I won’t skip it."

The window of the black Bentley rose indifferently. Its elegant lines sped past her vision and, within two seconds, disappeared into the underground parking garage.

Shen Jing urged the driver, Zhuang Ming, "Drive. Let’s go too."

Zhuang Ming dared not listen, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have understood the implications. He only remembered that as soon as Shen Jing arrived in Su City, she went straight to a pharmacy.

Zhuang Ming informed his Second Young Master: "Miss Shen seems to be ill; she went to the pharmacy. Should I ask for sick leave for her to see a doctor?"

His Second Young Master didn’t reply. That was normal.

「Over the following days.」

Shen Jing only saw Zhuang Ming’s face.

Zhou Luchen had vanished as if he were a missing person—no phone calls, no messages, no returning to spend the night.

Shen Jing didn’t ask anything. Asking would undoubtedly lead to Zhuang Ming’s perpetual six-word mantra: "He’s busy with United Bank matters." Dismissive yet efficient. Believe it or not, he was busy. She wouldn’t waste her breath.

During those days, rain often poured incessantly. At 4 p.m., the sky would be pitch black, as if signaling the apocalypse.

Even with all the lights on at 4 p.m., it was still oppressively dark.

「Just after work.」

Upon learning her kitten was sick, she hurried to return to Shanghai.

A multi-vehicle pile-up, including a major accident, had occurred on the expressway between the two cities, causing a massive traffic jam.

Thunderstorm days were always like this.

Shen Jing lay in the car playing a tile-matching game until her phone battery died, then she plugged it in to charge.

Zhuang Ming reminded her, "We probably won’t make it back today. We’re stuck right in the middle, with an accident up front and a pile-up behind us."

Outside the car window, the rain showed no signs of stopping.

Shen Jing rummaged through her bag and handed Zhuang Ming some cookies. "Are you hungry?"

"We’ve been stuck for hours," Zhuang Ming said, a rare smile on his face. "What about you? Are you hungry?"

Her hunger was real.

They were stuck in traffic from four o’clock until seven in the evening.