A Twisted Love Affair
Chapter 46: Cold-heartedness_1

Chapter 46: Cold-heartedness_1

Zhou Luchen raised his eyebrows.

A fluffy white ball nestled softly in his arms.

Man and animal locked eyes.

In that moment, Young Master Zhou smiled with extra affection.

The little white cat seemed to gather courage, its two paws propped on Zhou Luchen’s thigh, pink-rimmed claws reaching up to his shirt collar.

The slanted angle unintentionally revealed multiple kiss marks on the man’s neck. They were mottled: dark purple, passionate, and unabashed.

Zhou Luchen’s deep and complex eyes were, at this moment, both dark and fierce.

"Get down."

Clearly, no matter how cute or endearing this cat was, it could no longer evoke a shred of pity from Young Master Zhou.

The cat’s body shuddered. Almost immediately sensing his cold indifference, it leaped from his arms onto the sofa, obediently curling up in a corner and meowing meekly.

Wei Sulin was used to it; Young Master Zhou was just like that—passionate yet heartless.

Zhou Luchen raised his hand to straighten his shirt, dusting a few cat hairs from his trousers, his entire demeanor cold and detached.

Wei Sulin focused on shuffling and dealing the cards, not daring to take another careful look at him.

In a low voice, he asked, "New York’s market hasn’t closed yet. Another round?"

Zhou Luchen murmured agreement.

As it happened, Lu Siyuan pushed open the door to the private room. Before Zhou Luchen could adjust his collar, she caught a glimpse of the kiss marks on his neck.

The marks were deep.

It must have been left by that woman, Shen Jing; it wasn’t hard to guess.

Three days ago, she had seen his car drive into Yunding Number One. He hadn’t lived in that house before; obviously, he had taken Shen Jing there.

Wei Sulin and his peers, accustomed to their lofty status and still chafing from Young Master Zhou’s earlier temper, barely acknowledged Lu Siyuan’s arrival, let alone greeted her actively.

The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

Lu Siyuan didn’t interrupt their card game, so she sat to the side and stroked the cat.

She had come to apologize for the sarcastic comments on Weibo but didn’t dare to speak up. Zhou Luchen loathed female companions who fought over him with jealousy. None of them were even his official girlfriend, yet they would cause scenes that reached the media, provoking his ire.

During this time, he hadn’t sought her out, leaving her uneasy.

Her state was so poor that she had been forced to turn down many scripts. Her opportunities were rapidly dwindling. While it was easy for her to trend online, she was criticized by rival production teams for being unprofessional. Without a call from Zhou Luchen to resolve the issue, public opinion about her shifted rapidly.

Those trending topics were soon suppressed, and the comments became unfindable. Ultimately, however, her reputation was amplified by marketing accounts.

Before coming, her assistant had told her, "Because of the controversy over your use of a stand-in for the *pingtan* scene, your new drama isn’t being well-received. They’re saying you’re overpaid and not taking your work seriously."

What the online community took issue with wasn’t her using a stand-in for the *pingtan* scene itself, but that she demanded such a high salary when her performance didn’t justify it.

Now she couldn’t sit still, terrified that Zhou Luchen, in a moment of displeasure, would abandon her and her resources.

Chen Yao came out after washing his hands and crouched before the white cat. The little white cat, finding its owner, meowed and immediately burrowed into Chen Yao’s embrace.

"How does a big star like you have time to come and play?"

Lu Siyuan, always forthright, replied fluently, "I was being flamed online, so I came to find my boss."

Wei Sulin chimed in, "You should really work on your acting. Seriously. I was watching a video of yours yesterday, and I was embarrassed to admit I know you."

In terms of beauty or luxury endorsements, Lu Siyuan was an absolute top-tier female celebrity. But to Wei Sulin and his circle, her acting was atrocious, only propped up by Second Young Master Zhou’s shameless favoritism.

Lu Siyuan feigned composure, smiling at Zhou Luchen. "What do you think, Boss Zhou?"

Zhou Luchen, focused on his cards, replied, "Haven’t watched it."

Lu Siyuan took the hint. He was clearly in a sour mood because of the cat, and now was not the time to provoke him.

「Two o’clock in the morning.」

They each took their car keys and left.

Lu Siyuan, bag in hand, walked beside Zhou Luchen. "I’ll definitely improve my acting skills. I won’t let the boss lose money."

Zhou Luchen’s suit jacket was draped over his arm. "Why haven’t you left yet?"

Hadn’t she spent the entire night playing cards with him?

She was accustomed to his whimsical attitude.

Seeing him walk slowly, Lu Siyuan slowed her pace as well. "I stayed with you all night, waiting to go back with you."

Zhou Luchen’s voice was cold. "Aren’t you tired?"

Lu Siyuan followed him into the elevator. "Tired, but it was fun being with you all."

Zhou Luchen didn’t engage further. Seeing his silence, Lu Siyuan finally stated her purpose.

"My reputation has declined, and the director keeps lowering my pay. If I accept a lower salary, I’ll never be able to hold my head high again."

"What do you want?"

Those were the three words Zhou Luchen often said.

Lu Siyuan sighed in relief; she knew he was always generous. "The global endorsement for C Brand."

Wei Sulin leaned in the corner of the elevator, watching the pair.

Young Master Zhou was indeed different with a ’little vixen’ compared to how he was with Lu Siyuan.He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. With one, his eyes held desire—a fickle, superficial desire, the ’I want to sleep with you’ kind. With the latter, there was none.

Wei Sulin couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it; it was too puzzling.

「After leaving the club.」

The entertainment company’s van picked up Lu Siyuan.

Zhou Luchen couldn’t find his lighter; he had forgotten it. Wei Sulin handed him a bottle of mineral water.

The two leaned against the sports car, enjoying the breeze.

"What’s your angle, spending money on Lu Siyuan like that?" Wei Sulin was curious.

Zhou Luchen twisted open the mineral water bottle and said nothing.

Wei Sulin suddenly leaned in and whispered meaningfully, "She cursed you."

Zhou Luchen took a sip of water, flicked his shirt, and turned to look at Wei Sulin. "Who?"

"Shen Jing."

Damn it, Chen Yao was the one who’d shown him.

Zhou Luchen didn’t respond.

"We’re going to Tong Village tomorrow to check out some land," Wei Sulin said. "To develop an internet-famous tourist spot. We go way back; want to invest a few hundred million?"

With Zhou Luchen, sentiment was one thing; money wasn’t usually an issue. However, it depended on his mood. Once he got serious, he could easily turn hostile and forget past kindness.

"Are you going?" Wei Sulin added. "I’m not sure I can handle it alone. With your keen eye, could you advise me?"

"No time," Zhou Luchen said.

He casually tossed the water bottle into a trash can, opened his car door, and got in.

"Oh? In a hurry to find your ’little vixen’?" Wei Sulin wondered.

Wei Sulin peered into the car. In the driver’s seat, Second Young Master Zhou started the engine.

The light was dim, his eyes hidden in the shadows, inscrutable. Only a low, cold, and sarcastic sneer could be heard.

So unwilling to see the ’little vixen’ now, was he?

Wei Sulin joked, "If you don’t want her, I can make a detour to Su City and hit on her."

Zhou Luchen rested one hand on the car window and revved the engine. A faint smirk touched his lips as three words escaped them.

"Fuck your mom."

Wei Sulin tightened the cap on his bottle, then got into his own sports car. Lowering the window, he smiled broadly at Young Master Zhou. "My mom’s old. Goodnight and sweet dreams, Young Master Zhou."

The roar of an engine sounded, and the black sports car sped off into the distance.