CHAPTER 264: COME TO TAKE HIS HEART, IT’S HIGH-LEVEL PLAY."_1

Shen Jing carefully peeled pine nuts, having learned an efficient technique from Sister Fang.

She enjoyed peeling and eating them, and Sister Fang did not stop her.

The weather was fine, neither sunny nor gloomy. It was dusk, the lingering sunlight of the setting sun painting the sky.

Seated on the Chinese-style mahogany sofa with its curved design, looking forward, past the pond with its koi, was the stage.

It must have been quite comfortable for the old lady of the Zhou Family to sit here and watch shadow plays.

The unique charm of the old quadrangle buildings could only be truly appreciated amidst the winter snow.

As for when Zhou Luchen returned, she did not notice.

Noticing Zhou Luchen’s return, the old lady lifted her eyes slightly.

Zhou Luchen glanced at Shen Jing not far away. Seeing that she was busy, he sat down in a rosewood Taishi Chair near the old lady.

"What did your elder brother say?" the old lady asked.

Zhou Luchen leaned back in the chair and picked up a Buddhist scripture from beside him, his long fingers casually flipping through the pages.

"Rest assured and stay at home to watch the shadow play and listen to the scriptures. How could we bear to leave our step-grandmother to live alone?"

The words were pleasant to hear.

The old lady wasn’t muddled by just a few words. "The attendants at Taihe Middle Court can’t compare to Old Li," she said. "The work is demanding; who knows if they even ensure three proper meals a day?"

Zhou Luchen gestured for the old lady to be at ease. "I know."

He always had great self-discipline when it came to his body, yet his nature was to drift leisurely, wandering through a world of pleasures. Looking back, the old lady had, by and large, shed any illusions about the younger generation’s conduct.

The old lady sighed. "Do you really know?"

"To this day, neither Aqun nor you have settled down. In life, apart from power and status, do you have no room for affection at all?"

Zhou Luchen took a sip of tea, savoring the sweet and mellow taste of aged rock tea. After a moment, he gently set down his teacup and personally brewed tea for the old lady.

His fingers, like carved white jade with elegant knuckles, poured from the Purple Sand Teapot with the leisure of a noble young master. His entire demeanor was exceptionally serene.

"Does step-grandmother like her?" he asked, his question pointed.

Their hushed conversation did not reach Shen Jing, who was not far away. Naturally, she did not approach to disturb them and did not overhear anything.

The old lady chuckled softly and raised her hand, picking up the teacup to take a sip. Even in her old age, with tea in hand, she maintained her dignified and composed manner.

The old lady said, "All my prayer beads have been given away. The Zhou Family’s second master carried a young girl to see the flag-raising at West Main Street’s grand gate. Nowadays, who doesn’t know about that? People refrain from mentioning it out of respect for the Zhou Family. Whether step-grandmother likes her or not is hardly up to me anymore, is it?"

Zhou Luchen replied, "She really likes your prayer beads. She doesn’t even take them off to bathe and even personally compensated you with an incense burner."

Zhou Luchen had given away many pieces of jewelry and necklaces, custom luxury items worth millions, none of which Shen Jing had cherished so dearly.

Of course.

The old lady knew it had been chosen by Zhou Luchen the moment she saw the gift box, as only he understood her preferences. "It was you who compensated," she stated.

Zhou Luchen smiled faintly. "If I hadn’t compensated, she wouldn’t have come to the quadrangle house, and then neither would I."

The old lady smiled warmly. "You’ve become protective."

Zhou Luchen spoke in a well-modulated tone, "She’s my person. I have to protect her."

The old lady closed her eyes, listening to the Buddhist scriptures, contemplating. Who it was wasn’t important; what was important was whom he loved.

The scent of tea lingered.

Listening carefully, the Monk’s wooden fish tapping was becoming more and more rhythmic.

Zhou Luchen’s fingers lightly tapped on the tabletop. As he sipped his tea with lowered eyes, his casual gaze fell upon the girl peeling pine nuts.

She wasn’t a child anymore. The once pure and inexperienced girl who had been with him for so long now threw herself into his arms without hesitation. How many years had it been?

More than four years.

Time had not worn away her pampered air. Today, she had suddenly donned a qipao. For a moment, she greatly resembled the girl he first met amidst the glamorous nightlife of Shanghai: dressed in a qipao with a rose hairpin, her eyes curved in a smile meant only for him, her shyness tinged with a coquettish affection, as if she had been on stage with her pipa, waiting for him for a very, very long time. And when she finally saw him, her smile was filled with such joy.

The memories were not hard to recall.

At that time, in the Shanghai Grand Theater, he had extravagantly booked the entire venue. After the beauty on stage finished her Pipa and Pingtan performance, Zhou Luchen felt a craving for nicotine. He stepped away from his seat, leaned against the theater corridor, and tapped out a cigarette, just bringing it to his lips.

Her voice, flirtatious and playful, came from the side. "Second Young Master Zhou, will you come back tomorrow?"

Pressing the lighter, Zhou Luchen took a deep drag of the cigarette. The rich, pungent nicotine pooled in his throat before he casually exhaled a cloud of smoke.

As if by some inexplicable impulse, he lifted his gaze slightly and glanced at the young woman before him. "Mm-hmm, I’ve booked it for seven days."

Shen Jing swayed seductively closer to him. "Then... was it good?"

A timid pause.

It was as if she absolutely needed his opinion.

Would she cry if he didn’t give one?

Zhou Luchen truly hadn’t listened intently to a single note; it was all just a diversion for him. A wry smile played on his lips as the smoke dispersed forlornly between them.

"You are very beautiful."

Those four words, "You are very beautiful," coming from a wealthy young scion like him, were undeniably a perfunctory way to brush her off.

Shen Jing’s demeanor became bolder. She tiptoed to meet his gaze, insisting he look seriously into her clear, moist eyes. "Tell me, just how beautiful?"

Zhou Luchen chuckled, the cigarette still between his lips, and replied with marked indifference, "The qipao suits you well."

Perhaps it was the pleasure of being praised, but her smile grew even more radiant and charming.

Zhou Luchen nonchalantly lifted his arm, indicating the cigarette in his hand, and raised an eyebrow, gesturing for her to stand further away.

Shen Jing was perceptive and didn’t get too close to Zhou Luchen. This self-aware sense of distance made him comfortable.

She turned with a smile. "Tomorrow at ten, don’t stand me up."

She swayed her supple waist with an air of playful abandon, the tassels of her qipao seeming to take on a life of their own, dancing gracefully.

At the end of the corridor, only her silhouette remained.

How should one put it? Such a young woman.

Even the taste of the cigarette in his mouth seemed to carry a hint of sweetness.

"Second Young Master, is that cigarette in your hand Hetianxia?" she even asked.

Zhou Luchen turned and entered the elevator, not answering her question.

What did it matter if it was Hetianxia?

For Zhou Luchen, Shen Jing’s deliberate approach was just like that of all the other women who had been around him. Her tactics were not particularly remarkable. The only difference, perhaps, was that he could see through her ambition and her objective at a glance; that soft, melodious Wu accent was clearly aimed at him.

Zhou Luchen had considered it at the time: aimed at him, but what did she want? To make her famous? For someone of his status, wasn’t that simple enough?

Thus, on that night of drinking at the Peninsula, he had assumed Shen Jing, who drank red wine so freely, must have a high tolerance. He hadn’t expected her to become muddled after just one sip. When she draped herself over his neck, complaining of the heat, she insisted he hold her.

Zhou Luchen did not push her away. Instead, he gripped her soft waist. "With me?"

She nodded obediently and kissed his throat. "With you."

Out of instinct, Zhou Luchen pushed her away before she could land even the slightest kiss. Then, driven by desire, he scooped her into his arms, took her to the presidential suite upstairs, and entertained the thought of keeping her.

But Shen Jing refused his card, which completely obliterated any favorable impression he might have had of her.

Zhou Luchen really couldn’t understand it. Even when Lu Siyuan slept in his bed, he felt nothing for her. In terms of figure, Lu Siyuan was the epitome of a mature woman—stunning, with every desirable attribute. In terms of compliance, Lu Siyuan was not lacking either, always showering him with affection to curry favor. Perhaps it was the thought that countless young masters in their circle had coveted Lu Siyuan before she targeted him. Even if she had acted aloof, once she fell into his hands, his interest and hormonal drive diminished.

He understood that his attraction to Shen Jing was lust at first sight, not love at first sight.

Shen Jing understood his directness and candor; it was an unspoken agreement between them.

Yet, gradually, he discovered that Shen Jing was, in fact, the most ambitious of them all. She was after his emotions; she was after his heart.

A high-stakes game indeed.

She wanted him to fall into the throes of love.

The monk’s chanting stopped.

At this moment, Shen Jing, oblivious to the conversation between grandmother and grandson, was intently watching Sister Fang peel pine nuts, mimicking her actions. A few minutes later, she had arranged a small dishful. She placed it in front of Zhou Luchen. "I’ve had enough. Would you like to try some?"