CHAPTER 270: 269 ALSO HAS MOMENTS OF EATING ONE’S OWN WORDS_1

Zhuang Ming, who always disliked seeing Zhou Luchen stand, gestured to the sofa. "Would you like to sit and watch?"

Zhou Luchen glanced at Shen Jing in his arms and followed her wishes.

Shen Jing couldn’t help but feel amused as she secretly observed their interaction.

"How long will it last?"

Following her gaze toward the fireworks, Zhou Luchen said, "Twenty minutes."

"That’s long." Any longer and it would disturb the residents.

So, she wanted to sit on the sofa, but she also wanted Zhou Luchen to hold her, her head resting on his shoulder.

Zhou Luchen looked somewhat fatigued. Ever since landing in Manhattan and then arriving in Huadalas, he had been dispatching people to monitor several large fund transfers. These transfers, often reaching tens of billions, had unclear origins. Fortunately, the outcome was favorable; he had the authority to refuse crediting the funds to United Bank and had no intention of getting involved in such high-risk matters.

The summer nights in Huadalas remained hot, though the evening breeze was cool and comfortable. The building was tall, offering a sufficiently expansive view that completely overlooked the bustling, fading city. It was like watching the fireworks right in your face. The dazzling lights of the fireworks in the sky all smelled of money.

Shen Jing turned back into Zhou Luchen’s arms and fiddled with his tie clip. Every time she picked a tie for him, she liked to clip it at the third button of his shirt—neither too high nor too low. Only the silver gleam could perfectly complement his dark suits. It was incredible; he changed it daily, and it cost more than her hairpins.

Zhou Luchen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, let a smile touch the corner of his mouth. "Do you like it that much?"

Shen Jing adjusted the tie clip properly. "Do you like it?"

Zhou Luchen didn’t.

Shen Jing asked, "Do you change these unremarkable things every day?"

Zhou Luchen thought for a moment and said, more or less.

Shen Jing teased him, "Always chasing the new and discarding the old."

Zhou Luchen lazily opened his eyelids. "What are you getting so worked up about? Sometimes even I go back for seconds."

Shen Jing softly replied, "Is that you, Zhou Luchen?"

He laughed, his expression a bit careless. "Yes, going back for seconds can be good."

But he couldn’t bear to abandon his woman to be trampled by the proverbial horses following behind. Zhou Luchen was an intensely possessive man. Once he set his sights on a person or thing he desired, he would acquire it; the demeaning act of going back for a second taste was unthinkable, as he would never have let it go in the first place.

The twenty-minute fireworks display felt incredibly slow to Shen Jing; it seemed more like thirty minutes to her—far too long.

When it finally ended, he carried her away from the TRUMP Building to a private hotel. Zhou Luchen inherently disliked the chaos of this place and also disdained other hotels that had been occupied by others.

While they were abroad, even after the fireworks display, Shen Jing didn’t pester him about returning to their home country. She knew he was busy with work, so she accompanied him daily as he socialized and discussed business. Just like his official girlfriend.

When she didn’t understand something, she would ask, and Zhou Luchen would patiently explain.

She had met Zhou Zhengliang at the Manhattan United Bank Headquarters.

It was Shen Jing’s fourth visit to the United Bank Headquarters Building. That afternoon, utterly bored, she waited in the CEO’s office for Zhou Luchen’s meeting to end. It dragged on for an exceptionally long time; rain began to fall, and still, he hadn’t returned. Today’s dress was rather short, so she found a blanket to cover her legs while she watched TV shows and ate snacks. Only two or three minutes passed before the armored door was pushed open by an assistant.

Shen Jing turned around in pleasant surprise. "You’re back—"

Instead, a tall, cold, and unapproachable figure stood in the middle of the doorway. Her words caught in her throat. That man was Zhou Zhengliang.

Though already sixty, the man showed no traces of age. He had jet-black hair, wore an elegant and understated black overcoat, and leaned on a European nobleman’s walking stick. Perhaps from his many years abroad, he exuded a dignified, gentlemanly solemnity, reminiscent of the ornate style of European aristocracy.

As their eyes met, Shen Jing was startled by his indifferent gaze, eyes that seemed to have witnessed the passage of ages. So this is what they mean by the aloof elitism of the powerful, she thought. Zhou Zhengliang was its epitome, a man almost devoid of discernible emotion.

Shen Jing immediately rose from the CEO’s chair and nodded, saying nothing.

Zhou Zhengliang’s expression was grave. Upon seeing Shen Jing, although he was inwardly surprised to find her there, he didn’t show it. His gaze shifted to the CEO’s chair she had been sitting on, and then to her, eating snacks alone in the CEO’s office of United Bank.

Shen Jing offered no explanation, nor did she speak. Zhou Luchen bought these snacks; Zhou Luchen allowed her to be here.

Zhou Zhengliang remained calm and indifferent from beginning to end. He lifted a hand, signaling his assistant to close the door. He didn’t stay long, clearly unwilling even to look at Shen Jing, and left silently.

The vast CEO’s office was quiet again, leaving only her. The silence was so profound it made her anxious. She bowed her head and continued to eat, one bite after another.

A classic European luxury car from the 1980s drove away from the United Bank entrance. Zhuang Ming was driving, and he cautiously glanced at the rearview mirror.

Zhou Zhengliang leaned on his silver-handled cane. After a long moment, he spoke, "Take me to Washington."

Zhuang Ming nodded. After a moment, he ventured, "Rest assured, sir, Miss Shen hasn’t hindered the Second Young Master’s work. She never touches confidential documents within United Bank. She’s a good person."

Zhou Zhengliang closed his eyes, remaining silent.

Zhuang Ming understood. Zhou Zhengliang’s current demeanor was a clear sign of his disapproval of Miss Shen. It was just that the wealthy seldom wore their displeasure so openly.

---

「The CEO’s office.」

Not until the door was pushed open again did Shen Jing feel a sense of relief. She heard a man’s husky voice as he walked in, giving instructions to his assistant.

"Notify everyone that this afternoon we will integrate blockchain operations. Tonight’s closing will be conducted entirely with Bank Tokens."

His decision was decisive. The assistant carefully noted all the important matters.

"Understood, CEO."

Shen Jing focused on digging into her snacks, silent. She’d bought too many; she still hadn’t finished them.

Zhou Luchen waved his hand to dismiss the assistant, then loosened his tie. "Come here."

At the sound of his voice, Shen Jing ran over and threw herself into Zhou Luchen’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. She lowered her head, not wanting him to see her eyes. "Today’s meeting ended so quickly."

Zhou Luchen tilted her chin up. "What are you hiding from?"

Forced to meet his gaze, Shen Jing looked directly at him. The man finally smiled with satisfaction, looking down at her.

Her tender and affectionate gaze reminded him of a precious songbird he had cherished in a gilded cage for many years.

Zhou Luchen closed his eyes briefly, then lifted her face and kissed her lips, his hands restlessly lifting the hem of her skirt, his fingertips lingering on... the lace.

Amorous and impatient, he possessed her in his embrace, pressing her against the floor-to-ceiling window, imprisoning her there. Her back scraped against the hard, cold glass; the friction was painful, leaving her skin burning and numb.

Behind her, rain poured down heavily. The gloomy, hazy overcast day shrouded everything. Sinister rain, streaked with lightning, flashed across the sky as if signaling the end of the world.

But none of it affected Zhou Luchen’s urgent kisses.

Shen Jing had lost all sense of how high the building was.

When the kiss finally ended, Shen Jing gasped for breath, her body trembling continuously.

Forehead against forehead, Zhou Luchen had long since noticed her unhappiness and distress; her eyes were misted with unshed tears. The more time he spent with her, the more it pained him to see her like this. He realized Zhou Zhengliang must have come by. "You don’t have to fear the Zhou family," he said.

Shen Jing managed a perfunctory smile. "I’m not afraid. Besides, it’s not like I said I want to marry you, right? Your father probably doesn’t dislike me that much."

Zhou Luchen’s expression darkened for a few seconds. "Are you thinking of breaking up again? Wanting to separate? Wanting me to chase after you again?"