CHAPTER 281: SHEN JING, WILL YOU STILL COME?"_1

Zhou Luchen lay in bed until 6 a.m., then got up, showered, and came out.

The service bell rang once.

"Sir, breakfast is ready. Would you like it brought to your room?"

Zhou Luchen said nothing, finding a shirt in the walk-in closet, his entire demeanor cold and indifferent.

The nanny had no choice but to turn off the bell.

Just then, the door BEEPED as it was unlocked with a code and pushed open. Zhou Luchen, bare-chested, was about to reprimand the intruder.

But then he heard a soft, cat-like call.

"Zhou Luchen..."

Zhou Luchen remained silent, calmly putting on his shirt, buttoning it meticulously, one by one.

The room wasn’t fully lit. Shen Jing reached out, fumbling for the light switch, but before she could press it, a man’s palm covered it.

The morning light was dim, yet in the haze, she could distinctly sense the tall, masculine figure standing before her.

The fragrance of his clothing, a freshly scented and cool woody aroma, wafted to her nostrils, carrying a distinct chill.

Shen Jing couldn’t bring herself to say, "I’ve already agreed." He hadn’t given her even a few more minutes. They had been in a standoff, not contacting each other.

Zhou Luchen was angry. He was frustrated by her indecisiveness and hesitation. Moreover, when he had a fever, Shen Jing hadn’t fulfilled her promise to take care of him. It was Jia He’s birthday, and she couldn’t juggle both.

Having arrived in New York, she made him a bowl of porridge and was now about to leave.

After a long silence, Zhou Luchen finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "Aren’t you leaving yet?"

"My flight is from New York Kennedy," Shen Jing explained. "I came to New York to catch it, and I’m returning Zhuang Ming to you on the way."

The nanny, standing outside the door with the porridge, added, "Miss Shen prepared the breakfast. It’s yam porridge."

Only then did Zhou Luchen turn on the light. He looked at the young woman before him: her makeup was simple yet elegant, she was dressed beautifully, and clearly ready to return to her country.

Zhou Luchen’s expression remained impassive.

Without raising an eyebrow, the CEO was still angry.

Shen Jing watched him with a smile for a long moment. He finally looked a bit more energetic than he had that night. She gestured towards the bowl of porridge.

"It’s hot. Drink it. It’ll warm your stomach and help reduce your fever."

Looking at the steaming bowl of porridge, Zhou Luchen’s expression softened somewhat.

Shen Jing placed her hand on his forehead. His fever hadn’t subsided, but at least it was no longer burning hot.

Zhou Luchen stood perfectly still, allowing her touch.

"Will you come back?"

Shen Jing hid her hands behind her back, picking at her nails. "It depends on business needs. If my older sister is free, she’ll come. If she’s not, I will."

Not a single word related to him. Zhou Luchen’s expression turned cold again.

Her flight was at 8:30 a.m., and she was afraid of missing it. She turned and left in a hurry, without another word. Zhou Luchen was angry, and she didn’t know what to say. She was returning to her country, and she also had a crystal bear to take back with her.

Zhou Luchen made no attempt to stop her. He watched her figure descend the stairs until it disappeared at the landing, only then did he go downstairs. Sitting at the dining table, he unwrapped a capsule and took his medicine.

When Zhuang Ming returned to Long Island, his first task was to feed the eagles. Then, at the right time, he went to the garage, got the car, and drove Zhou Luchen to headquarters.

His fever hadn’t broken, but he didn’t let it interfere with his work.

Zhuang Ming was tactful enough to act as if he were deaf and mute, remaining silent.

---

Several identical black Cullinans pulled up in front of the Shen family’s residence in Xihe Bay, delivering items and betrothal gifts to the old Shen estate. The elderly Shen family patriarch wore a worried expression. Should he accept them or not?

It was said that the elderly matriarch of the Zhou family in Xiangshan was fretting in her wheelchair. The Shen patriarch was no less troubled; with his daughter not in Beijing, he was uncertain what to do.

This continued until Shen Jing returned to Beijing. Looking at the betrothal gifts, she too was unsure how to proceed. Such wealthy families, always so domineering, lacking for nothing.

The Shen patriarch eyed the newly arrived crystal bear with curiosity, asking, "Did you buy this for Jia He?"

Shen Jing looked awkward. She picked up Jia He and headed inside. "Does this really look like a child’s toy?"

After scrutinizing it for a while, the Shen patriarch stood by his initial conclusion. "Isn’t it?"

Shen Jing, busy playing with Jia He, retorted, "What child’s toy costs 700,000 US dollars?"

The Shen patriarch wasn’t concerned with her hobbies. Seven hundred thousand US dollars—that’s over four million! For such an expensive bear, it was obvious who had sent it to her.

Jia He had gotten fatter recently, well-fed by the patriarch, and even had beautiful dresses to wear. The old man doted on the cat as if dressing up his own granddaughter.

Shen Jing rubbed the cat’s fur. "Someone like Zhou Luchen would never buy you pretty dresses."

Come to think of it, she hadn’t contacted Zhou Luchen for several days.

With the patriarch doting on her, Jia He had probably already forgotten that heartless man.

The birthday party for Jia He went by quickly. Shen Jing didn’t particularly like cake, but Jia He managed to push two pieces on her.

During her time in Beijing, she had run into Sun Qiyan. His family had been pressuring him into blind dates, so he’d escaped to Beijing to work as a chef in a restaurant. His private kitchen was doing very well. Perhaps due to his profession, he always appeared impeccably clean.

When had he given up on her? Probably around the time she recklessly ran off to Chicago for Zhou Luchen. He had exhausted all means to inform Zhou Luchen’s bodyguards to find her, and then he had boarded his flight and left. With Zhou Luchen there in a foreign land, she wouldn’t come to any harm—it was a strange, inexplicable trust he had.

Their reunion today had been coincidental. Shen Jing had come to the restaurant to eat, and Sun Qiyan had insisted on treating her. She was still managing the fund for his older sister, so their conversation during the meal was strictly limited to business matters, deliberately avoiding anything more personal.

He sensed she had something on her mind, but Sun Qiyan didn’t ask. After all, she looked well; her complexion was good. Zhou Luchen certainly knew how to take care of someone.

It was said that whenever she was abroad, she always had bodyguards protecting her.

When the meal ended, they went their separate ways, each heading home.