CHAPTER 252: SHEN JING, YOU ARE SUCH AN ANCESTOR."_1

The phone rang just then; it was Zhou Luchen. His grandfather’s words still echoed in her mind as she hesitantly brought the phone to her ear.

Through the receiver, the voice of a flight attendant could faintly be heard. She could deduce that Zhou Luchen was already back in the country, entering Beijing’s airspace, and preparing to land.

Was it the third or fourth day? Shen Jing couldn’t remember.

Hearing his lazy voice, as if he had just woken up on the plane, he said, "Come to T3 Airport to pick me up."

While pushing open her room door, Shen Jing teased, "What should I do? I haven’t fueled my car today."

He casually said, "I’ll have someone send a car to your doorstep."

As the door closed completely, Shen Jing leaned her back against it. "Don’t play the overbearing CEO with me. I haven’t been watching those dramas lately, and a move like that could easily influence me."

"Are you coming or not?" The words were half a question, half a command.

Shen Jing’s fingers touched her arm; she looked down and chuckled awkwardly. "Zhou Luchen, who’s chasing whom, exactly?"

Through the receiver, his voice was tender as he uttered two words, "I am."

Shen Jing’s breathing slowed for a few seconds, and she replied with a playful scoff, "Then I’m definitely not coming to pick you up."

The man could even sense her triumphant glee at that moment.

He paused for an instant.

Zhou Luchen’s lips curved slightly into a lazy smile. "Shen Jing, you’re a real piece of work."

He had it too easy and likely seldom encountered resistance. One could even say he had never stumbled in matters of love. In the past, he had the capital to be arrogant; women always chased and coaxed him—even Shen Jing herself had.

But now, he was the one turning back to seek out an ex-girlfriend, to protect her, to treat her well, to date her. All the pride and arrogance of his younger, more impetuous days were gone.

Shen Jing wanted to go pick him up, but she wouldn’t let herself. TSK. She played coy, "Don’t be mad. What about your Zhuang Ming? He should handle this; he’s more familiar with it than I am."

Yes, this was Shen Jing. The softer her words, the more they were like a needle hidden in cotton, hitting right where it hurt.

Zhou Luchen simply hung up.

Shen Jing laughed, tossed her phone aside, and flopped onto the bed.

However, in less than an hour, he actually had a car parked at her doorstep, insisting she personally come to get him.

The driver who arrived claimed the car was a gift to her.

Shen Jing did not go to T3 Airport.

Zhou Luchen was no ordinary man; did he really need her to pick him up? The Zhou family’s cars were already rushing to serve their young master upon his return to the country.

The young nobleman was likely resentful, his temper unchanged, but he didn’t come to disturb or scold her that night.

At this moment, Shen Jing was like a little kitten that had suddenly gained power, now equipped with sharp claws, attempting to scratch the proud, untamable lion.

Zhou Luchen was all too aware of her actions, her little games.

Wenxin had tried these tactics on Zhou Luchen before. He saw through them with a single glance, and they failed to stir even the slightest desire for conquest or amusement in him; Zhou Luchen would even turn and walk away.

After Shen Jing hung up the phone, one of her friends, with whom she used to party, invited her to a club on the Fourth Ring Road.

"Come on, Jingjing! You’re not busy lately. Let’s drink the night away!"

Her thoughts in turmoil from Zhou Luchen’s call, Shen Jing found it even harder to sleep. She typed and sent: "Just have to spritz on some perfume. I’ll definitely be there."

Her car had gas.

「Elsewhere.」

At the gates of Yuting Mountain on the Fourth Ring Road, Zhuang Ming carefully drove the black sedan to the entrance and parked.

He dared not wake the young master, who was sleeping lightly in the back seat.

Zhou Luchen leaned back, his eyes slightly closed behind his silver-framed glasses, showing no discernible flicker.

Zhuang Ming quietly adjusted the air conditioning. The second young master rarely wore glasses, but he was extremely disciplined about his health; he would put them on when working late on the computer.

In less than a second, Zhou Luchen kicked the car door open.

Knowing this man all too well, and wondering who had been foolish enough to provoke him, Zhuang Ming’s heart thudded. He tossed the keys to the valet and followed him into Yuting Mountain.

He had no idea why Luchen had returned to the country.Was it really just to fly back for a drink? Zhuang Ming didn’t understand. From the moment Luchen stepped off the private jet, his expression had been extremely indifferent—a bad omen indeed. Someone must have been brazen enough to cross him.

They entered a concealed underground chamber.

The underground chambers at Yuting Mountain were rarely opened to the public. The upper levels housed entertainment suites, tea rooms, billiard rooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, lodging courtyards, a shooting range, and various other high-end recreational facilities.

Yet, none were as lavishly decorated as this underground chamber.

A place like this was, by definition, not open to the public.

As soon as Zhou Luchen walked in, his friends from various prominent families, who had been waiting for him for some time, erupted into a chorus of teasing shouts and whistles.

In Beijing, titles within their circle were distinct. Zhou Luchen was "Master Zhou," while Zhou Xiangqun was simply "Mr. Zhou"—a clear distinction.

A man surnamed Song, sitting on the sofa, asked, "Left on the first of the month, back on the fifth. Does Master Zhou have urgent business in Beijing?"

Zhou Luchen sat down on the sofa, casually pushed up the silver-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose, and said with a smile, his tone rich and drawn out, "Lingering feelings kept me from sleeping at night."

The man surnamed Song grew animated. "Well, well! Which fairy has descended to earth to entangle our Master Zhou in a trial of love?"

A trial of love, Zhuang Ming, standing nearby, thought the phrase was quite apt.

Someone else chimed in with a laugh, "Still that lady from the Shen family? You two have been at it for quite a while. Seriously, not considering a change?"

Zhou Luchen smiled but said nothing.

A couple of hours passed in casual entertainment.

Suddenly, Zhuang Ming approached Zhou Luchen from behind. "I just received news. Cheng Jinchuan deliberately rear-ended the eldest young master’s car."

Zhou Luchen, who had been brooding over his drink on the sofa, had a flicker of crimson flash through his already somber eyes, vanishing in an instant.

"Is that old fox up to something?" Zhou Luchen asked.

Zhuang Ming said, "The eldest young master wasn’t in the car; Xiaozhang was driving. Cheng Jinchuan did it out of spite, knowing the eldest young master wasn’t there."

Zhou Luchen remained silent. The liquor slid down his throat, and he pressed the tip of his tongue against the inside of his cheek, savoring the alcohol’s intensity.

Zhuang Ming unintentionally caught a glimpse of a fleeting, almost invisible smile on Zhou Luchen’s face, and his spine stiffened.

"If the eldest young master had been in the car when he dared to recklessly rear-end it, that would have been enough to put Cheng Jinchuan away for several years," Zhuang Ming added.

Zhou Luchen poured another drink, his expression calm and composed.

After a long moment, he asked indifferently, "Where is Cheng Jinchuan?"

Knowing the intent behind the question, Zhuang Ming was reluctant to answer but had no choice. "Cheng Jinchuan is also at Yuting. He just arrived. He’s in a private room upstairs."

In just two or three minutes, an empty whiskey bottle lay on the tea table—a Macallan 1926. Only fourteen bottles of this vintage existed in the world; tonight, another one was gone.

Zhuang Ming, though somewhat regretful, was long accustomed to such extravagance.

The antique wall clock on the wall chimed twice. It was precisely two o’clock in the morning. Zhou Luchen unbuttoned his suit jacket, tossed it to Zhuang Ming, and stuck a He Tian Xia cigarette between his lips.

It wasn’t lit; he couldn’t find a lighter. He pushed up the silver-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Zhou Luchen said, "Tell Cheng Laosan for me that I’m in a foul mood tonight. It’s just tough luck for his cousin."

As his voice faded, he strode out of the underground chamber.

His black leather shoes ascended the stairs, slow and steady.

Knowing what he was about to do, Zhuang Ming didn’t stop him. He knew Luchen was confident and, in the end, wouldn’t be the one in trouble.

Inside the underground chamber, the friends at the card table watched Zhou Luchen leave, then looked at each other, collectively stunned.

"Who provoked that Zhou guy again?"

"That Cheng fellow! Can’t behave even when he’s supposed to be lying low. Didn’t you hear? Cheng Jinchuan deliberately rear-ended Eldest Master Zhou’s car on the West Second Ring Road."

"HAH! Doesn’t he know what kind of exclusive vehicle Eldest Master Zhou drives? How dare he? Luckily, only Xiaozhang was driving. If Eldest Master Zhou had been in the car, that Cheng would be facing over a decade in prison!"

"Luchen is so fiercely protective of his family. How could anyone provoke them like that? That guy’s brainless!"