A Twisted Love Affair
Chapter 29: Comfort Girlfriend by Finding Fish_1

Chapter 29: Comfort Girlfriend by Finding Fish_1

At this moment, a yacht at Ao District Pier was engaged in night fishing.

Shen Jing sat to one side, listening to Chen Yao explain fishing techniques.

She didn’t know how; although she had seen others do it, this was her first time.

In reality, there wasn’t much technique involved; it all depended on the fishing spot and luck.

"Fishing is all about sincerity ensuring a catch," Chen Yao was teasing her. "No matter the wind or rain, just persist with it. Don’t reel in until you get a bite."

And she actually believed him, baiting her hook with apparent skill and precision.

Nearby, Zhou Luchen was in a video conference. He was clearly busy. Shen Jing could tell. It felt as if they were from different worlds.

Shen Jing ignored him. She intended to give him the cold shoulder.

Occasionally, he and Chen Yao would discuss highly confidential business matters, yet he never excluded her.

But she could hardly understand any of it.

Chen Yao’s fishing skills yielded a plentiful catch. He hummed a carefree tune and, as he headed to the kitchen to ask the chef to cook the fish, called out to Shen Jing.

"Want a midnight snack, Shen Guaiguai?"

Shen Jing, engrossed in watching her float for any sign of a bite, asked, "Are you talking to me?"

Chen Yao just smiled, leaving Shen Jing utterly bewildered.

A lighter flicked, its flame dancing. Zhou Luchen abruptly pulled her to him, seating her snugly on his lap.

Biting his cigarette, he murmured, "You? So obedient?"

His voice was hoarse, low, yet teasing. Those three words, murmured so casually from his lips, sounded incredibly sexy.

The smell of smoke was strong. She waved her hand to dispel it and looked up at him.

His expression was obscured by the smoke, leaving her uncertain of his mood. Was he mocking her, or did he find this amusing?

"You guys just make up random nicknames," she said.

Zhou Luchen removed the cigarette, stubbing it out. "Random?"

"Yes, it is."

He chuckled, a touch enigmatically. "You’re not really obedient. You’re quite sharp."

Shen Jing ran her fingers through his short hair; it was soft to the touch and faintly scented with shampoo.

"Sharp? Not as sharp as you, using me for your nightly pleasures and leading your business partners in circles."

Zhou Luchen let out a brief laugh. "I pay you a salary."

These past few days, Shen Jing had been accompanying him everywhere. Her salary from several years of work wouldn’t even add up to what Zhou Luchen paid her.

He didn’t seem to care if she wanted it or not; the money had already been transferred to her account.

Zhou Luchen had requested the vacation time on her behalf.

The salary—he had paid it out of his own pocket.

Shen Jing had seen the text message. "Working for years at Hongtan wouldn’t amount to this much."

Zhou Luchen bent down slowly to help her reel in her line.

The bait was gone. Nothing was caught, just as she’d expected.

Chen Yao served up the fish soup and sashimi he’d prepared, feasting alone at the table. He ate with exquisite care, using various small dishes and garnishes even for a simple fish.

He pushed a serving toward Shen Jing. "Did the fish get away?"

Shen Jing, sounding quite dejected, replied, "It ate its fill and then escaped."

Seeing her downcast expression, Chen Yao took a sip of his green wine. "Let Luchen order the crew to cast a net and haul them all up. Then we’ll see which fish dared to bully you. Better to catch a thousand by mistake than let the culprit escape, right?"

That last sentiment was typical of something Zhou Luchen would do.

She leaned forward to look at Zhou Luchen, her eyelids fluttering lightly, a delicate blush tingeing her cheeks—an allure she couldn’t quite conceal. It was as if she were testing him. Would he really try to retrieve it for her?

Netting fish in the open sea required professional fishermen, and it had to be done without harming marine life.

She took a gamble, betting on whether Zhou Luchen would indulge her this once in what amounted to finding a needle in a haystack.

"Just that one. I have to find that fish."

Zhou Luchen anticipated her willfulness. "And you think you’d recognize it?"

She circled behind Zhou Luchen, rising on her tiptoes. "I’m relying on my intuition."

Zhou Luchen put his arm around her waist, leading her to the yacht’s upper deck. He tossed his instructions to Chen Yao, "Get the permits. Find the fishermen."

In the latter half of the night, several fishing boats and the yacht set out to sea simultaneously.

The fishing boats went out to make a living.

Zhou Luchen generously spent money to buy all the fishermen’s catch, and also let his Shen Guaiguai enjoy the fun of searching for that one particular fish.

Chen Yao sat on the sofa playing games, his legs crossed, occasionally watching the scene unfold.

This guy, Zhou Luchen, Chen Yao mused. Even if you don’t actually love her, just go ahead and indulge her. Honestly, they even have to play Candy Crush Saga together.

The only app she ever saw on Zhou Luchen’s phone was Candy Crush Saga; he didn’t let her see any others.

At dawn, the plainly dressed fishermen, their boats brimming with catch, departed and headed back to port.

"Listening to their accents, those three young people are from Shanghai."

"He was indulging his girlfriend, who wanted to find a fish. They gave us a lot of money."

"Did they find that fish?"

"Are you kidding? How could they possibly find it? They’re just rich folks killing time, looking for some fun, catching some fish. That young lady had never seen net fishing before. When the first net was hauled up, she was so excited, praising us for our hard work."

"Today wasn’t wasted. This boatload of fish will sell well at the market; they’re fresh and top quality."

They didn’t go back to the hotel.

Instead, on the sofa of the yacht’s open-air terrace, Shen Jing’s lower body was covered with a thin blanket. Hidden from view, her leg rested on Zhou Luchen’s thigh as she quietly watched him work.

He was wearing the white bathrobe she had helped him into. One side had been tugged loose by Shen Jing, its collar hanging open and draped casually over his shoulder.

His muscles were half-exposed, the contours of his chest rising and falling with his breath. The masculine sight was potent. Shen Jing reached out and pulled the robe closed again.

Zhou Luchen found her actions amusing. He tugged her closer, their bodies pressing together, and his hand explored beneath the hem of her skirt.

Shen Jing was wearing a nightgown, tied much more securely than his robe. He, however, was always so bold, touching her whenever and wherever he pleased, without any restraint.

The two of them sat there. On the glass tabletop, a transparent fish tank housed a single perch.

For a moment, Shen Jing didn’t know what else to do but stare at his profile.

On the video call was a middle-aged man with glasses. "Party A in the Ao Area is displeased. He has been your father’s good friend for many years. Please reconsider. If you expand the market back into the Ao Area, Party A is willing for you to raise the interest rate on this."

Zhou Luchen, who had been lounging, now turned to look at her. "What do you think?"

"No," Shen Jing rested her head on his shoulder and said after a moment’s thought, "I have this bad habit when I shop; it’s all about the initial spark for me. If I don’t like something at first glance, even if I buy it, it just ends up forgotten in a corner gathering dust. It’s useless, a waste of time, and just takes up space."

Zhou Luchen turned back to the screen. "Then no, we won’t."

In truth, Shen Jing didn’t really have such a habit; she was just cleverly playing along.

She could tell Zhou Luchen no longer wanted to cooperate, so she was merely helping things along.

Party B had come over from Hong Kong. They were holding a banquet on the third floor of Lisboa and insisted on personally hosting it to entertain Zhou Luchen, to thank him for the lifeline he had thrown them.

The dress they sent over was a cheongsam. Shen Jing didn’t usually like wearing cheongsams, except perhaps in a teahouse, as she found them too restrictive at times.

Wrapped in a bath towel, she sat in the walk-in closet, hesitating for a long time.

Until Zhou Luchen’s figure appeared in the mirror. He was leaning against the doorframe, the top button of his white shirt undone, looking languid and relaxed.

"Want me to dress you?"

His voice was incredibly husky.

Just those few careless words of teasing from him made Shen Jing look down at the bath towel precariously wrapped around her. She immediately clutched it tighter, her face flushing to the tips of her ears.

Zhou Luchen gave a low chuckle, tucked his hands into his suit pant pockets, then closed the door and left.

"Five minutes."

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