"You can't just kiss me like that."
The moment he spoke, his sensual baritone voice served as a warning.
Shen Jing looked up at the man's strong, defined jawline and reluctantly restrained herself, biting down on his shoulder instead.
A black sports car with the license plate number 2222 was parked in the dimly lit lot.
Their tryst in the Lamborghini. What should have been a display of coy resistance, a delicate push and pull, suddenly dissolved as her senses grew hazy.
Zhou Luchen scolded her, warning that if she cried out again, not even deleting the security footage could salvage the situation.
Afterward, Shen Jing fixed her skirt and reached for the car door. She slowly placed one foot on the ground, her forearm stinging as if strained, when the man abruptly pulled her back into the car.
Zhou Luchen was never gentle. Shen Jing lost her balance, her upper body falling backward, and her back slammed against the steering wheel as she landed in his lap.
Her long hair cascaded to her waist. With a hint of mischief in her thoughts, her fingertips traced patterns on the fabric of his suit trousers. "Zhou Luchen."
He, ever dignified and composed, merely brushed the creases from his trousers.
Shen Jing looked up at him. "If I go back to Su City, will you come to Su City to find me?"
He didn't respond, instead handing her a card.
Shen Jing had no intention of accepting it and placed the card back on the center console.
Did he pull me back just to give me a card?
Shen Jing exited the car and walked away. Behind her, the sound of a lighter flicking open could be heard. The sports car's turn signals blinked faintly, and then the engine roared as he accelerated for two or three seconds before the car vanished around the corner without a trace.
What was done was done. His passion ignited quickly and died out just as decisively.
Shen Jing stood still, watching the spot where the car had disappeared, the tailwind already beyond her grasp. She recalled her friend's words.
"Zhou Luchen, the second young master of the Zhou Family, is the elite of the elite, wielding power at the very top. Even winning hundreds of millions in the lottery wouldn't grant you the life of such a distinguished young master."
"His house boasts a red roof and arched doors. It's said to be impenetrable; you couldn't even enter the Zhou Family mansion without someone to lead the way or a helicopter."
"The Zhou Family represents the pinnacle of the elite, not the kind of wealthy family you hear about in the media. True elites are those whose backgrounds are so shrouded in mystery you can't uncover their stories even if you try. Those families who merely put on a show for the public are, at best, just wealthy."
The moment she saw Zhou Luchen, Shen Jing had planned to get close to him.
It was all because of one occasion: the Pipa Pingtan troupe's tour stop in Shanghai.
Business was slow, and ticket sales were poor.
Zhou Luchen generously booked the entire theater for a week to entertain his grandmother.
On the final day, Zhou Luchen came to the theater alone.
Shen Jing sat on a red chair center stage, clad in a pink, high-slit qipao with exquisite embroidery. The garment accentuated her fair, delicate skin, making it seem as pale and lustrous as porcelain or a pearl long hidden from light. The simple act of tucking a strand of hair behind her ear was enough to exude a bewitching allure.
With the pipa cradled in her arms, her delicate fingers plucked at the strings, playing "Plum Blossom Ode." Her voice, a soft and sultry hum, intertwined with the music. Her gaze was demure, yet the corners of her eyes lifted provocatively. A single, fleeting glance from her was enough to reveal her alluring grace and passionate nature.
It was her seduction, her test.
After the performance, a single, subtle glance from Zhou Luchen was all it took for her to understand she was to leave with him.
The two of them drank too much; it was an unspoken understanding between adults.
Her twenty-three years of guarded conservatism crumbled at Zhou Luchen's touch.
The first time was in a hotel. She had been drunk, lost her senses, and clung to Zhou Luchen.
Even now, the memory made her blush.
Such things, once they happen, are bound to happen again.
Shen Jing raised her hand, her slender fingers gently combing through her disheveled hair as she entered the elevator.
Exiting the elevator, she turned left and pushed open the door to the dressing room. She had another performance at eight.
A few colleagues were inside, meticulously applying their makeup. Hearing the click of high heels, they all looked up at Shen Jing.
She was beautiful, and her movements were always unhurried—the epitome of delicate grace.
Shen Jing had barely sat down when Xing Fei, her colleague, leaned in with a curious inquiry.
"Was it the gentleman who booked the theater who brought you back? Where have you two been these past few days?"
She referred to him as 'that gentleman' because he was so enigmatic.
The troupe leader hadn't even revealed his name to the members.
With an identity concealed to such an extent, he had to be someone of significant import.
Xing Fei pressed on, "I definitely saw you two in that car... The man's bare back was slick with sweat—so primal!"
As she spoke, Xing Fei swallowed, as if savoring the memory.
Shen Jing didn't respond, instead opening a drawer to look for an eyebrow pencil.
It was just one transgression, one night with a man. So what?
"You two couldn't possibly... be together, could you? He booked the theater for seven whole days. Is he your boyfriend?"
Shen Jing put down her eyebrow pencil. "We're just ordinary friends. Anything else?"
In truth, Zhou Luchen was so cold they weren't even ordinary friends.
"Ordinary friends? An ordinary friend who drives a limited-edition supercar? You can't buy that car even if you have the money!" Xing Fei seemed to know all the details.
Someone else chimed in, "He's obviously a sugar daddy. Why hide it? Shen Jing, you'll be the sole star of the troupe from now on."
Shen Jing didn't want to listen. She quickly tidied up and headed to the venue.
Before Zhou Luchen started booking the theater, she had always been the Pingtan troupe's main star. Everyone knew this; there was no point arguing about it. Her performances had always sold the most tickets, with or without Zhou Luchen.
She knew that if she leveraged Zhou Luchen's influence, becoming famous throughout Jiangnan would be a small matter. However, she didn't want her beloved Pipa Pingtan to advance through someone else's connections. She would rely on herself, going as far as her own efforts could take her.
The discussion in the makeup room continued, with Xing Fei still being the most talkative. Having worked in the troupe for several years, she had always enjoyed keeping tabs on Shen Jing, who was a constant source of gossip.
"Come on, keep it going."
"When I went to the restroom, I accidentally overheard Director Xing on the phone. He was practically bowing to his phone, calling the person on the other end 'Second Young Master Zhou,' his voice dripping with flattery."
"I never realized our director could be so worldly and opportunistic."
"Tsk, honestly. Shen Jing used to be the epitome of innocence and propriety. How did meeting this Young Master Zhou change her so much? It's like... like her hidden allure was suddenly unleashed."
Xing Fei leisurely cracked sunflower seeds. "You're just jealous. Shen Jing has always been strikingly beautiful."
"..."
Shen Jing had heard enough. She knocked on the door, interrupting them. "Rehearsal. You're late." She paused, then slowly looked at Xing Fei. "The director said your discipline is poor. Your bonuses will be docked this month."
"Didn't you plead for us, Ajing?"
Shen Jing pointed at the camera in the corner.
Xing Fei frowned. "Really docked?"
"Yes."
Xing Fei was clearly displeased. She stormed off, brushing against Shen Jing's arm as she passed.
A tingling sensation shot through her arm. The music score in her hand nearly slipped to the floor.
"That old baldy!" Xing Fei's voice grumbled as she disappeared around the corridor's bend. "He knows I love to snack on sunflower seeds and gossip. Did he install that camera just to catch me?"
As Shen Jing bent down to pick up the music score, she hesitated for a moment.
Memories flooded in.
The year she turned eighteen and took her college entrance exams, she had met Zhou Luchen for the first time. He had helped her pick up her admission ticket then too, just like this.
It had been an overcast day, and she had practically fled the examination hall in tears.
Her mother had taken an overdose of sleeping pills. She didn't make it; she died in the hospital.
In the hospital corridor, Shen Jing was as pitiful as a lost puppy, huddled against the wall in a corner, sobbing uncontrollably.
She wasn't sure when, but a pair of expensive men's leather shoes stopped in front of her. A hand slowly reached out and took the admission ticket that was about to slip from her grasp. "Did the exam go well? Why are you crying?"
His voice was deep and hoarse, its low, resonant quality seeming to seep into her very core.
Instantly, it was as if a spark had ignited the dry tinder of her barren heart. She was momentarily stunned. So this was what 'a single spark can start a prairie fire' truly meant.
She looked up, her gaze falling directly into his deep, expressive eyes, which seemed to shimmer with emotion.
Tears blurred her vision. "My mother... she's gone. Just this morning... I asked her if she could come with me to the exam..."
Zhou Luchen placed the admission ticket back in her arms and strode away.
"Focus on your exams, little girl."
She watched his retreating figure in a daze, her mind numb.
Why was I crying? What was there to cry about? Who could understand? That year, she received the acceptance letter from her dream university, just as she had wished.
The man she had met only once had left an indelible, stunning impression on her bleak and unsteady life.
"What are you spacing out for? Let's go!" Xing Fei had turned back to call her.
Shen Jing's thoughts returned to the present. She gathered her music score.