Chapter 160: Marriage

In a private room at Sheng Tang.

The waiter left after serving the drinks.

Sheng Yu leaned back against the sofa and lit a cigarette, looking languid and despondent; the lamplight shone on his face, casting deep, cold shadows along his brow bone.

Ning Huaiqing followed Yuan Fengye and the others into the room and saw him sitting in the seat of honor smoking; she was captivated at first sight.

She dared not examine him too closely for fear of angering him, so after imprinting his face in her mind with a single glance, she recalled it in detail.

He seemed a bit thinner than three years ago, his features sharper and more defined, exuding the charm of a mature man.

Yuan Fengye, Qi Jing, and several others took their seats.

She walked over and sat at a distance neither too near nor too far from Sheng Yu.

"Yu Ge, please don't be angry. I've only come back for a few days; I'll be returning to London in a couple of days."

She took the initiative to pour a glass of wine and lifted it nervously.

Sheng Yu raised his eyelids to glance at her, his gaze dropping; he didn't take the glass, but instead poured one for himself and took a sip.

Ning Huaiqing was the most understanding; Sheng Yu's gesture meant he was no longer angry.

She curled the corners of her lips, let out a happy sigh of relief, and finished the wine in her glass.

At this moment, Yuan Fengye spoke: "Don't be in such a rush to leave. I'm getting married next week; it won't be too late to leave after attending my wedding."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the private room fell deathly silent.

Yuan Fengye looked at the shocked crowd in the room and raised an eyebrow; this was the effect he wanted.

Getting married is boring, but seeing their reactions is what's interesting!

"Getting married next week? So rushed? Who are you marrying? That student girl who almost caused a scene before? Does your family agree?" Qi Jing asked.

Yuan Fengye pulled at the corner of his mouth with a roguish air, "Not a student girl, she's a mature woman. From Yucheng. You don't know her, and it's no big deal anyway, just getting married."

In any case, as far as he was concerned, it was just going through the motions; after the wedding, he would continue to play as he pleased, and no one could control him.

If that woman dared to scheme against him, he would let her wear the name of Mrs. Yuan while he cheated on her every single day.

Rushed?

It was generous enough of him to give her a wedding at all.

Hearing the mention of Yucheng, Sheng Yu smoked without expression.

Ning Huaiqing said to Yuan Fengye, "You should settle down too; you can't keep playing like this forever."

Before Dong Shu entered their circle, Ning Huaiqing was the only woman in their group, having been around them since she was very young.

When Sheng Yu's mother, Yu Lan, was alive, she liked Ning Huaiqing very much.

Because of this connection, Sheng Yu's attitude toward her was different from his attitude toward other women.

So Yuan Fengye did not refute her words, merely brushing them off, "That's why I agreed to get married."

Zhu Yuan parted ways with Ji Xiang and returned to the apartment she rented.

After doing some simple cleaning, she took a shower and sat in front of the vanity to blow-dry her hair.

She looked at the red agate bracelet on her wrist, took it off, grabbed a tissue to wipe the water off it, and not knowing what she was thinking of, scrubbed it hard several times!

The phone left to the side rang.

Zhu Yuan looked at the caller ID, Feng Mingyue, didn't even frown, and pressed the red button.

Zhu Chaoqin and Feng Mingyue had been calling her frequently these past few days; she didn't need to think to know they hoped she would have a change of heart and return to the Zhu Family for the New Year.

After all, with Zhu An'an sent abroad, they had no other children by their side, and the New Year felt too desolate.

Yet, what did any of that have to do with her?

Zhu Yuan lay on the bed after drying her hair.

She hadn't slept much on New Year's Eve, and although she had napped on the plane, she still felt very tired.

Because Sheng Yu had been by her side, she had spent the time alternately guarding against what he might do to her and secretly observing him, fearing he might have an episode if he recalled bad memories on the anniversary of his mother's death.

In the end, Sheng Yu caught her peeking, pinched her chin, and forced her to stare at him for five minutes, calling it her New Year's gift.

Now she felt a splitting headache; despite being exhausted, she tossed and turned in bed, checking the time on her phone and scrolling through her social media feed.

Suddenly, her hand paused as she tapped on her feed.

Yuan Fengye had added her on WeChat before and secretly taught her many of Sheng Yu's preferences.

Two minutes ago, Yuan Fengye had posted a status.

The text read: 【Missing Zhan Ge.】

The attached image was a candid shot; the background looked like a private room, and the angle of the photo was quite tricky, showing the side profiles of the same faces she had seen outside the terminal earlier.

Zhu Yuan glanced at it, and Sheng Yu's side profile had the most superior lines.

Putting everything else aside, Sheng Yu was indeed exactly her type.

And on the photo, another gentle and quiet face was at a distance neither too near nor too far from him.

Ning Huaiqing.

Zhu Yuan tossed her phone aside, pulled the quilt over her face, and let out a long sigh in the darkness.

Why think so much? He has someone by his side now, so he won't come looking for her again in the future.

It would be best if he put her completely out of his mind.

After waking up the next day, Zhu Yuan ate a simple breakfast and set off for the theater troupe.

She had a performance in the afternoon and needed to go over her lines in the morning to avoid being rusty after not touching them for a few days.

On the way there, she received another call from Zhu Chaoqin, so she simply blocked his number and ignored him.

However, when she arrived at the theater, her phone rang again; seeing it was a call from Pei Ling, she didn't dare answer.

Not long after, Troupe Leader Hao came to the dressing room to find her and looked at her meaningfully, "Second Master is looking for you."

Zhu Yuan frowned, then took the phone and held it to her ear, "Happy New Year, Second Master Pei. Are you looking for me?"

The man's voice on the other end of the line was icy, "Do you know Zhu Chaoqin?"

Zhu Yuan wanted to say she didn't know him, but Pei Ling sneered, "He broke into the Pei Family Bank and broke my rules. He claims to be your father. I don't believe him, so I intend to have someone break his legs."

"I don't know him. Do as you please, Second Master," Zhu Yuan said coldly.

"Fine. My wolf cub happens to be hungry. An old man's meat might be a bit tough, but it'll be enough to fill its belly."

Over the phone, Zhu Yuan heard Pei Ling order his men to chop off Zhu Chaoqin's legs; it made her hair stand on end and a chill run down her spine.

"Wait!"

Pei Ling sneered, "You know him now?"

He seemed to have run out of patience, "If you know him, come and take him away yourself. In half an hour, my wolf cub needs to be fed."

Zhu Yuan cursed into the phone, and as she walked outside, she said, "Please, Second Master Pei, scare him a little first. It would be best to make him think he's truly at death's door. I'll be there immediately."

Zhu Chaoqin must be trying to force her to show herself, which is why he dared to break into the Pei Family Bank.

If he isn't made to suffer a little, he will only become more unscrupulous in the future.

Zhu Yuan borrowed a car from Team Leader Hao and drove to the Pei Family Bank in the suburbs of the capital.

At the entrance of the bank, Pei Ling's personal Bodyguard, Pei Li, was waiting for her. Upon seeing her, he respectfully led her inside, "Miss Zhu."

Zhu Yuan followed him inside.

Even during the New Year, the Pei Family Bank was no different from usual; there were no red lanterns, no spring couplets, and no window paper-cuts. It was desolate, with not a hint of festive atmosphere.

Pei Li did not take her to the reception hall, but to a side hall instead.

As she walked through the door, she saw Pei Ling squatting in front of an iron cage, inside which a wolf cub was being kept.

"Second Master, Miss Zhu has arrived."

Pei Ling gave a grunt of acknowledgment, picked up a pair of iron tongs, grabbed a piece of bloody raw meat from an iron bucket beside him, and tossed it into the cage. The wolf cub bit down on the raw meat and tore at it!

He turned his head to look at Zhu Yuan, whose expression remained normal and who had not been frightened by the scene, and chuckled, "Why aren't you afraid?"

"What is there to fear? It isn't eating my meat."

Zhu Yuan looked at him, her eyes calm and without a single ripple.