Chapter 22: Not Infatuated Enough to Commit Suicide

Zhu Yuan was completely enveloped by his scent, and even her own breathing was mingled with his, the rich aroma of alcohol permeating everything.

The moment she moved, Sheng Yu followed, trapping her within a small space.

"So, saying you liked Lu Huaizhan at the Lu Family was meant for me to hear, so that I would spare you for Lu Huaizhan's sake."

His tone of certainty left Zhu Yuan stunned for a moment.

She turned her face away, pinching the flesh of her thigh to force herself to stay calm, "Young Master Yu is overthinking it; what I said about liking Lu Huaizhan has nothing to do with you."

Sheng Yu sneered, pinching her chin to turn her face back to meet his gaze, "Like Lu Huaizhan? Then since he's dead, why didn't you burn yourself for him?"

Daring to burn a tattered photo for Lu Huaizhan on his death anniversary.

Zhu Yuan's face turned red—whether from a guilty conscience or from being rendered speechless by his retort, she didn't know; no one spoke like that.

"I do like him, but not to the point of being so infatuated that I would commit suicide for him."

"Then you don't love him enough." Sheng Yu's hand on her chin tightened slightly, "Based on what you said back then, I thought your feelings for Lu Huaizhan had reached the point of being willing to die for him."

Suddenly, he chuckled softly and released his grip on her.

"You can't even make a lie sound convincing; how can someone be both smart and stupid?"

Zhu Yuan regained her freedom but remained frozen in place.

She had almost forgotten that he was the president of the Sheng Group, having fought in the business world since he was eighteen; now twenty-five, one-third of the notable commercial legends in Kyoto City were his own achievements.

A person like this possessed a depth of mind, cunning, and experience that she could never match.

Even her actions were, in his eyes, nothing more than petty tricks, like a joke.

Now, whatever she said would be of no use, so she could only pray that she really had been overthinking it.

She hurriedly apologized, "It was my own wishful thinking; please don't take it to heart, Yu Ge."

Zhu Yuan couldn't help but admire her own ability to bend and stretch in her heart; the speed at which she changed her face was something Sheng Yu probably hadn't expected.

Who knew that Sheng Yu would add a trailing tone, "Calling me 'Ge' again?"

Zhu Yuan's ears burned.

This really made it impossible for one to know how to respond.

Fortunately, the car drove into the residential complex where she lived, and before getting out, she thanked the man leaning against the seat with his eyes closed, "Thank you for bringing me back."

"What did you call me?"

Zhu Yuan pursed her lips, carrying her ability to bend and stretch to the end, "Yu Ge."

Situ opened a large umbrella to escort Zhu Yuan into the apartment building.

Back in the car, just as he closed the door, he heard the man say, "Bring it here."

Situ glanced at the rearview mirror.

Sheng Yu had loosened his tie and was leaning back lazily, his dark eyes fixed on the direction of the apartment building.

Situ replied, took something out of his inner jacket pocket, and handed it to Sheng Yu.

The man pinched the palm-wide envelope in his hand.

A thin layer of white paper; after opening it, a woman's photo slid out.

If Zhu Yuan were here at this moment, she would discover that this photo and this envelope were exactly what she had prepared to burn for Lu Huaizhan tonight.

Before dinner, guests had placed the gifts prepared for Lu Huaizhan on the eight-immortal table next to the altar.

And she did not know that the photo she burned for Lu Huaizhan had long been swapped for a piece of white cardstock.

In the photo, Zhu Yuan looked at the camera, tilting her head slightly and smiling; with her delicate and charming features, she, without any makeup, was like a rose blooming in the moonlight, so beautiful that one could not look away.

Sheng Yu stuffed the photo back into the envelope and casually placed it in the car's storage compartment.

Like Lu Huaizhan?

Heh.

Sheng Family Old Residence.

The current head of the Sheng Family, Sheng Hongyao, hung up the phone and sat on the sofa drinking tea, listening to the housekeeper enter and say, "Sir, the young master is back."

Hearing this, Sheng Hongyao's gaze sharpened, while the woman sitting beside him instinctively leaned toward him, her lips trembling as she said, "I told you not to come to the Sheng Family, Hongyao, I should just leave..."

"Don't be afraid, with me here, he won't do anything to you." He pulled the woman's shoulders tighter.

Sheng Yu happened to see this scene when he entered the door; outside, there was thunder and lightning, and it was rare for such heavy rain to fall in Kyoto City in autumn, let alone a thunderstorm.

A trace of mockery appeared in his eyes, and as if he had seen nothing, he headed straight for the stairs.

"Stop!"

Sheng Hongyao said displeasedly.

Sheng Yu stopped, took the towel handed over by a servant to wipe his palms, and tilted his head to look at him, "Does the Chairman have any instructions?"

Facing his cold attitude, the man seemed long accustomed to it, "I heard from your grandmother that you have a woman outside?"

"Haven't you already sent people to watch me? What, you didn't see clearly?" Sheng Yu didn't turn back.

"Whose family is she from?"

Sheng Hongyao picked up the teacup in front of him.

He had indeed sent people to watch, but Sheng Yu's abilities were great; his men had only managed to stake out the Theater for a few minutes before Sheng Yu's car drove away, and they lost him.

He didn't even know the woman's background.

Sheng Yu didn't speak; he turned around, just staring at him with a mocking smile, when suddenly his gaze fell on the haggard and pale woman beside Sheng Hongyao.

The woman was about forty years old, and seeing this, she hid in Sheng Hongyao's arms, trembling.

Sheng Hongyao narrowed his eyes slightly, only then realizing that from this moment on, this was the purpose of Sheng Yu returning to the Old Residence tonight.

"Yijing is your elder; who allowed you to look at her with such eyes?"

A mocking arc rose on Sheng Yu's lips.

Sheng Hongyao said in a deep voice, "Since you've returned, I want to tell you that I am going to bring Yijing to live at the Sheng Family Old Residence."

He patted the woman's trembling shoulders to soothe her emotions.

Sheng Yu sneered, "A mistress, and she dares to step into this house."

"Yijing is not a mistress," Sheng Hongyao said sternly.

Shen Yijing's eyes turned red, and she said humbly, "A Yu, I have said many times that Hongyao's marriage to Yu Lan was a family alliance. Hongyao does not love Yu Lan, but we never thought of harming her. After what happened, we are also very..."

Suddenly, a white towel was thrown at her, moving so fast that Sheng Hongyao could not stop it at all.

The towel struck the woman's mouth hard!

Sheng Yu's expression was fierce, and he said word by word, "You are not worthy of mentioning my mother's name."

The woman's face turned deathly pale, and she covered her face, sobbing quietly in humiliation.

"Sheng Yu!" Sheng Hongyao was furious and threw the teacup in his hand, "Do you still have me as your father in your eyes! Apologize to Yijing."

"She is not worthy!"

Sheng Hongyao gently wiped the woman's tears; in Sheng Yu's memory, this was a treatment his mother had never received.

"Hongyao, it is I who let Yu Lan down, it is I who let her down, sob sob sob..."

"Don't blame yourself, Xiao Jing, don't blame yourself," Sheng Hongyao coaxed patiently, "It was Yu Lan who didn't protect herself well; it has nothing to do with you. She could have clearly escaped from that fire..."

"Shut up!"

Killing intent was cold and sharp on Sheng Yu's face, and a scene of flames burning seemed to flash across the bottom of his eyes, burning through the festering, dark corners deep within his heart.

He kicked away the broken teacup at his feet and slowly raised his eyes to look at the two people opposite him.

Scarlet bloodshot eyes vaguely spread in his gaze, but his tone was extremely calm, "If she dares to move into the Sheng Family, I will raze the Sheng Family to the ground."

"What did you say!"

Sheng Yu stepped on the shards of porcelain all over the floor as he walked out, "Try it and you will know."

A black sedan drove out of the Sheng Family Old Residence.

Sheng Yu sat silently in the back seat, his dark, deep eyes seemingly unable to let in a single ray of light.

Situ began to feel apprehensive.

He had only seen Young Master Yu like this two years ago.

The inside of the car was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, while outside, there was thunder and lightning.

Zhu Yuan wore noise-canceling headphones, but the effect of blocking the thunder was still limited; she didn't know what was wrong with the weather today, the thunder was just too loud.

After a clap of thunder rang out, Zhu Yuan heard a knock on the door.

The knocking was not frantic or hurried, but steady and powerful.

It's so late, who is knocking?

Zhu Yuan lived alone, so she had a camera installed outside the door; she got up, opened the monitor, and was stunned for a moment.

Outside the door was Sheng Yu.

At this hour, why did he come over?

Thinking that Sheng Yu had after all lent her a large sum of money for her grandfather's medical treatment, and she had offended him with her words today, if she didn't open the door and angered him further, her grandfather's medical expenses would have no source.

Zhu Yuan still opened the door.

Only after the door opened did she discover that Sheng Yu was soaked through; the moment he looked up, she watched his scarlet eyes with a jolt of fear.

"What happened to you?"

Zhu Yuan subconsciously took a step back.

Suddenly, Sheng Yu stepped forward, kicked the door shut, and firmly gripped the back of her head.

Zhu Yuan only felt the world go dark before her eyes as Sheng Yu lowered his head and sucked on her lower lip!