Shen Nanyue looked at Zhou Yushen somewhat speechlessly.
“You really just want a meal that badly?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Zhou Yushen raised an eyebrow.
As he opened the car door and got out, he seemed to think of something and turned back to Shen Nanyue.
“Sit in the front passenger seat.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Shen Nanyue shot him a cold glance and made no move to comply.
Zhou Yushen fell silent for two seconds.
“The exchange gathering.”
Grinding her teeth, Shen Nanyue pushed open the door and got out.
As soon as their cars drove away, another group of people appeared behind the tightly shut gates of the Chen family’s old residence.
Chen Tianming stood at the entrance with several men behind him.
The people who had gone out to investigate returned and reported to Chen Tianming.
“There are no signs that the gate was opened. Even the dust and fallen leaves outside the entrance haven’t been disturbed.”
Chen Tianming frowned.
“Did I overthink things?”
The other man standing beside Chen Tianming stared grimly at the vermilion gate.
After a long while, he let out a cold laugh.
“It’s better to believe there was someone than to believe there wasn’t.”
He turned to the people beside him and ordered, “Retrieve the surveillance footage outside the gate and check whether anyone came here today.”
“Yes, sir.”
Not long afterward, the bodyguard returned.
“Boss, the surveillance cameras outside suddenly stopped working.”
“All of them?” Chen Tianming frowned.
After confirming that every camera had failed, the man smiled again.
“Looks like someone’s already traced things here. Chen Tianming, I’m giving you three days to deal with this matter.”
The man appeared extremely angry.
Cold sweat poured down Chen Tianming’s forehead.
Lowering his head submissively, he nodded repeatedly.
“Please rest assured. I’ll handle it properly.”
The man snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Only then did Chen Tianming wipe the sweat from his forehead before turning to the surrounding bodyguards.
“Find another location and transfer the goods within three days. And also…”
Chen Tianming’s sharp gaze landed on the tightly shut gate, flickering darkly.
“Investigate the movements of those two Shen sisters during this period.”
“Yes, sir.”
The bodyguards withdrew while Chen Tianming’s expression gradually turned vicious.
He would never allow anyone to stand in the way of his advancement!
…
Zhou Yushen brought Shen Nanyue to a restaurant built atop a mountain.
By the time they reached the mountain, the sky had already darkened.
The higher they climbed, the fiercer the wind became.
The moment Shen Nanyue stepped out of the car, the cold mountain wind rushed straight into her coat.
Subconsciously, she tightened her clothes around herself and turned to look at Zhou Yushen.
“This is my first time knowing there’s a restaurant up here. Is it good?”
The restaurant resembled a vacation resort, with European-style architecture.
Soft lights glimmered faintly while ornamental greenery swayed gently in the wind.
Tables and chairs were arranged outside the restaurant building.
The warm lighting created a cozy atmosphere, while wind chimes rang crisply alongside the sound of the breeze.
Zhou Yushen glanced at her.
His clear eyes reflected the delicate figure of the woman before him.
He walked over and stood in front of her, his broad back blocking part of the cold wind.
“It only opened recently. I heard the food’s excellent.”
He answered her question.
Shen Nanyue nodded.
“Then let’s go.”
The waiter led them to seats beside the terrace.
Gentle lighting cascaded down while vibrant pothos plants decorated the surroundings.
Zhou Yushen handed the menu to Shen Nanyue.
She casually ordered several signature dishes.
Zhou Yushen glanced at her selections, added two more dishes, and then returned the menu to the waiter.
The terrace was bordered by a tall flowerbed railing that blocked much of the cold wind.
Shen Nanyue no longer felt cold.
Tilting her head upward, she gazed at the quiet night sky scattered with faint starlight.
“This place is beautiful.”
She murmured softly, seeming to be in quite a good mood.
Watching her relaxed posture, Zhou Yushen also felt warmth spread through him.
Only after relaxing himself did he say, “I heard your studio is creating a new brand.”
Shen Nanyue hadn’t expected Zhou Yushen to suddenly bring up her studio.
Surprise flickered through her heart.
Why did he know about her studio’s affairs?
Perhaps noticing her confusion, Zhou Yushen explained, “Last month, the investment banking department of Huansheng Group organized a team-building event and ordered custom team uniforms from your studio again.”
Shen Nanyue thought about it for a moment.
Last month, Lu Sheng did seem to have mentioned producing a batch of team-building uniforms.
At the time, she had just been discussing the creation of a new brand with Lu Sheng.
Since they planned to establish their own clothing brand and the studio was short-staffed, she had wanted to reduce the number of outside orders as much as possible.
And that batch of uniforms had almost been rejected.
If the investment banking department from Huansheng Group hadn’t personally gone to discuss the matter with Lu Sheng—and if Lu Sheng hadn’t considered them longtime clients and felt bad refusing them— she would never have accepted the order.
Perhaps while chatting with that old client, Lu Sheng had casually mentioned the plans for the new brand.
Understanding dawned on Shen Nanyue, and she nodded.
“Yes.”
Zhou Yushen asked, “Wouldn’t creating a new brand under the Shen Corporation be the same thing?”
“It’s different.”
At some point, the sky had become filled with countless stars.
The faint clustered lights stretched endlessly beyond the mountain peaks, past the colorful city of Fengcheng, and over the dark mountains beyond the city.
She lifted her eyes to the vast sky above.
Perhaps the tranquil atmosphere had relaxed her.
For once, she was actually willing to reveal her thoughts to Zhou Yushen.
“I want to create a brand with my own hands, not simply rely on the Shen Corporation.”
Zhou Yushen looked at her.
“You’re pretty ambitious.”
But Shen Nanyue smiled faintly.
“Then you’ve misunderstood me.”
Lowering her gaze to Zhou Yushen, the distance returned to her eyes in an instant.
“I’m not that noble. I just wanted to know whether a spoiled rich girl could truly obtain the future she wanted through her own efforts.”
“The truth proved that I can’t.”
In the end, she still entered the Shen Corporation.
Just like most wealthy second-generation heirs, she inherited the business left behind by her elders and continued living that seemingly glamorous but actually hollow life.
Three months ago, she had wanted to balance both worlds.
Managing the Shen Corporation while also developing her own studio.
But in the end, the overwhelming workload of the Shen Corporation crushed her, and the studio’s affairs were entirely handed over to Lu Sheng.
Nowadays, if she could spare even a few hours a week to personally design clothing for the studio’s brand, that already counted as having plenty of time.
She simply couldn’t focus on two things at once.
Ever since her grandfather passed away, the balance in her heart had already tilted.
Having spent so much time with Shen Nanyue, Zhou Yushen believed he already understood what kind of person she was.
Yet every time they interacted, he felt as though he discovered something new about her.
Like now…
The sadness and loneliness surrounding her—
It was like a shadow enveloping her, impossible to disperse or erase.
Her tone carried no emotional fluctuation at all, as though a lawyer calmly presenting arguments in court.
And yet he could still feel her pain.
Just like how his own heart now tightened painfully for her sake.
“What… is the future you want?”
Zhou Yushen suddenly asked.
Shen Nanyue’s gaze slowly refocused on Zhou Yushen’s face.
For a long while, neither of them spoke.
Then the waiter began serving the dishes.
The rich aroma of food gradually spread across the terrace.
— The end of the Chapter–
TL note : Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up ahead of the release :
https://www.patreon.com/DeCakraWnloverz
