Chapter 335: Chapter 334: "Can you please stop mocking me with this?

The porcelain cup hit the table with a dull thud. Xu Su watched the tea spill onto the tabletop.

’He seems angry...’

’Did I go too far?’

"Alright."

Just as Xu Su was about to speak, Zhou Mochen, who had been silent for a while, took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

He looked at Shen Chen and let out a soft "tsk." Siding with his girlfriend without a moment’s hesitation, he chimed in, "Given your reputation, what girl from a good family wouldn’t see getting involved with you as jumping into a pit of fire?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Exactly, exactly!" Seeing that she had backup, Xu Su nodded eagerly, her confidence restored. In a loud voice, she said, "’Ten years waking from a Yangzhou dream, only to earn the name of a fickle lover in the brothels.’ Just swap Yangzhou for Beijing, and that pretty much sums up your last decade."

Shen Chen was twenty-three. Based on Xu Su’s assessment of his moral character—or lack thereof—he might have really been fooling around for a full ten years.

’If not ten years, then definitely eight.’

’The Prince of Nightclubs—that was Shen Chen in Xu Su’s eyes.’

’And probably not just nightclubs...’

She thought about all the pretty girls at Beijing’s top universities. Any one of them he took an interest in probably couldn’t escape his grasp.

’After all, this was Beijing, a city of wealth and vice. Who could resist true temptation?’

In her previous life, Xu Su had attended an ordinary university, but she had seen plenty of pretty girls from small towns—hardworking, studious girls who lived simple lives and had beaten out countless others to get into a university in Beijing, only to be courted by some rich heir and gradually lose their way.

’The prettier the girl, the more temptations she faced.’

’And a young scion like Shen Chen—rich, powerful, and handsome to boot—was irresistible. What ordinary girl could possibly stand a chance?’

’Then again, being noticed by him wasn’t a complete disaster, in a way...’

’As long as a girl wasn’t foolish enough to seek true love from him, he wouldn’t be stingy when it came to fame or fortune.’

’He was a heartless playboy, after all, led by his urges, not his emotions...’

Xu Su’s words were so blunt that Shen Chen was left standing in a daze. It was only then that he truly understood the image she had of him.

’Ten years waking from a Yangzhou dream, only to earn the name of a fickle lover in the brothels...’

Shen Chen mulled over the line a few times before letting out a bitter laugh. "Do you have to keep throwing that in my face?"

"Fine, let’s just say I was young, wild, and foolish. I’ll accept your verdict. It’s true that I was young, loved to have fun, and chased thrills."

He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking troubled. "But for over a year now, I’ve kept my nose clean. I’ve been on my best behavior. Even a prison sentence has an end date, doesn’t it? Are my crimes so terrible that I’m not allowed to turn over a new leaf and start fresh?"

He looked down at her. "Can you please stop holding this over my head?"

By the last sentence, Shen Chen’s voice had grown a little hoarse.

"..." Xu Su stared, wide-eyed. When she heard the playboy intended to settle down, her first thought was that there was definitely something wrong with his body.

’He couldn’t fool around anymore.’

Seeing the bitter look on Shen Chen’s face, Xu Su didn’t have the heart to press the issue.

’He must regret it, too...’

’Thinking about it, he never had a serious girlfriend. He was just young and reckless, a bit too fond of fun and women. It didn’t seem like such a terrible crime.’

’As long as everything was consensual and he wasn’t forcing anyone into anything, it was fine.’

At this thought, Xu Su nodded repeatedly. "Of course. I promise, I won’t bring it up again. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking about how you felt."

’Come to think of it, Shen Chen was always nice to her, whereas she, on the contrary, jumped at any chance to mock him...’

’What kind of person teases their friend like that?’

’Wasn’t this just rubbing salt in his wounds?’

Xu Su took a moment to reflect, then quickly stood up to console him. "You’re still so young, you have your whole life ahead of you! Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s temporary. Don’t worry. Just relax. Your mindset is the most important thing. If you stay positive, maybe everything will get better on its own."

’In her mind, Shen Chen had just partied too hard and worn himself out. All he needed was some rest to recover.’

Xu Su’s words of comfort were baffling. Both Shen Chen and Zhou Mochen frowned at her.

"What do you mean by that?" Shen Chen’s heart began to pound; he could have sworn he saw a hint of pity in her eyes. "What do I have to be worried about?"

Xu Su shook her head vigorously. "Nothing! You just seemed upset, so I was just rambling."

’How could she be so direct about it? Even if she saw Shen Chen as a good friend, he was still a guy. It wasn’t her place to bring up... male performance issues. Besides, he probably wouldn’t want anyone to know he couldn’t... you know... anymore.’

’How embarrassing would that be for a man?’

That was the end of that topic. Shen Chen shot her a glance before sitting back down and starting to chat idly with Zhou Mochen.

They talked about current events that Xu Su had no interest in, as well as some news from Beijing.

Xu Su sipped her tea quietly, listening to them talk.

She already knew that Zhou Mochen hadn’t taken full control of all the Zhou Group’s assets yet. In fact, during his years in Chang City, he had focused only on managing the real estate division. She didn’t know much about the rest.

The two made no effort to exclude Xu Su from their conversation, and as she listened, her eyes grew wider and wider.

She knew Zhou Mochen was formidable, and that the Zhou family was powerful, but she never imagined their real estate business alone was so massive.

’Just what was she hearing?’

’The future largest skyscraper in the world, the Hong Kong Twin Towers, which were currently under construction... were being built by Zhou Real Estate?’

’These were the Twin Towers!’

’With such an incredible project underway, how had Zhou Mochen, the de facto head of Zhou Real Estate, managed to stay holed up in little old Chang City for three years without once going to Hong Kong to check on it?’

’Compared to the Twin Towers, the central plaza in Chang City was nothing!’

’Had she just not paid enough attention to the real estate industry? In her past life, she had been Mrs. Zhou for several years, yet she’d had no idea the Twin Towers were built by the Zhou Group.’

’It was hard to imagine how incredible that was. You couldn’t take on a project like that unless you were the absolute leader in the industry, with the most elite construction and engineering team.’

’You wouldn’t even dare to try!’

Xu Su was a layperson, but that didn’t stop her from knowing just how monumental this skyscraper would be in the future.

Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Shen Chen, sitting opposite her, saw it all clearly. He tapped on the table. "Why do you look so shocked again? Xu Su, don’t tell me you still have no idea what your boyfriend does for a living."

"I only know a little..."

That "little bit" was limited to the fact that Zhou Mochen had single-handedly built the Times Central Plaza in Chang City.

She genuinely didn’t know anything more than that.

Zhou Mochen, who had been toying with her fingers, wasn’t surprised to hear her admission. He didn’t look the least bit displeased. Instead, he chuckled and began to explain:

"Our family does alright in the real estate sector. At least a third of the major landmark buildings, both in the country and abroad, were built by Zhou Real Estate. You can look it up online when you have time."