Chapter 38 Burning Heart

Wen Eryu was prepared, but obviously not much.

She didn't expect Song Bowen to confess to her now.

Time passed by minute by minute, and just when Wen Eryu said "sorry", the green light came on.

The car behind them honked its horn to urge them to go faster. Song Bowen had guessed that Wen Eryu would say that, and everything was within his expectations.

After a moment, he started the car and continued driving.

Wen Eryu turned his head to the window somewhat awkwardly, looking at the blurry night scene outside.

Song Bowen silently turned on the radio, which was playing music at the time.

He glanced at Wen Eryu gently and said, "I'm sorry, I was so sudden just now."

Wen Eryu thought about it and felt that it was necessary to explain to him clearly that she did not have that kind of feeling for him.

"Brother Bo Wen." She turned to look at her, "Actually, I..."

"I know." Song Bowen interrupted her.

He knew it, but he would not give up on making Wen Eryu fall in love with him.

Wen Eryu was about to speak, but the next second, the car stopped.

Song Bowen turned his head and smiled at her: "We're here."

The rain outside did not stop at all. Wen Eryu unbuckled her seat belt, but before she could open the door, Song Bowen got out of the car before her.

Then, the passenger door was opened and Song Bowen helped her out of the car holding an umbrella.

"Thank you." Wen Eryu said.

"Do you live here?" Song Bowen asked, looking at the old house in front of him.

But he soon realized that she would misunderstand him and explained, "What I meant was, next time I take you home I'll know where it is."

Wen Eryu bit her lip and said, "Yeah, thank you for taking me back. It's getting late, so be careful on your way."

"Okay." Song Bowen nodded.

He watched Wen Eryu go upstairs, and only after the lights in the living room on the top floor came on did he return to the car and leave with peace of mind.

*

At the same time, Shen Jize stood in front of the French window of the mansion. The light in the room turned the glass into a blurry mirror, reflecting his slightly slumped figure and the slightly stiff photo paper in his hand.

The photos had just arrived, sandwiched between a pile of business documents that needed his review.

Shen Jize's fingertips unconsciously twisted the edge of the photo paper.

The photo is a little blurry, but clear enough.

Under the umbrella, Wen Eryu and Song Bowen were very close to each other. She tilted her head slightly, as if listening attentively to what Song Bowen said, with a smile on her lips.

Song Bowen's hand touched her head with a natural intimacy, a seemingly unintentional but possessive gesture.

Shen Jize's heart felt like it was being clenched and twisted fiercely by an ice-cold iron fist. There was no sharp pain, only a dull, suffocating feeling that spread from deep within his chest and blocked his throat.

He turned around abruptly and slammed the glaring photo on the table.

The "pop" sound seemed particularly abrupt in the overly quiet space.

“Damn it…”

His eyes couldn't help but fall back on the photo again.

The smile on Wen Eryu's face made him jealous. It seemed like she had never smiled at him like that before.

Although Shen Jize agreed to divorce her, he still sent people to follow her secretly every day.

He seemed completely unaware of his own terrifying desire for control.

After a while, he picked up the crystal whiskey glass on the table. The ice had long since melted, leaving only a tepid aftertaste. He tilted his head back and slammed the spicy liquid down his throat. The burning sensation burned all the way down his throat, but instead of suppressing the evil fire, it was like pouring fuel on it, instantly fueling it even more.

Shen Jize pulled his tie roughly off in frustration.

After an unknown amount of time, there was only icy coldness in his eyes, and even the constant temperature of the air around him seemed to have suddenly dropped several degrees.

Then he reached out and picked up the photo, opened the drawer, and took out a metal lighter.

The thumb brushed across the roller, and a faint blue flame shot up with a "whoosh" sound, jumping in the empty and silent space.

He slowly moved a corner of the photo towards the dancing blue flame.

The flames licked it greedily, and the burnt yellow marks spread rapidly, making an extremely subtle "hissing" sound, and the firelight illuminated his bottomless eyes.

Shen Jize looked at the ashes on the table, took out his cell phone and made a call.

"Help me find someone."

Chen De: "Okay, boss."

Shen Jize was about to hang up when he was stopped by Chen De.

"Boss, tomorrow's dinner..."

"Please help me refuse these kinds of social dinners from now on."

Chen De was silent for a moment: "Miss Wen seems to be on the invitation list."

Shen Jize: "..."

Chen De thought he had angered him by being too talkative again: "Sorry, boss, I'll help you turn it down right away."

Shen Jize said in a deep voice: “No need, I’ll go.”

*

The countless prisms of the crystal chandelier cut the entire banquet hall into countless dazzling fragments, and the light poured down like a waterfall, flowing on the mirror-smooth marble floor.

The air was filled with the scent of expensive cosmetics and perfume.

In the hall, a waiter in a tuxedo was walking among the crowd with a tray.

Wei Yan was talking with a well-spoken couple in the middle of the hall. Wen Eryu knew that she couldn't get a word in if she stood next to them, so she simply stayed in an inconspicuous corner.

"Oh my! Who am I thinking? Isn't this the eldest daughter of our Wen family?"

The owner of the voice walked over gracefully, wearing a champagne-colored sequined fishtail dress from the latest season. She had exquisite makeup and full red lips. She was Wen Eryu's former worst enemy in the circle.

Su Man's eyes swept over Wen Eryu without any hesitation, and the gloating and contempt in her eyes almost overflowed.

She covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled pretentiously: "It's been a long time since we last met. I heard you survived the plane crash. You're really lucky. By the way, where is your father working and earning money these days?"

Su Man deliberately dragged out the last word, wanting to see the expression on Wen Eryu's face.

The Wen family’s former glory and current decline are the deepest pain and shame in Wen Eryu’s heart.

Su Man's words were like opening her wounds in public and then adding salt to the wound.

Wen Eryu's jawline tightened slightly, his face maintaining the final calmness, and he did not respond.

Sure enough, Su Man seemed not to notice her silence. She sighed to herself and glanced at her with "concern" a few times, finally landing on her slightly pale fingers holding the wine glass.

"Ah, life is truly unpredictable. Remember that charity dinner your family hosted? It was so grand...tsk, tsk, even the mayor showed up in person to congratulate you. The dress you wore then, I think it was a Balenciaga couture dress, the diamonds on it were so dazzling it dazzled my eyes."

She paused, admiring the flash of pain in Wen Eryu's eyes, her smile deepened, and she suddenly changed the subject.

"But look at you now. The material of this skirt looks okay. However, these pearls..." She stretched out her fingers, as if wanting to touch the vines.

Wen Eryu calmly dodged to the side.

Su Man didn't get angry. She withdrew her hand and her voice spread clearly: "Is it a South Sea pearl or a shell pearl? I remember Uncle Wen used to collect those top-grade Australian white pearls. Each one was worth a fortune. It's a pity that I heard they were all sold."

"Miss Su, you care so much about my family's affairs. Do you like me?" Wen Eryu waved her hand. "I didn't expect that after all these years, we quarreled so much, and you still can't forget me."

"You..." Su Man didn't expect her to say that, and the sarcasm on her lips was blocked.

Wen Eryu didn't want to argue with her. After all, she came here with Wei Yan today. She turned around and walked to another corner without looking back.

But before she could take a few steps, the voices of conversation around her gradually died down.

Wen Eryu followed the crowd's gaze.

Just then, her breathing hitched.

Wherever she looked, she saw that familiar figure through the bustling crowd and swaying wine glasses.

Shen Jize has an upright posture, and his well-tailored dark suit highlights his broad shoulders.

He leaned slightly to the side and listened intently to a bright and attractive girl speaking beside him.

The girl was wearing an eye-catching red halter dress and had a bright smile on her face. She was whispering something in his ear intimately.

There seemed to be a faint smile on the corner of Shen Jize's lips, and the picture was so harmonious that it was dazzling.

It turns out... he has a female companion.

Wen Eryu instinctively wanted to step back and hide herself so that he wouldn't see her miserable appearance.

She turned around so quickly that she accidentally knocked over a glass of champagne on the waiter's tray next to her.

The golden liquid splashed out, splashing onto the expensive carpet and the edge of her white skirt, leaving a small, dark, embarrassing wet mark.

"Excuse me, miss." The waiter said in panic.

Wen Eryu didn't care about all that. The stain was far less powerful than the embarrassment in her heart.

She just wanted to disappear from here immediately. Soon, she lifted up the hem of her skirt that was in the way, lowered her head and walked towards the emergency exit where there were fewer people.

However, just as she turned around in panic and tried to escape, a sharp and familiar gaze penetrated the noisy crowd and locked onto her.

Shen Jize almost immediately noticed the unusual movement of the familiar white shadow.

When he saw her turning around in panic, his brows furrowed imperceptibly.

"Sorry, excuse me." Without waiting for the other party's response, he strode through the crowd and chased after the white figure.

Wen Eryu's heart was beating wildly in her chest, and she felt the gaze behind her burning her back.

She didn't dare look back, but just quickened her pace, hoping to disappear around the corner before he caught up with her.

But just as Wen Eryu was about to turn into the corridor leading to the terrace, a warm and powerful hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

The force was not strong, but it was irresistible and firm, instantly blocking all her escape routes.

Wen Eryu's whole body stiffened and he was forced to stop.

The familiar warmth and touch on her wrist made her heart tremble and made her even more embarrassed.

She lowered her head tightly, staring at the glaring champagne stain on her skirt and the bony hand that was holding her. Her cheeks were burning hot, even her ears were burning, and she just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Why are you running?"

A low voice sounded above her head, accompanied by a barely perceptible gasp.