Chapter 34

I saw Cheng Yan again at Qian Hai's victory celebration party.

He followed closely behind the business and political tycoon Cheng Huai'an, behaving very obediently.

Accompanying them were Cheng Huai'an's wife, Luo Tianze, and their youngest son, Cheng Li, walking slowly behind.

The three walked ahead, chatting and laughing, their intimate demeanor attracting attention.

Zhuang Yazhi sensed something was amiss.

Cheng Yan, Cheng Huai'an...

She knew Cheng Li; he was Cheng Huai'an's youngest son. As for Cheng Yan, she had heard that Cheng Huai'an and his ex-wife also had a son who lived abroad with his mother after the divorce.

It turned out to be the eldest son of the Cheng family, which surprised Zhuang Yazhi and made her feel even more amazed.

As the founders of Qianhai, Zhuang Haiming and Shen Qianli used this title to appear hand in hand in front of the palace, warmly inviting guests to enter.

Cai Xincheng stood behind the crowd, drinking alone, watching helplessly as Cai Siyue followed behind Shen Qianli, raising her glass to toast the guests.

He felt incredibly anxious every time he saw Cai Siyue and Shen Qianli in close contact, fearing that Shen Qianli would one day take his daughter away.

Zhuang Yazhi also came to the back and watched as Cai Xincheng drowned his sorrows in alcohol.

Do you want to know who Cai Siyue's biological father is?

Cai Xincheng abruptly stopped drinking and asked anxiously, "You know?"

She wanted to speak, but Cai Xincheng waved his hand, signaling her not to say anything yet.

Cai Xincheng raised his uneasy eyes and looked around the room, his gaze lingering on each man for a few seconds, his emotions twisted.

"He's here, right?"

Zhuang Yazhi nodded.

Cai Xincheng fell into a negative mood, and his tired and aged appearance made him look frail.

"She has high standards and is very competitive; she doesn't look up to ordinary people."

Following his gaze, Zhuang Yazhi also looked in that direction. The dance floor was filled with a large group of people, women in red and flowers, all exuding wealth and allure.

Zhuang Yazhi guessed that he probably already had the answer in his heart.

The banquet doors opened again, and at that single glance, everyone on the dance floor instantly stopped dancing.

Judging from their posture, there's no need to guess.

Zhuang Yazhi is getting a little annoyed with him right now.

Shen Yiheng was in a bad mood, and his face was very sour, but that did not stop the cheers and shouts from the deafening crowd.

He gazed thoughtfully in the direction of Zhuang Yazhi.

Zhuang Yazhi glanced at him lightly, selectively ignoring him, not even giving him a chance to catch up.

Shen Yiheng became even angrier, his face turning as black as a storm cloud, and the pressure around him plummeted to freezing point.

As the second dance began, Zhuang Yazhi walked to the edge of the dance floor and noticed Cheng Yan first.

His dance moves were elegant, just like his gentlemanly demeanor.

Unlike someone else.

"Beautiful Ms. Zhuang, may I invite you to dance?"

Cheng Yan extended an invitation.

“Of course,” Zhuang Yazhi replied excitedly.

In this dance, he is the leader, guiding Zhuang Yazhi step by step according to the rhythm.

The two smiled at each other, and even the spotlight seemed to shine brighter because of them.

They were like the most compatible dance partners, still wanting more even after the song was over.

Cheng Yan joked, "We met a little late."

"Oh? Is that so?" Zhuang Yazhi smiled gently.

She just received the latest news that Cheng Yan has just returned to China.

This guy seems pretty funny.

Shen Yiheng, sitting in the corner, was furious. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and he was so strong that he almost crushed the wine glass in his hand.

He had known Cheng Yan since childhood. Cheng Yan was the kind of refined man he hated the most, who loved to pretend to be gentle and deceive people.

"He's a complete scoundrel," Zhou Ying added, helping Shen Yiheng voice his true feelings.

Shen Yiheng reluctantly agreed, and his mood improved slightly.

Men really do understand men.

See? Even Zhou Ying thinks so.

But this ultimately did not change the fact that Zhuang Yazhi ignored him.

Shen Yiheng grew angrier the more he watched; it was already the third dance, and the two of them still hadn't stopped.

Finally, she glanced this way, but it was to summon the bartender behind her.

This made him feel very embarrassed. After enduring the anger all night, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer and angrily told Zhou Ying to unplug the music equipment backstage at the banquet.

Zhou Ying had a sudden inspiration and turned off the lights as well.

In the darkness, Zhuang Yazhi was pulled, and when she came to her senses, she found herself pinned to Shen Yiheng's chest.

Shen Yiheng remained silent with a dark expression, holding Zhuang Yazhi tightly.

"I'm going to call the police." Zhuang Yazhi glared at him.

He moved closer and closer, his high, straight nose almost brushing against Zhuang Yazhi's forehead, before he slightly turned and brushed against the stray hairs on her forehead.

The faint, delicate fragrance lured Shen Yiheng closer, and he couldn't help but take a deep sniff.

I've missed you so much these past few days.

Just as her soft lips were about to be covered, Zhuang Yazhi slapped his cold profile away with a crisp sound that was unusually loud in the confined space.

Shen Yiheng was stunned for a second, then looked up and met those merciless black eyes.

The surge of emotion ignited his blood, and he strode forward, forcefully pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly and suppressing Zhuang Yazhi's breathing.

"Go ahead and call the police." He didn't care about anything else, he just wanted a hug, greedily craving that long-lost warmth.

Zhuang Yazhi sighed helplessly, her breathing heavy.

There's nothing we can do about him.

Despite his reluctance, Zhuang Yazhi finally managed to break free from his embrace.

"You're getting a bit emotional."

After saying that, she turned and left without looking back.

Only darkness remained to devour him.

The two emerged one after the other, a gloomy mood spreading with their heavy footsteps.

Shen Qianli saw this scene and couldn't help but feel smug and proud.

Although she wasn't family, she had watched Shen Yiheng grow up since he was a child and knew his temperament well.

Having lost face at the party and been rejected repeatedly, how could such a strong-willed person swallow this insult?

Without delay, Shen Qianli quickly called Zhuang Haiming: "Come to the villa tonight, I have something to discuss with you."

"This is a great opportunity for us to step down Zhuang Ya."

"She angered Shen Yiheng to no end. Now that she has no one to rely on, she is nothing."

"When did this happen?" Zhuang Haiming was extremely shocked.

Shen Qianli spoke with great enthusiasm: "It happened at the party tonight. I saw it all. Shen Yiheng left in a huff. Zhuang Yazhi is definitely doomed this time. We must take this opportunity to kill her."

Zhuang Haiming asked with some concern, "Will this work?"

"Yes, I can." Shen Qianli said confidently.

Recalling the several dances Zhuang Yazhi had performed with Cheng Yan at the banquet that evening, she was extremely displeased: "That little slut, she managed to hook up with the eldest young master of the Cheng family in the blink of an eye. What a clever trick."

The more this happened, the less Shen Qianli could tolerate her, and she was determined to get rid of Zhuang Yazhi quickly.

Zhuang Haiming had noticed what happened at the ball, and now he couldn't help but have other thoughts. He realized more and more that Zhuang Yazhi was not a simple person, and he couldn't help but pay more attention to her.

Seeing Shen Qianli lost in thought, Zhuang Haiming quietly offered a bold suggestion: "Why don't we take this opportunity to get rid of Su Sinan as well?"

Shen Qianli was so shocked she dared not breathe. She stared at Zhuang Haiming in disbelief, so focused on Zhuang Yazhi that she almost overlooked Su Sinan, this troublemaker.

She immediately realized that Zhuang Haiming wanted to take advantage of her family's wealth.

That was a ruthless move; it really scared her.

In the darkness, Zhuang Haiming's eyes gleamed with an excited yet sinister light, causing her to involuntarily take two steps back in fear.

"Wait a minute, let me think about it."

Killing two at once is too risky.

Zhuang Haiming patted Shen Qianli's shoulder three times, each time with increasing force, his low, hoarse voice trembling slightly: "Leave Zhuang Yazhi to me, Su Sinan, you take over."

The repeated pats made Shen Qianli panic.

Her mind went blank for a moment, and she nodded blankly at Zhuang Haiming's request.

"Kill Su Sinan..."

"kill."

“Once those two women are dead, no one will oppose you anymore, and all their property will belong to us. We will leave the property to our son and daughter, so they can enjoy family life and be financially secure for the rest of their lives.”

"Yes...you're right." Shen Qianli nodded with lingering fear, her clenched fists straining as if about to burst forth.

The night was dark and the wind was strong, with cool breezes blowing.

Zhuang Yazhi sneezed several times in a row.

She stood on the balcony and noticed out of the corner of her eye a black sedan parked behind the flower bushes next to the gate.

He said he was going on a business trip to another city tomorrow and wanted to meet before he left.

Zhuang Yazhi stared at the car for a long, long time before finally deciding to go back to her room, turn off the lights, and go to sleep.

She was feeling very conflicted, and also a kind of inexplicable frustration.

I don't understand why Shen Yiheng is so stubborn.

In the middle of the night, several loud rumbles of thunder sounded outside the window.

Zhuang Yazhi, who was restless in her sleep, was startled awake.

She instinctively got up, struggled to walk, and finally headed for the balcony.

The taillights were on; he was still there.

However, a short while later, a torrential downpour began, enough to extinguish the faint headlights.

The night was restless.

The next morning, Zhuang Haiming came up early and knocked on the door: "Daughter, get up quickly, your mother has been urging you to get up several times."

Every year at this time, the Su family compound is particularly lively, especially this year with the recruitment of many apprentices, making the apprenticeship ceremony even more grand.

When Zhuang Haiming and Zhuang Yazhi arrived by car, it was just around noon. The enthusiastic aunties greeted them and urged them to sit down and have lunch.

"Yazhi, you're getting prettier and prettier, Auntie loves you so much!"

"There are several good ones among this year's batch of apprentices. You're so skillful, why don't you let one of them learn from you?"

Zhuang Yazhi smiled mischievously: "My standards are quite high, you know."

Everyone at the table was laughing happily, and Zhuang Haiming was also smiling along. Although he was a little uncomfortable, he still exchanged plenty of polite and familiar pleasantries.

After lunch, Su Sinan returned, and the two of them followed her into the inner courtyard.

Zhuang Haiming offered to help with the event setup, and seeing his unusual enthusiasm, Su Sinan went along with it.

After putting her things down, Su Sinan started chatting with Zhuang Yazhi again.

"This year's event will be very lively, and many partners will be coming to the event; by the way, Aunt Zhang and Xiao Shen will also be there."

When Shen Yiheng was mentioned, Zhuang Yazhi hesitated for a moment as she placed the items.

If her mother hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have known that Shen Yiheng was actually on a business trip to Fancheng.

That means we'll run into each other again when the time comes.

"Oh, really?" She pretended not to know, her indifferent expression revealing her nonchalance.

Su Sinan sensed something was off. She felt that Zhuang Yazhi was acting awkwardly and was trying to avoid her.

Did Xiao Shen upset you?

“No,” Zhuang Yazhi said, not wanting to continue the topic.

Su Sinan understood: "He made you unhappy."

Such a strange ability to understand and comprehend; Zhuang Ya was stunned.

But that seems to make sense, since feeling down is also a form of unhappiness.

Let's just blame him.