Chapter 28 Part 1

The ground lights on Little Zhou Mountain lit up promptly at six in the afternoon. As the night grew darker, the lights shone even brighter.

The Milky Way hung upside down in the sky, stars plummeting from the vast night into the human world. Dusk settled in all directions, endless night spreading like clouds and mist, enveloping Little Zhou Mountain.

The shackles on his wrists transmitted an icy touch.

Shen Yu knew he couldn’t break free, so he chose to sit silently in the shadows, gathering his strength. He leaned back against the seat without a word and turned his head to look out the car window.

Over a dozen nearly identical black cars closed in from all directions—two in front, four on the left, five on the right, and several more visible in the rearview mirror. Anyone who didn’t know better would think a national leader had arrived.

This formation was overkill; it gave everyone an ominous premonition.

Even if he could break free from the shackles behind him, Shen Yu figured he couldn’t escape even with wings.

Shen Yu: 【…So I’ve ended up riding in the big boss’s personally driven car.】

The luxury car followed the road up Little Zhou Mountain, but it wasn’t heading toward Zhou Mansion.

Midway, Zhou Jinsheng picked up a call from Song Shi. “Something wrong?”

Zhou Jinsheng’s voice betrayed no emotion, but it was precisely this unpredictability that terrified his subordinates the most. As Zhou Jinsheng’s special assistant, Song Shi sat in the car right behind, staring at the one ahead.

He had just returned from handling an arms deal in Africa, and now he was thrust into this excitement.

Zhou Jinsheng’s car sped up faster and faster, to a reckless degree, almost leaving afterimages in its wake.

Even knowing his boss was in a foul mood, Song Shi could only steel himself and ask softly, “BOSS, there’s a banquet at Zheng Family tonight that you need to attend.”

Song Shi paused, his voice hesitant. “Are you… still going?”

Zhou Jinsheng was silent for a moment before his questioning voice came through the receiver. “Why wouldn’t I?”

That meant he was going. After all, it was the Zheng Family’s banquet. Putting aside personal ties, Zheng Corporation was a major force in bridging the legitimate and underworld channels for them.

Finally hearing the familiar rhythm of task assignments from his boss, Song Shi nodded. “Understood, BOSS. Should I bring Mr. Shen back to Zhou Mansion?”

“No need.” Zhou Jinsheng’s voice was hoarse and magnetic.

“He’s my date for the banquet tonight, isn’t he?”

Everyone in the trailing cars, including Song Shi and the bodyguards, fell instantly silent. Their expressions could only be described as horrified—

A date for the banquet… in handcuffs?

The black car body wound along the mountain road into Sihua Gardens, heading deeper until the outlines of a brightly lit estate came into view. Lavish and grand, the estate’s gates bustled with men and women arriving via shuttles from the mountaintop, all dressed impeccably.

Access to the foot of Little Zhou Mountain was strictly controlled that day. Only vehicles with specific license plates were allowed in the entry system. Everyone else had to take ferries to Azure Water Bay, then the ascending cable car to the summit, and finally shuttles to the banquet.

Most of the guests were prominent figures from various fields in Shang Capital City. Major media outlets had dispatched their top reporters, hoping to unearth some explosive scoops from this rare Little Zhou Mountain gala.

The crowd of reporters brandished cameras, surrounding the estate gates while leaving a path to the entrance.

The ground lights on either side blazed brightly. Plenty of celebrities had been invited this time too, their flashes continuous, freezing every vivid face in an instant. The scene rivaled a red carpet event.

The black car climbed the slope and stopped at the estate gates.

The flashes stilled for a moment.

No wonder— in all of Shang Capital City, only the Zhou, Chi, Zheng, and Yu Four Families could freely enter Sihua Gardens.

Ever since the Yu Family fell, it was down to Zhou, Chi, and Zheng. This was Zheng Corporation’s banquet, and it was too late for it to be Zheng Corporation themselves. Chi Xianli had just entered on behalf of Old Master Chi.

That left only one possibility, self-evident.

The Zhou Corporation had always been enigmatic, like an invisible hand manipulating the winds of change in Shangjing. Everyone wanted some gossip, but the Zhou kept a low profile, making intel hard to come by. Even if you got something, you had to weigh whether you dared publish it.

High-profile like this today?

Reporters had keen instincts; even faint clues could lead to the truth. Their breathing grew rapid and heated as they subtly jostled forward, raising their lenses to capture firsthand shots.

It was night, yet amid the flashing lights, it was brighter than day.

How could Shen Yu not understand Zhou Jinsheng’s intent? He strained against the shackles on his wrists, but it was futile.

Zhou Jinsheng got out of the car. Countless lights converged behind him, outlining him in bold, heavy colors.

He squinted, opened the car door, and slipped into the back seat before the flashes could catch him, closing the door behind.

Shen Yu’s clothes were half-undone, his snow-white shirt slipped down to both sides of his shoulders. He sat silently in the shadows.

His pale wrists were bound together with a silk black tie and shackled to the seat.

Having been shackled for so long, his expression was listless. His disheveled shirt hung open on both sides, revealing sleek, milk-white muscles like a work of art, with a slightly swollen, reddened protrusion in the center that rose and fell with his breaths.

Noticing Zhou Jinsheng’s gaze lingering on him, Shen Yu lifted his eyelids slightly and spat out a cold, hard word: “Scram—”

Zhou Jinsheng leaned into the car. His broad, solid frame blocked all prying lights. His heavy aura and scorching heat enveloped Shen Yu.

He reached out and buttoned Shen Yu’s shirt one by one, not missing even the top one.

Knowing how much Shen Yu cared about his image, Zhou Jinsheng smoothed out the wrinkles inch by inch with his hands. His warm palm brushed over Shen Yu’s chest through the fabric, making him draw in a sharp breath. He glared at Zhou Jinsheng involuntarily.

The strong lights behind cast Zhou Jinsheng’s face into shadow, accentuating his sharp features like a blade. Head lowered, he tidied Shen Yu’s clothes from top to bottom.

From Shen Yu’s angle, he could only see the man’s lowered eyelids, betraying no emotion.

What was he thinking?

Ever since returning to Shangjing, everything felt utterly absurd.

He was growing less and less able to understand Zhou Jinsheng—or rather, he had never understood him.

Eight years ago, it was Zhou Jinsheng who had torn open the truth of the world for him. If he was weak, he would remain weak forever. If he didn’t fight back, he would be trampled underfoot eternally—

It was Zhou Jinsheng who had turned him into this: sharp, cold, ambitious, craving power. So he could sell himself out for profit without hesitation, time and again.

Between them, it was just a straightforward transaction.

But why did he keep testing his bottom line in this deal? Why gaze at him with those complicated eyes? Why—

Why always like this?

Shen Yu felt a trace of fear, mingled with confusion.

He lowered his eyes, his pale lips pressed together like two overlapping petals of faint flowers.

Zhou Jinsheng leaned closer, untied the necktie binding Shen Yu’s wrists, and tossed it aside. A sharp breath swept past. The now-free hand immediately swung toward his face.

Zhou Jinsheng’s eyes flicked up, catching Shen Yu’s fist aimed at him.

Zhou Jinsheng stared silently into his eyes.

Under that calm gaze, Shen Yu’s fingers tightened. He felt undeniable heat and power transmitting through the back of his hand. He cursed lowly, averted his gaze, and let his fist drop to the seat. His arm hung naturally, in a posture of defiance.

Zhou Jinsheng took out a key and unlocked the shackles from the seat. Then, with a click, he fastened them onto his own left wrist.

Noticing the action, Shen Yu’s lashes trembled. He lifted his eyes in surprise.

The gleaming shackles clinked against the silver Patek Philippe watch face, producing a crisp sound that matched the man’s magnetic, dangerous voice, laced with threat and warning:

“Shen Yu, don’t forget—you belong to me now.”

Zhou Jinsheng got out of the car. Shackled to the same chain, Shen Yu steadied himself and followed.

From the moment he stepped out, Shen Yu had schooled all emotion from his demeanor, his posture poised and proper, hiding every trace of disarray and embarrassment.

Seeing their wrists cuffed together, the crowd gasped. What emergency was this? Or were they playing some kind of game?

A startled exclamation rose, and the media, more than happy to be part of the game, instantly aimed countless flashes at them.

Just like eight years ago, the anticipated humiliation under all those eyes never came.

Amid the flashing lights, the two tall, handsome men stood together like a perfect pair. Behind them loomed the stark silhouettes of the mountains, making them look like they had been cut from a magazine.

Eyes drifted downward to their wrists, inexplicably bound by a pair of handcuffs—endlessly intriguing, sparking endless speculation. The onlookers’ thoughts inevitably slid toward certain directions.

“Holy shit, who’s that guy?”

Someone sharp-eyed said, “Hey? Isn’t that the one who kept He Qian?”

The speaker was up front, his voice carrying loud enough for Shen Yu and Zhou Jinsheng to hear.

“…”

Shen Yu: 【Bro, you’re like a mine detector—spot on.】

Sure enough, Zhou Jinsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. His indifferent gaze swept over the speaker. “This He Qian you mentioned—which one is he?”

His tone was utterly calm, yet that glance carried a terrifying storm cloud. The entire entrance fell silent in an instant.

The media outlets that had pushed stories on He Qian and Shen Yu trembled in fear, wishing they could shrink into quails.

Shen Yu shifted slightly, but his hand was caught by the other. Fingers interlaced with his, the Authority Ring pressing into his skin along with the cold metal and Zhou Jinsheng’s scorching body heat.

Zhou Jinsheng’s five fingers locked with his, pulling Shen Yu a step closer.

The move was like a drop of water in hot oil—the quiet scene erupted. Combining Zhou Jinsheng’s earlier words and their cuffed hands, everyone speculated wildly about Shen Yu’s identity and their relationship.

Who was this guy, to make the Zhou Corporation’s head bow his head?

Zhou Jinsheng led Shen Yu toward the entrance, leaning in to murmur by his ear, “Is this level of attention enough for you?”