Chapter 1289 - 918: The Hand That Touched Zhuizhui

Zhang Chen suddenly felt his hand getting a bit hot, not just warm, but scorchingly hot.

Recalling the scene of Ying’s teary-eyed departure today, Zhang Chen suddenly felt he deserved to die a thousand times over. How could he have patted Ying’s butt in front of so many people?

The most crucial thing is, what did I even do in the Northern Land?

Jiang Nan laughed as he watched Zhang Chen’s expression: "You really didn’t know Ying is a girl, but you patted her butt the first time you met, which means you’re quite familiar with each other. How come you don’t know her gender? How did you two meet?"

Seeing Jiang Nan’s gossipy face, Zhang Chen replied grumpily, "Alright, stop gossiping, it has nothing to do with you!"

Feeling anxious, he wondered how he should explain to Elder Zhong. After all, a young lady was patted on the butt by him in public, and it might be hard for her to get married in Kyoto in the future.

Seeing Zhang Chen’s troubled look, Jiang Nan giggled and said, "Don’t be so worried, Miss Zhong is magnanimous and won’t blame you. I’ll host a little feast to welcome you today. Tomorrow I’ll go with you to apologize to Miss Zhong, and I’ll explain everything. I bet Miss Zhong won’t continue to hold a grudge."

Jiang Nan instructed the servants to bring over food and wine, and then the two sat in the pavilion drinking heartily, reminiscing about the past. Before they knew it, they were tangled up together.

The next morning

Jiang Nan sat up as usual, dressed, while Zhang Chen lazily opened his eyes and appreciated the graceful curves. He had to admit, Jiang Nan had an excellent figure, truly a beauty.

"Have you ever considered marrying me?" Zhang Chen asked, as he reached out to give Jiang Nan’s waist a playful squeeze.

"Become the head of the Zhang Family first, then we’ll talk. The person I’ll marry in the future must be the most distinguished and powerful under Heaven and Earth, the top Great Cultivator. As for you... you’re just too far off." Jiang Nan didn’t bother about Zhang Chen’s hand wandering around, and continued putting on her clothes by herself: "This was just a moment of indulgence. Since coming to Kyoto, I’ve been dealing with princes and nobles, always risking being swallowed whole if I’m not careful. My heart’s been suppressed for too long, I just wanted to let loose for one night. You don’t need to take it to heart, nor are you responsible."

Zhang Chen looked at Jiang Nan, an indescribable expression in his eyes. Sensing the odd look in Zhang Chen’s eyes, Jiang Nan turned her head and asked, "Why are you looking at me like this?"

"I really didn’t expect such a good thing in the world, to have a night with a woman and not need to be responsible." Zhang Chen laughed, his voice full of pleasure.

"I’ll accompany you to see Ying and explain things to her," Jiang Nan said to Zhang Chen and started helping him get dressed.

Zhang Chen was surprised and asked, "You know Ying?"

"I don’t know her!" Jiang Nan shook her head, "But once I go with you, I’ll get to know her."

At this point, Jiang Nan stopped helping Zhang Chen with his clothes, looked up at him, "You wouldn’t mind bringing me to meet Ying, right?"

"Men often find it hard to refuse in moments like this. I’m finally certain that the reason you slept with me last night was a plot, to make it impossible for me to say no now." Zhang Chen remarked.

Jiang Nan smiled candidly, "You wouldn’t refuse, would you?"

Zhang Chen looked at Jiang Nan, reached out to gently tap her chin, Jiang Nan, like a cat, placed her chin in the palm of Zhang Chen’s hand, blinking her bright eyes coquettishly and softly confirmed again, "You wouldn’t refuse, right?"

"I don’t know what your intentions are with Ying, but the relationship between Ying and me is definitely not what you think. If you meet her with me, you might not only fail to befriend her but might also earn her secret resentment." Zhang Chen stated.

"Just bring me to show my face in front of her, I’ll handle the rest." Jiang Nan reassured.

Zhang Chen nodded, "If you’re not afraid of being involved, feel free to come with me."

While they talked, Zhang Chen got dressed under Jiang Nan’s assistance. He then instructed the servants to bring breakfast, and during the breakfast, Bu Er handed over a letter, "Young master, a letter was delivered by someone at Elder Mr. Zhong’s request last night."

Zhang Chen motioned for Bu Er to place the letter on the table. Jiang Nan looked curiously at Zhang Chen, "Elder Mr. Zhong is incredible now. Since breaking through to the Tenth Tier, he has become a highly sought-after figure in Kyoto. That’s the Tenth Tier in physical cultivation. How did you come to know such a big figure?"

"The connection between Elder Mr. Zhong and me is merely from the old ties my father left behind, just acquaintances." Zhang Chen did not reveal the truth, just lightly brushed over the topic.

"Elder Mr. Zhong is likely looking to settle accounts with you. Yesterday, you patted his granddaughter’s butt, and now it’s the talk of Kyoto. Elder Mr. Zhong definitely won’t let this go." Jiang Nan remarked, looking at Zhang Chen with a pair of eyes:

"It’s a shame your family has fallen on hard times, and you don’t have any exceptional skills. Otherwise, Elder Mr. Zhong might have married Miss Zhong to you. Unfortunately, someone like you isn’t a match for Zhong Xiang. She wouldn’t even consider marrying you, no matter how destitute she became."

Zhang Chen turned his head to look at Jiang Nan, seeing an expression of disdain on her face. He felt a bit speechless inside. As their eyes met, Jiang Nan spoke with irritation, "Why are you looking at me like that? I’m just telling the truth."

"Your words are unnecessarily hurtful!" It took Zhang Chen a good while before he shifted his gaze to the letter on the table, feeling a tingling sensation in his scalp. Then he put down the steamed bun in his hand and reached out to take the letter and open it, gradually relaxing his brow: "Elder Mr. Zhong invites me to visit tomorrow."

"I imagine he’s summoning you to hold you accountable," Jiang Nan said.

Zhang Chen said nothing. He couldn’t be bothered to speak to Jiang Nan. How had he never noticed before just how sharp-tongued this girl was?

Seeing Zhang Chen remain silent, Jiang Nan knew he was upset, so she smiled and said, "You don’t need to be angry. If I get to thirty and still have no hope of revenge, I’ll probably be too old and tired to have the right to seek revenge. My beauty will be wasted, and at that point, I wouldn’t mind marrying you. You’re just an older youth, with no money, no skills, and no big backing. If I don’t marry you, you’ll never find a wife."

Zhang Chen glanced at Jiang Nan but didn’t respond to her, instead continuing to lower his head and eat.

Halfway through the meal, there was a knock on the door. Shen Ling walked in with a food box, giving a start when she saw Jiang Nan having breakfast with Zhang Chen. "Little cousin, we haven’t seen each other for ages. I didn’t expect you to be here."

"It’s been some time indeed. I hope you’ve been well, cousin." Jiang Nan replied indifferently.

Shen Ling’s eyes scanned over Jiang Nan and Zhang Chen, not noticing anything unusual in the room, so she finally smiled, "I steamed crystal shrimp dumplings for you this morning. I brought them over for you to try."

Zhang Chen glanced at Shen Ling, his voice full of politeness and distance, "Food is food. You might as well spend the time training. Isn’t it a waste of time to cook? Besides, your cooking can’t be as tasty as a chef’s."

Beside them, Jiang Nan’s expression was strange at those words, but being tactful, she quickly stood up and took the shrimp dumplings from Shen Ling’s hands, smiling, "I love eating these. I do! Don’t mind him. He’s just a blockhead, how could he understand a girl’s heart?"

After speaking, Jiang Nan grabbed the crystal shrimp dumplings and started eating them without hesitation, leaving Shen Ling’s smile even more frozen.

"After all, it’s Shen Ling’s heart at work here. Why don’t you have a taste?" Jiang Nan picked up a dumpling and offered it to Zhang Chen.

"I’m full. You keep eating." Zhang Chen put down his chopsticks and got up to leave the pavilion.

"Wait for me! I’ll go with you to visit Zhong Xiang." Jiang Nan said, seeing Zhang Chen leave, and quickly got up to follow him, leaving Shen Ling standing dumbfounded inside the pavilion.

As Zhang Chen walked out of the pavilion, he paused and looked back at the bewildered Shen Ling: "Thank you for the shrimp dumplings."

When Shen Ling heard him, her eyes lit up, just as she was about to say something, Zhang Chen continued, "But please don’t send them again. Since I’m not married yet and you keep coming over, I’m afraid it might affect both of us negatively. I also worry that I’ll be misunderstood and unable to find a wife in the future. If others think there’s something between us, how will I ever find a wife?"

With that, Zhang Chen ignored Shen Ling’s expression and walked straight out of the pavilion.

At least his words were polite compared to when he was adamant about breaking off the engagement with Shen Ling in the past.

Shen Ling stared blankly at Zhang Chen, her eyes welling up with tears. Jiang Nan, walking beside Zhang Chen, said in a strange tone, "Aren’t you being a bit too heartless?"

"Heartless? If she clings to me and other women misunderstand, how will I find a wife?" Zhang Chen replied irritably.

He wasn’t ignorant of how in the TV drama "A House Full of Love," Qin Huai Ru was ambiguously involved with Silly Zhu, causing many big girls to misunderstand, so he never found a partner.

He wouldn’t make that mistake!

"Those shrimp dumplings represented her sincerity. Surely you could have eaten one," Jiang Nan said, disgruntled, "Eating none is too hurtful."

"Can you imagine her hands, making those dumplings, having touched Zhang Gaoqiu’s butt? Do you still have the appetite?" Zhang Chen looked at Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan was stunned at his words. The next moment, she began to retch, running to the side to vomit.

"Zhang Chen, you’re disgusting!" Jiang Nan rushed up to scold Zhang Chen, her voice filled with intense dissatisfaction.