Chapter 29: The Fall of Free Will

Lunch was pretty simple. Xiang Wu was used to it, and she was lazy when it was time to eat.

Leaning against the cabin living room’s cloud-shaped sofa, clutching a pillow, she soon became drowsy, like a lazy Persian cat, closing her eyes.

The air conditioning was a bit chilly, Ning Qing put a blanket over her, not wanting to disturb her.

Qin Yanzhou finished his phone call, and his eyes fell on this scene.

Shen Muyan looked very well-behaved, nestled in the soft pillow, her mouth slightly pouting, half of her cheek hidden, her brows relaxed and open, delicate and serene.

The cruise ship’s return journey would take a while. The cabin lounge was quiet. The round red wine poured into the glass, the wine clear and mellow.

Qin Yanzhou looked at Shen Muyan’s profile, his gaze fixed, not paying attention to the latest news from Wall Street, but even a slight glance could see the color in her face.

It was a mess.

The wine was strong, slightly bitter, and the alcohol entering his throat slightly eased his emotions. He knew his emotional changes very well. At first, he could still control himself.

But the longer they spent together, the more difficult it became to control himself. He was actually quite worried about losing control.

Qin Yanzhou understood himself very well. He was a bit obsessive, very possessive, and would never allow anyone to touch his belongings. He loved to be in control, and he couldn’t stand to be controlled.

Including Shen Muyan.

She was so innocent, so carefree, and so compliant. Following this trend, she would definitely become addicted, but…

Right or wrong, he had anticipated it.

As the ship sped up, reaching the shallow area, Shen Muyan slowly turned around.

She rolled over lazily, turning towards the corner of the sofa. She found that she was blocked by the backrest, a little uncomfortable, and she hadn’t noticed where she was looking yet.

Behind her, a magnetic and soothing voice entered her ear, deep and pleasant.

Shen Muyan sat up, rubbed her eyes, and shook her head. This time, she was truly awake.

“It’s scary.”

It was normal to be afraid, but Qin Yanzhou was already very used to her, and he could still see the fear in her eyes.

“Qin Xian, my first impression of you was very… the first time I saw you, you were yelling at me, and then…”

The more she spoke, the less confident Shen Muyan became.

“Have you ever spoken to him?”

“No.” She shook her head, her mind filled with words to refute, but she held back.

“Qin Xian is a logic freak.”

Qin Yanzhou also said something, but he didn’t care.

“It’s almost time to reach the villa. Manager Lin is already waiting at the door. Now that the young master is back, sister, I’m afraid you’ll have a fight when you see each other.”

“Manager Lin, is something wrong today?”

Manager Lin’s face was forced into a smile: “No, sister.”

Shen Muyan knew she was wrong. Her steps were light, but as she walked past two giant fountain tanks, she caught a glimpse of a familiar license plate on a luxury car in the parking lot next to it.

“Brother is back!” She stomped her foot, tilted her head, curved her lips, and smiled from ear to ear, looking at Manager Lin.

“This…”

“The young master just came back, half an hour ago.” Manager Lin was shouting inside, everyone was advising the young master not to drive such a conspicuous car, but it was fine, it was already a little late, now…

“It’s going to be difficult.”

Shen Muyan quickened her pace and handed her bag to Ning Qing.

In the luxurious living room, next to the European-style circular sofa, Shen Yu was still pondering over the script, his arm bent lazily behind his head, serving as a cushion, his demeanor casual and carefree.

She squatted obediently beside him, occasionally tugging at his pants, but he didn’t pay any attention. She felt bored, so she simply got up and went to play in the backyard.

Hearing the sound of her footsteps and silver tiles touching, he slightly turned his head, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and quickly got up.

“Yan Yan, are you tired of playing?”

“Come, come, take a rest.”

“Manager Lin, bring a glass of juice.”

He was as attentive as he could be.

Shen Yu had handsome features, with a pair of peach blossom eyes, his dark eyes filled with luster, always smiling. His hair was shiny and bright.

He bent over to please his younger sister.

“Hmph!” Shen Muyan didn’t say a word, she picked up the pillow next to her and threw it at his head.

She changed sofas again. Although it was pretty good, the more she played, the more unbalanced she felt.

“Wait until tomorrow, I’ll bury you with a pile of folders!”

“Good sister, your brother hasn’t been idle, he’s got a blue sapphire necklace for you.”

Shen Yu presented two gift boxes with a smile, patiently coaxing her.

“You haven’t chased after her for so long, don’t mention your brother in the future.” Shen Princess crossed her arms, her chin slightly raised, her arrogance evident. She took the blue sapphire necklace, pretending to be indifferent, but her true nature was revealed.

She had been eyeing this style for a long time, she liked it, the crystal-clear blue sapphire necklace wrapped around her fingers, hiding a smile.

Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Beside him, leaning back against the sofa, he was relieved that his sister’s temper had come back. He was also…

However, the words he said were indeed wrong. He hadn’t made any progress…

“Yan Yan, are you tired from your internship?”

“It’s okay.” Shen Muyan was distracted by the necklace, her answer was perfunctory.

“What are you busy with?”

“Having fun, who told you to be in charge of the Shanghai branch, you’re so busy that Shen Muyan is destined to have no such freedom. You can only go out during vacations. Wait until the company’s operations are mature, then you can fly around and go on business trips.”

“Just like Qin Xian.”

“It’s hard work, hard work, let me give you a shoulder massage.”

“No, give it to your future sister-in-law, right? In two days, your brother will be back, and I guess he’ll scold you again.” Shen Muyan casually mentioned, then got up and went upstairs.

“Ning Qing, why was it so good to play today?” Shen Yu noticed something was wrong the moment Shen Muyan entered the living room. After waiting for the elevator, he asked.

Ning Qing answered truthfully: “Sister went fishing today.”

“She can fish! Didn’t the fish pull her back?” He was surprised, but Shen Yu didn’t ask further. He didn’t ask who she went with either, probably because she played well with her friends, so he tacitly agreed.

“Hey, everyone is taking advantage of her. Does she look like she likes being scolded?” In the end, Shen Yu muttered to himself and continued to lie on the sofa reading the script.

Not long after going upstairs, Shen Muyan was swaying on the balcony, sending a voice message to Qin Yanzhou.

“Although I didn’t get the jade necklace, this blue sapphire necklace is pretty good too.”

Her legs swayed gently, moving the swing.

Qin Yanzhou knew Shen Muyan’s personality – she was easy to coax.

He had a keen business acumen and observation skills, but he only knew how to coax himself. He wasn’t good at coaxing others, but she was also easy to coax.

He only wondered how she would react after the necklace auction, and what he should do.

He should also prepare a gift to coax her.

“Coax”, this word was very unfamiliar to Qin Yanzhou. When had he ever coaxed anyone?

But after thinking for a few seconds.

“Airfreight the pearl crown from the safe deposit box in Ruiyi No. 1.”

Qin Yanzhou called the person in charge of Rui International Bank and gave a brief instruction before hanging up.

He was decisive and resolute, like a fierce wind.

——

This time, the banquet invited guests were friends and long-term partners. To show his sincerity, he directly held the banquet at the Shen family’s villa.

The villa’s dedicated banquet hall was large in scale, luxuriously decorated, with a classical European architectural style. Several servants were orderly and meticulously presenting exquisite dishes and expensive wines.

Worldly gatherings didn’t need to be too ostentatious, but the style couldn’t be lost.

“Yan Yan is only 25 years old, she just graduated and took over the Shanghai branch. The No. 1 Leather project is really amazing, she’s so capable!”

“It’s also thanks to Qin’s help, otherwise it wouldn’t have been so smooth.”

Mu Zhen wore a peacock green embroidered cheongsam that Shen Muyan had given her, standing among the ladies of the upper class, her demeanor elegant and dignified, her smile gentle and graceful, she was at ease.

It was natural for her daughter to be praised, but she was not arrogant. The development of the Shanghai branch had just begun, and what would happen in the future remained to be seen.

The younger generation in Hong Kong had all gone through their trials and tribulations. Her childhood friends were now only allowed to stay in the mainland.

However, she was too busy now.

Shen Muyan also liked the mixture of interests and hypocritical social interactions, but for the sake of inheritance, she had to face this reality.

There was no sentimentality in the business world.

Qin Yanzhou nodded slightly, without mentioning his arrival. He had just gotten off the car and was planning to go straight to the banquet hall.

But his eyes were drawn to Shen Muyan, who was hiding in the corner of the hall, by the arc-shaped sofa. She was the hostess today, why was she sitting there dumbly?

She was too happy.

“Take the gift in.” Qin Yanzhou waved his hand, dismissing Lu Lin, and turned to walk towards the corner, his steps steady.

The girl was wearing a light blue princess dress today to match the blue sapphire necklace, dressed like a princess in a fairy tale.

She leaned against the corner of the sofa, her bright peach blossom eyes were slightly calm today.

“Cry?” Qin Yanzhou stood behind the sofa, he could easily see the expression on Shen Muyan’s face. Her delicate and beautiful eyes were mixed with a bit of dullness.

“I’m not in the mood.” Shen Muyan was simply too bored, she yawned, and inexplicably, her eyes started to get watery.

The area around her eyes, so soft and inviting.

“Qin Xian, what kind of banquet hall is this?” She didn’t get up, she knelt on the sofa, supporting herself with the backrest, raising her eyes to meet his obsidian-like eyes.

“The necklace is pretty.”

Qin Yanzhou didn’t answer her question, he changed the subject, his gaze lingered on her neck for a moment.

In the center of her graceful collarbone, the light blue sapphire was crystal clear, like a blue gem. Now it was already dazzling, if it were exposed to the sun, it would surely shine brightly, dazzling and colorful.

“I think so too.”

Finally, a smile bloomed on her face, the matching crown slightly tilted with her movements.

Qin Yanzhou raised his hand, his indifferent eyes gradually softened, following the curve of her side, touching her most sensitive earlobe.

Shen Muyan froze, unconsciously clenching her…

Her clear eyes like glass stared intently at Qin Xian, her eyebrows slightly raised, her black pupils unruffled.

Qin Yanzhou’s movements were gentle, he straightened the crown.