My Gorgeous Wife Relies on Her Beauty to Commit Crimes - Chapter 1.2

She tightened the shawl around her shoulders as Xie Jing approached and stood beside her. “Auntie smokes too?” Xie Jing asked.

Shen Jin’s gaze settled on her face.

That face looked delicate and vulnerable, with soft, downturned brows and light brown eyes the color of amber like dodder vines clinging to a branch.

Familiar enough to disgust Shen Jin.

Like father, like son. Shen Tuo’s tastes were eerily similar to his father’s.

Shen Jin didn’t answer. She averted her eyes and walked toward the sitting room.

Xie Jing didn’t seem bothered. Her cool gaze swept over Shen Jin before turning outward. Nearby were trees; farther away, mountains. She wondered what Shen Jin had been looking at.

Curious, she leaned against the spot where Shen Jin had just been standing. Then her eyes froze, and she smiled faintly at the distant mountain peak. So that’s what she was looking at.

That was the Shen family cemetery, where Mr. and Mrs. Shen, along with Shen Jin’s elder brother Shen Fu, were buried.

There was movement behind her again. Xie Jing turned her head to see Shen Tuo just coming down, yawning as he asked, “Have you seen my mom?”

Xie Jing walked away, heading toward Shen Tuo.

She lifted her finger, pointing in the direction Shen Jin had just left. “She went that way.”

Shen Tuo lazily replied, “That’s the direction of the reception room. Guests are usually entertained there. Let’s go.”

Xie Jing followed, listening as Shen Tuo said, “Watch my cues later. My mom definitely won’t agree to us getting married.”

He sounded utterly confident.

“Did you bring the ring I gave you?” Shen Tuo turned back to ask.

Xie Jing raised her hand from behind her back, the two-carat diamond ring sparkling on her finger, making her already slender fingers appear even more delicate.

Shen Tuo admired it for a moment, then whistled. “It really suits you.”

Xie Jing lowered her hand and glanced at it, saying nonchalantly, “I still prefer gold.”

“Tacky,” Shen Tuo remarked.

“Utterly tacky,” he added.

Xie Jing smiled, lips curving. “I’ve always been a tacky person.”

Shen Tuo turned his head to look at Xie Jing walking beside him.

She had a face that wasn’t ordinary, the kind that didn’t stun at first glance but grew more captivating the longer you looked.

Yet her tackiness was precisely what Shen Tuo liked most about her.

Having grown up this way, Shen Tuo was determined to defy Shen Jin’s tastes at every turn.

If she admired the pristine snow on mountain peaks, he’d deliberately embrace the vulgar and common.

The nobler she was, the filthier he’d become.

Shen Tuo hated Shen Jin.

Hated everything about her—even though she was his mother.

With a flippant tone, Shen Tuo said, “If you like it, I’ll take you out to buy some next time.”

Xie Jing lowered her head with a faint smile, masking the disgust in her eyes.

But her actions contradicted her feelings, she obediently looped her arm through Shen Tuo’s and softly replied, “Okay.”

In the reception room, Shen Jin sat in the host’s seat, arms crossed as she gazed out the window.

In the shimmering swimming pool, a lone flamingo float drifted aimlessly. Suddenly, ripples disturbed the water, the butler directed the servants to fish it out. Deflated, the flamingo flopped limply onto the ground.

Somewhat amusing.

Such a bright color had never appeared in this household before.

Shen Jin preferred understated elegance, and everything in the house was arranged according to her tastes.

Including the seasonal wardrobes delivered.

All in shades of black, white, and gray.

Shen Tuo probably hadn’t noticed, but his preferences had long been subtly reshaped by Shen Jin.

Yet he still stubbornly clung to his childish defiance, as if fighting against the heavens.

A faint smile tugged at Shen Jin’s lips.

She had smiled more today than in the past year combined.

Perhaps because something had pleased her.

Shen Jin raised a hand to touch the corner of her mouth. At the sound of the door opening, her smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Shen Tuo pushed the door open and met Shen Jin’s icy gaze.

Instinctively, he hunched his shoulders.

Every time Shen Jin looked at him like this, he’d end up beaten, unable to fight back.

Because she’d bring two burly bodyguards to pin him down before slapping him hard across the face.

But today, Shen Jin was alone.

Summoning his courage, Shen Tuo grabbed Xie Jing’s wrist, pulled her inside, and stood at the doorway to loudly declare:

“Mom, this is Xie Jing! I love her, and I’m going to marry her!”

Shen Jin scoffed. “Sure.”

Her hand moved uncontrollably toward the cigarette box tossed on the table.

The lighter lay beside it.

Plucking a cigarette, she tucked it between her lips, then hooked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with her right hand. With a click, she lit another cigarette.

I’ve smoked far too much today, it’s bad for my health, Shen Jin reminded herself.

With her left hand, she casually tossed the lighter onto the table. The uniquely designed lighter slid forward a short distance. With her right hand, she pulled the cigarette from her lips, not taking a drag, and held it between her fingers as she said coolly, “You’re grown now. I can’t control you anymore. From today onward, you’ll have to take responsibility for your own actions.”

After speaking, Shen Jin flicked the ash from her cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray on the table.

She tightened the shawl around her shoulders and swept past Shen Tuo, who stood frozen like a wooden statue.

Shen Tuo’s lips moved, but no words came out.

Xie Jing, however, watched Shen Jin’s retreating figure with interest.

This mother and son really had different temperaments.

Compared to Shen Jin, Shen Tuo fell far short.

Xie Jing gave Shen Tuo’s shoulder a firm pat. “Auntie’s leaving,” she said, a faint smile playing at her lips. “So, when are we getting married?”

Shen Tuo snapped out of his daze with a shudder.

He had only wanted to provoke Shen Jin, he hadn’t actually planned on getting married!

Why wasn’t Shen Jin opposing him today?

He turned to look at Xie Jing.

Xie Jing was beautiful, sure, but marriage was the grave of love. He still had plenty of sweethearts and older sisters out there, he couldn’t possibly give up an entire forest for Xie Jing alone.

Shen Tuo felt a pang of irritation.

Why did these women always cling to him like this?

He conveniently forgot that he had been the one to pursue them first, only to find them annoyingly clingy after getting together.

Xie Jing’s smile widened, sweet as honey.

She looped her arm through Shen Tuo’s and said in a sugary tone,

“Just kidding. I don’t actually want to get married.”

“What if I stop liking you later and meet someone else? I wouldn’t want to disappoint them with the baggage of a divorce.”

She let go of his arm and flipped her hair back.

“You should go explain things to Auntie. Just tell her we’re only friends.”

With that, she waved her hand and disappeared from the reception room in a swirl of fragrant air.

Shen Tuo reached out, mouth agape. “Hey!” he shouted, flushing with anger. “Xie Jing, you, how dare you turn your back on me like that!”

Xie Jing pretended not to hear. She opened her palm.

Resting in it was the lighter Shen Jin had just used.

The lighter had a unique design a black swan, with the flame spouting from its beak. Xie Jing caught up to Shen Jin.

“Auntie, you forgot your lighter.”

A slender, fair arm stretched out, palm upturned. Shen Jin’s gaze flickered, the youthful skin was supple and elastic, the fingertips plump and smooth. The black lighter lay against the pale palm like some precious treasure displayed on velvet to emphasize its luxury.

Shen Jin drew her shoulders in slightly, adjusting the shawl draped over them, then reached out to take the lighter from Xie Jing’s hand.

“Thanks,” she said flatly, her lips parting slightly as she spoke. She didn’t turn around, her gaze lingering thoughtfully on the arm extended before her, her tone drifting out with careless indifference.

Support My Gorgeous Wife Relies on Her Beauty to Commit Crimes