My Gorgeous Wife Relies on Her Beauty to Commit Crimes - Chapter 3

“Nonsense,” Shen Jin coughed.

She didn’t want to discuss her own affairs any further and turned to Lan Yiqing, asking, “How long can you stay this time?”

Lan Yiqing replied, “Half a month. Then I’ll head to the South Pole, I’ve been invited to be a judge for a photography exhibition.”

“Hmm,” Shen Jin responded, silently raising her glass to clink with Lan Yiqing’s.

The two drank late into the night before parting ways. Shen Jin’s driver was waiting outside, and she didn’t feel comfortable letting Lan Yiqing take a cab alone, so she had the driver drop her off first before turning the car around and heading back to Shen Manor.

By the time she returned, the moon hung high in the sky. Shen Jin wasn’t drunk, just pleasantly tipsy, her stomach warm and her thoughts adrift. The night breeze tousled her hair as she quietly opened the door and went upstairs, careful not to wake anyone.

The hallway lights were on, casting a dim yellow glow on the walls. At the turn of the stairs, Shen Jin stopped in her tracks, two entangled shadows fell at her feet.

Shen Tuo had Xie Jing pinned against the wall with his left arm, his teeth gritted as he leaned in. “What the hell was that about earlier?”

On the right side of his face, hidden from Shen Jin’s view, was a bright red slap mark.

Xie Jing tilted her head back, half her face obscured by Shen Tuo. Their posture was intimate, but her voice was icy as she whispered in his ear, “I think you’re disgusting.”

Shen Tuo stiffened in shock, then pressed his lips downward, trying to force a kiss on her.

“What’s wrong with a disgusting man kissing you?”

Xie Jing turned her head, and his lips landed just above her earlobe.

Furious, Shen Tuo felt his heart about to explode. He reached to grip Xie Jing’s chin, but she raised a hand to block him. He caught her wrist, squeezing hard enough to crush it.

Xie Jing glared defiantly at him, the moisture in her eyes glinting under the wall lamp, fragile yet unyielding.

Shen Tuo leaned in greedily, eager to capture that look until Shen Jin took a quiet step forward, shattering the tense atmosphere in the hallway.

“If you’re going to do that, take it to your room. Don’t dirty my eyes.”

Her gaze rested calmly on the two of them. Shen Tuo froze mid-motion, instinctively letting go and standing straight, his expression awkward.

“N-no, it’s not like that. We were just fooling around.”

Seeing Shen Jin was like a mouse spotting a cat, Shen Tuo fidgeted uncomfortably, scratching his head and shifting his weight, desperate to leave. He quickly turned to Xie Jing and muttered, “Get some rest. I left the clothes in your room.”

With hurried steps, he brushed past Shen Jin, forcing out a nervous chuckle. “Mom, you should rest too. Goodnight.”

The sound of his footsteps faded down the stairs. Shen Jin remained where she stood. Xie Jing’s door was wide open, cold white light spilling into the hallway. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, tears shimmering in her eyes as she stared at Shen Jin, looking every bit the victim.

Shen Jin’s gaze drifted to the shadows on the floor, her voice quiet. “Get some sleep.” Then she turned the knob to her own room and disappeared down the hall.

Xie Jing’s brow furrowed in confusion. She couldn’t tell had Shen Jin interrupted on purpose, or was it truly as she claimed?

She bit her lip, exhaling slowly after a long moment.

The whole scene had been an act for Shen Jin’s benefit, a test to gauge her reaction. Xie Jing had trained in martial arts though she wasn’t as strong as Shen Tuo, handling a useless man like him would’ve been effortless. But Shen Jin’s response wasn’t what she’d expected.

Alone now, Xie Jing’s expression hardened. She walked back to her room, shutting the door behind her and locking it.

Meanwhile, Shen Jin’s door cracked open again. She stood in the sliver of darkness, the room behind her unlit, illuminated only by a sliver of moonlight. The hallway light wrapped around her legs, fractured by the doorframe like invisible chains.

She glanced to the side, confirming no crying sounds were heard before closing the door again.

Inside the room, Xie Jing reopened her laptop. A new encrypted email had arrived, it was from Chen Song. The message ended with a warning: Be careful of this person.

Xie Jing’s gaze lingered on one line in particular: Admired Shen Jin for three years, still hasn’t succeeded.

She rubbed her chin. Was Shen Jin’s heart made of stone? Chen Song had pursued her for so many years, yet every rejection had been merciless. It seemed Shen Jin truly didn’t like her and had strong principles.

Xie Jing clicked her tongue. Looks like I made a bad move.

Would Shen Jin really cross her own boundaries for her? Xie Jing bit her lip and smirked darkly.

Whether she would or not she’d have no choice.

Before the Shen couple passed away, they had left a will: Anyone who marries into the Shen family will receive 5% of the company’s shares. It had originally been meant to restrain Shen Jin’s eldest brother, Shen Fu, a notorious playboy. Unfortunately, Shen Fu and his fiancée had perished in a plane crash alongside their parents before they could marry.

What a windfall for the rest of them.

Xie Jing snapped her laptop shut and turned to the outfit laid out on the bed. Tomorrow was Old Master Luo’s seventieth birthday. Luo Hong would be there. So would Chen Song. She wondered what Shen Jin would do. If the Luo family finds out she’s Shen Tuo’s girlfriend, their expressions will be priceless.

Humming to herself, Xie Jing hung up the dress.

The night passed without dreams. Dawn arrived.

Shen Jin woke up on schedule, instinctively turning to look at the space beside her pillow. She paused, then shook her head with a wry smile. I wasn’t drunk last night, of course I didn’t make a mistake.

Today was the day of the Luo family banquet. Shen Jin didn’t need to guess what Shen Tuo was thinking he wanted to ruin the event, make a grand entrance, and declare to everyone that he wouldn’t marry Luo Hong. But Shen Jin wouldn’t let him succeed.

Though the engagement between the Shen and Luo families was a matter of mutual benefit, Old Guan had also played a role. He hoped his grandson, Shen Tuo, would marry soon and take over the family business. Shen Jin respected Old Guan deeply. If he said it, she would make it happen.

She selected a white gown from her wardrobe. The makeup artist she had booked arrived promptly, escorted in by the butler. Shen Jin closed her eyes as the brushes swept over her face. When Xie Jing passed by and saw her getting ready, she paused briefly before descending the stairs.

Suddenly, Shen Jin opened her eyes and glanced toward the doorway. The makeup artist’s brush slipped. “Ah! Sorry, Madam Shen!”

All Shen Jin caught was a glimpse of a slender figure in a black spaghetti-strap minidress, long hair cascading down her back. “It’s fine,” Shen Jin said, refocusing. “I was distracted.”

The makeup artist hurried to fix the mistake. Once her hair was styled, the butler retrieved an exquisite set of jewelry from the safe.

Shen Jin fastened it on, completing her ensemble. She picked up a small clutch just enough for lipstick, a compact, and her phone then headed downstairs to depart.

Xie Jing had already been ushered into the car by Shen Tuo, who wore a white suit to match Shen Jin. When he saw her descending, he shuffled over hesitantly. “I want to drive myself today.”

Shen Jin looked down at him coolly and gave a faint hum of acknowledgment.

The banquet was set for noon, but given the close ties between the Shen and Luo families, they would arrive early. Shen Jin’s car led the way, with Shen Tuo’s following behind.

Shen Tuo gripped the steering wheel, grinning exaggeratedly at Xie Jing, his powdered face unable to conceal its absurdity. “Well? My little deception worked wonders, didn’t it?”

At least it covered some of the bruises on his face.

Xie Jing smiled at him as if humoring a child. “Young Master Shen is amazing!”

Shen Tuo’s temper flared up quickly but faded just as fast. The day before, the two had gone to a quiet bar when someone recognized Shen Tuo and tried to flirt with him. Used to such banter, Shen Tuo momentarily forgot Xie Jing was there, leading to an argument. After returning home, unwilling to accept the embarrassment from the bar, Shen Tuo had tried to force himself on Xie Jing under the pretense of helping her with her clothes only to be struck by her.

Shen Tuo knew Xie Jing claimed to be a Christian, and Christians were notoriously conservative about sex, so he had been restraining himself. But he was a habitual womanizer, utterly incapable of self-control, and often slipped up. Still, Shen Tuo believed he had hidden his affairs well, that Xie Jing had no idea about his escapades. In truth, Xie Jing simply didn’t care, she wasn’t actually a Christian, only using the pretense to fend off Shen Tuo’s advances.

She preferred women anyway, so she had no issue getting close to Shen Jin. As for Shen Tuo? She hadn’t disposed of him yet only because he still had his uses.

After Xie Jing praised him a few times, Shen Tuo grew smug and let the car lag behind, making Shen Jin wait before catching up. The two cars entered the Luo estate one after the other. Shen Jin didn’t hurry to get out, which irritated Shen Tuo he had no idea what she was waiting for.

After a moment, the driver stepped out and peered through the driver’s side window. With a grim expression, Shen Tuo rolled it down. “What?”

The driver replied respectfully, “The boss has requested Miss Xie to join her. She says the young master will be meeting male guests later and it wouldn’t be appropriate to bring Miss Xie along.”

Shen Tuo’s face darkened. He wanted to refuse, but the driver was flanked by two towering bodyguards those two again. Unwilling to lose face here, he snapped, “Fine!”

He turned stiffly to Xie Jing and hissed through gritted teeth, “Go. Watch for the right moment.”

Useless.

Xie Jing thought to herself. So easily cowed, yet still dreaming of defying authority.

She struggled to keep her expression solemn, trying to feign nervousness, but the glint of excitement in her eyes betrayed her.

Xie Jing got out and entered Shen Jin’s car.

A delicate fragrance lingered inside. Shen Jin sat with her hands clasped over her flat stomach. “Stay with me later,” she said.

Xie Jing pretended confusion. “Auntie, but Shen Tuo told me to stick close to him.”

Shen Jin regarded her silently. Xie Jing’s smile gradually faded, and she straightened uncomfortably. Shen Jin said, “If you don’t like it, you can refuse. I’ll send you back now.”

Xie Jing’s eyes darkened. She smiled. “Of course not. I’ll follow Auntie’s arrangements.”

Shen Jin gave a slight nod. “Let’s go.”

She stepped out first, waiting for Xie Jing to approach before offering her arm for Xie Jing to take. Xie Jing was flustered by the gesture.

A Luo family attendant greeted Shen Jin nearby. Luo Sen, the Luo family’s eldest son, exchanged pleasantries with Shen Tuo, though his gaze lingered on Shen Jin. Father Luo, standing beside Shen Jin, asked in surprise, “And this is…?”

He had never seen the Shen boss accompanied by anyone before.

Shen Tuo stirred restlessly, but Shen Jin shot him a glance before replying calmly, “Someone from my household. Not important. How is Old Master Luo’s health?”

Shen Jin gracefully brushed past the topic, but the others cast suggestive glances at them. Everyone knew Boss Shen preferred women, and now such a beautiful girl had appeared by her side at such a grand occasion her identity was self-evident.

The group ushered Shen Jin inside. Just as Shen Tuo was about to follow, two shadows loomed behind him, startling Luo Sen. Shen Tuo’s expression darkened.

The bodyguards rumbled, “The boss told us to keep an eye on the young master.”

Knowing Shen Jin had arranged for them to watch him, Shen Tuo sulked as he followed Luo Sen inside.

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