Chapter 86 - The Future Is Long
Rebirth of a Fashionista: This Life Is Soo Last Season
Sheng Jiaoyang stood in front of the large, decoratively carved door without taking a step forward.
The bulky man standing beside her pushed opened the door, looking towards her. “Enter!”
“Why is your boss looking for me?” Sheng Jiaoyang took a few glances inside the room, feeling very uncertain.
These last few days, she’d completely forgotten about Demon King Shen. She’d just finished eating two bowls of noodles with her two fans and was planning to go back to school when she was forcefully seized after arriving at the school's gate by Demon King Shen's henchman, and forced here. Or, well, ‘welcomed’ here.
Speaking of this, why isn’t Shen Zhining here yet?
Jing Weinan’s face was expressionless, and he stayed silent.
Sheng Jiaoyang pursed her lips and took a deep breath before striding inside the mansion with her head held high. The bright marble floor reflected her silhouette. The clacking of her shoes, and even the sound of her breathing, echoed in the room.
The large door closed behind her with a heavy thud. She turned around and noticed that Jing Weinan hadn’t entered with her.
“Miss Xu, please come this way!” Sheng Jiaoyang was shocked by the voice that suddenly came out of nowhere.
Sheng Jiaoyang turned her head to look, not knowing when another person had appeared in the room. He was Shen Zhining's meticulous English butler, Felix. She followed Felix as they made a turn and saw Shen Zhining sitting at the long table, eating his meal leisurely.
“Why were you looking for me?”
Shen Zhining didn't answer immediately, unhurriedly finishing his meal. He took a napkin and wiped his lips before finally looking over.
“My grandparents are coming over the day after tomorrow,” he said.
“Really?” Sheng Jiaoyang quickly retracted the shock from her face. “What does that have to do with me?”
Shen Zhining’s voice was calm as he said, “Tomorrow, get familiar with the island's surroundings. The day after that, prepare to welcome them.”
“Wait, wait. When did I agree to this? I have military training[1] tomorrow!”
“I'll help you apply for leave.” Shen Zhining stood up and walked until he was in front of Sheng Jiaoyang, his gaze was deep as he looked at her. “From the way things look, it seems like you’ve forgotten about everything. Do you know what the outcome is if you swindle somebody in business?”
Sheng Jiaoyang's eyes twitched. Why is he bringing up swindling all of a sudden?
“You swindled six million dollars. What kind of punishment do you think you’ll get? You, Lina, and her studio…”
“Stop! Isn't it just welcoming Grandfather Shen and Grandmother Andy? It’s a simple task.” Sheng Jiaoyang suppressed her madly pounding heart as she pretended to sound casual. No wonder he’d easily agreed to pay a penalty fee of six million. He’d dug a hole and waited for her to jump into it! When did Demon King Shen's style become this sinister and ruthless? She suddenly missed the Little Devil Prince from the past, whose methods were crude and simple. At least then, all of his intentions were clear.
The corners of Shen Zhining's mouth slightly hooked up as he warned her, “Don't even think about tricking me. I can completely ruin your wealth and reputation whenever I want.”
Sheng Jiaoyang looked at Shen Zhining's back and grimaced. At the same time, she secretly cursed her own brain for not thinking things over thoroughly. How could she have thought that Demon King Shen would be so easy to fool? During that time her brain broke, she’d insisted on taking advantage of Demon King Shen. Look at how great that turned out. She’d willingly handed him the knife that could be used to slaughter her. Now, wouldn’t she be completely at his mercy?
“Miss Xu, please come with me!” said a voice, interrupting Sheng Jiaoyang's train of thought. In an instant, she concealed all her emotions.
Sheng Jiaoyang was brought to the second floor's seaside room. It was very spacious and exquisitely decorated, especially the pink muslin veil that encircled the large round bed and the wide window.
“Miss Xu, this door leads to the dressing room and the bathroom. Clothes and other daily necessities are already prepared for you. If you need anything else, you can press the bell on the wall.” After Felix had explained all the arrangements to Sheng Jiaoyang, he exited the room.
It seemed that Shen Zhining had paid a lot to trick his parents! Not only did he intentionally decorate a room, but he’d also used six million dollars to dig a hole and force her to pretend to be his girlfriend. If it wasn't because of his blackmail, she would've already escaped and become a spectator as Grandfather Shen forced Shen Zhining to go on blind dates, one after another. It’d definitely be hilarious to watch.
Today, Sheng Jiaoyang was really tired. She’d to catch a flight in the morning, went to register at school in the afternoon, and was ‘invited’ here at night. She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth before changing into a set of silk pajamas. She then went to bed and quickly fell asleep.
When the sunlight shone through the window, Sheng Jiaoyang was awoken by the sound of someone knocking at her door.
“Who is it?” Sheng Jiaoyang was a bit irritated, scratching her head as she got up from the bed and opened the door.
A middle aged Western woman was standing outside the door. She grinned at Sheng Jiaoyang amiably and spoke with a british accent, “Nice to meet you, Miss Xu! I'm Lilith, Felix asked me to invite you downstairs to enjoy breakfast together with Boss.”
“Not interested!” Sheng Jiaoyang prepared to close the door.
Lilith still had a smile on her face. “Felix let me pass on a message to you: Please don't forget the arrangement with Boss.”
Sheng Jiaoyang's mind suddenly sobered. She bitterly let out a sigh and weakly waved her fingers at Lilith, asking that she pass on to Felix that she'll be downstairs in a while.
By the time she’d changed to a green cheongsam dress and come down the stairs, Shen Zhining was already sitting in front of the table.
The two people were sitting opposite each other, looking at each other with nothing to say. From the start until the end of the meal, not a single sentence was said.
When Shen Zhining was leaving, he glanced at Sheng Jiaoyang.
Even after the Demon King had left, Sheng Jiaoyang couldn’t relax. The butler, Felix, strictly carried out his boss's command. He led Sheng Jiaoyang through the entire island and told Sheng Jiaoyang to wander through every room apart from the boss’s bedroom and study at least once. She also had to get familiar with everyone on the island.
By the time she was done, it was already nighttime.
Sheng Jiaoyang, who’d walked through the entire island, was miserably tired. She didn’t bother waiting for Shen Zhining to come back and eat together. Instead, she immediately entered the bathtub to soak for a very long bath.
Sheng Jiaoyang hummed mindlessly, sniffing at the shower gel's fragrance that lingered on her body. Sheng Jiaoyang tied her bathrobe as she walked towards the bed, but just as she was about to jump on it, she suddenly saw a figure sitting next to the window. She was so scared, the last note of her humming turned into a high pitched squeal.
For a nearsighted person, seeing an unclear figure in their locked room in the middle of the night was terrifying!
“W-who are you?” Sheng Jiaoyang’s heart beat wildly from fear as her legs seemed to freeze, unable to take a single step.
Under her panicked gaze, the shadowy figure seemed to sway as it walked towards her. “Can you see clearly now?” Shen Zhining’s face had a strange smile as he leaned in, his features clearly reflected in her pupils.
Sheng Jiaoyang took a deep breath, her whole body turning soft and powerless. Her legs weakened, and if it wasn't because she’d unknowingly backed up against the wall, she would’ve already fallen to the floor. Once she clearly saw who it was, she grew angry from the humiliation and shoved him, shouting, “Don’t you know you can scare people to death?! How did you come in? Get out!”
Sheng Jiaoyang suddenly turned stiff. Her push did absolutely nothing! How embarrassing…
“This is my room.” Shen Zhining remained unmoved as he spoke.
“Then, I'll leave!” Sheng Jiaoyang thought that if she said this, Shen Zhining ought to step aside. However, he only looked at her and didn't move an inch. “What were you trying to do, barging into my room in the middle of the night?”
“Six million…”
“Can I just pay the six million back?”
Shen Zhining’s lips slightly opened, spitting out the word, “Nope!”
“Then, shouldn’t you tell me why you came into my room?”
“Are you sure you want to speak to me while you're wearing that?” Shen Zhining raised his eyebrow and his eyes swept past her collar which was rather loose, the meaning in his eyes unclear.
Sheng Jiaoyang followed his line of sight and bent her head. After that, her face immediately turned red as she hurriedly tidied up her collar.
“There’s not even anything to look at,” Shen Zhining said disdainfully.
“…You bastard!”
Sheng Jiaoyang’s hand raised to slap him, but it was caught in the air as Shen Zhining stared at her darkly. His voice was cold as he said, “Tomorrow, if you dare to give yourself away, I’ll personally send you to jail.”
Sheng Jiaoyang's expression suddenly shook before she played along and replied, “I know.”
Shen Zhining coldly snorted and let go of her hand. Then, he turned around and left the room.
Sheng Jiaoyang gritted her teeth. She would definitely perform ‘nicely’. The future is long!
1. In China, this is a compulsory subject.