Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 495: Making Things Clear

Therefore, she could only suppress herself as much as possible."Well."

Faced with Peng Xiaoyong's doubts, Zhou Yuwen could only smile. "I am not entirely sure either. You know me, Cousin, I came to New York for other matters. I cannot be staring at Sister Wanting all day long."

Zhou Yuwen looked at Lu Wanting, who was working hard on top of him, and found it secretly amusing. Back in the country, Peng Xiaoyong had brought her around, so Zhou Yuwen had shown her a bit of respect. But now, Lu Wanting was already his woman.

No matter how they played around, it was nothing more than a bit of fun between lovers, so Zhou Yuwen signaled for her to continue.

Lu Wanting merely gave him a resentful look. She felt that he was doing this intentionally.

That being said, she actually quite enjoyed it.

Hearing Zhou Yuwen's reply, Peng Xiaoyong, who was standing on the balcony, looked a little gloomy. But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. Why should his cousin help him keep an eye on Lu Wanting all the time?

It would be weird if he did pay that much attention to her.

Even so, Peng Xiaoyong still spoke up awkwardly. "Cousin, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Being tossed about by Lu Wanting like this, Zhou Yuwen was actually panting a little as he spoke. Fortunately, he managed to keep steady and asked out of curiosity.

Peng Xiaoyong originally had not wanted to tell anyone about this, but he really did not want to lose Lu Wanting. He felt that they had been just a step away from a happy ending, yet an accident had occurred at the very last moment.

He just could not wrap his head around it.

So after some hesitation, Peng Xiaoyong finally said, "Did your Sister Wanting and I break up?"

"Huh?"

Zhou Yuwen was taken aback, looking at the curvaceous Lu Wanting with her disheveled hair on top of him.

Zhou Yuwen was truly baffled, and even Lu Wanting found the statement bizarre when she heard it.

"No, Cousin, when did you and Sister Wanting start dating? I thought you two were not..." Zhou Yuwen was very surprised.

Peng Xiaoyong, however, replied, "Your Sister Wanting and I indeed were not together at first, but after spending so much time together..."

"That is not the point. Our relationship was fine originally, but for some reason, after going abroad this time, your Sister Wanting suddenly started ignoring me. I do not mean anything else by telling you all this. It is just that she is not answering my phone calls right now, so I wanted to ask you to find out the reason for me."

"Even if we really cannot be together, she should at least give me an explanation." As Peng Xiaoyong spoke, he became increasingly agitated.

"Mmh~"

At this moment, Lu Wanting could not hold back any longer and let out a soft moan.

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

But Peng Xiaoyong still heard the sound.

He frowned immediately and asked, "Cousin, is there someone else with you?"

Zhou Yuwen felt a flicker of panic and glanced at Lu Wanting.

Lu Wanting felt wronged and shot him a resentful glare, as if to say, 'I told you not to answer the phone.'

Zhou Yuwen told Peng Xiaoyong that yes, there was.

"It is your sister-in-law," Zhou Yuwen blurted out without thinking.

"..." Lu Wanting was left completely speechless upon hearing this.

Peng Xiaoyong did not find anything wrong with that and instead asked, "Is it Su Qing?"

"Yeah, right, it is Su Qing. Cousin, look, I will talk to you later. Su Qing and I are actually out shopping right now. As for Sister Wanting, I will ask her for you tonight."

"Alright, get back to what you were doing."

This was an embarrassing topic to begin with, and Peng Xiaoyong wanted to resolve it quickly. After saying that, he hurriedly hung up the phone.

After the call ended, Zhou Yuwen tossed his phone aside and signaled for Lu Wanting to get off him. He then had her lean over the sofa while he stood behind her.

Zhou Yuwen expressed his helplessness, noting how sluggish her movements were.

At this rate, when would they ever finish?

Lie down properly.

Let me do it.

After speaking, Zhou Yuwen began to thoroughly instruct Lu Wanting.

Supporting herself on the edge of the sofa, Lu Wanting pouted at his words. "You have the nerve to blame me? Who asked you to answer the phone at a time like this, and with your cousin of all people?"

"And 'sister-in-law', too! If he knew his sister-in-law was me, he would definitely sever ties with you!"

Zhou Yuwen chuckled lightly. "Heh, what, are you unwilling to be his sister-in-law? I will show you what happens when you are unwilling! Take this!"

"Ah, stop that!"

"Are you willing?"

"You are so annoying!"

The two bantered back and forth like this. Zhou Yuwen had barely slept with Su Qing last night, and after returning early in the morning, he had ended up tangling with Lu Wanting for half the day.

He was originally in New York to trade stocks, but he had not even had the time to check the market all day. After they finished their business, the two of them fell fast asleep.

In the evening, after a simple meal, he finally remembered to review the stock market.

Most of Zhou Yuwen's funds were currently tied up in Vipshop, but because Vipshop's stock had skyrocketed so drastically, he could use the shares as collateral.

Thinking about his upcoming discussion with Liu Dongqiang regarding the private equity fund, Zhou Yuwen planned to mortgage his shares for three hundred million dollars to see if he could collaborate with Brother Dong.

JD.com had gone public in December of the previous year. Its current trend was excellent, with a valuation of around 7.5 billion dollars and a market float of 20% to 30%.

Zhou Yuwen figured that if he could reach a private agreement with Liu Dongqiang, he would purchase directly from him. If not, he would acquire shares on the secondary market.

In the future, JD.com's value would stabilize between 25 billion and 30 billion dollars. Entering the market now would still be highly profitable.

Aside from JD.com, there were other companies that would go public in the coming years, such as Douyu, Bilibili, Didi, and Meituan. Zhou Yuwen intended to set up the framework for his private equity fund over the next few years to ensure an adequate reserve of liquid capital. This way, he could secure stakes directly when they went public, taking three to five percent in each company. This would not be enough to influence corporate decisions, but the annual dividend profits would be substantial. Then, he would sell off the shares when the stocks hit their peak.

Zhou Yuwen and Lu Wanting were not just a simple couple. Aside from doing those intimate things every day, work was also essential.

Zhou Yuwen explained his concept for the private equity fund to Lu Wanting.

Once he returned to China, this fund would undoubtedly be handed over to Lu Wanting and Su Qing to manage together.

Lu Wanting was very disdainful upon hearing this.

"Su Qing has not even graduated from university yet," she scoffed. "How is she supposed to manage it?"

Zhou Yuwen heavily disliked her attitude. He pinched her nose and said, "Do not underestimate Su Qing. Her market acuity is much higher than yours."

Naturally, Lu Wanting was unconvinced, but before she could speak, Zhou Yuwen bluntly stated, "In our family, age does not matter; the one who enters first is the older sister. Since you have already entered my family, you should treat Su Qing as an older sister. Those are the rules. If you cannot do that, you can leave right now." Seeing that Zhou Yuwen seemed serious, Lu Wanting pouted but still weakly replied, "I never said I would not treat her as an older sister."

Zhou Yuwen softened. "Be good. Su Qing is here to study. I reckon she will not have time to manage these things normally, but when you are unsure about something, you can consult her. I am doing this for your own good, do you understand?"

Resting her hands on the sofa behind her to prop herself up, Lu Wanting replied, "Since you have put it like that, what else can I do?"

Zhou Yuwen patted her head and then explained that to build a company, an office building and employees were indispensable. She would have to handle these matters, and he outlined his requirements for her.

"Mhm! Go ahead, President Zhou~"

Lu Wanting lightly teased him with the title.

Zhou Yuwen called her mischievous and proceeded to tell her the scale he envisioned. He also mentioned the investment directives for after he left. Over the next few years, aside from a few specific companies he would call to designate, the general focus would be on new energy, autonomous driving, and Nvidia.

Of course, appropriate investments could also be made in cryptocurrency.

In the beginning, Lu Wanting sat on the sofa listening while Zhou Yuwen stood and spoke. As they talked, they ended up embracing again. Later, when it was time to sleep, another round of intimacy was inevitable.

At that moment, the phone rang again.

Checking the caller ID, Zhou Yuwen saw it was Peng Xiaoyong and felt a bit speechless. 'Why is he calling again?' he thought.

Connecting the call, he heard Peng Xiaoyong stammering, "Cousin."

"Hmm? What is it, Cousin?"

Peng Xiaoyong asked if Zhou Yuwen had asked Lu Wanting on his behalf yet.

Only then did Zhou Yuwen remember the favor. "Oh, right. My apologies, Cousin, I was too busy today and completely forgot to ask."

Hearing this, Peng Xiaoyong's expression fell, unable to mask his disappointment.

Zhou Yuwen offered, "How about I ask for you right now? Sister Wanting is right below me."

"Hmm?"

"Sister Wanting lives downstairs from me. I will go ask her."

"There is no need. It is so late now, do not disturb her sleeping," Peng Xiaoyong said.

He thought for a moment and reminded Zhou Yuwen not to forget to ask tomorrow.

"How about this: tomorrow, can you ask her to take me off her blacklist? If there is an issue, we should just make things clear. I am not the type to pester relentlessly; I just do not want things to end so ambiguously," Peng Xiaoyong added.

Zhou Yuwen looked at Lu Wanting in front of him.

She could clearly hear Peng Xiaoyong's words, yet she made no indication of her stance.

"Alright, I understand," Zhou Yuwen replied.

"Okay, then go to sleep early, Cousin. Sorry for disturbing your rest." Peng Xiaoyong felt quite embarrassed for calling Zhou Yuwen so late.

Zhou Yuwen assured him it was fine.

After hanging up, he turned to Lu Wanting. "Did you hear what my cousin just said? Why did you block him?"

Lu Wanting's expression darkened slightly as she asked, "Is that so strange?"

"..."

Her words left Zhou Yuwen unsure of what to say. After a moment's thought, he offered, "I feel like it is better to make some things clear. Since you two probably will not have the chance to see each other again anyway, you might as well clarify everything."

Lu Wanting remained silent.

Zhou Yuwen leaned over and embraced her.

"I know," Lu Wanting murmured.

And so, the two of them drifted off to sleep in each other's arms once more.

The next day, Lu Wanting took the initiative to give Peng Xiaoyong a phone call.

Peng Xiaoyong was thrilled to receive her call. He was just about to speak when Lu Wanting bluntly stated that there was nothing left for them to talk about.

"Wait, Wanting."

Just as Peng Xiaoyong began, Lu Wanting interrupted, "Did you tell your cousin that we used to date?"

That single sentence rendered Peng Xiaoyong speechless. He mumbled that everyone in his family thought they were dating.

"I just misspoke in the heat of the moment, it does not affect anything."

"How does it not affect anything? You severely impacted my reputation! We never dated at all, okay?" Lu Wanting's tone carried a hint of impatience.

Peng Xiaoyong opened his mouth to say something. Realizing her words might have been a bit harsh, Lu Wanting offered him a brief apology.

She then added, "Xiaoyong, you need to understand me. Any girl would find it offensive to be spoken of like that by you. Do you get it?"

With nothing left to say, Peng Xiaoyong could only reply, "I am sorry, I was impulsive."

Lu Wanting sighed. She explained that Zhou Yuwen had already spoken to her the previous night.

"Xiaoyong, you are a good person. Truly. I was touched by you, but that was not love," Lu Wanting said softly.

Peng Xiaoyong retorted, "So, what you have with Leon, is that love?"

"There is absolutely nothing between Leon and me."

"Then why will you not come back?" Peng Xiaoyong's words were tinged with dissatisfaction.

Hearing this, Lu Wanting let out a helpless laugh. "Why should I go back? That place is not my home. If there are better opportunities for growth here, of course I will stay."

Once again, her words left Peng Xiaoyong speechless.

If it were not for Zhou Yuwen, Lu Wanting probably would not have wasted her breath on Peng Xiaoyong. However, considering his relationship with Zhou Yuwen, she ultimately decided to gently explain her current situation. She told him that initially, coming to New York had indeed been to help Su Qing, but after arriving, she made a discovery.

"This place suits me better. The employment pressure back in the country is too immense, and there just happens to be a job that fits me perfectly here. Xiaoyong, you really are wonderful, but we are just not right for each other."

"I am a bird that can only keep flying; I cannot settle down in one place. But you are different. You have a job and a family now. I am very grateful for how you took care of me in the past, but now, it is time for us to call it an end."

Lu Wanting delivered this lengthy speech in one breath, but the other end of the line was met with only silence.

Seeing that Peng Xiaoyong remained quiet.

Lu Wanting tentatively asked, "Hello? Are you listening?"

"Yeah. Should I hang up?"

Lu Wanting asked again. Peng Xiaoyong pondered for a moment, wanting to say something.

However, just as he opened his mouth.

Lu Wanting had already disconnected the call.