Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Hiding the Romance

Jin Fan gave a helpless smile. “I’m afraid I’ll get kicked out of the Jin family.”

Shen Zhiyao asked, “Then what role do you think is appropriate?”

Jin Fan asked tentatively, “Girlfriend?”

Shen Zhiyao said, “Just call me Great-Grandmother!”

…

The Jin family villa was part of a large estate with an incredibly opulent interior.

With just a single glance, Shen Zhiyao could tell the estate was filled with feng shui subtleties; a master had definitely advised on its design.

Just as Jin Fan finished parking, he saw Shen Zhiyao looking all around and assumed she was stunned by the luxurious sight before her.

“Pretty luxurious, right? Actually, my parents prefer Longfeng Villa. They only moved here because they couldn’t live there. But only my mom lives here now. My younger brother is busy studying abroad, my dad is always flying around for work, and as for me…”

Jin Fan smiled sheepishly. “My mom asked me to come live with her, but my dad refused. He said it would affect her fortune.”

As he was speaking, a red Maserati drove onto the Jin family’s estate.

The car had just stopped when Kang Naixin stepped out.

She wore an exquisite blue gown, a golden tiara, and sky-high heels as she stepped out of the car.

Her face was exquisitely made up, but the deliberately crafted glamour came off as a bit gaudy.

Getting out of the car with her was Zhou Ye. He was well-dressed, his hair perfectly styled.

He had come today not only to see the world, but also in the hopes of breaking into the circles of the wealthy, which would be good for his career.

“Cousin, I heard you’ve recovered. I was too busy with work to visit, my apologies. I hope you don’t mind.” Kang Naixin sized Jin Fan up, her heart full of scorn.

She had visited him after his car accident.

She truly couldn’t understand how Jin Fan, who had been lying in bed after being declared to be in a vegetative state, could have made a full recovery within a week.

’What a stroke of dumb luck!’

Intimidated by Kang Naixin’s presence, Jin Fan immediately explained, “It was a misdiagnosis. It looked serious, but it was all just superficial injuries that cleared up with some medication.”

Kang Naixin ignored Jin Fan, walked toward Shen Zhiyao, and stared her down.

She had always been insufferably arrogant. Because of the history between Zhou Ye and Shen Zhiyao, she held a particular contempt for the latter. She had, however, watched one of Shen Zhiyao’s livestreams before.

Back then, Shen Zhiyao had straight-cut bangs, sallow skin, and was so hopelessly unfashionable she looked like she might crumble into dust. Kang Naixin had despised her from the bottom of her heart.

After that, she stopped watching Shen Zhiyao’s livestreams. After all, a woman who would throw her life away for a man wasn’t worthy of her respect.

But now, Shen Zhiyao’s clothes and hairstyle had changed so much that she naturally didn’t recognize her.

A single glance was enough to see that Shen Zhiyao was astonishingly beautiful. Her face, free of makeup, was like a lotus rising from clear water. She had a tall, slender figure and a cool, detached air.

Her beauty seemed innate, a level that many people couldn’t achieve even with cosmetic procedures.

If there was a flaw, it was that Shen Zhiyao’s clothes were obviously cheap. Though they looked nice, in Kang Naixin’s eyes, any clothes without a brand name were garbage!

And her bag—that could hardly be called a bag. It looked like a trash bag. The old ladies picking out vegetables at the market would probably think it was too shabby.

Kang Naixin said haughtily, “This is the girlfriend you found?”

Before Jin Fan could speak, she added sarcastically, “How is the young master of the Jin family so poor? Can’t you even afford a decent outfit for her?”

Shen Zhiyao looked down at her own clothes, then at Kang Naixin’s, and said, “My clothes are light and simple, easy to move in. Yours, on the other hand… don’t you feel like you look like a sea monster?”

Kang Naixin immediately flew into a rage. “You poor country bumpkin, you’ve never seen anything! Do you have any idea how expensive this outfit is? It’s current-season haute couture, a global limited edition! A single thread from this is worth more than your entire outfit!”

Shen Zhiyao nodded as if she only half-understood. “Ohh, so haute couture has loose threads, too! I guess it’s not that different from what I’m wearing, then!”

“You!” Kang Naixin’s face darkened. She turned to Jin Fan. “Cousin, oh, cousin! You’ve really found yourself a keeper!”

Jin Fan was used to Shen Zhiyao’s cool demeanor, but he’d never known she could be so sharp when putting someone down. ’As expected of the Great-Grandmother I serve!’

Jin Fan shot Kang Naixin a sidelong glance. “I think she’s absolutely right. You look just like an old sea demon! Besides, it’s not exactly appropriate for someone your age to dress so flamboyantly.”

Kang Naixin slapped Jin Fan across the face. “You stupid fool! You have a mother but clearly no manners! How dare you talk back to your cousin for some woman!”

Jin Fan couldn’t be bothered to argue with such an unreasonable woman. He smiled at Shen Zhiyao and said, “Let’s go on inside.”

“Hmph. A worthless, unloved wretch who still thinks he’s the great young master of the Jin family,” Kang Naixin said resentfully. She was about to call out to Zhou Ye when she saw him staring, dumbfounded, at Shen Zhiyao’s departing back.

Kang Naixin demanded, “What are you looking at? Acting like you two know each other!”

“She’s… Shen Zhiyao!” Only then did Zhou Ye realize who she was.

In his memory, Shen Zhiyao had been a naive, gullible girl who hadn’t seen much of the world. She was decent-looking, but for years she had always worn shabby clothes and round, black-framed glasses, perpetually looking haggard and sleep-deprived.

Back when they were together, he’d complained about how badly she dressed. He thought he couldn’t possibly take her out in public; it made him lose face.

As for whose money bought his own respectable clothes, or why Shen Zhiyao was always so exhausted, Zhou Ye never bothered to give it a second thought.

He never would have imagined that after not seeing her for a while, Shen Zhiyao would undergo such a complete transformation.

Her hairstyle, her clothes, her skin—everything had changed. She had become as dazzling as a jewel. Even in no-name brands, she was still beautiful.

’Goes to show,’ he thought, ’a true beauty doesn’t need much embellishment to be devastatingly gorgeous.’

Looking at Kang Naixin’s face, which still looked fierce even under its makeup, Zhou Ye felt an indescribable revulsion.

“What? She’s the woman who almost ruined your future?” Kang Naixin was shocked. She turned to Zhou Ye and gave him a wicked grin. “What’s wrong? Regretting the breakup now that you see how pretty she is?”

Seeing Kang Naixin’s cold, sinister gaze, Zhou Ye was terrified. “No, no! I just… she’s changed so much, I didn’t recognize her at first. She looked familiar, so I stared for a second!”

Seeing that no one was around, Zhou Ye planted a kiss on Kang Naixin’s cheek.

Most of Kang Naixin’s anger melted away. She gave him a bashful glance. “Where do you think you are? How dare you be so bold?”

Zhou Ye grinned. “I couldn’t help it. You’re just too beautiful!”

Kang Naixin’s anger finally gave way to delight. She said to Zhou Ye, “I brought you here today to help you build your network. Our circumstances are delicate, so it’s best if you don’t mention our relationship. Understand?”

“I understand! I understand!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep