Chapter 172 - Arthur Shen

"Miss Zhou! It's been a while!" A man in his business suit stood up from his seat as he welcomed Zoey with open arms. 

"It's been a while, Mr. Shen." Smiling, Zoey greeted back. 

"I must say, you're still as dazzling as ever." Studying Zoey's stature, Arthur Shen offered his hand to her. 

Zoey glanced at his laid out hand before she smiled as she placed her palm in his. Instantly, Matthew Xi's eyes glinted as he watched Arthur Shen place a peck on the back of her hand. 

'Arthur Shen... right,' He mumbled inwardly as he automatically remembered the man's name and gave his orders to Paul Qian. Not just that, but he also thought of a hundred ways to sanitize Zoey's hand later. 

"Let's have a seat, please." Arthur Shen didn't let Zoey's hand go as he gestured for them to sit. . 

Zoey glanced at her hand, wanting to pull it away smoothly but was reminded about a certain someone's presence. Hence, a mischievous smirk formed on her lips as she pretended not to have that thought. 

With that being said, Zoey and Arthur Shen perched opposite each other. "Have you had lunch?" He asked while checking on the menu. 

"Mr. Shen, I came here for business." Sounding polite, Zoey didn't beat around the bush. 

Despite her bluntness, Arthur Shen chuckled before shifting his gaze towards Matthew Xi who was standing on the side. "You can leave us. Me and your boss can talk business alone." He said, his tone neutral. 

"It's fine, Mr. Shen. As you know, I never had an assistant, so I'm training him for future purposes." Still bearing her business smile, Zoey shook her head lightly as she explained. 

"Right... Does future purposes also mean not meeting me?" Arthur Shen humored, causing the whole room's temperature to drop into negative zero degrees. 

"I miss you, Miss Zhou. Alas, the only time I get to meet you is during doing business with you." Without further ado, Arthur Shen remarked with a disheartened tone. 

With every word he spouted, the air around him grew colder which slightly gave him the chills. However, thinking that it was just him, Arthur Shen shrugged it off. 

"But, I'm glad I did. I don't see a ring around your finger yet." Arthur Shen hinted, shrugging his shoulders in confidence. 

Zoey chuckled, shaking her head as she was used at this womanizer's antics. For once, Zoey found him interesting — not romantically though. 

Arthur Shen, the current head of Shen Holdings Inc. An infamous casanova, and often gets what he wants... Zoey aside. 

It amused her how Arthur Shen could divide his time dating several women at the same time whilst leading their whole company. Just knowing him for a few years, Zoey appreciated that she met him after Ezekiel Tang. Else, she would be one of his victims. 

"Miss Zhou, both our companies are doing well yet both of us are still single. Why don't we try and see if things work out between us?" Arthur Shen proposed jokingly, giving her a knowing look. 

Alas, his jokes didn't seem funny to Matthew Xi. 'That's it. He's asking for it.' He muttered internally, grinding his teeth silently as his gaze never left Arthur Shen. 

"Mr. Shen, what do you mean you don't see a ring?" Chuckling at his silly suggestion, Zoey inquired. "You can't see this?" Raising her middle finger, it made Arthur Shen's brows furrow. 

"I can see it, Miss Zhou." 

"You see, around this finger is an invisible red thread which is connected to someone. So, with this magical thread, I am technically engaged." In a matter-of-fact tone, Zoey explained which caused Arthur Shen to snort. 

"You believe in those, Miss Zhou?"

"Why not?" Zoey shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "After all, it is said that two people connected by the thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place, or circumstance." Her gaze slowly travelled to Matthew Xi as the corner of her lips curled upwards. 

At the same time, Matthew Xi moved his cold gaze towards Zoey. Her eyes which were staring at him somehow melted the coldness emanating from him as he calmed down from beating up Arthur Shen inside his mind. 

"Wow," Clapping his hand lightly, Arthur Shen laughed as he couldn't believe he was hearing these words from Zoey; his female version. 

"So, as much as I hate it, I must reject your offer." Chuckling, Zoey averted her gaze from Matthew Xi as she returned her focus to Arthur Shen. 

"That's a shame, Miss Zhou. I really think we'll click." Arthur Shen responded, not surprised at her rejection as Zoey was the rarest of the gem. 

Although as much as he liked challenges, Arthur Shen was certain he would just waste time pursuing Zoey. After all, people like Zoey and Arthur Shen were capable of love but not at the same time. 

It's complicated, but that's who they were. Their only difference was Zoey changes her mind immediately even before the fun could start. 

"It is a shame, Mr. Shen." Humoring her back, Zoey stated before their meal arrived. After that, both dropped the topic as they discussed pure business. 

*****

"Darling, I don't have any schedule right? Let's drop by the mall and buy things which are missing in the house." As they exited the restaurant, Zoey faced Matthew Xi who as usual had no reaction on his face. 

Without a word, Matthew Xi nodded his head in agreement. Yet, he didn't even bat an eye at her which made her narrow her eyes. 

"Darling, are you mad?" She asked, crossing her arms around her. 

"No," 

"Perhaps, jealous?" Arching her right brow, the corner of her lips curled into a smirk. 

Matthew Xi didn't answer; he remained silent. Slowly, he moved his russet eyes to her and then down to her hand where that man had left his remnants. 

"You did it on purpose." Staring at her hand, Matthew Xi muttered. 

"Hehe. So, you're jealous." Zoey giggled as she grinned triumphantly. 

"No, I'm..." Just as Matthew Xi would deny her baseless 'accusations', his words trailed off. He noticed a figure from the corner of his eyes; Ezekiel Tang and Clara Wei.

'Indeed, the world is small.' Matthew Xi whispered in his head as he glanced at Zoey. 

"What if I am? Will my boss do anything about it?" Instead of continuing his initial denial, Matthew Xi cocked his head to the side. 

"Eh? Do you have a switch inside you and are playing on and off with it today?" Sensing the sudden change of his aura, Zoey's face distorted