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Under Bo Yan’s probing gaze, Bo Ying had nowhere to hide.
She fell silent for a few seconds, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s, trying to justify herself. “That was clearly a secret crush.”
She hadn’t been in an early romance.
Upon hearing this, Bo Yan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a faint smile. “A secret crush?”
Before Bo Ying could respond, he mercilessly exposed her. “Which girl’s secret crush would become so well-known that both schools would know about it?”
A secret crush should be bittersweet and unknown to others.
But Bo Ying’s “secret crush” could easily be considered an open one.
Hearing this, Bo Ying didn’t feel embarrassed at all; instead, she felt a bit proud. “That’s just how I am.”
She argued unreasonably, “No one ever said that a secret crush can’t be known by others.”
Bo Yan: “...”
Seeing his expression choked by her words, Bo Ying couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother, don’t you think what I said makes sense?”
“No.” Bo Yan glanced at her, his face expressionless. “Sit properly and fasten your seatbelt.”
The roads were slippery due to the rain.
Bo Ying awkwardly obeyed.
She fell silent for a few seconds, then started chirping like a little sparrow again. “Brother, you lied to me earlier. You know He Jingxiu.”
Bo Yan was speechless. “What are you trying to dig out from me?”
“...” Bo Ying was at a loss for words, not wanting him to see through her thoughts, her eyes darting around. “No, I was just asking casually.”
Bo Yan smirked lightly.
Bo Ying lowered her eyes, pursing her lips and falling silent.
She indeed wanted to ask more about He Jingxiu, but not because she still liked him.
Bo Ying was purely curious about how he had reached his current position over these seven years they hadn’t seen each other.
And when exactly did he forget about her.
But Bo Ying hadn’t thought that being curious about someone, whether deeply or shallowly, inherently carried some indescribable emotions.
While lost in thought, she suddenly noticed that Bo Yan wasn’t taking the route home.
“Brother, aren’t we going home?”
Bo Yan “Mm”-ed. “Didn’t you tell Chi Lu yesterday that you wanted to eat at ‘Zhen Yue’?”
‘Zhen Yue’ was a members-only private club, offering everything from dining to entertainment.
Bo Ying loved their seafood, craving it every day after having it once.
But the past few days, Chi Lu and Bo Yan were busy and hadn’t paid attention to her chatter.
“Really?” Bo Ying’s eyes lit up. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have eaten snacks before leaving work.”
Bo Yan: “...”
“What about Chi Lu? Did she arrive earlier?”
“Mm.” Bo Yan glanced at the time. “She should already be there.”
Chi Lu indeed arrived earlier than the two of them. She was shooting an advertisement nearby today and came directly with her assistant Yuan Yuan after finishing.
She had just sat down when she heard the lively noises from next door.
Chi Lu asked the waiter and learned that someone was celebrating a birthday and forgot to close the door, which is why the noise was audible.
After a while, the sound was shut out by the tightly closed door.
When He Jingxiu arrived at the club, it was already late.
He had just handed his coat to the waiter when the private room door opened.
“Oh.” Luo Xiao looked him up and down. “President He has finally graced us with his presence.”
He Jingxiu glanced at him. “What’s with the sarcasm?”
Luo Xiao eyed him, pointing at his watch. “Look at the time.”
“Traffic jam.” He Jingxiu glanced inside, casually asking, “Are they all here?”
Luo Xiao nodded, looking behind him. “What about Tan Rui? Didn’t you pick her up?”
“Downstairs.”
Luo Xiao didn’t ask further, dragging him towards the dining table, shouting that the latecomer should self-punish with three drinks.
He Jingxiu had just finished the first drink when Tan Rui entered.
She had just reapplied her makeup in the restroom and appeared much more vibrant and stunning. She glanced at He Jingxiu surrounded by everyone, puzzled. “What are you all doing?”
Hearing her voice, Luo Xiao brightened, riling up. “Come on, Miss Tan and Jingxiu were late together. They should both take three drinks as punishment.”
Tan Rui: “...”
She paused, readily agreeing. “Alright.”
Luo Xiao was a straightforward guy without any consideration for women, really handing Tan Rui a glass.
After drinking one glass, Tan Rui started coughing. Everyone present were friends, yelling, “Luo Xiao, take it easy. One drink is enough for Tan Rui. Don’t push too hard.”
Luo Xiao shrugged, about to agree, but Tan Rui cut him off first.
“It’s not quite fair.” Tan Rui glanced sideways at the person next to her, smiling. “President He drank three glasses. Equality between genders.”
“What’s there to be equal about?” Luo Xiao didn’t care. “Drinking one glass is already giving me face.”
Tan Rui pursed her lips, hesitating to speak.
Someone who knew her intentions spoke up. “Or maybe Miss Tan can find someone to help drink the remaining two glasses?”
Tan Rui’s hand holding the glass paused. In a gentle voice, she said, “It’s not quite appropriate.”
“There’s nothing inappropriate about it.” That person’s eyes darted around, pointing at He Jingxiu. “President He, you and Miss Tan were late together. Why don’t you suffer a bit more and drink two more glasses?”
He Jingxiu was looking at his phone, raising his head when he heard this. His calm gaze swept over the person, saying indifferently, “Whoever suggested it should drink it.”
The smile in Tan Rui’s eyes stalled, and she pursed her lips. “There’s no need to bother. I’ll do it myself.”
“...”
Before Luo Xiao could stop her, Tan Rui had already downed the drink.
He awkwardly glanced at He Jingxiu and then at Tan Rui, feeling something was off.
In their group, although He Jingxiu was scheming, he was considered a gentleman. When someone was put in a difficult situation, he mostly helped resolve it.
After the main course, Luo Xiao took advantage of everyone’s commotion to approach him. “What’s wrong with you today? Are you in a bad mood?”
He Jingxiu lowered his eyes to look at his phone, not responding.
Luo Xiao nudged his arm with his elbow. “I’m asking you. Wasn’t it a bit too harsh on Tan Rui just now?”
“Was it?” He Jingxiu didn’t feel that way. He stood up from the sofa. “I’m going out for a smoke.”
Luo Xiao glanced at him, following like a shadow. “I’ll come too.”
They walked to the end of the corridor, where there was a half-open vent window.
The rain had stopped at some point, with only the dripping sounds of residual water under the eaves.
He Jingxiu had just lit his cigarette when he saw a figure not far away.
His hand paused, and he abruptly extinguished the cigarette.
Luo Xiao was about to borrow a light from him, extending his cigarette, when he saw this unexpected move.
His eyes widened in shock, bewildered. “He Jingxiu, what are you doing?”
As soon as the words fell, the figure not far away, facing their direction, stopped.
Hearing the familiar name, Bo Ying thought she was hallucinating. Before her mind processed it, she instinctively reacted.
Following the direction of the sound, she saw the man shrouded in night and lights.
He Jingxiu wore a light-colored shirt and dark trousers, appearing slightly thin. But it perfectly outlined his figure—broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs—better than a model’s physique.
Bo Ying blinked, contemplating whether to greet him before leaving or just leave when someone bumped into her from behind.
Caught off guard, Bo Ying staggered two steps in her high heels before regaining balance.
Bo Ying frowned, hearing a frivolous male voice. “Sorry, miss, I’ve had too much to drink.”
As he spoke, the man reached out to touch her.
Bo Ying furrowed her brows, intending to step aside, but his wrist was grabbed.
“Ah...ow ow ow...”
The man started complaining loudly.
He Jingxiu acted as if he didn’t hear it, moving his fingers and increasing the pressure.
Luo Xiao watched beside him, heart racing.
Angry, angry—he clearly felt He Jingxiu’s anger radiating from within.
Not to mention Luo Xiao, even Bo Ying sensed it.
She raised her eyes to look at He Jingxiu and then at the stranger whose face twisted in pain, calling out, “President He.”
He Jingxiu looked at her, not saying a word.
Bo Ying pursed her lips, thinking of saying never mind when a strange voice came from the side.
“President He, President Luo.”
It was the club manager who had just received news that someone was causing trouble after getting drunk.
The manager looked at these two lords and then at the person in pain, his heart pounding, respectfully saying, “This is Young Master Li, he drank too much tonight.”
He Jingxiu ignored him.
Luo Xiao raised an eyebrow. “Manager Liu, since when did ‘Zhen Yue’ become a place where anyone could enter?”
Only someone like Luo Xiao and He Jingxiu would refer to the young master of the Li family in the west of the city as a stray cat or dog.
Manager Liu swallowed hard, nervous. “Sorry, our supervision was lacking.”
He glanced at He Jingxiu, asking softly, “President He, Young Master Li is in so much pain he can’t make a sound. What do you suggest?”
He Jingxiu coldly glanced at him, then looked at Bo Ying.
Receiving his gaze, Bo Ying opened her mouth. “Never mind.”
In a moment, the person disappeared from their sight.
Although Luo Xiao was a straightforward guy, he was sharp in certain aspects. He understood He Jingxiu, knowing he wouldn’t act rashly without reason. Plus, Bo Ying’s clear call of ‘President He’ made him realize something.
Thinking of this, he cleared his throat. “Jingxiu, you chat slowly with this lady. I’ll go back to the private room first.”
With that, he quickly left.
Instantly, the corridor became quiet.
Bo Ying still stood by the wall, only two steps away from He Jingxiu.
At this distance, she could clearly smell the faint but pleasant sandalwood scent emanating from him.
After smelling it for a while, Bo Ying suddenly felt a bit dizzy.
She and Chi Lu had shared two glasses of wine in the private room earlier. Although her alcohol tolerance was average, it usually wouldn’t affect her this much under normal circumstances.
Thinking of this, Bo Ying intended to bid farewell to He Jingxiu.
Just as she mustered the courage to raise her head, she first saw his eyes.
He Jingxiu’s most attractive feature was his eyes.
His iris color was very deep, making him appear profoundly affectionate. Even though he himself might not think so.
Instantly, Bo Ying changed the words on the tip of her tongue.
“President He, why are you here?”
He Jingxiu looked at her, not answering directly.
“Mm.” He looked at Bo Ying. “Alone?”
Bo Ying paused, shaking her head. “No, I came to eat with my brother and others.”
He Jingxiu knew she had a biological brother, but he had never met him.
Upon hearing this, Bo Ying noticed a slight relaxation in He Jingxiu’s expression. Before she could delve deeper into the reason, she heard him ask, “Were you looking for the restroom earlier?”
This club was great in every aspect, except that each floor’s restroom design was quite unique, making it hard for first-timers to find.
Bo Ying nodded sheepishly. “Mm.”
Her last visit was on the third floor. She assumed the second-floor restroom was the same as the third, but after wandering around for a bit, she still hadn’t found it.
He Jingxiu understood, stepping towards the other side.
After walking a few steps, he turned back to look at the person still standing in place, frowning slightly. “Aren’t you coming?”
Bo Ying: “Ah?”
He Jingxiu frowned, his clear and melodious voice piercing her ears.
“Aren’t you going to the restroom?”
Bo Ying: “...”
Coming out of the restroom, Bo Ying shook off the water droplets from her hands.
Halfway through, she suddenly froze again.
“He... President He, you’re still here?”
He Jingxiu glanced at her wet hands, tilting his chin slightly. “There’s paper beside you.”
“...”
Bo Ying paused momentarily, softly saying, “I know.”
But she was just not used to using paper.
He Jingxiu looked at her, fully understanding her thoughts.
He “Mm”-ed, not forcing her.
Bo Ying sneakily looked at him, reasking her question. “You were... waiting for me, weren’t you?”
He Jingxiu glanced at her. “What do you think?”
Bo Ying didn’t dare to think so.
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