Bo Jingyu quickly reined in his emotions and grunted coldly.
"Don't you want to dance with me?" Li Xiaoru boldly made the request, showing no sign of shyness.
"Find someone else."
"Your grandfather is watching us. You should at least act the part!" She bowed gracefully and waited to be invited.
Bo Jingyu glanced in the distance. Sure enough, Bo Yanhai was staring at them.
Left with no choice, he took her hand and walked into the center of the dance floor.
The luxurious multi - colored crystal chandeliers spun on the ceiling, instantly filling the banquet hall with a wonderful atmosphere. The dry - ice machines on the ground started working at just the right moment, and the thin floating smoke made the place seem like a fairyland.
"Mr. Bo, is that handsome young man on the dance floor your grandson?"
Bo Yanhai beamed with pride. "It took me a great deal of effort to get him here. He's so stubborn."
The others quickly flattered him.
After all, the Bo family was the top - tier group that controlled the entire economy of Yancheng. Even just getting a glimpse of them was a great opportunity, let alone having a conversation.
"Mr. Li, your daughter is truly elegant and generous. I'm very impressed."
"Thank you for the compliment. We'll rely on your support in the future," Li Rui could hardly hide his joy. "But... I heard that the second young master and his wife don't have children yet?"
Bo Yanhai understood exactly what he meant.
Without hesitation, he said bluntly, "They're already divorced."
Everyone gasped in surprise.
Only then did Li Rui put his doubts aside. "That's good. That's good. Ru'er doesn't really mind, but as parents, we have some concerns. Please don't take it to heart."
"It's only natural to have such concerns. I can assure you that Shen Ximan will never have any contact with Jingyu from now on. Even if there is any, I won't allow it."
Bo Yanhai boasted grandly, showing his authority.
"He can only marry your daughter in this lifetime. A woman of such good character is worthy of being the granddaughter - in - law of the Bo family and the second young mistress."
Li Rui was overjoyed.
"Come, Mr. Bo, let me toast you!"
Watching the exciting scene in the distance, Bo Jingyu sneered.
"What are you laughing at?" Li Xiaoru asked, looking at his expression.
"Nothing."
"There's something fishy going on."
He stared at her softly with cold eyes. "It has nothing to do with you."
"I know today's arrangement was made by your grandfather. To be honest, I also hate being manipulated like this."
Li Xiaoru thought for a few seconds. "My real purpose is to chase you. I'm not being sneaky, nor am I being arranged. I'm serious."
Bo Jingyu suddenly let go of her hand. "That's your business."
With that, he left in a hurry.
She wasn't angry. Instead, she calmly adjusted her dress and watched his back with a smile, muttering to herself, "I'll make you like me."
Back in the lounge, Bo Jingyu noticed the missed calls on his phone.
"What's going on?"
Qian Li was extremely anxious. "Sir, I'm so glad you answered the phone! The second mistress is missing. It's been almost an hour!"
His pupils dilated. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on her personally?"
"Some strangers suddenly appeared and knocked us out. When we woke up, the ward door was wide open. After checking the surveillance, it seems that the second mistress ran out on her own, followed by a woman."
Bo Jingyu didn't think much. He nervously gave the order, "Get everyone out to look for her. Turn Yancheng upside down if you have to. You must find her!"
"Okay, sir. I'll do it right away!"
Qian Li hung up the phone and sped away in his car.
Yang Wan had just come out of the bathroom after touching up her makeup when she was suddenly bumped into by someone. Fortunately, she managed to hold onto the wall in time to avoid falling.
"Oh my god! Who is it? Can't you watch where you're going?!"
Shen Yuliang rushed over and just passed by a woman.
He stood there in a daze, silently looking at the corridor behind him.
Apart from the men and women chatting and playing around, the figure of that woman had disappeared without a trace.
"Come and help me up. What are you staring at?"
Yang Wan rubbed her ankle angrily.
Shen Yuliang frowned and murmured, "I just seemed to see Ximan."
He wasn't very sure, but he just felt that the figure was very familiar.
"Ximan? Didn't you say she was injured by a brick in some village and is now in the hospital? How could she be here? Unless she's out of her mind and doesn't care about her life."
He hesitated for a while and then agreed.
"You're right. How's your foot?"
Yang Wan pouted and coquettishly said, "I think I twisted my heel. Could you take me home? Mrs. Su is asking me to play cards."
"Sure. Siming is with Yu'er now. I don't have to worry about him. I'll take you back to the villa to change your shoes."
Shen Yuliang took her hand and left the hotel affectionately, just like a newly - in - love couple.
Wearing a veil, Shen Ximan hid in a dark and unnoticed janitor's closet, trying hard to calm her unbearable emotions.
"You got hurt for someone else's business and now you're lying in the hospital with no one to take care of you. And that second young master? He's attending a banquet!"
"Does he even care about you?"
"This was taken by A Kun and the others while they were staking out."
Xue Xiaoqi's words kept echoing in her mind.
She was so confused that she couldn't calm down to make a judgment.
Shen Ximan wanted to see with her own eyes and ask with her own mouth. She knew Bo Jingyu well, and she also knew what kind of people Bo Yanhai and Bo Siming were. He must have his reasons. She was sure of it!
"Did you see the daughter of the Li family just now? Her figure is amazing."
"She was just dancing with the second young master of the Bo family."
A few noble ladies passing by the janitor's closet were chatting away.
"Doesn't the second young master of the Bo family have a wife?"
"You don't know this. His wife is an extremely ugly woman! She has no skills and even tried to drag her own sister into trouble. She's so vicious."
"Exactly. If I were a man, I wouldn't want to be with such a woman. Just looking at her would make me feel sick."
The news of the divorce between Bo Jingyu and Shen Ximan hadn't been made public yet.
Most people didn't know whether they were divorced or not, not even the grandfather.
Bo Jingyu hadn't even submitted the divorce application. Their marriage was still legally valid. But now, Shen Ximan was hesitating.
Was appearance really that important? Did an ugly person have to be defined as evil? Good looks were all the same, but the heart was what truly mattered!
What about Bo Jingyu? Did he think the same way?
Just before she lost consciousness, Shen Ximan did see his blurry face and heard his hazy endearments.
She shook her head, trying to get rid of all the suspicious thoughts.
He wasn't such a heartless person. She knew him better than anyone!
She opened the door a crack and, seeing that there was no one around, tiptoed out of the closet and prepared to sneak into the banquet hall.