"I want to know all about her background from childhood to adulthood, including everyone she's ever come into contact with. I need every detail," Bo Jingyu said in a cold voice with a serene tone.
It seemed as if he already had a clear answer in mind, but still wanted to struggle desperately until he hit a brick wall before he'd be satisfied.
"Sure, Second Master. I'll get right on it."
As soon as the door opened, Li Xiaoru was startled.
"Manager Li? You... you?!"
Ruo Chi looked at her and then at Bo Jingyu, feeling at a loss.
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop..."
Her pupils constricted, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"Go do what you need to do," Bo Jingyu said, then turned his gaze to her. "Come in. I have something to say to you."
After the door to the lounge closed, only his even breathing could be faintly heard. It was so quiet that one had to be cautious with every breath.
"Did you hear everything?"
Li Xiaoru shook her head without hesitation. "No!"
"Liar."
Bo Jingyu's eyes could see through her expression and actions.
"I won't tell anyone. I swear!" She was extremely nervous.
She was afraid that he'd lose his temper and scold her.
He smiled helplessly. "I won't do anything to you. Don't worry."
"Even if you go out and spread the word or even tell the media, it won't have any impact on me or my group."
Li Xiaoru knew that he was never afraid of anything.
Rumors had it that he was a ruthless and heartless man who didn't care about feelings. She had heard such rumors before.
She might have been on guard before, but not now.
She was Bo Jingyu's fiancée.
They had held a proper engagement banquet and made their relationship public.
No matter what he had been through before or what had happened to his family, from now on, it was a new start.
Li Xiaoru stepped forward and took his hand.
"Jingyu, I won't do such a thing. You can rest assured."
"Don't have any expectations of me," Bo Jingyu said coldly. "The engagement is fake, and so is our relationship. You just need to cooperate with me and act the part."
With that, he pulled his hand back and opened the door to leave.
The heart - wrenching pain of self - inflicted suffering was only known to Li Xiaoru herself.
At the Bo Family Mansion.
"Kneel down," Bo Jingming said as soon as he got home, turning to Bo Siming behind him.
He was stunned for a moment, then obediently knelt down in the entrance hall.
Steward Qin and the other maids were terrified. They hid aside, not daring to make a sound, and quietly watched the scene.
"When did you start dating the eldest daughter of the Shen family?"
"Father, why do you ask this?"
Bo Jingming stared at him seriously. "I gave you enough face and didn't ask about this at the ceremony just now. Now don't you owe me an explanation?"
"I have nothing to do with her," Bo Siming pretended to be calm.
"Nothing? Then why have you taken that kind of person to various occasions again and again? The Huazhi Village project was your biggest failure!"
At this point, he stubbornly stood up to resist.
"Then what about you?"
Bo Jingming was taken aback. "What did you say?"
"Have you ever fulfilled even a bit of your responsibility as a father? After mother died, you hid abroad and did nothing. If it weren't for grandpa being seriously ill in the hospital, would you have come back?!"
Bo Siming's face turned red with anger. "What right do you have to lecture me?"
"The bad relationship between me and Bo Jingyu is all your fault."
He wasn't without guilt.
In fact, his guilt had reached the extreme and turned into regret.
But what good was regret?
Jiang Ying had passed away, leaving this cruel and painful life for Bo Jingming to bear alone. He had no choice but to escape.
But he never expected that his two sons would also become enemies because of this, unable to stand the sight of each other.
"I'm an unqualified father," Bo Siming said with tears in his eyes, choking back sobs.
"If you want to blame someone, blame Bo Jingyu. He pulled out mother's oxygen tube! How could such a heartless person be in charge of the group? In case of necessity, he might even kick me out!"
"No, he was a well - behaved child when he was young," Bo Jingming still wanted to try to salvage the situation.
"Then just wait and see. The things he does will definitely surprise you."
Bo Siming wiped the tears from his face and regained his confidence.
"You don't need to worry about my relationship with Shen Shiyu. She's not like her younger sister. I can guarantee that."
"The things that Shen Ximan caused haven't been completely suppressed yet. I don't ask you to break up with her immediately, but don't let the paparazzi catch you in unnecessary contact. We don't need any more trouble."
After all, Bo Jingming was his father. No matter how rebellious and resistant he was, he still had to bite the bullet and follow the order. "Got it."
"Go and rest. There will be a board meeting tomorrow morning."
In the middle of the night, Bo Jingming tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
He somehow walked into Bo Yanhai's room and sat stupidly on the lounge chair in the moonlight for an hour.
The room was filled with the smell of books, ink, and paper.
He remembered that in the past, his father had scolded him and Jiang Ying in the same way.
That commanding tone had made Bo Jingming unbearable. He had taken his wife and eldest son and moved into the villa in the eastern suburbs.
That place was still a scar to him.
He stood up and stroked the layers of Chinese ink paintings and books.
With a clatter, his train of thought was interrupted.
He lowered his head to find the source of the sound and found that it was a medicine bottle.
The name on it quickly told him that it was for treating heart disease.
He opened the bottle cap, and there were still two pills left inside.
Thinking of Bo Yanhai lying in bed, he felt heart - broken.
It turned out that his father would also grow old.
As a son, he hadn't accompanied his father often. As a husband, he hadn't protected Jiang Ying well. As a father, his actions had directly led to the estrangement between his two sons.
In this life, Bo Jingming was a great sinner.
Tears fell on the floor as he wept silently.
He would spend his whole life trying to ease this heart - rending pain.
Zi... zi...
Bo Jingming looked up in confusion and found that his tears had fallen into the bottle.
But after the pills were soaked, they actually made a strange sound.
Moreover, the smell they emitted was extremely unpleasant.
Could it be that Bo Yanhai had also had heart problems before he was pushed?
The next day, Bo Jingming rushed to Yancheng Hospital with the medicine bottle.
"Master," Ruo Chi greeted him respectfully.
"Where is the attending doctor of the old master?"
"He should be on a consultation. He'll be back this afternoon."
"What's the exact time?"
Seeing Bo Jingming's nervous look, Ruo Chi scratched his head.
"Sorry, master. I'm not sure either. I'll tell the people below to find out. As soon as I get the news, I'll call you immediately."
Just as they were talking, Bo Siming around the corner was sweating profusely. Fortunately, he had secretly followed them. Otherwise, something bad would have happened!
Five minutes ago, he had seen with his own eyes that Bo Jingming had come out of the room with a medicine bottle in his hand and then hurriedly left by car.