"Good evening, Young Master Bo," Shen Yuliang flattered with a toothy grin.
Bo Jingyu tugged at his tie and said in a low voice, "What's the matter?"
These days, between work and matters related to Shen Ximan, he hadn't returned to the mansion much for almost a week.
"I've heard nothing about the matter I mentioned to you last time," Shen Yuliang said, his voice trailing off. His meaning was clear.
"Didn't the bank release the loan?"
Shen Yuliang was firm. "No! There's been no news at all!"
"You know, my third daughter has little affection for me. She's been closer to you and Ximan since childhood. It's a pity about my second daughter. She passed away so young..."
He sniffled and wept as if deeply regretful. But in Bo Jingyu's eyes, his acting was worse than that of an extra.
"An Ruo has such a good relationship with you. I'm very relieved with you taking care of her. If Yu'er hadn't been so close to the eldest young master, I'd definitely have betrothed her to you!" Shen Yuliang said without a hint of embarrassment.
In his mind, An Ruo was just a bargaining chip.
She'd never had much affection for him since childhood, nor was her relationship with Yang Wan and Shen Shiyu very good. So he might as well use her to get something valuable.
Bo Jingyu felt truly heart - broken for An Ruo.
Her own father didn't even consider her a daughter. She'd never received the slightest bit of basic family love and care.
Her stepmother and stepsister had even locked her in the basement for years, beating and scolding her like an animal.
"Come to the company tomorrow morning. I'll give it to you all at once."
Shen Yuliang was overjoyed. "Great! Great! Young Master Bo is really generous. Unlike the eldest young master, who always makes me beg..."
Suddenly, he stopped halfway and covered his mouth in shock.
"What about Bo Siming?"
Bo Jingyu had caught those words sharply.
"Nothing! Nothing! You should rest early. See you tomorrow!"
Looking at the screen after the call ended, his suspicions were further confirmed.
Shen Ximan had had the Shen family arrested, but Bo Siming had bailed them out in less than a week.
Coupled with the recent news about the merger of Zhong's Oil and the Shen family's company, Bo Siming must be behind it. He really knew how to play his cards.
The business circle seemed to him like a set of unassembled building blocks. Although there was an instruction manual, he insisted on going against the grain.
He could imagine how to arrange and build it as he pleased.
Knock, knock. The door was knocked, and Ruo Chi rushed in.
"Second Master, we've found out where Miss Shen is."
Bo Jingyu immediately cast aside his previous thoughts. "Where is she?"
"In a scenic view house on Harpas Mountain. General Manager Xue is there too."
"Let's go now."
He couldn't wait a moment longer. He just wanted to see her.
"But..." Ruo Chi was a bit worried. "The sky is overcast. It's going to rain heavily soon. How about going tomorrow?"
"Can you guarantee that Shen Ximan will still be there tomorrow?"
Bo Jingyu grabbed the doorknob and rushed out. "I know her too well. At the slightest sign of trouble, she'll run away."
It had always been like that before.
Either she'd run away, or cause trouble, or make him search for her with great effort.
Even though she'd changed in appearance and personality, she was still Shen Ximan.
Her true nature would never change.
The closer they got to the mountain area, the more obvious the lightning in the sky became.
Boom!
A bright flash made Ruo Chi squint his eyes.
"Second Master... The situation is really not looking good."
"Don't worry. Keep driving."
Bo Jingyu pursed his lips, his eyes cold and stern. He'd missed one opportunity after another. He couldn't miss this one!
In the scenic view house, An Ruo shrank fearfully into Xue Xiaoqi's arms.
"Sister Xue, we won't get struck by lightning, will we?"
Xue Xiaoqi smiled and comforted her. "Our house is fully equipped. There's a lightning rod on the roof. It won't affect us at all."
"What about sister? Is sister in danger? Where is she?"
"Sister Ximan is busy with work. She'll come and accompany us when she's done."
An Ruo blinked her big, bright eyes and thought for a while. "What about brother? Will brother be afraid of thunder too?"
"And Grandma Yang, Brother Qianli, Brother Ruo Chi, Brother Kun... Will they be like An Ruo, hiding under the covers?"
Xue Xiaoqi's expression turned solemn, and she was silent for a while.
"They're all very strong, just like Third Miss."
It was a long time before An Ruo finally fell asleep peacefully.
The phone under the pillow suddenly vibrated.
Xue Xiaoqi gently took it out and placed it on the pillow. After covering An Ruo with the quilt, she quietly slipped out of the room with the phone.
"The second young master has found you."
It was a message from A Ting, who was guarding at the foot of the mountain.
Xue Xiaoqi's hair stood on end, and she took off running.
Knock, knock, knock. She gently knocked on the door.
"Sister, sister!"
Shen Ximan came out of the room tiredly. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb me at night?"
"The second young master knows where we're staying! He's on his way now!"
Shen Ximan was suddenly stunned and speechless.
Just then, as if on cue, the rain started pouring down.
The bean - sized raindrops hit the window with a loud noise.
"Let's go. Now!"
Xue Xiaoqi immediately grabbed her arm. "The weather is so bad outside. How can we go? And Grandfather is still inside."
"If that cold - blooded man comes, he'll never allow me to keep Grandfather with me. I know his thoughts too well!"
The exhaustion on Shen Ximan's face was instantly swept away by this shock.
"But you have to face it. Running away like this won't solve the problem!"
"Xiaoqi, you know what I really want."
Her eyes were fierce, and she didn't care about the pros and cons at all.
"I want the Shen family to pay the price. I want Bo Siming to live in hell. And I want that Bo Jingyu, who just stands by and only cares about himself, to fall into an abyss of no return! I hate them. I hate them to the core!"
Xue Xiaoqi watched Shen Ximan grit her teeth. Her lips trembled, and she didn't know how to persuade her.
Before, she'd hoped that Shen Ximan could abandon emotional matters and focus on her career. Now she realized that her extreme thinking was wrong.
Everyone had emotions and feelings.
She didn't understand love, didn't understand what it meant to be reluctant to let go. So she'd imposed her own will on Shen Ximan.
But since Qianli had gradually entered her life, she'd realized how happy it was to miss someone and care about someone.
"Sister, I know it might seem like I'm speaking too late, but please listen to me patiently. When the second young master was with you, I really hated his presence."
"I thought he'd taken away the sister who was so sharp and powerful. You'd planned for so many years to turn things around. I was really afraid that you'd throw it all away for a man."