Chapter 26: No Sentiment, Only the Pursuit of Joy
Bo Jinxi paused at the question, then suddenly turned to Jiang Ciyou. “Host Jiang, what do you think?” he asked.
Jiang Ciyou feigned surprise. “Mr. Bo, I don’t know the woman you love—how could I possibly know the answer?”
“But I believe anyone Mr. Bo likes must be exceptional,” she added.
Bo Jinxi nodded in agreement. “The line of people who like her could stretch from here to Paris.”
A hint of curiosity stirred in Jiang Ciyou’s heart. Bo Jinxi’s beloved must surely be one of the top socialites in the capital. As he spoke of her, Jiang Ciyou thought she caught a glimmer of light in his eyes.
Inside the livestream chat:
[He has a secret crush? Even the prince of the capital secretly loves someone?]
[Turns out, no matter how impressive a man is, he still becomes cautious and uncertain before the one he likes.]
[Honestly, who could resist that face, regardless of his status?]
[So does that lucky woman even know the prince is in love with her?]
Jiang Ciyou voiced the question everyone in the livestream most wanted answered. “So, does the prince not know whether the woman you love likes you back?”
Bo Jinxi smiled. “I’m still lining up in Paris. I just hope she doesn’t keep me waiting too long.”
His humorous response lightened the mood at once.
Jiang Ciyou teased, “Fortune favors the bold, Mr. Bo. Why not pursue her bravely? You might just succeed.”
With that, Jiang Ciyou faced the camera for her closing remarks. “Once again, thank you to Mr. Bo for this interview. We wish him every success in winning his beloved’s heart.”
The interview concluded.
One by one, the team filed out of the conference room.
Jiang Ciyou also rose briskly, preparing to leave.
As she got up, Bo Jinxi caught her arm. “Using me and then running off—is that your style?”
Jiang Ciyou glanced around. Everyone else had already left.
“I have to get back to the station. I’m still on the clock.”
Bo Jinxi checked his watch. “Your TV station works past eleven-thirty?”
“Have lunch with me before you go.”
Jiang Ciyou was helpless.
She could only claim to have a special feature to prepare for the resort and a few matters to coordinate, instructing her team to return first.
Lunch had been delivered by Gao Cen.
Bo Jinxi’s office was a suite. The two of them sat at the dining table in the “dining room” for lunch.
Suddenly, Jiang Ciyou chuckled at a thought.
“What’s funny?” Bo Jinxi asked as he peeled shrimp.
Jiang Ciyou replied, “In the three years we’ve known each other, this is the first time we’ve had lunch together.”
It was true.
They’d known each other three years, nearly always meeting at night, sometimes for dinner, but never for lunch.
Bo Jinxi placed the peeled shrimp in Jiang Ciyou’s bowl. “That’s because you only see me as a warm body at night.”
Jiang Ciyou was sipping her soup. She nearly choked.
The atmosphere grew a little awkward.
“President Bo, can we not talk about the past?”
“We can skip the past, but what about last night?”
“What did you mean, coming to me so abruptly and being so forceful?”
His speech was slow and unhurried, but his tone was earnest, as if discussing something completely serious.
This time, Jiang Ciyou truly choked and fumbled for a napkin.
Finally regaining her composure, she said, “I’m sorry. I was a little emotional last night—it won’t happen again.”
Bo Jinxi raised an eyebrow. “So I’m at a loss, then.”
Jiang Ciyou was momentarily at a loss. “What?”
“Jiang Ciyou, will you be my girlfriend?”
“I’m married,” Jiang Ciyou blurted.
“That so-called marriage of yours—does the law even recognize it?”
Jiang Ciyou was stunned. “You know?”
Of course he did. With his status, he’d probably investigated her thoroughly.
Bo Jinxi fell silent for a moment. “Yan Feng doesn’t love you. You know it as well as I do. Instead of wasting time on someone who’ll never turn back, why not try someone else? I think we’d be a good match.”
His gaze fixed on Jiang Ciyou, deep and fathomless as the midnight sea.
At this moment, his expression was earnest and grave, so serious it made her heart skip a beat.
“At least, in some respects, we’re very compatible,” he suddenly added, arching an eyebrow.
The serious air was shattered in an instant.
Jiang Ciyou rolled her eyes at him. “What, you’re not waiting in that Parisian line anymore?”
A glint flashed in Bo Jinxi’s eyes. “Jealous, are you?”
Jiang Ciyou smiled coquettishly. “Are we even at that point?”
After lunch, Jiang Ciyou set down her chopsticks. “Honestly, President Bo, you’re quite skilled in bed.”
Bo Jinxi frowned deeply.
With all his virtues, all she remembered was his skill in bed.
Jiang Ciyou continued, “We can keep seeing each other, but on one condition.”
“And what’s that?”
“No interests, no feelings, just fun. We don’t tie each other down or interfere in each other’s private lives.”
Bo Jinxi seemed displeased. “So you don’t want a relationship, just a bed partner?”
Jiang Ciyou nodded. “Feelings are too troublesome. With feelings come greed. We were doing fine before—each getting what we wanted and both happy.”
She knew they liked each other; otherwise, this entanglement wouldn’t have lasted three years. But she also knew their statuses were too far apart—there was no way they’d ever be together.
Besides, she carried too many secrets.
She no longer believed in everlasting love. She’d known Yan Feng for over twenty years, grown up together, only to end up mutually resentful.
What in this world was truly unchanging?
She would never let anyone stab her in the back again.
But the man still seemed unsatisfied, a frown creasing his brow.
Jiang Ciyou smiled coolly. “If you don’t agree, forget it.”
“All right, but move into the Greenfield Villa first,” he said.
Jiang Ciyou hadn’t expected him to agree so easily.
She said, “I have a few things to deal with. Once I’m done, I’ll move in.”
This time, Bo Jinxi said nothing more.
That afternoon, Jiang Ciyou even took a nap in Bo Jinxi’s “bedroom,” only returning to the TV station at two o’clock.
When Tang Fei saw her, she put down her thermos and hurried over.
“Xiao Jiang, you’re truly the pride of our station! The interview response was incredible—ratings hit a record high. Several major advertisers want to invest in our new program, ad slots are selling out, and the Beijing channel even called to ask for tips. The director says there’s a reward coming your way.”
Jiang Ciyou beamed. “It’s all part of the job.”
Everyone nearby crowded around her.
“Jiang Jie, you’re amazing! The news department’s phone won’t stop ringing. The first episode of ‘Elite Figures’ was such a hit—now, instead of us begging for interviews, all those rising stars are reaching out to us, even offering money for a spot.”
“We set the bar so high with the first episode—if they get on this show, it’s like being put on the same level as the prince of the capital. Of course they want in.”
“Jiang Jie, tell us—how did you convince the prince to do the interview?”
Everyone gathered around Jiang Ciyou.
Only Xia Ling stood at a distance, quietly watching it all unfold.