Volume One, Chapter Thirteen: What She Wants Is to Be Mrs. Bo!
The pink bedsheet was her favorite limited edition from Frette, a rare Diptyque scented candle graced the windowsill, and even the curtains’ translucency perfectly matched the specifications of her villa. The skincare products arranged neatly on the vanity were all her tried-and-true brands, ones she’d used for over five years.
“This room is yours,” Bo Xingzhou stood at the threshold where light met shadow in the corridor, his voice low, “I never force anyone to do anything.”
Just as Fu Yuting’s fingers touched the handle of the walk-in closet, she heard Bo Xingzhou behind her say, “The bathroom is on the left. There are fresh clothes in the wardrobe.”
The wardrobe door opened silently, and her pupils contracted instantly.
A whole row of dresses was arranged by color—every one of them the minimalist style she loved.
Wait!
What about the lower row?
She mechanically pulled open the bottom cabinet and then slammed it shut!
Her ears burned instantly—there was even lingerie prepared, and the sizes were perfectly precise…
“You…” She spun around abruptly, only to crash unexpectedly into a warm, broad chest.
Bo Xingzhou’s breath caught.
Her nose brushed against the second button of his shirt, his scent enveloping her.
Too close! Close enough to hear his heartbeat pounding wildly in his chest.
“S-sorry.” Fu Yuting retreated in panic, her shin bumping against the half-open cabinet door. As she lost her balance, Bo Xingzhou’s palm caught her waist with perfect precision.
“Careful.”
His deep voice brushed her ear, making her earlobes flush hot. His towering figure loomed over her, and the silk collar of her shirt, disturbed by their encounter, slipped down half an inch, revealing a lace strap identical to those in the drawer.
Bo Xingzhou’s gaze lingered on that spot for three dangerous seconds. Suddenly, he steadied her, released her, and stepped back. “There’s a robe in the third tier of the wardrobe.”
As he turned away, Fu Yuting glimpsed an unnatural blush at the nape of his neck. So, even the always composed Bo Xingzhou could lose his cool over such contact.
The bathroom door closed, and the sound of running water filled the air.
Fu Yuting looked at her reflection in the mirror—her lips had been bitten red, her ears burned hot.
Fu Yuting, can’t you show some backbone?
One touch to the waist and you’re left like this!
She had only intended to rest for a moment after her bath.
The fragrance in the air dissolved days of tension. She thought she would be unable to sleep in a strange bed as usual, but her eyelids grew heavy beyond her control.
When she opened her eyes again, dusk had already seeped through the gauze curtain.
Fu Yuting sat up abruptly. She had slept so long!
—
She descended the stairs to find Bo Xingzhou sitting on the living room sofa, reviewing documents. The halo from a floor lamp cast a glow on his sharply defined profile; the black turtleneck made his skin seem almost icy, and he looked like a sheathed blade.
Hearing her footsteps, he glanced up, his gaze lingering on her well-fitting nightdress for a few seconds. “Did you sleep well?”
Fu Yuting instinctively adjusted her collar.
Bo Xingzhou’s phone screen lit up suddenly, a message flashing:
[The Tianlai Restaurant has been cleared.]
“Get ready,” Bo Xingzhou closed the document. “I’m taking you out for dinner.”
Fu Yuting instinctively adjusted her collar. “Alright, you go ahead. I’ll follow soon—I have a file to deal with.”
Meanwhile, in the back seat of Lu Jingyan’s black Bentley—
Xu Qian was straddling Lu Jingyan’s lap, her lipstick smeared beyond her lip line, leaving a provocative mark on his chin.
“I found out,” Lu Jingyan pinched her chin, his gaze icy behind gold-rimmed glasses. “My brother booked Tianlai for tonight.”
Xu Qian’s nails dug into his hair. “Dining with that mysterious sister-in-law?”
“Get to the bottom of that woman,” he bit her earlobe.
Xu Qian’s eyes gleamed. “Tonight, we could drop by Tianlai, buy something for your sister-in-law.”
“How do you mean?” Lu Jingyan didn’t understand.
“A woman your brother brings home must be unusual. If I meet her early and become friends, she’ll be on our side. If we get married, even if your father trusts Fu Yuting, she’ll always be an outsider,” Xu Qian said, touching up her lipstick in the rearview mirror, applying it more vividly than usual.
Her red lips curved in syrupy sweetness. “I’m best at bonding with sisters…”
Yet, out of his sight, her fingers quietly clenched, her lowered eyes hiding malice.
Sisters? What nonsense.
She wanted to be Mrs. Bo!
If she couldn’t win Bo Xingzhou, she’d curry favor with that woman!
She was curious, after all—what kind of woman could catch his eye?
Lu Jingyan’s fingers caressed Xu Qian’s waist, the neon outside casting sullen shadows on his glasses.
Night deepened.
At the entrance of Tianlai Restaurant—
Lu Jingyan and Xu Qian sat in their black car, eyes fixed on the doorway.
“He booked the whole place just for dinner with her?” Xu Qian tapped the window edge with fingers painted a vivid red, her tone skeptical.
—
As they approached the entrance, a black-clad security guard immediately blocked them. “Sorry, Mr. Bo has booked the restaurant tonight.”
Lu Jingyan’s face darkened. “I’m his brother.”
“Mr. Bo gave strict orders—no exceptions,” the guard replied emotionlessly.
Lu Jingyan’s gaze grew grim behind the gold-rimmed glasses; he returned to the car. “Let’s wait a bit longer.”
In the distance, Bo Xingzhou’s black Maybach approached slowly. The door opened, and he stepped out alone, his tall figure casting a cold silhouette under the neon lights.
“He’s alone?” Xu Qian frowned. “Where’s the sister-in-law? Did she arrive earlier?”
Lu Jingyan remained silent, his eyes locked on Bo Xingzhou’s back until he disappeared through the revolving door.
Xu Qian’s voice tightened. “As soon as that woman appears, we’ll know—”
Before she could finish, another black car pulled up.
Its door opened, and a foot in Jimmy Choo heels emerged, the pale lavender hem of a dress flashing.
The woman flicked her long hair, her profile catching the lamplight—familiar features, familiar demeanor.
“Fu Yuting?!” Xu Qian’s scream sliced through the night.
Lu Jingyan’s blood froze.
He watched the woman who should have been at Wen Yunzhi’s house walk toward the restaurant Bo Xingzhou had reserved.
Xu Qian’s face turned ashen, her eyes fixed on the entrance, her voice sharp: “Impossible! How could she get inside? Bo Xingzhou reserved the whole place!”
Lu Jingyan’s arm tightened around her, his gaze sullen behind his glasses. “She must have heard my brother was here and wants to ingratiate herself.”
He sneered. “Wishful thinking.”
Xu Qian leaned against him, her lips curving in smug satisfaction.
No matter how much that wretch schemed, Jingyan’s wife would be her—only her!
Just then—
The security guard bowed respectfully, as if fully aware of her identity.
She entered!
Xu Qian’s nails dug deep into her palm, her eyes glued to Fu Yuting’s graceful silhouette inside the restaurant.
“How did she get in?!” her voice trembled. “Could she really be…”