Volume One, Chapter 15: The Ring, Symbol of Marriage

Fu Yuting responded with a sleepy murmur, her consciousness feeling as though it were dissolving, steeped in warm water. She didn’t know how much time passed before she sensed herself being laid gently on a soft bed. The sheets beneath her carried a faint scent of lavender.

She forced her heavy eyelids open, catching sight of Bo Xingzhou as he leaned over to remove her high heels. His movements were gentle, and when his fingertips brushed her ankle, a subtle shiver ran through her.

“Bo Xingzhou...” she called his name, her voice softened and sweetened by the alcohol.

“Hmm,” he replied simply, setting her shoes neatly by the bed before straightening up. “I’ll get you some water.”

As he turned away, Fu Yuting suddenly reached out and grabbed his tie. The silk slipped through her fingers, and she instinctively tightened her grip.

“That agreement... I worked so hard to revise it. There’s nothing in it that could harm you...” she muttered, her damp eyes reflecting a trace of stubbornness. “Why did you tear it up?”

Bo Xingzhou’s gaze darkened noticeably.

“Nothing that could harm me?” he echoed coldly, slowly rising. The tie grew taut between them, a suggestive connection.

Fu Yuting, emboldened by that tension, pulled him toward her in one swift motion.

He hadn’t expected her sudden strength, and for a moment he lost his balance, his whole body falling atop hers. Fortunately, he caught himself with his arms braced on either side of her head, preventing his weight from pressing down fully.

Still, the space between them was so close they could feel each other’s breath.

Fu Yuting gazed up at him. Though the alcohol blurred her vision, her other senses sharpened. She could smell the trace of liquor on his breath, see her own reflection in his pupils, even feel the rapid beat of his heart beneath his chest.

“Bo Xingzhou...” she suddenly lifted her hand, staring at the large pink diamond ring on her finger, and murmured, “Thank you for the ring.”

Her eyes shone, her voice unconsciously tender.

In five years with Lu Jingyan, he had never once given her a ring.

Bo Xingzhou’s breath faltered noticeably.

His deep eyes grew darker, like the sea before a storm, turbulent and unreadable.

“Do you know what a ring represents?” His voice dropped almost to a whisper, laced with danger.

Fu Yuting blinked, her thoughts sluggish yet bold from the wine. Releasing his tie, she traced the tense line of his jaw with her fingertip.

“Of course. It means marriage.” She tilted her head, her smile both innocent and alluring. After a pause, she added, “Even if it’s just by agreement...”

Before she could finish, his hand seized her chin, lifting her face as his lips crashed down on hers.

The kiss was punishing, his tongue forcefully prying her lips apart to claim the lingering taste of red wine.

“Mmm... Bo...” She tried to turn her head away, but his other hand held her firmly.

Only when she was utterly spent and her eyes glazed did he pull back a little, granting her a gasp of air.

His nose brushed against hers, his breath hot and uneven.

As Fu Yuting gulped for air, her chest heaving, she heard his husky whisper in her ear: “The diamond is real. The ring is real. The marriage is real.”

His breath seared against her skin, his voice ragged and unrecognizable.

Fu Yuting stared at him in confusion, her mind fixated on the thought that the diamond was real.

How amusing—such a large, brilliant pink diamond.

“Then I suppose I’ve profited...” she mumbled as the alcohol surged again, her senses fading after another soul-stealing kiss.

Bo Xingzhou braced himself above her, watching as her languid, sultry gaze slowly fluttered shut, her breathing evening out in peaceful slumber.

A vein pulsed at his temple, his eyes awash with emotions she could not see.

He let out a breathless laugh.

His tie was hopelessly loosened, two buttons torn open at the collar, revealing a sharply defined collarbone—the result of her unconscious tugging.

He watched her for a few seconds more, the sound of her steady breathing unusually distinct in the quiet bedroom.

Finally, Bo Xingzhou straightened abruptly and strode into the bathroom without a backward glance.

The rush of water soon followed, as if he were trying to wash away something deeper than fatigue.

Ten minutes later, Bo Xingzhou took a deep breath and pushed open the bathroom door.

The bedroom was lit only by a single dim wall lamp, bathing the room in a warm, hazy glow. His gaze went straight to the bed.

Fu Yuting was sound asleep, curled up and hugging the blanket in a posture that betrayed a lack of security.

Bo Xingzhou unconsciously softened his steps.

She lay on her side, half her face buried in the downy pillow, her long hair spilling like ink. The alcohol had plunged her into a deep sleep, her lashes casting delicate shadows that trembled with each breath.

He reached out a hand and paused just before touching her cheek, his fingers hovering in the warmth of her exhaled breath.

He leaned over and gently pulled the fallen blanket over her, his movements impossibly light.

“Goodnight, Mrs. Bo.” The words were so soft they barely formed, yet even Bo Xingzhou was surprised by their weight.

He didn’t know how long he sat there before finally leaving.

…

Top floor of the Lu Group.

After resolving the workers’ protest, Lu Jingyan rubbed his brow wearily.

Xu Qian pressed herself close behind him, her voice thick with sweetness. “I didn’t see your sister-in-law, but I did get pictures.”

Lu Jingyan stared at the photos on his phone—a slender figure, her face hidden by long hair, a massive pink diamond on her finger. The pupils behind his gold-rimmed glasses contracted slightly.

So his elder brother wasn’t so impenetrable after all.

“Release the photos,” he instructed Xu Qian coldly. “Let’s give my brother some entertainment.”

The next day, Fu Yuting’s office.

Fu Yuting sat daydreaming at her computer, replaying Bo Xingzhou’s words from the night before, the memories both blurred and vivid.

Did he kiss her?

Wen Yunzhi suddenly burst through the door, brandishing a tablet as she hurried to Fu Yuting’s desk, snapping her from her reverie.

On the screen, headlines from major media outlets blazed:

“President of Bo Group Secretly Meets Mysterious Woman!”

“Bo Group’s Chief the Mysterious Buyer of ‘Pink Lady’ at California Auction!”

“President Bo Spends a Fortune for Love; Identity of the Woman Remains Unknown.”

Fu Yuting was momentarily startled.

“You know the Bo Group, right?” Wen Yunzhi seemed to recall something. “I heard he secured that pink diamond by directly bidding the highest.”

Fu Yuting’s fingers trembled slightly, the coffee in her cup rippling. His words from last night echoed in her mind.

Did he really buy it especially for her?

Directly outbidding everyone?

Did a marriage for convenience require such extravagance?

Wen Yunzhi, still speaking, took Fu Yuting’s hand, staring at her pretty face and musing aloud, “That’s your favorite pink diamond. I can only imagine how beautiful it would look on your hand...”

As she spoke, Wen Yunzhi’s hand bumped into something hard. She looked down, her eyes widening in shock.

Her voice shot up several octaves. “Why is it... here with you?!”

Fu Yuting’s lashes quivered. She took a deep breath. “Yunzhi, this…”

Wen Yunzhi leaned in, her voice dropping to a disbelieving whisper. “Don’t tell me you and Bo Xingzhou...”

Fu Yuting closed her eyes for a moment, then finally nodded.

“No way! You…” Wen Yunzhi nearly jumped out of her chair. “When did this happen? You hid it so well!”

She produced a little notebook from somewhere, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “When did you get together? Who confessed first? Where was your first date? How far have you gone?”

Bombarded by questions, Fu Yuting grew dizzy, her cheeks visibly flushing.

“Actually... we...”

She broke off as the host on the tablet excitedly announced, “According to inside sources, the woman in the photo is likely President Bo Xingzhou’s newly wedded wife...”

Wen Yunzhi slowly turned to her, disbelief etched on her face. “Wife?”

Fu Yuting’s ears burned scarlet; she wished she could disappear. She nodded. “And... I’ve already moved in with him.”

Wen Yunzhi’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “Did you tell Lu Jingyan?”

“I said I was staying at your place for a while.” Fu Yuting bowed her head in shame.

Wen Yunzhi was about to shriek when the office door suddenly swung open—