2 – Chapter 2
“Bo Jinye, what are you doing?”
Thunder exploded across the sky as torrential rain poured down.
An Sheng stood motionless in the heavy rain.
It wasn’t that she wanted to torture herself, but yesterday An Ruyue had visited, bringing her a gift.
She had thrown the gift out, and after Bo Jinye found out, he punished her by making her stand outside for a day.
A cold smile flickered across An Sheng’s beautiful yet haggard and pale face.
She would never accept anything from An Ruyue.
Even if Bo Jinye hit her, she would never bow her head.
Fortunately, Bo Jinye didn’t hit women, but he would never have feelings for her either.
For four years, she had endured neglect. If she hadn’t been in love with Bo Jinye since her youth, she would never have tolerated it.
But now, she didn’t want to endure it anymore.
Today’s punishment and the heavy rain had made her completely sober.
Bo Jinye was stuck on the road.
The traffic jam combined with the heavy rain made the man’s expression appear even colder and more severe.
Shi Yan cautiously looked at him. “President Bo, why do you suddenly want… to return to the old mansion?”
Bo Jinye watched the heavy rain outside. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Notify Brocade Garden to clean up the house. Madam is moving back.”
Shi Yan nearly swerved the car into the guardrail. “Wh-what?!”
Madam moving back?!
He recognized each word individually, but when put together, he couldn’t understand what this sentence meant.
Four years – forget Brocade Garden, he had only seen Madam’s face once! And that was on the wedding day.
Thinking about Bo Jinye and An Sheng’s marriage, Shi Yan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
It was called a wedding, but it was just bringing Madam from the An family to the old mansion.
President Bo hadn’t even shown up.
Because President Bo never wanted to marry Madam in the first place.
The Bo and An families had been close friends for generations, but later, when the An family declined, the connection between the two families weakened.
No one knew what the An family’s Master and the Bo family’s Master were thinking when they arranged a marriage between the infant Bo Jinye and the yet-unborn daughter of the An family.
Later, the An family had two daughters – An Sheng, born to the first wife, and An Ruyue, born to the second wife.
Since the arranged marriage didn’t specify which daughter would marry into the Bo family, and considering the first wife wasn’t favored by the An family head, An Sheng was sent to the countryside shortly after birth.
So everyone assumed that An Ruyue would eventually marry into the Bo family.
President Bo also liked An Ruyue very much. The two were childhood friends, and President Bo always took care of An Ruyue.
But until that night four years ago, when President Bo was mistakenly drugged, he restrained himself from touching An Ruyue, only for Madam An Sheng to take advantage of the situation.
She spent one night with the president.
Under such circumstances, marriage was the only option.
Since then, President Bo suppressed his affection for An Ruyue while developing disgust for Madam An Sheng’s scheming ways.
After marriage, Madam An Sheng had been living in the old mansion, rarely going out or meeting people.
Many people outside didn’t even know the president was married.
Shi Yan collected his thoughts and observed the silent, frowning Bo Jinye through the car mirror, shaking his head slightly.
Actually, as an outsider, he could see something.
President Bo’s feelings for An Ruyue seemed less like romantic love and more like sibling care.
Moreover, An Ruyue naturally possessed a charm that made men want to protect her.
President Bo regarded her as the pure love of his life, especially because An Ruyue had once saved his life.
The car behind honked its horn, and Shi Yan quickly started the car, driving toward the old mansion.The storm came and went quickly. Arriving outside the old residence, Bo Jinye spotted that slender yet unyielding figure and rushed over to embrace her tightly. “An Sheng?!”
The delicate body in his arms trembled uncontrollably, icy cold to the touch.
“Why are you standing in the rain instead of going inside?” Bo Jinye asked heartbrokenly as he took off his coat to wrap around her.
An Sheng stared blankly at the man before her – so gentle, so concerned.
This was the kind of care she had once dreamed of receiving from Bo Jinye.
But it remained just a dream.
An Sheng let out a soft laugh, never having felt more clear-headed.
“Has President Bo forgotten? You’re the one who ordered me to stand here as punishment.” An Sheng slowly but firmly pushed Bo Jinye away.
“I’ve prepared the divorce papers. President Bo only needs to sign them to be rid of me.”
Bo Jinye froze. Punishment?
Suddenly remembering the reason, the man panicked and embraced An Sheng again. “I won’t divorce you, I refuse!”
“President Bo, it’s time for me to live my own life. I’m letting you go, so please let me go too.” An Sheng spoke softly, her fingers twitching as if to touch Bo Jinye’s face before stopping mid-air.
Her hand fell back down…
Bo Jinye immediately caught her hand and pressed it against his cheek, pleading, “Don’t go. Let me back into your life, please?”
“I regret it, An Sheng. I was wrong.”
The man’s expression was pained and lost, as if facing the loss of his most precious treasure.
Seeing his remorse, An Sheng felt confused and bewildered, her voice softening despite herself. “President Bo, you…”
Just as Bo Jinye was about to carry her inside to avoid her catching cold, An Ruyue suddenly arrived.
Seeing the two embracing in the courtyard, her expression shifted before she quickly approached with a smile. “Sister, Brother Jinye.”
“Have you finally reconciled? That’s wonderful. I always said Brother Jinye is a good man.”
“He wouldn’t treat sister coldly because of me.”
An Sheng’s momentarily softened heart turned cold again. She let out a light laugh and looked at Bo Jinye, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “So that’s why.”
“No wonder President Bo had a change of heart today.”
“It was all thanks to the persuasion of your beloved white moonlight.”
An Sheng had never spoken to Bo Jinye with such sarcasm before. Even when An Ruyue made veiled insults and played innocent in front of her, she had always responded with silence.
But today, she didn’t want to endure it anymore.
“President Bo must love Miss An Ruyue deeply indeed, to embrace the woman he detests most for her sake.” An Sheng smiled mockingly.
She pushed Bo Jinye away completely.
“Stop calling him Brother Jinye. Once your Brother Jinye signs the divorce papers, you can call him husband.”
An Ruyue stared blankly. “What, what do you mean?”
“Sister, don’t misunderstand. Brother Jinye and I are just…”
“Shut up!” Bo Jinye snapped, cutting off An Ruyue. Ignoring An Sheng’s struggles, he scooped her up horizontally and carried her into the house.
The door slammed shut in An Ruyue’s face.
An Ruyue stared blankly for a moment before slowly frowning.
What had just happened?
She turned to Shi Yan nearby and put on her sweet smile again. “Brother Shiyan, what’s wrong with Brother Jinye?”
Shi Yan glanced at her. “Miss Ruyue, President Bo seems to have… come to some realization.”
After speaking, he nodded to An Ruyue and turned to make arrangements at Brocade Garden.
Inside the old residence, An Sheng was pressed into the soft bedding by Bo Jinye, her hair dampening the pillow. “Bo Jinye, what are you doing!”The man paused his movements, flustered as he explained, “I’m not doing anything, I just… I just…”
“Wanted to help you change clothes.”
“You’re all wet.”
An Sheng took a deep breath. “I can manage myself. No need for President Bo to trouble himself.”
Pushing him aside, An Sheng stood up, picked up the clean clothes and entered the bathroom.
Bo Jinye sat by the bed like an abandoned large dog, gazing wistfully at the bathroom door.
Waiting for his owner to come out.