20 – Chapter 20
The atmosphere at the dinner table instantly turned cold.
Bo Jinye’s expression darkened abruptly, covered in frost, his eyes swirling with bloodthirsty killing intent.
Shi Yan immediately put down his chopsticks and stood up. “It’s fine, continue your meal. I’ll go check.”
An Sheng looked somewhat puzzled at Bo Jinye whose aura had turned icy.
Mr. Pei?
It must be Pei Hanqing, A Ye’s good friend who shares an intimate relationship with him.
The Pei and Bo families have had dealings for a long time, and he, A Ye, and An Ruyue practically grew up together.
But…
An Sheng picked up a shrimp and fed it to Bo Jinye. Why does he become so upset upon hearing about this person’s arrival?
Not wanting An Sheng to worry, Bo Jinye smiled and hugged her instead. “So delicious!”
“Sheng Sheng is amazing!”
Watching Shi Yan leave, An Sheng asked, “A Ye, do you remember Mr. Pei?”
“Don’t know him. Who is he? Don’t like him.” Bo Jinye nuzzled into her embrace.
His eyes and brows remained cold and gloomy…
[Pei Hanqing, Pei Hanqing, I’ll make sure you die without a burial place!]
Hearing the man’s inner thoughts, An Sheng couldn’t help but feel surprised.
When did things change between Bo Jinye and Pei Hanqing?
Ever since that incident in the rain when the man’s attitude shifted, everything seemed different from before.
An Sheng slightly furrowed her brows, her gaze sweeping over the three people opposite her. Seeing their expressions remained normal, she temporarily suppressed her doubts and focused on accompanying Bo Jinye through dinner.
Outside Brocade Garden, Shi Yan smiled as he stopped Pei Hanqing from entering. “Young Master Pei, long time no see.”
Pei Hanqing was an exceptionally handsome man – witty, humorous, and skilled at pleasing women. Thorough and smooth in his dealings, no one around him ever had a bad word to say about him.
“Just a few months. I brought a gift for Secretary Shi too. Let’s talk inside.” Pei Hanqing smiled.
Shi Yan chuckled. “Unfortunately, I can’t let you in right now.”
“Huh? Why?” Pei Hanqing was taken aback, removing his sunglasses to reveal deep blue eyes.
With a foreign mother, Pei Hanqing had inherited her deep blue eye color and distinct facial features, making his appearance particularly striking.
“President Bo is ill, and Brocade Garden happens to be under renovation. You should go home and rest first, wait for President Bo to call you.” Shi Yan explained.
Worry appeared on Pei Hanqing’s face. “Sick? What happened? I should check on him. Why would Brocade Garden need renovation? Jinye has always treasured this place most.”
“President Bo is well taken care of by us, and the doctor said he needs quiet rest.” Shi Yan blocked the man’s path.
Pei Hanqing grew somewhat angry. “Secretary Shi, are you deliberately keeping me out?”
“I wouldn’t dare. Not receiving guests is President Bo’s instruction.” Shi Yan curled his lips, his gaze profound.
Pei Hanqing frowned displeased. “You know exactly what relationship I have with Jinye. What guest am I? I’m family.”
As he tried to push past Shi Yan to enter, Shi Yan grabbed Pei Hanqing’s arm instead. Behind his glasses, his eyes were polite yet carried a warning. “Mr. Pei, please leave.”
Pei Hanqing shook off Shi Yan’s grip and snorted coldly. “Fine, I’ll go.”
“I’ll ask Jinye what this is all about once he recovers.”
“Safe travels, Young Master Pei. Oh, by the way, if you brought any gifts for President Bo, you can just hand them to me.” Shi Yan adjusted his glasses and added.
The person could leave…
But the gifts should stay.
No reason not to take what’s offered.
With an unpleasant expression, Pei Hanqing opened his trunk for Shi Yan to retrieve the gifts, then drove away.Shi Yan’s smile faded as he instructed the security guard, “From now on, whenever Mr. Pei comes, stop him and inform either me or Bo Xiyuan. Remember that.”
“Same treatment as Miss An Ruyue.”
“Understood, Secretary Shi. Should we help carry these inside for you?”
Shi Yan smiled, “Thank you…”
Upon returning, Shi Yan placed the gifts brought by Pei Hanqing on the table. “Mr. Pei has left.”
“He even brought gifts. President Bo, would you like to take a look?”
Bo Jinye curled his lip, “Throw them all away.”
“I want to see,” An Sheng said curiously. “What are they?”
“No! Don’t look! I’ll buy Sheng Sheng anything Sheng Sheng wants!” Bo Jinye protested unhappily.
An Sheng pressed him down as he tried to stand. “Oh, but I want that one specifically.”
Bo Jinye: “…”
He was utterly furious…
You Xin also ran over curiously to look. “What’s this? Jewelry?”
“Why would he give Fourth Brother jewelry as a gift? Fourth Brother has no use for it.”
An Sheng picked up the box and examined it – it was a diamond necklace, quite valuable.
“Yeah, how strange. A diamond watch would have made more sense,” An Sheng commented while checking the other items.
Aside from postcards, landscape photos, an oil painting, and some local specialties, there was only this necklace.
You Xin quickly lost interest, though his gaze returned to the necklace. “Gotta admit, it’s quite pretty though.”
An Sheng put it back, then looked at Bo Jinye who had followed them over with a displeased expression, then back at the necklace. A bold idea gradually formed in his mind.
This… probably not, right?
Bo Jinye noticed An Sheng’s strange gaze and felt a chill down his spine. “Sheng Sheng, what are you looking at?”
“A Ye, you weren’t… into men before, were you?” An Sheng suddenly asked.
“Pfft!” The juice in Shi Yan’s mouth sprayed all over Bo Xiyuan.
Bo Xiyuan: “Did you do that on purpose?”
Shi Yan shook his head frantically, coughing violently while looking at Bo Jinye and An Sheng with shock and uncertainty.
Bo Jinye nearly jumped up, loudly denying, “How could that be?!”
You Xin’s mouth hung open in astonishment while Ning Yun’ai looked surprised. “Wow…”
“Then why would Mr. Pei give you this diamond necklace? The message with the necklace says: To my dearest love,” An Sheng slowly read from the card in the gift box.
Bo Jinye’s urge to kill Pei Hanqing became unbearable.
“That’s because he’s sick! I don’t like men! I only like Sheng Sheng!” Bo Jinye explained desperately, his face dark.
Ning Yun’ai muttered to himself, “No wonder that guy stayed so close to you, Jinye. Pei Hanqing often goes abroad – maybe he has those kinds of thoughts.”
A gay man was actually among them.
Bo Jinye wanted to kick him out. “Shut up!”
You Xin swallowed hard. “N-no, that can’t be. Fourth Brother definitely isn’t like that.”
“Of course not!” Bo Jinye was going crazy.
Bo Xiyuan glanced at Shi Yan beside him and leaned in to whisper, “What about you?”
“What about me?” Shi Yan was looking for something to wipe Bo Xiyuan with.
Bo Xiyuan curled his lips and smiled again. “Never mind…”
Seeing Bo Jinye nearly going mad with explanation, his emotions running high, An Sheng finally relented. “Alright, alright, it’s not true, it’s not true.”
Bo Jinye bit An Sheng’s earlobe resentfully. “Mean! Sheng Sheng is the meanest!”
“But…” An Sheng’s tone turned serious again. “Even if A Ye doesn’t like men, what if Mr. Pei likes A Ye?””Absolutely impossible!” Bo Jinye cried out indignantly again, grinding his teeth in anger.
Ning Yun’ai raised an eyebrow. “That’s not necessarily true.”
Bo Jinye was so furious he threw a pillow at Ning Yun’ai. “Get out of here!”
“Tomorrow, no, the day after tomorrow, invite Mr. Pei to our home as a guest. I want to meet him,” An Sheng said, looking at Shi Yan.
Shi Yan paused his movements and glanced at Bo Jinye.
Bo Jinye glared at him with a dark expression. “Don’t you dare agree, or I’ll beat you up.”
Shi Yan replied, “Yes, Little Madam.”
Ah, I’m not afraid of you now.
Bo Jinye was so angry his head hurt.