Humiliated Anger
Twenty minutes later, Jiang Zhuoye lay on the bed as if his soul had left his body.
And beside him lay Bo Yun.
He had just hurriedly kicked Bo Yun out and taken a shower himself.
But when he tried to retreat back to his room, Bo Yun had stopped him.
“You’re sleeping here tonight. It’s Friday—we should sleep together.”
Bo Yun sat on the sofa, his face calm to the point of being cruel, as if nothing that had just happened affected him.
He looked at Jiang Zhuoye: “You’re not that shy, are you? Over something this small, that you can’t face me?”
Jiang Zhuoye thought: yeah, not everyone has your thick skin.
I, a pure and innocent single dog for twenty years, can’t handle such a huge shock.
Yet now, staring at Bo Yun’s cold and arrogant face, he couldn’t say a word. Every thought lodged in his throat.
People are like that—sometimes words flow freely, sometimes they dry up completely.
Jiang Zhuoye pressed his lips together, unable to argue, and silently got into bed.
Bo Yun took a quick shower and lay down beside him.
Jiang Zhuoye curled up like a quail under the covers, refusing to peek out.
But Bo Yun knew he wasn’t asleep.
He himself wasn’t sleepy either, but even while looking at a work report from his secretary on his computer, he didn’t read a word.
Everything that happened that night seemed endlessly long.
From receiving the bodyguard’s message to helping Jiang Zhuoye in the bathroom.
Jiang Zhuoye’s previous state kept flashing in his mind.
Theoretically, Jiang Zhuoye shouldn’t have been this innocent.
But moments ago, from bottom to top, he had looked at him panicked and helpless.
The steam in the bathroom had clung to his lips and eyelashes, those overly moist eyes seemingly about to spill tears.
His usual arrogance, coldness, defiance—all melted away in the water.
Melted into a fragile vulnerability, trembling, staring at him.
Bo Yun’s fingers pressed down on the keyboard, unconsciously tapping once.
He glanced at Jiang Zhuoye.
Unexplainably, he remembered something Jiang Xu had said before he married Jiang Zhuoye:
“Don’t let his fierce-looking exterior fool you. He seems fearless, a little rascal, but he’s actually obedient. When I was feeling down as a kid, he’d bring me hot water.”
Jiang Xu had smiled: “Typical kid, only knows hot water, but at least he’d share his candy.”
“So, please be kind to my brother. Even if your marriage is just a mutually convenient arrangement, he’s truly the family’s treasure. Don’t bully him.”
Bo Yun’s mind flashed back to Jiang Zhuoye’s sweat-dampened face earlier.
He remembered grabbing him on the hotel rooftop, the room in chaos, Jiang Zhuoye trapped in the cramped space, flustered, snow-white face, red lips—like a rabbit caught in a trap.
Pitiful, yet strangely tantalizing.
He couldn’t blame the Jiang family for cherishing him.
Honestly, even he himself thought it might be better to keep Jiang Zhuoye tucked away in the attic.
He stared at the book in his hand, read two pages but absorbed nothing, then glanced at Jiang Zhuoye.
He clearly wasn’t asleep, but he wasn’t on his phone either, lying straight as a salted fish.
Looking at that fuzzy back of the head, Bo Yun felt a rare, inexplicable helplessness.
What could he do? He thought, frowning.
This was the family treasure Jiang Xu had insisted he protect.
He could only indulge him.
Bo Yun closed the book, and in a low voice asked: “Still uncomfortable?”
Jiang Zhuoye took a few seconds to realize Bo Yun was speaking to him.
He stiffened, tempted to pretend to sleep, but remembering Bo Yun’s earlier “help,” in the bath tub, his face heated, and he stiffly replied, “No.”
Bo Yun was silent for a few seconds, then spoke again.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that tonight.” Bo Yun wasn’t one for apologies. His voice was cold and low, but slow, so Jiang Zhuoye could hear clearly: “You’re right. No matter the cause, you were the one harmed tonight. I shouldn’t have put all the blame on you.”
Jiang Zhuoye could hardly believe his ears.
Hmph.
Bo Yun lowering his head to him was the sort of thing that, if mentioned out loud, would make people feel like snow had fallen in June.
If Jiang Zhuoye’s ears could move like a cat’s, they would probably have perked straight up by now.
But he only clutched the blanket, lying stiffly in place, and didn’t turn around to look at Bo Yun.
Bo Yun continued, “I admit that I was too irritable with you tonight. That was me losing control. But I hope that next time you go somewhere unfamiliar with people you don’t know well, you’ll remember to bring bodyguards. Not just situations like tonight’s scandal—other circumstances too. You need to be careful. Just the year before last, the Li family’s youngest son was kidnapped at sea. I think you’ve heard about it.”
“Jiang Zhuoye, I can’t say we have much emotional bond. But since I put a ring on your finger in front of your parents and brother, I have at least the responsibility to ensure your safety.”
“If anything were to happen to you—even if it didn’t endanger your life—I wouldn’t be able to explain myself to your family.”
Jiang Zhuoye gripped the blanket, hearing a trace of sincerity in Bo Yun’s words.
Even though Bo Yun’s voice was still cold, it felt as if he heard a quiet sigh hidden beneath it.
He thought that, to Bo Yun, he was probably just another troublesome burden—like a hot potato handed over by the Jiang family, taken in because of a piece of paper called a marriage contract, with no clear idea what to do with him now.
But he wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell goodwill from malice. He could hear that Bo Yun was speaking sincerely to him.
That made his grip on the blanket loosen a little. Without making it obvious, he turned his head to sneak a glance at Bo Yun—then quickly turned back again.
Bo Yun noticed. Looking in Jiang Zhuoye’s direction, he suddenly felt that Jiang Zhuoye resembled an overly spoiled cat, cautiously poking its head out.
He said, “I know you like lively places and enjoy having fun. I have no intention of changing that. But I hope you have a basic sense of safety. Your family must have drilled this into you too—right?”
Today it had only been some recreational tobacco, easily handed to Jiang Zhuoye by that pair of siblings.
But if he ran into people who were more dangerous, more savage, more indulgent and degenerate, what they offered might be contraband.
Especially someone with Jiang Zhuoye’s background—there were plenty of people who would deliberately set traps for him.
Bo Yun couldn’t accept Jiang Zhuoye facing risks like that.
Jiang Zhuoye finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.
He knew Bo Yun was being unusually patient, even forcing out a bit of gentleness, like coaxing a child—
Even if it was terribly executed.
Still, hearing Bo Yun’s words, the anger surged up uncontrollably. He threw off the blanket and looked at Bo Yun with a face full of disbelief and irritation written all over his face
He was truly speechless.
Seeking pleasure?
Nightly revelry?
Which of those had anything to do with him?
Jiang Zhuoye glared at Bo Yun.
Facing that cool, aloof face, he had to consciously rein in his thoughts to keep himself from recalling what had happened in the bathroom.
“I don’t know what gave you this misconception,” Jiang Zhuoye said tightly, staring at Bo Yun with clear displeasure. “I admit I can be reckless, like crowds, and don’t bother to explain myself, so there are a lot of messy rumors about me. But at least half of them are fabricated.”
He knew he was a magnet for trouble.
Someone confessed to him. Someone got rejected. Someone showed up at school demanding responsibility. The stories always spread wildly, painting him as some heartless womanizer who abandoned people after using them.
Bo Yun already had a bias against him, so misunderstandings were only natural.
But at this moment, he was extremely annoyed.
“I’ll only say this once—believe it or not,” Jiang Zhuoye didn’t care about saving face anymore. “I’ve never dated anyone. I’m a clean, innocent college student. I haven’t messed around, haven’t eloped with anyone, haven’t led anyone on and abandoned them, haven’t caused anyone to fight over me, and I definitely haven’t been out partying every night, living it up.”
“I’m not as unreliable as you think. What happened with Chloe and her brother was me being careless—they didn’t have truly bad intentions either. But there won’t be a next time.”
After saying that, he didn’t care about Bo Yun’s expression. He dove back under the blanket, pulled it over his head, and refused to communicate further.
Bo Yun was genuinely taken aback by this outburst.
He stared at the bulging shape under the blanket for a long time, unable to digest it.
Looking at the few strands of hair sticking out, he almost wanted to grab Jiang Zhuoye and interrogate him.
But judging by Jiang Zhuoye’s attitude, that was clearly impossible.