Petty and Jealous
Because of those warnings, by the time they left the club, the atmosphere between Jiang Zhuoye and Bo Yun was cold as ice, and it stayed that way even while talking to the designer.
Jiang Zhuoye had no requirements for his wedding suit at all.
He wasn’t sincerely marrying Bo Yun anyway. Even if he had to get married in a burlap sack, he wouldn’t care.
Bo Yun, on the other hand, always carried himself with restraint. Even though the wedding was extremely rushed—everything had to be prepared in four months, making perfection nearly impossible—he was still nitpicking, questioning even the fabric of the suit, constantly raising new issues. The famous designer across from him was under enormous pressure, smiling through it only because this was a client.
Boring.
Jiang Zhuoye had no interest in listening. He picked up a piece of candy from the fruit tray beside him.
Only after putting it in his mouth did he realize it was bubble gum—something kids ate.
He didn’t mind. Puffing his cheeks, he blew a big bubble in one breath. The full pink bubble grew larger and larger, almost covering his face.
Bo Yun was still reviewing the designer’s hand-drawn drafts and confirming the techniques to be used when he suddenly heard a pop.
Like a balloon bursting.
Even he was startled and turned around—only to see the bubble gum stuck to Jiang Zhuoye’s mouth, while Jiang Zhuoye wore an innocent expression.
…
It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.
Jiang Zhuoye showed no embarrassment. He bit the gum back into his mouth, chewed it, then raised an eyebrow at Bo Yun, arrogantly lifting his chin before blowing a smaller pink bubble.
The designer couldn’t help laughing for a split second, then immediately composed himself, lowering his gaze and pretending to focus on the sketches.
Bo Yun felt a vein throb at his temple. He didn’t say anything to Jiang Zhuoye—he didn’t want to argue in front of outsiders.
But as he stared at the first draft of Jiang Zhuoye’s suit, he thought for the ten-thousandth time that this marriage might be the biggest mistake of his life.
If it weren’t for that damned horoscope.
If it weren’t for his grandfather’s demands.
He’d have to be insane to propose to someone like this.
……
After finalizing the suits, Jiang Zhuoye and Bo Yun went their separate ways.
Bo Yun planned to return to the company. Jiang Zhuoye called to meet his good-for-nothing friends.
He didn’t drive. Instead, he rode a motorcycle—long legs swinging over it—standing by the roadside while talking to his friend on the phone. He looked carefree, lifting that youthful face, brimming with vitality.
But in Bo Yun’s eyes, he looked completely unreliable.
He heard Jiang Zhuoye say, “Yeah, I’m out now. Where are you guys? The pier? Okay, wait for me—I’ll be there soon.”
Bo Yun sat in his car, narrowing his eyes as he watched Jiang Zhuoye. Probably because Jiang Zhuoye had too many prior incidents, he always suspected the man would cause trouble before the wedding.
But recalling Jiang Zhuoye’s attitude, he knew that even if he tried to intervene, it would only backfire.
In the end, he silently rolled up the window.
Unfortunately, that very night, Bo Yun’s premonition came true.
The Jiang family’s youngest son was photographed having fun with someone on a yacht, with a small-time internet celebrity influencer by his side. The photos were blurry and unclear.
All that could be seen was the two standing side by side, without any particularly intimate behavior. The closest moment was when the influencer handed Jiang Zhuoye a glass of champagne and reached out to touch his face, seemingly for some unknown reason.
But the influencer had previously posted ambiguous messages on Weibo that clearly suggested she was in love.
Combined with this news, many people immediately connected the dots to Jiang Zhuoye.
The internet exploded.
By the time Bo Yun saw the news, Jiang Xu’s call had already come through.
He was calling to clarify. “I’m really sorry—Zhuoye caused a bit of trouble again. But he truly didn’t do anything. He and that girl are completely innocent. She was brought onto the boat by someone else. We’ll handle it properly—please don’t worry.”
Don’t worry?
Bo Yun stared at the trending topics online, deeply skeptical of those words.
Jiang Zhuoye already had a bit of fame online. Last year, he’d attended an entertainment industry banquet with his cousin, acting as her escort.
He wore a silver suit, a row of ear studs in his left ear, and a silver lip ring. With a lazy smile at the camera, his youthful face carried both rebellion and wildness, blending into a lethal charm that stole the spotlight from male celebrities.
That very night, his background was thoroughly dug up.
The second young master of the Jiang Group. Just barely an adult. Studying at the best university in City A. A top-tier luxury mansion gifted by his brother as a graduation present. A true winner in life.
Most importantly—single.
Since then, even though Jiang Zhuoye rarely posted on Weibo, people constantly showed up, calling him husband, wife, gege, sweetheart.
But Jiang Zhuoye ignored it all.
Bo Yun opened Jiang Zhuoye’s Weibo. There was only a birthday reminder post, but the comments were already flooded with people asking whether he was dating that influencer.
Among them were the influencer’s fans, angrily accusing Jiang Zhuoye, claiming he must have used his status as a rich heir to pressure her.
Naturally, Jiang Zhuoye hadn’t come out to respond.
In Bo Yin’s earpiece, Jiang Xu was still speaking. “This was Zhuoye’s lack of caution. We’ll definitely scold him when he gets back. Don’t take it to heart—he’s not that kind of person.”
Whether he believed it or not, Bo Yun still replied politely, “Mm. I know. This isn’t his fault.”
But his gaze lingered on the photo displayed on his computer screen.
In the photo, Jiang Zhuoye wore a loose blue shirt, the buttons casually fastened, revealing beautiful abs and a smooth waistline. He leaned close to several other boys, while the scandal-involved influencer stood across from him.
Frivolous.
Bo Yun closed the page and said to Jiang Xu, “I won’t take it to heart. You can handle it on your end. Do you have time tomorrow? We could meet and talk more about the Nangang project.”
“No problem,” Jiang Xu replied immediately.
And before the next day even arrived, the matter was resolved just as Jiang Xu had said it would be.
The small internet influencer came forward to clarify, saying that she and Jiang Zhuoye had only just met and weren’t familiar with each other beforehand. She had been invited to the gathering by other friends. The actions in the media photos only looked ambiguous because of the angle—at the time, Jiang Zhuoye had a leaf stuck on his eyelid, and she had simply helped remove it.
The explanation was proper and orderly. She also said that the romantic thoughts she had posted about on Weibo were merely the daydreams of a young girl, that she wasn’t actually in a relationship, and that she was currently single.
This explanation didn’t really convince the public. Many people speculated that the Jiang family simply didn’t want to acknowledge it, and that the two were secretly dating.
Others thought that the rich second-generation heir hadn’t been serious to begin with, and had broken things off immediately once it became public.
But very soon, Jiang Zhuoye’s Weibo—silent for what felt like eight hundred years—posted a bombshell.
“Stop spreading rumors. I’ve never dated a girl. I do have a fiancé though, and we’re getting married soon. My partner is petty and bad-tempered—if he takes this seriously, I’m finished.”
That was it. The post shot straight to the top of the trending list.
Still tangled in rumors with a female influencer in the evening, then announcing a fiancé in the early hours of the morning—on top of that, the protagonist had both looks and family background. It was an absolute late-night blockbuster.
“Jiang Zhuoye comes out”
“Jiang Zhuoye fiancé”
“Jiang Zhuoye petty partner”
These keywords all exploded at once.
The supposedly “petty,” “bad-tempered,” and “very jealous” Bo Yun didn’t see the trending news until that evening.
He was in a meeting.
The secretary didn’t dare report it, and only carefully asked after the meeting ended whether they should follow up and push this trending topic as well.
Bo Yun looked completely baffled, until he opened the trending page and finally understood the secretary’s strange expression.
Bo Yun: “……”
He could be certain—this was Jiang Zhuoye getting back at him.
Based on his understanding of Jiang Xu, Jiang Xu’s PR would have stopped at the influencer’s clarification. He wouldn’t have let his younger brother get involved at all. At most, he’d have arranged a few press releases about Jiang Zhuoye being well-mannered and gentle, maybe released some photos of him studying diligently at school to build a positive image. Before long, the internet would forget the whole thing.
Then, after some time, they’d smoothly announce that Jiang Zhuoye had a fiancé—well-matched families, deeply in love.
The matter would be over.
But Jiang Zhuoye had jumped out himself.
And with that teasing, intimate tone, as if he were truly madly in love, with some jealous little goblin of a fiancé.
Bo Yun pinched the bridge of his nose, frowning slightly.
Although no one knew yet that Bo Yun himself was the fiancé, he didn’t dare imagine what kind of image he must now have in the mouths of netizens.
The secretary beside him wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.
Bo Yun was always strictly business at the company. Although he treated his subordinates well, he rarely joked around even with long-serving senior staff. Most of the time, he was calm and indifferent, as if nothing could stir his emotions.
She rarely saw her boss frown like this, looking irritated yet speechless.
But after thinking for a few seconds, Bo Yun quickly regained his composure and set the iPad aside.
“It doesn’t matter. You don’t need to do anything. Coordinate with the Jiang family and find a time for both our groups to officially announce the marriage between Jiang Zhuoye and me.”
After saying that, he picked up his phone and called Jiang Xu.
Jiang Xu was already having a headache over his younger brother. That little brat—pulling a stunt like this without a word. Truly the kind who’d tear the roof off if not beaten for three days.
A dignified, aloof CEO like Bo Yun had now inexplicably turned into a sulking little goblin in Jiang Zhuoye’s Weibo post.
Forget Bo Yun—Jiang Xu himself felt his palms itching, wanting to smack Jiang Zhuoye a couple of times.
When he saw Bo Yun’s call, he hissed, his first instinct being that Bo Yun was calling to demand an explanation.
After a two-second pause, Jiang Xu helplessly picked up the phone and opened with, “Bo Yun, I was just about to call you… You’ve seen the trending news, right? I’m really sorry—my brother’s just like this, a bit jumpy, likes joking around…”
But before he could finish, Bo Yun stopped him.
“It’s nothing.”
Oh?
Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow, thinking since when had Bo Yun become so magnanimous.
But after quietly listening to Bo Yun for a few minutes, his brows gradually relaxed.
“So that’s how you’re thinking about it.”
“Alright, alright, no problem at all. Zhuoye? It’s fine. He’ll cooperate with something like this—it’s his responsibility anyway. He’s usually quite sensible.”