Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Qi Jing’s mind went blank. He looked up at Bo Chengyan, "Sir..."

His wrist was abruptly seized, and the bracelet was snapped back on—it contained a tracking device.

Qi Jing hadn’t realized removing it would trigger an automatic alarm. But why didn’t it happen at home?

"Because I programmed it that way," Bo Chengyan said coolly.

Qi Jing almost thought he had blurted out the question, but he hadn’t spoken. How did Bo Chengyan know?

"Go say goodbye to your classmates."

"Don't ever come to places like this again."

The manager, who had witnessed the entire scene, felt his strange premonition deepen.

Not a single word of reprimand.

Qi Jing lowered his head to look at his wrist—it hurt a little from the grip, leaving red marks.

The boy looked up and asked, "Are you angry with me?"

Before Bo Chengyan could say anything, Qi Jing shuffled closer, his eyes quickly misting over.

He reached out, asking for a hug.

But his wrist was seized again. Qi Jing’s fingers were gently spread open, revealing faint pinch marks.

The boy stammered, "I—I was nervous."

Bo Chengyan lifted a hand to pinch the nape of his neck, his gaze slightly lowered, and pulled him in the opposite direction.

Like scruffing a cat.

Frowning, he said, "Be good. Go say goodbye to your friends."

"We're going back."

Thirty minutes later—

Qi Jing sat in the chauffeured car, clutching his backpack, lips pressed together as he looked up at the man.

He took a deep breath.

Then quietly exhaled.

He sat quietly, sulking.

Bo Chengyan waited for a while, but no mental protest came. He truly had no distracting thoughts.

When he turned his head, he saw the boy’s grip on the backpack slowly loosening, his eyelids already falling shut.

Bo Chengyan frowned in confusion—how could he be this tired the moment he got in the car? Still, he reached over and removed the backpack.

Qi Jing, already leaning slightly, lost his support and naturally lolled against the man’s shoulder.

"..."

This time, he wasn’t pushed away.

A hand pushed back the boy’s bangs—the swelling had already faded.

Qi Jing was woken by a cold breeze. The car door had been opened at some point, and he peered blearily at the scenery outside the window. It wasn’t Jinjiang Villa.

"Xiao Jing?"

Bo Chengyan prompted him. He had initially reached out, afraid the boy might fall, but then remembered he was older now.

So he withdrew his hand.

But it was too late.

Qi Jing had already grabbed it, standing outside while still glancing around searchingly.

"Someone’s holding your backpack for you."

Hearing this, Qi Jing nodded, then looked up at the man again.

Bo Chengyan withdrew his hand. In an instant, the boy panicked, clutching desperately, his eyes turning misty again.

His steps were tugged forward twice.

Then released.

Qi Jing’s throat felt tight, but he couldn’t find the words to express it. What should he do?

He looked pitiful.

Bo Chengyan stared at him for two or three seconds before raising a hand to touch his neck. Gruffly, he said, "Don’t hold my hand in public."

*[Why?]*

"No reason."

Qi Jing sulked, standing still for a few seconds until an assistant spoke up. "Xiao Jing, this way."

He followed.

The sadness quickly faded, replaced by curiosity.

Qi Jing hadn’t had much chance to explore the city, especially in the past two years. Bo Chengyan, worried he might fall behind in school, had hired tutors.

His winter and summer breaks were almost entirely occupied...

Still, it had been effective—his grades stabilized in the above-average range.

Qi Jing didn’t understand why people were looking at him. He wasn’t standing too close to Bo Chengyan. The private elevator seemed to have no one else inside.

They reached the 26th floor.

The assistant ushered him out but pressed the elevator button again, preparing to go back down alone.

Qi Jing paused.

"You’re not coming?"

The assistant was charmed by the question, his smile barely contained.

Not far away, a voice called out, "Xiao Jing."

The young man turned and followed, not forgetting to say, "Bye."

This was the first time a relative had entered the office...

The elevator doors closed.

*

Bo Chengyan rubbed his temples, at a loss. But as soon as he led the boy inside, the young man took his hand.

Qi Jing looked up and said, "We're alone now."

"..."

The 26th floor was spacious, apparently all office space. The overall decor was done in dark tones, with mostly wooden furniture.

There was an entire wall of bookshelves, a sofa nearby, and what appeared to be another room not far away.

Qi Jing thought it felt like a spacious lounge—a very comfortable one at that. No wonder Bo Chengyan rarely returned to Jinjiang Villa.

"Do you like me?"

The boy came back to himself, realizing the nature of the question, and nodded earnestly.

Bo Chengyan waited for a long time, but no mental protest came.

His headache worsened.

Qi Jing was led to the sofa. The man impatiently unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt and checked his watch.

There was a meeting soon.

Only twenty minutes left.

The boy had been sitting but then stood up, mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Bo Chengyan was somewhat surprised. He looked up at the boy. Qi Jing's appearance was quite striking, like a store-window doll.

Especially those eyes—light brown—that naturally made you feel good when they looked at you.

"What's wrong?"

Qi Jing said seriously, "I shouldn't have hired a male escort at the Yuansheng Club."

Blunt. Crystal clear.

Bo Chengyan's eye twitched. He crossed his legs, looked up at the boy, and asked patiently, "...So why did you hire an escort?"

Qi Jing was nervous, automatically clasping his hands behind his back. He hadn't expected to meet again just a day later—and already in trouble.

The boy couldn't lie well and admitted, "I wanted to learn something."

"Learn what?"

"How to please you."

The man's face changed instantly. His gaze withdrew from Qi Jing but returned after a few seconds, puzzled. "Why would you want to please me?"

"Didn't you take me as your kept boy?"

Bo Chengyan went completely still. That was indeed the rumor outside, and he had never denied it.

After all, the boy could effectively keep the vultures at bay.

But he had never said anything like that to him.

"They say I'm your pet."

Qi Jing stood straight, hands behind his back, looking down at the man, biting his lip slightly. "Please don't replace me, okay?"

"I'll try harder."

He had always been very aware.

Seconds dragged by.

Bo Chengyan nearly laughed despite himself, asking softly, "What's our Xiao Jing learned?"

The boy edged closer.

The man fixed him with a cold stare.

Qi Jing's heart hammered.

[What was it again?]

[Hands... it should be hands...]

[...Hmm, what if he won't let me hold them?]

His eyes were full of confusion.

But just then, the other man held out his hand. Qi Jing happily took it.

Bo Chengyan never stopped frowning.

Qi Jing's cheeks burned as he held the man's hand, attempting to raise it, but it was a bit too heavy.

He was drawn forward a step.

The boy's face tipped downward—

Just then, a loud commotion broke out outside the door. The office burst open.

"I don't believe it at all! Why won't Bo Chengyan see me? Aren't I his favorite little sister?"

"Stop blocking me!"

The shrill voice pierced the air as the door opened. Startled, Qi Jing lost his footing and crashed hard into the coffee table.

He fell.

Clumsily, he spilled straight into Bo Chengyan's arms.

Qi Jing was scooped up effortlessly by the waist and settled in the man's lap. His white socks were already blooming with blood.

Bo Chengyan fixed the newcomer with an icy glare.

"Get her out."

The person who arrived was the eldest daughter of the Chen family, Chen Zhuo's younger sister. She was still young, having just graduated from university, and her family intended for her to pursue further studies.

But instead of focusing on her education or finding a job, she spent every day dreaming of becoming Mrs. Bo Chengyan.

The Chen and Bo families' grandfathers had been comrades-in-arms in the early years, and the bond remained, but that long-joked childhood betrothal had long been annulled.

Especially after Bo Chengyan gained actual control of the company's shares.

Chen Jiangqiao immediately burst into tears. Without even needing security to intervene, she ran away in shock.

Qi Jing didn’t know who this person was. The pain brought cold sweat to his forehead, and he could hardly bear it.

He wanted to cry too.

"Sir…"

Bo Chengyan immediately called Lin Se up, without even addressing the rest of the meeting, and without putting Qi Jing down.

He just held him like that.

"This looks bad. What did he do to make it this serious?" Lin Se removed the boy’s sock to find the fibula fully dislocated, blood oozing out.

He quickly administered first aid.

Lin Se said earnestly, "Still, I’m not great at this. Get him to a hospital."

Qi Jing’s face had gone pale from the pain. He murmured weakly, "Thank you."

Lin Se’s heart melted instantly—the boy was utterly endearing. He replied gently, "You’re welcome."

"I have a wheelchair downstairs. Use it."

"No need."

Bo Chengyan frowned and lifted Qi Jing into his arms, heading straight out.

The meeting was automatically postponed to the next day.

9:00 PM—

The emergency room.

Qi Jing had been crying the whole time, soundlessly, because the fibula had to be manually realigned, which wasn’t easy.

They tried several times.

More than once, he tried to bite his lip, but Bo Chengyan caught him, lifting his chin. "Lin Se, go fetch a cotton swab."

Qi Jing tried to free his chin, but it was held tight. The tears on his cheeks were carefully wiped away.

Just then, the emergency doctor switched to someone else, who gave a firm, swift push.

It popped back into place.

Tears sprang to Qi Jing’s eyes again.

The pain was unbearable.

The boy couldn’t stop himself from biting his lip—it was definitely going to break the skin… The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth.

Bo Chengyan pulled his finger away. It was already bitten through, teeth marks etched around the wound.

Lin Se, who had just returned, froze. "Wow…"

"Here, take this."

Acute fibular dislocation required not only manual resetting but also X-rays and an MRI to confirm the alignment and check for hidden injuries.

After all the tests, it was almost midnight.

Qi Jing sat in the wheelchair, his ankle swollen and encased in a cast.

His eyes were still red.

When he saw Bo Chengyan’s hand, he was dazed… Had he bitten him?

Lin Se, with nothing else to do, was intensely curious about this kid who even his boss couldn’t command. Why couldn’t he hear his thoughts?

The young man bought a takeout container of porridge and handed it over. "You’re Xiao Jing, right? Would you like some porridge?"

Qi Jing had stopped crying, but the pain had killed his appetite. He still had another test to go through.

He mumbled, "Sorry… I don’t want any…"

Lin Se quickly waved his hands. "Don’t worry about it! But going too long without eating isn’t good for your stomach, sweetheart."

Qi Jing really didn’t want it… His eyelids were swollen from crying.

But then, Bo Chengyan took the porridge directly. His left hand still bore the wound, hastily disinfected and bandaged.

Qi Jing’s chin was gripped, a dark shadow looming over him.

"Be good. Open your mouth."

The boy was stunned.

[I don’t want to…]

His teeth were pried open by a thumb, and the porridge was forced in.

"Mmph…"

Bo Chengyan rubbed his neck soothingly while murmuring, "You need to eat something."

Witnessing this, Lin Se crossed himself over his chest. *God forgive, God forgive.*