Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Bo Chengyan gazed at the boy for a moment, then scooped him up and ascended the stairs.

Upon entering the room, he gently placed the boy on the edge of the bed.

After a brief pause, he reassured him, "Don't be afraid. I will deal with that person."

Qi Jing nodded, feeling a sense of relief. He didn't even need to ask to be carried; this was much better.

"What's good?"

Qi Jing paused, but when he looked over, the man was already massaging his temples.

"It's nothing. Can you wash up by yourself?"

Bo Chengyan asked again, kneeling to meet the boy's gaze.

"I'll be next door. Call me if you need anything."

Qi Jing found this much more comfortable; he no longer had to strain his neck to look up at him.

For some reason, the man chuckled softly.

Qi Jing tilted his head. "What are you laughing at?"

He even forgot to address him as "Mr."

It was already 10:30 p.m. Bo Chengyan rose to leave, but just then, the boy tugged at his sleeve again.

"What is it, Xiao Jing?"

Qi Jing hadn't noticed the subtle shift in himself—he was less reserved, perhaps due to the events of the past two days.

"At school, that classmate, he whistled at me. What does that mean?"

Bo Chengyan's expression instantly darkened.

"I asked others, and they told me to ignore him."

Qi Jing thought adults might understand more, so he asked directly. But he hadn't expected Bo Chengyan to react with such displeasure, immediately grasping his wrist.

Bending down again, he asked, "He whistled at you?"

Qi Jing nodded.

A rare shadow crossed Bo Chengyan's face. Surveillance footage only showed physical contact; conversations were inaudible, leaving the day's full events unknown.

"Tell me again, exactly how were you pushed?"

…

The night was as still as water.

For a moment, Qi Jing forgot his identity as a pampered ward, slowly recounting the events with downcast eyes.

Bo Chengyan's expression seemed to grow darker by the minute.

Qi Jing's wrist was still in his hand as Bo Chengyan opened his watch, reset the password, and deleted the WeChat contact.

"Whistling is a vulgar act, often with a provocative undertone. It's quite offensive and rude."

Bo Chengyan still explained patiently.

Qi Jing pondered this. "So he was harassing me? And when he said he'd take me to the back room, was that the same kind of thing?"

The moment the words left his mouth,

Bo Chengyan felt a string snap in his mind.

It was only when the boy on the bed whimpered, "It hurts, it hurts…" that he realized he was gripping his wrist too tightly.

Bo Chengyan immediately released his hold and gently massaged it. "I'm sorry, Xiao Jing."

The boy shook his head. "It's okay."

They didn't speak much more that evening.

Later, Bo Chengyan left, only returning once in the night to check his temperature.

Qi Jing was half-asleep, his injured foot resting outside the covers. He couldn't keep the thermometer in his mouth, so Bo Chengyan held his chin. After five minutes, he checked the reading.

[Why take my temperature… I’m so sleepy…]

Bo Chengyan murmured, "Because whenever your body gets inflamed, you tend to run a low fever."

How had he only just realized this?

It sounded like self-reproach.

The boy had already drifted off to sleep, his face serene and soft.

The next day,

Bo Corporation saw a flurry of unfamiliar faces. The top floor offices buzzed with teams carrying briefcases, seemingly engaged in negotiations—though their expressions were uniformly grim.

Chen Zhuo was surprised upon his arrival. Who were all these people? After some discreet inquiries, he learned they were from a small, obscure company, something like "Lucky Star."

Amusing. What kind of brand name was that?

Chen Zhuo had come to apologize, but now he had to wait in line to see Bo Chengyan. Feeling bored, he sought out the chief assistant for information.

A short while later,

"Oh, I see."

The chief assistant was taken aback. "Mr. Chen, I didn't tell you anything!"

Chen Zhuo, leaning casually, slowly and softly said, "You're usually expressionless at work, but now you look like you've got it all figured out, which means you won't be involved in the next steps."

"And the people opposite look so dejected, so the cooperation is off, right?"

"It's a done deal."

Chen Zhuo leaned against the desk, arms crossed, observing the group with a cold gaze, trying to recall which prominent Beijing family they belonged to.

At first, he frowned, as there was almost no conflict of interest; this company was merely a highly dependent supplier.

Hadn't they only expanded to Beijing two years ago? They originally started in a central province, and the owner's surname was Qin, he thought?

Chen Zhuo pondered for a long time, unable to recall anything significant, until a thought suddenly struck him.

It couldn't be…

"Interesting."

Just then, the group inside emerged, looking dejected.

Chen Zhuo pushed off the desk and strode into the office. Bo Chengyan seemed to be reviewing something, only shifting his gaze when he noticed someone approaching.

"What is it?"

Chen Zhuo didn't address that. Instead, he asked, "What was that all about just now? It's been years since I've seen someone show up to beg in person."

"Your image is definitely taking another hit."

"Two years of goodwill efforts, all for naught."

Bo Chengyan replied expressionlessly, "Why are you here?"

Chen Zhuo was a clever man, but he enjoyed masking his true nature with a carefree demeanor. Unfortunately, the person opposite him was equally astute.

He could only maintain the act for two seconds.

"Alright, alright, I'm here to apologize." The young man raised his hands and took a deep breath. "My sister has already been sent back to Macau. An aunt will be there to discipline her."

Macau was the hometown of Chen's mother, but not their father's side. If one were to ask who had the most entrenched influence there, it was still the Bo family—their extensive branches were all over the place.

Sending her back under the guise of discipline was, in reality, a persistent scheme to find another point of attack.

Bo Chengyan wasn't particularly concerned. Chen Jiangqiao's presence there would undoubtedly stir up trouble for those distant relatives.

They couldn't bear the thought of Bo Chengyan having marriage plans.

"Is this enough? I know you're unhappy, but she seemed possessed. Sending her to torment the people at the Bo ancestral home counts as an apology, doesn't it?"

Bo Chengyan glanced at the project proposal on his desk.

His expression remained impassive.

"Have you figured out how to handle those people during this year's May Day holiday?"

*

Qi Jing stayed home for two days, then returned to school. After all, there would be a weekly exam before the parent-teacher meeting; what if his grades were terrible?

But as soon as he entered the classroom, he heard good news. Huang Ze cheerfully announced, "That blond guy seems to have transferred? His household registration had issues, so he can't study in Beijing anymore."

Qi Jing thought for a moment and asked, "Is it Qin Sheng?"

"Yeah, what a jerk. How's your foot doing?"

Qi Jing nodded, then turned to look at Lin Yuze. This time, Lin Yuze didn't immediately pull out his notebook; he simply asked,

"Xiao Jing, will your family come to the parent-teacher meeting?"

Huang Ze was easygoing, only vaguely aware that the classmate had been expelled and didn't inquire about the aftermath.

But Lin Yuze knew. His family had mentioned the matter, though vaguely, pointing only to Lingyue Group.

So… was it related to Qi Jing?

Beijing saw a constant churn of companies—big and small, some rising to prominence while others quietly went bankrupt, constantly reshuffling.

But the top-tier companies always remained the same few, standing firm. Essentially, it was still a game of the big fish eating the small ones.

Lin Yuze was somewhat concerned. The surname "Qi"... he couldn't find any prominent families matching it. The only records showed a few self-employed individuals in Beijing with the same surname.

Qin Sheng had probably made his move after seeing this.

That wristband cost over 100,000 in foreign markets—how could an ordinary family afford it?

Qin Sheng wasn't just barred from studying in Beijing; his academic records were also compromised, and his family's business was directly impacted. He would likely have to attend a private high school from now on—one of those schools with very poor teaching staff.

His dream of studying abroad was shattered.

Lin Yuze couldn't help but feel cautious, but Huang Ze was completely oblivious and blurted out, "Is your dad or mom coming? Xiao Jing, isn't your birthday coming up soon? You never have parties—this year, you absolutely have to, okay?"

"I know an amazing camping site in the neighboring province—it's super beautiful! Let's go set up tents there!"

Qi Jing didn't know which question to answer first. The parent-teacher meeting... made him a little anxious.

"Alright! Class is starting! Stop bothering Xiao Jing." Lin Yuze threw a book, immediately diverting Huang Ze's attention.

"You're crazy!"

Amidst their playful bickering, the class bell rang.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Yuze saw Qi Jing quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Students could go home for lunch at noon. Qi Jing walked smoothly to the school gate, but just as he pulled the door open—

"Uncle, I—"

"Class is over."

Bo Chengyan sat in the back seat, looking up at him.

"Come here."

The boy got into the car and asked curiously, "Why are you here?"

Bo Chengyan reached over, took his wrist, and, without looking up, unfastened the wristband. After a quick glance, he set it aside.

"This one's a bit old. I'll get you a new one. Someone at the company is waiting; they can adjust it for you."

Qi Jing's gaze involuntarily fell on the old wristband. He asked curiously, "What will happen to the old one?"

"Throw it away."

[Such a waste, to just throw it away.]

Bo Chengyan returned his wrist, instructed him to buckle up, and after a moment's thought, explained, "Electronic products are meant to be updated."

"If users don't replace their products for a long time, tech companies can't complete product upgrades, which actually hinders their sustainable development."

Bo Chengyan couldn't help but explain further: "If you don't replace it, your old device will stop receiving updates anyway. It's not a loss, Xiao Jing."

Qi Jing fastened his seatbelt and nodded, no longer dwelling on the old wristband.

However, this method of upbringing still had its flaws, as Bo Chengyan never considered financial implications; he simply always replaced Qi Jing's belongings with new ones.

The topic of "where the money comes from" seemed entirely outside his pedagogical scope.

Qi Jing arrived at the company again. When the door opened, he stared blankly at the outstretched hand.

[But aren't we not supposed to hold hands?]

Bo Chengyan frowned slightly and reminded him, "You can't risk another fall. Get out of the car."

Qi Jing extended his hand, stood firmly on the ground, and looked up to ask, "Am I not healed yet?"

"No."

They took the private elevator, which was completely empty.

Qi Jing looked at his reflection in the elevator mirror, feeling quite short. He had been startled by Qin Sheng last time, but upon closer comparison, Bo Chengyan seemed even taller.

Strangely, he wasn't as afraid this time.

The elevator went straight to the top floor.

Qi Jing was led toward the office. Along the way, he saw the assistant outside, remembered who it was, and greeted, "Hello."

The assistant, pleasantly surprised, bent over while clutching a folder and waved. "Hello, hello!"

Before he could even smile back, a hand pressed against the back of his head, gently guiding his face forward.

"Watch your step."

Once inside the office,

The place still felt incredibly vast.

He was gently guided forward, and a voice near his ear said, "Go rest on the sofa. I'll have someone come up later. Go on."

Qi Jing walked forward as instructed. After sitting down, he instinctively glanced at Bo Chengyan. The room temperature was comfortable. Bo Chengyan had draped his suit jacket over the chair; his shirt fit perfectly, accentuating his physique without being tight, and his forearms looked strong.

Handsome.

But the boy didn't know what kind of handsome this was.

There were no such types in the films.

Qi Jing watched for a long time.

Until Bo Chengyan answered an internal call, seemingly telling someone to come upstairs.