Three hours earlier—
Qi Jing was packing his luggage upstairs. Tomorrow, he could finally go home, and 996 was perched on his shoulder.
【Why did you wear it again yesterday? I couldn’t even get close.】
The young man’s movements paused, his eyelids drooping as he stammered slightly. 【Th-there’s something.】
In the end, that thing was pretty useful.
At least it guaranteed that 996 couldn’t get in.
Qi Jing had picked up some local specialties from Macau. He paced around the bedroom and glanced at the fountain pen on the desk.
It was quite nice-looking.
A retro gold-brown color scheme, with a drawstring on the cap.
It seemed designed for easy carrying, styled like something from the eighteenth century.
He’d take it.
Qi Jing pursed his lips and walked over to his suitcase. He slipped the pen into a box—he liked these little gadgets.
996 glanced at it. 【Why are you taking a pen?】
【I can use it for writing.】
996 grumbled: 【Why not grab something expensive? That vase looks pretty valuable. You’re dating now—】
The results of 996’s scan appeared. The pen was a limited-edition Montblanc from the Great Writers series, with a retail price of around thirty-eight thousand.
【It looks like his signing pen. I want to sign things too…】
The young man thought innocently. 【It looks so cool.】
【Why’d you go quiet?】
996: 【……】
I don’t want to say.
But right then, there was a knock at the door.
Qi Jing called out in response. The servant said mildly from outside, “There’s a guest downstairs…”
Ever since that boy had shown up last time, the Old Estate had been much quieter.
Qi Jing frowned slightly. He didn’t really know anyone in Macau.
“The visitor is the Fifth Madam. She says she wants to see you.”
“Should I turn her away, or…?”
Qi Jing paused for a moment to think, until 996 prompted him: 【Shen Nanzhi.】
Only then did the young man remember. He said quickly, “No need, no need. I’ll go take a look.”
The Bo Family was rife with feudal holdovers.
Main House, Second House, Third House… Qi Jing didn’t recognize a single one of the madams, and they never used surnames. It was impossible for him to match them up.
Fortunately, 996 kept records.
The staircase railings were solid wood. Dressed in light gray loungewear, the young man had bright, dewy eyes. He gazed over from a distance.
Shen Nanzhi stood at the door.
She hadn’t come inside yet.
Qi Jing felt a twinge of suspicion but walked over anyway. “Bo Chengyan isn’t home.”
The woman’s face appeared very pale. She wore a dark qipao, her lipstick a deep shade.
She looked like a figure from a Republic-era portrait.
“You called him by name?”
Shen Nanzhi sounded dazed, almost like she was talking to herself.
Qi Jing thought it was an odd question. If not by name, then what?
Still, he replied mildly, “Are you looking for him? He said he had some business to handle. He should be around Lin Hua Avenue. He’ll be back before six this afternoon.”
This was one of Bo Chengyan’s nominal elders, after all, so Qi Jing remained respectful.
But her expression darkened further. “You even know where he is…”
The servant frowned and murmured, “We can refuse her…”
Shen Nanzhi raised her brows and looked over. Her tone was gentle, but there was a gloomy edge to it. “You’re just a servant. Are you trying to chase me off? Even Ah Yan wouldn’t be so rude to me.”
Truth be told, Qi Jing felt a bit uneasy. He opened his mouth to say something, but she continued softly:
“I’m not here for him. I’m here for you.”
Her voice carried an ethereal quality.
~~~
A little while earlier.
Bo Chengyan was rushing back home, his expression icy. The assistant beside him was relaying the latest report.
“This Fifth Madam… she’s visited the hospital several times. She’s been diagnosed with mild schizophrenia.”
“How long?”
There was a brief pause.
“Starting two years ago.”
It was a telling timeframe.
Bo Chengyan’s brows furrowed. He had no idea what Shen Nanzhi was thinking, nor did he care to find out. Right now, he just felt irritated.
He had no time or energy to waste on someone irrelevant.
The car soon pulled up to the Old Estate. The man in his suit and tie pushed open the door and strode toward the entrance.
The Chief Assistant jogged to keep up.
His heart pounding.
The door swung open. The servant looked surprised and whispered, “Mr. Bo, you’re back.”
At least an hour early.
Qi Jing sat on the sofa, a small teacup in his hands. He had been facing the woman across from him but turned toward the sound.
He was safe and sound.
The young man turned back with wide-eyed innocence and said mildly, “He’s back now. You can talk to—”
He didn’t get to finish.
Someone scooped him up bodily. All Qi Jing could manage was a muffled “Mm” sound. He squirmed in dissatisfaction, trying to tug his wrist free, but the grip was ironclad.
“Mmph, th-there’s… a guest…”
Bo Chengyan carried him straight upstairs. In a heavy tone, he instructed the servant nearby, “Entertain her downstairs.”
“In the future, tell me in advance about any visitors.”
Qi Jing was carried all the way to the master bedroom, his face flushed with annoyance. Bo Chengyan sat on the edge of the bed but showed no sign of letting go. In a huff, Qi Jing pushed at his shoulder.
It didn’t budge an inch.
The young man froze. Before, he could at least shove him a little.
How…
Bo Chengyan seemed utterly oblivious to the feeble force. He simply lowered his gaze to inspect those hands.
Once satisfied with the hands, he undid the buttons on Qi Jing’s shirt.
Qi Jing blinked in confusion, but he caught on quickly and grabbed at the man’s arm. Unfortunately, it only seemed to spur him on.
“Mmph… mm.”
The loungewear was soft. A slight tug upward exposed warm skin.
Qi Jing had no idea what was going on until a hand gripped the back of his knee. His ears burned crimson.
Why check his legs too?
“Bo Chengyan!”
His voice came out soft and indignant.
With no other options, he lunged forward and bit the man’s neck.
Hard.
“Are you hurt?”
Qi Jing released his bite and looked up in bewilderment, only for his jaw to be held in place.
The man even inspected his teeth.
“Mmph… mm.”
He wriggled desperately.
Qi Jing’s cheeks burned red as he stared up at him.
This was so weird.
At last, Bo Chengyan set him down on the bed. “Wait here a moment,” he said mildly.
Then he stood and left the room.
Qi Jing’s face was still hot. His pajamas were a total mess, his lips glossy and damp. He tilted his head in puzzlement.
996 poked its head out from the drawer, hanging there like some kind of accessory.
【Is it over?】
【……】
The young man bit his lip, unable to help himself. Red rimmed his eyes. Two or three seconds later, realization dawned.
“Ah!”
“I bit him!”
~~~
Downstairs—
Shen Nanzhi’s hands had gone numb. The Chief Assistant prompted her. “Miss Shen?”
The woman blinked. “I’m the Fifth Madam.”
The Chief Assistant was mainland-born and -bred, raised under the red flag and in the gentle spring breeze—a true son of the soil. He nearly lost it at those words.
“Still Miss Shen.”
Feudal society devoured people.
Not their bodies, but their souls.
From birth, a girl followed her father; in marriage, her husband; in old age, her sons.
Were you the daughter of House X?
The wife of House X?
The mother of House X?
Invisible chains bound the self, each link engraved with the rites of propriety and duty.
“Miss Shen…”
The woman murmured to herself. At last, her eyes reddened as she looked over. “Thank you.”
People could lose themselves so easily, their souls grinding to a halt.
Before Bo Zhonglin’s death, Shen Nanzhi had believed she still held a place in the Bo Family. She could maintain those fragile connections.
But now…
Freedom lay before her, and everyone celebrated it for her.
To Shen Nanzhi, it felt like utter despair.
Long confined in a cage, it was hard to return to the wild.
Just then—
“I didn’t hurt him. I only chatted with him.”
Her voice was faint, adrift on the air.
The footsteps behind her halted. Bo Chengyan glanced calmly at the Chief Assistant. “You’ve worked hard. I’ll give you a long vacation once we’re back in the Capital City.”
The young man nodded and excused himself at once.
He even took the pastries the servant had offered.
As he stepped out the gate, he let out a long breath of relief.
Another lucky day.
The villa hung heavy with silence.
Bo Chengyan had nothing to discuss. He indifferently removed his wristwatch and handed it to the waiting servant.
His expression was mild.
“Did Cheng Yun tell you?” The woman looked up at him, distraught.
He ignored her.
Shen Nanzhi’s palms felt ice-cold, as if speaking to herself. “She still doesn’t understand you. Someone disloyal wouldn’t stay at your side—or dare to touch… your person.”
Toying with hearts was child’s play for those at the top.
The Bo Family’s reputation had always been stellar. Even amid modern scandals, they donated billions at every disaster.
Never mind their support during turbulent times; in employment alone, they were a pillar of society.
No one could ignore them.
No one could resist their allure.
Yet Ling Yue stood unshaken. From inner circle to rank-and-file employees, loyalty was absolute.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
Bo Chengyan’s face remained impassive. He glanced down at her.
Shen Nanzhi stared blankly. She opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes caught the blatant bite mark.
He didn’t care…
The woman froze.
Her face turned ashen.
She couldn’t bring herself to do anything extreme, nor could she reconcile her conflicting feelings.
“If I really hurt him, what would you do?”
The living room on the first floor was utterly silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The man lifted his eyelids and glanced over at her.
It might have been disdain, or perhaps pity.
Time seemed to rewind more than a decade.
Those sordid memories.
Shen Nanzhi huddled in terror, clutching the bedsheet around her body as the door stood wide open and all the Bo Family servants poured into the room.
That aloof young man asked her:
“What do you want?”
The same pity, the same indifference.
Shen Nanzhi left.
One of the servants beside her saw her off respectfully, saying, “Take care, Fifth Madam.”
The woman staggered along, then turned back, her eyes filled with sorrow. With a smile, she said, “You’ve got it wrong…”
“I’m Shen Nanzhi.”
Not some Fifth Madam.
~~~
Qi Jing had been frantic to rush downstairs and stop him, but the servants were guarding the door. It took some back-and-forth before he pieced together what had happened.
“She’s sick?”
When Bo Chengyan came upstairs, he immediately noticed that Qi Jing wasn’t wearing any shoes. Without a word, he scooped the boy up into his arms and frowned. “The floor’s cold.”
The teenager had no idea about all those complicated matters. He just grumbled in protest,
“There’s carpet…”
Sometimes, being managed too strictly did spark a bit of rebellion.
Qi Jing was set down on the edge of the bed, and Bo Chengyan gently massaged his ankle.
“Don’t let just anyone in from now on. If you’re not sure, call me.”
With one arm wrapped around the boy’s waist, Bo Chengyan carefully inspected the marks from last night, the ones he’d been too rough with.
They had faded somewhat, but red traces lingered.
“She likes you.”
Bo Chengyan’s movements froze for an instant.
With furrowed brows, he corrected, “Wrong. She doesn’t like me.”
His tone was so matter-of-fact that Qi Jing was momentarily stunned… Had he guessed wrong?
That didn’t seem right.
“No, she looks like she likes you.”
“…”
Qi Jing’s sense of self was well-established, especially after the trip to Harbor City. His awareness of boundaries had sharpened, along with his independence.
He had his own objective standards for judgment.
“You’re responding to her feelings—”
“When are you going to marry me?”
