CHAPTER 494: CHAPTER 494

After a day of bustling about at work with Su Lu, Bo Jingshen had initially thought he would find it uninteresting and not return the next day.

Unexpectedly, he followed her again the next day.

Su Lu felt helpless, "Why do you keep following me around? Why don’t you go do your own thing?"

"What could I possibly have to do?" Bo Jingshen said, adopting the posture of a standard idle rich man, "I’m just a layabout with nothing to do."

"Don’t give me that," Su Lu glared at him, "Don’t think I don’t know. Even though you’ve mostly focused on Feng City, you’ve still collaborated a lot with Jing Su over the years. Didn’t you also have a talk with Song Boyuan before?"

Indeed, a talk had taken place.

And it was more than just a talk. Because of Zhao Xiaole’s significant influence, his uncle was almost ready to build him a castle.

Song Boyuan, eager to ingratiate himself with Bo Jingshen, had virtually given Bo Jingshen a partnership project for next to nothing.

Bo Jingshen could easily have gone off to discuss this project, so why was he dawdling around her?

But he really intended to linger beside Su Lu, "No rush. I’ll spend more time with you first. To be honest, I’ve seen all sides of you over the years, but I rarely get to see you at work."

Now that he had said this, Su Lu naturally couldn’t send him away.

So, she went through another day of work, accompanied by her partner.

By the end of the day, it had become clear to everyone in the shop that the unnamed handsome man was their boss’s fiancé.

Su Lu began to understand, and on the way back, she pinched Bo Jingshen’s cheek, "Tell me! Is this your purpose?"

"Yes," Bo Jingshen didn’t plan on hiding it at all, he proudly nodded, "I just want everyone to know that their boss, their Sister Lu, is taken."

While saying this, Bo Jingshen hummed a couple of times, "And you said that what’s-his-name, Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves, isn’t interested in you? You should have seen the look of emotional frustration on his face after he found out I was your fiancé!"

"..." Su Lu felt helpless, "Riding the Winds is still young; young boys don’t know much, they’ll understand when they grow up a bit."

Su Lu believed that with her current age, if any of the young boys said they liked her, it was likely because she still looked youthful and pretty, had a successful career, and could offer them suitable professional advice—more of a mentor than a romantic interest.

So they might mistakenly think they had romantic feelings for her.

But Bo Jingshen didn’t see it that way. Bo Jingshen felt, "Once a man’s beard fills in, he’s no longer a boy, and he should understand these things. Don’t change the subject; I think you’re just managing a fish pond."

Su Lu didn’t try to change the subject or make excuses, "Fine, fine, let’s say I am managing a fish pond. Now that you’ve shown up, it’s as if my pond has been filled in. Are you satisfied now?"

Bo Jingshen started to laugh, "Indeed. I feel much more reassured."

"Now that your goal is achieved, stop sticking to me tomorrow, and go take care of your own business! Xiao Le is waiting for you to make money to support him! The project you got through your son’s face was practically half-given by Song Boyuan, so please show some enthusiasm!"

Bo Jingshen felt that made sense and nodded, "Indeed, I should take it more seriously."

Sure enough, the next day Bo Jingshen had no plans to go to work with Su Lu.

Su Lu felt that this man was like a lion patrolling its territory, swaggering into her workplace to make a declaration of ownership, and then, just as grandly, leaving to go hunting.

Bo Jingshen, before leaving in the morning, made sure to properly adjust the huge diamond ring on her ring finger.

Su Lu felt helpless, "Don’t worry, I won’t take it off. Are we good now?"

"That’s more like it," Bo Jingshen said with a smile, then left with his son and headed straight to the Song Family.

Unlike Bo Jingshen’s office at the Boss headquarters in Feng City, Song Boyuan’s office wasn’t located in a skyscraper. It was in a small Western-style building with a sense of history; in the old days, it would have been called a mansion.

Knowing they were coming, Song Boyuan stood at the door waiting, a cigarette between his fingers.

As soon as Zhao Xiaole got out of the car, he said, "Uncle, smoking is harmful to your health."

Song Boyuan looked at him, then gently lifted his hand, "I’m not smoking."

Indeed, he wasn’t. He was just holding it.

There was a time when Song Boyuan had a heavy addiction to smoking. When Jing Qiao had an incident and refused to live after losing her baby in the Psychiatric Hospital, his own suffering outside wasn’t much better. Smoking every day was like offering incense.

But he later quit.

Quitting smoking is a tough thing to do, but for someone like Song Boyuan, it seemed to be manageable.

Occasionally, when he felt like smoking, he would just hold an unlit cigarette like this. This kind of temptation without satisfaction might be torture for other smokers, but for Song Boyuan, it was enough relief.

"I’m not smoking," Song Boyuan said, then casually threw the cigarette into a nearby trash can.

Zhao Xiaole nodded, "You’re right not to smoke. Plus, you always smell nice."

Bo Jingshen looked towards Song Boyuan, "Where’s Xiao Qiao?"

"At home," Song Boyuan replied and then added, "Not at the Song Mansion."

The Song Mansion—Jing Qiao aside—even Song Boyuan had unpleasant memories there. So even though his stepmother and those annoying brothers no longer lived there, he still didn’t want to move back in.

He even thought about selling the mansion. The location of the Song Mansion was incredibly valuable, and the entire property and land were now in Song Boyuan’s name. Selling it would indeed be a hefty sum of money.

Bo Jingshen just nodded, not asking further details. Ever since he found out about Song Boyuan’s deep feelings for Jing Qiao, Bo Jingshen was not worried at all that Song Boyuan would treat Jing Qiao badly.

"I just came over to chat casually," Bo Jingshen said, "About that project you mentioned last time. Also to let Zhao Xiaole come here to play—I heard from Su Lu that this place is a mansion."

"Yes, a mansion," Song Boyuan said without any hint of bragging, indifferent, "Go back a few generations, and it was even a Prince Mansion."

Bo Jingshen noticed that in Song Boyuan’s tone there wasn’t only a lack of bragging but even... some mockery.

"Hanging a plaque of a cultural heritage building, trying to get permission for construction or renovation takes forever to get approved," Song Boyuan spoke with a cool voice.

Bo Jingshen thought to himself, you set up an office in a mansion or Prince Mansion, and you still want to mess with the building’s structure? Are you trying to dig on the head of a god of the earth or what?

"Please, come in," Song Boyuan said, walking inside. Bo Jingshen followed him, and then heard Song Boyuan as if suddenly remembering something, "Oh right, second uncle, there’s something I think I should warn you about in advance."

"..." This sudden address of ’second uncle’ made Bo Jingshen feel completely off, "Go ahead."

"The state of the eldest uncle isn’t too good. Although I’m not exactly sure what’s going on between him and Song Jining’s fiancée, it’s clear it’s affecting his condition."