Chapter 2: Your Right

By the time we got home, the conversation at the old estate was still sitting heavy in my chest.

“Is your family really in that much of a rush for an heir?” I demanded, unable to let it go. “I think you picked the wrong person. Maybe… we shouldn’t waste each other’s time. Let’s just get a divorce early.”

It wasn’t that I hated kids, but I believed a child belonged in a family built on love. And between us? There was obviously no such thing. If we kept going like this, I was going to turn into nothing more than a glorified breeding tool.

I was still fuming when Bo Jiang pulled me straight into his chest. His voice dropped, suddenly terrifyingly serious.

“No one is going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. If you don’t want kids, we don’t have to have them, ever. That’s not an obligation; it’s your right. I didn’t marry you just to find a surrogate.”

His grip tightened around me, his voice running raspy. “Stop bringing up divorce. I’m the one calling the shots in the Bo family now. Just leave everything to me, alright?”

I looked up, unexpectedly catching the sheer depth in his eyes. It was rare to see him this soft. A strange, unfamiliar flutter rose in my chest, though I crushed it down almost instantly.

…

Bo Jiang took a month off work for our “honeymoon.” Luckily, he handled all the logistics; I literally just had to show up and bring myself along, zero brainpower required.

Lately, his fashion sense had taken a wild turn, every single day he dressed like he was heading to a magazine shoot. He was so ridiculously handsome that while standing in line to buy us boba, a girl actually walked up to ask for his WeChat.

Watching from a distance, I calmly posted a picture to my feed: “Watching the sunrise alone is pretty nice, too.”

Bo Jiang was the first person to like it, leaving a single question mark in the comments.

A moment later, he walked back over with my boba, demanding an explanation. “What’s with your post? We clearly watched it together.”

Even while complaining, his hands automatically poked the straw into my cup for me. I couldn’t be bothered to argue.

“Keep your distance, Bo Jiang. I haven’t even brought up the fact that you were handing out your WeChat to pretty girls.”

“Are you framing me?” he countered smoothly. “I’m a married man. I actually have a sense of boundaries.”

“I meant boundaries between us.”

“I know.”

The next second, he reached out with a napkin and gently wiped the corner of my mouth. “Got milk foam on you.”

I flinched as if I’d been zapped by electricity, snatching the napkin away, but my hand accidentally brushed against his.

…

That night at the hotel, I was watching TV when Bo Jiang walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He picked up a glass of water, and then… plop.

The towel “accidentally” slipped right to the floor.

Chiseled six-pack, cut muscle lines… it was so blindingly obvious it was impossible to ignore. Quite “naturally,” I swept my eyes up and down his frame, giving an evaluation: “Physique’s… not bad, I guess.”

Bo Jiang leisurely picked the towel back up, called me a “little pervert” under his breath, and sauntered back to his room.

Hmph. Who was the one constantly “dropping towels” here anyway? I decided it was time for some payback.

I dug out a fairly daring lace-up slip dress and casually stepped out into the room. Bo Jiang’s eyes glued to me instantly. I sauntered past him, letting my bare legs sway right in front of his face, and reached out to give his cheek a light tap.

“Returning the ‘pervert’ label right back to you.”

Before I could pull away, Bo Jiang grabbed my wrist and yanked hard, landing me right on his lap. He let out a low chuckle.

“Scared now? Do you even know how to kiss?”

Coming from anyone else, it would’ve sounded like flirting, but coming from him, it was a pure provocation.

I scoffed. “Please. The number of people I’ve kissed… is easily eight or ten…”

Before I could finish my lie, his lips cut me off. “Let me see how good you really are.”

The result… I nearly suffocated.

He finally released me, staring at my bright red face with a smug smirk. “You don’t even know how to swap air.”

Furious, I glared at him. “Again! This time, you’re not allowed to move!”

I straddled his waist, attempting a soft press against his lips before giving them two light bites. “Hey, how did you do that earlier? Teach me, so next time I can…”

Before the sentence was out, he flipped me onto the sofa, deepening the kiss into something far more intense and overwhelming. By the time I turned to complete mush, he finally let go, pulling me into his arms with that insufferable grin on his face.

“Out of breath already? How are you planning on handling things later, then?”

…

Bo Jiang carried me back to the bedroom, then turned right around and went into the bathroom to take… yet another shower.

We were both adults; I wasn’t naive. The sudden “change” in him earlier. I had felt it loud and clear. Flustered beyond belief, I buried my face straight into the blanket.

…What on earth was he playing at?!

…

The next morning, my legs were aching so badly I felt like I’d run a marathon.

The corners of Bo Jiang’s lips curled up, clearly in a fantastic mood. “Feeling shy?”

“Not at all!”

“Right, not at all,” he echoed nonchalantly, sitting down beside me. “Stretch out your legs.”

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you a massage.”

Skeptical, I rested my legs on his lap. Under the light, my skin looked almost blindingly fair. He stole one quick glance before… consciously averting his gaze.

The moment he started kneading, though…

“Ouch!”

“Bear with it for a second, it’ll feel better soon.”

Luckily he wasn’t lying, or I would have kicked him right in the face.

Bored out of my mind, I tried to start a conversation. “How are you so good at this? Do you go get massages a lot?”

“Is that how you compliment people?” He shot me a look, then casually moved up to knead my shoulders.

“Why are you being so nice today?”

“If I’m being this good… what’s my reward?”

“What do you want?”

Just then, my phone rang loudly. Ceng Che’s voice blasted through the speaker: “Chu Li! I’m back in the country! I missed you to death, did you miss me?!”

I caught the instant frost over Bo Jiang’s eyes. Oh, he was displeased. Naturally, that made me want to push his buttons even more.

“Of course. I missed you so much too. This honeymoon is boring as hell, hanging out with you is way more fun.”

Silence hung on the line for a second before Ceng Che shrieked, “Are you with your husband right now?! Never mind, hanging up! I’m scared! Your husband is terrifying!”

Beep, beep, beep…

I frowned at Bo Jiang. “Why do you get jealous over nothing? Look, even if I don’t like you that way, being friends isn’t so bad. In the future, when you meet someone you like and I meet someone I like, we can just go our separate ways. Deal?”

He stared at me. “You want to be friends with me?”

I nodded.

He let out a long sigh. “Fine… I guess I’ll just take the loss.”

With that, he leaned down and pulled me into an embrace.

I froze completely. “What are you hugging me for?”

“What’s wrong with friends hugging? You keep talking a big game, but you don’t actually treat me like a friend in your heart.”

Huh??? What kind of platonic “guy friends” acted like this?!

—

Shortly after, a dull ache started blooming in my lower abdomen. Three minutes later, I poked my head out of the bathroom.

“Bo Jiang… could you go downstairs and buy me some pads? I forgot to pack them.”

Without a word, he turned and left immediately.

For the next few days of monthly torture, Bo Jiang went above and beyond, rubbing my stomach, buying heat patches, and brewing hot brown sugar ginger tea for me. He was so attentive it actually felt eerie. But the main problem was…

“Bo Jiang, why do you keep holding me? It doesn’t even hurt anymore, why are you still hugging me?!”

“When you were in pain and I cared for you, I was attentive. Now that it’s over, I’m taking advantage of you?”

“I just feel… we’re crossing the line a bit here.”

Bo Jiang said nothing. He simply pulled me close, leaned down, and…

Kissed me.

When he finally pulled back, he looked down at me, frozen like a statue.

“Chu Li,” he whispered, his voice dangerously smooth. “This is what you call crossing the line.”

He turned on his heel and walked straight back to his room.

I stood frozen for three full seconds before stomping my foot and screaming at his back, “Bo Jiang!!! You bastard! Who asked you to demonstrate?!”