Chapter 3: Boundaries

With our honeymoon over, life slipped back into its usual rhythm. I stayed busy settling into my new role as “Mrs. Bo,” while Bo Jiang buried himself in back-to-back business trips abroad.

Curiously, though, he made a point to video call me every single day at the exact same time. His excuse? “To see the dog.”

As I scooped up the chubby, white fluffball named Bone, I couldn’t help but grumble, “He’s getting so heavy…”

“That’s fine. Looking at you works too,” Bo Jiang remarked casually the second Bone squirmed out of my arms and darted off.

Before I could blow a fuse, he smoothly added, “You look very pretty today.”

“Obviously. I look pretty every day.”

He studied me for a beat. “Going out tonight?”

“Bachelorette party. My friend’s getting married. I won’t drink much, and I’ll be back by ten.”

A soft laugh escaped him. “Chu Li, how did you get so obedient lately?”

“I promised to play the part of Mrs. Bo well.”

“I don’t boss you around just so you can play ‘Mrs. Bo.’ I’m… caring about you. Do you miss me?”

The sudden curveball caught me off guard. Before I could process it, he delivered the knockout punch:

“Because I miss you. A lot.”

—

The very next day, the man who had been missing in action for half a month suddenly materialized at the front door.

The moment he stepped inside, he scooped me into his arms and carried me straight upstairs, completely ignoring the knowing, amused looks from our housekeeper.

“What is wrong with you?!” I gasped.

“Didn’t my wife say she missed me?”

“Couldn’t you tell I was joking?!”

He buried his face into the crook of my neck, holding me tight for a long moment. When I caught him leaning in to kiss me, I immediately slammed my hand against his lips to block him.

“Is this what you call ‘platonic distance’? What kind of friends kiss on the mouth?!”

“We do,” he replied effortlessly. “You set the boundaries, but I get to decide how we execute them. That’s only fair.”

During our little scuffle, a limited-edition necklace tumbled into my hands, it turned out he’d overheard me admiring it on a call with a friend. Fine. For the sake of the gift, I’d let him off the hook this once.

—

That evening, I was curled up reading a webtoon on my phone, right at a rather… steamy scene, when a knock sounded at the door.

Bo Jiang leaned against the frame. “It’s been a while since we hung out. Give me a reward. I want a kiss.”

His gaze flicked down toward my screen. Panicking, I slammed my phone shut, my face burning as red as a tomato.

Without waiting for my permission, he leaned down and captured my lips. It was a deep, breathless kiss, lasting until I turned entirely to mush and practically begged for mercy. Only then did he let go, thoughtfully tucking the blanket around me.

“Goodnight.”

…

At a formal gala a few days later, I ran into Tang Mong, a socialite who used to pursue Bo Jiang relentlessly. I couldn’t be bothered with the drama, so I retreated to a quiet corner to sip my drink.

Bo Jiang cornered me immediately, taking the glass right out of my hand and draining it.

“If you can’t hold your liquor, drink less.”

“I like drinking.”

“Chu Li, do you have any idea what you did the last time you got drunk?” he asked, leaning in close. “You stole my first kiss.”

I blinked, completely stunned. “What??”

“A first kiss is a big deal. You have to take responsibility,” he said smoothly. “I even kept the security footage. It’s fine, you can make it up to me slowly over time.”

Huh??? Who was the one taking advantage of whom here?!

Far across the room, Tang Mong was still gazing at Bo Jiang with bright, hopeful eyes.

Irritated, I muttered, “A girl like that clearly adores you. Great family background, tons of leverage to help your career… why on earth did you marry me?”

Bo Jiang glanced over, instantly reading the room. “Is she bothering you?”

I scoffed softly. Bothering me? She wouldn’t dare. Still, I gave him a firm reminder: “This is garbage you should’ve cleared out before getting married, not something you leave for me to deal with.”

Without a word, Bo Jiang stood up and walked straight toward Tang Mong.

I sat back and watched the sequence of emotions play out across her face: from pure delight, to utter confusion, to tear-brimmed hurt, and finally, a storm of humiliation as she turned on her heel and fled.

Decisive. Ruthless.

Taking a slow sip of water, I let out a tiny smile. Alright, not a bad performance.

When Bo Jiang walked back, he carried a rare, almost sheepish tone. “I’m sorry. I honestly never paid attention to her existence before.”

All the sharp retorts I had queued up lodged right in my throat. “So… what did you say to her?”

“I said: ‘Ma’am, who are you? Please don’t mess with the relationship between me and my wife.'”

He paused, staring straight into my eyes with a terrifying intensity. “And one more thing… I married you because I like you. If it wasn’t you, I’d rather stay single.”

Our eyes locked for a long, heavy second before I was the first to look away. Bo Jiang didn’t push it; he simply raised his glass and downed the rest of his drink in one swallow.

…

After taking a shower, he knocked on my bedroom door completely shirtless, wearing nothing but a low-slung towel wrapped around his waist. The visual attack was… overwhelmingly potent.

“Wife, I think I’m a little drunk. Give me a hug.”

Without wasting words, I raised my hand and landed a crisp *pop* against his chest. “Sober now? Stop acting.”

He let out a low chuckle. Instead of backing off, he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. “Caught me, huh? Then… can I hold you anyway?”

This time, the teasing vanished. He laid it all out on the table: how he’d known all along that I used to resent him, and how he had seized the moment when my family’s business fell into crisis to lock me down first and win me over later.

“Chu Li, from the second we signed those papers… I considered you my wife. I know I have a nasty temper, and I bicker with you all the time… but I’m trying to change. Will you give me a chance?”

He was so close I could see my own reflection shimmering in his dark eyes.

“How do you feel about me right now?” he whispered.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Then that means you like me.”

“?? What kind of backward logic is that?!”

He grabbed my hand, pressing my palm directly against his rock-hard abs, his voice dropping an octave into a low, raspy purr. “I want to fulfill my marital duties… give me a chance?”

Under his meticulously calculated seduction, plus my own inner justification that it’d be a tragic waste not to touch my own husband. I gave in and started teasing him back. And Bo Jiang clearly, desperately loved every second of it.

—

Until one night, the bedroom door clicked open.

Bo Jiang walked in wearing a loosely tied black silk robe. He dropped one knee onto the mattress, looking down at me with dark, smoldering eyes.

“Like what you see? If you do… tonight, I’m your present. Do whatever you want with me.”

The setup was an exact carbon copy of the male lead in the webtoon I’d been reading. The only problem was… I was the one who ended up completely exhausted by the end of the night.

He stayed buried against my neck, raspy whispers brushing against my ear in the dark:

“Wife… I’ve given you my whole self… you have to take responsibility. For the rest of your life.”

—

Bonus Epilogue: Bo Jiang’s POV

I don’t remember the exact moment I fell for her.

Maybe it was that rainy afternoon under the porch, or maybe it was watching her play with a stray cat, her laughter spilling out bright and clear.

She got completely wasted that one night. When I caught her stumblings, she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, her eyes glossy and dazed.

“You’re so handsome,” she slurred. “I love making friends with handsome guys. Hey… do you wanna be my friend?”

She held out her hand. I thought she meant it, so I reached out and took it.

The next morning, she forgot the entire thing.

From that day on, whenever she was in the room, my eyes instinctively searched for her. I wanted to look away… but I couldn’t. By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late, we were never going to work as “just friends.”

So… why beat around the bush?

I decided to jump straight to being her husband.

(THE END)