Mr. Bo, Madam Is Pregnant!

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Those Bygones

"I don’t believe you for a second!" Jiang Li scowled.

Jing Ruo remained silent, and simply lay on the bar, pretending to be drunk.

It wasn’t until she heard the sound of Jiang Li’s departing footsteps that Jing Ruo buried her face in her arms and let out a long sigh.

She was playful, but not just for the sake of being playful—her involvement with Tang Cheng wasn’t without reason. Tang Cheng was more well-informed than she was about Beijing’s goings-on.

And those genuine sons and daughters of the wealthy households of Beijing, to a lesser or greater extent, all took an interest in her and Bo Jingshen, the likes of them whose origins were, to put it mildly, unconventional. Without saying whether it was a malicious interest, it was an interest, nevertheless.

It was the kind of interest akin to a cat teasing a mouse.

Like Bo Jingshen, she, too, was born of an unconventional background—a child born out of wedlock.

To be blunt, if it weren’t for this peculiar interest, an upright young master like Tang Cheng, whose mother was a legitimate wife and both of whose parents’ families wielded tremendous power and prestige, wouldn’t even give them, the illegitimate children, a second glance.

Both she and Bo Jingshen shared the same father, Jing Ce, who was a leading figure in the Jing Family—one of the four biggest wealthy families in Beijing.

Bo Jingshen’s mother, Zhou Xiaochu, was once a minor starlet and one of Jing Ce’s many mistresses—it was during her time as his mistress that she fell pregnant in secret.

She had always dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family, but dreams were just dreams after all. Marriage in that kind of family carried too much weight; usually, marriages were transactional dealings with clearly marked prices. Given Zhou Xiaochu’s background, there wasn’t the slightest chance for her—not even one percent.

How could there be any fairy tales where one ascends to the phoenix’s perch or where Cinderella marries the prince?

Jing Ce wouldn’t have betrayed his legitimate wife and her powerful family clan over Zhou Xiaochu.

He never had any intention of giving Zhou Xiaochu any legitimate status—in fact, he didn’t even want the child. noveldrama

Jing Ce’s legitimate wife, Jiang Yan, was a classic socialite who felt nothing for Jing Ce. Therefore, when she learned of Zhou Xiaochu’s existence and the child she carried, Jiang Yan was not angry; rather, she was very rational and calm.

She took action to ensure Zhou Xiaochu’s pregnancy was not terminated.

If it hadn’t been for Jiang Yan, Bo Jingshen would have died at the hands of Jing Ce even while still in his mother’s womb.

Furthermore, Jiang Yan arranged a marriage for Zhou Xiaochu with a Bo surname long-distance truck driver who had been unable to find a wife for many years.

When a woman holds no affection or love for a man, she has no expectations and can be unbelievably rational. An ordinary woman could become reasoned in such a situation, let alone someone like Jiang Yan.

She used all of this as leverage to obtain a considerable benefit from Jing Ce.

Compared to the marriage she had with Jing Ce, which maximized their families’ power but was devoid of affection, the only thing Jiang Yan cared about was her son, Jing Su.

He was the legitimate young master of the Jing Family, just like Tang Cheng—a child born in wedlock, with an exceptional background and powerful families from both parents.

In a grand family like the Jing Family, there were many branches and plenty of cousins. In short, she had many male relatives. With their nurture akin to a brutal survival game, there were numerous struggles among the cousins.

If possible, the child she had saved could one day become an asset to her son.

However, Jiang Yan’s life was short; she passed away before Jing Su could establish a family and his own business. And Jing Su always resisted his father, deeply detesting Jing Ce, especially Jing Ce’s desire to control everything.

It was as if he wasn’t a son but merely a tool meant to act according to Jing Ce’s wishes, which disgusted Jing Su immensely.

Before his mother passed away, Jiang Li could maintain a façade according to his mother’s wishes, after all, he was the legitimate heir to the Jing Family.

But after his mother’s death, Jing Su couldn’t even be bothered to compete for the Jing Family’s enterprise, and he would rather clearly define his boundaries with Jing Ce.

Seeing his son adopt this attitude made Jing Ce very dissatisfied. In the Jing Family’s cutthroat educational environment, emotions tended to run cold; Jing Ce was like that too. Let alone marital affection, even father-son bonds were extremely weak.

Jing Su’s attitude did not make Jing Ce feel heartbroken or devastated.

He merely thought that he needed another heir. If he followed the Jing Family’s ruthless educational method, perhaps the emergence of another competitor might actually force his son back onto the path he had set for him.

So, Jing Ce remembered those illegitimate children he had outside over the years.

The very young ones wouldn’t do; they weren’t accomplished enough to exert any pressure on Jing Su.

The foolish ones were out of the question too; supporting them was completely unnecessary, not to mention pressuring Jing Su.

So, Bo Jingshen became the most suitable candidate.

He was the right age, just a couple of years after graduating from university.

He was also sufficiently outstanding.

This pleased Jing Ce greatly, so regardless of whether Bo Jingshen was willing, he was brought back from abroad to Beijing.

Hence, the upper echelons of Beijing were all aware that the Jing Family had brought back a cost-effective son, Jingshen, to be groomed as an heir.

Jing Su actually harbored no ill will towards this half-brother from the same father; he even quite liked him, as there was always a mutual respect between exceptional people. Though he hated his father’s philandering, as well as Bo Jingshen’s mother and all the other women like her who intended to destroy other people’s families,

this half-brother was not at fault.

Moreover, even his temperament was somewhat similar to his own.

But it was precisely because of these similarities that Jing Su was so stern towards Bo Jingshen, seemingly wanting to control everything about him, as if having let Jing Su, who had slipped from his grasp, was a failure.

He couldn’t permit a second son to break free from his control.

Furthermore, this was an illegitimate child. If Jing Su could still stir some semblance of paternal affection in Jing Ce’s cold heart, Bo Jingshen inspired none at all.

Jing Ce would stop at nothing to warn him, to admonish him, to educate him, forcing Bo Jingshen to follow his directives.

Even the women who were infatuated with him would suffer cruel punishment simply for their affection.

Because his marriage should be a grand transaction that brings tremendous power, not something any random person could frivolously dream about.

To prevent him from being tempted by these flitting admirers, Jing Ce would step in early and nip any such developments in the bud.

Countless ’accidents’, the causes of which were forever untraceable.

Bo Jingshen hated Su Lu so much for abandoning him, yet he would wake up from countless nightmares, initially filled with rage, wanting to ask her, "What about now? With my family background as it is now, am I good enough for you?"

After thinking bitterly about this for a while, he would start to feel relieved, glad that Su Lu was no longer by his side.

Relieved that Su Lu was at least safe and sound, living somewhere out of his sight.