Mr. Bo, Madam Is Pregnant!

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: The Shadow

These days, Bo Jingshen had endured for nearly a year.

If his willpower had not been strong, he believed he might have gone mad due to Jing Ce.

Jing Ce had driven his children insane before, not just Bo Jingshen, who was also an illegitimate child.

There were others, such as Jing Ruo and several more.

However, the only ones who could withstand it were Jing Ruo and Bo Jingshen.

There was also a girl named Jing Qiao, an illegitimate daughter, who was said to have been arranged into an unbearable marriage by Jing Ce, driven mad, and sent directly to the Psychiatric Hospital.

Yet, Jing Ruo and Bo Jingshen managed to endure.

For they were both intelligent enough; Jing Ruo was very obedient, which pleased Jing Ce greatly.

Indeed, in front of Jing Ce, she was even more submissive than Su Lu before Su Yukan.

People like Jing Ce, who had a strong desire for control, the more one resisted, the more he wanted to suppress; but to someone completely submissive like Jing Ruo, he was much more lenient.

And Bo Jingshen was patient and enduring enough to have borne nearly a year under Jing Ce’s oppression.

Then he left the country without looking back; this nearly year-long ordeal, though torturous, also better honed his willpower, and under Jing Ce’s oppression, Bo Jingshen indeed learned almost all the business knowledge he needed.

To be trained as an heir for nearly a year in a powerful family like the Jing Family, he probably learned more than he could have from struggling alone outside for five to ten years trying to start a business.

And he had saved up a small amount of money—not much, but at least enough to serve as start-up capital for his ventures abroad, though he often faced financial strains and had to find ways to raise money for his business.

Things like underground racing or participating in gaming competitions, all were for this purpose.

But at least with that start-up capital, his business’s initial phase was difficult but not to the extent of failure.

Bo Jingshen was undoubtedly successful, thriving in his business abroad and planning to enter the domestic market, which seemed to be going smoothly.

However, Jing Ce’s shadow still lingered.

In fact, whether it was Bo Jingshen, Jing Ruo, or even the legitimate eldest son Jing Su, they all knew that as long as Jing Ce was alive, his shadow would always be there.

But Bo Jingshen thought everything was far behind him.

He had gone far enough.

He rarely inquired about the news from Beijing, firstly because he was not interested, and secondly because he did not want to know, assuming he had long left Beijing behind.

But unexpectedly, Jing Ruo’s sudden visit brought news that Jing Ce had always been aware of his movements.

Jing Ce was quite trusting of the always obedient Jing Ruo, so she volunteered to Jing Ce, "Dad, don’t worry, I will keep a good watch on little brother."

Jing Ce agreed. Hence, Jing Ruo came to Feng City.

Although Jing Ruo was obedient to Jing Ce, her heart always leaned towards Bo Jingshen, who suffered similarly; thus, upon arriving in Feng City, while she was supposedly sent to watch him, she was actually just enjoying herself.

Just like Bo Jingshen, although they couldn’t talk about any sibling affection for this half-sister whom he had only known for a few years—they shared a certain camaraderie in their plight.

So, although he always seemed impatient with her, he never really held any dissatisfaction toward her.

However, the news Tang Cheng brought was entirely different.

Because of Tang Cheng’s status, the news he could access was, to begin with, different; a lot had happened in Beijing after Jing Ruo left.

Today, Jing Ruo learned the recent events of Beijing from Tang Cheng, and so they had dinner together and casually went to the racetrack to have fun, where coincidentally, they bumped into Bo Jingshen. noveldrama

And Bo Jingshen, during a previous confrontation with Tang Cheng at the racetrack, had learned of the situation in Beijing.

Then later, they went to Yunding’s rooftop bar to drown his sorrows in alcohol, ending up like this.

Su Lu spent the whole night with her phone beside her pillow, waiting for it to ring, waiting for Bo Jingshen to call to see if he would say something to her.

Perhaps about his fiancée?

Bo Jingshen spent the night drinking. Never mind how he could talk to Su Lu; he himself didn’t know how to make sense of this inexplicable fiancée.

Tang Cheng’s words lingered in his ears all night, no matter how much he drank.

Tang Cheng’s voice was like a devil whispering in his ear, inescapable.

Every time he closed his eyes, he even returned to the scene where he spoke with Tang Cheng during their previous confrontation at the racetrack, replaying the scene and voice.

Tang Cheng: "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I talking nonsense? No."

Bo Jingshen spoke coldly, "Not talking nonsense? Then tell me, having just come back from abroad after several years, where did this fiancée come from?"

Tang Cheng laughed, seeming quite pleased as if he heard something very amusing, he incredulously looked at Bo Jingshen, "Are you really naïve? What does it matter with you being abroad for years regarding this fiancée matter in our circle?"

Bo Jingshen pursed his lips and remained silent.

Tang Cheng laughed, "It only needs the parents’ agreement, reaching some kind of consensus, and it’s settled. Whether you agree or not doesn’t really matter. In time... they naturally can think of ways to find leverage to make you comply. Isn’t it always this simple and direct?"

Tang Cheng’s tone sounded matter-of-fact, for he had always been taught and understood thus, having also witnessed many such instances.

In their circle, anything goes outside.

But when it came to marriage, there was no autonomy. It all followed this set process, like some fixed business negotiation script, from which one couldn’t break away.

Bo Jingshen wasn’t unfamiliar with this, but he had not considered that such a matter would happen to him because he was not any prestigious young master; he was simply a last-minute replacement Jing Ce had found.

Illegitimate and improperly recognized, a humble illegitimate child.

Never mind what Jing Ce thought; Bo Jingshen was not unaware of how figures like Tang Cheng and other legitimate young masters referred to them behind their backs.

Therefore, arrangements like arranged marriages—a ’privilege’ of legitimate heirs—Bo Jingshen never thought would fall on him.

But what he knew was obviously very limited, even Jing Ruo’s knowledge was outdated.

Tang Cheng’s news was the latest.

So that’s when Bo Jingshen said mockingly, "That’s a treatment for you legitimate young masters, not for me. This simple, direct matter doesn’t concern me."

And Tang Cheng’s next words shattered Bo Jingshen’s emotions to pieces.