NOVPUBTheir conversation naturally caught the attention of Le Yi and Xiao Jingqu.
Le Yi looked confused. “What are you guys talking about? What’s going on?”
Yu Li put down her phone, picked up her teacup for a sip of water, and smiled. “Nothing. Do you guys want to order more food?”
“No need, this is enough.” Le Yi waved her hand repeatedly, her gaze landing on Mu Chengsi’s face.
Was it just her imagination? Why did it feel like Mu Chengsi’s expression looked so... hopeless? 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
She turned to look at Yu Li in confusion, but the latter only curved her eyes and smiled gently, as if nothing had happened.
Yu Li glanced at Mu Chengsi’s tightly clenched hands, then lowered her gaze to the floating tea leaves in her cup. She exhaled slowly and blew at them, the corners of her lips slightly lifting.
Just then, a heavy set of footsteps echoed outside the private room.
Soon after, a waiter’s respectful voice reached everyone’s ears.
“President Bo, this is the place.”
Upon hearing this voice, Mu Chengsi’s eyelashes trembled even harder. Even though she had secretly investigated him, she had never been this close to Bo Jingmo in real life.
Suddenly, she regretted coming here.
While she was thinking, a girl’s low voice sounded in her ear: “Later, you should leave with Le Yi and the others. Bo Jingmo said he wants to talk to me.”
Mu Chengsi froze, her expression stunned. Before she could react, the private room door was pushed open.
The moment they saw the man standing in the doorway, Le Yi and Xiao Jingqu’s eyes widened in surprise. “This...”
Wasn’t that Bo Jingmo?
The man at the door wore a perfectly tailored suit. His figure was tall and lean, his hair immaculately styled, revealing sharp, well-defined features and a high nose bridge. He carried an intense presence, but at this moment, his brows were slightly furrowed, and he didn’t look too happy.
His narrow eyes swept over everyone in the room, and his pitch-black pupils reflected the girl sitting in the center. His thin lips parted. “Sorry to interrupt.”
He turned his head slightly toward someone behind him, and a few people immediately entered the room, handing them delicately packaged luxury shopping bags.
Le Yi accepted the bag in a daze, only to hear him speak in a gentle voice: “Nice to meet you all. I’m Yu Li’s boyfriend, Bo Jingmo.”
Though he addressed them, his gaze stayed fixed on Yu Li’s face the entire time, something dark and unreadable simmering in his eyes.
His eyes swept past the others, and he politely curved his lips. “I came in a hurry—these are gifts for you.”
“Hss...” Upon seeing the brand name on the bag, Xiao Jingqu sharply inhaled. It suddenly felt like she was holding a scorching potato.
Holy sht... this sht was expensive.
Probably worth more than her life.
She exchanged a glance with Le Yi, who looked equally stunned.
These kinds of pricey gifts—were they really meant for them?!
Le Yi cleared her throat and looked at Yu Li. “Yu Li... this...”
Before Yu Li could respond, Bo Jingmo spoke first. “I need to speak with Yu Li about something. Could you give us a moment alone?”
With that, the room fell into an eerie silence.
Le Yi and Xiao Jingqu looked at each other, unsure how to respond.
“You guys go on ahead.”
Yu Li suddenly spoke up. She set down her teacup, stood up, and forced a smile at them. “Take the gifts. I’ll go out with him for a bit.”
As soon as she reached the door, Bo Jingmo grabbed her wrist.
Without saying a word, he pulled her out of the room.
Watching this unfold, Le Yi looked dazed. She turned to Xiao Jingqu and said, “Are they... fighting?”
“...Probably?” Xiao Jingqu replied uncertainly. “Bo Jingmo didn’t look too happy.”
It’s normal for little couples to fight—they’d make up quickly anyway.
They didn’t think much of it and turned to Mu Chengsi, who had remained silent. “Chengsi, are you heading back to campus with us?”
Mu Chengsi touched her cold fingers and recalled how Yu Li had patted her on the shoulder before leaving. Her expression turned obscure, as if she was deep in thought.
When she heard Le Yi’s question, she looked up and met their concerned gazes. She slowly opened her mouth. “...Yeah, let’s go back.”
But when they reached the restaurant’s front entrance and her peripheral vision caught sight of a familiar car outside, Mu Chengsi froze. Her steps halted.
Yu Li and the others... hadn’t left yet?
They were still at the restaurant?
Le Yi was chatting with Xiao Jingqu when something was suddenly stuffed into her arms. She looked up in confusion, only to catch a glimpse of Mu Chengsi’s hurried figure.
The girl left behind a quick remark: “I forgot something in the restaurant. Gotta grab it. I’ve got something later, so I won’t be going back to school. No need to wait for me.”
Then she disappeared from their view.
Le Yi: “?”
What the heck?
She stood still holding the bag, exchanging looks with Xiao Jingqu.
“What’s going on...?”
“No idea.”
“Should we wait?”
“...Probably not. Didn’t she say she’s not heading back? Let’s just go.”
“Alright.”
The two left while chatting. Meanwhile, back inside the restaurant, Mu Chengsi was searching for Yu Li and Bo Jingmo.
In that moment, she felt like she was back in an instance—just like back then when she was scouring the villa for the two of them and stumbled upon the most horrifying scene.
Thankfully, real life wasn’t as terrifying as the instance.
After asking a few staff members and confirming they were on the rooftop garden, Mu Chengsi rushed into the elevator.
What she didn’t know was that, the moment the elevator doors closed, the smile vanished from the staff member’s face. Lowering her head, she pressed the communication device in her ear and spoke respectfully:
“President Bo, she’s on her way up.”
—
Mu Chengsi thought she might be going crazy.
As she watched the elevator numbers tick upward, her impulsive thoughts gradually cooled down.
No matter how insane Bo Jingmo might be, this was still the real world—he couldn’t just kill someone like in an instance.
But she couldn’t help feeling uneasy when she remembered that unreadable expression on his face.
Le Yi and the others didn’t know what kind of person Bo Jingmo really was. They probably thought this was just some normal couple’s spat.
But she knew the dark side he kept hidden.
What if Bo Jingmo snapped in real life too? Then what?
With that tangled anxiety in her heart, Mu Chengsi couldn’t bring herself to leave now.
Ding—
With a soft chime, the elevator doors opened slowly.
Right in front of her was an iron door. Once through it, she’d reach the rooftop.
Mu Chengsi stepped up to the door but didn’t open it right away. Instead, she pressed her ear against it, trying to listen in.
But unfortunately, she couldn’t hear anything.
Helpless, she gave up and placed her hand on the door handle. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pushed the door open just a crack and peeked inside.
Finally, she could hear what the people inside were saying.
