Out of control and sinking

Feeling his warm lips kiss her cheek, Jiang Ruan's tear-stained eyelashes trembled slightly, her cheeks streaked with tears. She pouted and glared at him.

"You're lying, there are no sweet tears, they're clearly salty."

Bo Ye licked his lips: "Tsk."

"I don't believe it."

After saying that, he leaned close to her eyes and kissed them, then pinched her chin and lowered his head to kiss her directly.

Caught off guard by the kiss, Jiang Ruan blinked, still a little slow to react, but quickly succumbed.

The taste of red wine lingered on my lips.

Bo Ye only released her when she was almost out of breath, his voice hoarse: "How was it? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

Jiang Ruan's cheeks flushed: "That's because you drank alcohol just now."

"It tastes like red wine, not my tears."

He was talking, but his eyes were dry.

Bo Ye pinched her cheek and chuckled teasingly, "Oh~, so it's the smell of red wine."

Jiang Ruan snorted and turned her head away, ignoring him.

"Still angry?" Bo Ye leaned closer, his usually cold face now displaying an infuriating smile: "How about I try to coax you again?"

He coaxed, "I'll grant you one request? Buy me a bag? Or something else, please."

Jiang Ruan turned her head and interrupted him impatiently: "In your eyes, is money everything?"

Their eyes met, and the smile in Bo Ye's eyes vanished instantly. He said, word by word, "Money isn't everything, but it is."

Jiang Ruan stopped arguing with him.

She sighed, "Alright, I'm not angry anymore. It was nothing to begin with."

"Go back to your seat and eat. Haven't you eaten all day?"

Her change was so sudden that Bo Ye was caught off guard.

"Are you really not angry anymore?"

He hasn't even coaxed her yet.

Jiang Ruan laughed angrily: "You can't be angry with me, but I'm not angry now, so what, you can't be angry with me either?"

Bo Ye stood up abruptly: "Never mind what I said."

Jiang Ruan: "..."

It's that feeling of wanting to get angry at the same time, and also wanting to laugh.

This man, sigh.

He's truly Jiang Ruan's nemesis for life.

Jiang Ruan felt agitated. She picked up the red wine and took a sip, instantly overwhelmed by the bittersweet taste of the wine.

Bo Ye glanced at it and also picked up his own glass.

He leaned closer, clearly wanting to clink glasses with her.

Jiang Ruan gave her face and clinked her wine glasses together; that moment seemed to strike her heart.

It knocked away all my frustration.

After dinner, Bo Ye drove, with Jiang Ruan in the passenger seat, but they realized they weren't on the way home.

Jiang Ruan asked him, "Aren't we going home?"

Bo Ye turned his head and glanced at her, saying in a light tone, "I'll take you somewhere."

"Where are we going?" Jiang Ruan asked curiously.

Bo Ye said mysteriously, "You'll know when we get there."

Jiang Ruan pursed her lips and said "Oh".

But I still couldn't help but look forward to it.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the house by the sea.

The car stopped, Bo Ye turned off the engine, and Jiang Ruan looked out the window. Before she even got out of the car, she could smell the rich scent of the ocean.

It wasn't dark around, as there were nightlights illuminating the area.

It was very quiet at that moment; they were the only ones there.

"Shall we go down and take a look?"

A man's voice came through, and Jiang Ruan nodded: "Okay."

She opened the car door and got out. The night was still a bit chilly, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of the sea.

It also makes people feel relaxed instantly.

As she was gazing into the distance, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. It was Bo Ye who had brought her a coat and placed it over her shoulders.

"It's chilly at night, put this on." Bo Ye put his arm around her shoulder and said softly, "Just in case you catch a cold."

A warm feeling welled up in Jiang Ruan's heart, and she obediently replied, "Mmm."

"Let's go for a walk ahead."

"it is good."

The two walked along the beach.

Jiang Ruan said, "Is this the North Sea or the South Sea? I've lived in Beijing for so many years, and apart from filming for work, I've never been to the seaside."

Bo Ye said, "Beihai, drive three kilometers along this road and you'll reach Nanhai."

"Why did you suddenly think of bringing me here?" Jiang Ruan asked curiously, looking up. It was a bit dark, and she couldn't see his expression clearly.

Bo Ye said in a very calm tone: "When I was a child, my family was very strict with me. My grandfather was a very strong and domineering person. He was the one who had the final say at home. But I also had a rebellious period. Sometimes when I was in a bad mood, I would run away by myself and come to the beach to throw stones."

Jiang Ruan knew that people from large families were particularly strict about educating their children and grandchildren.

She couldn't help but feel sorry for him and asked, "Did he ever lay a hand on you?"

When asked this question, Bo Ye paused slightly, but did not hide anything: "Yes."

They not only used their hands, but also whipped them.

He once slacked off and didn't finish his homework, so he was sent to the military camp for two months of training.

After two months of grueling training, he emerged having lost over ten kilograms and looking sallow and dark-skinned.

Xu Yun didn't recognize him at all.

It was from that time onward that his personality began to become increasingly withdrawn.

Jiang Ruan listened and couldn't help but get angry: "What's the use of resorting to violence? Can hitting solve the problem? Even if they are elders, you shouldn't resort to violence."

Knowing she was worried about him, Bo Ye smiled slightly and said casually, "It's nothing."

He put his arm around her, stopped, and looked down at her pale face. His tone was extremely calm: "Jiang Ruan, I think you should have noticed this a long time ago."

"I don't know how to love."

"I am also incapable of loving."

Because from birth until now, the word "love" has been a very unfamiliar word to him.

Even now, it still feels like a stranger to him.

Jiang Ruan's breath hitched, but she suddenly calmed down.

She smiled at him and asked, "So, what do you want to tell me?"

"Do you want to break up with me?"

Jiang Ruan's words were nonchalant, but her heart was in her throat, and her fingers clenched tightly at her sides.

She had already discovered it.

He really doesn't know how to love, nor does he care about her feelings. Sometimes he acts very distant and deliberately.

Sometimes, she even had the illusion that it was something someone else taught him, not something he truly meant.

But so what?

He doesn't know how to love, and neither does she.

Jiang Ruan's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

Bo Ye refused, saying, "No."

He pursed his thin lips, stared at her for a while, and then suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

He buried his chin in her shoulder, holding her so tightly that Jiang Ruan could barely breathe against his chest.

"I don't want to break up with you," Bo Ye said softly, his tone firm. "I like you, and I've gotten used to having you by my side."

"Although I don't know what love is, if you really ask me who the person I love in this world is, that person must be you."

"I also know that I have many shortcomings."

"You often feel wronged."

Jiang Ruan listened, her throat going dry.

Nestled in his arms, with the sound of waves crashing in her ears, she could feel his rapidly beating heart.

He was not as calm as he had said.

That was his fluctuating emotions. She could feel it…

A smile curved her lips as she reached out and hugged him back, embracing his narrow waist and gently patting his back. It was the first time she had ever realized that even someone as strong as him could have moments of vulnerability.

She said, "It's okay, we're still young, we can take it slow."

Bo Ye mumbled, "Mmm."

Jiang Ruan coaxed gently, "Actually, I don't understand love either. After all, you know my experiences from childhood to adulthood. The word 'love' is very vague to me, and even very hypocritical."

"Bo Ye, neither of us understands love, but we can learn how to love each other together. Isn't it more worthwhile for both of us to make this journey together?"

Because they are of the same kind, they will cherish each other even more, won't they?

As night deepened, Bo Ye held Jiang Ruan and watched the sea for a while. Feeling the growing chill, he took her away.

Back at the castle, all the servants had gone to sleep, leaving only one on night watch.

Seeing them return, she thoughtfully prepared a bath and then went out.

Jiang Ruan changed into her pajamas and let her hair down. Seeing Bo Ye walk over, she said, "You go ahead and shower. I'll shower later."

In a good mood, Bo Ye reached out and ruffled her dark hair, then leaned down and hooked his arm around her: "Shall we shower together?"

Jiang Ruan understood his meaning perfectly well; it was the middle of the night, very easy...

She coughed lightly, pulling her thoughts back from the wrong path: "You go first, I'm not in a hurry."

After saying that, Bo Ye didn't give her the right to refuse. He reached out and picked her up by the waist, carrying her towards the bathroom.

The saying goes, "Save water."

This left Jiang Ruan with a wry smile.

Those are all excuses. Do they really need that little bit of water?
The two of them played around until late at night before finally going to sleep.

Jiang Ruan fell asleep the moment her head hit the bed, but Bo Ye was wide awake. Looking at her tired, rosy face, he lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips.

He felt very at ease holding her in his arms.

However, just as dawn broke, Bo Ye received a phone call from South Africa with not-so-good news.

It was a call from an informant he had planted.

Mr. Zou has come to China.

Upon hearing this, Bo Ye's sleepy eyes instantly cleared, turning sharp: "When did this happen?"

"It must have been last night."

Returning to China overnight...

"I understand. Be careful."

"Yes."

After hanging up the phone, Bo Ye was wide awake.

As I rubbed my fingertips against the phone screen, my mind raced, analyzing why Mr. Zou had returned to China.

Thinking of something, he opened his phone, scrolled through Weibo, and searched for topics related to Jiang Ruan.

With a "ding," yesterday's trending headlines popped up.

#Jiang Ruan eats hot pot late at night.

Click on the picture and you'll see Jiang Ruan's profile.

What caught Bo Ye's attention even more was the girl standing opposite Jiang Ruan, whose face was blurry in the photo but half of it was visible.

Duan Tiantian.

Bo Ye's worst fears came true.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions. He glanced at Jiang Ruan, who was sleeping soundly in his arms, and decided to wait until she woke up before making a decision.

In the morning, Jiang Ruan opened her eyes, lazily yawned, and then noticed someone sitting on the sofa not far away.

She propped herself up on one side, the thin blanket slipping down her shoulder. Her voice was hoarse from just waking up: "What time is it?"

When asked, Bo Ye looked up from the tablet, glanced at the time, and replied, "9:30."

Jiang Ruan asked curiously, "Then why haven't you gone to the company yet?"

He would normally be at the company by this time.

Bo Ye turned off the tablet, stepped over, and said, "I have something to tell you."

Jiang Ruan lay there, still a little groggy from just waking up, and lazily asked, "What is it?"

"Boss Zou has returned to China."

"He most likely knows about Su Tiantian's existence,"

Bo Ye said in a very calm tone.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruan nearly jumped out of bed: "What?"

She sat up abruptly, shocked and terrified, and asked, "How did he know about Su Tiantian?"

Bo Ye took out his phone, swiped a few times, and then handed her a picture.

"See for yourself."

Jiang Ruan took it, saw the picture, and suddenly it all clicked in her head.

She raised her hand and slapped her head in frustration: "I'm so stupid, how could I have let someone take a picture of me like that?"

Su Tiantian was also photographed along with them.

"Then what do we do now?" Jiang Ruan said, "How about we hide Su Tiantian so that Boss Zou can't find her?"

"What if Boss Zou really finds her? Wouldn't she be in danger?"

"It's all my fault."

Jiang Ruan felt very guilty.

I never expected that eating hot pot would cause so much trouble.

Bo Ye retorted, "You want to hide her away, but does she want to be hidden away by you?"

Jiang Ruan was speechless. Although Su Tiantian was simple-minded, she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.

It will only make Su Tiantian suspicious.

"What do we do now?" Jiang Ruan asked.

"It's just a photo, he probably won't find Tian Tian that quickly, right?"

Bo Ye said in a heavy tone, "Given his influence in the country, it shouldn't be difficult."

Jiang Ruan was in despair: "What will he do to Tian Tian? Will he take her away? Are we just supposed to watch helplessly?"

"Bo Ye, is there any other way?"

"There are only two options now. First, we'll see if he comes to us on his own initiative. After all, he already knows we've found Su Tiantian, and he can find out about her faster through us."

"Second, we can tell him about Su Tiantian directly, but that would let him know that I have planted someone in his life, which would be very disadvantageous for me."

Bo Ye frowned and calmly analyzed the situation.

Given Mr. Zou's personality, he would absolutely not allow anyone around him to betray his information.

If he finds out, my people will definitely not have a good ending, even if I am his friend.

Just as Jiang Ruan and Bo Ye were having a headache, the maid suddenly knocked on the door.

Bo Ye glanced over and asked indifferently, "What is it?"

"Mr. Bo, a Mr. Zou who claims to be your friend is looking for you."

Upon hearing this, Bo Ye and Jiang Ruan exchanged a glance.

The former remained calm.

The latter was shocked; Jiang Ruan blinked, her dark eyes filled with disbelief.

Bo Ye actually guessed correctly?
Bo Ye said, "Please let him in. I'll be right down."

Servant: "Yes."

The noise at the door stopped, and Bo Ye turned around to get his suit and change out of his pajamas.

It is very impolite to meet guests while wearing pajamas.

"You guessed right," Jiang Ruan said, but then added nervously, "Will he be angry? Will he blame us for knowing about Tian Tian but not telling him?"

Bo Ye said, "I don't know."

You'll find out when we meet.

As he spoke, his well-defined fingers fastened the buttons on his shirt.

Seeing that she was silent, he spoke up.

"Why don't you come down with me?"

Jiang Ruan looked up abruptly, meeting his dark eyes. She hesitated, wanting to go but also wondering, "Is it okay? Will my presence interrupt your conversation?"

"No," Bo Ye said. "Anyway, you've met before."

"Aren't you curious about what exactly happened between him and Su Tiantian?"

"Don't you want to know the firsthand news?"