12: Chapter 12 Aftermath: You've Been Kept by Someone

Yin Tianxue didn't take them, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"President Lin, morning." Her tone was distant. "No need for flowers; I don't like roses."

The man's smile stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "You don't like roses? Then what do you like? I'll bring something else tomorrow."

"There's no need to bring anything," Yin Tianxue said. "President Lin, I've already made myself very clear."

"Tianxue, don't be like this." The man took a step forward. "I'm sincere. Give me a chance..."

Before he could finish, Yu Bo reached out and draped an arm over Yin Tianxue's shoulder.

Only then did the man notice Yu Bo, eyeing him up and down with scrutiny and hostility.

"And this is?" he asked.

"My boyfriend," Yin Tianxue said calmly.

The man's face shifted. "Boyfriend? Tianxue, since when did you..."

"Just now," Yin Tianxue interrupted him, glancing sideways at Yu Bo with a soft gaze. "We made it official last night."

Yu Bo cooperatively lowered his head and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Go on, I'll pick you up tonight," he said, his voice gentle.

Yin Tianxue nodded and turned to walk into the building.

The man tried to follow her, but Yu Bo stepped to the side, blocking his path.

"President Lin, was it?" Yu Bo spoke with a calm tone. "Tianxue has a meeting to attend. Please, head back."

The man glared at Yu Bo with unfriendly eyes. "Who are you? What's your relationship with Tianxue?"

"Didn't Tianxue just say so?" Yu Bo smiled. "Her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" The man sneered. "How come I've never heard of this? There's never been a man around Tianxue."

"That was before," Yu Bo said. "There is now."

The man's expression turned even uglier. "I'm warning you, stay away from Tianxue. She's not someone you can hope to climb up to."

Yu Bo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, President Lin?"

"It means you're not good enough for her." The man looked Yu Bo's outfit up and down—simple shirt and trousers, no designer labels. "What is Tianxue's status, and what is yours? Don't think you can climb the social ladder just by playing some tricks."

Yu Bo smiled, though the smile held a hint of coldness.

"President Lin," he said unhurriedly, "whether I'm good enough or not is for Tianxue to decide, not you."

"You—"

"Also," Yu Bo interrupted him, "sending flowers is a bit cliché. Tianxue likes white tulips. If you're going to send some next time, make sure they're the right ones."

The man was stunned.

Yu Bo ignored him further, turning toward the driver's seat and opening the car door.

"Oh, right." He looked back at the garish bouquet of red roses in the man's hand. "Roses are tacky; they don't suit her. Don't send them anymore."

With that, he sat in the car and started the engine.

As the car smoothly pulled away, the rearview mirror showed President Lin still standing there with the flowers, his face ashen.

Yu Bo drove away from the Yin Group Building but didn't return to the Residence Name immediately.

Recalling the sight of Yin Tianxue wearing his shirt that morning, his heart stirred. He turned a corner and headed for Jiangzhou's most high-end shopping center.

After parking, Yu Bo walked straight into a lingerie brand store he had only ever seen in magazines. The La Perla sign shimmered coldly under the lights, and every piece displayed in the window looked like a work of art—and they were indeed expensive.

The clerk was a middle-aged woman with sophisticated makeup. Seeing Yu Bo enter alone, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly put on a professional smile. "Sir, how can I help you?"

"Women's loungewear," Yu Bo said composedly. "And lingerie, pajamas."

"Certainly. Do you happen to know her size?"

Yu Bo thought for a moment. "She's about five centimeters taller than you, with a very slender waist," he gestured a circle with his hands. "About this thin. Her chest..." He paused, pointing to the crystal-encrusted black lace piece in the center of the window. "A bit fuller than that mannequin's."

The clerk looked where he pointed. It was this season's limited edition, priced at twenty-eight thousand. Her eyes lit up, and her smile deepened. "I see, she should be a D-cup. Please wait a moment, I'll get a few pieces for you to look at."

Just then, the shop door was pushed open.

"Sister Wang, is that style I liked last time in stock yet—" Lu Yuner's voice cut off abruptly.

She stood at the door, her eyes fixed on Yu Bo as if she were seeing something impossible. Chen Ming followed behind her, carrying shopping bags from other stores.

"Yu Bo?" Lu Yuner's voice turned shrill. "What are you doing here?"

Yu Bo glanced at her but didn't speak, continuing to the clerk, "I'll take the black one too. Also, get a few silk nightgowns, simple designs."

The clerk nodded and hurried toward the stockroom.

Chen Ming snapped out of it then, eyeing Yu Bo up and down with a sneer. "Yo, Yu Bo, changed careers to running errands and buying lingerie? That's quite a unique job."

Yu Bo ignored him, his gaze landing on Lu Yuner's face. "Something the matter?"

Lu Yuner's face was pale, her fingers tightly clutching her bag strap. "Who... who are you buying for?"

"My girlfriend," Yu Bo said calmly.

"Girlfriend?" Chen Ming laughed exaggeratedly. "Yu Bo, who are you kidding? You? You have a girlfriend who'd let you buy things in a place like this? Do you know how much a single piece of lingerie costs here?"

Yu Bo finally looked him in the eye. "That black one just now was twenty-eight thousand. Is there a problem?"

Chen Ming's laugh froze. Twenty-eight thousand? for one piece of lingerie?

Lu Yuner also gasped. She knew La Perla was expensive, but she hadn't expected it to be this much.

"Yu Bo, are you crazy?" she blurted out. "Where did you get the money?"

The clerk returned then, holding three exquisite dust bags, each tied with a ribbon.

"Sir, this is the limited edition you pointed out, twenty-eight thousand. These two are silk nightgowns, twelve thousand each. And these three lingerie sets are classic D-cup styles, nine thousand eight hundred each," the clerk said respectfully. "Would you like to take a look?"

"No need, wrap them all up." Yu Bo pulled out a card.

Chen Ming's sharp eyes caught sight of the card—a black American Express Centurion. His pupils shrank instantly.

"Wait!" Chen Ming stopped the clerk. "Yu Bo, be honest. Where did this card come from? Are you being kept by some woman?"

Yu Bo paused and slowly turned his head to look at Chen Ming.

"What did you say?"

"I said you're being kept!" Chen Ming's voice grew louder, drawing the attention of other customers. "With your background, you can afford these? And that G63, and that house in Residence Name—Yu Bo, do you think I'm stupid? You're just a poor guy who just lost his job. Where would you get all this money?"

"Yu Bo, is what he's saying true?" Her voice trembled. "Are you... are you really..."

Yu Bo looked at Lu Yuner and suddenly smiled. It was a smile devoid of warmth, filled only with irony.

"Yeah, I'm being kept. Aren't you being kept too?"