35: Chapter 36 The Scenery Beneath Su Man's Collar

Su Man was playing with blocks with Wenwen, a gentle smile on her face, but her gaze swept across the living room from time to time, extremely naturally, as if she were just casually looking at the house's decor. Her gaze swept past the abstract painting on the wall, past the ornaments on the bookshelf, and finally, seemingly unintentionally, landed on Yu Bo.

After a while, the blocks Wenwen had stacked toppled over, and the little girl pouted. Su Man comforted her softly and bent down to help her pick up the scattered blocks. She was wearing a soft-textured knitted cardigan today, with a silk slip dress underneath. As she bent over, the lapels of the cardigan opened slightly, and the neckline of the slip dress followed, revealing a patch of snow-white skin and delicate collarbones, as well as the faintly visible lace trim above her deep cleavage.

This angle happened to be facing Yu Bo's direction. The alluring sight was exposed, yet half-hidden by the cardigan, coy and suggestive. She seemed completely unaware, focused on helping Wenwen pick up the blocks, her profile gentle, the curve of her neck graceful.

Yin Tianxue was sitting next to Yu Bo, looking down at her phone, dealing with work emails. But the corner of her eye took in Su Man's "inadvertent" bend. Her fingers gripping the phone tightened imperceptibly, a familiar feeling of annoyance and coldness welling up in her heart. Here she goes again. Seemingly unintentional, but in reality, calculated at every turn.

Yu Bo seemed to be looking at a financial magazine on the coffee table, his expression focused, completely oblivious to the "scenery" on Su Man's side. At least from Yin Tianxue's perspective, he had no unnatural reaction; he didn't even lift an eyelid.

Yin Tianxue felt slightly relieved. But the discomfort of being buzzed around by a fly did not disappear.

Once the blocks were picked up, Su Man straightened up and adjusted her cardigan, as if it really had just been an accident. She sat back on the sofa, picked up her water glass to drink, and her gaze drifted naturally toward the lush fiddle-leaf fig in the corner of the living room.

"Tianxue, you've grown this fiddle-leaf fig really well; it's much more vibrant than the one at my place," Su Man praised with a smile. "Did Yu Bo help you take care of it? I get the feeling Yu Bo is the type of person who knows how to keep plants; he's patient."

She steered the conversation to Yu Bo, her tone natural, carrying a hint of admiration.

Hearing this, Yu Bo looked up from his magazine, glanced at the fiddle-leaf fig, and said in a flat tone, "I water it occasionally, but it's mostly because Tianxue takes good care of it."

"Is that so?" Su Man turned to Yin Tianxue, her eyes carrying just the right amount of envy. "Tianxue, you really are good at everything. You're so busy with work, yet you keep the house in such good order. Yu Bo, you are truly blessed."

As she spoke, she leaned slightly toward Yin Tianxue, as if wanting to get closer to talk. This movement, which originally had Yin Tianxue and some distance between her and Yu Bo, now meant that only the diagonal corner of the coffee table separated her and Yu Bo. Her knee seemed to "accidentally" bump into the leg of the coffee table, her body swayed slightly, and as her arm swung, the loose sleeve of her knitted cardigan, extremely gently—as if moved only by the air—lightly brushed over the top of the arm Yu Bo had resting on the sofa armrest.

Yu Bo's arm tightened imperceptibly, avoiding that faint, ephemeral touch, but his face remained expressionless. He simply responded to Su Man's compliment with a polite nod. "Hmm, it is my blessing."

The smile on Su Man's face remained gentle, but a trace of faint disappointment and frustration flashed deep in her eyes. This man was like a stone that couldn't be warmed up; he either ignored all her "signals" or deflected them in the most distant and polite way. Moreover, he clearly reserved all his attention and tenderness for Yin Tianxue beside him.

Yin Tianxue had seen that subtle "sleeve brush" just now, and she also saw Yu Bo's subconscious avoidance and calm reaction.

She put down her phone and suddenly said to Yu Bo, "By the way, Yu Bo, didn't you say last time you wanted to add an aromatherapy diffuser to the study? A friend recommended a Japanese one, and it's said to be very effective for sleep. I sent you the information; have you looked at it?"

Yu Bo was stunned for a moment, then realized, and naturally replied, "I saw it. That model is good. You decide, I trust your taste."

"Then I'll place the order." Yin Tianxue smiled at him, a smile filled with a tacit understanding and intimacy that only they could understand. Only then did she turn to Su Man, her tone normal. "Older Female Cousin, you just said Wenwen's father's friend wants to collaborate? What specific part do they make? Perhaps Shen Nian actually needs it. Yu Bo, give the Older Female Cousin the email address of Shen Nian's assistant; it will save the Older Female Cousin another trip."

Yu Bo immediately understood and took out his phone. "Okay, I'll send it to you, Older Female Cousin."

The smile on Su Man's face stiffened for a split second, but quickly returned to normal. "That's great, thank you, Tianxue, Yu Bo."

Afterward, Su Man sat for a while longer, but she was clearly distracted. Soon, she used "remembering something else to do" as an excuse again, and left with Wenwen.

After seeing them out and closing the door, the calm on Yin Tianxue's face vanished instantly, replaced by a trace of exhaustion and coldness.

"She's just like a piece of dog-skin plaster you can't shake off." Yin Tianxue walked to the window, watching Su Man's car drive away downstairs, her voice filled with annoyance.

Yu Bo walked behind her, gently wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Don't be angry over this kind of person. I can see her little tricks, and I can avoid them. It's just..." He paused, his tone somewhat heavy. "I'm worried she won't give up easily, and, she mentioned her ex-husband's friend today; I always feel it's not that simple."

"I think so too." Yin Tianxue leaned into his arms, her eyes sharp. "Yang Junyi, Su Man, and that friend of her ex-husband... could there be some connection between these people that we don't know about? Is the Older Female Cousin trying to test us today, or trying to convey some information, or... paving the way for someone?"

"Don't think so much." Yu Bo tightened his arms, holding Yin Tianxue more securely in his embrace, his voice steady. "Whether it's Su Man or her ex-husband's friend, I will handle it. Later, I will call Shen Nian to mention this matter and let her be more careful in choosing suppliers. In business, we follow the rules; as long as we don't give people leverage, it'll be fine."

He paused, lowered his head to kiss Yin Tianxue's earlobe, and his tone became lighter. "As for those private little tricks... if she wants to act, let her act. As long as we are united as one, she can act until the end of time and it will all be in vain. Aren't you trying to 'strengthen your physique'? Just consider this training for our 'anti-interference' ability."

Yin Tianxue's mouth curled up at his teasing, the annoyance in her heart dissipated a little, and she scolded playfully, "Who wants to use her as training? But you're right, as long as we are firm, her methods are just those of a clown. By the way," she remembered the serious matter, turned to face him, "You just said you were going to Huazhong University of Science and Technology to look at a project? When?"