54: Chapter 55 Su Man and Shen Nian

The car had just driven out of the villa area where the Yin Family resided and merged into the main road when Yin Tianxue's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, and her brow immediately furrowed; it was Su Man.

"Older Female Cousin? What's the matter so late?" Yin Tianxue answered the phone, her tone flat.

Su Man's slightly urgent and somewhat complaining voice came from the other end, faintly audible in the quiet car: "Tianxue, where are you now? Oh, I finally reached you! I'm telling you, something happened! Wenwen has a fever and has been crying for you; I can't soothe her! Can you come over? Or... have Yu Bo come help too? He's strong and can lend a hand..."

Yin Tianxue's expression changed slightly. She was naturally worried about Wenwen being sick. However, Su Man specifically naming Yu Bo to come "help" made a hint of wariness and annoyance instinctively rise within her. She had long since seen through her Older Female Cousin's intentions toward Yu Bo.

"Wenwen has a fever? Is it serious? Have you seen a doctor?" Yin Tianxue asked with concern, but she didn't agree immediately.

"I have, I have. She just took some medicine, but she's just crying and fussing, insisting on seeing her auntie," Su Man's voice carried a sob. "I really can't handle this alone. Tianxue, just come take a look. Bring Yu Bo along; in case we need to go to the hospital or something, it's more convenient to have a man around..."

Yin Tianxue covered the microphone and looked at Yu Bo with a questioning and somewhat helpless gaze. Yu Bo had heard the gist of it and understood perfectly. Su Man was using the child's illness as an excuse to create another opportunity for contact. However, he knew that if they didn't go despite being worried about the child, it would seem heartless; if they did go, they would be playing right into Su Man's hands.

"Tell her we're coming over right away. But we're only going to check on the child; once we're sure she's fine, we'll leave," Yu Bo said to Yin Tianxue in a low voice. He didn't want to ignore a sick child just because he was wary of Su Man; that would make him seem cold-blooded and might make Yin Tianxue feel uncomfortable. But he had to draw a clear line.

Yin Tianxue nodded and said into the phone, "Alright, don't worry, Older Female Cousin. We're coming over right away."

After hanging up, Yin Tianxue sighed. "She just knows how to use Wenwen as an excuse."

"The child's illness is real. Let's go take a look and make sure she's okay." Yu Bo gave her hand a reassuring pat and turned the car around, heading toward Su Man's home. It was a mid-range residential community, a house Su Man had bought herself after her divorce.

When they arrived downstairs at Su Man's place and parked the car, the two of them went upstairs. As soon as the door opened, they smelled a faint scent of medicine and the sour odor of a child's vomit. Su Man was wearing pajamas, her hair was a bit messy, and her eyes were red and swollen; she indeed looked haggard. Wenwen lay on the sofa with a flushed face, wrapped in a small blanket, sobbing softly.

"Tianxue, Yu Bo, you're finally here!" Su Man's eyes lit up when she saw them, especially Yu Bo. She immediately wanted to step forward and grab Yu Bo's hand. "Come in, come in! Wenwen, look who's here?"

Yu Bo calmly sidestepped her and walked to the sofa with Yin Tianxue. Yin Tianxue knelt down and touched Wenwen's forehead; it was still very hot.

"Did you take her temperature? What was it?" Yin Tianxue asked.

"I did, it was 39.2 degrees. She just took some fever reducers," Su Man said quickly, her eyes constantly darting toward Yu Bo. "Yu Bo, can you help me carry Wenwen to the bedroom? The sofa is cold. I... I don't have much strength."

Yu Bo looked at the curled-up Wenwen and then at Yin Tianxue. Yin Tianxue nodded at him. Only then did Yu Bo lean over and carefully pick up Wenwen along with the blanket. The little girl was very light, her body burning hot as she squirmed restlessly in his arms.

"The bedroom is this way." Su Man hurriedly led the way, her gaze lingering on the back of Yu Bo carrying the child with a strange sense of satisfaction and... obsession.

After settling Wenwen onto the bed in the bedroom, Yin Tianxue carefully tucked her in and wiped her face with a warm, damp towel. Yu Bo stepped aside, maintaining his distance.

Su Man brought over two glasses of water. She handed one to Yin Tianxue and the other directly to Yu Bo, her body almost pressing against him. Her voice was soft and seductive: "Yu Bo, thank you for your hard work. Have some water. I really don't know what I would have done today without you."

Yu Bo took a step back and didn't take the glass, his tone distant. "You're welcome, Older Female Cousin. It's good that the child is okay. Has the fever gone down? What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said it might be viral and told us to observe; it'll be fine once the fever breaks." Su Man put down the glass somewhat awkwardly, but her gaze remained glued to Yu Bo. "Yu Bo, you're such a good man—capable, attentive, and considerate. Tianxue is truly lucky." This sounded like praise, but it was actually thick with bitterness and comparison.

Yin Tianxue's brow furrowed. Just as she was about to speak, Yu Bo spoke first, his tone calm and indifferent: "Older Female Cousin, you flatter me. Taking care of the child is only right. I see that Wenwen seems more stable now, so Tianxue and I won't disturb you any longer. Let Wenwen get some rest. Older Female Cousin, you should also get some sleep early. Call us if anything happens."

He directly issued a dismissal, his attitude clear; he didn't want to stay a moment longer.

Su Man's face stiffened. She hadn't expected Yu Bo to be so blunt, but she quickly put on a pitiful expression again. "Leaving already? Stay a bit longer. I'm... a little scared being alone. And what if Wenwen's fever spikes again later..."

"Older Female Cousin, if Wenwen's fever returns or if there's any other situation, call 120 immediately or call my phone, and I'll come right over." Yin Tianxue stood up, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Yu Bo has to get up early tomorrow, so we're heading back now. Take good care of Wenwen and give her the medicine on time."

With that, she took Yu Bo's hand and walked out, giving Su Man no further chance to linger.

Su Man chased them to the door. Watching their departing figures as they walked away hand-in-hand—especially Yu Bo's back, which showed no sign of lingering and even carried a hint of coldness—the pitiful look on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a twisted sense of jealousy and resentment. She bit her lip, her eyes dark and sinister.

Once back in the car, Yin Tianxue finally let out a long sigh and leaned against the seat back. "So annoying."

"Next time she uses the child as an excuse, I'll have my assistant contact a reliable pediatrician or a nanny to go over. We don't need to be there in person," Yu Bo said deeply, holding her hand. He couldn't give Su Man any more opportunities to create ambiguity or entanglement.

Yin Tianxue nodded and leaned on his shoulder, closing her eyes wearily.

However, trouble seemed to follow one after another. The next morning, while Yu Bo was in his Listening to the Waves office processing the final draft of the investment agreement for Mingtu Technology, Shen Nian called.

Yu Bo looked at the name flashing on the screen. After a moment's hesitation, he answered in a standard business tone, "President Shen, hello."

"Chairman Yu, am I disturbing you?" Shen Nian's voice came through the receiver—clear, professional, and with just the right touch of a smile, a world away from her frantic state at the hotel entrance that night. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Please, go ahead."

"It's about Mingtu Technology." Shen Nian paused. "I received an email from Dr. Zhou Ming yesterday inquiring about hardware mass production. I looked into their situation and the problems they're facing. I think... it's quite interesting, and it's indeed a pitfall that many hardware startup teams fall into."

Yu Bo's heart stirred slightly. As expected, Shen Nian had received the email and had taken the initiative to call.

"So, I took some time to organize some materials and, combining it with Wing Flight's experience from back then, I've written some preliminary suggestions and replied to Dr. Zhou." Shen Nian's tone was natural. "Additionally, I think their project has great social value and technical highlights. As it happens, Wing Flight is hosting a Supply Chain Partner Conference in Deep City next week, which will be attended by many top component suppliers and OEM heads. I thought that if the Bright Path team is interested, they could attend with me as a partner of Wing Flight to make some on-site contacts; it would be more efficient. Of course, that depends on Bright Path's schedule and... your opinion, Chairman Yu."