77: Chapter 78 Su Man and Tian Xue

Before she could finish her sentence, the door to the private room was softly knocked, interrupting the increasingly tense atmosphere.

The door was pushed open, and the figure of Yu Bo appeared at the entrance. He was holding a large bouquet of fresh, vibrant red roses in one hand, and carrying an exquisite paper bag with the logo of a high-end electronic product in the other, a gentle smile on his face.

"Tianxue, I..." Yu Bo had just started to speak when his gaze swept across the room. Seeing Su Man sitting on the side, the smile on his face instantly froze, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly returned to normal, though his eyes cooled slightly. "Miss Su is here too? What a coincidence."

When Su Man saw Yu Bo, a complex light of obsession and spite intertwined for an instant in her eyes, but she immediately put on a charming smile, her voice becoming a bit more coquettish: "CEO Yu? What a rare guest. I came to chat with Tianxue and Tianchou, I didn't expect to run into you."

Yin Tianchou raised an eyebrow upon seeing Yu Bo. His gaze landed on the roses and the computer bag in Yu Bo's hands, and the corner of his mouth hooked into an arc of someone waiting to watch a good show, but he didn't say anything.

Seeing Yu Bo and the flowers in his hand, a trace of discomfort flashed across Yin Tianxue's face, but she inexplicably felt relieved inside. Ignoring Su Man, she said indifferently to Yu Bo: "Why are you here?"

Yu Bo walked to Yin Tianxue's side and naturally handed the bouquet of red roses to her, his voice so gentle it could drip water: "I passed a flower shop and saw these flowers blooming just right. Thinking that you've been too tired lately, I brought a bouquet for you to see, to help you change your mood."

As he spoke, he handed the paper bag in his hand to Yin Tianchou, his tone familiar: "Tianchou, I heard you came back. I brought you a small gift, the latest top-spec gaming laptop, as a welcome-back gesture."

Yin Tianchou was stunned for a moment. He took the bag and glanced at it, his eyes lighting up, but he snorted: "Brother Bo, your bribery methods are quite old-fashioned. But... thanks."

Yu Bo smiled and didn't respond, his gaze falling back onto Yin Tianxue with undisguised concern and fawning: "Haven't eaten yet? Should I have the kitchen add a few more dishes you like?"

Su Man was left on the side. Watching Yu Bo's cautious and gentle demeanor toward Yin Tianxue, and then comparing it to his distant and cold attitude toward her, the jealousy in her heart bit at her frantically like a viper. She suppressed her anger, pulled out a charming smile, and interjected: "CEO Yu is truly attentive to Tianxue. But we were just talking about you earlier; Tianxue seems to have... some misunderstandings about you?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Bo's eyes instantly turned cold. He looked at Su Man, his tone distant and warning: "Miss Su, matters between Tianxue and me do not require the concern of outsiders."

"Outsiders?" Su Man's smile couldn't quite hold, and her voice sharpened a bit. "Yu Bo, how can you say that? Tianxue and I are cousins, how could I be an outsider? I'm just concerned about her, afraid she'll be deceived by some people who act one way on the surface and another behind the scenes!"

Yin Tianxue's expression darkened: "Su Man!"

Yu Bo held Yin Tianxue's hand and squeezed it gently, signaling her to remain calm. He turned his head to look at Su Man, his eyes cold and sharp, scraping across her face like a knife: "Miss Su, it's best to think clearly before saying certain things. How the relationship between Tianxue and me is, is our business. As for outsiders..." He deliberately emphasized those two words, "it's better to mind your own business. I heard the Su family is currently arranging blind dates for you? The other party's conditions seem quite good, Miss Su should spend more effort on your own major life events."

Su Man's face turned pale, stung by Yu Bo's merciless use of the word "outsider," but what chilled her heart even more was the undisguised coldness and warning in his eyes. She forced a smile to remain on her face, but her fingernails dug deeply into her palms.

"Yu Bo, do you have to talk to me like this?" Su Man's voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling, with a bit of grievance and resentment. "We are old acquaintances after all, and my concern for Tianxue is sincere. Why do you have to make your words sound so harsh?"

Yu Bo's expression remained unchanged, his tone still distant: "Miss Su, precisely because we are old acquaintances, some boundaries should be even more clearly defined. My relationship with Tianxue is very good, and we don't need outsiders to 'care'. As for the nature of your so-called 'concern', you know best in your own heart."

He paused, his gaze as sharp as a knife, piercing straight at Su Man: "Some petty tricks should be stopped in time. Don't exhaust the last bit of friendship, or it won't look good for anyone when the time comes."

The warning in these words was undisguised. Su Man's heart sank suddenly. Could it be that Yu Bo knew something? Or had they found something out? She instinctively looked at Yin Tianxue, but saw the other person looking down at the teacup in her hands, her expression calm, as if she hadn't paid any attention to their conversation at all. This complete disregard was more embarrassing to her than any rebuttal.

"Yu Bo, what do you mean by this?" Su Man tried to remain calm, but her voice involuntarily raised a few notches. "What petty tricks could I have? Speak clearly!"

Yu Bo sneered and stopped looking at her, instead turning his head to look at Yin Tianxue, his tone instantly becoming gentle: "Tianxue, the food is getting cold, let's eat first. Don't let unimportant people and matters affect your appetite." As he spoke, he picked up the serving chopsticks and naturally placed a piece of steamed fish that she liked onto Yin Tianxue's plate.

This blatant disregard and differential treatment completely shattered Su Man's last line of psychological defense. Looking at Yu Bo's cautious, tender, and considerate manner toward Yin Tianxue, and then contrasting it with his undisguised disgust and warning toward her, the huge sense of disparity and jealousy burned her heart like poisonous fire. She had racked her brains, even lowering herself to fawn and scheme, yet she couldn't even get a single direct glance from him, while Yin Tianxue didn't have to do anything to receive all of his gentleness and protection!

"Fine... very fine!" Su Man stood up abruptly, the chair making a harsh screeching sound against the floor. Her face was livid, her chest heaving violently, and the finger pointing at Yu Bo was trembling. "Yu Bo, you will regret this! You will both regret this!"

After saying this, she could no longer endure this suffocating atmosphere and the faint, probing gazes around her. She grabbed her handbag and rushed out of the private room, almost fleeing in a panic, her very silhouette betraying her embarrassment and disarray.

The private room instantly fell silent. Watching Su Man's embarrassed retreating figure, Yin Tianchou whistled and gave Yu Bo a thumbs up: "Brother Bo, that was a beautiful retort! This woman should have been dealt with like this a long time ago!"

Yu Bo ignored him and just looked down at Yin Tianxue, his gaze instantly shifting from the previous coldness to tenderness and concern: "She didn't do anything to you, did she? Did she say anything harsh?"

Yin Tianxue looked at the unfeigned nervousness and concern in his eyes, and then looked at the delicate and beautiful red roses in her arms, the bit of irritation and chill caused by Su Man seemed to have been dispelled. She shook her head, her tone softening a bit: "It's nothing, just some sour words. Why did you suddenly come over? And you bought flowers... how tacky."

Seeing that she didn't push him away and even replied, Yu Bo felt happy inside, his smile deepening with a hint of fawning: "It might be a bit tacky, but it wins on sincerity. Don't you like red roses? I specifically picked the ones that were blooming the most. Also," he leaned in closer, lowering his voice with a hint of acting coquettish, "I missed you, I wanted to see you sooner, is that not allowed?"

Yin Tianxue was made slightly warm at the earlobes by his sudden sweet talk and intimacy. She glared at him reprovingly, but didn't push him away.

Yin Tianchou on the side was so choked by this sudden display of affection that he rolled his eyes and tapped on the table: "Hey, hey, hey, there's still someone here! Can you watch your influence, please?"

Yu Bo then straightened up and looked at Yin Tianchou with a smile: "Alright, I won't provoke you anymore. How is it? Are you satisfied with the computer? If the performance isn't enough, I can have someone build you a top-spec desktop?"

Yin Tianchou immediately perked up: "Really? Then I want the latest graphics card, and I also want..."

"Tianchou!" Yin Tianxue interrupted him helplessly. "Don't push your luck."

Yin Tianchou pursed his lips and hugged the computer bag, not saying anything more, but his eyes were shining with excitement, clearly very satisfied with this "bribe".

Yu Bo smiled, pulled Yin Tianxue to sit down, signaled to the waiter that they could serve the food, and then said softly to Yin Tianxue: "Don't let unimportant people affect your mood. Let's eat first, and after we finish, I'll take you somewhere to relax."

"Where to?"

"It's a secret for now." Yu Bo smiled mysteriously, his eyes gentle. "I guarantee it will make you happy."

Yin Tianxue looked at him, then looked at her younger brother who was fiddling with his new computer, and then lowered her head to smell the fragrance of the roses in her arms. Her mood, which had been tense all this time, finally relaxed completely.