"No," Xiao Caizi’s expression suddenly turned sharp, an intensity flashed across her face that demanded respect and couldn’t be underestimated.
Perhaps she had never been as harmless and gentle as she appeared on the surface. But to Bo Jingshen, this actually made things much simpler.
If the other party were truly a harmless little bunny, he would have to be careful with his words even in negotiations, to not hurt their feelings.
But since she was not a little bunny, perhaps even a thousand-year-old fox, things became much simpler.
Bo Jingshen’s eyes turned cold, and his expression instantly shifted to a strictly businesslike negotiating demeanor.
"You can name a price; the details can be negotiated further," Bo Jingshen stared at her, "as long as the price is not excessive, I will consider it seriously. Jing Ce needs this marital alliance; I do not. And if he promised your family certain conditions or promised you some benefits for this union, I am open to discussion."
Xiao Caizi took another small bite of the salt and pepper duck neck, then lightly sucked on her fingers. To be honest, if this was supposed to be a negotiation.
Her attitude was indeed not rigorous enough, potentially making her easy to look down on.
Xiao Caizi shook her head, "I don’t intend to name any price."
Bo Jingshen frowned deeply, "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, I have no intention of refusing this marriage proposal," Xiao Caizi looked up at him, then slowly wiped her hands with a napkin.
She could feel the atmosphere around her change, as if the air pressure had suddenly dropped. Even the temperature seemed cooler, with the man sitting across from her having a face as cold as frost.
His entire demeanor seemed to emit a chilling air.
So much so that even if she wanted to treat the matter with nonchalance, she couldn’t.
Xiao Caizi held her glass, swirling the liquid inside.
"I need this marriage," Xiao Caizi said.
Bo Jingshen’s voice was very cold, "I don’t."
Xiao Caizi nodded. To be honest, she could feel not just the coldness in Bo Jingshen’s voice but the lethal intent as well. She even wondered if they couldn’t come to an agreement, whether he would resort to some drastic measures.
After all, she knew very well what kind of man Jing Ce was, and if Bo Jingshen had any similarity to Jing Ce in terms of methods, it wouldn’t be surprising.
At least, as far as Xiao Caizi knew, that man was in no way inferior to Jing Ce when it came to tactics.
Xiao Caizi continued, "However, Jing Ce really needs this alliance, and so does my family. After allying with the Jing Family, my family will soon collaborate on a major project with them. I want to secure that project."
"That’s your business," Bo Jingshen’s attitude remained cold, showing no sign of willingness to compromise.
Xiao Caizi realized that her approach was wrong, perhaps she should not have so readily dismissed his proposition.
Now, he was completely resistant.
Xiao Caizi sighed softly, "President Bo, I am very sincere in these talks."
"The matter of marriage, let’s not discuss it," Bo Jingshen’s voice grew even colder.
Xiao Caizi bit her lip and finally spoke the truth, "I’m not content."
Bo Jingshen: "That’s your business, you need to adjust your own attitude."
He had completely forgotten the words Jing Ruo had counseled him on before, things like how Xiao Caizi had it hard too, after all, she had already been rejected by the Jing Family once. If she was rejected again, she would lose face.
Xiao Caizi said, "President Bo, I think you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not being willful because you rejected me."
Upon hearing this, Bo Jingshen’s eyebrows lifted slightly, as if he finally found the conversation interesting. He finally remembered what Jing Ruo had once said—perhaps she had no interest in him whatsoever?
Xiao Caizi’s frown deepened. On her usually impeccable ladylike face, there was now a visible expression of slight irritation and displeasure.
She indeed looked unwilling to accept the situation.
Bo Jingshen had also realized something and raised his eyebrows in a probing question.
"Is it because of... Jing Su?"
Xiao Caizi bit her lip even harder, "Why don’t I deserve to marry into the Jing Family? Why does he have the right to cancel the marriage and turn me into a laughingstock? He didn’t discuss it at all, and I had no time to prepare before I became a joke. Don’t I have any dignity?"
Of course, Bo Jingshen had never dreamed that Xiao Caizi was upset for this reason.
Bo Jingshen frowned and said, "But just for this reason, you take marriage so lightly. Aren’t you being a little too hasty?"
"I didn’t plan to marry you, just like you didn’t plan to marry me. It’s just that... I need others to think that I’ve married into the Jing Family, preferably Jing Su himself..." Xiao Caizi paused.
She muttered under her breath, "I don’t believe I can’t handle him."
She then continued to speak to Bo Jingshen, "I believe you also need such a facade."
Bo Jingshen’s expression was indifferent, "I don’t particularly need it either."
Xiao Caizi said, "It would save you a lot of trouble. Don’t worry, I can cooperate with you on the details and deceive others."
It had to be said, Xiao Caizi was like an honest merchant, analyzing her selling points bit by bit.
"Your mother is very satisfied with me, not to mention President Jing. So President Bo, you just need to collaborate with me temporarily, and it will save us both a lot of trouble. Moreover, it’s mutually beneficial, and if my plan goes smoothly, I might even be able to solve your problem from the source."
Bo Jingshen asked, "What do you mean?"
Xiao Caizi: "President Jing just wants me to marry into the Jing Family, but he didn’t specifically demand that it be you. If that guy hadn’t bailed halfway, I would already be part of the Jing Family."
So this was what she meant by solving the problem from the root.
Bo Jingshen was somewhat surprised, "You mean... Jing Su?"
Bo Jingshen had few interactions with this elder brother, but the impression was quite profound.
Jing Su sometimes gave off a vibe similar to Jing Ce’s. Very upright, very serious, seemingly unapproachable, but in fact, much warmer than Jing Ce.
However, that sense of uprightness and seriousness could intimidate or awe someone, making it difficult for people to feel close to him or unwilling to approach. Hence, even though Bo Jingshen’s own attitude wasn’t very warm, Jing Ruo preferred sticking with him and wouldn’t dare to provoke his elder brother.
Still, Bo Jingshen hadn’t expected that Xiao Caizi seemed to be obsessed with Jing Su?
But Xiao Caizi wasn’t wrong in her statement — Jing Ce just wanted her to marry into the Jing Family. So, if she succeeded, she might indeed solve a significant issue for him.
"That’s right," Xiao Caizi said, looking at Bo Jingshen. Seeing that he was somewhat moved, she struck while the iron was hot and asked, "So President Bo, do we... have a deal?"