Bo Jingshen called Jiang Su.
The call was quickly picked up and Jiang Su’s voice sounded somewhat weary.
"Mm, did you need something?"
"Nothing much, just checking in," Bo Jingshen said.
Compared to the tiredness in Jiang Su’s voice, Bo Jingshen’s voice and tone were noticeably more buoyant.
Bo Jingshen still expressed concern, "You sound really tired, huh?"
Jiang Su chuckled softly on the other end, "It’s okay, I’m used to it."
"That’s why I’m saying, you aren’t getting any younger. You should start dating or something..." Bo Jingshen thought everyone else should be as blissfully content as he was.
Still chuckling, Jiang Su replied, "Who said I haven’t been?"
"You? Dates? At best, those are flings. If you were really in love, you wouldn’t sound this worn out."
"Impressive, Old Bao, becoming sharper," Jiang Su responded lightly, paused a moment, and then continued, "Forget it, I barely have time to date. But you’re right, I’m not getting any younger. Maybe it’s time to just find someone and get married."
Bo Jingshen was taken aback.
Since he had his phone on speaker, Jiang Li was also surprised.
Jiang Su’s words sounded too casual, as if marriage was not a life-altering affair but just a trivial matter in life.
Bo Jingshen paused before asking, "You’re that indifferent about it?"
"Being indifferent might be better," Jiang Su said. "Seeing you all desperate over love is terrifying. I’d rather avoid it."
Everyone in the world has their own choices.
Some people choose to live and die for love like Bo Jingshen and Su Lu, while others, like Jiang Su, prefer not to be controlled by such intense emotions.
As long as it’s legal, whatever the choice—even if incomprehensible—it deserves respect.
Thus, Bo Jingshen didn’t say much more. After a quiet moment, he changed the subject, "I’m at Ah Li’s place."
"Oh really? Want me to come over and hang out?" Jiang Su asked.
"I hear you’re too busy to breathe, so maybe not," Bo Jingshen said. "There’s plenty of tea here, Jiang Li wants me to take some with me."
"He’s always good at gifting what’s not his. Go ahead and take it, I still have more."
"I’ll take the tea then. As a trade, I’ll also take your brother out for a walk; he looks like he’s about to get sick from staying in," Bo Jingshen mentioned casually.
Jiang Su was silent for a moment, not responding immediately.
Bo Jingshen continued, "Really, you went all out, hiring two powerhouse guardians for him. He’s about to go crazy. If I don’t take him out for some fresh air, and he ends up destroying your iron-men guards, then you’ll only have yourself to blame."
Finally, Bo Jingshen’s words made Jiang Su laugh, "Alright. His leg is still injured, don’t take him somewhere too far."
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Su added, "When you’re free, we should get together for a drink... never mind, with your stomach."
"Tea then, when you have time. I’m much freer than you these days."
Jiang Su snorted amusedly, "I really should steal Cheng Yan away, see if you can still be this cocky."
When the call ended, Jiang Li had already taken over the task of making tea and had prepared it properly.
Jiang Li was quite silent now, no longer as happy as when he first learned he could go out.
Su Lu took out some cookies and placed them on a small plate; seeing Jiang Li’s current state, she could guess the reason behind it.
The words from Jiang Su just now had indeed negatively affected Jiang Li’s mood.
Whether Jiang Su’s decision had any influence from Jiang Li or not, Jiang Li believed it definitely did. Perhaps it was because he had worried his brother too much over the years, or because he hadn’t been able to help his brother, or perhaps because of these other factors related to himself, that his brother had no expectations for matters of the heart.
Jiang Li couldn’t help but blame himself, and his mood could not help but worsen.
Both Su Lu and Bo Jingshen saw Jiang Li’s mood and its origin, so neither of them said anything.
Also considering Jiang Li’s feelings, Bo Jingshen couldn’t afford to be affectionate with Su Lu, firstly because it would be too cruel to Jiang Li, and secondly, because Su Lu would not agree.
They chose a nice restaurant to eat out at. How nice? Well, when Su Lu mentioned the place, Bo Jingshen’s face froze.
"Let’s go to Yunding for our meal," Su Lu said.
He paused for quite a while before saying, "How did you come to think of going there?"
His memories with Su Lu at Yunding were fairly clear. And none of them were particularly pleasant.
Bo Jingshen felt that going to Yunding was practically a public execution.
But Su Lu spoke calmly, "I heard that a Michelin chef had come to Yunding. Since we are taking Ah Li out, why not let him eat something nice?"
Having heard Su Lu’s reasoning, Bo Jingshen found it difficult to refuse, especially seeing her calm expression.
Bo Jingshen considered for a moment and then nodded, "Alright, let’s go to Yunding. I’ll have my secretary check if we need to reserve in advance."
Su Lu nodded, "Yes, we need to reserve. I’ve already done so."
Upon arriving at Yunding, Bo Jingshen realized that the spot Su Lu had booked... was actually a couple’s seat, although there weren’t explicitly labeled couple’s seats. But those against the floor-to-ceiling windows with a view, and only having two chairs, were usually by default considered as couple’s seats.
They had to add an extra chair for Jiang Li to be able to sit.
Bo Jingshen learned that reservations here had to be made between fourteen days to two months in advance. At that time...
An idea struck Bo Jingshen. Could it be... that this was originally booked for a meal with Qiao Li?
The feeling was like having a ton of old vinegar poured from head to foot in an instant, making him unmistakably sour.
Su Lu, unaware of the jealousy raging in Bo Jingshen’s mind, quietly looked over the menu to order.
Carefully she asked the waiter, "The signature dish, the black truffle and crab-yellow steamed egg, is still available, right?"
"Yes, but it’s limited to one per person. Originally, your table had only two seats. Although we’ve added another seat, the signature dishes are prepared based on the original number of seats, so we can’t add an extra one; you can only order two," the waiter patiently explained.
Su Lu nodded, "Okay, then we will have two."
Then she ordered some other dishes, which were swiftly served.
Su Lu looked towards Bo Jingshen with a smiling face, "Don’t you like steamed egg with black truffle and crab yellow? The Michelin chef who came here this time specializes in that dish."
Still mingling with the taste of jealousy in his heart but with a renewed guess, Bo Jingshen wondered, "Did you reserve this place in advance to eat this dish with me?"