Bo Qin was displeased, "Are you so sure Jian Dan likes me?"
"The look in someone’s eyes when they like another person can’t deceive. If President Bo doesn’t believe it, you can take a closer look yourself," Zhou Yao was somewhat on the verge of collapse. He wasn’t a relationship consultant, and the questions President Bo had been asking lately were always a bit odd.
But he also felt that since Jian Dan was young, if she couldn’t distinguish between love and familial affection now, and since President Bo clearly had no feelings whatsoever towards girls, in the end, it would still be Jian Dan who got hurt. The familial bond between them might also wear away. He thought it might be better to cut ties sooner rather than later.
Bo Qin ordered, and Zhou Yao turned and swiftly made his escape, finding a quiet corner to call Meng Xue, who was far away in Haicheng, "Do you know what it feels like to like someone?"
Meng Xue put down her phone, checked the caller ID to make sure she hadn’t picked up the wrong call or there wasn’t a crossed line, and then rolled her eyes, "Calling me in the middle of the night just to ask such a boring question? Secretary Zhou, are you still the Secretary Zhou I know?
You’re the busy, serious person who doesn’t care about these trivial matters. Your question is really not like you, Zhou Yao."
Secretary Zhou: "...Then can you answer this question?"
Meng Xue yawned, "It’s probably wanting to see someone when you can’t, and then not knowing what to say when you do see them. Wondering what the other person is doing when you’re alone, if they’re doing the same things as you are, and thinking about that person even when you’re daydreaming."
Secretary Zhou, "That sounds kind of scary."
Meng Xue, "What’s gotten into you so late at night?"
Secretary Zhou, "Never mind, it’s nothing. Knowing less is better for your brain development. Rest early, sorry for bothering you."
Looking at the disconnected call, Meng Xue’s eye twitched, "Calling me in the dead of night, are you crazy?"
Her sleepiness disrupted by Secretary Zhou, she didn’t rush back to sleep but continued to work, still aiming for the day she could replace Secretary Zhou and boss him around.
As the year drew to a close, Bo Qin received a call from his mother, asking if he was coming home for the New Year. He had not gone home for many years and she was clueless about what kept him so busy. Bo Qin pinched the bridge of his nose, not answering right away. His mother urged from the other end of the line, "Are you listening to me? Your father has given up on you already. Every year you don’t come, we don’t even feel a son is missing from the house. Why do you have to be so stubborn?"
Bo Qin massaged his temples, resignedly: "...Mom, dad often forgets he has a son; his heart only has you."
His mom laughed at that, "Quit your smooth talk. If I didn’t know you were too busy to clone yourself, I’d suspect you got married without telling us."
His mom said, "I’m not rushing you, but your youngest brother, Bo Yan, is a big movie star, busier than any of you, isn’t he? Yet despite his busy schedule, he found time to get married, didn’t he? Doesn’t that embarrass you guys?
Single nobles, my foot! Seeing Xiaoqi and his wife together, doesn’t it make you feel empty?"
Bo Qin was helpless and couldn’t stop his mother from ranting. He chuckled, "Mom, Xiaoqi’s wife grew up with him, raised by Auntie since they were kids. It was a given. Our situation isn’t the same, and you didn’t have the foresight to raise a child bride for me, either."
"Are you blaming me for not finding you a wife?"
"No, Mom, you misunderstood me. If you were to find me a wife, it would only take a minute. I’m talking about a child bride, like Xiaoqi’s kind of child bride." Bo Qin laughed, "That concept of a child bride."
There was silence on the other line for a moment before his mother said, "Then you’d better be prepared to stay a bachelor because we really can’t find that sort of child bride for you."
Bo Qin: "...Mom, your son isn’t that bad."
His mother shot back, "To me, a son without a daughter-in-law is no good. Neither of my two sons is letting me live worry-free. Can’t you take a good look at yourselves? Do you know that’s called being unfilial? The three forms of unfilial conduct, the worst is having no descendants."
Bo Qin rubbed his forehead, "Mom, the Great Qing Dynasty has been gone for a hundred years. Where are these feudal dregs coming from? They don’t suit your progressive way of thinking. Not good at all."
His mother: "...Stop talking nonsense and changing the subject. Are you coming back for the New Year or not? If you’re not coming, just tell me you have a girlfriend that you want to be with, and I’ll agree you don’t have to come back this year."
"That settles it then, you’re coming home for the New Year."
Without giving Bo Qin a chance to respond, his mother hung up the phone quickly. Bo Qin stared at his phone, sighed, and wondered what he should do next.