Goodbye, Scumbag! The Powerful CEO Is My New Devoted Lover - Chapter 15

Xu Bozhou came to a stop behind Yan Mingshen, resting a hand on his shoulder with utter disregard for boundaries.

“Xu Bozhou?”

Yan Mingshen’s grip on the contract turned his knuckles white. “What are you doing here?”

Xu Bozhou didn’t answer. His fox-like eyes narrowed as they swept over the contract on the table, his tone dripping with mockery. “Young President Yan, quite the impressive move.”

“Xu Bozhou.” Yan Mingshen shook off his hand, his face darkening visibly. “Are you even going to meddle in someone else’s family matters?”

“Family matters?” Xu Bozhou let out a scoff. He reached up to tug at his tie, pulling his collar even wider. He glanced down at Su Xiao’s hand, which was gripping the tablecloth tightly, and raised an eyebrow. “What are you still sitting there for? Waiting for President Yan to treat you to a meal you’ll pay for with your soul?”

Su Xiao choked on her breath at his bluntness. Just as she was about to stand up, Yan Mingshen’s voice struck first.

“Su Xiao.” He looked at her, his voice heavy with suppressed rage. “You dare to leave?”

Su Xiao’s footsteps halted, and her gaze turned cold. “Yan Mingshen.” Her voice was soft but exceptionally steady. “I won’t listen to you anymore.”

She had thought it through. Even if she had to beg the Tang family to buy the gallery, she would never let it fall into the hands of someone like Yan Mingshen.

Xu Bozhou’s lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Is that all the backbone you have?” He glanced down at his watch, then looked back at Yan Mingshen, the mole at the corner of his eye glinting with a sharp chill. “Young President Yan, I forgot to tell you. That project in the west of the city? I signed for it five minutes ago.”

“Xu Bozhou, you—!” Yan Mingshen’s expression shifted violently. The land in the west was the project the Yan Group was currently betting its entire future on. He had personally pulled two all-nighters for the bid; Xu Bozhou had just stabbed him where it hurt most.

“Don’t thank me.” Xu Bozhou interrupted him, shoved his phone into his pocket, and turned toward the exit. After two steps, he noticed Su Xiao hadn’t moved. He looked back with a frown, his tone chilly. “Standing there as a decoration?”

Su Xiao bit her lip and finally followed him. As they passed Yan Mingshen, Xu Bozhou stopped as if suddenly remembering something. He tilted his head toward Yan Mingshen, his voice low but openly provocative. “By the way, President Yan, remember to check the trending searches.”

He paused, watching Yan Mingshen’s jaw tighten. “I already had reporters capture what just happened.” With that, he walked out without looking back. He didn’t look at Su Xiao, but he slowed his pace just enough for her to keep up.

The dark purple Rolls-Royce parked at the entrance was exceptionally flashy—just like its owner.

“Sir, back to the office?” Chen Huai, the bodyguard, leaned against the car. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt; Xu Bozhou didn’t like wearing suits, nor did he like his subordinates wearing them.

“To lunch.” Xu Bozhou got into the car. Seeing Su Xiao hesitate, he adjusted his cuffs, his voice edged with impatience. “What? Don’t want the gallery anymore?”

“Is President Xu here to loot a burning house as well?” Su Xiao lowered her gaze. Her use of “President Xu” was cold and distant. When she was young and naive, she followed Xu An in calling him “Youngest Uncle.” But she was grown now; things were different.

She knew Xu Bozhou was here for the gallery, but she couldn’t fathom his motive. She had watched him climb from an unloved stray to his current position. His methods were dirty and ruthless. Following him now was simply leaving a tiger’s den to enter a wolf’s lair. She was unwilling.

“I recently invested in a movie,” Xu Bozhou said, ignoring her protest. “The filming location is in Africa.”

“…” Su Xiao fell silent.

If it came down to it, she’d let him sell her. She bent down and entered the car, sitting beside him. She couldn’t actually let him send Xu An to mine ore in Africa. With this man, you never knew which words were a joke and which were a threat.

Xu Bozhou smirked imperceptibly. “How is the gallery situation coming along?”

Su Xiao sat rigidly, her back pressed straight against the seat. “Xu Bozhou, neither the gallery nor I are your business.”

The Su family wanted her to protect their wealth. The Yan family wanted her to hand over her connections. But him, she couldn’t understand him at all. He was temperamental and acted entirely on whim. Sometimes she wondered if he had suffered some childhood trauma that turned him into a psychopath.

“I have shares in that gallery too.” Xu Bozhou leaned back into the leather seat, his fingers casually tapping the face of his watch. He mindlessly traced the sapphire glass, a relaxed gesture that nonetheless carried an unspoken pressure.

Su Xiao’s face shifted, her tone turning cold. He knew better than anyone how he got those shares. Why bring it up now? To mock her for her poor judgment? She had looked after Xu Bozhou for eight years, only for him to pin her father to a table and force him to sign the first equity transfer as his bargaining chip to return to the Xu family.

“Xu Bozhou, I should never have picked you up and brought you home.”

“Su Xiao…”

Xu Bozhou’s body moved faster than his temper. He lunged forward from his seat, his well-defined fingers clamping onto Su Xiao’s hand as he pinned her firmly against the seat.

The movement was sudden and frantic, laced with a misplaced ferocity. Su Xiao was startled by the sudden confinement, her eyes meeting his. At this distance, the cold scent of cedar mixed with a hint of tobacco dominated her senses.

“Say that again,” he whispered, his voice low and threatening. His breath brushed against her ear, sounding like he was speaking through gritted teeth. His thumb slowly traced the delicate skin on the inside of her wrist, his eyes darkening.

Su Xiao was pinned, unable to move, her wrist numbing with pain. Her eyes reddened first. “Xu Bozhou!” She struggled, her voice trembling. Tears threatened to fall as she stared at him. “Now you’re going to treat me the way you treated my father, is that it?”

“And what if I am?” He scoffed, leaning even lower. His other hand gripped her chin, forcing her to look up. His thumb brushed over her burning earlobe. “Su Xiao, you only believe what you see, never what I say.”

Su Xiao’s jaw ached from his grip. Looking at his face so close to hers, she suddenly remembered the scrawny boy from years ago. Grievance surged, and tears finally slid down her cheeks, dripping onto the back of his hand. The heat of them made his fingertips flinch.

Xu Bozhou froze. Looking at the redness at the corners of her eyes, the strength left the hand gripping her chin. The mixture of anger and heartache surged up within him.

He’d made her hate him again, hadn’t he?

His Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply let go and sat back. For a moment, neither spoke. The interior of the car felt suffocating and oppressive.

“Sir, we’ve arrived at the restaurant.” Chen Huai checked the rearview mirror and awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Xu Bozhou tilted his chin, signaling Chen Huai to open the door for Su Xiao. His voice was hard. “Get out.”

“…” Su Xiao turned her head away, ignoring him.

“…The money has already been paid to the collectors,” he sighed. “Can you get out now?”

“How much equity do you want?” Su Xiao frowned, not understanding his game. She didn’t believe a profit-driven man like Xu Bozhou would help her for nothing. Especially after he had just… treated her like that.

Xu Bozhou looked at her, his fox-like eyes narrowing slightly. “I don’t want equity. I want you.”