Chapter 67: Others See Me as a Ladder, You See Me as a Pit of Fire

Jiang Zhiyou laughed, her joy unrestrained.

She spoke in a teasing tone, “Didn’t you just announce to everyone today that I’m your girlfriend, Crown Prince? I imagine by tomorrow we’ll be gracing the front pages of every media outlet.”

But Bo Jinxi suddenly put away his usual roguish expression. His eyes turned earnest. “But are you truly my girlfriend?”

Jiang Zhiyou held his gaze. “Of course not.”

A flicker of disappointment passed through Bo Jinxi’s eyes. “Tonight, I played the hero to rescue the beauty. I thought you’d be moved.”

Her slender fingers gently traced the contour of his cheek. Her expression was uncommonly gentle. “I am moved. But that’s a different matter entirely.”

She went on, “You saw it yourself. I just managed to crawl out of one pit of fire—why would I willingly leap into another?”

Bo Jinxi huffed, clearly displeased. “So I’m a pit of fire too?”

Seeing his petulant look, Jiang Zhiyou was amused, and pinched his cheek as if teasing a child. She spoke bluntly, “You’re an even greater pit of fire.”

The gulf between their identities was too vast.

It wasn’t that Jiang Zhiyou felt inferior, or believed herself unworthy of Bo Jinxi. Rather, she understood all too well the complexity of the Bo family. The wealthiest clan in the city, with many heirs and tangled family ties. Bo Jinxi was the late-born son of the old patriarch and matriarch, with three elder sisters above him. Each of those sisters was a formidable figure, holding key positions in the Bo family’s sprawling business empire.

All three sisters were already married, their unions strategic alliances with other powerful families. Their children, not much younger than Bo Jinxi himself, had already begun to infiltrate the family business.

At twenty, Bo Jinxi had been entrusted by the old master with the presidency of the group. Yet, in truth, he didn’t hold more shares than his sisters. Especially his eldest sister, Bo Wanhua, with whom his relationship was particularly strained. She had more than once tried to persuade the board to strip him of his title.

If it weren’t for the old patriarch’s staunch protection, perhaps the Bo family’s president would have already changed.

So, though Bo Jinxi appeared to be standing at the pinnacle, basking in glory, in reality, he was beset on all sides, isolated and alone, the heights he occupied cold and perilous.

Jiang Zhiyou had no wish to be drawn into such a convoluted web.

Bo Jinxi pouted in protest, “Everyone else sees me as a ladder to the clouds, a shortcut to the top, but you alone see me as a pit of fire.”

He sighed, almost inaudibly.

Jiang Zhiyou was right. In his current situation, he truly was a raging inferno. The position of the Bo family’s future matriarch was not easily claimed; it might even cost one’s life.

This was also why he could not make promises lightly.

He gazed steadily at the woman before him. Her features were striking, her eyes bright as sunlight, radiant enough to drive away all shadows and gloom.

She had been his light in the darkest hours since he was eight years old.

How could he bear to let her walk with him down a path full of thorns and fire, fraught with peril?

He lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.

Jiang Zhiyou wrapped her arms around his neck, surrendering to a long, lingering kiss.

To say her heart was unmoved would be a lie.

But being moved is not the same as love.

Love demands promises. Love is responsibility.

Love is too heavy a burden.

Both of them knew, in their hearts, that this was the best arrangement.

They could embrace, could indulge in passion without restraint.

No interests conflicted, each took what they needed from the other.

They were merely two lines crossing for a time. When fate inevitably pulled them apart, they would let go with grace, without clinging.

To outsiders, their relationship was anyone’s guess. But as long as they themselves understood, nothing else mattered.

Jiang Zhiyou believed they shared this unspoken understanding.

Bo Jinxi’s kiss was more possessive, more wild than usual.

All around them, crimson fireworks blossomed, as though enveloping them in a sea of flames.

It was as beautiful as a magnificent painting.

And this scene was witnessed by Yan Feng.

He had been in the crowd, planning to leave.

But suddenly, fireworks exploded overhead.

He saw Bo Jinxi take Jiang Zhiyou’s hand and lead her out of the banquet hall.

On an impulse, he followed.

And so he found himself here.

With fireworks filling the sky, he could not hear what they were saying, but he knew it must be words of longing and affection.

The sight of them in each other’s arms, locked in a passionate kiss, struck his heart like a knife.

Since childhood, he had always known Jiang Zhiyou was to be his future wife.

They had been inseparable since they first learned to walk, sharing countless firsts in life.

Their first time holding hands, their first time skipping class, their first waltz, their first secret drink…

Thinking back now, it seemed those were the happiest days of his life.

But when had things begun to change?

Perhaps it was after he was burned on his waist and thigh.

Staring at those hideous scars, he began to feel inferior.

He feared Jiang Zhiyou would despise or scorn him if she saw.

So he tried to hide it. In summer, he would wear two T-shirts in her presence, terrified she might accidentally glimpse the marks on his waist.

But the more he hid, the deeper his insecurity grew.

When Xia Ling brought him that diary, he lost his temper completely, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Deep inside, he believed Jiang Zhiyou would reject and hate him.

And when it seemed to happen, he took it as reality, as confirmation of his worst fears.

The beast of fear and inferiority grew, breaking free and devouring his reason and composure.

He had not even confronted Jiang Zhiyou.

Only now did Yan Feng realize he had imposed his own demons upon Jiang Zhiyou.

The first person to despise, abandon, and give up on him had been himself.

He had personally pushed Jiang Zhiyou away, stabbing her in the process.

Looking back, his relationship with Xia Ling had been in large part an act of revenge against Jiang Zhiyou.

In this moment, Yan Feng was finally enlightened.

But it was already too late.

He turned and left the rooftop.

The next morning.

Jiang Zhiyou arrived early at the television station.

As soon as she appeared, nearly all her colleagues crowded around.

“Zhiyou, you’re really the Crown Prince’s girlfriend? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

“Last night’s ‘Rose of Fire’ was absolutely breathtaking—the overseas press is picking it up like mad. It’s bound to become a legend in our city.”

“Zhiyou, we’re colleagues after all. How could you not invite us to your birthday? At least let us witness the ‘Rose of Fire’ spectacle at the Cloud Top banquet hall!”