Chapter 10: She's on His Mind (3)

As the conversation reached this point, Bo Yan, who had been idly nibbling on peanuts, suddenly stopped.

The bartender continued to lament, "She has indeed been quite the troublemaker these past few years, with one boyfriend scandal after another. And if she had to change boyfriends, at least she could've done it quietly. Didn't you see the news a few days ago where she beat up that young master from the Zhongtian Group, leaving his face covered in blood? Although your marriage is nothing more than a facade, isn't her private life a bit too... colorful."

Before he could finish, the bartender pursed his lips and quickly turned off the microphone.

That was because he saw Bo Yan, who had just been chewing on peanuts, suddenly lift his head. His eyes were sharp and direct as they locked onto the bartender's face. Even though his expression was emotionless, his gaze felt as heavy as a mountain, compelling him to close his mouth.

After that look, Bo Yan quickly lowered his eyelids again and silently resumed eating peanuts, as if the sharpness had never existed.

The bartender didn't take his threat too seriously.

Actually, he knew that most of these scandals surrounding Xia Siyu were fabricated.

She was an artist, one with considerable influence, constantly in the public eye. Regardless of her current reputation, she was famous and beautiful, and that was a fact.

A beautiful female artist, one who seems to lack any significant backing, was bound to attract the pursuit and desire of countless men. Even if she, like Bo Yan, rejected the idea of being tied up in promotional couples, there would still be all sorts of strange rumors.

With these rumors, you can try to clear them up and be accused of acting guilty, or stay silent and let others assume you're admitting to it. You issue statements that nobody believes, or you send out legal letters, only to land in protracted lawsuits that could take years. In this process, the economic loss and mental pressure are considerable. Moreover, matters of male-female ambiguity are such that even when explained, there will be those who remain unconvinced. The saying goes, 'A rumor can be started by a loose tongue, but dispelling it requires running your legs off,' and the onlookers will only see what they want to see.

Referring to that Zhongtian young master and Bo Yan, anyone with eyes would choose the latter. With a husband like Bo Yan, what caliber of men could possibly catch her eye?

But even if it was just rumors, Bo Yan was, in essence, 'cuckolded' without any reason.

A man, whether in love or not, whether rightfully so or not, is bound to be unhappy when wearing a green hat.

Moreover, the two did have a past together at one time.

And neither was exactly willing in their marriage.

The two of them finished their drinks in turns, one glass after another, and the peanuts were grabbed one after the other until none were left.

By the time Bo Yan put down his glass, the bartender, quite tipsy by now, asked, "After all these years, I've always been curious. Were you two really together at that time? How did you get together and how did you break up? It couldn't really be like you said, that she dumped you?"

Bo Yan gave him a faint glance but did not answer.

Undeterred, the bartender pressed on with another question, "Was it you who dumped her?"

Bo Yan casually picked up a spicy pig's trotter from a dish and stuffed it into the bartender's mouth, "Han Yifan, eat more pig trotters to nourish your brain."

The bartender - no, the bar owner Han Yifan - mumbled with his mouth full and hardly managed to pull out the pig's trotter before daring to ask one last question fearlessly, "Bo Yan, do you still have feelings for her in your heart?"