CHAPTER 438: CHAPTER 438

The next day, Song Boyuan personally came to pick up Su Lu and Zhao Xiaole.

The so-called "personally" meant that he drove over himself without using a driver, leaving his driver and bodyguards following behind in a business car.

And while the car had no child safety seat yesterday, today it had a brand-new, high-end one, ready and complete with snacks and drinks.

His sincerity was evident.

His sincerity had moved Zhao Xiaole, who yesterday kept calling him "uncle" over and over.

Today, immediately.

"Uncle!" Zhao Xiaole called out cheerfully.

Su Lu could scarcely believe it; had she really... raised such a fickle creature?

Song Boyuan remained expressionless; he’d always been known for his stoic demeanor, rarely showing emotion, mostly to Jing Qiao.

But now, he even raised his brows slightly.

Even though there was no smile, his gaze softened noticeably.

Zhao Xiaole’s eyes rolled about before he asked, "Uncle, uncle, my dad says you do great in business!"

Song Boyuan glanced at Zhao Xiaole without a word.

Doing great in business is all relative.

If it’s compared to Bo Jingshen, it would be neck and neck, except one was in Feng City and the other in Beijing, each reigning supreme in their own domain.

But Song Boyuan instantly knew who had coached the boy to say such things.

Song Boyuan inquired, "What else did your father say?"

His voice was pleasing to the ear, albeit a bit aloof, but it carried a metallic timbre that was quite magnetic.

In the past, he might not have shown any interest in these matters, but now, if Bo Jingshen were present, he would have clearly understood what these actions meant.

Because Bo Jingshen himself would have to do something similar, a task known as—ingratiating oneself with an influential uncle.

Truth be told, Song Boyuan and he were really birds of a feather, plagued by not just one uncle but two influential ones at that.

Both uncles were tough nuts to crack.

Zhao Xiaole continued, "My dad also said, if he wants to do business in Beijing, he needs to rely on your influence..."

What nonsense.

His own elder brother, Jing Su, also had sizable business dealings in Beijing.

And yet, he’d put words into the child’s mouth, blatantly swindling him.

Song Boyuan was silent for a few seconds before replying, "Then, when you go back, remember to tell him that if he wishes to expand his market in Beijing, he can contact me anytime. I have plenty of projects on hand that we could work on together."

Of course, this wasn’t really meant for Zhao Xiaole to relay; the kid was just a kid, after all, and couldn’t grasp these matters.

Song Boyuan said this for Su Lu to hear.

Whether Song Boyuan felt Bo Jingshen was shameless... Su Lu couldn’t say, but she felt Bo Jingshen truly was shameless.

My God, truly no cunning, no business.

Suddenly, she felt her two brothers had been too kind to Bo Jingshen, never prying any benefits from him. This was indeed a new way of thinking.

The car pulled up to Yujing Villa, and when it reached the villa where Song Boyuan and Jing Qiao lived, Jing Qiao could be seen already waiting at the door.

She was still wearing an apron, clearly having been busy preparing some food earlier, and her soft long hair was loosely tied behind her head, giving her an air of leisure and casualness.

When Jing Qiao saw Su Lu and Zhao Xiaole getting out of the car, she broke into a smile.

They had received a call from Song Boyuan’s subordinate before their arrival, informing them that they would soon arrive, which was why she had been waiting at the door in advance.

"Auntie!" Zhao Xiaole bounced up to her.

Jing Qiao bent down to pick him up.

"Auntie’s precious Lele," she said with a smile, "Auntie made caramel pudding for you today, and the shaped cookies you like. Auntie also prepared shrimp paste to make shrimp balls for your lunch, how about that?"

"I love Auntie," Zhao Xiaole sweetly professed, but as he thought about it, he became a bit dejected, "But Auntie is already married... I wanted to grow up and marry Auntie..."

Just as Song Boyuan was turning off the car, he overheard the child’s words.

With a glance from his perfectly shaped phoenix eyes, he looked at Zhao Xiaole.

Su Lu noticed his expression, finding it difficult to describe President Song’s look. How should she put it?

It was as if... he probably thought all the snacks and drinks in the car earlier had been a total waste.

"Are we going to soak in the hot springs today?" asked Zhao Xiaole, and then he hugged Jing Qiao’s neck and sniffed, "Auntie, you smell so good!"

Jing Qiao had made caramel pudding, and a sweet caramel scent lingered on her, a smell that children tend to like, sweet and fragrant.

"Is that so? I didn’t even notice. If you want to soak in the hot springs, go ahead. There’s also a communal hot spring area outside with many other small pools you can play in," Jing Qiao responded.

After all, Yujing Villa was a hot spring resort. Aside from the private hot spring pools in the courtyard villas, there was a communal area with many functional baths: ginger baths, chrysanthemum baths, dong quai baths, fish therapy pools, and so on.

Whether they were gimmicks or not, they were certainly diverse.

Kids should like it.

"Yay!" Before Zhao Xiaole’s last note had even finished, he was already being carried away in another pair of arms, which smelled of the cool and refreshing scent of cedar, "Huh?"

Zhao Xiaole hadn’t reacted, but when he did, he looked up to find the sharply contoured jaw.

"Uncle?"

"Mhm," Song Boyuan hummed lightly, carrying him inside.

Actually, Jing Qiao was somewhat surprised; due to Song Boyuan’s character, he disliked physical contact with others, and he would be annoyed even if the children of his Song relatives touched his clothing.

But now he had directly picked up Zhao Xiaole. It seemed he was truly different from before.

If Su Lu knew what Jing Qiao was thinking, she would definitely tell her that it wasn’t like that, and it wasn’t a matter of being different from before.

The reason was simple, it was just a case of love extending from one thing to another.

And ultimately, it was probably because he cared about Jing Qiao. After all, Su Lu sometimes saw Jing Qiao with her slim arms and legs holding Zhao Xiaole and felt it must be hard for her.

"Did sister-in-law bring a swimsuit? If not, I’ll ask the resort to provide a new one. Go and soak with Xiao Le later."

Su Lu looked at Jing Qiao and nodded with a smile, "Okay, just let me watch you dance first. Let’s go together."

Jing Qiao paused, "I... I didn’t plan to..."

She had not planned to get in the water for a hot spring bath. In fact, Su Lu had rarely seen her in short sleeves or shorts. Su Lu knew what she was concealing: the scars on her body.

"Then perhaps consider it now," Su Lu suggested with a smile. "Because Zhao Xiaole likes you so much, he will definitely insist on you joining him."

With no other choice, Jing Qiao smiled.

While the two of them were still standing at the door, a surprised "Oh my!" suddenly rang out from the living room.