Boundary - Chapter 23

Gu Yetong’s smile faded as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “Jin Nanting, can you tell me… how exactly do you want us to get along from now on?”

His recent coldness had made the fleeting moments of warmth they once shared feel like a dream. Reflecting on his words, “I just hope that when something happens, you can tell me first,” she wondered if his true meaning was that she should only communicate with him when something was wrong.

If it was all just a dream, a misunderstanding on her part, then perhaps it was better to wake up now.

After meticulously cleaning the conference table until it was spotless, Jin Nanting rested his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers in front of him. “This isn’t the place to discuss this. We’ll talk about it at home.”

“I think it’s the perfect place,” Gu Yetong said, her gaze fixed on him, searching for any crack in his composed expression. “After all, it was here that you proposed to me, wasn’t it?”

It had been behind that large desk, with the same unreadable expression he wore now.

“Tell me, has my role been fulfilled?”

And if only he had maintained this demeanor over the past few months.

If he had never shown vulnerability, never shown concern, and most importantly, never shown his obsession with her in bed.

“Your male pride has been preserved. Shouldn’t I, the stand-in, bow out gracefully now?”

Jin Nanting narrowed his eyes, his deep gaze sharpening. “I’ve already said that I want a marriage that lasts a lifetime.”

“But why does it have to be with me?” Was it just because of the legal document with their names on it? Or the vows they had made in front of everyone? “I was clearly just your last resort.”

The impact of her words was greater than she had anticipated.

Somewhere in her heart, she had hoped he would stop her, tell her that she wasn’t just that to him.

But he didn’t. He simply stared at her, neither confirming nor denying.

“What you’ve always been searching for is a woman like your mother, isn’t it?”

The only time he had ever shown vulnerability was because of the woman who had abandoned him as a child, and the person he had initially wanted to spend his life with was Gu Yetang, who bore a slight resemblance to that woman.

Perhaps Jin Nanting himself didn’t realize what he was truly searching for deep down.

As for her, the strange feelings that had begun to stir because of his lonely gaze must have stemmed from the maternal instincts all women possess. However, that wasn’t enough to fill the void in his heart, nor was it enough for her to fully sacrifice herself.

“You know nothing.”

And sure enough, her words elicited a reaction from the man who had remained expressionless until now. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the conference table, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light as he stared at her.

Like a black eagle ready to swoop down on its prey.

“I really don’t know anything,” she said. If he never told her anything, how could she know? “But I do know that if we continue like this, an innocent life will be dragged into this.”

If it were just her, she might have been able to live peacefully with Jin Nanting, as long as she kept her emotions in check.

But could this marriage remain just between the two of them forever?

“If my father’s words made you overthink, you don’t need to pay attention to him. I said I’d wait until you were ready to have a child.”

But would he, could he, wait forever? For a man as cold and pragmatic as him, wasn’t marriage ultimately about having children?

“But what if I’m ready to have a child?”

Her words left Jin Nanting visibly shocked.

“Do you know what you’re saying?” he asked through clenched teeth, his lips barely moving.

“I’m just saying ‘what if.’” In her current state of turmoil, she was even more certain that she wasn’t ready to be a mother. But what if one day, her maternal instincts got the better of her? “If I want a child, should I start tracking my ovulation and come begging for you to touch me when the time comes?”

Wouldn’t that reduce him to a stud, like her father?

A chill ran through her at the thought.

Were they doomed to repeat the same fate as the previous generation, treating reproduction as a duty and each other as tools?

And when he came to fulfill that duty, how should she respond?

If she were still as indifferent as before, it might not matter. But now, with her body increasingly sensitive to his touch, how would she react to his perfunctory advances?

Would she still tremble, still grow wet…

How could she let that happen?

The more Gu Yetong thought about it, the angrier she became. She stood up and headed for the door. “If it comes to that, we might as well go for in vitro fertilization.”

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Jin Nanting was already behind her. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, pinning her between himself and the door.

“What are you even saying?”

He leaned in, inch by inch, shrinking the space between them.

She should have sensed the danger, the risk of things spiraling out of control.

But the anger burning inside her made her reckless. “You love efficiency, don’t you? Next ovulation cycle, I’ll go and retrieve my eggs. You can deposit your sperm anytime. Then, if I ever really want a child, I won’t even need to trouble you…”

Jin Nanting didn’t let her finish outlining her perfect plan.