Gu Yu finished her fried eggs in just a few quick bites. Only then did she remember she hadn’t sent any photos to her parents and grandma yet.
How could she forget something so important!
She glanced at Jiang Bomu’s fried egg, quietly voiced her request, and got a few photos as she wished.
She carefully chose the best one, started editing it, and sent it out separately, waiting for replies with a smile on her face.
But it was already past midnight in Switzerland; her parents must have been asleep. She only got a voice message back from her grandma.
“Xunxun, did you really make this?” Grandma’s voice was full of surprise. “When can your old granny have a taste?”
Gu Yu replied sweetly, “Next time I visit, I’ll definitely make it for you, enough to fill you right up!”
“Good, good, good, this old lady will be waiting!”
Jiang Bomu listened in silence, glancing at Gu Yu from time to time, a pang of envy in her heart.
A child bathed in love seems to glow from the inside out.
“Sister, why aren’t you eating?” Gu Yu put down her phone and, seeing that her fried egg was still untouched, felt a little puzzled.
Jiang Bomu came back to the moment. She took a bite of the fried egg.
It seemed to carry the taste of sunlight and love too.
After breakfast, she read her script for a while, but her mind was a tangled mess. She turned a page and still had no idea what she’d read, so she set the script down and went to work on her digital oil painting.
Painting truly could quiet the mind. Fully immersed, those overwhelming, tangled threads were all cast aside, leaving only the unfinished painting before her.
With every stroke, her heartbeat steadied a little more.
Gu Yu came out of the bathroom and was about to head back to her room when she heard sounds from the living room. Curious, she went to take a look.
The sunlight today was beautiful. By the French window, the light was bright. A beauty with downcast eyes, her head gently bowed, stray strands of hair falling to brush against the hand holding the brush. A picture of gentle grace.
The whole world fell silent.
Gu Yu breathed extremely, ever so lightly, afraid of disturbing the person in the painting.
The person in the painting looked up at her and smiled, soft and gentle. “Xunxun, want to join me?”
Gu Yu couldn’t refuse. Feeling lightheaded, she walked over.
Just as she started painting, a pleasant melody rang out from the entrance. Then, a female voice announced: “Visitor has entered the elevator.”
Gu Yu was astonished. So there is a notification!
No wonder that first day, before she even rang the doorbell, Jiang Bomu had come out to greet her.
A moment later, Gu Yu went to open the door. Tao Tao bounced in, full of energy. “Sister Mu, Teacher Gu, good morning! What are you guys painting?”
Her sharp eyes spotted the digital oil painting. She leaned closer to look, and the more she looked, the more familiar it seemed. Surprised, she asked, “Isn’t this the painting Teacher Gu did?”
The painting had only been filled in with white so far. Gu Yu never expected her to guess it outright. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she nodded.
Jiang Bomu asked, “Didn’t you say this was a photo you took?”
Gu Yu had to tell the truth. “I took a photo, and I also painted it.”
“May I see it?” Jiang Bomu asked, intrigued.
She hesitated. That painting was just a casual sketch, not particularly masterful. What if Jiang Bomu got the wrong idea and thought this was the extent of her skill? How embarrassing.
Tao Tao, however, gave her confidence. “Teacher Gu, that painting is truly beautiful. I was stunned the first time I saw it. Sister Mu will definitely like it too, right, Sister Mu?”
Jiang Bomu nodded with a smile. “I also want to see just how talented my little teacher really is.”
Encouraged by the two of them, Gu Yu had no choice but to bring out her tablet and find the painting.
Pinkish-purple sunset glow, dancing tree shadows, dreamlike and ethereal.
Jiang Bomu looked at it for a moment. “You painted this the day you arrived?”
Gu Yu stared at her in astonishment. How did she guess?
Tao Tao answered for her. “Sister Mu loves watching the sunset glow!”
Gu Yu pressed her lips together, a smile flowing in her eyes. She said softly, “I also like the evening.”
Evening is dusk, Bomu.
A veiled confession.
Her palms were so nervous they were about to sweat. Afraid she’d catch the hidden meaning, and also afraid she wouldn’t.
Jiang Bomu slowly spoke. “Is it because you can’t get up in the morning?”
Gu Yu: “…”
She had never, ever expected that response.
She went along with it, huffing, “I get up early almost every day!”
Tao Tao chimed in, “To eat the breakfast Sister Mu makes, right?”
After some lighthearted banter, Tao Tao got down to business. “Sister Mu, here are a few dress options for you to choose from. Which one do you like?”
There was an awards ceremony the day after tomorrow that required a red carpet walk, so the dress had to be prepared in advance.
She pulled up the dress photos. Jiang Bomu didn’t even lift her eyes, continuing her oil painting. With a distinct lack of interest, she said, “Just pick one. I’m fine with anything.”
Just as expected. Tao Tao didn’t press further; she had already chosen one on the way. Just as she was about to speak, Gu Yu asked, “Can I see?”
The two then sat on the sofa, carefully selecting. The first was similar to the outfit she wore at the last brand livestream event. That’s the one Tao Tao had chosen; it was praised by fans and the public last time, so it was a safe bet this time.
Gu Yu disagreed. “People might get tired of the same thing.”
The most important reason was that fans would criticize her for being careless, but she didn’t say that aloud, afraid of hurting Tao Tao’s feelings.
Choosing a dress required many considerations. It was understandable that Tao Tao didn’t want to make a mistake. After all, being called careless wasn’t a big deal, but if she chose a dress that didn’t suit Jiang Bomu, the fans would certainly be upset.
A hundred flowers blooming is lovely, but who doesn’t want their own favorite Sister to outshine the rest?
She looked at the second one, a black two-piece gauze dress. Beautiful, yes, but the strapless top showed too much skin. One wrong move and there could be a wardrobe malfunction. So she looked at the third.
A pine green haute couture gown. The skirt was embroidered with large clusters of flowers that weren’t jarring but instead gave a feeling of blooming splendor, just like Jiang Bomu’s path of stardom.
Gu Yu asked, “Why not pick this one? It’s gorgeous!”
Tao Tao hesitated. “Sister Mu has never worn a dress this vibrant and intricate…”
Jiang Bomu preferred understated elegance. Her event dresses were mostly minimalist, designed to highlight her aura.
Gu Yu felt exasperated. Such a perfect face deserved a lavish, magnificent dress!
She went to be the persuader, ready to convince Jiang Bomu to choose that one. Unexpectedly, after just one glance, Jiang Bomu said breezily, “Okay, this one, then.”
Both of them froze. Tao Tao even jumped up in surprise.
“Once in a while, I want to change my style,” Jiang Bomu explained. “Besides, I trust Xunxun’s taste.”
That one sentence sent Gu Yu floating on air. She declared loudly, “I guarantee, the day after tomorrow, you’ll be the most stunning person at the awards ceremony!”
Jiang Bomu laughed.
Tao Tao finalized some details and then left. As noon approached, Jiang Bomu and Gu Yu started cooking.
Jiang Bomu picked up a shark clip and casually twisted her hair up. “The day after tomorrow, will you order takeout or cook for yourself?”
Gu Yu answered immediately, “Order takeout.”
Are you kidding? Right now, she only knew how to fry an egg. Living on fried eggs alone would be deadly!
“Let me teach you how to make noodles,” Jiang Bomu suggested, then encouraged her, “It’s very simple. You just need tomatoes, eggs, and noodles.”
These were all ingredients Gu Yu was familiar with. She thought it over and agreed.
After preparing the ingredients, Jiang Bomu asked, “Do you like poached eggs or fried eggs?”
“Poached eggs!”
Jiang Bomu then guided Gu Yu to pour in some cooking oil, saute the scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, and start stir-frying the tomatoes.
Having already mastered fried eggs, Gu Yu handled this with ease. She adapted well, aside from still being afraid of oil splatters. Watching the diced tomatoes slowly turn into a thick sauce filled her with a great sense of accomplishment.
“Pour in two bowls of water.”
Gu Yu complied. By this point, she understood the process. Wait for the water to boil, crack in the eggs, then add the noodles, and it’s ready.
So cooking is this simple!
Her eyes sparkling, she felt like she had just unlocked a secret meridian, just waiting for the practical test.
Jiang Bomu said, “You haven’t added the seasonings yet.”
Gu Yu deflated again. Adding seasonings was the hardest part. While she wouldn’t make the rookie mistake of using sugar instead of salt, what if she added too much salt?
After putting in the other seasonings, she scooped a spoonful of salt from the seasoning box. Her hand trembled like a stingy cafeteria lady’s. She kept asking, “Is that enough? Is it enough now?”
Just as the water was about to boil, Jiang Bomu couldn’t watch any longer. She directly grasped her hand and, with a gentle turn, sprinkled the spoonful of salt into the pot.
Silence. Tractless, without a trace.
Gu Yu clutched the seasoning spoon tightly, her fingertips turning faintly white. The next second, the warm touch withdrew. The brief contact felt like an illusion.
“That spoonful should be about right. Time to add the eggs.”
Her voice was steady and gentle, just as always.
Gu Yu didn’t speak, afraid of revealing her heart. She took an egg and cracked it against the rim of the pot. The egg white and yolk slid together into the boiling water, followed quickly by another.
She did it with practiced ease, but inside, her heart was already a tangled mess.
Before she could sort out that mess, the instigator spoke again. “Xunxun, when I get back, will you teach me how to paint?”
