Chapter 52: Calm Down

Early the next morning, Gu Yu couldn’t wait to shoo Jiang Bomu out the door.

“Sister, hurry up and go. What if there’s traffic?”

Jiang Bomu was still reading her script, taking a delicate sip from a cup of coffee. “No rush,” she said, not looking up. “The event doesn’t start until eleven.”

“But it’s already…” Gu Yu checked her phone. “Seven o’clock.”

Even as she said the time, she felt a little sheepish. There were still three hours left. But a moment later, she puffed herself up with righteousness: “You still have to do your makeup and change into your gown.”

“An hour is enough.”

Gu Yu was out of ideas. She sat down next to her and started petting the cat.

“I thought you’d want me to stay a little longer. That’s why I specifically told Tao Tao yesterday to push my schedule back by half an hour today,” Jiang Bomu sighed. “I didn’t expect…”

“Of course I do!” Gu Yu poured her heart out. “I wish I could be glued to your side every second.”

“Then why are you so eager to get me to leave this time?” Jiang Bomu asked lightly. Her gaze, however, moved from the script and fixed squarely on her.

Gu Yu’s heart gave a violent thump. She hadn’t expected her to be so perceptive, picking up on her ulterior motive in just a couple of sentences. Being stared at so directly made it impossible to think of a good excuse. She blurted out the first thing she could think of: “I’m just afraid you’ll be late.”

The event was being held downtown. Even walking would only take twenty minutes. It was clearly a lie. Suddenly, Gu Yu had a flash of inspiration, remembering Bo Shiyue. “You haven’t seen Cousin in a while, right?” she said, smiling. “You could go early and have a chat with her.”

“She’ll be very busy today. A few words in passing are all we’ll manage, and besides…” Jiang Bomu flipped a page, her voice trailing off with the rustle of paper.

Curious, Gu Yu asked, “Besides what?”

“On the surface, I’m not too close with the Bo family,” Jiang Bomu said, lowering her voice. “Nobody in the entertainment industry knows about our relationship.”

Gu Yu was stunned. The realization quickly hit her—all these years, Jiang Bomu had never mentioned any family or friends in public. No marketing accounts or fans had ever tried to dig it up. Had the information been suppressed?

Jiang Bomu explained, “The reason is simple. I don’t want to rely on anyone. Cousin and the others respect my wishes.”

So that was it. Gu Yu nodded, then asked with interest, “How many cousins do you have?”

“One female cousin,” Jiang Bomu said. “Plus one older male cousin and a younger female cousin.”

She seemed a bit more talkative when discussing these three. “My older male cousin is the CEO of Zhenyan. My younger female cousin is about to start high school. They’re all very good to me.”

Gu Yu felt a little wistful. When would she get to meet her family? Today was actually a great chance, but she had something more important to do.

Thinking of this, the regret faded. As long as they got together, the day to meet the parents would come eventually!

“Xunxun, would you like to go see?” Jiang Bomu invited.

Gu Yu, still lost in her ambitious daydreams, heard the question and blurted out, stunned, “How can we meet the parents so soon?!”

Jiang Bomu: “…”

She pretended she hadn’t heard, going back to the master bedroom to get what she needed to bring.

Gu Yu also froze solid. How could her words just bypass her brain like that?!

At nine o’clock, Jiang Bomu left.

After a reluctant goodbye, Gu Yu closed the door, a smile immediately blooming on her face. First, she ordered a courier to buy some necessary items. Then, she started on the cake.

The cake ingredients and tools had been used only once before being left idle. Seeing her about to leave for school, she didn’t know when they’d be used again. The beaming smile on Gu Yu’s face instantly turned to disappointment. As she whipped the cream, she looked around.

This open kitchen held so many memories. Feeding grapes, putting on the pendant, frying eggs… and countless moments where they had accidentally brushed against each other.

The living room was the same. She’d gone over lines with Jiang Bomu here, played with the cat, worked on the oil painting together… Thinking of the oil painting, Gu Yu put down the hand mixer and glanced at the nearly finished digital piece.

The pinkish-purple sky was complete. Only a few streetlights remained to be lit.

She made a mental note. After they ate the cake, she’d finish the painting and then confess.

The word “confess” made her blood surge with excitement. She hurried to finish the cake.

By the time the cake base went into the oven, the courier had delivered her supplies.

Gu Yu busied herself in the living room, occasionally taking a break to pet Wan An, feeling a pang of envy. Little cats could just nap without a care in the world!

“Wan An, Wan An,” she whispered to it, “Mommy is going to confess tonight. Do you think I’ll succeed?”

Wan An understood nothing. Wan An just wanted to sleep. It meowed once, then tucked its paws in and closed its eyes.

Gu Yu patted its little head and cheered herself on: “I will definitely succeed!”

She was busy until two in the afternoon. The living room was finally set up.

She flipped the switch. The fairy lights hidden among the flowers began to blink in alternating patterns. It was daytime, so the lights weren’t very noticeable.

Gu Yu watched for a moment, already imagining how beautiful it would be tonight. They would sit at the small round table, eating cake. Outside the window would be the city lights, before her eyes the dreamy lights and the person she loved. A soft, sentimental tune playing in the background—the confession would come naturally.

Sunlight streamed evenly down, warm and cozy. Gu Yu closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

She slept until four, then bolted upright with a jolt, cursing herself as she went to make the cake. How could she have fallen asleep?! She hadn’t even prepared the feast yet!

She rushed to finish piping the decorations, carefully placed the cake in the fridge, then checked her ingredients and looked up some tutorials. Cautiously, she chose four relatively easy dishes and a tomato egg drop soup.

Even though she’d helped prep countless times and knew some things by sight, Gu Yu was still nervous. She cooked carefully. The taste was average, but visually, everything looked decent.

It was half-past five in the blink of an eye. Gu Yu first arranged the four dishes and soup, along with the cake, on the small round table. Then she turned on the background music she’d prepared. Something still felt missing.

Frowning, she searched for pictures of couples on dates and finally realized what was lacking—alcohol.

A few sips, both a little tipsy, eyes meeting, an irresistible kiss… the confession would be the perfect crowning touch.

The more Gu Yu thought about it, the more excited she got. Not wanting to wait for a courier, she went straight to a supermarket. She bought four bottles of beer, then, thinking Jiang Bomu might not like beer, splurged on a bottle of red wine.

Everything was complete. The time was approaching seven o’clock.

The brilliant twilight was shadowy and indistinct, only a few wisps of orange cloud still visible, mixed with pale pink and purple. It reminded her of her first day here, with a sky just like this.

She had long forgotten how that evening twilight had finally turned out, but that day would be forever frozen in her memory. Gu Yu glanced at the still-unfinished but resplendent oil painting. In a little while, the twilight would fall right into her palm.

Her phone vibrated. Gu Yu snapped back to her senses and checked it.

sunset: [Almost at the complex.]

She immediately replied: [I’ll come meet you!]

Gu Yu took one last look at the living room setup, confirmed nothing was missing, and dashed downstairs. Just as she arrived, she ran into Tao Tao, who’d just gotten out of the car. Jiang Bomu was still inside.

She put on a smile and went up to greet her, then whispered to Tao Tao, “Are you coming up in a bit?”

“Yeah!” Tao Tao looked down at the things in her hands. “I need to carry these up.”

“I’ll do it!”

Tao Tao paused, blinking at her curiously. “Teacher Gu, what’s going on?”

“You’ll find out in a few days.”

The car door swung open. Gu Yu didn’t have time to say more. She watched as Jiang Bomu prepared to step out. Red high heels touched the ground. Her long, slender legs glowed with a cold, pale light in the dimming evening. The high-slit, mermaid-pink gradient sequin dress accentuated her graceful figure. Her black wavy hair and red lips were pure seduction.

Gu Yu nearly forgot what she was going to say. It took her a long moment to get the words out. “Anyway, just go straight home later.”

Jiang Bomu had only caught the last half of her sentence. She nodded to Tao Tao. “You’ve worked hard today. You can head home.”

“Okay,” Tao Tao said, grinning and waving. “Thanks for letting me off early, Teacher Gu. Good luck!”

Gu Yu smiled knowingly back.

“What’s the secret code?” Jiang Bomu looked puzzled, casually brushing a strand of hair that the gentle evening breeze had blown across her face. The gesture only added to her stunning beauty.

Gu Yu was mesmerized for a long while before finally speaking. “N-nothing… Sister, let’s go up.”

Come up and see the surprise I’ve prepared for you.

The elevator started its ascent. Gu Yu looked at Jiang Bomu standing beside her, a whole head taller in her high heels, then silently looked down at her own house slippers. Why hadn’t she changed into better shoes? If she was going to confess, she should have dressed more formally.

Mentally chastising herself, she knew it was too late to change now. She stopped worrying about useless things, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the elevator to open her front door—

“Ta-da!” Beaming, Gu Yu pulled her into the living room. “A candlelight dinner prepared for Miss Jiang Bomu!”

Wait, she’d forgotten to light the candles!

Gu Yu scrambled to light them, then realized she hadn’t turned on the music. She quickly pulled out her phone and started the prepared BGM. The soft, slow prelude filled the room, making this corner of the living room feel even more intimate.

“Sister, I did it all myself,” Gu Yu boasted, seeking praise. “Looks pretty good, right?”

She took Jiang Bomu’s hand, ready to guide her to her seat. She’d just taken a step when her right hand was violently shaken off.

Her right hand went numb from the force. Gu Yu’s brain stalled for a second. Bewildered, she looked up, only to see Jiang Bomu trembling slightly. The sequined gown shimmered and swayed with her movements, dazzling and disorienting.

“I told you, I don’t like alcohol,” Jiang Bomu said, her voice icy. “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”

She turned away without a trace of hesitation, heading for the master bedroom. The sound of her high heels on the floor was like the opening beats of Dangerous Party.

Bang—

The door slammed shut with incredible force.

Gu Yu stood frozen, the smile fading from her face bit by bit. A candlelight dinner she’d spent ten hours meticulously preparing, and the other party had only deigned to grace it with a single glance.

She moved slowly, sitting down at the small round table. Quietly, she watched the candle about to burn down to its very end. She gently blew it out. An ugly black scorch mark remained on the colorful fruit cake.

Gu Yu reached out to wipe it away. The mark disappeared, but the piped frosting became a messy ruin. She grabbed a handful of cake directly and shoved it into her mouth.

How strange. Had she mistaken salt for sugar? Why was it so salty?

Gu Yu wiped the corner of her eye and kept eating.

The candlelight dinner turned into a complete and utter wreck, not a single trace of warmth or romance left to be found.

The blinking fairy lights began to fail, dimming after being on for too long. As Gu Yu poured herself red wine, she thought, What garbage quality.

The twilight burned out completely. The living room grew dark, but the city lights still shone brilliantly, sparing a fraction of their light for Gu Yu. It was magnificent and dazzling by the French window.

Swirling her wine glass, Gu Yu suddenly understood a truth: a person like Jiang Bomu was just like her name—to be admired from afar, but utterly unattainable.

How could one expect a person who belonged to the distant heavens to ever fall into the mundane world?

She took a sip of red wine and thought, calmly, It’s time to leave.