Chapter 7
Since she was a child, Bo Muyu had often visited the Jiang family, sometimes just to play, other times to stay for a short while.
Before Jiang Chenyin’s return, she hadn’t visited the Jiang family elders for several months. But her anticipation wasn’t for the impending arrival at the old Jiang residence; it was still focused on Jiang Chenyin.
All the emotions hidden in her heart were because of Jiang Chenyin’s return, and these two days she would soon have alone with her.
Even if, during these two days, it was impossible for Jiang Chenyin to be with her and only her.
She remembered that in the past, every time she went to the Jiang family, it was Jiang Chenyin who personally came to pick her up.
Sometimes, when Old Master Jiang invited her parents over, she would insist on tagging along. When her parents said their goodbyes in the evening, she would hide behind Jiang Chenyin, unwilling to leave with them.
Her pouting little face would make Old Master Jiang and Old Madam Jiang laugh, and they couldn’t help but ask Bo Mingliang and Ye Xialan to let the child stay the night.
Over time, the Jiang family specially prepared a room for Bo Muyu, right next to Jiang Chenyin’s. It was originally a guest room, but Bo Muyu was always looking for Jiang Chenyin, and the two elders doted on her, so they indulged her.
Jiang Chenyin brought the car to a steady stop at a red light and turned her head.
Her gaze met Bo Muyu’s, and Jiang Chenyin smiled. “You haven’t been to see my parents since you started working. You’ll definitely have a lot to talk about later.”
Bo Muyu asked, “What about you? Will you stay on the first floor and talk with us?”
Jiang Chenyin reached out to stroke her head and said softly, “Of course.”
Bo Muyu nodded, a hint of excitement in her expression.
Jiang Chenyin’s lips curved as she looked out the car window. She had been back for many days now, and she wondered how long this easy, peaceful life could last.
She had left around the time Bo Muyu had just started university. It had been nearly four years now, just a month or two shy of a full four years.
Might as well call it four years.
Jiang Chenyin’s thoughts flowed backward like a river. A long-buried image flashed through her mind, and her breath immediately hitched.
Her hands, gripping the steering wheel, tightened. The pain quickly dispelled the image in her mind, and clarity returned to her eyes.
When Jiang Chenyin walked through the door, pulling Bo Muyu’s small suitcase with one hand and holding Bo Muyu’s hand with the other, Old Master Jiang and Old Madam Jiang were just coming down the stairs.
Old Master Jiang, leaning on his cane, glanced over and saw Bo Muyu, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. He waved his cane and said, “Xiaoyu is here?”
Jiang Chenyin stopped, holding Bo Muyu’s hand, and gave it a little shake.
Bo Muyu let go, quickly went to support Old Master Jiang’s other arm, her sweet, clear voice as refreshing as a mountain spring. “Grandpa Jiang, Grandma Jiang, I’m here. I’m not going home this weekend.”
“Oh?” Old Master Jiang’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “Good, then you can keep your grandpa company. Where’s Liu’er?”
Jiang Chenyin put the suitcase aside and replied, “Dad, Mom, I’m here.”
Old Madam Jiang also smiled and waved her hand. “Xiao Wang, go tidy up the guest room and take Xiaoyu’s luggage upstairs.”
The auntie who was waiting by the side acknowledged the request and went to get Bo Muyu’s suitcase.
Hearing this, Bo Muyu’s eyes dimmed slightly.
“Everyone sit down. Why are you all standing?” Old Master Jiang rested both hands on the dragon head of his cane and looked at Bo Muyu. “I heard from Liu’er that you’re working now?”
Bo Muyu found a seat near Jiang Chenyin and nodded. “Mmm, I’m working at Hongsheng.”
“It’s only been a few months, but you seem to have matured a lot.” Old Master Jiang sighed and leaned back on the sofa. “Hongsheng is a big company. It’s good for you to get some experience for a couple of years now that you’re just starting out. It’s better than staying somewhere our family can manage.”
Bo Muyu smiled slightly. “Grandpa Jiang is right. That’s what I think too.”
“But you two need to be careful.” Old Master Jiang shifted his cane, his gaze turning to Jiang Chenyin. “Hongsheng and our Jiayi are competitors, after all. If anything happens in the future, it will inevitably arouse suspicion.”
Jiang Chenyin nodded. “I understand that.”
Bo Muyu was a contracted screenwriter at Hongsheng. If Jiayi were to produce a film with a plot that clashed with one of Bo Muyu’s scripts, it would be impossible to defend themselves.
Bo Muyu and Jiang Chenyin were both low-key, but the Jiang family’s background was not. Although not many people paid attention to the fact that the younger generations of the Jiang and Bo families were close, it was no secret. If something happened, it would be exposed immediately.
Old Master Jiang nodded thoughtfully and looked at Bo Muyu again. The child was young, but because of her reserved nature, and the fact that her scholarly air had been somewhat tempered since she started working, she appeared more mature than her peers.
“Ah, Xiaoyu,” Old Master Jiang suddenly sighed with a smile. “You were just a little girl when you started coming here with your parents, and now you’re all grown up and working. Time flies…”
What is he sighing about? My growth? Or the passing of time?
Bo Muyu subconsciously looked at Jiang Chenyin. Jiang Chenyin patted her knee, signaling her not to panic.
Sure enough, before Bo Muyu could figure out how to respond, Old Madam Jiang smiled at him. “You, of all times to bring this up, you choose to do it when the child is here.”
Old Master Jiang laughed again. “You’re right. Why bring this up?”
He thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, “I remember Xiaoyu’s birthday is in September, right? Almost twenty-two?”
“Yes, Grandpa Jiang. The end of September.”
Old Master Jiang nodded, his gaze drifting into the distance. “Are there any suitable friends?”
“What…” Bo Muyu didn’t understand.
Just as she was about to ask, she heard Jiang Chenyin whisper in her ear, “Boyfriend.”
Bo Muyu frowned slightly. “Grandpa Jiang, I don’t have one yet.”
“Mmm…” Hearing this, a smile actually appeared in Old Master Jiang’s eyes.
Old Madam Jiang looked at him and shook her head. “Look at you, what kind of question is that to ask?”
Old Master Jiang said, “Alright, alright, I won’t ask anymore. Have the oldest and second oldest arrived yet?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the faint sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the open main door.
Jiang Gaojun walked in, leading his wife Sun Ruowei and their son Jiang Yisheng.
He called out from a distance, “Dad, Mom, Liu’er, Xiaoyu.”
When Jiang Yisheng saw Bo Muyu sitting there, he was about to run over, but Sun Ruowei grabbed his wrist in time and gestured with her eyes towards the old master and old madam.
Jiang Yisheng had to suppress his excitement and greet his elders first. “Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie.”
Sun Ruowei also smiled. “Dad, Mom, Liu’er.”
Jiang Chenyin smiled back. “Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Yisheng.”
Seeing her parents-in-law nod, Sun Ruowei then sat down next to Bo Muyu.
Bo Muyu greeted Jiang Gaojun and Sun Ruowei, “Little Uncle, Little Auntie.”
The two Jiang brothers and Bo Mingliang addressed each other as brothers. Since both of them were younger than Bo Mingliang, Bo Muyu had called the eldest, Jiang Yingzong, Uncle Zong, and the second, Jiang Gaojun, Little Uncle since she was a child.
Sun Ruowei enthusiastically took Bo Muyu’s hand and smiled. “Xiaoyu, you haven’t been here in a while. If you didn’t come soon, Yisheng was about to drag me and your little uncle to your house to find you.”
Bo Muyu looked up at the boy standing to the side and gave a slight nod.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing everyone in the living room in a brilliant glow.
At that moment, the fifteen-year-old boy’s face turned red, and he stomped his foot. “Mom!”
Seeing this, Jiang Chenyin followed his gaze to Bo Muyu.
Although the girl had grown up and entered society, she still had a fresh, clear, and bright aura about her.
Bo Muyu’s long, black hair flowed like water down her back as she turned her head. Her profile was exquisite and ethereal in the sunlight, and when she smiled, her small canine teeth could instantly melt the thin layer of snow that seemed to cover her.
Young and beautiful.
Jiang Chenyin narrowed her eyes, as if she had sensed something.
Just then, Old Master Jiang asked, “Why isn’t the oldest here yet?”
Jiang Gaojun poured a cup of tea for Old Master Jiang and said with a smile, “He might have been delayed by something. The company has a lot going on, after all. Let’s chat and wait for a bit.”
Old Master Jiang nodded.
Sun Ruowei asked curiously, “I heard Xiaoyu is working now? Where are you working?”
Bo Muyu replied, “Little Auntie, I’m at Hongsheng.”
Before Sun Ruowei could continue, Jiang Yisheng eagerly took a step forward and asked, “Sister Xiaoyu, will you still come to Grandpa and Grandma’s house often in the future?”
Bo Muyu didn’t know how to answer this question.
When she was still in school, she could come whenever she wanted, but things were different now. She couldn’t even be sure she could find Jiang Chenyin whenever she wanted, let alone visit as often as before.
But in the past, she had only come here because Jiang Chenyin was here.
Jiang Chenyin smiled. “If Muyu has time and is willing, I will pick her up.”
Bo Muyu was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up.
“Wow, that’s great!” Jiang Yisheng ran over excitedly, plopped down, and hugged Sun Ruowei.
“What about you, Auntie? Will you be staying at Grandpa and Grandma’s house too? You won’t leave again?”
Jiang Chenyin replied cheerfully, “That’s right. You’ll see me every weekend you come over.”
Sun Ruowei said, “That’s for the best. Having the family together is better than anything.”
In the living room, the Jiang family started chatting, with most of the topics revolving around Jiang Chenyin.
Bo Muyu sat quietly next to Jiang Chenyin, looking very calm, but she took in every word of the conversation.
Jiang Yingzong’s family arrived close to noon. The large family, plus Bo Muyu, had lunch together, after which Jiang Chenyin took her to the guest room.
Jiang Chenyin walked ahead, her hand slightly behind her, holding Bo Muyu’s. “Auntie Wang has tidied everything up. The guest room has everything you need. You know my room is upstairs. If you need me, just come upstairs, or give me a call, and I’ll come down to find you.”
The hallway was quiet. Both of them were tall, and their footsteps intertwined, so that even they couldn’t distinguish which footsteps were their own.
Jiang Chenyin quickly found the guest room arranged for Bo Muyu. She opened the door and continued, “My parents are old and don’t eat late-night snacks. If you get hungry tonight, give me a call, and we’ll go out to eat. Also…”
She turned her head and saw Bo Muyu staring at her intently. For some reason, she suddenly couldn’t continue.
Because before she left Qinzhou, whenever Bo Muyu came over, she had always stayed in the room next to hers.
Jiang Chenyin sighed and asked in a warm voice, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Auntie Yin, can’t I sleep next to you anymore?”
Bo Muyu had held this question in for a long time before finally asking.
From the moment she entered and Grandma Jiang said a guest room would be prepared for her, to when Grandma Wang came down before lunch to tell her the guest room was ready, all the way until Jiang Chenyin led her upstairs.
How was she supposed to say it? That she still wanted to stay next to Jiang Chenyin like she did when she was a child, and that sometimes, after Jiang Chenyin went back to her room, she would follow like a little tail, immediately climbing out of bed and running into Jiang Chenyin’s room.
She had grown up. She didn’t know how to say it anymore.
Some things could be said at eight or nine, at twelve or thirteen, even at seventeen or eighteen. But she was almost twenty-two now. Even Jiang Chenyin had told her she had grown up.
The girl’s clear, gentle voice was laced with an almost imperceptible tremble, which softened Jiang Chenyin’s heart.
“Who said you can’t?” Jiang Chenyin reached out and gently stroked her soft, fine hair. “My parents just think that since you’ve grown up, they should treat you with more formal hospitality. After all, your way of thinking must be different from before.”
“I don’t want to,” she mumbled, lowering her head.
“Alright, then it’ll be just like before,” Jiang Chenyin said, her gaze gentle, making a promise just as she had when they first met again a few days ago.
