A Promise in a Thought 40

Chapter 40

As autumn turned to winter, snow began to fall in Qinzhou.

Bo Mingliang and Ye Xialan, having become even more carefree since Bo Muyu moved out, left for another trip after the first snowfall.

Ye Xialan said she wanted to try the hot pots from various places. Eating hot pot in the summer was never as satisfying as in the winter. When Jiang Chenyin heard this, she laughed at her for eating without exercising and told her to forget about having abs. As soon as she finished, Ye Xialan hung up on her, refusing to communicate.

On snowy days, everyone was bundled up in thick clothes, some even shivering, but Jiang Chenyin didn’t seem cold at all.

Bo Muyu looked up at the snow falling like cotton fluff and couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Jiang Chenyin’s physical constitution was truly good. She and Jiang Chenyin had worn clothes of similar thickness when they left in the morning. She had even worn a scarf, and was only just warm, but Jiang Chenyin’s complexion was very good. Before getting out of the car, she had even given her a hug, saying it would keep her warm until she got off work.

It didn’t keep her warm until she got off work; it was just warm.

As Bo Muyu was silently muttering in her heart that she had to get enough hugs when she got home from work, she suddenly felt the light beside her dim.

“Screenwriter Bo, are you going out?”

Yang Qian, dressed in a sharp suit with a black wool coat over it, appeared beside Bo Muyu with a smile on his face.

“Mmm,” Bo Muyu only glanced at him and didn’t say much.

Yang Qian smiled and adjusted the collar of his coat. “It’s so cold. I was thinking of getting a hot drink to warm up. Let’s go together.”

Bo Muyu glanced at him again and replied in a flat tone, “No, thank you,” then turned and walked away.

“Wait, the road is slippery on a snowy day…”

Yang Qian was, after all, used to being rejected. He knew that Bo Muyu had always been like this, unyielding no matter how proactive he was. Now that he finally had a chance to be alone with her, his courage surged, and he hurried after her.

The sound of his footsteps was swallowed by the thin layer of snow on the ground. Bo Muyu’s face was as cold as the drifting snow, and she had no intention of slowing down to wait for Yang Qian behind her.

Yang Qian followed closely behind. With his height advantage, he easily caught up to walk side-by-side with Bo Muyu. “Screenwriter Bo, there’s a movie premiering today. It’s produced by Jiayi, and I heard it’s a big production. We’ve been thinking about it for a while and think it’s worth seeing.”

“Mmm, I know,” Bo Muyu nodded.

Yang Qian felt he had an opening and said directly, “Why don’t we go and see it tonight? A friend gave me a few tickets.”

“I’m sorry,” Bo Muyu stopped and turned to face him, who had also stopped. “I don’t want to go. You guys go ahead.”

After she finished, she turned and continued to walk forward. It was really cold today. She couldn’t wait to drink a cup of hot milk and then take a picture to send to Jiang Chenyin, telling her that the hug from this morning was not enough to last until she got off work, and that she needed to make up for it tonight.

She didn’t see that after she had rejected him, the smile in Yang Qian’s eyes had completely faded, replaced by a strong sense of dissatisfaction and confusion.

“Screenwriter Bo,” he said, taking a few quick steps after her, his tone tinged with a hint of anger. “I really don’t understand. Have I offended you in some way? Why do you always reject me like this? I was afraid you would feel uncomfortable if it was just the two of us, so I even invited others to come along, and you still won’t agree. What have I done wrong? Why do you always reject me like this?”

Bo Muyu had to stop and turn around again, her expression a little complicated.

Yang Qian had asked her out many times, and she had never agreed. But every time, Yang Qian would retreat to his small group and grumble a few words, or lament on his social media. At most, he would show a little dissatisfaction, like on her birthday last time.

But this was the first time he had been so direct.

And Bo Muyu’s reason for refusing was very simple. She shook her head slightly and said simply, “You haven’t offended me. I just simply don’t want to go.”

Yang Qian seemed not to have expected this answer. After a pause, he softened his tone slightly and pressed, “Then tell me what you like, or where you usually like to go. At least let me know your preferences.”

This kind of request again. Su Man had mentioned it before, but when Su Man had brought it up, it had only made Bo Muyu feel confused. Now that Yang Qian was bringing it up, she felt a very obvious sense of revulsion. She and Su Man were at least friends, but Yang Qian was just a colleague. And the words he had spread around last time, complaining about being hurt by her, began to surface in her mind.

Bo Muyu shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”

A smile that was both mocking and self-deprecating appeared on Yang Qian’s face. “So you actually have a problem with me, right? You won’t even give me a chance to get to know you. I really don’t understand why. Can you tell me clearly?”

“I really don’t,” Bo Muyu sighed, her brow slightly furrowed.

Yang Qian still looked at her with that questioning expression. She had no intention of saying any more and was about to turn and leave.

“Do you take me for a fool?” Yang Qian immediately grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. When he stood in front of her, his eyes were bloodshot with anger. “You say you have no problem with me, but you’re unwilling to accept my goodwill, not even to be ordinary friends. And you still tell me you have no problem with me?”

A sharp pain shot through Bo Muyu’s wrist. After failing to break free, the revulsion in her heart grew stronger. She said coldly, “Because I don’t like it, so I refuse. Is there a problem?”

Yang Qian still held her wrist tightly. “A reason? A reason for not liking it? What have I done wrong?”

His aggressiveness reminded Bo Muyu of those baseless rumors, and her eyes were filled with a cold frost. “The reason is simply that I don’t like you. If my dislike is a hurt to you, then what about me? Wouldn’t being forced to accept it be a hurt to me?”

Without thinking, Yang Qian blurted out, “How will you know you don’t like it if you don’t even try? Doesn’t everything need a beginning?”

Bo Muyu said coldly, “Because I don’t even have the thought of trying.”

The weather was cold, but this sentence was even colder. Yang Qian froze on the spot.

Taking advantage of his daze, Bo Muyu forcefully pulled her hand away. The momentary sense of relief and pain made her let out a sigh of relief.

She didn’t look at Yang Qian again and strode away, but the voice from behind her made her clench the hand she had just put in her pocket for warmth.

“Hahaha, bro, rejected again? I told you not to mess with her.”

“How was I supposed to know she was so ruthless…” Yang Qian’s voice was filled with dejection.

“I think you should stop trying with her. Let’s not even talk about her bad personality. You know she knows President Su. Do you still want this job? If President Su terminates your contract, I don’t think she’d even bat an eye at the breach of contract fee…”

Bo Muyu’s hands, stuffed in her coat pockets, clenched into fists. She suddenly felt even colder.

Why were there always people who had to disregard others’ wishes? Lately, she had found that this situation seemed to be happening more and more often. No, it had probably always existed. It was just that she was only now realizing it.

For example, the Gao Yan she had learned about before, who had likely used extreme methods to pursue others, and Jiang Chenyin, who had very likely been pursued by him in this way, and also Yang Qian today. These people were all hurting others in the name of love, completely disregarding the other person’s wishes, placing their own desires above all else, while trampling on the other person’s wishes.

And in their eyes, if you didn’t agree to their desires, then you were hurting them.

Why was this kind of behavior given the high-sounding names of “love” and “like”? This was not love at all, not like at all.

This was wrong.

Bo Muyu sat in a corner, her hands wrapped around a cup of hot milk, her expression a little placid, but her eyes were filled with an indescribable emotion. There was anger, confusion, and she seemed to be deep in thought.

Su Man watched her from a distance. The joy she had felt after seeing her reject Yang Qian had now turned into a slight ache.

Su Man walked closer and asked in a soft voice, “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Bo Muyu shook her head, took a sip of hot milk, and only fully felt the warmth of the milk after Su Man had interrupted her thoughts.

“I saw you and Yang Qian outside just now,” Su Man’s eyes were full of understanding as she met her raised gaze. “How they define your response is not something you can control. You just have to do what you want to do. You don’t have to think about other things.”

Bo Muyu still shook her head, a rare surge of indignation in her eyes, her lips pressed together as she said in a stern voice, “I don’t know why there are so many people who like to force others to do things they don’t like. While they’re trying to satisfy themselves, have they ever thought about how unfair it is to others?”

“And?” Su Man smiled faintly, waiting for her to continue.

“And…” Bo Muyu murmured, then said, “I don’t like it.”

“No one likes it,” Su Man sighed, her gaze falling on Bo Muyu’s slender fingers wrapped around the cup. “Some of the people who do this are not aware of how much harm their actions cause others. This group can still be corrected. There’s another group who clearly know that their actions are not right, but still insist on them, believing that they can make up for their mistakes after they succeed, or perhaps they have no intention of making up for them at all.”

“That’s…” Bo Muyu couldn’t bring herself to say any harsh words. Her brow furrowed in pain. She felt that after hearing what Su Man had said, even her temples were throbbing.

“There are all sorts of people in this world. You don’t have to care,” Su Man said with a warm smile, trying to comfort her. “Everyone’s way of thinking is different. Even if you’re troubled here, such people won’t change in the slightest because of you.”

“I know,” Bo Muyu nodded, her gaze drifting into the distance.

Su Man smiled and said slyly, “Some people naturally think that others owe them, and that whatever they do is justified. So they will want to…” she paused, leaned in, and whispered, “disgust others.”

Bo Muyu was taken aback for a moment, and her gaze met Su Man’s, which had a rare hint of playfulness. The next second, her brow finally relaxed, and she and Su Man looked at each other and smiled. “Mmm, I understand, Senior.”

Su Man’s lips curved up in satisfaction, and she leaned back in her chair.

Bo Muyu thought for a moment and said to her, “Then can you pretend you didn’t hear what I said just now? Don’t have any opinion of Yang Qian. He’s fine at work.”

Su Man’s eyes were clear, and she said pleasantly, “Of course. Private matters are not related to work.”

Bo Muyu’s lips curved into a faint smile, and she took a sip of hot milk from her cup.

Su Man’s hand, resting on the table, tapped the tabletop rhythmically with her fingertips, a smile reappearing in her eyes. “Xiaoyu, I have some thoughts on some of the plots you discussed with me a couple of days ago. Can we chat about them tonight?”

Bo Muyu was slightly taken aback. “Is it about God of War?”

Su Man said, “Yes. There are some things I want to talk to you about in more detail, but we can’t finish in one go. So if you’re willing, how about we have dinner together tonight?”

Bo Muyu paused, then nodded. “Okay, no problem. I’ll just tell Auntie Yin that I won’t be home for dinner.”

The curve of Su Man’s lips deepened, and a sense of joy welled up in her heart.

Actually, one of the rumors circulating in the company was true: it was indeed very difficult to get a date with Bo Muyu.