Chapter 11
Because she was having dinner with Jiang Chenyin, Lan Yuxin had her assistant come and drive her own car away, then hitched a ride in Jiang Chenyin’s.
Jiang Chenyin had been abroad for the past few years, so Lan Yuxin hadn’t had many chances to see her. Now that Jiang Chenyin was finally settled, she wouldn’t let up until she had taken full advantage of the opportunity.
Just after getting into the car, before Lan Yuxin could even finish plotting how to exploit Jiang Chenyin, she saw Jiang Chenyin answer a call with a gentle expression.
Well, well, Lan Yuxin raised an eyebrow.
“Muyu, what’s wrong?”
Bo Muyu’s voice came through the phone: “Auntie Yin, I want to see you.”
“Are you off work?” Jiang Chenyin couldn’t help but smile. She had thought the child had something important to say.
“I’m getting off soon, in about ten minutes.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Chenyin responded with a low hum.
Bo Muyu immediately explained, “We just finished a meeting, and I don’t have any more work. I can leave as soon as I put my files away.”
Jiang Chenyin’s eyes crinkled slightly, the corners of her lips turning up unconsciously. She could imagine Bo Muyu, though calm, would still be like she was as a child, hastily tugging at her own clothes to explain herself after being misunderstood.
“But I’m with a friend right now,” Jiang Chenyin said apologetically.
Lan Yuxin, however, whispered with great interest, “We’re just getting a meal. If you have a friend who wants to join, they can come along.”
She turned to look at Lan Yuxin and asked, “It’s a friend’s child. Is that okay?”
Lan Yuxin’s eyes widened. “What? A friend’s child? Are you sure?”
Not a handsome, rich man?
Jiang Chenyin had to say helplessly, “I’m sure. But she’s not that young, she’s an adult.”
“Oh… is it that little one?”
Jiang Chenyin nodded.
Lan Yuxin flicked her hair and smiled seductively. “Sure, come on. You’re getting old, after all. Your little sister here needs to be in contact with more young flesh. Female is fine too.”
Jiang Chenyin managed to cover the phone before she could say all that. After Lan Yuxin shot her a flirtatious wink, she put the phone back to her ear and said to Bo Muyu, “You’ve met this friend of mine before. Wait for us downstairs at your company. We’ll be there in a bit. Remember to let your parents know.”
“Okay,” Bo Muyu replied softly.
She had thought that since Jiang Chenyin had plans, she would just let it go. But the female voice she faintly heard from the other end sounded familiar, and since Jiang Chenyin had said so, it should be fine.
It wasn’t until she saw Lan Yuxin that Bo Muyu remembered what a “big shot” this woman was.
She remembered that Lan Yuxin was three years younger than Jiang Chenyin, which would make her thirty-three this year, and single. And her being single was different from others; rumors would pop up from time to time, linking her with some popular singer, A-list movie star, or a rich second-generation heir with a powerful background.
However, it was said to be just rumors. Because Lan Yuxin had once publicly responded on a show to those who questioned her for latching onto powerful figures, saying that she could earn her own money, and no less than the so-called “powerful figures” the media talked about, so there was really no need for her to do so.
Just as she was thinking this, Lan Yuxin in the front passenger seat turned around to greet her. “Hi, little one. Long time no see. Do you still remember your big sister?”
Jiang Chenyin, who was driving, smiled and shook her head.
“I remember,” Bo Muyu nodded. “You’re Sister Lan.”
“Very good. You didn’t call me ‘Auntie’ this time. Worthy of praise,” Lan Yuxin’s eyes curved with a smile. “Do you remember? The first time you met me, you called me ‘Auntie.’ It made me so mad. I’m not as old as your Auntie Yin!”
“Yuxin!” Jiang Chenyin couldn’t help but glare at her.
“You just drive your car. Mind your own business,” Lan Yuxin said dismissively.
Bo Muyu said with a straight face, “I remember Auntie Yin isn’t that much older than you. Only two or three years.”
Jiang Chenyin laughed out loud. Lan Yuxin blinked a couple of times, stunned.
“How is this child still so blunt after all these years?” Lan Yuxin was extremely surprised and quickly tugged at Jiang Chenyin’s sleeve. “Hasn’t she changed at all, Teacher Jiang? That can’t be right, can it?”
In her few encounters with Bo Muyu, her impression was that the child was quiet, not mischievous, and very well-behaved. Her only flaw was her bluntness, and she was very blunt.
The most memorable instance was their first meeting. The child was probably in her teens. Jiang Chenyin had brought her over and introduced her. The first thing the child said was, “Hello, Auntie.”
Lan Yuxin: “…”
Even if she and Jiang Chenyin were friends, couldn’t Bo Muyu see that she was only in her twenties at the time? Where did the term “Auntie” come from?
“What’s not right about it?” Jiang Chenyin replied without looking away from the road. “Muyu is fine just the way she is. It’s not like it’s something that can’t be said, and you’re not a professional colleague.”
Lan Yuxin scoffed. “You’re only this happy because this child said you’re not much older than me. Your little sister here is still young, you know.”
Jiang Chenyin laughed. “Yes, yes, you’re right about everything.”
With the younger Bo Muyu present, Lan Yuxin generously left the choice of dinner location to her.
Bo Muyu thought for a moment and suggested Western food.
When she was with Jiang Chenyin, they would eat whatever was delicious, never caring if it was a high-end restaurant or a small snack shop. But with Lan Yuxin here today, it was different.
After parking the car, Lan Yuxin got out and walked over to Bo Muyu’s side, saying, in her own words, that she “needed to be in contact with more young flesh.”
They entered the restaurant, chose a table, and ordered their meals.
Lan Yuxin rested her chin on her hands and asked curiously, “Little one, you should be working by now, right? What do you do?”
Bo Muyu looked at Jiang Chenyin, who nodded slightly.
“I’m a contracted screenwriter at Hongsheng.”
“Pfft… cough…” Lan Yuxin, who had just taken a sip of water, almost choked. “Your Auntie Yin has a whole Jiayi, and you went to Hongsheng?”
Bo Muyu nodded, her hands resting on her knees, and said in a steady voice, “When I signed the contract, Auntie Yin hadn’t come back yet. And I really wanted to train myself, so I agreed to my senior’s offer.”
Lan Yuxin fiddled with her glass and asked, “Senior? Su Man?”
“Mmm.”
“Oh…” Lan Yuxin narrowed her eyes meaningfully. “I heard this Su Man is very beautiful and capable. Although she can’t inherit her father’s directing career, being able to manage Hongsheng well is still very impressive.”
Su Man had some fame. Before, it was because of her famous father, but now, it was also due to her own merits.
Jiang Chenyin interjected, “You seem to know quite a lot.”
Lan Yuxin didn’t mince words. She flicked Jiang Chenyin’s hair and said with a devilish smile, “Don’t get me started. If there are ten pieces of gossip in this circle, I know at least six or seven of them. Something of this level doesn’t even count as gossip.”
“And how many of those six or seven pieces are about you?” Jiang Chenyin slapped her hand away and laughed along.
“Teacher Jiang, can you please not interrupt me?”
Bo Muyu watched from the side, her gaze lingering on Jiang Chenyin.
Lan Yuxin’s interest was already focused on Bo Muyu. After being shut down by Jiang Chenyin, she turned back to Bo Muyu and asked, “Little one, have you written any scripts yet? For work, I mean. What are your thoughts on it?”
Jiang Chenyin frowned. “Yuxin.”
“I know my limits. Can’t you let a person chat?” Lan Yuxin waved her hand at Jiang Chenyin without turning her head.
Bo Muyu replied, “I’m writing one now. It feels okay.”
“Oh…” Lan Yuxin didn’t press further. Her curiosity was satisfied.
The conversation then moved away from Bo Muyu, and their food arrived quickly.
When they were leaving, Jiang Chenyin thought for a moment and said to Lan Yuxin, “Yuxin, have your assistant drive over. I need to take Muyu home.”
Lan Yuxin, who was about to get in the car, froze. “Taking her home and taking me home, is there a conflict?”
Jiang Chenyin explained, “Your homes are in different directions. The routes aren’t even close.”
“Alright then,” Lan Yuxin shrugged, then turned to Bo Muyu with a smile on her red lips. “Little one, you’d better remember your big sister’s kindness. You can ask me out alone next time too. Your big sister promises to take you home.”
Bo Muyu couldn’t handle such enthusiasm. She took a step back and said politely, “Okay, thank you, Sister Lan.”
Jiang Chenyin and Bo Muyu waited until Lan Yuxin had finished calling her assistant before getting in the car and leaving.
The evening breeze was slightly cool. Jiang Chenyin rolled down the car window a little, the car moving at a steady pace.
After a long silence, Jiang Chenyin broke it. “Yuxin is just like that. Don’t mind her.”
Bo Muyu shook her head, her hands clutching the seatbelt, and looked at Jiang Chenyin. “I don’t. Sister Lan is very nice.”
In truth, she didn’t mind these things, or rather, she wouldn’t even notice them. She just wanted to be with Jiang Chenyin. When Jiang Chenyin was around, she rarely paid attention to other things.
Jiang Chenyin turned the steering wheel, glanced at her, and asked, “Why did you suddenly want to see me today?”
“It wasn’t sudden…”
Bo Muyu lowered her head, her fingers picking at the seatbelt, her long, inky-black hair falling softly by the side of her face.
Quiet girls seemed to have a natural advantage in being endearing, even more so when they lowered their eyes and spoke softly.
Before Jiang Chenyin could process the meaning of those words, she heard the clean, clear voice drift over. “I wanted to see you the day before yesterday, and yesterday too, but I didn’t know how to tell you. I don’t know what happened today, but I just called you directly.”
Hearing this, Jiang Chenyin’s heart softened, and she felt a little emotional.
Bo Muyu had one flaw: she was very direct. Even though she understood what to say and what not to say when talking to others, she could still be very direct at times.
This trait was more easily revealed to people she was familiar with. With strangers, her introversion made her less talkative.
But perhaps it couldn’t be considered a flaw. It could be a strength, or a characteristic. After all, she had always liked this child’s obedience and the fact that she always spoke her mind, never bottling things up and making people guess.
Jiang Chenyin’s index finger tapped lightly on the steering wheel as she said softly, “If you want to see me, just call. Why do you need a reason?”
“Mmm…” Bo Muyu was suddenly at a loss for words.
She had said it would be the same as before, but in the end, she still had some of the reservations that only adults have. This was probably an emotion that came with age, and there was nothing she could do about it.
But thinking this way, she suddenly felt an impulse.
Just then, they reached a traffic light, and Jiang Chenyin stepped on the brake.
She was about to turn and speak to Bo Muyu, but the girl, who had been looking down slightly, met her gaze. Her thin, pink lips slowly parted as she asked, “Auntie Yin, I want to move out. I want to live with you. Is that okay?”
