A Promise in a Thought 112

Chapter 112

Bo Muyu sat on the sofa in the hotel lobby, dressed in casual clothes that exuded a youthful aura. Her long, straight black hair was neatly tucked behind her back, and a small suitcase stood beside her.

She was leaning forward, her hands clasped together, slightly covering her lips, her elbows resting on her thighs, her slightly lowered eyelids hiding the longing in her eyes. She still didn’t know if it was right to have come here so suddenly, but she missed Jiang Chenyin very much.

Even if their relationship couldn’t be romantic, Jiang Chenyin had already taken the initiative to show her goodwill. Even if it was just familial love, she could do this, right?

But she had already confessed. Even if they went back to being family, it would still be very ambiguous, so it was okay to do this.

And Jiang Chenyin’s reply on the phone just now had also been very excited. After she had finished speaking, she had asked in surprise, “What did you say?” After she had repeated herself, there had been the sound of footsteps on Jiang Chenyin’s end, and then she had told her to wait a little longer.

Jiang Chenyin hadn’t even thought to tell Lan Yuxin what she was going back for. She had just instructed her assistant to let her know and had rushed back to the hotel.

She had been in a bit of a cold wind on the way, and had calmed down a little. She had bought a cheesecake from a cake shop on the way. She hadn’t bought a cake for Bo Muyu in a long time. The last time she had secretly gone to her house, she hadn’t even left that mango pancake. Later, when she had returned home, her thoughts had been in a jumble, and the mango pancake had been left for too long and couldn’t be eaten.

Bo Muyu heard the footsteps approaching, and when she looked up, she saw Jiang Chenyin walk in from the hotel entrance with a small cake box. The moment she saw her, Jiang Chenyin’s lips curved up in a smile.

She quickly stood up to greet her. When there were still two or three steps between them, they stopped tacitly.

“Auntie Yin, why did you… even go and buy a cake…” Bo Muyu couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips.

Seeing her happy, Jiang Chenyin’s smile also deepened. “You must be tired from the flight. I just bought it for you to eat when you’re resting. It’ll be just right to eat it and then take a shower.”

“Mmm…” Bo Muyu clasped her hands together, a little at a loss, and lowered her head slightly.

They had been chatting on WeChat and on the phone for the past half a month, but before that, they had been distant for so long. The last time they had met before today was on the day of the blind date that Ye Xialan had arranged—such an awkward final encounter.

She now finally understood why netizens who had been chatting happily online would be a little restrained when they first met. She had a little bit of that feeling now.

Jiang Chenyin, on the other hand, felt a sense of satisfaction that instantly filled the void in her heart from the whole afternoon. So Bo Muyu had been on a plane all afternoon, on her way to see her.

She had no complaints at all. She quickly took two steps forward to shorten the distance between them, reached out to take Bo Muyu’s hand, and the smile on her lips never faded. “You didn’t get your own room, did you?”

As soon as she finished, she was taken aback for a moment. If she had, why would she be waiting here?

The two of them thought of this at the same time and laughed together.

The last bit of a struggle in Bo Muyu’s heart dissipated with the laugh, and only then did she react. She looked at the hotel front desk. No one was watching them. But who knew if someone was listening with their ears pricked up? She shuddered at the thought.

She tugged at Jiang Chenyin’s hand. “Auntie Yin, let’s go to the room first. Let’s not be here.”

“Okay.”

Bo Muyu went to get her suitcase, and the two of them took the elevator to the floor of Jiang Chenyin’s room.

After closing the door, all the noise from just now was shut out, and there was no need to worry about the hotel front desk. The room was very quiet.

Jiang Chenyin put down her phone and the cake box. Seeing Bo Muyu walk over, the warmth of their first meeting had finally faded a little from her heart. She took her wrist and said in a gentle tone, “Are you tired? Do you want to go to bed early? We can eat the cake later.”

Bo Muyu shook her head gently and smiled at her. “No, I want to eat it.” She paused slightly, then said softly, “You haven’t bought me a cake in a long time.”

Jiang Chenyin’s heart ached, and she was about to apologize, but Bo Muyu’s words stopped her in time. “Is there anything I can watch while I eat the cake? Do you have any new movies on your computer?”

As she spoke, she took both of Jiang Chenyin’s hands, blinked, and with her distant and placid features, she had an indescribable cuteness. When other girls acted coy, they were very cute. But for Bo Muyu, it was just saying a few more words in a flat tone, and then blinking. But Jiang Chenyin just happened to fall for it, and she also understood what she meant.

They were moving forward now. They shouldn’t be thinking about the past anymore. It was not appropriate to always be apologizing.

Thinking this through, Jiang Chenyin sighed and smiled at her. “Where would I have the time to watch movies lately? The movies on my computer are all ones you’ve seen.”

“That’s okay too. We can watch them again,” Bo Muyu said with a faint smile, revealing her slightly childish small canine teeth.

Jiang Chenyin’s eyes curved up with a smile. “You can also look at my script and give me some pointers. Let me hear the teachings of the big screenwriter. You must have learned a lot after being with the crew for so long.”

“No, we’re competitors,” Bo Muyu refused decisively, then gave her a little push. “You should go and take a shower first. You’ve been tired all day. I’ll wash after I’ve eaten.”

Jiang Chenyin was taken aback for a moment. “You don’t need me to watch the movie with you?”

“No,” Bo Muyu said, and after she finished, she saw a hint of disappointment in Jiang Chenyin’s eyes. She quickly said the rest of what she had to say. “I mean, it’s still early. We’ll have time later. I want you to take a shower first. You’ll feel much more comfortable after a shower…”

So that’s what she meant? Jiang Chenyin just wanted to slap her own face. Lan Yuxin was right. She was really thinking more and more now. Since she had come all this way to surprise her, what was there to worry about? What she needed to do now was to make Bo Muyu completely trust her.

She let out a sigh of relief and chuckled in a low voice. “Then I’ll go and take a shower. If you need anything of mine, just go and use it. You don’t have to ask me.”

“Got it,” Bo Muyu quickly agreed.

Jiang Chenyin gently poked her cheek with her finger, let go of her with satisfaction, and took her nightdress to the shower.

By the time she came out of the shower, Bo Muyu was on the sofa, eating the cake. Her laptop was on the coffee table, and the sound of fighting from a movie was coming out. Bo Muyu had pricked up her ears as soon as the sound of water in the bathroom had stopped. She hadn’t been paying attention to the movie to begin with, and when Jiang Chenyin came out, she instantly buried her head even lower, mechanically eating the cake.

Bo Muyu was thinking, now that they were like this, would Jiang Chenyin still come out in her nightdress after her shower as she used to? Shouldn’t she be a little more on guard against her?

Just as she was thinking this, that beautiful figure appeared in her peripheral vision, seemingly drying her hair. Then, the scent of the shower gel approached her, with a familiar warmth. The spot beside her dipped, and Jiang Chenyin sat down beside her.

Jiang Chenyin’s voice sounded by her ear, clear, gentle, and soft after her shower. “Is the cake from this shop good? The people in the crew recommended it.”

“Mmm, it’s not bad…” Bo Muyu replied indistinctly without looking up.

“Why aren’t you looking up? You’re not watching your movie?” Jiang Chenyin chuckled softly.

She was very close, and Bo Muyu could even feel her breath as she spoke, warm on her hair. Bo Muyu’s heart immediately started pounding. In her peripheral vision just now, she had seen Jiang Chenyin wearing a soft, black silk nightdress, her body’s curves perfectly presented, her every move filled with the charm of a mature woman.

This image made Bo Muyu think of the times they had slept together before. She could snuggle into Jiang Chenyin’s embrace, bury her head in her chest. The warm, soft touch was instantly and clearly recalled by her.

Bo Muyu’s ears grew hot. She quickly put the cake on the coffee table, covered her nose, and moved in the other direction, stammering, “Auntie Yin, I’m going to take a shower first…”

After she finished, she quickly stood up and ran to the bathroom, leaving a somewhat taken aback Jiang Chenyin behind.

“You’re not taking your clothes?”

As soon as Jiang Chenyin finished, she saw Bo Muyu walking back with her back to her, slowly, as if she didn’t want to turn around, to her suitcase. After opening it with her back to her and taking her clothes, she continued to walk quickly to the bathroom.

Jiang Chenyin couldn’t help but laugh. Was she being shy? She looked again at the half-eaten cake. She had only eaten that much?

It seemed she was really being shy. The more Jiang Chenyin thought about it, the cuter she found it. In her impression, this child was so direct she wouldn’t even be shy. It was rare for her to be shy once. She really wanted to tease her again.

Just as she was thinking this, her phone rang. She answered with a smile on her lips.

Lan Yuxin shouted on the phone, “Teacher Jiang, why did you leave so quickly without waiting for me? I wanted to ask you out for a late-night snack. It’s rare for me to come to Jinghe, and you’re not even having a late-night snack with me!”

Jiang Chenyin composed herself and said to her, “I have something to do. Let’s meet again in a couple of days.”

“What’s so urgent that you didn’t even wait for me?” Lan Yuxin was very curious.

Jiang Chenyin paused, then said with a slow smile, “She’s here.”

“She… who?” Lan Yuxin followed up with a “my god,” and then her voice rose. “The little block of wood is here? Oh my god, so romantic! You’d better not let me down, and pluck this grass. Do you hear me! Otherwise, you’ll be letting down your age! Teacher Jiang…”

Jiang Chenyin couldn’t take it and covered the top of her phone, and with a mixture of a hot face and helplessness, she said, “I’m hanging up,” and then hung up.

She was tidying up the half-eaten cake and had also turned off the laptop. When she sat on the bed, she let out a leisurely smile. Romantic, it seemed there was a little bit. When Bo Muyu had been on a business trip in Lingzhou, she had also gone over so suddenly.

But now would be different from then. Now, they were just a little bit away. They were very close to the relationship of “lovers.” Or, maybe they already were.

Jiang Chenyin leaned against the headboard with these thoughts, her eyes closed, the corners of her lips slightly lifted.

It wasn’t until she heard the bathroom door open, and then the intermittent sound of slippers, that she opened her eyes curiously. The next second, she said with a hint of a sly smile, “Muyu, why aren’t you coming up yet? Or do you want to continue eating the cake?”

“No, I don’t want to eat anymore,” Bo Muyu quickly shook her head, her hands clasped together, and she didn’t dare to look up at Jiang Chenyin.

She was just wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, and only a pair of small underwear on her lower body, just like before. Her two smooth, fair legs were long and straight, looking clean and fresh.

She dawdled to the side of the bed and asked with her head down, “Auntie Yin, why don’t I sleep on the sofa?”

Jiang Chenyin smiled and leaned over to take her wrist. “How could I let you sleep on the sofa? Come up.”

“But…” Bo Muyu bit her lip and finally had to look up, a glint in her eyes. “You’re not afraid of me? What I told you… it’s not appropriate for us to sleep together anymore…”

Their current relationship was really ambiguous. She suddenly realized that even if Jiang Chenyin wanted to go back to the past, she had already confessed, and she also knew that she had a crush. How could they go back to a simple familial love? Putting her side aside, for Jiang Chenyin to be so close knowing her feelings, this was not her style.

If she were such an unprincipled person, then the incidents with Shao Sinan and Gao Yan would not have happened. And later, Meng Yi’an and Duan Zhiheng. If she had no good feelings, she would absolutely not have continued the misunderstanding and ambiguity.

So what about now? Bo Muyu’s heart suddenly trembled. She started to think in that direction again. She really couldn’t help but think so. But was it possible?

Before she could sort out her thoughts, Jiang Chenyin’s smile faded a little. “Come up. Be good.” After she finished, she felt that her tone might have been a little harsh, and she softened her voice again. “You can come up first, and then I’ll talk to you.”

Jiang Chenyin couldn’t bear to see her so cautious. Didn’t she understand yet?

Bo Muyu hesitated, and seeing Jiang Chenyin’s serious and earnest but also afraid of being fierce expression in her eyes, she finally gritted her teeth, leaned over, and got under the covers.

But she did not face Jiang Chenyin, her arms wrapped around herself as she lay as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

Jiang Chenyin turned off the lights in the room, leaving the bedside lamp on, and after lying down, she tucked herself in. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved over, her hand resting on Bo Muyu’s waist, her fingertips gently rubbing, as if she were about to lean over and tighten her arm in the next moment.

Jiang Chenyin considered her words and first asked tentatively, “You don’t want to be close to me? A cold draft will get in between us if you sleep like this.”

Bo Muyu did not answer, but after a few seconds, she slowly moved towards Jiang Chenyin, but still with her back to her, moving to where Jiang Chenyin’s hand could slide down and wrap around her waist.

Jiang Chenyin also did just that. After her arm had slid down, she tightened her grip, and Bo Muyu’s whole body was in her embrace. She heard her breathing clearly quicken, and her own heart was also beating very fast. She knew that she could not be indifferent at this time.

Bo Muyu wanted to struggle. It was a subconscious reaction, but the low, gentle words by her ear made her stop. “Are you scared? You don’t believe me, or is there something else?”

Bo Muyu bit her lip, her eyelashes trembling slightly. She shook her head and whispered, “I just can’t believe that such a possibility exists… it’s been so long. How can it be…”

Their long period of estrangement made her always afraid to think too deeply in that direction. And now that they could meet and be in contact again, she really didn’t dare to hope for anything anymore. The situation between them was already much more complicated than usual. They were both female, the friendship between their two families was deep, and their age gap was very large.

Jiang Chenyin was also such a kind and filial person. The possibility between them was too, too small.

Jiang Chenyin gazed at her unwilling-to-turn-back, not daring to think of how much hurt she had brought her. If it weren’t for the coldness and distance of those days, how could she have become so on the verge of a deep abyss?

Jiang Chenyin’s heart was full of affection. She tightened her embrace, buried her face in her long hair, and her body pressed against hers, no longer holding back as she whispered in her ear, “I know I’ve made you sad for a long time. I’m sorry… it won’t happen again. Believe me. I know what I’m doing.”

Bo Muyu suddenly struggled, turned over to face Jiang Chenyin, and she saw that her eyes were full of heartache, full of only her. She was both pained and happy, and her eyes instantly turned red, tears falling into the pillowcase.

“I’ve had my doubts during this time, but I didn’t dare to think too much. You’ve already rejected me… and between us… you must have more to consider than I do…”

She was crying, but the corners of her lips couldn’t help but lift. She quickly wiped her eyes with her hand.

She couldn’t even imagine that there would be such a day, that they would be together in the name of love. This was something she had never thought deeply about since she had realized that she liked Jiang Chenyin.

“Why are you crying again? You’ve become a little crybaby now,” Jiang Chenyin smiled, took the hand she was using to wipe her tears, and lovingly kissed her forehead, and then her teary eyes.

These actions were all subconscious. To Jiang Chenyin, there was no obstacle, and even after she had done them, she only realized that it was not difficult to start this new relationship.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to cry either. I thought it was impossible for us…” Bo Muyu was both crying and laughing, and she couldn’t even wipe her tears anymore. Jiang Chenyin was kissing her eyes, and her tears flowed even more fiercely.

“It’s my fault,” Jiang Chenyin said, holding her even tighter with a pained heart. “But you can believe me now. Believe what you’re feeling now. I won’t be like before again. Believe me…”

They held each other for a long time. Jiang Chenyin whispered in her ear for a long time, and Bo Muyu, who had been sobbing softly at first, gradually calmed down.

Jiang Chenyin sighed with a laugh and stroked her back, pulling her attention away with a gentle whisper. “Do you know, there’s a male couple in the residential complex where I used to live? The older one has a shop in the complex. We usually go to buy things early, and they also deliberately avoid others, so probably not many people know. But one day last year, I went back a little late and happened to run into the two of them.”

Bo Muyu rubbed her face against hers, sniffled, and asked with a hint of a nasal voice, “Is that so? Is it the cake shop?”

Jiang Chenyin let out a soft laugh and stroked her head. “All you remember is eating… of course not. It’s the owner of the small supermarket. He’s forty.”

“Forty, older?” Bo Muyu suddenly caught the main point, looked up, and blinked her red, rabbit-like eyes. “Then that means there’s a younger one?”

“Correct.”

Bo Muyu was extremely surprised. “Really? I’ve rarely paid attention to him.” She thought along Jiang Chenyin’s words and suddenly muttered to herself, “He has a bad leg. I’ve also seen a male couple like that when I was out for the Spring Festival, but I didn’t see their faces. But now that I think about it, the voice of the man in the wheelchair sounds like that owner… could it be…”

Jiang Chenyin let out a laugh. “What a coincidence.”

“Really. I remember it very clearly,” Bo Muyu said, seriously pulling away and looking at Jiang Chenyin with her red, rabbit-like eyes.

“Really, really…” Jiang Chenyin’s smile widened, and she was about to pull her back. “Just talk. Don’t move around. You’re about to move to the edge of the bed again.”

“I…” Bo Muyu was both happy and shy, not daring to look at Jiang Chenyin directly.

“Or do you want to finish the rest of the cake?”

“No, I don’t want to eat anymore…” Bo Muyu subconsciously tugged at a corner of her nightdress, her voice very low.

Jiang Chenyin felt that it might be a little difficult for her to come over on her own. She suddenly felt both amused and cute, so she let out a soft, sighing laugh and pulled her into her arms. “Be good… you must be tired after coming all this way today. If you don’t want to finish the cake, then we’ll just talk for a bit and then rest.”

Bo Muyu’s cheeks grew warm. She obediently let Jiang Chenyin hold her again and snuggled into the embrace that had been reopened for her. The long period of estrangement had not erased their even longer intimacy. She knew how to be most comfortable in Jiang Chenyin’s arms.

The bedside lamp created a warm little world in the dark room. The doting smile in Jiang Chenyin’s eyes was not hidden at all as she held Bo Muyu and whispered.