Chapter 13
Having made up their minds to travel, Bo Mingliang and his wife called Jiang Chenyin as soon as they got back to their room. Jiang Chenyin was surprised by Bo Muyu’s efficiency but didn’t say much on the phone.
However, as soon as she hung up, she called Bo Muyu. Seeing the name displayed on her phone screen, Bo Muyu carried her laptop back to her room.
“Auntie Yin,” Bo Muyu answered the phone, her tone tinged with a smile due to her good mood.
“What are you smiling about?” Jiang Chenyin couldn’t help but chuckle. “How did you manage to get your parents to willingly leave you with me?”
Bo Muyu slowly walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. “Actually, I just reminded them that it’s been a long time since they’ve gone on a trip.”
Her other hand clutched the bedsheet. She felt a little guilty about what she had done tonight. She had never lied to her parents before. Although this couldn’t be called a lie, her intentions were, after all, not entirely pure.
Throughout the day, she felt as if many of her thoughts shouldn’t have appeared. For instance, not wanting Jiang Chenyin to have an intimate partner, and also guiding her parents to the idea of traveling so that she could live with Jiang Chenyin.
After she finished speaking, Jiang Chenyin fell silent. A moment later, she said, “There’s nothing inherently wrong with what you did, but Muyu, I have to tell you, I don’t support this kind of approach. I would rather you just tell the truth. If your parents don’t agree, I can step in and talk to them.”
If it had been something else, not a small matter like moving out, then Bo Muyu’s actions could be suspected of being unscrupulous to achieve her goal. And indeed, she had hidden her true intentions from Bo Mingliang and Ye Xialan.
Bo Muyu gripped the bedsheet tightly, suddenly feeling extremely wronged. Her usually calm tone dropped. “I just wanted to spend a little more time with you. I didn’t think about all that.”
She suddenly felt a lump of sourness accumulating in her heart, lodging there uncomfortably, but she couldn’t get rid of the feeling.
Her goal was very simple, but her eyes were only fixed on that goal, and she forgot to consider what she should and shouldn’t do.
Jiang Chenyin heard the disappointment in her voice. The increasingly reserved girl’s tone of voice was usually light, but her sadness at this moment was so obvious.
Jiang Chenyin couldn’t bring herself to say any more harsh words. It was just a small matter, after all.
“I know. I’m not blaming you,” she comforted softly, then said in a warm, gentle voice, “I’ll come over this weekend to see if there’s anything I can help you pack, okay?”
“Mmm,” Bo Muyu replied, biting her lip. Hearing the gentle laughter on the other end, she clenched her fist and said, as if making a promise, “Auntie Yin, I promise this is the only time. I will never be like this again. Really…”
“Okay, I believe you.”
The two of them chatted for a few more minutes before Jiang Chenyin hung up.
She thought carefully about their conversation just now and couldn’t help but sigh. She felt, was she sometimes too strict with Bo Muyu? This wasn’t a new thought; she had had it before.
Bo Mingliang and Ye Xialan had raised Bo Muyu well, having taught her about how to conduct herself in various aspects of life. But sometimes, when Bo Muyu shared some of her views, she would be a little more meticulous. Especially when the same matter involved strangers versus close ones, it was essential to view it fairly and impartially, without bias.
Sometimes she would even take small incidents around her and explain them in detail to Bo Muyu, analyzing their nature and the correct and incorrect ways to respond.
But in reality, the world was not perfect, not completely fair. Why did she have to demand that a child be so detached from worldly ways?
On Saturday, Bo Muyu was at home with her parents, planning their trip, when she received an unexpected invitation in the afternoon and went out for a while.
The invitation was from her university senior, Lin Chuwan, who was in the same year as Su Man.
They met at a drink bar they used to frequent during their school days. As soon as Bo Muyu walked in, she saw a woman in a beige dress sitting in a corner.
The ends of the woman’s long, chestnut-colored hair were slightly curled. The way she slowly picked up the ceramic cup was elegant and serene. As her gaze met Bo Muyu’s, a warm smile appeared on her lips.
“Sister Chuwan, I’m late,” Bo Muyu said, sitting down opposite her.
“It’s okay, I was early,” Lin Chuwan smiled, then nodded at the waiter waiting nearby.
Bo Muyu ordered a lemon green tea, then looked at Lin Chuwan. “Sister Chuwan, I’ve been a bit busy recently, so I didn’t accept your invitation last time.”
Lin Chuwan smiled. “It’s alright. You’ve just started working, so it’s understandable that you’re a bit busy. And it wasn’t anything important. I just happened to think of you, so I wanted to see if you had time.”
Bo Muyu lowered her head and stirred the lemon green tea in front of her with a straw, a faint smile on her lips.
When she met Lin Chuwan, Lin Chuwan was about to graduate from university. She wasn’t very good at making new friends, and it was the same when she first met Lin Chuwan. Fortunately, Lin Chuwan was very patient and had a gentle temperament, which allowed the two of them to become familiar.
Although Lin Chuwan and Su Man had some similarities in personality, Su Man was a bit more assertive and more career-oriented than Lin Chuwan.
Bo Muyu thought for a moment and said to Lin Chuwan, “By the way, Sister Chuwan, I’m planning to move out.”
“Hmm?” Lin Chuwan’s smile deepened, and she asked curiously, “Living by yourself?”
Bo Muyu shook her head. “With someone else. You know her; I’ve mentioned her to you before.”
In the past, when she chatted with Su Man, Su Man would often discuss business with her, such as recent ideas for new scripts. Lin Chuwan, on the other hand, would often talk about life or things happening around them, which would stir up a strong desire in Bo Muyu to confide in her.
At that time, Jiang Chenyin had just left not long ago, and Bo Muyu had too many things bottled up in her heart, so she had confided a lot in Lin Chuwan.
Hearing her say this, Lin Chuwan’s brows furrowed, then relaxed after a moment. She asked, “Is it her? The person you told me about, Jiang Chenyin?”
The Lin family was in business, so they were no strangers to the Jiang family. When Bo Muyu had mentioned her before, she had been surprised that Jiang Chenyin and Bo Muyu were so close. She had also heard from Bo Muyu that Jiang Chenyin had gone abroad.
Later, she kept in touch with Bo Muyu and learned that Jiang Chenyin had not returned for a long time. She hadn’t expected her to be back.
“Mmm,” Bo Muyu nodded, a rare look of joy in her eyes. “Auntie Yin had a reason for leaving back then, but now that she’s back, I don’t want to know the reason anymore. As long as nothing has changed between us, that’s all that matters. I don’t want to know anything else.”
“It’s good that she’s back. Now that she’s back, other things aren’t as important,” Lin Chuwan murmured to herself.
Her gaze fell on the smile on Bo Muyu’s lips, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
She had always felt that Bo Muyu was too dependent on Jiang Chenyin, a dependence that had surpassed her understanding of familial affection.
But on second thought, Jiang Chenyin was probably the person who had spent the most time with Bo Muyu besides her parents. According to Bo Muyu herself, when she was a child and her grandparents were still alive, the Bo family had more than just Bo Mingliang as a child, and there were many rules. She saw Jiang Chenyin more often than she saw her grandparents.
Perhaps it was a habit that had become second nature, and over time, it became impossible to change.
“Sister Chuwan, how is your mother? I haven’t been to see her in a long time.”
Lin Chuwan came back to her senses and said with a smile, “My mom is fine. She’s mentioned you recently too. I explained to her that you’re busy with work.”
Bo Muyu said, “I’ll definitely go visit her in a little while.”
“Okay, my mom will be very happy,” Lin Chuwan smiled.
As Bo Muyu and Lin Chuwan chatted, time quietly slipped by, and the golden sunlight gradually turned orange.
Lin Chuwan’s phone buzzed. She looked out the window and saw a tall, slender figure in a woman’s suit holding a parasol, looking at her with a cool gaze.
Seeing this, Bo Muyu also turned to look.
“It’s Senior Song,” Bo Muyu said, then glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late. I should go home for dinner.”
“Okay, you should go back. Do you want us to give you a ride?” Lin Chuwan asked with a smile as she looked back.
“No, thank you. We’re not going the same way. It would be too much trouble,” Bo Muyu said, standing up and giving a slight nod to the person outside the window as a greeting.
“Alright, then we’ll be leaving.”
Lin Chuwan stood up, but Bo Muyu grabbed her arm.
She paused in confusion, but Bo Muyu’s eyes held a hint of worry. “Sister Chuwan, you, Senior Song, and your mother have to live well. I’m sure Brother Youfan would want that too.”
Lin Chuwan’s lips moved, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say yes.
After a long moment, she said in a low voice, “Don’t worry.”
Bo Muyu watched her walk out, into the shadow of the parasol, and then leave side-by-side with the other woman.
When Bo Muyu got home, Jiang Chenyin had already arrived. It was just in time for dinner, so Jiang Chenyin stayed to eat with them.
After dinner, Bo Mingliang went out to buy something. Ye Xialan and Bo Muyu were washing dishes in the kitchen, and Jiang Chenyin was leaning against the kitchen doorway.
Ye Xialan called out, “Teacher Jiang, do you want us to bring you back any local specialties?”
“No need. Of course, if you insist on bringing some, I don’t mind,” Jiang Chenyin said with a faint smile, her arms crossed.
Ye Xialan put the dishes in the cupboard and said dismissively, “You’re thinking too much. Why would I bring them back if you don’t want them?”
After wiping her hands, Bo Muyu turned around just as Jiang Chenyin beckoned to her. She walked over.
Jiang Chenyin tucked her hair behind her ear and, lowering her head slightly, asked, “Is your luggage packed? Do you want me to help you?”
Bo Muyu shook her head, linked her arm through Jiang Chenyin’s, and leaned in to smell the fragrance of her hair, the corners of her lips turning up. “No need. I’ve packed it myself. I don’t need your help.”
Still a clingy child.
Jiang Chenyin smiled gently, her other arm wrapping around her, her words tinged with a bit of teasing. “Do you want to bring a couple of stuffed dolls? My car can fit many of them.”
“I’m not a child anymore,” Bo Muyu said, looking up, her expression surprisingly serious.
Jiang Chenyin covered her lips with her hand and laughed.
Ye Xialan suddenly asked, “Hey, Teacher Jiang, are you still living at the old master’s place?”
“For now, but not after the day after tomorrow,” Jiang Chenyin replied. “I’ll come over on Monday to get Muyu’s luggage. I’ll pick her up after she gets off work in the afternoon and take her back to my place in the city.”
Bo Muyu bit her lip and whispered in her ear, “Wouldn’t that be a bother for you?”
Ye Xialan, who was still putting away the dishes, couldn’t hear Bo Muyu’s voice and asked instead, “Will that be too much trouble for you?”
Jiang Chenyin and Bo Muyu looked at each other, their eyes crinkling with a smile. She replied in a clear voice, “No, I’m going back to the company on Monday anyway. I was planning to move to the city.”
Hearing this, Bo Muyu was stunned for a moment, then her lips curved into a smile.
“What a silly girl,” Jiang Chenyin said with a smile, pinching her nose.
***
Author’s Note:
Bo Muyu’s inner monologue: I’m surrounded by cool, mature women, all sorts of them, a complete collection. I’m about to become one too. Don’t underestimate me (smiling face)
