A Promise in a Thought 15

Chapter 15

Bo Muyu’s steps were clearly much more hurried than before as she quickly walked to Jiang Chenyin’s side.

Seeing that Jiang Chenyin wasn’t wearing sunglasses, she suddenly realized and looked around. Fortunately, Jiang Chenyin wasn’t very famous outside of her professional circle, so not many people lingered their gaze on them.

Bo Muyu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly reached out with both hands to take one of Jiang Chenyin’s wrists, unable to resist urging, “Auntie Yin, I’m off work. We can go back now.”

She couldn’t wait to start living with Jiang Chenyin. Just the thought of it made the temporarily cooled fire in her heart burn brightly again.

“Wait a moment,” Jiang Chenyin said, patting the back of her hand with her other hand, then looking at Su Man, who was standing slightly behind her. “Miss Su, hello.”

“President Jiang, I’ve long heard of your reputation,” Su Man said, her smile lacking some of the closeness she showed Bo Muyu, a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

Jiang Chenyin smiled at Su Man. “Muyu is still a bit childish. I’ll have to trouble Miss Su to look after her at work.”

Hearing this, Bo Muyu lowered her head slightly.

Jiang Chenyin turned to look at her, her smiling eyes full of concern and affection.

“It’s nothing. Xiaoyu and I were already friends,” Su Man said with a light smile, then looked at Bo Muyu, who was about to link her arm through Jiang Chenyin’s, and said pointedly, “But I was a little surprised today. I didn’t know that Xiaoyu and President Jiang knew each other.”

Not just knew each other, but were very familiar.

She had never seen Bo Muyu so eager to be by someone’s side, nor had she ever seen Bo Muyu hold onto someone’s arm without letting go. And she had certainly never seen Bo Muyu’s eyes look as if they were filled with light.

Jiang Chenyin chuckled, reached out to stroke Bo Muyu’s hair, and explained, “This child has never been very lively since she was young. She doesn’t like to talk and is always the quietest one when she’s with other children.”

Su Man also smiled and nodded. “I know. I don’t blame her.”

Bo Muyu tugged at Jiang Chenyin’s sleeve, her brows furrowing.

Jiang Chenyin understood and said to Su Man, “Then we’ll be leaving now.”

“Please, go ahead,” Su Man nodded.

“See you tomorrow, Senior,” Bo Muyu said, nodding goodbye to Su Man, then took Jiang Chenyin’s hand and turned to leave, her steps still hurried, as if she were in a rush to do something.

Bo Muyu led Jiang Chenyin away. The latter’s long hair fluttered in the wind, and her steady pace had to quicken to keep up with Bo Muyu’s haste.

Even so, Jiang Chenyin didn’t complain in the slightest. Su Man even saw her turn her head and give Bo Muyu a gentle smile.

Su Man’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the two of them walk away.

Although Jiang Chenyin had the title of a philanthropist, she was by no means so kind to everyone. To have achieved so much at her age, it was impossible for her not to have a bit of intimidating power.

The most likely reason for Jiang Chenyin to be so gentle was Bo Muyu’s presence.

Many years ago, Jiang Chenyin had bought a villa in a townhouse complex in the city of Qinzhou. She had bought it for the convenience of work, just like her two older brothers, living in the city on weekdays.

She hadn’t told Bo Muyu when she left. Although it was a last-minute decision, she had prepared for several days, which included giving the keys to this place to Bo Muyu.

Jiang Chenyin had hired a cleaning lady to tidy up a few days ago and had replaced some of the furniture. Now, opening the door and walking in, it didn’t look much different from Bo Muyu’s impression of it from before.

The villa had three floors, a basement, a small private garden in the back, and a garage and terrace.

It wasn’t as big as the old Jiang residence, but it was comfortable and quiet. Bo Muyu had always liked it here.

“Auntie Yin, did you change the furniture? I remember the sofa wasn’t this color before,” Bo Muyu said, touching the sofa. In her memory, this sofa wasn’t the current beige color.

But she couldn’t remember what color it was before.

And the coffee table, the TV stand, they all seemed to have changed.

Bo Muyu quickly walked around the living room, touching everything, as if she were here for the first time.

“Mmm, everything you just touched is new,” Jiang Chenyin said, smiling with satisfaction when she saw that she liked it.

Bo Muyu’s eyes curved with a smile as she returned to Jiang Chenyin’s side and asked, “Should we eat first?”

Jiang Chenyin’s lips curved. “Are you hungry?”

Bo Muyu shook her head.

“Then come with me first,” Jiang Chenyin said, taking her wrist and leading her upstairs, much to her confusion.

Although Bo Muyu would always stay in the same room with her in the past, Jiang Chenyin had always kept a separate room for her, right across from her own.

She had already unpacked Bo Muyu’s luggage, hung up her clothes, and made the bed.

And what made Bo Muyu’s eyes widen was the thing on the bed, which, when stood up, was almost as tall as her…

A dolphin? No, with such a plump body and no dolphin tail.

“What is this?” Bo Muyu asked, picking up the stuffed doll to look at it. Its facial features resembled a bear.

But why would a bear have such a long body?

“I bought it for you to hug when you sleep,” Jiang Chenyin said, unable to stop smiling as she crossed her arms.

To get a better look at the doll, Bo Muyu had to hug its body. Jiang Chenyin’s smile grew even wider.

Is she calling me a child? Bo Muyu thought, standing there stunned for a moment, holding the doll, then put it back.

“I don’t want it.”

Jiang Chenyin’s smile faded. She went over and put an arm around her shoulder, asking softly, “What’s wrong? I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to sleep in a new environment, so I bought you a doll to hug. Wouldn’t that be better?”

In truth, Jiang Chenyin had no other intention than to worry that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. And although they had often slept together in the past, she had to be prepared for this possibility.

Bo Muyu shook her head, tugged at Jiang Chenyin’s sleeve, licked her lips, and said softly, “Can’t I sleep with you? I can just hug you.”

Jiang Chenyin blinked. How had she not thought of that? It wasn’t that Bo Muyu couldn’t sleep while hugging her, but thinking about it, something seemed a little off.

She smiled and said, “It’s better if I hug you. You’re a little shorter than me. It feels strange for you to hug me.”

“I’m 1.7 meters tall. I’m only three centimeters shorter than you.”

Jiang Chenyin still smiled. “Alright, our Muyu isn’t short.”

“Then I’ll just sleep in your room?” Bo Muyu asked her. This was the more important question right now.

“Mmm…” Jiang Chenyin rested her chin on Bo Muyu’s shoulder, glanced at the already organized wardrobe and desk, thought for a moment, and then said, “Okay, then let’s go to my room. You can come and get your things whenever you need them. You don’t have to move everything over at once, okay?”

Bo Muyu’s lips curved into a smile, and as her small canine teeth were revealed, she mimicked Jiang Chenyin’s way of asking, “Okay, then can I hug you to sleep tonight?”

“No.”

Jiang Chenyin smiled, let go of her, and walked towards the door. Suddenly, she remembered something, turned around, tilted her chin up, and looked at the bear that resembled a thickened golden-hooped rod.

“Bring it with you, or you’re not allowed to come over.”

“Can’t I not bring it?”

“No. If you don’t bring it, you can sleep here by yourself,” Jiang Chenyin said, laugh lines appearing at the corners of her eyes as she watched Bo Muyu obediently go and hug the doll.

She looked so obedient. Even though she was already working, she was still as cute as before, or perhaps even a little cuter.

After all, a person in a professional suit hugging a doll, with a slightly cold and wronged expression, looking so aggrieved, how could that not be cute?

Jiang Chenyin suppressed a laugh and went back to her room, feeling as if she had developed some new quirk.

Bo Muyu carried the doll to Jiang Chenyin’s room. In just a short while, Jiang Chenyin had already half-closed the door. She pushed it open gently, and only after entering did she see Jiang Chenyin with her back to the door, changing her clothes.

Because she had been at work, Jiang Chenyin was wearing a woman’s suit, a deep blue one. Her black, curly hair was spread out over her back, a combination of charm and asceticism.

She had taken off her suit jacket and trousers. The moment her white shirt slipped off her shoulder was exactly what Bo Muyu saw as she entered the room. Then, the shirt was casually tossed onto the bed, followed by her bra.

It was clearly such a simple scene, but to Bo Muyu, it seemed to have an indescribable attraction, like a slow-motion movie.

Her long hair swayed slightly behind her with her movements. Her slender waist and long legs, every movement was captivating.

Bo Muyu stood behind her, holding the doll, her eyes fixed on her, forgetting to move.

The sound of Jiang Chenyin opening the wardrobe door startled Bo Muyu. She blinked several times, her feet moving unconsciously, and then she hurriedly lifted the doll to cover her eyes.

She didn’t know why she had done that. She only felt that when she saw that scene, she wanted to keep watching, but for some reason, she felt embarrassed.

She squeezed the doll’s soft body, thinking that she had clearly seen it many times before.

But now that she thought about it, she felt even more embarrassed…

Jiang Chenyin slipped on a pair of hot pants and a T-shirt, and, feeling relaxed, turned around. The moment she turned, she almost burst out laughing.

Bo Muyu’s mind was still in a jumble when she suddenly heard Jiang Chenyin’s voice, “Didn’t you just say you didn’t want it? Why are you hugging and kissing it now?”

As she spoke, Jiang Chenyin slowly took the doll from Bo Muyu’s hands and placed it on the bed. Then, she put an arm around her shoulder and walked towards the door, smiling. “Let’s go, time to cook. I’ve already bought the groceries.”

“I wasn’t kissing it. I was just… I…” Bo Muyu didn’t forget to explain, pointing behind her as she spoke.

Jiang Chenyin’s voice was laced with a smile as she humored her, “Mmm, you weren’t kissing it. I saw wrong. Our Muyu is a grown-up now. She doesn’t need stuffed dolls anymore.”

Bo Muyu bit her lip, not knowing how to explain, and remained silent all the way to the first floor.

It was only after Jiang Chenyin had taken out all the ingredients that she said in surprise, “Wait, you haven’t even changed your clothes.”

“I forgot,” Bo Muyu said, touching the button of her suit. As she looked up, her cheeks puffed out slightly.

Jiang Chenyin’s lips curved. “I forgot to remind you too.” She paused, then pulled Bo Muyu over and smiled. “Let’s not change. We can change after we’ve eaten. Do you want to wait for me in the living room or cook with me?”

“With you. I know how to cook too,” Bo Muyu replied with a determined look in her eyes.

Jiang Chenyin encouraged her with anticipation, “Okay, you can do it.”

She didn’t know when Bo Muyu had learned to cook. She had never seen it before, so it was probably during university. They hadn’t been in frequent contact then. Bo Muyu had told her a fair amount of things, but she just hadn’t happened to mention that she could cook.

The two of them worked together, one washing the vegetables while the other cooked the rice, one chopping while the other trimmed.

Bo Muyu took off her suit jacket and rolled up her shirt sleeves to her elbows, trimming the vegetable shoots.

Jiang Chenyin, who was cutting meat, reminded her without turning her head, “Don’t throw away the tender parts and leave the old ones to eat.”

Bo Muyu’s eyes were fixed on the vegetables in her hand as she said in a placid tone, “I won’t.”

Jiang Chenyin said no more. Bo Muyu quickly finished trimming the remaining few vegetable shoots and then waited by Jiang Chenyin’s side.

Seeing the slices of meat piling up diagonally on the cutting board, she took a plate from the cupboard and handed it over at the same time Jiang Chenyin turned around.

Jiang Chenyin raised an eyebrow and looked over at her. The vegetable shoots were trimmed, the cabbage was washed, and they were all arranged very neatly. There were still water droplets on the leaves, making them look very fresh and tender.

Jiang Chenyin smiled at her, restraining the urge to pinch her cheek, since her hands were still touching the unfinished meat.

“Muyu, when are your parents coming back?”

“They should be back before my birthday,” Bo Muyu said, standing next to Jiang Chenyin, watching her cut the meat intently, listening to the slight, dull thud of the blade hitting the cutting board after slicing through the thick layer of meat.

“Then there’s still a month. That’s not long,” Jiang Chenyin said with a low laugh.

“Mmm, it’s very short,” Bo Muyu’s gaze lifted slightly, moving from the blade to Jiang Chenyin’s gentle side profile. “I wish it could be longer than a month. A month is too short. It’s not enough.”

A touch of tenderness appeared in Jiang Chenyin’s expression, and the corners of her lips curved up. “Then stay longer. It’s not like I won’t let you.”

Bo Muyu continued to gaze at Jiang Chenyin without replying. If possible, she hoped it would never end.

Ye Xialan’s words from the morning echoed in her ears. Her own suspicions also came to mind at this moment, as well as that unspeakable thought.

She didn’t want there to be a very intimate person by Jiang Chenyin’s side, but she also hoped that Jiang Chenyin could have someone to share her thoughts with, someone to rely on. If that day came, she really wouldn’t be able to willfully hold Jiang Chenyin’s gaze anymore, because she was no longer a child.

So, could things really go as she wished?