A Promise in a Thought 22

Chapter 22

Bo Muyu never would have thought that the birthday gift Bo Mingliang gave her was a set of car keys.

Ye Xialan also never would have thought that her own husband would package a set of car keys like a piece of jewelry, in an exquisite little box, and give it to their daughter.

After dinner, the cake Ye Xialan had ordered was placed on the dining table.

After Bo Muyu made her wish, Bo Mingliang’s gift was presented at the same time.

“Oh my god… what else can I expect from you?”

The moment it was opened, Ye Xialan practically scolded Bo Mingliang with a laugh.

“Can’t you just give her the car in a straightforward manner? Why hide the keys in this box?”

Jiang Chenyin, on the side, was already covering her mouth with one hand, but a lot of laughter still managed to escape.

Bo Mingliang, however, turned the box in his hand over and over, saying with satisfaction, “Don’t you women all like things to be a little more subtle, a little more beautiful? Isn’t this less direct? And it looks good too.”

“What do you think this is, a piece of jewelry?” Ye Xialan almost poked him in the forehead.

“Move aside. It’s not for you,” Bo Mingliang said, grabbing Ye Xialan’s wrist and gently pulling her towards him, then handing the box to Bo Muyu. “Xiaoyu, it’s a black Cadillac. Not expensive at all. It really suits you now that you’re working.”

“A Cadillac?” Ye Xialan twisted his wrist and asked curiously, “Daddy, what’s the price range?”

“What’s wrong with any price range?” Bo Mingliang said dismissively, not answering the question. “Xiaoyu is twenty-two. Any price range is suitable. If you don’t believe me, ask Xiao Jiang.”

Ye Xialan turned to give Jiang Chenyin a look, and the quietly sitting Bo Muyu also turned to look at Jiang Chenyin.

Jiang Chenyin thought for a moment and smiled. “Actually, it’s nothing. Muyu is not a child anymore. It’s good for her to have her own car.” She took Bo Muyu’s hand and said meaningfully, “After you start working, there will inevitably be some unsatisfactory things. We can’t please everyone. As long as we do our own job well, that’s enough.”

There would inevitably be people in the company who would gossip about Bo Muyu getting in through the back door, but she couldn’t wrong herself just to quell these rumors. Besides, Bo Muyu was not without ability.

With this support, Bo Mingliang smiled a little proudly. “See?”

“Alright then. I was planning to buy her a car anyway,” Ye Xialan relented.

Bo Mingliang gave the keys to Bo Muyu and said with a smile, “The car is in the garage. Want to go take a look? Take it for a spin and come back. Once you’re used to it, you can drive it to work.”

Bo Muyu weighed the car keys in her palm, then turned to look at Jiang Chenyin. Jiang Chenyin was smiling, waiting for her to speak.

Seeing her hesitate, Ye Xialan persuaded her, “There’s no rush to go out today. Take your time.”

The next second, Bo Muyu gripped the keys and said to Jiang Chenyin, “Auntie Yin, can you drive? I happen to want to go for a ride.”

Jiang Chenyin asked, “Hmm? You don’t want to drive it yourself? I can watch you from the side.”

Bo Muyu shook her head and squeezed her hand.

Jiang Chenyin’s thoughts instantly cleared. This child probably hadn’t finished saying what she wanted to say this afternoon.

Ye Xialan and Bo Mingliang had long been used to their daughter being so clingy with Jiang Chenyin. Jiang Chenyin was practically Bo Muyu’s second mother.

Ye Xialan quickly waved her hand. “Alright, alright, go on, go on. Come back early.”

Bo Muyu touched the car keys and suddenly smiled, her voice a little sweeter. “Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom. I really like this gift.”

“Pfft…” Ye Xialan simply gave her a little push. “Go on, go. The sentimentality index is about to go off the charts today. Your mother is old. I can’t take this much sweetness.”

Bo Muyu pulled the smiling Jiang Chenyin and left.

Ye Xialan called out from behind, “Come back early. Don’t stay out too late.”

“Got it,” Jiang Chenyin’s voice came back from a distance.

In the garage, Jiang Chenyin confirmed with Bo Muyu again who was going to drive. Bo Muyu shook her head and said she didn’t want to.

In late September in Qinzhou, a hint of coolness still lingered after dusk.

Jiang Chenyin rolled down the car window, letting the gentle breeze brush past her face.

“Muyu, where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know either. You decide,” Bo Muyu said. She didn’t have a specific destination in mind; she just wanted to get Jiang Chenyin out of the house.

“Is that so…” Jiang Chenyin smiled, her index finger stroking the steering wheel as she asked, “Then how about we go see the stars?”

The stray strands of hair by Bo Muyu’s ear were blown about by the wind, and so was her voice. “Is there anything special about the stars today?”

As she spoke, Jiang Chenyin had already sped up, and she chuckled mysteriously in a low voice, “You’ll know in a bit. I hope we can see it.”

She hadn’t originally planned to take Bo Muyu out. She had just intended to spend the night celebrating this child’s birthday. But since they were out, they didn’t lack the time. They might as well make the trip. If they were lucky, this birthday could be even happier.

Jiang Chenyin drove all the way to a resort in the suburbs of Qinzhou. The resort was situated by a mountain and a body of water, and the mountain was the best place to view this meteor shower.

After getting out of the car, Bo Muyu had only taken a few steps, holding Jiang Chenyin’s hand, when she heard snippets of conversation.

“I hope we can see the meteor shower this time. I’ve never seen one before.”

“Me too, me too. I’ll be satisfied if I can see it once in my lifetime!”

“Hey, you guys, don’t forget to make a wish later. They’re very effective.”

“A meteor shower?” Bo Muyu stopped in her tracks. Because she was holding Jiang Chenyin’s hand, Jiang Chenyin also stopped.

“Mmm, a meteor shower,” Jiang Chenyin said, turning around and tilting her head up to look at the inky black night sky. “I saw the report a couple of days ago. I was originally planning to celebrate your birthday with you, then tell you about it and see if you wanted to come out. Now that we’re out and don’t have a place to go, let’s come here.”

“A meteor shower… can you make a wish?” Bo Muyu’s eyes lit up, and her other hand also grabbed Jiang Chenyin’s wrist.

She had to confirm that you could make a wish on a meteor shower.

A birthday wish was probably not as likely to come true as one made on a meteor shower. The power of a meteor shower was greater.

“Yes,” Jiang Chenyin smiled at her. “It’s your birthday today, and it happens to be a meteor shower. You can make the same wish twice, so the chances of it coming true are even greater.”

The way her eyes lit up was just like the innocence of her childhood. Jiang Chenyin suddenly felt that perhaps the closest star to her was not the falling star that was about to appear, but the pair of eyes in front of her.

These eyes were crystal clear, shining with a light that could make one forget their worries. This was one of the reasons why Jiang Chenyin had always liked being with this child.

Whenever she was around, she could always temporarily escape the hustle and bustle, and her heart would become excessively soft.

Flames of excitement danced in Bo Muyu’s eyes, and the corners of her lips curved up faintly. “Then let’s not go where there are too many people. Let’s just stay by the car. We can see it from here too.”

“Okay, right here then,” Jiang Chenyin said, leading her back to the car.

The temperature on the mountain was lower than at the foot. It wasn’t noticeable right after getting out of the car, but after a while, a chilly wind seemed to blow in gusts.

Bo Muyu subconsciously rubbed her arms.

Jiang Chenyin’s lips curved up. She leaned against the car door, stretched out her arms, and said in a warm voice, “Come here. I’ll hold you, and you won’t be cold anymore.”

Seeing this, Bo Muyu glanced at the people in the distance. There were couples snuggling together, families of three holding hands, and friends of the same age holding hands but not as close.

She looked at Jiang Chenyin, who had her arms outstretched towards her. It seemed she hadn’t seen a relationship similar to theirs just now.

But what did that matter? She liked it this way.

Bo Muyu’s lips curved into a faint smile, and then she snuggled into Jiang Chenyin’s embrace.

Jiang Chenyin was a little taller than her. As she leaned in, Jiang Chenyin’s side profile brushed against her temple, intimate and natural.

“Are you still cold? If you are, we can go back to the car,” Jiang Chenyin said, one arm around her, the other raised to gently tap her cheek.

“I’m not cold anymore. I want to wait for the meteor shower. I want to see it from the moment it starts to fall.”

Taking advantage of this moment, Bo Muyu turned her head and buried it in Jiang Chenyin’s shoulder, taking several deep breaths of Jiang Chenyin’s scent.

“I haven’t asked about your work in a while. Are you getting along well with your colleagues?”

Jiang Chenyin was rather worried about her social skills, and had been since she was a child. Because this child was introverted and didn’t like to play with other children. When those boisterous children approached her, she would always quietly walk to the side to play by herself.

In high school, a girl named Yang Shuhan was an exception. She was rather persistent. If Bo Muyu ignored her once, she would come back the next time. And most importantly, when Bo Muyu said she wanted to be alone, she would actually listen and stay to the side for a while without making a fuss. Over time, Bo Muyu also started to chat with her, and that’s how their friendship was established.

Jiang Chenyin still wanted to laugh when she thought about it now.

“It’s fine,” Bo Muyu said softly after a moment’s thought. “My colleagues are very talkative.”

Jiang Chenyin smiled. “What about you? Have you been influenced by your colleagues?”

She shook her head. “I don’t like talking to most of my colleagues unless it’s for work, because I don’t like the topics they talk about, nor am I interested.”

Jiang Chenyin stroked her head and sighed softly. “If you really don’t like socializing outside of work, then forget it. But you have to be careful at work. If there’s anything you don’t understand, remember to tell your parents, or tell me, okay?”

“Of course I know,” Bo Muyu said, looking up to meet Jiang Chenyin’s gaze, a knowing look in her eyes. “People at work are different from family and friends. I definitely won’t make a mistake.”

She didn’t particularly like some of her colleagues, but she also understood that basic communication etiquette was necessary. After all, this was society.

“Good. Our Muyu is so smart,” Jiang Chenyin said, pinching Bo Muyu’s cheek dotingly.

But she sighed inwardly. It was fine for now, but in a little while, when she was a bit more mature, had more social experience, and had developed a stronger presence, how was she going to make friends? No one would probably want to be overly friendly to a cold shoulder.

Bo Muyu looked up at the sky. Seeing her focused, Jiang Chenyin’s lips curved up slightly, and she reached into her pocket to grasp something.

“Auntie Yin, why isn’t the meteor shower here yet…” Before Bo Muyu could finish, she felt something cool on her wrist.

She looked down and, in the moonlight, saw a bracelet on her wrist. It was the round, plump little beads on it that were emitting the coolness.

She looked up at Jiang Chenyin. Jiang Chenyin’s smile was gentle as she said slowly, “This is called tiger’s eye stone. Some people say that wearing it can bring authority and confidence, improve concentration, and keep the mind sharp. Of course, we don’t know if a string of beads really has this effect, but when I heard about it, I thought of you. I hope that everything in your future life will go smoothly.”

Bo Muyu raised her hand a little higher. The string of beads on her wrist, when viewed from a certain angle, really did look like a tiger’s eye, full of wisdom and sharpness.

She met Jiang Chenyin’s gaze, her eyes shining brightly. “I love it. I will definitely wear it every day.”

Jiang Chenyin chuckled, and just as she was about to speak, the surroundings suddenly became noisy.

“Look, a meteor!”

“The meteor shower is here!”

Jiang Chenyin and Bo Muyu looked up in the direction people were running. A bright light was gradually streaking across the sky, its long tail clear and dazzling in the center of the dark curtain.

“Happy birthday,” Jiang Chenyin laughed softly in her ear. “The meteor shower is here. You can make a wish.”

Bo Muyu took a deep look at the meteor, then closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Jiang Chenyin’s waist again.

Almost without hesitation, she repeated the words she had silently recited in her heart before blowing out the candles at home.

I hope Mom and Dad will always be healthy and happy, and that our family will never be separated.

And then… she opened her eyes slightly and glanced at Jiang Chenyin, who had also closed her eyes.

I hope I can stay by Jiang Chenyin’s side forever, even if there is someone close to her in the future. It’s okay if they live like Mom and Dad, and I can’t be with her like I am now. It’s okay if I’m a little further away from you…

She couldn’t bear the thought of Jiang Chenyin having no one to hug when she woke up from a nightmare. If there was going to be someone to do this in the future, then it was okay if she was distanced. As long as someone was there to do it.

As long as she could still stay by Jiang Chenyin’s side, that would be enough. Although she felt a pang in her heart when she thought this, just the thought of it made her feel as if her neck was being choked.

After a while, the voices of the crowd dispersed.

Jiang Chenyin whispered in her ear, “Are you done?”

“Mmm. What was your wish?” Bo Muyu wanted to know what Jiang Chenyin had silently recited in her heart just now, and even had a little hope that it would include her.

“My wish?” Jiang Chenyin smiled and answered quickly, “I have two. The first is for my family to be healthy and for everything to go smoothly. The second one…”

“What is it?” Bo Muyu tugged at her sleeve.

“It’s you,” Jiang Chenyin said, stroking Bo Muyu’s hair, her voice slow and pleasant. “I wish you a smooth life, full of peace and joy.”

She was a materialist and never believed in these things, but when it came to her family, she would still be extremely sincere. She didn’t plan to ask what Bo Muyu’s wish was, because no matter what it was, as long as she was here, she would spoil this child, without a doubt.

But just because she didn’t ask didn’t mean Bo Muyu didn’t want to tell.

Her fingers ran through Bo Muyu’s black hair, letting the soft, fine strands slip through her fingers. As the last strand fell, she heard the girl whisper in her ear, “My first wish is similar to yours. My second wish is to be by your side forever, even if there is someone by your side in the future, and you live like Mom and Dad, and I can’t be with you like I am now. It’s okay if I’m a little further away from you…”

“That won’t happen,” Jiang Chenyin interrupted Bo Muyu, her eyes filled with a mixture of heartache and gentleness. “I would never neglect you for anyone, let alone let you be far away from me.”

“Mmm…” Bo Muyu replied softly.

“Silly girl,” Jiang Chenyin suddenly chuckled, then said seriously and solemnly, “I promise, that will not happen.”

She couldn’t even imagine such a day coming. She couldn’t imagine herself one day distancing herself from this child for someone else. Just the thought of this child looking at her calmly, with an indescribable sadness and grievance hidden beneath that calmness, made her unwilling to think any further.

She was very sure. It was impossible. No matter what, it was impossible.