A Promise in a Thought 52

Chapter 52

The twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month was the last workday before the Spring Festival holiday. Some of the people at Hongsheng were from out of town and had already left many days in advance. The entire office was quieter than usual.

Bo Muyu’s recent work was to check for any necessary revisions in the Dust World script she had written before, which was relatively relaxed. After all, it was almost the New Year, and Su Man was not in a hurry for her to start a new creation. She still needed to take a breather.

And after work today, Bo Muyu would not be going back to Jiang Chenyin’s place, but to her parents’. Jiang Chenyin would also be going directly back to the old Jiang residence after work today. The two of them would be temporarily separated for a while starting today.

Bo Muyu had driven to work today and had also brought some of her luggage with her. Before she went downstairs with her suitcase, Jiang Chenyin had even laughed and asked her if she wanted to take that golden-hooped rod bear with her, for fear that she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

Bo Muyu had stared at the golden-hooped rod bear for a few seconds, and then when she turned to look at Jiang Chenyin, she had directly reached out and hugged her.

Jiang Chenyin had smiled gently and had not rushed her to go down for breakfast.

Bo Muyu thought for a moment, but didn’t know what to say. It seemed there were many things she wanted to say, but when it came to it, she didn’t know what she really wanted to say.

In the end, she could only say to Jiang Chenyin, “Auntie Yin, if you wake up from a nightmare at night, call me. If you’re scared, sad, or doubt yourself, call me. If you don’t want to call me, then silently repeat the words ‘I am not wrong’ a hundred times in your heart.”

This was what she was most worried about. They had lived together for several months, and Jiang Chenyin had not had any more instances of being woken up by a nightmare. But who knew? What if it happened during this Spring Festival holiday, when Jiang Chenyin was sleeping alone?

Bo Muyu had originally thought that Jiang Chenyin would dotingly poke her forehead with her finger. Although she no longer treated her as a child, she would not easily agree to rely on her.

But to her surprise, Jiang Chenyin had smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll be sure to do that.”

She really liked the sense of security that Bo Muyu brought, with its familiar, fresh, and clean scent, and a hint of not-yet-mature composure.

The young face was solemn, not a trace of a smile in her eyes.

A fierce little puppy, Jiang Chenyin laughed inwardly.

“Off work! Time to go home for dinner! See you next year, friends!”

It was some male screenwriter who had shouted loudly, startling Bo Muyu, who was typing on her keyboard. Her whole body trembled, and she shot him a cold glance.

Another male screenwriter chimed in, “What next year? It’s the Spring Festival, not the New Year!”

The first male screenwriter laughed and said, “The lunar new year is still a new year. Otherwise, why would everyone celebrate the Spring Festival?”

“Get lost. What nonsense…” The other male screenwriter’s voice suddenly dropped, and then became much more serious. “President Su, why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Bo Muyu’s gaze shifted over, and she saw Su Man walk over with a smile. “I wanted to get off work with everyone, and also to wish everyone a happy Spring Festival in advance.”

Su Man’s smile deepened. She didn’t answer his question, but instead turned to meet Bo Muyu’s gaze.

The other few colleagues, seeing that Su Man’s intention was Bo Muyu, wisely said no more, silently packed their things, said their goodbyes, and left.

After Bo Muyu had packed her things, she walked towards Su Man, and the two of them left side-by-side.

“Xiaoyu, I won’t see you for many days. I’ll really miss you a little,” Su Man said to her with a half-joking smile.

“It’s okay. Seven days is not that long,” Bo Muyu said placidly.

Su Man secretly glanced at Bo Muyu’s side profile and sighed inwardly. She had already said this much. Even a joke in reply would have been nice. It was always like this. Sometimes she would overthink it. Was Bo Muyu’s sexual orientation as straight as her personality? Otherwise, why would there be no indication at all?

But every time she thought this, Su Man would find an excuse for Bo Muyu in her heart. Because she was too silly to feel her intentions, and also because she was not against homosexuality, just that she hadn’t fallen for her yet.

But no matter which reason it was, it made Su Man feel both helpless and amused.

In the parking lot, Su Man asked, “Do you have any plans to go anywhere during the Spring Festival holiday? There are still many places worth visiting in the cities around Qinzhou.”

Bo Muyu shook her head. “I’m not sure yet. It depends on my parents’ ideas. I’m fine with anything.”

“You’ve worked so hard. You should have a good rest,” Su Man said, looking at her with a smile, her eyes filled with more anticipation than teasing. “If you want to travel far, do you want me to be your guide? No charge. I’ve done some research on where to have fun around Qinzhou.”

Bo Muyu smiled and said, “Senior is also very busy with work. You should have a good rest too. I’d rather not trouble you.”

“Alright then. See you at work,” Su Man said, pouting with a feigned casualness.

“Mmm, I’ll wish you a happy Spring Festival again tomorrow night,” Bo Muyu said, turning to look into Su Man’s eyes.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting then,” Su Man’s eyes filled with a smile.

Although she was a little disappointed, she was easily healed. Sure enough, after getting used to the discomfort, even a little bit of sweetness could be magnified many times.

Bo Muyu rarely drove here herself. In Su Man’s impression, it seemed she never had. She watched Bo Muyu get into her car from her own, her eyes filled with the image of that figure with hair almost down to her waist.

On New Year’s Eve, there were still some chores to be done at home. Bo Muyu helped her parents tidy up the house and also reorganized her own room.

At four in the afternoon, Bo Mingliang was in the kitchen preparing the evening’s dishes. Ye Xialan and Bo Muyu were in the dining room making dumplings.

Ye Xialan’s hands were covered in a thin layer of flour. As she scooped filling into the dumpling wrappers, she muttered to herself, “I bet the Spring Festival Gala will be bad again this year. Should we watch it?”

Bo Muyu was already pinching the dumpling wrapper she had just filled and wrapped, her eyes focused on her dumpling, and she replied absently, “Watch it if you want to.”

“It gets worse every year. What’s the point of watching?” Ye Xialan shot her a look.

Bo Muyu finished wrapping a dumpling and put it down, then picked up another wrapper and said in a flat tone, “Then just watch it as a joke.” She paused, scooped the filling into the center of the wrapper, and added, “Remember to pair it with real-time commentary on Weibo, otherwise it won’t be funny enough.”

Ye Xialan couldn’t hold back her laughter. “You’re really just like your dad. Can’t you say something nice?”

“Mom, you were the one who said it gets worse every year,” Bo Muyu looked up, a little speechless.

“It’s the Spring Festival Gala, after all. Can’t you be a little more encouraging? What do you mean, watch it as a joke?” Ye Xialan laughed out loud, then sighed faintly. “But it’s true. It really can’t compare to before. When I was a child, your grandma loved to watch the Spring Festival Gala from over a decade ago. The quality was much better.”

“Then let’s watch a TV series. Not all channels are showing the Spring Festival Gala,” Bo Muyu said, and while Ye Xialan wasn’t looking, she reached over and took the coin that had been washed and set aside, and quickly stuffed it into her dumpling filling.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Ye Xialan quickly went to grab it. “What are you doing? That’s what your mother was going to put in the dumpling filling!”

“It’s the same no matter who wraps it…” Bo Muyu turned to block Ye Xialan, her hands moving very quickly. She quickly pinched the dumpling wrapper and turned back. “It’s wrapped.”

A small curve appeared on her lips, and the way her eyes lit up made Ye Xialan so angry that she pinched her ear. “You little brat!”

Bo Muyu protected the dumpling in her palm, wincing in pain. “Mom, isn’t it all the same? I’ll let you wrap it next year… I won’t snatch it…”

Ye Xialan hadn’t used much force. Hearing her beg for mercy, she let go, wiped the flour from her ear, and said in a huff, “Does it hurt now? We’ll see if you’re so quick with your hands next time!”

Bo Muyu rubbed her ear in pain and watched as Ye Xialan carefully took the dumpling with the coin she had wrapped and put it away. She said softly, “Mom, I’ll give you my bonus to keep later. I’ll just keep a little for myself. I’ve finished my script. When the movie is released, if the box office is high, there will be another reward.”

“No need. You can keep it yourself,” Ye Xialan’s eyes immediately softened, but she waved her hand in refusal. “You’re not a child anymore. Why would I still keep it for you? You can handle it yourself.”

Bo Muyu touched her red ear and said no more.

Ye Xialan reached out with her foot and touched hers. “Is there nothing more between your Auntie Yin and that Meng?”

Bo Muyu nodded. “Mmm, I told you on Auntie Yin’s birthday that it was impossible.”

Ye Xialan let out a long sigh. “It’s difficult…”

Bo Muyu’s gaze turned grim, and she asked as if casually, “Mom, do you really want Auntie Yin to have a partner?”

“Of course,” Ye Xialan said, her dumpling-making not stopping. “You’re so old now, and she’s only a few years younger than me, and she doesn’t even have a partner. If I don’t worry about her, then I’ve known her for over a decade for nothing. There are many times in life when you feel lonely. It’s much better to have someone by your side than to be alone.”

Bo Muyu gazed at Ye Xialan’s nimble hands and said, “I’ll be with Auntie Yin.”

“That’s different,” Ye Xialan stopped her hands, gazed at Bo Muyu’s direct gaze for a while, and then waved her hand. “You wouldn’t know even if I told you. It’s not something that can be replaced by friends or family.”

Bo Muyu looked at Ye Xialan deeply and said in a low voice, “Mom, I know about those things. Auntie Yin told me. That boy who had the accident, Shao Sinan…”

It was precisely because Jiang Chenyin did not like the people who pursued her later that she was unwilling to easily accept them, for fear of causing harm to others. Just like what Meng Yi’an had said, even if she just felt that the relationship could not continue and chose to end it, it was still a hurt to him.

No matter what she did, it would be called a hurt. Meng Yi’an had clearly been the one to comfort her and help her get back on her feet, but in the end, he had still become the one to stab her in the heart again.

Ye Xialan looked at her in surprise. After a few seconds, she gradually calmed down. “So you know why she has been alone for so many years, and that we can’t do anything about it, and her parents can’t either.”

Bo Muyu shook her head and looked at her open palm. The pad of her thumb had touched the tear stains at the corner of Jiang Chenyin’s eye that night.

Ye Xialan’s tone was filled with a deep sorrow. “She saw a psychiatrist back then, and her condition improved a little later, but it couldn’t be completely eradicated from her heart. None of us think it was her fault, but a living person just… in front of her… how can you forget that…”

She suddenly couldn’t go on. The anger at the cause of the incident and the pity for Jiang Chenyin made her voice even hoarser.

“Mom, why does she have to suffer like this…” Bo Muyu’s eyes were welling up, the corners turning red.

Hearing this, Ye Xialan’s face immediately turned grim. “Speaking of which, I really wish I could expose everything that Shao Sinan’s mother did. Back then, she used Teacher Jiang’s guilt and the fact that the old master and old madam doted on their daughter to try and extort money from the Jiang family. Didn’t she know that her son had problems? If it weren’t for Teacher Jiang stepping in, who would have cared about the rumors about her son? When it was found out that her son had a history of mental illness, her face turned white with fear, and she didn’t dare to say another word.”

“Knowing that it was her own son’s problem, yet she still tried every means to scheme against Auntie Yin…” Bo Muyu murmured in a low voice, her open palm slowly clenching into a fist.

She clearly remembered Mrs. Shao’s arrogant attitude when she had spoken to her, and her fawning towards Jiang Chenyin.

Hearing her tone, Ye Xialan glanced over and saw that Bo Muyu had her head down, a stray strand of hair by her ear hiding her lowered gaze, her expression unreadable.

“Alright, let’s not talk about these unhappy things on New Year’s Eve,” Ye Xialan said, composing herself. “Although Teacher Jiang is unwilling to accept others’ confessions, she has said that if she likes someone, she will take the initiative to pursue them.”

Bo Muyu was taken aback for a moment, and a thought quickly came to her mind. Unwilling to hurt others, so she would rather be hurt herself?

She was at a loss for words for a moment, suddenly not knowing what to say, only feeling a sourness in her heart.

Fireworks were banned in the city. On New Year’s Eve, Qinzhou was very quiet. It had even started to snow at some point.

At dinner, Bo Muyu bit into the coin she had wrapped in her dumpling. The corners of her tightly pressed lips curved up. It seemed the new year would be very lucky.

It was still very early after dinner. Ye Xialan and Bo Mingliang planned to stay at home and watch TV.

Bo Muyu stood by the window. The falling snowflakes outside were like fine, accumulated thoughts in her heart, piece by piece. Although small, they could not be ignored when they piled up.

She dialed Jiang Chenyin’s number. The other end seemed to have expected her call and answered quickly with a light laugh.

“Auntie Yin, can you come out?”

“Do you have any plans?” Jiang Chenyin’s eyes were smiling. She reached out and held her car keys, stroking them gently without making a sound.

Bo Muyu looked at the gradually darkening sky and a smile bloomed on her face. “I want to see the fireworks, but there are none in the city.”

Jiang Chenyin looked out the window of her own room. In the distance, fireworks were frequently blooming in the sky. But if Bo Muyu were to come to the Jiang family’s house, it would probably not be so easy for her to go back.

“Okay, wait for me at home,” Jiang Chenyin said, her gaze still on the distant sky. As a firework exploded high above, she said with a smile, “Let’s go and see the fireworks.”