A Promise in a Thought 63

Chapter 63

Do you know how worried I am about you?

Hearing this, Bo Muyu stopped in her tracks, turned back, her thoughts churning.

Jiang Chenyin straightened up to face her, gazed at her, and said softly, “What are you explaining to me for? What do you think I’m suspecting? Do you know what she would have done to you just now if I hadn’t been there? By the time the people in the shop reacted, her slap would have already landed.”

A warmth spread through Bo Muyu’s heart, and her eyes grew hot. She lowered her gaze and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Chenyin let go of her arm, paused, and then reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I don’t want your apology. Tell me where you were wrong, and promise me, one by one.”

Bo Muyu lowered her eyes and was silent. Jiang Chenyin did not relent, waiting for her to speak.

What was the use of an apology? From the time Bo Muyu had just moved in last year, Jiang Chenyin had already told her that no matter what, she had to tell her first, and whether it was a bother could be put aside for later. But Bo Muyu had not revealed a single word about such a big matter, and had acted as if nothing had happened.

She could allow Bo Muyu to train herself in her work, in any way she wanted, but this threatened her own safety. How could she let Bo Muyu continue like this?

Bo Muyu was silent for a long time, then said in a small voice, “My only fault is hiding these things from you.”

“The only one?” The warmth in Jiang Chenyin’s eyes faded. “Say that again.”

So this meant that if she had to do it all over again, she would still make the same choice, to put herself in danger no matter what, and to face a situation like today’s.

She crossed her arms, trying her best to hide her heaving chest, which had started to rise and fall again because of Bo Muyu’s words.

“I said…” Bo Muyu took a deep breath, looked up to meet Jiang Chenyin’s gaze, her voice soft but full of determination, “It was wrong of me to hide it from you, but I don’t think I did anything wrong in this matter. If I had to choose again, I would definitely do what I can, just like now.”

She had said long ago that she had grown up and could protect Jiang Chenyin. Should she have just stood by and watched this time, or just told Jiang Chenyin? No, she had to do more.

She had to protect the person she liked, the person she had held in her heart for a long, long time.

This was the first time Bo Muyu had been so firm with Jiang Chenyin. Jiang Chenyin was taken aback for a moment, and then a feeling of both relief and loss welled up in her heart.

The two feelings merged in her heart, and she didn’t know how to express her emotions. She was relieved that Bo Muyu was thinking of her and caring for her, and she was disappointed that Bo Muyu was starting to be disobedient to her.

Today it was to solve her old problems. What about in the future? In the future, Bo Muyu would completely not need her.

She didn’t know if Ye Xialan was right. She had spoiled Bo Muyu too much, almost doting on her like a daughter. When this child began to show signs of independence, she began to feel a strong sense of discomfort.

Jiang Chenyin’s thoughts rose and fell, and in the end, she just let out a laugh, a laugh that was tinged with a sense of loss.

One day, Bo Muyu would no longer need her.

She savored this sentence in her heart, and only felt a dull ache.

She reached out a hand to the edge of the table beside her, but before she could speak, Bo Muyu embraced her. The familiar, cool scent rushed to her nose, and it seemed to be filling the void in Jiang Chenyin’s heart, making her hug her back the next second.

“Auntie Yin, listen to me,” Bo Muyu said, hugging her tightly, her tone still firm, but much softer. “I shouldn’t have not told you, shouldn’t have hidden it from you. But I absolutely don’t regret doing this. I have to protect you. I’ve said that. I can’t just watch you possibly be hurt and only tell you my suspicions, and in the end, do nothing.

This matter is very important to me, but from another perspective, it’s not something that’s hard to do. I can completely achieve the result I want. I can use my plan to protect you. I’m not a child anymore. There are some things I can do for you.”

There was not a hint of hesitation in Bo Muyu’s words. Every word, every sentence was filled with her own strength, tough and gentle, not yet mature but incredibly reassuring.

Jiang Chenyin’s heart could no longer be hard. She had thought that the reason Bo Muyu was disobedient was because she had grown up and had a sense of independence, but she had never thought that the reason Bo Muyu was going against her was still because of her.

It had come full circle. She didn’t know what to say. The bitterness from just now was gone, leaving only her affection for Bo Muyu.

Just then, Bo Muyu loosened her grip a little, tilted her head up slightly, and moved her hands up to gently press on the back of Jiang Chenyin’s head. Their foreheads touched, just like the night when Jiang Chenyin had confessed her past to her.

The study was warmly quiet, and the sound of their heartbeats was also very clear.

A hint of composure had already appeared in Bo Muyu’s brow, and her clear gaze seemed to look straight into the bottom of Jiang Chenyin’s heart.

Jiang Chenyin was taken aback for a moment, a burning heat on her face. Before she could say anything, she heard Bo Muyu speak again, “Don’t treat me like a child anymore. I’m not a child. I can do many things. I can do what adults can do, whether it’s safe or dangerous.”

I can like someone, and I can also protect the person I like.

Bo Muyu bit her lip, adding this sentence in her heart.

There seemed to be a higher temperature in her eyes. Jiang Chenyin subconsciously averted her gaze, her mind filled with her serious expression from just now, as if it had been directly imprinted on her heart, so hot that her heart was racing.

Jiang Chenyin felt that time had stood still. Bo Muyu, who had not received an answer, leaned closer to her ear and said in a low voice, “Auntie Yin…”

“I know,” Jiang Chenyin suddenly said, her hands, as if with a will of their own, gently pushed Bo Muyu away a little. “I won’t treat you like a child anymore. I promise.”

She found that the feeling Bo Muyu gave her now was no longer that of someone who needed to be taken care of in everything. Apart from not being mature enough, Bo Muyu already had the ability to give people a sense of security.

A sense of security. This somewhat unfamiliar word and feeling, Jiang Chenyin had to admit that she had this feeling from Bo Muyu.

So she quickly reacted and stopped this feeling from fermenting. Because it couldn’t last long, why be too greedy for it?

But she was happy. The child she had always doted on had grown into an adult. No matter how disappointed she was, she still felt joy.

“But you have to promise me,” she said with a concerned tone. “From now on, you have to discuss everything with me first. You’re not allowed to act on your own again. You must let me know in advance.”

A hint of loneliness flashed in Bo Muyu’s eyes, and then she nodded and smiled. “Mmm, I also promise that I won’t hide anything from you again.”

Except for the fact that I like you.

Jiang Chenyin finally let out a sigh of relief. She glanced at the noodles on the table. There was only one bowl. Was she supposed to watch her eat?

Jiang Chenyin’s heart softened even more. She touched her face and said in a warm voice, “Go and get another set of chopsticks. Eat with me.”

A smile appeared on Bo Muyu’s lips. “Mmm.”

She went downstairs to get another set of chopsticks and returned to the study, pulling up a chair to eat noodles with Jiang Chenyin. Every time she had almost finished the minced meat in her bowl, a white porcelain spoon would reach over from the side and scoop more into her bowl.

She lowered her head and ate her noodles, her expression a little dazed.

Jiang Chenyin was still so concerned about her. How good it would be if it were the kind of feeling she wanted.

She was getting more and more greedy. She already had all of Jiang Chenyin’s affection, but she was still greedily wanting more. She wanted to belong to Jiang Chenyin, and she also wanted Jiang Chenyin to be hers, for this lifetime.

“What are you spacing out for?” Jiang Chenyin pinched her ear helplessly. “Hurry up and eat. After you’ve eaten, tell me everything from the beginning.”

Bo Muyu’s nose tingled, and she lowered her head even more, quickly picking up a mouthful of noodles and stuffing it into her mouth, mumbling “mmm.”

After they had finished their lunch, they went back to their room. Jiang Chenyin said that after Bo Muyu had explained everything, they would take a nap.

Jiang Chenyin, who had changed into her nightdress, walked to the bed and sat down beside Bo Muyu. A faint fragrance wafted over, and only then did Bo Muyu dare to turn her head and ask, “Have you finished changing?”

“Mmm, let’s start,” Jiang Chenyin said, moving closer to her, reaching out to stroke the top of her hair, and then her hand slid down to rest on her shoulder.

Bo Muyu nodded, her tone becoming serious. “Actually, the first time I saw Mrs. Shao, I felt that she wouldn’t let you go easily. The Shao family hadn’t looked for you for many years after signing the settlement agreement, but she came to you as soon as Mr. Shao passed away. There’s a high possibility in this. That is, she had been holding it in for a long time, and Mr. Shao was the one who had stopped her from looking for you. After all, they had already signed a settlement agreement and settled it privately. She had no reason to cause trouble again, and her husband was more sensible than her.”

Jiang Chenyin agreed, “That’s right. When we were communicating back then, Mr. Shao was indeed more sensible. He was very sad, but he knew better why Shao Sinan had suddenly become so extreme. He didn’t say anything about understanding me, but I did hear him persuade Mrs. Shao.”

“That’s right,” Bo Muyu’s brow was furrowed into a knot. “She didn’t take Mr. Shao’s words to heart. As soon as he passed away, she came to you with the thought of trying her luck. And you, with your uneasy heart, agreed to help her, which gave her a taste of sweetness. After your agreement this time, she plans to continue using the same trick to win your sympathy. If you don’t agree, she will most likely take another route.”

“I’ve thought of this too,” Jiang Chenyin’s expression was grave. She paused, then confessed to Bo Muyu, “Shao Sibei did come to thank me that day, but he made a request. He said that my help had brought gossip to Mrs. Shao, and he hoped that I could be with him, so that my future sponsorship would have a legitimate reason. I can see that he’s not very cunning, so it’s obvious that Mrs. Shao didn’t tell him that my sponsorship has a time limit.”

“There’s another point,” Bo Muyu’s gaze turned cold, and she clenched her fists, her voice deep. “Mrs. Shao is very likely guiding him, making him have other ideas about you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such a request out of the blue.”

Jiang Chenyin thought carefully. That day, Shao Sibei had been a little nervous, and he hadn’t dared to look her in the eye several times when he spoke. Thinking back now, that kind of behavior didn’t seem to be because he had done something wrong, but because he had a crush.

“Yes, I remember now. That day…” she sighed, not knowing what to say.

“Don’t worry,” Bo Muyu moved closer to her, wrapped her arms around her body, and comforted her in a soft voice, “I pretended to be a university student sponsored by you to get close to Mrs. Shao. I’ve already recorded what I wanted from these three meetings. I’ll save it later.”

Jiang Chenyin was taken aback for a moment, then the hand on her shoulder tightened, and she chuckled in a low voice, “So that’s what you were really planning.”

The corners of Bo Muyu’s lips curved up. “Mmm, there’s nothing more impactful than her own words.” She paused, her smile fading slightly as she asked, “Auntie Yin, are you ready?”

Jiang Chenyin ruffled Bo Muyu’s hair and said in a lingering voice, “Of course. As long as she dares to make a move, I won’t let you down.”

“Then we’ll just wait and see. Let her see how her carefully planned scheme is nipped in the bud. That feeling must be very good,” Bo Muyu’s gaze was deep, the corners of her lips lifted slightly, her strategic look incredibly captivating.

“Our Muyu is so smart, just a little fierce,” Jiang Chenyin said, pinching her cheek with a chuckle. She had just said she wouldn’t treat her as a child, but at this moment, she really couldn’t help but want to spoil her.

Bo Muyu came back to her senses. Seeing the tenderness in Jiang Chenyin’s eyes, she couldn’t help but respond, “Auntie Yin, do you have any reward for me?”

Jiang Chenyin’s eyebrow raised. “You hid such a dangerous thing from me, and you still want a reward?”

Bo Muyu’s eyes immediately dimmed. “No reward?”

Jiang Chenyin couldn’t help but smile. “Then what do you want?”

Bo Muyu had just been joking, but who knew that Jiang Chenyin would really agree to give her a reward. She was stunned for a moment, her gaze fixed on Jiang Chenyin’s upturned red lips.

Back then, she had not understood anything, had not been clear about the feelings in her heart. She had only felt a surge of emotion and had kissed the corner of Jiang Chenyin’s lips without thinking. Later, when Jiang Chenyin had left, she had even thought that it was her kiss that had made Jiang Chenyin hate her.

Now she understood, but she no longer dared to kiss her like that. But how was she to endure the long time to come? How was she to hold on until the day Jiang Chenyin’s heart was moved? She was afraid that after tasting more and more bitterness, she would even forget the sweetness of all these years.

“Auntie Yin,” her heart was trembling, and her voice was a little hoarse. “The year you left, I thought you left because I kissed you. I was sad for a long time. So can this reward be for me to kiss you?”

Jiang Chenyin was stunned. This was her reaction to the reward, but she quickly couldn’t bear to let the wronged look in Bo Muyu’s eyes spread any further. She felt her heart being squeezed in pain.

She agreed in a low, gentle voice, “Okay.”

That time, Bo Muyu’s kiss had been sudden. This time, it was agreed upon in advance, so Jiang Chenyin closed her eyes.

Bo Muyu held Jiang Chenyin’s face in her hands, her fingertips trembling slightly. She cautiously moved closer, so close that she had to lighten her breathing before she dared to let their breaths intertwine.

The closed eyes of the person before her, the long eyelashes, the lips that always smiled gently, were all deeply engraved in her heart.

She gently kissed down, on the side of Jiang Chenyin’s face, but the corner of her lips touched the corner of Jiang Chenyin’s.

She quickly pulled away. When Jiang Chenyin opened her eyes, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

But only Bo Muyu herself understood her smile. She had finally kissed the person she liked. The feeling contained in this kiss was love.