Warm breath teased her ear. Every inhale and exhale was filled with the sweet, fresh scent of Un Jardin sur le Nil. It felt like being by a stream blooming with flowers, light and carefree.
Jiang Bomu, however, didn’t feel light and carefree at all. She leaned away slightly, self-consciously, pretending to be deeply focused on her painting. Only then did she say, “Hm? What?”
Gu Yu rolled her eyes, knowing she couldn’t be too hasty. Just knowing Jiang Bomu reacted awkwardly to a woman’s touch was enough. She casually changed the subject, going to the fridge to get some fruit. After washing it thoroughly, she offered the plate to Jiang Bomu first.
The other woman’s hands were busy with the brush, making it awkward to eat directly. Feigning a sudden realization, Gu Yu picked a grape from the fruit plate and brought it to her lips.
A second later, Jiang Bomu ate it, their hands never touching.
If there’s no opportunity, create one. As Gu Yu withdrew her hand, she once again pretended to accidentally brush against her lip. It was full and soft, an exquisite sensation.
What would it actually feel like to kiss it?
“Shouldn’t we go to the supermarket?”
Gu Yu’s original intention was to tease Jiang Bomu, but she had gotten lost in her own thoughts. She only snapped back when Jiang Bomu spoke. She nodded somewhat belatedly.
Jiang Bomu continued painting, presenting only her profile to Gu Yu, partially obscured by long hair. The beautiful scene right in front of her, Gu Yu couldn’t help but reach out, tucking her silky hair behind her ear. The cool, elegant profile was now fully visible.
Then, a face of divine beauty slowly turned towards her. Starlit eyes, alluring lips, a slightly surprised gaze meeting hers.
Gu Yu’s heart skipped a beat. She hastily explained, “I was worried it might distract you.”
Jiang Bomu’s lips curved into a smile, the cool aloofness fading completely. She teased, “You feeding me grapes one moment, touching my hair the next… that’s what really distracts me.”
And what about when I touched your hand?
Did you really think that was just teaching?
Gu Yu almost blurted it out but held back just in time. She blinked slowly and said playfully, “Then I’ll stay further away. That way, you can’t blame me if your drawing doesn’t turn out well.”
She plopped down on the sofa, suddenly remembering Jiang Bomu’s earlier words. She replied, “We do need to go to the supermarket.”
Before the other woman could speak, she added innocently, “You were the one who asked first this time, Sister. I didn’t initiate a disturbance!”
Jiang Bomu laughed and said nothing more.
Gu Yu popped a large, round grape into her mouth. The sweet juice burst forth. Satisfied, she leaned lazily against a cushion.
At half past eight that evening, the two went out.
There was a breeze today, polishing the usually dim stars to an exceptional brightness. The greenery lining both sides of the road rustled in the wind, the sounds instantly swallowed by the piercing blare of car horns that tore through the night sky.
“Ah, when can we just escape to a rural idyll?” Gu Yu stretched, voicing her dreams. “Living in the countryside is so much better. Fresh air, fewer people, open spaces, warm and genuine neighbors…”
Jiang Bomu’s lips curved beneath her mask. It hid a sardonic smile.
Only people who live in the city think that way. The countryside? Two days is paradise. Two months is hell—you’d be crying and screaming to go back.
But why spoil someone’s mood? She held her tongue, just quietly listening to Gu Yu’s wondrous visions.
“What about you, Sister?” Gu Yu finished and turned to her, curious. “Do you prefer the city or the countryside?”
Jiang Bomu chose the former without hesitation.
Gu Yu was shocked. How could someone like her possibly prefer the fast-paced city? She was so calm and composed; surely the slow rhythms of rural life suited her better.
Jiang Bomu only replied with five words. “Going from luxury to hardship is difficult.”
“But…”
“There are no ‘buts’,” Jiang Bomu looked up at the vast starry sky and said flatly, “In this dazzling, dazzling world of fame and fortune, there’s no one who doesn’t want to climb higher.”
Those so-called “Buddhist” or “indifferent to fame” personas celebrities adopt are just that—personas.
Gu Yu absorbed this news, feeling she was getting to know Jiang Bomu all over again. She was so frank, yet so clear-eyed.
But Gu Yu didn’t want the topic to get too heavy. She smiled and asked, “If I entered the entertainment industry, would I become as famous as you?”
Jiang Bomu asked back, “Would you want to be a celebrity or an actor?”
“…An actor, I guess?”
Jiang Bomu analyzed it seriously. “Grandma Qiao is your grandmother, so film and TV resources wouldn’t be an issue. I’m your Sister; naturally, I would help you along too. People would like your looks. So, as long as your acting skills pass muster, you might even surpass me.”
Gu Yu blinked. Suddenly, entering the entertainment industry didn’t sound too bad. Jiang Bomu would support her. Wouldn’t that mean even more chances to see each other, rather than just this fleeting period of living together temporarily?
Unfortunately, she didn’t want to walk that path. Being an actor wasn’t for everyone. It required a truly resilient heart.
Even Jiang Bomu, who seemed to have sailed smoothly through the industry for seven years, had once been the target of massive online hate. That seemed to be a rite of passage for any top star. Get through it, and you’re reborn from the ashes. Fail, and you vanish without a trace.
Gu Yu walked into the supermarket, her mood complicated.
Jiang Bomu calmly surveyed the dazzling array of shelves, placing needed items into the shopping cart one by one.
Gu Yu, as before, grabbed whatever she felt like eating, with no plan whatsoever. In the fresh seafood section, she spotted live prawns and instantly felt a craving. She asked if Jiang Bomu could cook them, but her expression turned hesitant. “Isn’t cooking prawns really difficult?”
“It’s very simple,” Jiang Bomu explained, slightly exasperated, to the kitchen novice. “Just boil them for a few dozen seconds, and they’re done.”
But Gu Yu wasn’t done with the flattery. “Sister is so amazing!”
Thus, the next day’s lunch featured an extra dish: oil-braised prawns.
Gu Yu watched the entire process. The amount of prawns they’d bought was a bit much, however. Jiang Bomu asked her to help trim the whiskers, legs, and sharp rostrum, then devein them. The two of them were busy for a good while before they were finally ready to be fried.
Jiang Bomu poured in the cooking oil. Gu Yu immediately wanted to dodge further away, but her curiosity about how oil-braised prawns were really made kept her torn between advance and retreat.
Just then, that gentle female voice rang out: “Visitor has entered the elevator.”
Jiang Bomu made the decision for her. “That should be Tao Tao. You go open the door.”
Gu Yu headed towards the entrance, looking back over her shoulder every few steps, calling out, “Wait for me to come back before you fry them!”
With a smile, Jiang Bomu agreed.
Gu Yu started to sprint. Without even checking the monitor, she twisted the door open, only to find stepping out of the elevator a refined man with gold-rimmed glasses, bearing a slight resemblance to Jiang Bomu.
Though she guessed the man’s identity, Gu Yu still asked, “Who are you?”
Clearly not expecting the door to be opened by anyone but Jiang Bomu, the man specifically checked the floor number. Then, he answered in a cultured tone, “I am Xiaomu’s father.”
Just as she thought. Only such an elegant, distinguished man could raise a daughter as calm and composed as Jiang Bomu.
A smile bloomed on Gu Yu’s face. She was about to speak when Jiang Bomu’s voice rang out distantly: “Xunxun, why aren’t you coming in?”
Gu Yu called back, “Sister, your father is here!”
Clang—
The dull thud of something heavy hitting the wooden floor.
Then came a hoarse, desperate roar, like a trapped beast putting its all into one last cry: “Get him out!”
