The morning light was faint, birds chirping softly.
The sleeping person was deep in sweet dreams when the harsh noise of an alarm jolted her awake.
Gu Yu frowned, fumbling for her phone to stop the annoying sound. Unexpectedly, her hand landed on something soft. She squeezed instinctively. Not a bad texture.
She forced her heavy, sleepy eyes open with all her might and hazily saw a cold, pale, beautiful face. Her hand was currently defiling that beauty.
The world fell silent again.
Realizing she was touching Jiang Bomu’s face, Gu Yu blinked several times, pressed down her pounding heart, and carefully began to lift her hand, terrified of waking her.
Just as she was almost clear, Jiang Bomu suddenly turned over to face her and murmured, “So noisy.”
Gu Yu’s hand immediately landed right back on her face. One hand could cover it entirely. Such a small face. Her five fingers closed, and she couldn’t help but pinch gently. Soft and bouncy.
Just as she was about to pull away, a hand seized her wrist. Simultaneously, Jiang Bomu opened her eyes and looked at the culprit.
Gu Yu couldn’t quite meet her eyes. She shook her hand free, turned off the alarm that was still persistently making noise, turned back with a bright smile, and greeted, “Sister, good morning!”
A voice full of vibrant energy, just like the newly risen sun. It almost made Jiang Bomu forget her recent actions.
“Your way of saying good morning is to pinch my face?”
The voice of someone just awake was still a little husky but still gentle and melodious.
“It was just an accident,” she whined playfully, immediately changing the subject. “We should get up!”
Flustered by this little episode, she completely failed to notice that Jiang Bomu was barely an inch away from her. It was only when she went to throw off the covers that she realized—they were sharing the same blanket.
Her hand, still holding the edge of the blanket mid-air, froze instantly.
Gu Yu looked completely baffled. What exactly happened last night?
Jiang Bomu sighed and gestured for her to look at the other blanket underneath her. She said flatly, “No matter how I pulled, you wouldn’t let go. I had no choice but to sleep together.”
Gu Yu fell silent, staring at her own hand.
Perhaps during the night, it had wrapped around a slender waist, touched those shoulder blades, kneaded…
And she had been completely unaware of all of it!
She felt like she’d lost a hundred million. Wuwuwu.
Listlessly, she got out of bed. Leaving the room, she ran into Tao Tao again, who was coming to knock on the door. Tao Tao flashed a knowing smile before speaking, “Good morning, Teacher Gu!”
“Morning,” Gu Yu drifted towards the room opposite like a wandering soul.
She looked utterly drained. Tao Tao scratched her head.
“Tao Tao, help me grab something.”
Jiang Bomu’s voice sounded from inside the room. Tao Tao immediately responded and hurried in, shaking off her messy thoughts.
At nine thirty in the morning, Jiang Bomu began filming.
Gu Yu watched her act while sipping a bland mineral water. She was starting to miss milk tea and planned to buy some during the lunch break.
Not long after, the scene passed smoothly and the director called cut. Just as Gu Yu and Tao Tao were heading to Jiang Bomu’s side, they heard someone shouting, “…treating everyone to milk tea!”
Someone was treating them to milk tea? Gu Yu’s ears immediately perked up. She hadn’t caught the first part and asked quickly, “Who’s treating?”
As an assistant, Tao Tao knew most people in the industry. She confidently stood on her tiptoes and looked into the distance. She froze for a moment, then said uncertainly, “It seems to be… Lin Sijia?”
They’d already delayed long enough. Gu Yu, worried Jiang Bomu might need something, pulled Tao Tao’s arm towards where Jiang Bomu was, saying, “Never mind that for now. Let’s find Sister Mu.”
Walking up to Jiang Bomu, Gu Yu rummaged through the bag and asked, “Need water? Wet wipes? Need a makeup touch-up?”
After firing off a string of questions, she suddenly realized the other hadn’t made a sound.
Gu Yu looked up, puzzled, and saw Jiang Bomu retract her gaze from the distance. Her red lips parted slightly, “Wet wipe.”
Gu Yu expertly pulled out a wet wipe and smiled, “Someone actually came to visit the set and brought milk tea today. It’s so lively over there.”
Jiang Bomu followed her gaze, looking into the distance again. Several rows of milk tea were set out. People came and went continuously. The tea gradually diminished. Amidst the chaotic crowd, the sounds of straws piercing lids and enthusiastic slurping rose and fell, making the long-awaited reunion feel like an absurd farce.
That person stood right in the center, chatting and laughing merrily with Song Zhiwei and the director, never sparing a glance over here.
“Xunxun, if you want some, go grab one,” Jiang Bomu then looked at the eagerly waiting Tao Tao. “Get two cups.”
It was free, after all. Why not?
Gu Yu nodded and started walking that way, but turned back to ask, “Sister Mu, do you want one?”
Jiang Bomu was about to answer when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a figure approaching. Her gaze shifted, and she looked over directly, not avoiding it.
Song Zhiwei almost screamed. She quickly covered her mouth, but the excitement in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.
A century-spanning same frame! The Daydreaming CP, in the same frame after an era! It was happening right before her, a die-hard shipper!
Counting carefully, they hadn’t been in the same frame for four whole years. Heaven knows how their CP fans had survived. History would be rewritten starting today!
She stealthily moved to stand between the two, carefully observing the micro-expressions on their faces.
Lin Sijia’s smile was as radiant as ever, stars in her eyes. She always looked like this when seeing Jiang Bomu. It was the gaze CP fans knew best.
In contrast, Jiang Bomu seemed much more calm. Her face was composed as she looked at Lin Sijia. Her Courtesan makeup no longer seemed coquettish and alluring. She suddenly seemed like an unattainable saint, which truly chilled Song Zhiwei’s heart.
This was a reunion after a long separation! Why wasn’t there even a hint of surprise?
But she quickly convinced herself. Jiang Bomu was always calm and unflappable. At first, there might have been a few crumbs, but after a year or two, she became very low-key.
Lin Sijia was different. She was a famously big leaker. After all these years, she still dropped hints in interviews or on Weibo.
For instance, half a month ago, a Weibo picture had a sunset glow in it. Last month, in an interview, she suddenly mentioned the idiom “Daydreaming” and smiled meaningfully. The month before that, her Weibo caption contained the word “Descend,” which were their surnames combined!
That post, though, was edited two hours later. The CP fans weren’t sad; they were even more excited, imagining Jiang Bomu had seen it and scolded her for leaking too much. Lin Sijia, pouting pitifully, then changed it. The CP fans were ecstatic.
So this was why, despite the Daydreaming CP not sharing a frame for four years, CP fans still persisted. The actual people involved would always drop a little sugar whenever the fans were about to leave the fandom. Who could resist shipping that!
Song Zhiwei once again “understood.” Yesterday, they must have chatted on WeChat about visiting the set, which was why Jiang Bomu was so calm today!
Her chilled heart started beating fiercely again. She clenched her fists and listened intently, afraid of missing a single word.
“Sister, long time no see.”
Jiang Bomu watched her calmly, her peripheral vision following Gu Yu as she went to get the milk tea. She said nothing, too lazy to even nod in acknowledgment.
Lin Sijia’s smile froze for a fraction of a second before becoming lively again. She raised the milk tea she’d been holding in her hand and said playfully, “I saved this especially for you. I know you like strawberry flavor.”
Gu Yu, just returning, overheard the last part and was a bit stunned. Who knew Jiang Bomu this well?
It took her a moment to realize the visitor was Lin Sijia. She was the actress who’d partnered with Jiang Bomu in her very first drama. Of course, she’d know.
She patted her own muddled head. These past few days of nonstop work, she was almost losing the ability to think.
Still, she looked at the milk tea in her hand and hesitated. She’d grabbed a grape-flavored fruit tea for Jiang Bomu. Should she put it back?
“People’s tastes change,” Jiang Bomu finally said her first words. “Thank you for the kind offer, but I’ll pass.”
Lin Sijia wasn’t discouraged in the slightest and smiled, “Then what flavor does Sister like? I’ll go get it for you.”
Why was she calling Jiang Bomu “Sister” too?
Gu Yu frowned, suddenly feeling as if her exclusive nickname had been stolen. She finally took a proper look at Lin Sijia.
When “Midsummer Youth” was released, Gu Yu and her parents went to support it. She was only thirteen then, not even aware that feelings could exist between girls. Besides, the movie didn’t detail anything explicitly. She watched it innocently, her only takeaway being that the two female leads were very beautiful, and their friendship was deeply moving.
Seven years had passed. Jiang Bomu hadn’t changed much. Time had given her a settled, refined beauty. Lin Sijia’s features were more delicate than before, but she had lost her own unique charm, evolving from a sunny, energetic girl into a cookie-cutter internet celebrity style.
Gu Yu pressed her lips together. Before she could figure out what had happened between the two of them, Jiang Bomu answered, “Grape flavor.”
Eh? Wasn’t that the one in her hand?
Gu Yu beamed. Just as she was about to hand it over, Lin Sijia spoke, “Okay, I’ll go get it right now.”
“No need. My assistant already got it for me.” Jiang Bomu spoke.
Gu Yu immediately handed her the milk tea. Suddenly, she felt a hostile gaze land on her face, making her whole body feel uncomfortable.
She glanced casually in Lin Sijia’s direction and flashed her a smile.
Whatever monsters or demons you are, Sister is her sister alone right now.
Perhaps her smile provoked the other. Lin Sijia narrowed her eyes and started, “You…”
“If there’s nothing else, I’m going to film now.” Jiang Bomu began dismissing her.
Lin Sijia ignored this and quietly scrutinized Gu Yu. She smiled, “A new assistant? What’s your name?”
“What’s it to you?” Jiang Bomu was impatient. “Please see yourself out.”
She was about to pull Gu Yu away when Lin Sijia spoke again, “Don’t rush. You just look a little familiar. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before…”
Before she could finish, the two had already walked off.
Lin Sijia stared at the two retreating figures, deep in thought. A spark of realization hit. She remembered now. At the “Midsummer Youth” movie celebration banquet, this girl had been holding Director Qiao’s hand the whole time, looking very close. If not her paternal granddaughter, then her maternal one.
In the blink of an eye, she’d grown so much.
She’d even learned to hide her identity and stand by Jiang Bomu’s side.
The intentions were obvious to anyone with eyes.
Whether Jiang Bomu knew or not, emotionally and logically, she should go give a heads-up.
So after Jiang Bomu wrapped up, she extended an invitation, “Let’s go eat together. I have something very important to tell you.”
“Sorry, I have plans,” Jiang Bomu paid no heed, looking down. “Excuse me.”
Gu Yu stood guard warily, keeping her distance from Lin Sijia.
Seeing she was really about to leave, Lin Sijia blurted out desperately, “It’s about the people by your side!”
Jiang Bomu glanced at Tao Tao and Gu Yu and laughed, “Is that so? Then bring them both along. We can interrogate them on the spot.”
