Chapter 48: Confession

“Wan An? Wan An? Where are you?”

The moment they got home, Gu Yu and Jiang Bomu were searching everywhere for Wan An.

Cats are naturally wary. Even after being kept for several days and gradually familiarizing with the scents, they still hide at any sudden noise. Jiang Bomu’s home was large. It took a while to finally find Wan An hidden behind a throw pillow on the sofa.

Jiang Bomu smiled and picked her up, but Wan An swatted her with a paw and jumped right back onto the sofa.

“Are you okay?!” Gu Yu rushed forward in alarm.

“It’s nothing, just a scratch on the back of my hand,” Jiang Bomu didn’t care in the slightest, instead smiling. “Wan An’s a bit bolder than when she first arrived.”

Though it hadn’t drawn blood, Gu Yu was still tense and asked Jian Ya whether they needed a rabies vaccine.

[Please, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill, will you? If Wan An had rabies, she’d be dead already!]

Gu Yu breathed in relief, then scolded, [Don’t curse Wan An.]

Jian Ya sent a string of ellipses. Gu Yu didn’t reply further, just sat on the sofa, poking Wan An’s little head and lecturing her. “How can you be so rude to your benefactor? The food, toys, and stuff you use now are all from your benefactor’s money. You little stinky cat, you don’t recognize who’s boss.”

Jiang Bomu: “Wan An is fragrant.”

Gu Yu: “…” Even after being scratched, she wouldn’t allow a single bad word about Wan An!

After playing with Wan An for a while, she fell asleep again.

The large living room, missing the jingling of the cat teaser, seemed exceptionally quiet.

Neither of them spoke. Tacitly, each went about their own business, absolutely never mentioning what happened at the KTV.

In a daze, Gu Yu went to the bathroom to shower. Seeing the unused bathtub, she hesitated for a moment. She wanted to use it, but also didn’t dare. Last time she caught a cold from soaking in a hotel tub, and she almost had PTSD.

Still, she followed her impulse and enjoyed a long, comfortable bath.

Steam rose. The bubbles in the tub were so plentiful they threatened to overflow. Gu Yu lay back, and the scene of that kiss surfaced in her mind.

Jiang Bomu’s lips were truly so soft.

She tapped her fingers against her own lips, as if recalling the sensation. Like eating a flower drenched in morning dew—fresh, moist, sweet.

Too bad it only lasted a few seconds.

Gu Yu closed her eyes and imagined what would’ve happened if it had continued.

She would have slipped her tongue in, tasting that sweetness. She would have pecked her lips, again and again. She would have kissed from those tender lips to those burning earlobes. She would have told her, sister is so soft. I like sister so much.

An address perfectly normal on any ordinary day took on an indescribably intimate tone in such a heart-racing, blushing moment.

Just imagining it made Gu Yu involuntarily press her legs together.

The pure white foam swayed. Some dissipated, some floated into the air, turning iridescent under the incandescent light.

Gu Yu’s arched back sank down. She steadied her breathing, calmed herself for a moment, and prepared to get up, only to realize—she’d come to bathe without bringing anything.

She was silent for a moment, then sent Jiang Bomu a WeChat message: [I forgot my towel.]

Jiang Bomu replied quickly: [One moment.]

After a while, the bathroom door’s frosted glass dimly reflected Jiang Bomu’s silhouette. She asked, “Can you come get it?”

Gu Yu looked at the foam covering her whole body. She was more concealed than if she were wearing clothes. So she called out, “Come in!”

The silhouette outside the door didn’t move for a long time.

Gu Yu didn’t rush her, either, just reclined lazily in the tub, waiting for Jiang Bomu to finish her internal struggle.

But her struggle was genuinely too long. Gu Yu could only say pitifully, “Sister, if you don’t come in soon, the water’s getting cold.”

With a door between them, Jiang Bomu pressed her lips together. She knew full well it was an act, a lie, but her heart still softened a little. She grasped the door handle and gently pushed. She said quietly, “Xunxun, I’m coming in.”

She kept her eyes fixed on the floor tiles’ patterns. The further she went, the more water stains were on the floor. Her face flushed slightly. She stopped three paces from the showerhead and extended the towel.

But no one took it.

“Sister, could you at least look where I am?”

Jiang Bomu looked up in surprise. From the corner of her eye, she caught the silhouette in the tub and quickly turned her face away. She mumbled, “Why did you suddenly decide to take a bath?”

“Singing is really tiring,” Gu Yu said innocently. “I needed to ease the fatigue.”

Jiang Bomu didn’t want to chat here. The damp, hazy steam invaded every limb and bone, making the brain stop thinking. She shifted the hand holding the towel in a new direction, and finally, the towel was taken.

“Thanks!” Gu Yu enthusiastically extended an invitation. “Want to join?”

Jiang Bomu: “…”

About to leave, she still added one more sentence. “Remember to lock the door when you bathe from now on.”

“You wouldn’t peek anyway.”

Gu Yu wished she would peek, but Jiang Bomu had zero interest in that.

“Don’t let your guard down just because it’s someone close to you,” Jiang Bomu said seriously. “Most cases happen with acquaintances.”

The sexual assault in the film “Sleepless” was by an acquaintance. Jiang Bomu had rewatched it many times; the more she saw, the more heart-wrenching it felt.

“Okay, sister!” Gu Yu immediately said. “From now on, I’ll always lock the door. And if I ever forget my towel again, I’ll just walk out bare to open the door for you.”

Jiang Bomu: “…In the future, I’ll remind you.”

She turned around, walking through the shallow water out of the bathroom, slightly puzzled as to how bathing could produce so much water on the floor.

Not dwelling on it, she carried Wan An back to the cat bed in the second bedroom. Just as she finished making the bed, Gu Yu came in.

A light cyan towel wrapped around her alluring figure. Her bare skin glowed with a pinkish-white sheen. Beads of water dripped from her hair tips onto her collarbone, trembling, like a flower just watered—completely at ease, blossoming into its most beautiful moment.

Perhaps it was because she’d just bathed, but Jiang Bomu felt a trace of seductive charm on that innocent, pure face.

“Can you dry my hair?” Gu Yu held the hair dryer. “My hand was holding the mic so long while singing, it’s a bit sore.”

Though they’d agreed not to mention the kiss, no one said they couldn’t mention the KTV. Gu Yu decided to bring it up at least ten times a day. If just one time made Jiang Bomu recall that kiss, she’d have profited greatly.

As she wished, Jiang Bomu agreed without hesitation. She flipped the switch. The suitable warmth and perfectly gentle touch made Gu Yu comfortably close her eyes, leaning back slightly to rest on Jiang Bomu’s shoulder.

Jiang Bomu was exasperated. “How am I supposed to dry your hair like this?”

“Then don’t dry it,” Gu Yu said, acting spoiled. “I’m sleepy. I want to sleep.”

Jiang Bomu disagreed. “Sleeping with wet hair is bad. It might not show now, but when you’re old, you’ll get all sorts of problems.”

This was exactly the line Gu Yu was waiting for. She immediately shifted her position, facing her, nestling her face into the crook of her neck. A casual flick of her hands, and her long hair fell smoothly down her back.

“This works, right?” Gu Yu gave a sly smile and asked in a muffled voice.

Jiang Bomu felt a little uncomfortable. A few unruly strands of hair were still stuck between them, the damp, cool sensation contrasting with the warm breath continuously exhaled against her neck. Like a cigarette burning a tiny hole through clothing—not obvious, yet the heat made one’s heart tremble.

But she had no better alternative. She tucked the stray hair behind her ear and continued drying.

Just as it was almost dry, a pair of arms encircled her shoulders, loosely draping around her neck.

The cigarette had found a new spot to burn its little hole.

Jiang Bomu forced herself to finish drying. The moment she switched off the hair dryer, the world fell into silence. She didn’t know whose heartbeat was deafening, or maybe both were intertwined, playing a chaotic, unmusical piece.

“Let’s sleep,” Jiang Bomu feigned composure and pulled away. “It’s already very late.”

They’d spent four or five hours at the KTV, and then busied themselves with various things after returning home. It was now approaching midnight. Normally, by this time, she’d already be two hours into her sleep.

She lay under the covers, heartbeat calming after a while, and finally closed her eyes, preparing to sleep.

There was a rustling sound beside her. Gu Yu was putting on her pajamas. The next moment, the blanket was lifted. Gu Yu crawled in and, without any reservation whatsoever, reached out and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Jiang Bomu froze, about to speak, when Gu Yu said, “We’ve done things more intimate than this. What’s there to fear from holding a waist?”

Gu Yu had a sort of “in for a penny, in for a pound” attitude. They’d kissed—and at that time, she wasn’t the only one whose heart fluttered. Jiang Bomu could definitely guess she had some… special feelings for her. That being the case, why keep pretending to be a good little sister?

Even if Jiang Bomu pretended not to know and plastered over the cracks, how could Gu Yu be content playing the little sister forever?

Might as well take this chance to talk openly.

Seeing Jiang Bomu say nothing, Gu Yu added innocently, “I didn’t mention that.”

She meant it to lighten the mood, but Jiang Bomu said calmly, “But you very much want to.”

Such frankness, in turn, threw the ready-to-be-reckless Gu Yu off balance. She didn’t know how to respond.

After thinking, she asked a question both childish and fiercely gnawing at her. “Between me and Lin Sijia, whose lips were better to kiss?”

She knew Lin Sijia was an old flame. But holding the title of “love,” Gu Yu couldn’t help caring. If the answer was Lin Sijia, then she’d fiercely kiss her and make her say it again. If it was her, Gu Yu blinked—well, she’d reward her with a gentle little kiss.

She expected Jiang Bomu to hesitate a bit or just refuse to answer. But without any pause, Jiang Bomu said, “Can’t compare.”

“Makes sense,” Gu Yu nodded, feigning indifference. “It was too long ago. You’ve probably forgotten by now.”

Jiang Bomu spoke: “It’s because she and I never kissed.”

Gu Yu let out a confused “Ah?” How was that possible?

“It was always just me liking her one-sidedly,” Jiang Bomu said softly. “She played along with the CP for publicity, making me think she liked me too.”

She and Lin Sijia had never truly started. It was their falling out that left a more lasting impression.

Receiving this answer, Gu Yu fell silent for a long moment. So all along, she’d been treating Lin Sijia as a rival in love? Then why had Lin Sijia suddenly visited the set, calling her sister this and sister that?

“Still for publicity,” Jiang Bomu sneered. “She hasn’t been able to land any roles lately. After being on a few trending searches with me, she immediately got cast in a novel adaptation.”

Gu Yu was puzzled. “And you just let her keep leeching off your popularity?”

“Not much longer,” Jiang Bomu looked down. “She’s just clinging on by a thread.”

Gu Yu was finally satisfied with this outcome, but still asked, worried, “You won’t go soft on her, will you?”

“No.”

“And you don’t like her anymore, right?”

Gu Yu had asked many times over. Jiang Bomu still patiently answered, “No, I don’t like her anymore.”

The hazy drowsiness had dissipated through this Q&A. She sighed and said helplessly, “Xunxun, it’s already midnight.”

“I have one last question!”

“Go ahead.”

Gu Yu licked her lips. Her fingers nervously curled with tension. Finally, she asked softly, “Would you like to try… liking me a little?”