Chapter 56: Attachment

The afternoon sunlight fell on Gu Yu’s face, casting a dappled silhouette.

She neither agreed nor refused. She simply turned and walked towards her room, leaving the door open.

The air conditioning was at a perfect temperature, driving away all the heat. But Jiang Bomu’s heart was burning. She followed.

“The sun’s too strong right now, not good for traveling. Plus, I need to be able to report back to my mom,” Gu Yu said, half-lying on her bed, playing on her phone without looking up. “So, stick around a bit longer.”

Jiang Bomu gave a soft affirmation and carefully sat down on the chair, quietly taking in Gu Yu’s bedroom.

The Morandi-toned walls were covered in objects: travel photos from various countries, a family portrait of three, hand-drawn pictures… The monotonous walls were decorated vibrantly. Plush toys of different sizes sat at the head of the bed, the curtains and rug were bohemian, and a wooden white desk and chair were placed under the French window. Various styles were blended together yet seemed perfectly harmonious.

After looking around, her gaze was caught by items on the desk. There was a candle, a spoon, a small stove, and various colorful things she couldn’t name. She used these to strike up a conversation. “Xunxun, what’s this?”

Gu Yu glanced up and scanned the items briefly, spitting out two words. “Sealing wax.”

Jiang Bomu bit her lip and pressed on. “What’s it for?”

Seeing her genuine interest, Gu Yu explained a little more. “Back in the day, people used sealing wax to seal letters. Now it’s pretty much useless. Just for fun.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “You could use it for love letters, I guess. But who in this day and age uses such an old-fashioned way to confess?”

Old-fashioned? Jiang Bomu thought to herself. She actually found it quite romantic. But Gu Yu was clearly still angry, and there was no point in disagreeing over something so small. She stayed silent.

Gu Yu stood up and showed her the finished wax seals she’d made. “I made all these,” she said, unable to hide the pride in her voice. It was finally a tone that wasn’t ice-cold. Jiang Bomu breathed a small sigh of relief and looked carefully.

Pink tulips, the Little Prince and his rose, cookies, a little cat head… They looked like a collection of exquisitely shaped badges, each one unique.

“You drew all of these yourself?” Jiang Bomu asked, a bit surprised.

Gu Yu couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. Immediately realizing she shouldn’t have, she pressed her lips together, pulled open a drawer, and took out several stamps to show her the patterns on the bottom.

“I see,” Jiang Bomu nodded. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, cautiously, “Can I… make one?”

Even though things had fallen apart between them, Jiang Bomu was a guest. Gu Yu wasn’t so stingy as to refuse her even this small thing. She nodded and bent down to teach her how to do it.

“First, put the candle into the wax melting stove. Then pick a few colors and put them in the wax melting spoon.”

There were so many colors of sealing wax. Jiang Bomu felt overwhelmed, her heart beating faster because of Gu Yu’s proximity. A few strands of her hair seemed to tease the skin on her neck. She trembled slightly, afraid Gu Yu would notice. Hurriedly, she raised a hand and pointed to two colors.

“These two.”

“And the stamp?”

Unaware, Jiang Bomu pulled open the drawer to reveal the wax seal stamps. But to see the patterns clearly, they needed to be picked up. So, playing the host to the fullest, she started picking them up one by one for Jiang Bomu to see.

“No need to go to such trouble,” Jiang Bomu stopped her. “I’ll just pick one at random.”

Gu Yu looked down at her wrist, held in Jiang Bomu’s grasp. Her pulse jumped violently. She immediately pulled free and hid her hands behind her back. “Pick one,” she said evenly.

Jiang Bomu’s hand remained suspended in mid-air, frozen in the posture from moments before.

The instant Gu Yu pulled away, she’d wanted to hold on. In the next second, reason had prevailed.

“This one will do.”

She randomly picked one up and turned it over to see the pattern. A moment of silence fell between them.

It was a bunch of grapes.

Gu Yu could almost still catch the scent of their last kiss. That day, she’d used grape-flavored lip balm. Fresh, sweet, and tantalizing.

“Pick another one,” Gu Yu said, her voice strained. “There’s no such thing as blue or red grapes.”

“Xunxun, I remember you’re an art student,” Jiang Bomu smiled. “How could you forget the primary colors?”

It hit Gu Yu suddenly: blue and red mixed together made purple.

She felt a bit foolish and didn’t reply, lowering her head to light the candle.

The flame illuminated her face. Even as an actress, Jiang Bomu couldn’t tell if she was angry or not. A little flustered, she explained, “Xunxun, I was only teasing.”

“But our relationship isn’t suited for any kind of teasing anymore.” Gu Yu dropped the wax pellets into the spoon. “Here.”

Expression dimming, Jiang Bomu took it, watching the melting process. But even when the wax had completely melted, the colors hadn’t truly mixed.

Just like their relationship. Seemingly close and intimate, yet fundamentally separate.

She stared blankly, forgetting for a moment what to do next.

Gu Yu took hold of her hand and poured the wax onto the mat. The blue and red swirled together in silken threads, forming ocean waves, clouds in the sky—every shape was uncontrolled, unpredictable.

The stamp pressed firmly onto the elliptical pool of wax. A moment later, it was gently lifted. The resulting seal was a blue grape, marbled with a bit of red.

Ugly as could be.

Jiang Bomu felt a bit awkward. “Seems my luck isn’t very good today.”

“Seems that way to me too,” Gu Yu sighed. “Even my very first wax seal wasn’t this ugly. Want to try another one?”

Jiang Bomu nodded. This time, she carefully chose green and white. The stamp featured a few bamboo leaves. No way this could go wrong. The final piece was stunning, with the feel of a deep bamboo grove—serene and beautiful.

“You’ve got some talent after all,” Gu Yu critiqued. “Consider yourself graduated.”

“All thanks to Teacher Gu’s wonderful instruction.”

Those words plunged the bedroom back into a cold silence.

“Have you thought about what you want to do after graduation?” Jiang Bomu pulled a random topic out of thin air.

“Yep,” Gu Yu replied, wiping the residual wax from the spoon. “Live off my parents.”

Jiang Bomu: “…”

Clearly, Gu Yu had zero interest in a deeper conversation.

But Jiang Bomu desperately wanted to talk to her more. Just like Auntie had said, who knew when their next meeting would be. The thought made her breathing heavy, like she was suffocating.

Racking her brain, she tried again. “Your parents seem very gentle. They treat you well, don’t they?”

“Of course. Why else would I be so comfortable mooching off them?”

Jiang Bomu sighed internally. Her eyes caught the wax seal stamp of a Ragdoll cat. Testing the waters, she asked, “Is Wan An doing okay?”

Gu Yu’s words finally became slightly more forthcoming. “Yeah, she’s fine. Just scared again because of the new environment. She’s at a friend’s place right now. I’ll pick her up in a couple of days.”

“But you start school soon,” Jiang Bomu said. “What will happen to Wan An then?”

She was debating whether to propose leaving Wan An at her place, but feared Gu Yu would refuse. Just as she was stuck, Gu Yu briefly explained, “I’m living off campus.”

“Oh, I see…” Jiang Bomu felt a wave of relief, mixed with a trace of regret. “Have your parents agreed to that?”

Gu Yu paused, realizing she hadn’t told them yet. “I’ll mention it to them in a bit,” she said casually.

“Good,” Jiang Bomu hesitated, then asked anyway, “Are you living by yourself?”

Gu Yu nearly blurted out, “Why? Are you going to move in with me?” Thankfully, her brain caught up in time. She just nodded.

Jiang Bomu looked a little worried. “That doesn’t seem very safe. Have you considered finding a roommate?”

Gu Yu let out a cold laugh and said flatly, “Forget it. I’m afraid I might develop feelings for her over time. I mean, there is a precedent.”

She felt a twinge of relief that she hadn’t confessed the truth—that she’d been secretly in love with Jiang Bomu since she was sixteen. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to use this line to jab at her now.

Jiang Bomu’s hand tightened around the stamp, then relaxed. “That’s good,” she said, softly.

Gu Yu looked at her in disbelief. “What did you say?” she murmured.

“I said it’s good to start a new relationship. That’s a good thing,” Jiang Bomu lifted her face, giving her a gentle smile. “Xunxun, I’ll wish you happiness.”

She could fall in love with anyone, just not with her. Since they were impossible, why delay Gu Yu’s youth any longer?

Jiang Bomu thought, with stark clarity, her fingertips trembling slightly.

“Fine,” Gu Yu laughed, without a care. “Once school starts, I’ll find ten women to live it up with. I’ll host orgies at my place.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“True, I wouldn’t,” Gu Yu said, eerily calm. “Who knew I’d end up liking you this much?”

A secret crush hidden for four years could finally be spoken aloud. But the other party would give no response.

And yet, Gu Yu stubbornly wanted a response. Things were already a mess, so why not just burn it all down?

She stared directly at Jiang Bomu, wanting to put a final punctuation mark on her four years.

“Was there ever a single moment when your heart fluttered for me?”

Jiang Bomu remained silent. Gu Yu gave a bitter smile. She was dodging the question again, just like all the times before.

Was she afraid the truth would hurt her, or unwilling to lie?

Gu Yu couldn’t be bothered to figure it out. “Forget it,” she said dully. “Asking doesn’t matter anymore.”

She put the melting spoon back in its place and blew out the candle.

The light in her heart dimmed, bit by bit, until it was entirely gone.

Ten minutes later, Jiang Bomu left.

Gu Yu didn’t try to stop her, nor did she see her out. She stood by the window, watching her leave the residential complex.

It was the hottest part of the day. Almost no one was outside. On the tree-lined path, the solitary figure walked alone.

The deep and shallow shadows of the trees fell upon her. Occasionally, sunlight kissed her hair. Amidst the shifting light and shadow, she never once looked back.

A proud, big star would only ever look forward, never pausing for anyone.

Gu Yu had once arrogantly believed she would be the exception.

Turned out, she was no different from the rest of the world.

She watched until Jiang Bomu’s silhouette vanished into the depths of the trees. Then, casually, Gu Yu picked up the two wax seals and tossed them into the trash.

Why feel attachment to someone who had already gone far away?

At dinner that evening, Gu Yu told her parents about her decision.

Gu Zhenglin was the first to support it. “That’s great! You’re a grown woman now. There’s nothing wrong with being independent.”

Yu Qing, however, was hesitant. “Xunxun is only twenty. She’s still so young. During the summer, having someone around put my mind at ease. But you’ll be so far away, living all alone…”

Gu Yu didn’t want to hear them bring up Jiang Bomu. She cut in, exasperated, “Mom, didn’t you guys buy me that apartment precisely so I could live on my own eventually?”

“That was the plan back then, but my thinking has changed. I’m always afraid something might happen to you.” Yu Qing sighed. Then, seemingly remembering something, her face brightened. “Oh! Do you still remember your Sister Xia Li? She held you when you were a baby! She bought an apartment at the same time we did, right next door to yours. I heard she recently moved back to China. She might just be living there!”

Gu Yu did remember, but… “You just HAVE to find someone to babysit me, don’t you?” she grumbled.

“Of course! Otherwise, I won’t have peace of mind,” Yu Qing declared, already messaging the person on WeChat. “I’m going to ask her carefully.”

Fine. Whatever. As long as they weren’t actually living together.