Chapter 67: The Helmsman

“You…”

Jiang Bomu was somewhat stunned, managing only a single syllable before it dawned on her. Gu Yu wasn’t leaving?

“What’s up?” Gu Yu placed her suitcase in the corner and asked with a cheeky grin, “I tricked you. Are you upset?”

“It’s clearly a delightful surprise.” A smile broke across Jiang Bomu’s face, her entire heart burning warmly. She couldn’t wait to embrace her.

Gu Yu had never seen her so clingy before. Just as she was about to lean in for a kiss, Jiang Bomu let go and looked down at her phone. “You haven’t eaten yet. You must be hungry. I’ll order delivery for you.”

Gu Yu: “…” This woman had no sense of romance.

While waiting for the delivery, Gu Yu took her things out of the suitcase and placed them away one by one. When everything was finally unpacked, she looked up and saw Jiang Bomu still on her phone. Curious, she asked, “You wouldn’t still be playing Xiaoxiaole, would you?”

Seeing her approach from the corner of her eye, Jiang Bomu, who was actually browsing Taobao, switched apps and answered nonchalantly with an “mm.”

Gu Yu suspected nothing and sat down next to her, watching her play for a bit before asking, “Do you play Honor of Kings? Or PUBG?”

“I’ve played a few times on Tao Tao’s phone before,” Jiang Bomu admitted, somewhat embarrassed. “I have butterfingers.”

Gu Yu laughed out loud. “You do look like the type.”

Jiang Bomu gave her a reproachful glance and lowered her head back to the game.

That glance was utterly mesmerizing. Gu Yu felt a tickle in her heart and lifted a strand of Jiang Bomu’s hair, noticing her shyness and evasive movements. Instead of backing off, Gu Yu only felt more drawn in. She was just about to make her next move when knock, knock, knock—three raps on the door shattered the romantic atmosphere instantly.

“The delivery’s here,” Jiang Bomu moved to the other side. “You get it.”

Gu Yu remained firmly seated and asked unhurriedly, “I’m not your little assistant anymore. If you want to order me around, shouldn’t I get some kind of benefit first?”

Jiang Bomu bit her lip, then gave her a light kiss at the corner of her mouth.

“Hmph, that’s more like it.” Gu Yu opened the door, picked up the delivery from the floor, and, having gained the advantage, pushed it further. “Feed me a bite.”

“A grown adult like you…” Jiang Bomu shook her head in exasperated fondness but nevertheless scooped up a spoonful of soup.

“Don’t care,” Gu Yu drank it down with a blissful expression. “When I’m with Sister, I’ll always be a kid.”

“But I remember,” Jiang Bomu scooped another spoonful, speaking lazily, “that someone back then didn’t want to call me ‘Sister,’ always wanting to call me by my name instead.”

Gu Yu also recalled that time and couldn’t help but laugh. When harboring a secret crush, her little schemes were always abundant. She’d tried to bridge the age gap by calling each other by name, hoping Jiang Bomu would see her as a peer.

Thinking back now, those little schemes were always glaringly obvious, easy to grasp if one just thought about it a little. So why had Jiang Bomu never noticed?

After she voiced this question, Jiang Bomu thought for a moment.

When Gu Yu was nearly done eating, Jiang Bomu finally said, “Perhaps because, subconsciously, I always treated you like a little sister, so I didn’t pick up on your subtle hints.”

She put it delicately, but Gu Yu huffed, speaking bluntly, “In other words, ’cause you saw me as a kid, you never cared what I was really thinking?”

Jiang Bomu added fuel to the fire. “You could say that.”

“And now?” Gu Yu looked directly at her. “In your heart now, am I still a kid?”

Those large, round almond eyes were clear and bright, but held a trace of pressure that made Jiang Bomu recall the dominating way she kissed. Her technique might be green, but she charged forward with fearless passion, never concealing the delight in her eyes, nor holding back her praise. That was precisely what stirred the heart the most.

Such a Gu Yu left her defenseless, unable to resist, only capable of succumbing to the intoxication.

She evaded Gu Yu’s gaze and murmured, “No.”

“Then what am I?”

“You are… the helmsman who holds the treasure map.”

The one who navigated her across the boundless sea; every stop brought inexhaustible riches. The voyage had no end, and the treasures could never be exhausted.

Gu Yu, however, conjured an image of a Pirates of the Caribbean character and shuddered in fright. Frowning, she asked, “In your eyes, am I actually that ugly?”

Jiang Bomu: “…You’re the one with no sense of romance here.”

“But Sister, you must be the treasure map, right?” Gu Yu cradled her face as she looked at her. “When will this captain be able to explore the treasure map?”

It took Jiang Bomu a second to grasp her meaning. Face red, she didn’t speak. This time, she actually got the romantic implication. Too bad it would’ve been better if she hadn’t.

She changed the subject. “Eat your food.”

Gu Yu persisted relentlessly. “Just tell me.”

“When we’ve officially defined our relationship,” Jiang Bomu answered, trying her utmost to sound composed. “Otherwise, it’s all vague, and it just becomes a ‘friends with benefits’ situation.”

…Fair point. Gu Yu quietly ate her meal.

This time, Jiang Bomu was the relentless one. “So, Xunxun, when will we define our relationship?”

Gu Yu gave the same answer. “Depends on your performance.”

Their current interactions were no different from those of lovers; they just lacked a formal confession. But she wasn’t in a rush. Jiang Bomu, however, constantly had her heart in her throat. The ticking time bomb lived right next door to Gu Yu; she couldn’t afford not to worry.

Though she knew it was poor timing, Jiang Bomu still asked, “Are things still good between you and Miss Xia?”

“Of course they’re good,” Gu Yu said with a beaming smile. “She even came to watch the play I performed in at the National Day gala. She was sitting right in the front row. The moment the curtain call ended, she gave me flowers. Want to see the picture?”

What she had wanted to do but couldn’t, someone else had done in her place. Jiang Bomu’s expression was complex, and she remained silent for a long moment.

“But before that, I already turned her down.”

Gu Yu originally hadn’t planned to tell her, wanting Jiang Bomu to also have a taste of that anxious uncertainty. But her heart softened a little—she couldn’t quite bear to let her imagination run wild. In a moment of impulse, she blurted it out.

“Turned her down?” Jiang Bomu’s eyes lit up.

Her current expression looked exactly like Wan An’s when it got a cat treat. Gu Yu couldn’t resist touching her head. With a smile, she said, “Yeah. The way I feel about her is just like how I feel about an older sister.”

An older sister, and Sister — one word’s difference, yet the meaning was worlds apart.

The corner of Jiang Bomu’s lips curved upward, the gloom in her heart swept away in an instant by a beam of warm sunlight.

Well-fed and content, Gu Yu felt a bit drowsy. She took an afternoon nap with Jiang Bomu, and by the time she woke, it was nearing dusk.

The festively decorated main avenue seemed to stretch into the depths of the twilight. The sunset clouds filled the sky, echoing the brilliant lights. Moments later, layers of clouds stacked upon each other, segmenting and pausing the sunset in place.

“A whole nice National Day holiday, and we slept it away,” Gu Yu hugged her tighter as they admired the twilight together. “What should we do tomorrow?”

“Would you like to visit the Confucius Temple and the Qinhuai River?”

These were practically Jinling’s most famous scenic spots. Though Gu Yu was interested, the thought of the massive crowds during the National Day holiday made her immediately refuse. “Let’s just stay in bed.”

Then, curiously, she asked, “If I hadn’t come to find you, would you have just stayed in the hotel lying around for all seven days too?”

Jiang Bomu corrected her, “Lying around for three days.”

“And the last four?”

“Filming.”

Gu Yu was surprised. “You only get three days off?”

“Mm.” Jiang Bomu felt a bit guilty. “I can’t really spend a lot of time with you…”

“That’s great!” Gu Yu cut her off, excited. “I can be the little assistant again!”

Jiang Bomu: “…” She’d never met someone who loved working so much.

But this time, she wasn’t planning on letting Gu Yu hide her identity and work as an assistant.

The leisurely days flew by, and it was time for Jiang Bomu to resume work.

Modern looks were much simpler than period costumes. It took half an hour to finish hair and makeup. She walked out of the makeup room, greeting the passing actors along the way.

“Good morning, Teacher Jiang!”

“Morning, Teacher Jiang!”

Gu Yu followed behind Jiang Bomu, looking around. She had imagined the set of a film like this would feel oppressive, but she hadn’t expected the atmosphere to be relatively lively. Still, no one was yelling loudly; it was much quieter than the previous film set.

She followed straight onto the set. Gu Yu first took a look at the director—a female director. Although she wasn’t very famous and hadn’t directed this type of film before, Gu Yu instinctively felt confident in her. Films directed by women were always nuanced and profound. This movie would definitely be the dark horse next year.

When the director called “Cut,” Jiang Bomu walked up.

“Xiao Mu is here,” the director beamed. “Come, sit.”

Jiang Bomu pulled Gu Yu down to sit with her.

Gu Yu was flabbergasted. Her current identity was a little assistant!

The director asked just as incredulously, “And this is…?”

Jiang Bomu glanced at Gu Yu, then introduced her calmly, “She is Director Qiao’s granddaughter. Her name’s Gu Yu. She’s here to visit the set.”