Chapter 71: Cousin

Autumn in Yuning always leaves in a hurry. Just as November arrived, the pleasant evening breeze already carried a hint of chill. The sunlight was still glaring, but its warmth was diluted, bringing no comfort to the skin.

Gu Yu fished out her long-abandoned trench coat and put it on, wondering if she should buy a few more, when Xia Li delivered the season’s new arrivals.

Unable to refuse, Gu Yu accepted them helplessly. She got new clothes practically every month; her wardrobe was almost bursting.

“If it won’t fit, just buy another wardrobe,” Xia Li said with a beaming smile. “Or just throw some out.”

Gu Yu: “…”

After putting the clothes away, Xia Li stared thoughtfully at her pendant and spoke: “I’ve been wanting to ask you. Isn’t this pendant a work by Bo Shiyue?”

Gu Yu nodded.

“Would this be considered…” she traced the family relation, “a gift from your future cousin?”

Gu Yu laughed: “Jiang Bomu gave it to me.”

She calmly accepted the term “future cousin.”

“Oh-ho, quite generous,” Xia Li shrugged and gestured a number with her fingers. “That wasn’t cheap, you know.”

Gu Yu was startled. She suddenly felt that the light object around her neck weighed a thousand pounds. It was actually this precious!

Xia Li spoke casually: “Do you just not know Bo Shiyue at all? She’s the chief designer of Zhenyan Jewelry. Everything she designs is one-of-a-kind, a rare find.”

She clicked her tongue in admiration: “Speaking of which, people with the name ‘Bo’ are all geniuses. Her older brother is a shrewd businessman, her younger sister is a talented dancer, and her cousin is practically top-tier in the entertainment industry, right?”

Gu Yu immediately felt a sense of vicarious pride, humbly saying: “Oh, it’s nothing.”

But this was the second time she’d heard someone mention the Bo family, and she couldn’t help but ask a few more questions out of curiosity: “Are all the people in the Bo family very good-looking?”

“Of course they are.”

Gu Yu rested her chin on her hands: “I really want to meet the Bo family.”

To meet Jiang Bomu’s relatives and friends, to hear from others what she was like in the past—every thought filled her with longing.

Xia Li smiled brightly: “Won’t you naturally meet them when you go to meet the parents?”

Gu Yu’s face immediately reddened. She hadn’t thought that far ahead!

“Alright, it’s no use thinking about this now. You still need to focus on your studies.” Xia Li patted her head.

Gu Yu: “…I wasn’t even thinking about it!”

“Fine, fine, you weren’t.” Xia Li picked up the cat teaser toy and changed the subject. “Wan An has gotten a lot fatter.”

“Yeah, almost four jin now,” Gu Yu said helplessly the moment Wan An was mentioned. “A jin per month. At this rate, she’ll be twelve jin by the time she’s a year old.”

Xia Li had never owned a pet and asked in surprise: “Then won’t she be twenty-four jin by the time she’s two?”

“…Then she really would become a pig.”

That evening, Gu Yu video-called Jiang Bomu and shared this amusing story with her laughing.

Jiang Bomu’s eyes also curved in a smile: “Miss Xia is quite interesting.”

Gu Yu was speechless. The two of them were always so formally calling each other ‘Miss Xia’ and ‘Miss Jiang’—didn’t they get tired?

Wan An suddenly tapped curiously with his paw pad. Gu Yu looked down and saw the sparkling pendant, remembered Xia Li’s words, and asked hesitantly: “Is this pendant really worth six figures?”

“How did you know?”

So it was true. Gu Yu’s breath hitched. She had never seen that much money in her entire life!

Her future girlfriend was simply too rich. Feeling a bit sad, she said: “Classmate Little Ai, what if I can’t earn that much money in the future?”

“I’ll support you.”

Her voice was soft, transmitted through the phone, a little distorted. But Gu Yu knew she meant it. While a sweetness bloomed in her heart, it also ignited a drive to earn money: “I will definitely work hard!”

“Alright, I’ll wait for the day Xunxun supports me.”

Gu Yu grinned cheekily: “Supporting an AI is indeed quite expensive.”

Jiang Bomu laughed despite herself and was about to speak when a knock sounded at Gu Yu’s door. If nothing was amiss, it was Xia Li. There had been times before when Xia Li knocked while she was on the phone, so Gu Yu didn’t hang up. Opening the door, sure enough, it was Xia Li.

But what surprised her was that behind Xia Li stood Bo Shiyue, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. For some reason, she was wearing a white evening gown, the necklace at her throat dazzling and eye-catching.

Gu Yu was still on the call with Jiang Bomu. Seeing Bo Shiyue’s icy demeanor, she instantly had the illusion of being caught in a puppy-love affair. She obediently greeted: “Cousin… no, M-Miss Bo, hello.”

The result of her brain short-circuiting was a slip of the tongue. Under Xia Li’s loud laughter, Gu Yu steeled herself and maintained a smile.

Jiang Bomu on the phone also greeted: “Cousin, Xunxun didn’t mean it.”

She even helped explain for her. Gu Yu was so touched her eyes grew misty.

“It’s fine,” Bo Shiyue glanced at Gu Yu. “Sooner or later, she’ll be calling me cousin.”

Gu Yu wished she could find a hole to crawl into, but inside, she was squealing like a groundhog. Since when did Bo Shiyue know about her and Jiang Bomu?!

“That’s true,” Jiang Bomu laughed. “Xunxun, from now on, you can call her cousin too. Get familiar with it in advance.”

Bo Shiyue, who had been surveying the layout of the room, also looked at her.

Gu Yu cleared her throat lightly and obediently said: “Cousin, hello.”

“Mm.”

After saying it once, the next time came more smoothly. Gu Yu asked: “Cousin, is there something you need here?”

Bo Shiyue answered succinctly: “Business trip. Visiting a friend.”

Xia Li chimed in: “And I dragged her here. Isn’t it a surprise?”

Surprising it certainly was, but so she had just come by to see her in passing. Gu Yu breathed a sigh of relief. The duties of a host still applied, and she brought out snacks and drinks to entertain them.

After a few words among the three, Bo Shiyue suddenly said she wanted to speak with her alone. Xia Li winked and tactfully left.

Facing Bo Shiyue alone, Gu Yu immediately became nervous. She sat slightly stiffly on the sofa, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.

Bo Shiyue swept a glance over her and asked: “What are you afraid of?”

“It’s like meeting the parents. A bit nerve-wracking.” Gu Yu told the truth.

“Is that so?” Bo Shiyue mused thoughtfully. “Someone told me I’m gentle and approachable. I shouldn’t be that scary.”

Gentle. And. Approachable.

Gu Yu looked her up and down. At least judging by her appearance, none of those four words applied. What a cold joke.

Bo Shiyue was not a talkative person, and Gu Yu didn’t know what to say to her either. They sat in mutual silence for a while. Gu Yu finally remembered she was the host and racked her brains for a topic: “Cousin, it’s been a long time since you’ve seen Jiang Bomu, right?”

“Mm.”

Gu Yu waited for her to continue, but after ten seconds, nothing came. She couldn’t help but find herself amusing. What was she expecting? From someone as cold as Bo Shiyue, how could she possibly be chatty?

“But do you usually call her by her full name like that too?”

Bo Shiyue suddenly initiated conversation. Gu Yu blinked before coming back to her senses: “No, I usually call her ‘Sister’.”

She didn’t mention the nickname Little Ai, unwilling to share that exclusive form of address with anyone else, not even her cousin.

“Have you two made up?”

The topic suddenly jumped from one to another. Gu Yu tried hard to keep up with her pace and nodded her head.

But Bo Shiyue countered: “What I’m asking is, have you talked about everything clearly?”

Gu Yu thought for a moment, then honestly shook her head.

Over the past half month, Jiang Bomu had sent two more letters. Gu Yu was understanding her past more and more, gradually gaining insight into her.

But Gu Yu couldn’t remember what else she had asked her before. However, Jiang Bomu had yet to bring up the matter of being together. It seemed there would be a few more letters still to come.

“It’s a good thing to get together after clearing everything up. I’m really looking forward to the day you come to the Bo family.”

For some reason, Gu Yu suddenly caught a hint of sorrow flickering in her eyes, fleeting and fast, like an illusion.

Gu Yu’s gaze subconsciously fell onto the red string still tied around her wrist. She was a little curious; what kind of romantic experience had Bo Shiyue gone through?

But now wasn’t the right time to ask. Seeing Bo Shiyue stand up, she also sprang to her feet and saw her to the door.

“Goodbye, Cousin!”

Those five minutes felt like seconds crawling by like years.

Bo Shiyue nodded at her, then suddenly said: “Actually, I came specifically to see you too. Entrusted by someone.”

Gu Yu didn’t quite understand her meaning.

Bo Shiyue glanced towards Xia Li’s home, a rare flicker of amusement passing through her eyes: “Someone was a little uneasy about a certain rival in love, so she asked me to take a look.”

After seeing her cousin off, Gu Yu smiled and sent Jiang Bomu a voice message: “Classmate Little Ai, do you feel at ease now?”

Jiang Bomu: 【I don’t understand what you mean.】

She was actually playing dumb. Gu Yu laughed so hard her body shook like a flower branch: “Sister, you’re way too funny.”

Jiang Bomu sent a voice message too.

Gu Yu clicked it open and heard her admit helplessly: “Can’t help it, I really can’t be at ease. My family’s Xunxun is just too charming.”