Chapter 1287: I’m a very Traditional Man
“… I hope you’ll reconsider your relations.h.i.+p with Bai Beibei.”
“Father, I’m not asking for your opinion. I’m informing you of my decision.”
“You!”
“I could always stay a bachelor. Is that what you want?” Gong Yi took a step back.
It was a threat. Gong Yi was actually threatening him! Old Man Gong gnashed his teeth angrily.
“Father, let’s not bicker any further. The compet.i.tion is about to start. I’m heading in. I hope you’ll come to accept and understand the reasons for my decision.” Gong Yi walked towards the compet.i.tion grounds with a spring in his step.
Gong Yi…
…
The compet.i.tion ended three hours later.
As everyone expected, Bai Beibei won an overwhelming victory.
The host announced the results and the media swarmed her like a pack of hungry hyenas.
“Congratulations Miss Bai on your victory! In a month’s time, you will be flying to the United States of America to compete with the world’s experts in mental arithmetic.”
“Miss Bai, the record holder for mental arithmetic, Bai Qi, is your half-sister by the same father. The two of you have been dubbed the twin stars of the Bai family. Do you have the confidence to beat her?”
“Miss Bai, you became famous in a single match – shocking the world with your ability in the field of mental arithmetic. What do you have to say about this?”
It was Bai Beibei’s first time being in the limelight. The flas.h.i.+ng cameras and chattering reporters make her really nervous.
Subconsciously, she turned her head to look at the VIP seats. She was hoping to catch sight of Gong Yi’s figure.
Gong Yi…
Gong Yi had not left. He sat in the VIP box serenely with a gentle look on his face.
Bai Beibei’s nervous heart instantly calmed. She felt more at ease whenever he was around.
Gong Yi puffed up with pride. It was as if his family had a daughter who had just grown up. The little girl he had been caring for all this time had finally blossomed.
It was a strange feeling. On the one hand, he thought of her like a father would their daughter. On the other hand, he was crazily in love and wanted her as his wife.
The two emotions warred with each other and caused a frown to crinkle his brows. He was both helpless and happy.
Suddenly, the champagne-coloured crystal chandelier on the stage shook twice and then came careening down.
It so happened that Bai Beibei stood directly under it.
Gong Yi’s pupils constricted. He got up and pushed past the crowd, shouting, “Roll to the side!”
Bai Beibei was paralyzed where she stood. Before she could react, Gong Yi had already pushed her aside. His large hands cradled her in his arms, drawing her slender form into his warm embrace.
“Boom!” With a resounding explosion of crystal shards, the chandelier shattered into an innumerable sum of glinting pieces on the floor.
“Ah!” People were screaming, dispersing frantically in all directions. It was complete and utter chaos.
“Help! Someone help! The president is injured. Call for a doctor! Hurry!” A cacophony of panicked voices and stamping feet flooded Bai Beibei’s ears.
She moved with some difficulty and broke free from his tight embrace, crawling out of his arms to meet him squarely in the face. “Young Master Gong, what happened…”
Her voice caught in her throat. Gong Yi was on top of her, bleeding.
A part of the crystal chandelier had hit his head, leaving a trail of crimson blood flowing down the side of his forehead.
Bai Beibei’ eyes widened like large opals at the sight of Gong Yi’s injury. So shocked was she by the scene playing out before her eyes that she forgot to breathe. Just a little push and she was certain that she would fall into hysteria. “You’re bleeding! Your head is bleeding!”
Gong Yi felt dizzy. The sound of a train whistling past his ears rang sharply. His handsome face was the colour of chalk.
“Don’t scream. I know.” He said weakly.
The hot tears in Bai Beibei’s eyes fell all at once. Her two small hands twisted his clothes as she sobbed, “Why did you save me? Foolishness! Utter pigheaded foolishness… You hurt yourself because of me… You’re bleeding so much… W-we need to get to a hospital quickly…”
She raised her small hands in an attempt to press down on his bleeding forehead but was stopped.
Gong Yi cupped her small hands in his own and squeezed. Watching her cry so pitifully, his lips curled into a lop-sided grin. “You did it on purpose.”
“What…”
“You just want to hear me confessing to you again. Hah…I’ll repeat it as many times as it takes for you to understand. I saved you because I love you, Bai Beibei. I really, really love you.”
The noisy scene quietened. The media were between two minds and did not know if they ought to pick up their cameras and capture the enthralling scene or to give the couple some privacy in their moment of intimacy. It was a huge scoop, after all. The first young master of the capital had confessed!
The Gong Group’s employees were fl.u.s.tered, gaping in awe. Their mouths forming large spheres that would fit large plums. Was this the same President who embodied the very figure of cold n.o.bility?
Gong Yi’s father was about ready to jump through the roof. “Enough! Gong Yi, stop talking. You’ve hurt your head. You need to be treated immediately. We’ll talk later.”
“Yes, yes. Young Master Gong, please let go of Beibei.” Li Sisi said anxiously.
Bai Beibei’s tears flowed in an endless stream. She nodded non-stop. “I know, I know… You really like me… Let’s go to the hospital first. You’re still bleeding…”
“Then… Do you like me?” Gong Yi asked persistently.
He knew he was being cheap. He had asked her this question several times before but she never gave him an answer. Since she had never said no, he continued chasing her all the same. However, as he was a chauvinist who cared a great deal about his face, he always told himself that it would be the last time he asked her.
He was truly pathetic.
Yet, all he wanted was to hear whether she shared the same feelings for him as he did for her.
Even though she was shy and her limpid eyes told him the truth over and over again, it still was not enough. He wanted – no. Needed her to admit the feelings she had for him with her own voice and through her own words. He wanted her to proclaim her love for him openly and freely.
He wanted her heart.
“Let’s not talk about this now. You were hit on the head. We’ll need to stop the bleeding and get you properly examined at the hospital. I-I’ll tell you my answer when you’re better.”
“Brus.h.i.+ng me off again? Heh, if you don’t answer me today, I won’t go to the hospital.”
“How can you be so childis.h.!.+ Don’t treat your life like some child’s game!” Bai Beibei scowled in exasperation.
“Then why won’t you give me a straight answer? Bai Beibei, I didn’t misjudge you. You’re truly heartless!” As he spoke, Gong Yi stroked her tender face, tracing its contours and pausing as he brushed his thumb against her cherry lips.
Her lips were beautiful and they reminded him of rose petals. He had tasted them before. They were sweetly scented, carrying a soothing fragrance that invited and aroused.
He could not understand her. With a mouth as sweet and as soft as hers, why was it so hard for her to speak the truth?
“What kind of person do you think I am? That night in Hong Kong, I was drunk. You entered my room and slept with me. You. Slept. With. Me! I thought that we would start as a couple – dating and whispering sweet nothings – but you had the gall to slap my b.u.t.t and pretend I did not exist.”
“I’m a very traditional man. You slept with me but you refused to take responsibility for having done so. Bai Beibei, I’m going to sue you!”
What on earth was he saying?
Bai Beibei covered his mouth hastily to prevent him from speaking nonsense. Had he hurt his head worse than she imagined? There were so many people listening in and watching them with predatory eyes. Did he have no common sense left in him?
Everyone present gaped with open mouths.
If he had said he wanted someone to accompany him sooner, women would flock to him in droves. Bai Beibei would not have had the chance to ensnare him in her wily guiles.
Old Man Gong was close to frothing at the mouth. He could not help but suspect the man on stage as some sort of impostor. It could not be his son there up on stage. It just was not possible.
Would his son have slept with a woman like Bai Beibei and still cling to her after a one night stand? Worse still was the fact that he wanted her to take responsibility for his sleeping with her.
Disgraceful!
Even with Ye Xiaotao, his son had never done such a shameful thing!
What kind of bewitching soup had Bai Beibei fed him for him to fall into such depravity?