OSL – Chapter Twelve
Looking at An Yin Zhu’s face, Gu Tian Tian is surprised she has a good memory. His self-praises replays in her head, ‘I’m twenty-two this year. I’m handsome, I have a healthy body, I’m strong, I have connections, I’m responsibly managing my family business, last year I started a company, and you don’t need to worry that I can’t make money.’
Handsome? Gu Tian Tian thinks An Yin Zhu is handsome and the opposite of humble.
Healthy body? Gu Tian Tian can’t confirm if An Yin Zhu has a heathy body under his clothes.
Strong? Gu Tian Tian has already experienced An Yin Zhu’s strength.
Gu Tian Tian didn’t get to think about An Yin Zhu’s ability to make money because he impatiently wants to leave with her.
‘Let’s go,’ An Yin Zhu says, and holds Gu Tian Tian’s hand.
Holding An Yin Zhu’s warm hand makes Gu Tian Tian blush. She is grateful the night sky is hiding her blush.
An Yin Zhu holds Gu Tian Tian toward the car parked outside the gates. She notices how they lift their legs, their feet touch the ground and the pace they walk are in sync… like they have been training to walk the same way for years.
Gu Tian Tian feels like the distance between her and An Yin Zhu has shrunk. It doesn’t matter how many good traits An Yin Zhu has or how many good traits she lacks. Whether he’s rich or poor, as long as they continue to treat each other well is what matters. She can put aside the times An Yin Zhu was mean to her, because since he’s an adult, he has treated her well.
Gu Tian Tian wonders if Mrs. An will receive a shock if An Yin Zhu brings her back to the An family condo in the middle of the night.
‘What are you thinking about?’ An Yin Zhu asks.
An Yin Zhu opens the pa.s.senger door for Gu Tian Tian. They sit in the car, he lifts her chin, but she turns her head to the side and looks out the window because she doesn’t want him to read her thoughts.
‘Nothing,’ Gu Tian Tian says. ‘Where are we going?’
An Yin Zhu looks at the time on his wrist watch. ‘We can watch the sunrise on top of the mountain. If you want to watch a movie, there’s cinemas that are opened at this time. We can go for a walk or go home and sleep.’
Exercising doesn’t sound appealing to Gu Tian Tian’s lack of sleep state. But An Yin Zhu’s way of saying sleep doesn’t sound like good intentions.
‘Watch a movie,’ Gu Tian Tian says.
An Yin Zhu drives away from the college campus. Gu Tian Tian looks out the window, and her logic begins to awaken.
‘Aren’t you sleepy?’ Gu Tian Tian asks, turns her head and looks at An Yin Zhu.
‘I was sleepy, but my body’s recharged after seeing you,’ An Yin Zhu says.
Gu Tian Tian feels like she’s cornered to a dead end. How is she supposed to make small talk from An Yin Zhu’s sweet talk? She chooses to look out the window again.
‘Does the moon look more attractive than my face?’ An Yin Zhu asks.
Gu Tian Tian turns her head back toward An Yin Zhu. ‘Shameless.’
‘If you want to see beautiful scenery, just look at me,’ An Yin Zhu says.
‘If I want to see beautiful scenery, of course I won’t look at you,’ Gu Tian Tian says.
‘Then you don’t need to see beautiful scenery,’ An Yin Zhu says.
Gu Tian Tian didn’t expect An Yin Zhu’s ego is limitless.
At the cinemas at four in the morning, An Yin Zhu buys caramel popcorn and sweet snacks for Gu Tian Tian. He holds her hand toward the cinema room.
‘I’m not a kid, you don’t need to hold my hand everywhere we go,’ Gu Tian Tian says.
An Yin Zhu keeps holding Gu Tian Tian’s hand, and smiles. ‘If you’re not a kid, let’s do some adult activities.’
Gu Tian Tian is scared of An Yin Zhu’s smile. ‘I’m still a kid.’
‘You’re not a kid anymore,’ An Yin Zhu says, and his eyes lingers on Gu Tian Tian’s chest.
Gu Tian Tian can’t win against An Yin Zhu’s innuendos. She looks at the safe floor.
Gu Tian Tian chose a romantic movie. In the cinema room, she watches the movie and eats the bucket of caramel popcorn on her lap. An Yin Zhu reaches over her side, and grabs caramel popcorn.
‘Don’t you hate eating sweet food?’ Gu Tian Tian asks.
‘The delicious way you eat the caramel popcorn makes me want to taste it,’ An Yin Zhu says, and drapes an arm around Gu Tian Tian’s shoulder. ‘I hate eating sweet food. But I love eating your sweet mouth.’
Gu Tian Tian looks back at the screen, and pretends she’s deaf.
At the climax of the romantic movie, the male lead and female lead are kissing each other. Gu Tian Tian’s eyes naturally gravitates toward An Yin Zhu’s face. He catches her staring, and she quickly looks back at the screen. He grabs the bucket of caramel popcorn from her lap, puts it aside, holds her face and kisses her soft lips.
Gu Tian Tian should have known she’s not safe even in a cinema room with a couple of witnesses sitting near her row, because An Yin Zhu chose the lovers’ row at the back of the cinema.
Gu Tian Tian closes her eyes, An Yin Zhu pushes her cinema seat down, and lies on top of her as though they’re watching a movie on a sofa at home.
Gu Tian Tian opens her eyes, checks the cinema room if anyone is looking at An Yin Zhu lying on top of her, and kissing her. Lucky the couple of witnesses left the cinema room.
Gu Tian Tian mourns her first, second and third kisses taken by An Yin Zhu.
‘You took my first kiss,’ Gu Tian Tian whispers.
‘First kiss?’ An Yin Zhu asks, and laughs. ‘Gu Tian Tian, do you have a bad memory? You lost your first kiss when you were five.’
‘What do you mean?’ Gu Tian Tian asks.
‘When you were five, we started playing bride and groom,’ An Yin Zhu says.
Who wants to play bride and groom with An Yin Zhu? Gu Tian Tian wants to protest, the eight-year-old An Yin Zhu forced her to play bride and groom.
‘That doesn’t count,’ Gu Tian Tian says.
‘If you say so,’ An Yin Zhu says. ‘Don’t forget, when you were five, you promised you’ll marry me when you’re an adult.’
‘I don’t remember,’ Gu Tian Tian denies.
An Yin Zhu lets Gu Tian Tian deny the truth. ‘What about when you were eight? We went swimming, and you almost drowned. I saved you, and gave you mouth to mouth. Doesn’t that count as your first kiss?’
Gu Tian Tian finally realises what a disadvantage it is to grow up with An Yin Zhu. He remembers all of the past events in her life.
‘Gu Xiao Zhu, how are you going to repay me for saving your life when you were eight?’ An Yin Zhu asks.
Gu Tian Tian is speechless.
‘What about when I saved you from being kidnapped when you were four?’ An Yin Zhu asks. ‘What about when you choked on your food when you were five? I piggy backed you to the hospital. When you were six, you locked yourself in the toilet. I climbed through the bathroom window to save you. How are you going to repay me for saving your life many times?’
Gu Tian Tian hears repaying An Yin Zhu for saving her life, and wishes she can faint right now.
Gu Tian Tian covers An Yin Zhu’s mouth. He pulls her hand away, and kisses her lips.
‘Putting aside repayment for saving your life for now,’ An Yin Zhu says. ‘What about the years I sacrificed my allowance to buy you junk food? How are you going to repay me now?’
Gu Tian Tian wants to protests that every time she cried to stop An Yin Zhu teasing her, he bought her junk food to cheer her up.
‘Hey, I didn’t force you to buy me junk food,’ Gu Tian Tian says softly.
An Yin Zhu ignores Gu Tian Tian’s excuses. ‘Let’s get engaged first. In two years we can get married. But I prefer it if we skip the engagement, and get married straight away somewhere overseas like in Hong Kong.’
Gu Tian Tian’s mouth gapes open, and looks confusedly at An Yin Zhu’s serious face.
An Yin Zhu takes out a small coffee colored box from his pants pocket. Gu Tian Tian’s wide opened eyes watches him open the box, take out a diamond ring and put it on her ring finger.
An Yin Zhu is satisfied the diamond ring fits Gu Tian Tian’s ring finger.
‘In the morning, I’ll inform our parents about our engagement,’ An Yin Zhu says.
End of Chapter Twelve