Ex-factor.
‘What did you say?’ Gu Jiao Wen asked.
Tan Pan Ting didn’t avoid Gu Jiao Wen’s eyes, but he felt her body trembling out of fear under him.
‘I said I rather look for a bull than look for you,’ Tan Pan Ting said.
Gu Jiao Wen got out of bed abruptly, he grabbed clothes from a drawer and walked into the bathroom.
Tan Pan Ting picked up the bedsheet off the floor, and she covered herself head to toe.
‘Gu Jiao Wen, if I crawl onto your bed, don’t you know how to avoid me?’ Tan Pan Ting mumbled to herself.
Tan Pan Ting poked her head out of the bedsheet after she heard the bathroom door opened. Gu Jiao Wen was dressed, he didn’t look at her and walked out of the bedroom.
In the afternoon, Tan Pan Ting walked to the dining room on her own.
‘Pan Ting, in the morning Jiao Wen said he was called on duty and he had to fly back to the police station,’ Chen Ting Yu said.
Tan Pan Ting suspected Gu Jiao Wen flew back because he was angry at her. She wondered if he was angry about the last thing she said to him.
‘Pan Ting, did you hear what I said?’ Wen Xue Fang asked.
‘Sorry mum,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘What did you say?’
‘I said we should fly back too because Jiao Wen isn’t here,’ Wen Xue Fang said.
‘Everyone should stay for the week,’ Chen Ting Yu said. ‘Pan Ting, you’re not working so there’s no rush for you to fly home.’
‘Aunty, the company I applied for last time hired me,’ Tan Pan Ting lied. ‘I need to start work on Monday. Dad, mum, you two should stay here for the week. I’ll fly back home on my own.’
Tan Pan Ting didn’t want to stay at the Gu Mansion because she felt pressured by Gu Jiao Wen’s elders to marry Gu Jiao Wen.
‘Let Pan Ting fly home,’ Wen Xue Fang said. ‘We old folks shouldn’t force her to stay if her heart is with Jiao Wen.’
‘Pan Ting, do you want me to book your flight and escort you to the airport?’ Chen Ting Yu asked.
‘Aunty, it’s OK,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘I can book my flight online and take a taxi to the airport.’
Tan Pan Ting sighed inwardly. If the elders wanted to misunderstand she and Gu Jiao Wen cooked rice last night then she would let them misunderstand for another month.
Tan Pan Ting farewell Gu Jiao Wen’s elders, and she flew back home.
Tan Pan Ting spent the rest of the weekend preparing her design portfolio for her job interviews.
Wednesday morning, Tan Pan Ting received good news from one of the cosmetics companies she had a job interview with, she was employed again. The first person she called to celebrate the good news was Zheng Jia Ju.
In the afternoon, Tan Pan Ting met up with Zheng Jia Ju for lunch at a cafe.
‘Pan Ting, what are you doing home?’ Zheng Jia Ju asked. ‘How do you feel after meeting the rest of your in-laws?’
‘Jia Ju, can you not mention him?’ Tan Pan Ting asked.
‘Him?’ Zheng Jia Ju asked. ‘Do you mean Mr Gu Jiao Wen? Confess, what level did you and Gu Jiao Wen get up to in his family home?’
‘Ground level,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘Nothing happened between him and me. I only stayed at his family home for one day then I flew back home.’
‘He must be impotent if he didn’t make a move when he had a beautiful woman in his bed,’ Zheng Jia Ju said.
‘Jia Ju, we’re in public,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘Don’t say nonsense.’
‘Think about it,’ Zheng Jia Ju said. ‘The reason why his family invited you to stay at their family home is because they want you and him to cook rice. It doesn’t make sense why he would waste an opportunity to cook rice with you.’
‘Nothing happened,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘What nonsense are you storing in your brain? I spent most of the weekend preparing for my job interviews. I called you out to celebrate good news. I got a job with one of the cosmetics companies I applied for. I start work next Monday.’
‘Really?’ Zheng Jia Ju asked. ‘Then lunch is on you today.’
‘No problem as long as you don’t mention him again,’ Tan Pan Ting said.
‘Deal,’ Zheng Jia Ju said. ‘Where’s my gift?’
‘Sorry,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘I rushed back home, and I forgot to buy you a gift.’
‘Pan Ting, you broke the sisterhood code,’ Zheng Jia Ju said. ‘We’re no longer sworn sisters.’
‘Good,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘It means I have no obligation to treat a stranger lunch.’
‘Keep dreaming,’ Zheng Jia Ju said. ‘We can break up after lunch.’
Tan Pan Ting laughed.
‘Jia Ju, you crack me up,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘I’m afraid I won’t let you break up with me after lunch.’
After lunch, Tan Pan Ting returned home in high spirits until her phone rang.
‘Miss Tan, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news,’ a HR manager said. ‘Unfortunately after reviewing all our applicants’ designs again, you didn’t meet all our criteria. I’m sorry to say the company is withdrawing the job offer to you.’
‘Why?’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘I thought everything was finalised, and the company was satisfied with my designs. You informed me I’ll be starting work on Monday.’
‘I’m sorry,’ the HR manager said. ‘You won’t be working for our company.’
The HR manager hung up. Tan Pan Ting suspected foul play was involved. She grabbed her bag and took a taxi to the cosmetics company.
Later, in the HR manager’s office, Tan Pan Ting demanded a legitimate reason why they revoked the job offer.
‘I want to know why my designs didn’t meet the company’s criteria,’ Tan Pan Ting said.
‘Miss Tan, if you want an answer then I suggest you ask yourself why first,’ the HR manager said.
‘What do you mean?’ Tan Pan Ting said.
‘The company’s hands are tied,’ the HR manager said. ‘The company can’t hire you. You need to ask yourself who you offended.’
Tan Pan Ting left the cosmetics company deflated. She didn’t know who she offended enough to force the cosmetics company to boycott her. An image of Gu Jiao Wen’s face popped into her head. She suspected he was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. He must have thought if she was jobless, she would marry him for money.
Tan Pan Ting took a taxi to the police station. When she arrived at the police station, she stormed to reception.
‘Where’s Gu Jiao Wen?’ Tan Pan Ting asked.
‘Miss, why are you looking for Chief Gu?’ a receptionist asked.
‘You only need to tell me where he is,’ Tan Pan Ting said.
Shi Tu heard a commotion at reception, and he went to investigate. He recognised Tan Pan Ting was the woman that he saw Gu Jiao Wen kissed the last time she was at the police station.
‘Miss Tan, are you looking for boss?’ Shi Tu asked.
‘Where is he?’ Tan Pan Ting asked.
‘Miss Tan, follow me,’ Shi Tu said.
Tan Pan Ting followed Shi Tu upstairs.
‘Miss Tan, why are you looking for boss?’ Shi Tu asked.
‘Are you a cop or a gossip columnist?’ Tan Pan Ting asked.
Shi Tu wisely closed his mouth, and he knocked on Gu Jiao Wen’s office door.
‘Boss, someone is here to see you,’ Shi Tu said.
Tan Pan Ting barged into Gu Jiao Wen’s office.
‘Gu Jiao Wen, you have guts,’ Tan Pan Ting said.
Shi Tu was curious why Tan Pan Ting was angry at Gu Jiao Wen. But Gu Jiao Wen gestured for him to give them privacy. He walked out of Gu Jiao Wen’s office, and closed the door.
‘What’s the problem?’ Gu Jiao Wen asked.
‘Gu Jiao Wen, stop dreaming,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘Don’t think I’ll marry because you abused your power to threaten cosmetics companies to not employ me.’
Gu Jiao Wen sat back on his chair, and he calmly looked at Tan Pan Ting.
‘You don’t want to marry me?’ Gu Jiao Wen asked.
End of Chapters Sixty-One to Sixty-Three