Chance.
Qiao Tan Yuan held Gu Jiao Wu’s hand at the hospital. Overnight there was stubble on his chin.
‘You guys should go take a rest,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Don’t let him worry about you guys.’
Xiao Lam and the others reluctantly left the hospital room to go eat and rest.
Later that morning, the doctor examined Gu Jiao Wu, and told Qiao Tan Yuan that Gu Jiao Wu’s condition was stable and all they could do was wait for him to wake up.
‘Jiao Wu, Xiao Bao is healthy,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I’ve weaned her off breast milk. Don’t misunderstand I’m doing it because I want to stay here with you. She’s older than six months, and likes to eat more than drink breast milk now.’
Qiao Tan Yuan could see the Gu Jiao Wu’s chest scar under his gown. She chanted to herself not to cry.
‘If you want me to forgive you and believe you, you have to wake up,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan gave Gu Jiao Wu a sponge bath, dried his body and sat on the chair next to his bed.
‘Our daughter needs a name,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘We can’t call her by her nickname forever. I’ve picked out some girl names for her. If you don’t like them then you need to find a name you like for her.’
Qiao Tan Yuan listened to Gu Jiao Wu’s weak breathing. She didn’t have a lung injury before, but she knew it must be painful.
‘Hey, don’t use this hateful way to make me believe you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Aren’t you scared…’
Qiao Tan Yuan felt Gu Jiao Wu’s pulse was weaker.
‘If we get married again, you have to listen to me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I want to go to Paris, and choose a designer wedding gown. I want to go to the Aegean Sea to take wedding photos, and I want to go to the same island for our honeymoon. This time you can’t mention divorce. If you do, you’ll be dead meat. Also, giving birth is painful. I don’t want another child. If you hate our daughter then I’ll take her to Denmark, and you can go find another woman to give you a child. You’ve bullied me in the past, in the future I get to bully you.’
Qiao Tan Yuan felt like there was someone behind her. She turned around, Shen Cheng and Du Lei Xin were standing behind her. Their complexions, especially Shen Cheng’s complexion was pale.
‘Shen Cheng, are you OK?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Shen Cheng shook his head.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t take you home from the party,’ Shen Cheng said.
‘I’m Ok,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘This isn’t your fault.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Shen Cheng said.
Shen Cheng was shocked when he heard Gu Jiao Wu saved Qiao Tan Yuan’s life.
‘If Du Lei Xin didn’t tell me what happened, I wouldn’t have known,’ Shen Cheng. ‘I’m sorry I found out too late.’
‘It’s not your fault,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She looked at Du Lei Xin. ‘Lei Xin, how did you know Gu Jiao Wu’s injured?’
‘Yesterday morning when big brother found out you were kidnapped he called many people to look for you,’ Du Lei Xin said while looking at Gu Jiao Wu. ‘He’s lying in a hospital bed because of you. Your heart should know how he feels about you now.’
‘I understand,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said to Du Lei Xin. ‘You don’t need to say anything else.’
‘It’s good you understand,’ Du Lei Xin said. ‘You didn’t understand big brother deeply in the past, and you still don’t understand him completely yet.’
‘I was wrong,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I used to think I understood him the most in the world.’
‘You should know big brother can separate you and Xiao Bao if he wanted to,’ Du Lei Xin. ‘But he wouldn’t do that to you.’
‘You don’t need to say anything else,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘In the future I won’t leave him again.’
‘Good,’ Du Lei Xin said. ‘You need to remember your promise. Shen Cheng, we should go.’
Du Lei Xin dragged Shen Cheng out of the hospital.
Later Gu Jiao Wen visited Gu Jiao Wu.
‘How is big brother?’ Gu Jiao Wen asked.
‘The doctors don’t know if he’ll wake up,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘You better pray big brother wakes up,’ Gu Jiao Wen said. ‘I won’t forgive you if he doesn’t…’
‘If he dies, I’ll die with him,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wen scoffed coldly.
‘You chicken s.h.i.t,’ Gu Jiao Wen cursed. ‘If you two die then what will happen to Xiao Bao?’
Qiao Tan Yuan closed her mouth.
‘You should take good care of big brother,’ Gu Jiao Wen said. ‘I won’t say anything to the elders yet. But you should explain the situation to your parents.’
‘I know,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘I’ll let the past go,’ Gu Jiao Wen said. ‘In the future you need to treat big brother well so you don’t have regrets.’
Gu Jiao Wen didn’t want to give Qiao Tan Yuan another chance to hurt Gu Jiao Wu.
Regrets? Qiao Tan Yuan had regrets long ago. If she could predict the future, she wouldn’t let Gu Jiao Wu be injured.
Gu Jiao Wen left the hospital and went home.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, can you wake up?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘I miss you. How can you say you love me? Your brothers and friends came to threaten me. They warned me not to hurt you again. What a joke, who really is the one who’s hurt… I’ll be the bigger person and forgive you if you wake up.’
In the afternoon Xiao Lam and the others returned to the hospital. They brought Qiao Tan Yuan lunch, and forced her to eat.
After lunch, Gu Jiao Wu was still unconscious.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, wake up,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Stop scaring me. Do you remember many years ago, I fell on the ground and cried? You helped me stand and told me to stop crying, because girls who cry are ugly and girls who smile are beautiful. I was too young to know I fell in love with you that day. I only thought you were gentle and handsome. You said you don’t like women who aren’t scholars. I did my best to study. I did many things because I wanted you to notice me. Jiao Wu, I love you. In the past my small wish was for you to look my way once. If you smiled at me, and loved me a bit then I would have felt like I received the world.’
Qiao Tan Yuan waited for Gu Jiao Wu to open his eyes for a while.
‘Jiao Wu, if you wake up I’ll believe you love me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘If you love me, don’t make me worry. Even if you’re not thinking of me then you need to think about Xiao Bao. Do you want Xiao Bao to grow up without a father?’
Qiao Tan Yuan cried next to Gu Jiao Wu’s shoulder so she didn’t see Gu Jiao Wu’s face twitched.
Gu Jiao Wu squeezed Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand weakly.
‘Jiao Wu, are you awake?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Gu Jiao Wu opened his eyes, and saw Qiao Tan Yuan crying.
‘Jiao Wu, you’re awake,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Heavens, you’re awake.’
Gu Jiao Wu smiled weakly. He was too weak to open his mouth.
Qiao Tan Yuan went outside to ask a nurse to call the doctor.
A while later, the doctor examined Gu Jiao Wu.
‘It’s good he’s awake and stable,’ the doctor said. ‘Now he needs rest to recover.’
‘Thank you doctor,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
The doctor nodded and left the room.
Qiao Tan Yuan leaned her ear next to Gu Jiao Wu’s mouth because he looked like he wanted to say something.
‘Tan Yuan, do you believe me?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked softly.
‘I believe you and I won’t doubt you again,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu smiled, and pointed at his lips. Qiao Tan Yuan got him a gla.s.s of water and a straw. But he pointed at her lips.
Qiao Tan Yuan blushed. She looked outside the room, it was night time and she didn’t see anyone. She sipped water, and fed Gu Jiao Wu water like how he fed her milk at the cafe.
‘Thank you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said softly.
‘I should be the one thanking you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Who asked you to take a bullet for me? The doctor said the bullet injured your lung… Jiao Wu, thank you.’
‘I can’t let anything happen to you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, I love you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘I love you too,’ Gu Jiao Wu said and smiled.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t care about the pain he felt when Cheng Yi shot him. He was happy the bullet shot him and not Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Next time you can’t risk your life,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘There won’t be a next time,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Xiao Lam and the others will come back later,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You can ask me to get anything you want.’
‘Are you tired?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘If you are, go home and rest.’
‘I want to stay here with you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘What about Xiao Bao?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. He stared at Qiao Tan Yuan’s chest. ‘On the other hand I benefit more if you stay.’
‘You… what are you thinking?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
End of Chapter 112