Side Story.
Cheng Yi picked up Xiao Nian from the stroller.
‘Where are you taking my son?’ Zheng Jia Ju asked.
‘Home,’ Cheng Yi said. ‘Get in my car, and I’ll drive you and Xiao Nian home.’
‘Give back my son,’ Zheng Jia Ju said. She remembered when she needed Cheng Yi the most in the delivery room, no matter how much she begged him, he didn’t come to the hospital. ‘I don’t need you to drive me and my son home. I’m calling a taxi home.’
Cheng Yi put Xiao Nian into the baby seat in his car, and he opened the front pa.s.senger door for Zheng Jia Ju. She couldn’t let him drive off with Xiao Nian so she sat in his car.
‘Tan Yuan, let’s plan our wedding,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Wedding?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Yes,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Do you think I would just take you back to the Gu Mansion and not marry you?’
‘You haven’t proposed to me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I want you to give me a proper proposal on one knee. I want to go to Paris to look for a designer wedding dress. I want to go to the island to take our wedding photos and have a honeymoon there.’
Proposal? Gu Jiao Wu didn’t know why he needed to propose since Qiao Tan Yuan had promised to marry him, and she planned out their honeymoon.
‘OK,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘We’ll go to the island to take wedding photos and have our honeymoon.’
Gu Jiao Wu looked at Xiao Bao who was ignoring him, and he frowned.
‘Tan Yuan, we’ll pick out the best wedding photo of us then we’ll hang it in our daughter’s nursery,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Why?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Gu Jiao Wu picked up the plush rabbit, and he waved it in front of Xiao Bao.
‘So our daughter will know I’m her daddy and she won’t cry if she sees me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan laughed uncontrollably. Xiao Bao heard her laugh, Xiao Bao looked at her and Xiao Bao laughed too.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan!’ Gu Jiao Wu called.
Gu Jiao Wu thought it was harder for Xiao Bao to accept him than Cheng Yi’s memory returning.
Gu Jiao Wu looked at Xiao Bao’s adorable rosy small face. Xiao Bao was too young for him to reason with. But Qiao Tan Yuan laughing at his expense was a different matter.
‘If you keep laughing, be careful I’ll give you something to laugh about,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Come here and make me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan thought the pain of giving birth to Xiao Bao was worthwhile, because Xiao Bao was loyal to her.
‘Jiao Wu, think about it,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You didn’t want to have Xiao Bao. It’ll be strange if Xiao Bao didn’t hate you.’
‘Tan Yuan, didn’t you say you’ll forget the past?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘Do you want to get even with me?’
‘I wouldn’t dare,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I meant Xiao Bao doesn’t want to be close to you, because she senses you didn’t want her. You need to be patient, spend time with Xiao Bao, and she’ll be comfortable around you.’
Gu Jiao Wu stroked Xiao Bao’s rosy cheek, Xiao Bao pouted her lips and stretched out her arms toward Qiao Tan Yuan. Gu Jiao Wu didn’t want to give up. He picked up Xiao Bao and walked to the rose bushes. Xiao Bao kicked her legs and she cried.
‘Xiao Bao, look at the roses,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Look, roses.’
Xiao Bao cried louder, and Gu Jiao Wu looked at Qiao Tan Yuan for help.
‘Tan Yuan, help me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Help you?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan was torn between letting Gu Jiao Wu find a way to bond with Xiao Bao or comfort Xiao Bao.
‘Help me to get Xiao Bao to stop crying,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan carried Xiao Bao into her arms.
‘Xiao Bao, mummy’s here,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Xiao Bao sniffed her small red nose, and looked pitifully at Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Xiao Bao, don’t cry,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Daddy is a bad man. Xiao and mummy won’t pay attention to daddy, OK?’
Bad man? Gu Jiao Wu scoffed. That night he showed Qiao Tan Yuan what a bad man he was.
A fortnight later, Gu Jiao Wu discussed with Qiao Tan Yuan about him going back to work. She made him promise to rest for another fortnight before going back to work to ensure his wound healed. He agreed, and used the time off work to strengthen his bond with Xiao Bao.
On a sunny afternoon, Gu Jiao Wu took Xiao Bao out to the backyard garden to see flowers and b.u.t.terflies. Before Xiao Bao cried, a gardener informed him there was a visitor who asked to see him. He carried Xiao Bao to Mrs Chu, and he went to see the visitor, w.a.n.g Tu Ya.
End of Chapter 123