Side Story.
At the hospital Cheng Yi woke up and regained his memories. He regretted everything he did when he had amnesia.
Cheng Yi left the hospital to look for Zheng Jia Ju.
‘Xiao Jia, I’m back,’ Cheng Yi said. ‘I’m sorry. Forgive me.’
Cheng Yi couldn’t forgive himself for shooting Zheng Jia Ju.
Zheng Jia Ju slapped Cheng Yi’s cheek hard.
‘Don’t call me!’ Zheng Jia Ju said. ‘You don’t need my forgiveness. Stay away from me, I don’t want to see you.’
‘Xiao Jia, I lost…’ Cheng Yi said.
‘You lost your memories,’ Zheng Jia Ju said. ‘It doesn’t change the truth that you did shoot me. I begged you to come to the hospital to be with me when I was scared of losing Xiao Nian. You lost your memories, but you trusted Fei Yan Niao over me. It shows your true colors.’
Gu Jiao Wu gripped the phone.
‘Forget her,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Don’t report news about her to me anymore. She can go wherever she wants to go.’
Gu Jiao Wu hung up the phone, and he smashed the phone against a wall.
‘Big brother…’ Gu Jiao Wen called.
‘Go,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I’m OK.’
Gu Jiao Wen didn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu was OK.
‘If Qiao Tan Yuan goes to Denmark, what about the wedding?’ Gu Jiao Wen asked.
‘There’s no wedding,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t want to marry someone who didn’t love him. He grabbed the clothes and dressed.
‘Big brother, eat the breakfast I ordered for you,’ Gu Jiao Wen said.
‘I’m not eating,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu was in no mood to eat or drink. He was depressed enough to kill someone.
‘Big brother if you don’t get married, what about the elders?’ Gu Jiao Wen asked.
‘I’ll explain it to the elders,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu needed time to forget Qiao Tan Yuan
When Gu Jiao Wu arrived at the Gu Mansion, w.a.n.g Tu Ya was sitting on the sofa in his bedroom.
‘Jiao Wu, what are you doing?’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya asked. ‘I called Tan Yuan’s parents, and they told me the wedding is cancelled. Did you and Tan Yuan have a fight?’
‘There’s no wedding,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. He didn’t want to feel pain at the mention of Qiao Tan Yuan. ‘Mum, in the future you don’t have to worry about my life.’
‘How can I not worry about you?’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya asked. ‘Why can’t you be like Jiao Wen and not make me worry as much?’
‘Mum, if you have nothing to do then you should go help Pan Ting and Jiao Wen’s mum take care of the twins,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘You!’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said. ‘Do you want me be angry to death? I have my own granddaughter. I don’t need to take care of another woman’s grandchildren. I don’t care if the wedding’s off. I want you to give back my granddaughter.’
Gu Jiao Wu fisted his hands. He didn’t want to think about Qiao Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao’s small innocent face.
‘Mum, in the future don’t mention them again,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu left his bedroom to find a peaceful place. He couldn’t go back to Du Lei Xin’s place and drink, and he couldn’t drink with Gu Jiao Wen who was a slave to Tan Pan Ting and the twins.
Gu Jiao Wu walked to his car, and drove off. When he realised he was driving in the direction of the Qiao Mansion, he braked on the side of a road. He couldn’t escape Qiao Tan Yuan, memories of them together in his car lingered in his head. He shook his head, turned the car around and drove to the airport.
At the airport, Qiao Tan Yuan’s family failed to persuade her to stay. She carried Xiao Bao to the VIP room, and she waited for them to board the plane to Denmark. She remembered how last time Gu Jiao Wu took her to the island to stop her from going to Denmark. She looked at the VIP door, and she knew Gu Jiao Wu wouldn’t show up because he understood he couldn’t let go of Chu Da and Chu Da was the only woman he loved.
Qiao Tan Yuan accepted in Gu Jiao Wu’s eyes, the last few months he had taken the wrong medicine and deluded himself into thinking he loved her. It didn’t matter if Gu Jiao Wu loved her anymore. What was most important was they weren’t fated to be together. Gu Jiao Wu finally woke up, he understood he only loved Chu Da so she and Xiao Bao weren’t important to him.
On the plane, Xiao Bao was sleeping soundly and Qiao Tan Yuan looked out the window. The plane was taking off into the clouds. She let go of everything. Her heart said good bye to the city she grew up in, good bye to Gu Jiao Wu and good bye to the past.
Gu Jiao Wu watched the plane to Denmark depart. He clenched his hands for hoping Qiao Tan Yuan would look for him, she would tell him she was wrong and she would tell him she loved him. But he was wrong, she didn’t look for him and she didn’t love him. Why was she so cruel toward him? Was it her revenge to make him love her, and hurt him like how he hurt her during their first marriage?
Gu Jiao Wu put the window down so he could see the plane in the sky clearer. The plane that was taking the woman he loved and his daughter far away from him.
Weeks later, Gu Jiao Wu returned to his life before loving Qiao Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao. After the wedding was cancelled, he returned to being a workaholic. Gu Tian Chu was disappointed in him the most, and wanted to disown him. Like w.a.n.g Tu Ya, Gu Tian Chu wanted Xiao Bao back.
At work, everyone knew it was an unspoken rule not to mention Qiao Tan Yuan’s name in front of Gu Jiao Wu.
If Gu Jiao Wu couldn’t work, he would drink with Du Lei Xin. When Du Lei Xing told him news about Shen Cheng visiting Qiao Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao in Denmark, he continued to drink like the news didn’t affect him.
Gu Jiao Wu returned home, he was shocked to see the portraits and photo alb.u.ms of pre-wedding photos delivered to his bedroom. In one of the portraits, Qiao Tan Yuan was hugging him and smiling at him. He wanted to get rid of the portraits but he couldn’t. He sat on his bed, and he looked through the photo alb.u.ms. His shaky fingers traced the photo of him kissing Qiao Tan Yuan’s lips at the park. His heart ached each time he turned the page, and saw another photo of him and Qiao Tan Yuan together. He closed a photo alb.u.m, and the words on the cover of the photo alb.u.m mocked him, ‘Mr and Mrs Gu’s happiness.’
What happiness? Gu Jiao Wu could only feel pain, he lost his happiness.
Gu Jiao Wu’s phone rang, it was Gu Jiao Wen.
‘Big brother, Jiao Mai is in the hospital…’ Gu Jiao Wen said in a panicked voice. ‘Big brother, don’t let the elders know. Come to hospital quickly.’
Gu Jiao Wu sped to the hospital. Du Lei Xin and Gu Jiao Wen were sitting like lost boys in the emergency waiting room.
Du Lei Xin stood, and he looked like a convicted criminal.
‘Big brother, I didn’t know…’ Du Lei Xin said. ‘It’s my fault Jiao Mai is in the hospital… I didn’t know she’s pregnant.’
Gu Jiao Wu punched Du Lei Xin’s face.
‘Big brother, I deserve to be hit,’ Du Lei Xin said and he didn’t avoid Gu Jiao Wu’s fist.
A doctor came out of the emergency operating room.
‘Who is the patient’s family member?’ the doctor asked.
All three men said they were Gu Jiao Mai’s family.
‘I’m sorry,’ the doctor said. ‘We saved the patient, but we couldn’t save the baby.’
End of Chapter 132