Side Story.
Cheng Yi bond with Xiao Nian, and asked Zheng Jia Ju to come to the U.S. with him and Xiao Nian.
Zheng Jia Ju rejected Cheng Yi’s offer, and she secretly planned to take Xiao Nian somewhere Cheng Yi couldn’t find them, because she didn’t want Cheng Yi to feel obligated to be with her.
‘Tell everyone to eat without me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I’m busy on a work trip. I’m not coming home tonight.’
‘Oh…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu hung up the phone before Qiao Tan Yuan could ask him anything else. Her heart suddenly felt uneasy.
‘Tan Yuan, what did Jiao Wu say?’ Mrs Qiao asked. ‘Why isn’t he home yet?’
‘He’s busy at work,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Mum, let’s eat. We don’t need to wait for him.’
‘OK,’ Mrs Qiao said. ‘It makes sense Jiao Wu needs to work overtime after taking sick leave absence.’
Qiao Tan Yuan wanted to believe Gu Jiao Wu was working overtime. They were getting married soon, she should trust him.
At the cemetery, Gu Jiao Wu didn’t look at his watch until he noticed the sky was dark and the moonlight shining on top of Chu Da’s tombstone. He didn’t know how long he sat there, he couldn’t believe it was past ten at night.
‘Chu Da, stay here and rest,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I’ll come to see you again next week.’
Gu Jiao Wu left the cemetery and that night he drove back to the Gu Mansion instead of the Qiao Mansion.
Before Chu Da’s anniversary, Gu Jiao Wu only returned to the Qiao Mansion in the middle of the night.
The night Gu Jiao Wu said he was on a work trip, he didn’t return to the Qiao Mansion. Qiao Tan Yuan called his phone again that night, but his phone was switched off. The nights afterward, he came home in the middle of the night and slept with her. But he didn’t look at her face while he slept with her.
The few nights after Gu Jiao Wu brought roses for Qiao Tan Yuan, she called his phone but it was always switched off. She couldn’t sleep, and walked to the nursery to check-up on Xiao Bao.
‘Jiao Wu?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Jiao Wu…’
Gu Jiao Wu was startled by Qiao Tan Yuan’s voice, and he realised Xiao Bao was trying to grab the toy in his hand.
‘Xiao Bao, this toy is for you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Jiao Wu, what’s wrong?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
It was the sixth night since Qiao Tan Yuan noticed the change in Gu Jiao Wu. He was physically with her, but his mind was elsewhere.
‘I’m OK,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I’ve been busy with work.’
‘Oh,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Mum picked out a few wedding cakes. The new bedsheets were delivered to my bedroom today. Come to my bedroom, and see which one we should use on our wedding day.’
‘You can decide on the trivial matters,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu saw Qiao Tan Yuan took a step back, and he realised he said something carelessly. He stood and held her hand.
‘Let’s go and see the new bedsheets,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘If you’re tired… it’s my fault,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘It’s only a second wedding. I shouldn’t have turned it into a big event.’
‘Nonsense,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘For us this is our first wedding. Last time didn’t count.’
‘Really?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Let’s go,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan walked to her bedroom. He went through the motions of looking at the new bedsheets on the bed, and he randomly chose the red bedsheet.
‘I like this one too,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘It’s my favorite brand.’
‘As long as you like it,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Today’s a weekend. Do you want to go out?’
‘No,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘It’s cold this evening. I don’t want to leave Xiao Bao.’
‘Why not?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘We can go on an overnight trip just the two of us.’
‘Can we… leave Xiao Bao at home?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Xiao Bao has mum and aunty Chu to take care of her,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Besides, Xiao Bao stopped drinking breast milk.’
Gu Jiao Wu finally accepted it was true about women being overprotective of their children.
‘Jiao Wu, if you’re not tired then we can go,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘I’m not tired,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
That evening, Gu Jiao Wu took Qiao Tan Yuan sightseeing. Then they checked into a hotel room.
When Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan walked into the hotel room, he didn’t let her go.
‘Jiao Wu, be gentle… ah… enough…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t know why Gu Jiao Wu didn’t want to stop after they were on the bed for hours.
‘Not enough,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Ah…’ Qiao Tan Yuan cried out and pa.s.sed out from exhaustion.
In the morning, Gu Jiao Wu woke Qiao Tan Yuan up and he wanted her again.
‘Jiao Wu… it’s too early… I’m tired… ah…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Do you remember our night at the hospital?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘I want you that way again.’
Gu Jiao Wu rolled Qiao Tan Yuan over, and positioned her on top of him.
Later Qiao Tan Yuan collapsed on Gu Jiao Wu’s chest, and he rolled her underneath him again. He didn’t let her sleep until the afternoon.
Late in the afternoon, Gu Jiao Wu drove Qiao Tan Yuan back to the Qiao Mansion. She was tired from their overnight road trip, and slept after she played with Xiao Bao in the nursery.
On Monday morning, Gu Jiao Wu got out of bed early without disturbing Qiao Tan Yuan’s sleep, and he drove to the cemetery.
At the cemetery, Gu Jiao Wu put a bouquet of white lilies in front of Chu Da’s tombstone.
Li Lam arrived at the cemetery at ten in the morning. She carried a big bag, and another bouquet of cornflowers. She wasn’t surprised Gu Jiao Wu arrived before her. She sat in front of Chu Da’s tombstone, and took out a bottle of grape juice.
‘Big sister, I know you hate drinking wine,’ Li Lam said. ‘I woke up early to make you a fresh bottle of grape juice.’
Li Lam poured some grape juice on the ground, and she took a sip of grape juice.
‘Big sister, for three years there wasn’t a day I didn’t think about you,’ Li Lam said and cried. ‘I know you won’t hold my actions against me.’
Li Lam gestured for Gu Jiao Wu to sit.
‘Sit,’ Li Lam said. ‘It’ll take me a long time to tell you everything that happened to big sister.’
End of Chapter 128