‘Mess?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan looked down at her hand, grabbed a tissue and wiped her fingers. How could Qiao Jie understand? Four years ago, he was still in college.
Qiao Tan Yuan raised her head and looked at Gu Jiao Wu’s table, was the young woman Chu Da? She dug her fingernails into her palms. If it was Chu Da, why did Chu Da return when Chu Da promised not to return? Her heart raced even faster.
‘Big sister…’ Qiao Jie called. He stood and helped Qiao Tan Yuan stand. ‘I’ll take you home.’
‘Qiao Jie, I…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan stopped what she was going to say. She stood and had a clearer view of Chu Da, it wasn’t Chu Da. The Chu Da from four years ago was timid. The young woman’s face resembled Chu, but looked confident and stylish. If Chu Da was an ugly duckling then the young woman was a G.o.ddess.
Qiao Tan Yuan promised herself that she would stay strong. But how could she stay strong if Chu Da was back to be with Gu Jiao Wu?
Qiao Tan Yuan followed Qiao Jie outside and they didn’t notice Li Lam’s eyes followed Qiao Tan Yuan.
A while later, Qiao Tan Yuan was still shocked and didn’t know how she got home. She walked to her bedroom, sat on the bed and remembered what happened years ago…
Qiao Tan Yuan arrived home, put her school bag down and ran to the door.
‘Tan Yuan, where are you going?’ Mrs Qiao asked.
‘I’m going out,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Where?’ Mrs Qiao asked. She looked at Qiao Tan Yuan who hated studying. ‘Tan Yuan, your dad’s angry at you for doing poorly on your maths test. Go back to your room and study.’
‘I hate maths, isn’t it enough that I pa.s.s the math test?’ Qiao Tan Yuan said and waved bye to Mrs Qiao. ‘Mum, don’t nag anymore. I promise I’ll do better next time.’
Qiao Tan Yuan ran straight outside and didn’t hear Mrs Qiao sigh behind her. She wanted to find Gu Jiao Wu. Gu Jiao Wu was a college student, Gu Jiao Mai and Shen Cheng told her Gu Jiao Wu had many female admirers in college.
Qiao Tan Yuan was scared Gu Jiao Wu wouldn’t wait for her to grow up and fall for one of the college students. No, no, no… Gu Jiao Wu belonged to her. She was young, but if she loved something, she wanted to obtain it. She wanted Gu Jiao Wu to belong to her. Her studies could wait, but she couldn’t wait to see for herself if it was true Gu Jiao Wu had many female admirers at college.
The Qiao Mansion was close to the Gu Mansion. It didn’t take long for Qiao Tan Yuan to enter the Gu Mansion.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan?’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya asked. She was happy to see Qiao Tan Yuan. ‘Why are you free today?’
‘I’m free so I came to see aunty,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said sweetly.
Qiao Tan Yuan knew how to sweet talk adults at a young age.
w.a.n.g Tu Ya’s company and Qiao’s company have cooperated with each other for many years so Qiao Tan Yuan visited the Gu Mansion often.
‘Your little small mouth is too sweet,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said affectionately.
w.a.n.g Tu Ya thought the thirteen-year-old Qiao Tan Yuan would grow up to be a beauty. But thinking about her cold hearted son, Gu Jiao Wu made her sigh. She didn’t know who he took after. ‘Oh…’
‘Aunty, what’s wrong?’ Qian Tan Yuan asked.
‘I regret I didn’t get to give birth to a daughter in this life,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said. ‘In the future come and visit me more often.’
Qiao Tan Yuan nodded. She looked in the direction of Gu Jiao Wu’s bedroom and wondered if he was home.
‘I forgot,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said and rubbed her forehead. ‘Jiao Wu just got home from college and asked if I could prepare refreshments for him. Tan Yuan, wait here. I’ll go bring the refreshments to his room.’
‘Aunty, let me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘It’s good to have your help, aunty Zhang isn’t here today,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said.
Qiao Tan Yuan happily brought a platter of fruits to Gu Jiao Wu’s bedroom. The door was opened, she walked into his room and put the platter on the table.
‘Gu Jiao Wu?’ Qian Tan Yuan called softly.
Where was Gu Jiao Wu? Qian Tan Yuan didn’t want to leave his room so soon. She checked in the connecting study room. A hot cup of coffee was on the study table so he must have left not long ago.
‘How hateful, I’m here but you disappeared,’ Qian Tan Yuan mumbled and stomped a foot.
Qian Tan Yuan’s eyes were drawn to a pink envelop on the study table. Gu Jiao Wu was a man, why did he keep a pink envelop on his table? She couldn’t resist satisfying her curiosity and opened the pink envelop. It was a love letter. Gu Jiao Mai and Shen Cheng were right, Gu Jiao Wu had many female admirers at college. Gu Jiao Wu belonged to her, she wouldn’t allow anyone else to have him.
At the age of thirteen, Qiao Tan Yuan was the indulged Qiao heiress. Whatever she wanted, the Qiao elders would grant her. After she saw the love letter, she felt like someone wanted to steal Gu Jiao Wu away from her. She ripped the love letter to pieces, threw the pieces on the ground and stomped on them.
‘How dare you steal my Jiao Wu?’ Qiao Tan Yuan mumbled.
‘What are you doing?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
Gu Jiao Wu was picking up a delivery before and returned to the study room. He creased his brows after he saw Qiao Tan Yuan in the study room stomping on pieces of paper.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, what are you doing here?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘I…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan was embarra.s.sed she got caught by the eighteen-year-old Gu Jiao Wu. She was scared of his intimidating gaze, but she acted confident.
‘I’m helping big brother take rubbish away,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘This female student dared to write a love letter to big brother. She doesn’t have the right to write you a love letter if she made grammatical errors. I know big brother hates this kind of female so I helped big brother take rubbish away.’
‘Are you saying I should thank you?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
Gu Jiao Wu never accepted love letters from another person. The love letter on the floor was hidden in his textbook. He disliked the girl who wrote the love letter, but he disliked Qiao Tan Yuan’s behaviour more.
‘Big brother… of course you have to thank me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan was more scared of someone stealing Gu Jiao Wu than Gu Jiao Wu’s silent glare.
‘How can big brother like a country b.u.mpkin like this girl?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Who I like is none of your business,’ Gu Jiao Wu said and pointed at the door. ‘Leave.’
‘I’m not leaving,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Gu Jiao Wu, I love you. I won’t let another girl steal you.’
‘Do you know what love means?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘Do I have to love you if you love me?’
‘Of course you have to love me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Big brother Jiao Wu, I love you. I’m begging you don’t fall in love with someone else. You can only love me.’
Gu Jiao Wu was unaffected by Qiao Tan Yuan’s love declaration. He sat at the study table, picked up a textbook and read.
Qiao Tan Yuan was crazily angry. Wasn’t she beautiful and loveable? Why didn’t Gu Jiao Wu love her?
Qiao Tan Yuan grabbed Gu Jiao Wu’s textbook. ‘Big brother Jiao Wu, I’m beautiful and smart. Why don’t you love me?’
Gu Jiao Wu pointed at the textbook. ‘Give back my textbook.’
‘I’m not giving it back,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I want you to love me.’
‘You love me?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked coldly. ‘What do you love about me? Do you understand what’s written in the textbook? Do you know what I’m studying? You said that girl didn’t have the right to write me a love letter. But do you think you have the right to love me?’
When Gu Jiao Mai was Qiao Tan Yuan’s age, Gu Jiao Mai behaved well. Gu Jiao Mai studied and never made the elders worry.
‘I heard you received low school grades,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Qiao Tan Yuan, doesn’t that mean you don’t have the right to love me?’
Gu Jiao Wu s.n.a.t.c.hed back the textbook, sat and read without looking at Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘I… I…’ Qiao Tan Yuan stuttered.
Qiao Tan Yuan bit her lips. It was true, members of the Gu Household were scholars. Her grades didn’t compare to them. Did that mean she didn’t have the right to love Gu Jiao Wu?
‘So what?’ Qian Tan Yuan asked. ‘I’ll rank first in school and be accepted in big brother’s college. I’ll read the textbooks you read, and I’ll know what you study. Gu Jiao Wu, wait for me.’
Qian Tan Yuan turned around and ran home. Gu Jiao Wu sighed in relief. He thought at least she knew how to be embarra.s.sed and can be saved. He resumed reading and forgot about her childish tantrum.
What Gu Jiao Wu didn’t know was starting that day, Qiao Tan Yuan sacrificed her social life and focused on studying. She was ranked first in all her cla.s.ses and shocked her parents. But no one knew she studied because she wanted to be with Gu Jiao Wu. If Gu Jiao Wu loved someone who was studious then she would study hard.
Qiao Tan Yuan chose the same high school and college Gu Jiao Wu attended. She was naturally smart, and putting efforts into her studies earned her many academic awards. After graduating from college, she didn’t study to get a master’s degree because Gu Jiao Wu stopped studying after college graduation. Instead he worked in a small southern district. She only heard about Gu Jiao Wu’s work life through Gu Jiao Mai and w.a.n.g Tu Ya.
Qiao Tan Yuan wanted Gu Jiao Wu to be the first person she shared news with about her graduating with a high distinction GPA. She wanted to prove to Gu Jiao Wu how she improved, matured and was suitable to be with him.
After Qiao Tan Yuan found out Gu Jiao Wu returned to the city from the south, she was excited to show him her college graduation degree and the best photos of herself in her graduation gown.
Qiao Tan Yuan visited the Gu Mansion, but Gu Jiao Wu wasn’t there. She made a phone call and found out where Gu Jiao Wu was staying. When she got there, a scary sight awaited her.
End of Chapter Five