‘Qiao Tan Yuan,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu remembered the day Qiao Tan Yuan opened the bottle of the day after pills to prevent pregnancy. His intuition told him, she deceived him.
‘You’re a brave woman,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Gu Jiao Wu,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu looked contemptuously at Qiao Tan Yuan like he always did in the past. A pity, she didn’t want to appease him anymore. She forced herself to smile and her eyes gleamed to hide the truth.
‘What is there for you to be angry about?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘You’re not the father of my baby.’
Gu Jiao Wu looked suspiciously at Qiao Tan Yuan’s stomach. ‘I’m not the father?’
Gu Jiao Wu wasn’t easily deceived by Qiao Tan Yuan’s lies.
‘Of course you’re not the father,’ Qiao Jiao Wu said. ‘Do you think your sperm is strong enough to hit the target after one time?’
Gu Jiao Wu tightened his grip on Qiao Tan Yuan’s arm, but her heart ached more. She used her strength to pull free of his hold.
‘I’m only six months pregnant,’ Qiao Tan Yuan lied and forced herself to smile like a woman in love. ‘Shen Cheng is the father of my baby.’
Gu Jiao Wu looked closely at Qiao Tan Yuan’s stomach, it was as big as Tan Pan Ting’s stomach who was six months pregnant.
Gu Jiao Wu’s look of anger changed a look of condescension. He remembered how often Qiao Tan Yuan declared she loved him. But what happened after they divorced? She crawled straight onto Shen Cheng’s bed. What about Shen Cheng? Shen Cheng was the father, but he didn’t hear news of Shen Cheng wanting to marry Qiao Tan Yuan.
Gu Jiao Wu scoffed, walked past Qiao Tan Yuan and into the toilet.
Qiao Tan Yuan understood Gu Jiao Wu’s eyes were condescending her. She knew what he was thinking, but she didn’t want any involvement with Gu Jiao Wu. Luckily he believed her lies, and eased her anxiety. After she watched him disappear into the toilet, her strengths were drained and she registered a lingering pain on her arm. His cruelty made her body limp, she would have fallen on the ground if a familiar hand didn’t support her back. She turned around, it was Qiao Jie supporting her.
‘Big sister, a waiter told me you were standing in front of the toilet for a long time,’ Qiao Jie said.
‘I’m OK,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Big sister, are you sure nothing is wrong?’ Qiao Jie asked. He didn’t think Qiao Tan Yuan looked OK. ‘You need have a nutritious meal. When we’re home, I’ll ask aunty Chen to make you a bowl of soup.’
‘I’m OK,’ Qian Tan Yuan rea.s.sured.
‘Alright, let’s go,’ Qiao Jie said. ‘If I don’t take proper care of big sister, big brother Cheng will worry.’
Gu Jiao Wu was at the toilet door, he heard Qiao Tan Yuan and Qiao Jie’s exchange. He creased his brows and walked back to his table.
At Qiao Tan Yuan’s table, the desserts were beautiful but she lost her appet.i.te. She drank a sip of milk, it tasted a little sour. Suddenly her heart raced fast and she gripped the gla.s.s of milk.
‘Big sister…’ Qiao Jie called. He was drinking coffee, but noticed Qiao Tan Yuan’s complexion paled. ‘Are you OK?’
Qiao Tan Yuan shook her head. She waited for her heart to stop racing fast. Her baby kicked her and her complexion whitened. Could her baby feel that Gu Jiao Wu hated her baby? She put the gla.s.s down and gently rubbed her stomach where her baby kicked.
‘My precious baby…’ Qiao Tan Yuan whispered.
Qiao Tan Yuan wanted to protect her baby who would grow up without a father. Although she prepared mentally before the confrontation with Gu Jiao Wu, why did she still taste bitterness?
‘Big sister…’ Qiao Jie called.
Qiao Jie thought Qiao Tan Yuan was acting unusual. He checked around the cafe to look for anyone who could have affected her, and saw Gu Jiao Wu walking out of the toilet. Immediately he understood why she was upset. He glared at Gu Jiao Wu. If the Qiao and Gu Households didn’t have good relations, he would have given Gu Jiao Wu a beating for the way Gu Jiao Wu treated Qiao Tan Yuan.
Gu Jiao Wu sensed someone staring at him, it was Qiao Jie. He ignored Qiao Jie’s glare and calmly sat next w.a.n.g Tu Ya. Except there were two more people sitting at their table, which startled him briefly.
‘Jiao Wu, greet aunty Li,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said.
‘Aunty Li,’ Gu Jiao Wu greeted.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t want to contribute to their conversation.
‘Big sister Gu, you’re blessed to have such a handsome and polite son,’ Mrs Li said.
‘Not at all, your daughter is beautiful and talented,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said. She was happy to hear Mrs Li praise her son. ‘Jiao Wu, this is aunty Li’s daughter, Li Lam.’
‘h.e.l.lo Executive Gu,’ Li Lam greeted. She smiled and offered her hand to Gu Jiao Wu. ‘We seem to be fated to meet again.’
Gu Jiao Wu looked coldly at Li Lam’s fake smile. He politely shook her hand, she gripped his hand and he quickly retrieved his hand. Afterward he ignored her and drank coffee.
‘Do you two know each other?’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya asked.
‘Aunty Gu, Executive Gu and I met once on a plane,’ Li Lam said.
‘How fateful,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said happily. ‘Xiao Lam, you don’t have to call Jiao Wu, Executive Wu. You’re not in a work environment. You can call him by his name.’
Li Lam glanced at Gu Jiao Wu’s disgruntled face. ‘Aunty Gu, I don’t think I should.’
‘Calling someone by their name is nothing,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said.
Although w.a.n.g Tu Ya thought Gu Jiao Wu was a good catch, but she lowered her expectations of potential daughter-in-laws after Gu Jiao Wu’s divorce. She thought Li Lam looked like someone who would be a suitable supportive wife for Gu Jiao Wu.
w.a.n.g Tu Ya looked at Gu Jiao Wu and couldn’t stand his cold eyes. ‘Jiao Wu, say something.’
Gu Jiao Wu looked coldly at Li Lam who acted like a frightened deer.
‘Calling someone by their name is nothing,’ Gu Jiao Wu said coldly.
‘Thank you Gu Wu,’ Li Lam said.
Li Lam noticed w.a.n.g Tu Ya believed her shy act.
‘Oh, I forgot, I wanted to buy makeup from Chu Cosmetics,’ Mrs Li said. ‘Big sister, do you want to go to Chu Cosmetics with me?’
‘OK, my nephew’s wife works at Chu Cosmetics,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said. ‘Why don’t the old folks like us, let the young ones chat among themselves? Xiao Lam, stay here and chat with Jiao Wu.’
w.a.n.g Tu Ta and Mrs Li left the cafe without noticing Qiao Tan Yuan and Qiao Jie. But Qiao Jie saw them leave and turned around to look at Gu Jiao Wu’s table, Gu Jiao Wu was sitting opposite a young woman. Then Qiao Jie waved a hand in front of the shocked Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Big sister…’ Qiao Jie called.
‘Huh?’ Qiao Tan Yun asked.
Qiao Tan Yun gently rubbed her chest. Was she seeing things?
‘Qiao Jie, what are you doing waving your hand in front of my face?’ Qiao Tan Yun asked.
‘Big sister, I should be asking you, what are you doing?’ Qiao Jie said. ‘I’ve been sitting in front of you this whole time, but you can’t see I’m sitting in front of you.’
‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Of course I can see you.’
Qiao Tan Yuan picked up the gla.s.s of milk, drank a sip and looked at the young woman who was sitting opposite Gu Jiao Wu. The young woman’s face shocked her, and she lost her grip on the gla.s.s of milk.
Luckily Qiao Jie caught the gla.s.s of milk. He wiped the table and looked disappointedly at Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Big sister, can you not make a mess?’ Qiao Jie asked.
Qiao Jie wiped milk off Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand. He wondered if all the men in the world have died. Shen Cheng loved Qiao Tan Yuan, but she acted like she couldn’t see Shen Cheng. In her eyes there was only Gu Jiao Wu. It was one thing to like someone, but there was no need for her to make herself suffer by loving someone who didn’t love her.
End of Chapter Four