Mrs Qiao couldn’t stop Qiao Tan Yuan leaving the bed.
Gu Jiao Wu glanced at Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand that was holding his arm. Then he looked over Qiao Tan Yuan’s shoulder at Mrs Qiao.
‘Is it OK for her to leave the bed?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
Gu Jiao Wu thought about how much pain Qiao Tan Yuan experienced during childbirth and didn’t think she should leave the bed that soon.
Mrs Qiao stood and wanted to take Qiao Tan Yuan back to the bed.
‘Tan Yuan, you should rest in bed,’ Mrs Qiao said. ‘You’re still recovering.’
‘Gu Jiao Wu,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Shen Cheng’s lecture helped Qiao Tan Yuan to conquer her weakness. She wasted her spring years on Gu Jiao Wu, but she was going to protect Xiao Bao.
‘You can leave,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘She’s my daughter,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu would receive the DNA results in the afternoon. But he didn’t need to look at the DNA results, he knew he was the father.
‘She’s not your daughter,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘You’re positive?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘I’m positive she’s not your daughter,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She had a difficult nine month pregnancy to give birth to Xiao Bao. Gu Jiao Wu shouldn’t dream about stealing Xiao Bao. ‘She’s Shen Cheng and my daughter. You can leave.’
Gu Jiao Wu looked down at their daughter. He hadn’t seen their daughter for a day, but he thought she grew a little bigger and smiled at the way she slept adorably.
‘If she’s not my daughter then you don’t need to be defensive,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. He turned his head to the side to look at Qiao Tan Yuan’s anxious eyes. ‘Shen Cheng and I are close like brothers.’
Gu Jiao Wu thought it was normal for him see their daughter.
Mrs Qiao couldn’t pull the stubborn Qiao Tan Yuan’s back to the bed. ‘Tan Yuan, you should stay in bed. You shouldn’t leave the bed unless necessary.’
Qiao Tan Yuan bit her lips and glared at Gu Jiao Wu.
Gu Jiao Wu looked closely at Qiao Tan Yuan’s face. He thought after a night’s sleep, some coloring returned to Qiao Tan Yuan’s face. It wasn’t warm in the room, she should stay in bed. But she glared at him like she didn’t want to stay peacefully in bed as long as he was in the room.
Gu Jiao Wu was surprised to see Qiao Tan Yuan’s guarded eyes. If she was going to be stubborn, he could be stubborn too. He smiled, stood in front of her and carried her to the bed.
‘Ah… Gu Jiao Wu…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
What right did Gu Jiao Wu had to carry Qiao Tan Yuan? She was embarra.s.sed, shocked and angry Gu Jiao Wu laid her in bed. He gave her a warning look like if she dared to get out of bed, he would carry her back to bed again. She didn’t know why she never realised what a shameless man Gu Jiao Wu was.
Gu Jiao Wu laid Qiao Tan Yuan in bed then he looked down at their daughter again. Their daughter was still sleeping, he was worried why he hadn’t seen their daughter opening her eyes. He turned around and looked anxiously at Mrs Qiao.
‘Is it normal for a newborn baby to sleep this much?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
Mrs Qiao was still shocked Gu Jiao Wu carried Qiao Tan Yuan to bed. Why did her former son-in-law come to Qiao Tan Yuan’s hospital room?
‘Aunty?’ Gu Jiao Wu called. He didn’t know why Mrs Qiao was standing in a daze. ‘Why is she still sleeping?’
‘It’s normal for newborn babies to sleep this much,’ Mrs Qiao said.
Mrs Qiao looked at her granddaughter. She didn’t know who to believe was her granddaughter’s father. Why did Gu Jiao Wu claim he was the father? While Qiao Tan Yuan said Shen Cheng was the father.
‘Um,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Mrs Qiao was shocked Gu Jiao Wu’s anxious eyes relaxed. What did Gu Jiao Wu want?
Mrs Qiao opened her mouth to ask Gu Jiao Wu why he was in Qiao Tan Yuan’s hospital room, but her granddaughter suddenly cried with eyes closed.
Gu Jiao Wu was anxious again after hearing his daughter cry. He instinctively picked up his daughter’s small pink lump body. He held her close to his chest. He was curious why she didn’t stop crying. He looked at Qiao Tan Yuan for an answer, but Qiao Tan Yuan was still glaring at him.
Mrs Qiao carefully picked up her granddaughter from Gu Jiao Wu’s arms.
‘I think she soiled her nappy,’ Mrs Qiao said.
Gu Jiao Wu looked dumbfound at Mrs Qiao opening his daughter’s nappy. He could see his daughter peed in her nappy.
Mrs Qiao smiled. ‘She did soil her nappy. No wonder she’s crying.’
Mrs Qiao carefully laid her granddaughter on the bed and changed her granddaughter’s nappy. But her granddaughter didn’t stop crying.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t know why his daughter was still crying. He picked up his daughter and held her close to his chest again, but she cried louder. He was embarra.s.sed. Did she hate him?
Mrs Qiao pitied Gu Jiao Wu who didn’t know whether to put her granddaughter down or not. She carefully picked up her granddaughter and pa.s.sed her granddaughter to Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘It’s almost lunch time,’ Mrs Qiao said. She stroked her granddaughter’s cheek. ‘If you’re hungry, drink your mummy’s milk.’
Qiao Tan Yuan held Xiao Bao to her chest and Xiao Bao stopped crying.
Xiao Bao rubbed her small face on Qiao Tan Yuan’s chest and looked for Qiao Tan Yuan’s nipple. She couldn’t find Qiao Tan Yuan’s nipple and cried again.
‘Look at her, she’s hungry,’ Mrs Qiao said.
Mrs Qiao looked at Qiao Tan Yuan confusedly. She taught Qiao Tan Yuan how to breast feed and didn’t know why Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t feeding her granddaughter.
Of course Qiao Tan Yuan knew Xiao Bao was hungry. How was she supposed to breast feed in front of Gu Jiao Wu… pull down her gown and breast feed Xiao Bao?
‘Go outside,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said to Gu Jiao Wu.
Gu Jiao Wu creased his brows and refused to leave.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, go outside,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan wanted to feed Xiao Bao and stop Xiao Bao crying.
If Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t holding Xiao Bao, she would kick the shameless Gu Jiao Wu outside. Xiao Bao was still looking for her nipple and cried even louder. She glared at Gu Jiao Wu for half a day, but he refused to leave. She had no choice but to pull down her gown and let Xiao Bao drink breast milk.
Xiao Bao found Qiao Tan Yuan’s nipple, sucked her nipple and stopped crying. Xiao Bao’s small hands held onto her breast and drank breast milk. Qiao Tan Yuan could also feel Gu Jiao Wu’s gaze on her chest.
Qiao Tan Yuan raised her head to curse the shameless Gu Jiao Wu. But his eyes were looking in awe at Xiao Bao drinking breast milk with eyes closed, he wasn’t perving at her chest.
Gu Jiao Wu watched in awe at his daughter drinking breast milk and he smiled tenderly.
Qiao Tan Yuan laughed at herself for being shocked to see Gu Jiao Wu’s tender smile even though she saw him smile at Xiao Bao after Xiao Bao was born.
Qiao Tan Yuan was used to seeing Gu Jiao Wu’s cold face. She wasn’t used to Gu Jiao Wu’s gentleness and the look of awe in his eyes… he loved Xiao Bao. But she remembered he once said he would hate to father her child. Why did he behave differently to his usual self?
‘Gu Jiao Wu, you shameless man,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She held Xiao Bao closer to her chest protectively. ‘Get out.’
‘Tan Yuan…’ Mrs Qiao called.
Mrs Qiao didn’t know what Qiao Tan Yuan was doing. She couldn’t deny her granddaughter looked exactly like Gu Jiao Wu. She didn’t know why Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t want Gu Jiao Wu to acknowledge her granddaughter. Wasn’t it Qiao Tan Yuan’s dream to reunite with Gu Jiao Wu?
‘Mum, make him leave,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I don’t want to see him.’
Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t being irrational, she honestly didn’t want to see Gu Jiao Wu. She especially didn’t want to see him steal Xiao Bao. Thinking about him stealing Xiao Bao made her hate him more.
‘Tan Yuan…’ Mrs Qiao said.
Mrs Qiao didn’t know why Qiao Tan Yuan divorced Gu Jiao Wu, but she pitied Gu Jiao Wu.
‘Jiao Wu, don’t take it to heart,’ Mrs Qiao said. ‘My husband and I spoiled Tan Yuan rotten since she was a little girl.’
‘Mum…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I’m not being rude to him. But if he thinks I’m being rude then he can leave.’
Qiao Tan Yuan glared resentfully at Gu Jiao Wu, he hated her then he should leave and be with the person he loved.
Gu Jiao Wu looked away from Qiao Tan Yuan’s glare and looked down at their daughter. Their daughter was full, she turned her small head to the side and he could see her scrunch her satisfied face and went back to sleep.
Gu Jiao Wu couldn’t resist stretching his arms down to hold their daughter, but Qiao Tan Yuan moved back on the bed.
‘What do you want?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Gu Jiao Wu kept his arms still in mid-air, he wasn’t angry and looked at their sleeping daughter.
‘I want to hold my daughter,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘No,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘If you hold her, she’ll cry.’
Gu Jiao Wu frowned. He didn’t believe their daughter would cry if he held her.
‘She won’t cry,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I want to hold her.’
End of Chapter Nineteen