Helicopter.
Qiao Tan Yuan brushed her teeth, and washed her face. When she entered the dining room, there were two hot bowls of congee on the dining table.
‘Eat,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan sat opposite Gu Jiao Wu, and silently ate her bowl of congee since she said everything she wanted to say to him before. After breakfast, she washed the dishes as usual. Except in her rush, she put too much dishwashing detergent and a plate slipped out of her hand.
‘I thought you improved,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Go outside,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu cleared the mess on the floor, and looked at Qiao Tan Yuan’s soapy hands. He held her hands, and rinsed her hands under the running tap.
Qiao Tan Yuan was embarra.s.sed she broke another plate in front of Gu Jiao Wu.
‘I can clean my own hands,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu turned off the tap, and saw Qiao Tan Yuan’s embarra.s.sed face. He held her waist, and hoisted her on the kitchen bench.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, you promised…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu kissed Qiao Tan Yuan’s lips, and trailed kisses down her neck. By the time she could open her mouth again, he was already inside her. He continuously thrust in and out of her while leaving more kiss marks on her body. If the kitchen bench wasn’t st.u.r.dy, she would have landed on her bare bottom.
An hour later, Gu Jiao Wu carried Qiao Tan Yuan to the living room where their packed suitcases were on the floor next to the sofa. After she checked her clothes for any visible stains, one of his a.s.sistants knocked on the door.
‘Mr Gu,’ the a.s.sistant said. ‘The helicopter’s ready for take-off.’
Helicopter? What happened to the boat? Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t know who the man she was intimate a moment ago was.
‘Why are you here?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘Where’s Xiao Zhong?’
‘Xiao Zhong has food poison,’ the a.s.sistant said and picked up the suitcases.
Qiao Tan Yuan’s legs were still numb. She did her best to walk normally so Gu Jiao Wu’s a.s.sistant wouldn’t suspect what she and Gu Jiao Wu were doing while waiting for Gu Jiao Wu’s a.s.sistant to arrive. She followed them to the same big patch of gra.s.s Gu Jiao Wu took her to see fireflies. Because she was scared of seeing ghosts that night, she didn’t suspect it was a helicopter landing site. She was going to miss the island, but she didn’t look back at the island because she didn’t want Gu Jiao Wu to know.
On the helicopter, Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t hold in her curiosity.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, who are you?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu borrowed the island, and the helicopter. Gu Jiao Wu’s a.s.sistant sounded close to Gu Jiao Wu more than a boss and subordinate relationship, almost like they were in the same brotherhood. It was her first time sitting in a helicopter, but she suspected Gu Jiao Wu often sat in a helicopter.
Gu Jiao Wu saw eye bags under Qiao Tan Yuan’s eyes, and he frowned.
‘If you’re tired, you can sleep,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘I… I don’t want to sleep,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Gu Jiao Wu, where did this helicopter come from? Don’t tell me you rented it. How did you take us to the island without going through customs? Who owns this island…’
‘What does it have to with you?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
Gu Jiao Wu leaned his face close to Qiao Tan Yuan’s face, and he could see hurt in her eyes.
‘If you change your mind and believe me, I’ll answer all your questions,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Gu Jiao Wu… you’re despicable,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu used her curiosity against her to persuade her to change her mind.
‘Have you changed your mind?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘No, I’m not going to change my mind,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Then it’s over,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu leaned on his seat, closed his eyes and slept.
Qiao Tan Yuan was tired from last night. She closed her eyes and slept. When she opened her eyes, she discovered she wasn’t sitting in a helicopter. She was sitting on a plane next to Gu Jiao Wu. He was reading reports on his laptop. When he turned to look at her, he closed the screens on his laptop.
‘You’re awake,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Where are you taking me?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. She could only see clouds outside the window. ‘I want to go home, I…’
‘We’re on a plane back to the city,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. He held Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand. ‘Calm down, we’ll be landing in another two hours.’
‘Really?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Gu Jiao Wu nodded his head. ‘If you want I can ask a flight attendant this plane’s destination.’
‘No need,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘As long as it’s landing in the city.’
‘If you’re tired, go back to sleep,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu turned around to look at his laptop, but Qiao Tan Yuan wouldn’t let go of his hand.
‘You promised you’ll give Xiao Bao back to me and you won’t interfere in my life anymore,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu looked at Qiao Tan Yuan’s trembling hand. Was she scared he wouldn’t let her see Xiao Bao or was she scared he wouldn’t leave her alone?
‘Don’t worry,’ Gu Jiao Wu said and pushed Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand away. ‘I’ll give Xiao Bao back to you.’
‘I… I didn’t mean…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You know I value Xiao Bao more than my life. I can’t let her stay with the Gu Household.’
Qiao Tan Yuan stopped hiding the truth from Gu Jiao Wu, there was never a day or night she thought about abandoning Xiao Bao. She watched him read manual reports written in German. The secretive way he closed the screens on his laptop before made her suspect what was his real ident.i.ty.
Qiao Tan Yuan had doubts whether she loved Gu Jiao Wu or the image he projected. She loved him since she fell on the ground as a girl, he helped her stand and told her not to cry. She was too tired to think about the answer. She closed her eyes, and dreamt about gazing at the stars next to Gu Jiao Wu. They were kissing, and their bodies were connected.
‘Gu Jiao Wu…’ Qiao Tan Yuan called.
Qiao Tan Yuan opened her eyes, and saw Gu Jiao Wu was staring at her. She looked out the window to avoid his eyes.
‘Are we there yet?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
End of Chapter Ninety-Eight