Bathroom.
‘Soon,’ Gu Jiao Wu said and held Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand. ‘Did you see me in your dream?’
‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘No. Who dreamt of you?’
‘You called my name,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu smiled, Qiao Tan Yuan had dreamt of him.
‘I… I called your name?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘I dreamt we returned to the city. You wouldn’t give Xiao Bao back to me. We argued, and I called your name.’
‘Really?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘You don’t need to worry about it even in your dream. I promised I’ll give Xiao Bao back to you.’
‘Good,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You know how important Xiao Bao is to me. I won’t let anyone steal Xiao Bao.’
The pilot prepared the plane for landing. Qiao Tan Yuan secretly glanced at Gu Jiao Wu. He said he would tell her everything if she promised to be with him. She did want to be with him. It was not knowing what day he would leave her again that stopped her from saying yes to him.
Gu Jiao Wu pa.s.sed Qiao Tan Yuan a coat.
‘It’s cold in the city,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Wear this to stay warm.’
Qiao Tan Yuan was used to the tropical climate on the island, and forgot it was cold in the city. She accepted the coat.
‘Thank you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘The plane’s about to land,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Put on your seat belt.’
Qiao Tan Yuan nodded her head, and Gu Jiao Wu held her hand tighter.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, are you sure you won’t change your mind?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t answer, and Gu Jiao Wu didn’t let go of her hand.
The plane landed. Gu Jiao Wu put on a black trench coat, held Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand and they walked to the international airport arrival gate.
Outside the airport, Qiao Tan Yuan felt cold wind instead of tropical humid wind. She glanced at Gu Jiao Wu, and thought he looked taller in a trench coat.
‘I’ll take you home,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘No need,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I’ll take a taxi home.’
‘Xiao Bao is staying at the Gu Mansion,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Don’t you want to take Xiao Bao home?’
‘I haven’t contacted my family for seven days,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘My parents must be worried.’
‘What’s one more night?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
Gu Jiao Wu led Qiao Tan Yuan to his car in the parking lot.
‘What about my suitcase?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Don’t worry,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Someone is delivering your suitcase to the Qiao Mansion.’
Gu Jiao Wu turned on the car, and drove home.
‘How did you arrange everything?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘You can buy anything with money,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Money? Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu spent money. He had connections she didn’t know about. Money paid for things, but it couldn’t buy respect. The way his a.s.sistant on the island respected him indicated he had more privileges than an ordinary citizen.
‘If you don’t want to tell me then don’t say anything,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu heard Qiao Tan Yuan sulked like a girl, and he smiled.
An hour later, Gu Jiao Wu parked at the Gu Mansion and Qiao Tan Yuan remembered about the time zone difference.
‘It’s late,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Xiao Bao would be asleep.’
‘Um,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Do you want me to wake Xiao Bao up so you can take her home?’
‘I… it’s your fault,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I told you I wanted to go home on my own.’
‘It’s late,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Stay here tonight. I’ll drive you and Xiao Bao home tomorrow morning.’
Gu Jiao Wu got out of the car, and opened Qiao Tan Yuan’s door.
‘Or do you want me to take you home?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t want to go home and disturb her parents. She’d been away on an island for seven days so she didn’t want to stay in a hotel. Although she was happy to be with Gu Jiao Wu on the island, there wasn’t a day she didn’t miss Xiao Bao and wished she could see Xiao Bao.
‘Come inside,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Get a good night sleep. Tomorrow, you and Xiao Bao will get to go home.’
Qiao Tan Yuan followed Gu Jiao Wu to his bedroom, the bedroom she stayed alone in during their marriage. It brought back painful memories. Nothing changed. He didn’t change the curtains, sofa and vase she bought. But she didn’t delude herself. He didn’t pay attention to anything insignificant to him like how she being his wife was insignificant to him. So he wouldn’t waste his time changing furnishings he didn’t notice she bought. She looked at the empty vase, and remembered how she used to buy roses to decorate the bedroom and cheer herself up.
Qiao Tan Yuan looked away from the vase, and noticed Gu Jiao Wu was staring at her.
‘I… I’ll sleep on the sofa,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu pointed at the wardrobe.
‘Your clothes are still in the wardrobe,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Go take a bath, and sleep.’
Gu Jiao Wu walked to the study room. Qiao Tan Yuan was used to him following her to the bathroom on the island. She shook her head, picked out night clothes from a wardrobe drawer and walked to the bathroom. In the bathroom she took off her clothes, and discovered her bra was wet.
Qiao Tan Yuan remembered Gu Jiao Wu didn’t sleep with her on the flight home so he didn’t help express her breast milk. She couldn’t wake up Xiao Bao, and she didn’t want to ask him to help her so she decided to squeeze out breast milk herself to ease the discomfort.
Qiao Tan Yuan squeezed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and heard someone opened the bathroom door, she turned around and saw Gu Jiao Wu.
‘I forgot something in here,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu saw milk leaking out of Qiao Tan Yuan’s nipples, and immediately walked to her.
‘I can help you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Go outside,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu got to sleep with Qiao Tan Yuan at night for seven nights. It became a habit, he couldn’t sleep if she wasn’t in bed with him.
‘You promised me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘What did I promise you?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘I promised you can leave the island. I didn’t promise I wouldn’t touch you. Besides, today is the seventh day.’
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t wait for Qiao Tan Yuan’s reply. He suckled her nipples, and she gripped his shoulders. She fell into his trap again, and he thoroughly ate her in the bathroom.
In the middle of the night, Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan laid on the bed together. Her last thought before she slept was he must have a bathroom fetish.
End of Chapter Ninety-Nine