‘I’m sorry,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan’s ran out of patience, but she stayed calm.
‘Besides work, I have nothing to say to you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Go and let me work.’
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, is he your ex-husband?’ Quan Zheng Hao asked. ‘Why is he clinging onto you?’
‘None of your business,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Leave my office.’
‘I’m right,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘Of course it’s my business. Look at my face. He nearly destroyed my good looks. I need to find him to ask for compensation.’
‘Quan Zheng Hao!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘If I’m not mistaken, it was you who tried to punch him first when you thought he was distracted.’
Qiao Tan Yuan was angry at Gu Jiao Wu, but she wasn’t blind. She saw Quan Zheng Hao’s failed ambush.
‘Of course I would try to punch him first,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘He stole my wife. I have the right to protect what belongs to me.’
‘Quan Zheng Hao!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Who’s your wife?’
‘You,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘Qiao Tan Yuan, I like you. I don’t care you’re divorced, and have a daughter. I want you to be my woman, marry me and be my wife.’
‘No chance,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You’re not the type of man I like. I won’t ever be with you. You should give up.’
‘There’s no give up in my dictionary,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘If I’m not the type of man you like then is he the type of man you like? If he is then why are you two divorced?’
‘Has nothing to do with you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘If you’re not going to leave, I’ll leave.’
‘Qiao Tan Yuan,’ Quan Zheng Hao said and held Qiao Tan Yuan’s arm. ‘Have dinner with me tonight.’
‘No,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Don’t you want your bag?’ Quan Zheng Hao asked. ‘Your bag is with me.’
‘You…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘If you like my bag, you can keep my bag. I don’t have time to joke with you.’
Qiao Tan Yuan pulled her arm out of Quan Zheng Hao’s hold, and attended work meetings. When she returned to her office she was relieved the mentally challenged Quan Zheng Hao wasn’t in her office.
After work Qiao Tan Yuan filed the doc.u.ments on her desk, and was annoyed Quan Zheng Hao came back to pester her.
‘Why did you come back?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘To take you to dinner,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. He gave Qiao Tan Yuan back her bag. ‘This is yours.’
‘Thank you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan reached for her bag, and Quan Zheng Hao grabbed her arm.
‘I looked after your car and bag,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘Is it too much to ask you to eat one dinner with me?’
Qiao Tan Yuan glanced at Quan Zheng Hao’s hand on her back.
‘Quan Zheng Hao!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Let go of me.’
‘No,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘If you call me husband, I’ll let go of you.’
‘You…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan lifted her foot to stab her heel into Quan Zheng Hao foot, but he avoided her heel.
‘Are you trying to kill your husband?’ Quan Zheng Hao asked.
‘Quan Zheng Hao!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Let go of me!’
‘No,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘If you kiss me or call me husband, I’ll let go of you.’
Qiao Tan Yuan hit Quan Zheng Hao’s arms to get him to let go of her. She stopped when she heard footsteps. She looked over Quan Zheng Hao’s shoulders, it was Gu Jiao Wu who looked like he wanted to kill Quan Zheng Hao.
Quan Zheng Hao sensed someone was glaring at his back, he turned around and smiled at Gu Jiao Wu.
‘What a coincidence,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘Every time I want to kiss my wife, you show up.’
Gu Jiao Wu narrowed his eyes, and glared at Quan Zheng Hao’s hand on Qiao Tan Yuan’s back.
‘Let of her!’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘No!’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘Yesterday I was unlucky, and you got to punch me. But I’m not scared to fight you.’
Quan Zheng Hao hugged Qiao Tan Yuan so she couldn’t escape.
Gu Jiao Wu looked at Qiao Tan Yuan’s outfit. She was wearing the clothes he bought for her, and he was glad his estimate of her body measurements were right.
‘Come here,’ Gu Jiao Wu said to Qiao Tan Yuan.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t move. She didn’t forget what happened between her and Gu Jiao Wu last night.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan!’ Gu Jiao Wu called.
Quan Zheng Hao pulled Qiao Tan Yuan back a step back, but their backs touched the desk.
‘She won’t go with you,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘She’s my woman, and under my protection. You need my permission to touch her.’
Gu Jiao Wu glared at the deluded Quan Zheng Hao. How could Qiao Tan Yuan be Quan Zheng Hao’s woman when he and Qiao Tan Yuan slept together in their bed the whole night? Yesterday, he should have punched Quan Zheng Hao’s deluded face several times. He pulled Qiao Tan Yuan’s arm, but Quan Zheng Hao refused to let go of Qiao Tan Yuan.
Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t impressed Gu Jiao Wu and Quan Zheng Hao were using her to play tug-a-war. Did they see her as an object? She pushed Quan Zheng Hao into the desk, and escaped.
‘Enough!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said and gripped her bag.
Wife? Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t anyone’s wife.
‘You!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said to Quan Zheng Hao. ‘Stop being deluded. I’m not your wife!’
‘You!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said to Gu Jiao Wu. ‘We’re divorced, stay away from me.’
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t want to repeat last night’s mistake. The person inside Gu Jiao Wu’s heart was Chu Da. If he didn’t love her, he should stay away from her.
Qiao Tan Yuan walked out of her office without looking back.
Quan Zheng Hao was surprised Qiao Tan Yuan left on her own. He planned for her to use him to get rid of Gu Jiao Wu. But she didn’t, and he found her more intriguing.
‘Wife, wait for me!’ Quan Zheng Hao said. He smiled smugly at Gu Jiao Wu, and chased after Qiao Tan Yuan. ‘Did you forget about eating dinner together?’
Gu Jiao Wu froze on the spot, and watched Qiao Tan Yuan and Quan Zheng Hao running away. In the morning he had made plans to eat dinner with Qiao Tan Yuan to discuss their relationship. But Qiao Tan Yuan looked like she was upset with him. He shook his doubts out of his head, and chased after Qiao Tan Yuan.
At the elevators, Qiao Tan Yuan regretted she didn’t take the stairs.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, don’t leave me,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘I really like you.’
‘I really hate you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Quan Zheng Hao do you know what you’re doing?’
‘I know,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘I’m building a successful business to start a family. I like you. If I marry you, my life will always be interesting.’
‘I hate you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I’m not going to be with you. You should give up.’
‘Don’t be so heartless,’ Quan Zheng Hao said. ‘If you don’t give us a chance, how will you know if you really hate me? If you marry me, you’ll see I’ll be a good husband to you.’
Qiao Tan Yuan scoffed. She was about to tell Quan Zheng Hao that he wasn’t good husband material. But she remembered how the way Gu Jiao Wu kissed her on the sofa last night affected her, and wondered if another man kissed her the same way if she would still be affected.
‘Kiss me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Quan Zheng Hao was surprised, but he quickly nodded his head.
‘I’ll happily kiss you,’ Quan Zheng Hao said.
Quan Zheng Hao’s lips barely touched Qiao Tan Yuan’s lips when Gu Jiao Wu punched his face.
‘Ah… you dare punch me again?’ Quan Zheng Hao asked.
Gu Jiao Wu was angry at Qiao Tan Yuan for letting Quan Zheng Hao kiss her.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, why did you hit him?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘You’re too much.’
When Gu Jiao Wu reached the elevators he heard Qiao Tan Yuan ask Quan Zheng Hao to kiss her. Didn’t he satisfy Qiao Tan Yuan enough last night? Was that why she wanted to look for another man?
Gu Jiao Wu wanted to vent his anger on Quan Zheng Hao. He aimed another punch at Quan Zheng Hao’s face. Quan Zheng Hao dodged his punch, and aimed a punch at his eye but he moved to the side to avoid the punch. Then he kicked Quan Zheng Hao’s chest, and Quan Zheng Hao fell on the floor.
‘Stop fighting!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Quan Zheng Hao propped his aching body up, but Gu Jiao Wu had dragged Qiao Tan Yuan into an elevator.
End of Chapter Seventy-Four