‘She’ll cry,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t think Xiao Bao wouldn’t cry just because Gu Jiao Wu said Xiao Bao wouldn’t cry.
‘She’s my daughter,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Not your daughter. She doesn’t need you to hold her.’
Gu Jiao Wu’s hands were supporting Xiao Bao’s back. Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t want Xiao Bao to be hurt so she conceded and let Gu Jiao Wu hold Xiao Bao.
‘Waah, waah…’ Xiao Bao cried.
Qiao Tan Yuan knew Xiao Bao would cry if Gu Jiao Wu held her.
Gu Jiao Wu was embarra.s.sed their daughter was crying in his arms. He softly patted her back like he saw other parents pat their newborn babies to stop their babies crying.
‘Waah, waah, waah…’ Xiao Bao cried louder.
Qiao Tan Yuan’s heart ached to hear Xiao Bao cry. She glared at Gu Jiao Wu and picked up Xiao Bao from his arms. She softly patted Xiao Bao’s back and Xiao Bao stopped crying.
Gu Jiao Wu looked at their daughter, he couldn’t believe she favored Qiao Tan Yuan over him. He wanted to hold her again, but Qiao Tan Yuan held her away from him.
‘You can’t hold my daughter,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu pursed his lips and supported Xiao Bao’s back.
‘What are you doing…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan felt a sharp pain below her waist. The doctor instructed her not to over exert herself straight after giving birth. She looked down and saw a spot of blood on her gown. She loosened her hold on Xiao Bao, and Gu Jiao Wu held Xiao Bao.
‘Waah, waah, waah, waah,’ Xiao Bao cried.
Xiao Bao cried loudly the moment her small pink lump body touched Gu Jiao Wu’s chest.
Qiao Tan Yuan was happy to see Gu Jiao Wu looking lost and clueless while Xiao Bao cried in his arms. She thought he deserved it, it was his fault he didn’t want Xiao Bao to be born so Xiao Bao didn’t want to be his daughter either.
Mrs Qiao picked up her granddaughter from Gu Jiao Wu’s arms and looked at the smug Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘You should nap,’ Mrs Qiao said to Qiao Tan Yuan. ‘I’ll look after her while you nap.’
‘Mum…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She pointed at Gu Jiao Wu. ‘How can I nap while he’s here? Mum, get him to leave.’
‘Tan Yuan…’ Mrs Qiao said.
Mrs Qiao thought Qiao Tan Yuan would soften after becoming a mother. She looked helplessly at Gu Jiao Wu and her eyes silently asked him to leave. She didn’t understand Qiao Tan Yuan, everyone could see Qiao Tan Yuan loved Gu Jiao Wu but Qiao Tan Yuan was chasing him away.
Mrs Qiao didn’t blame Gu Jiao Wu for not loving Qiao Tan Yuan. She and her husband spoiled Qiao Tan Yuan, they gave Qiao Tan Yuan everything and turned Qiao Tan Yuan into an arrogant and selfish woman. In contrast Gu Jiao Wu was humble since he was a boy. Of course he couldn’t stand being married to Qiao Tan Yuan. While they were married, she saw how Qiao Tan Yuan rarely smiled and wanted to advise Qiao Tan Yuan to let Gu Jiao Wu go and divorce him. She hated seeing Qiao Tan Yuan suffer loving Gu Jiao Wu who would never love Qiao Tan Yuan. But it was Qiao Tan Yuan’s life, not hers. So when Qiao Tan Yuan finally divorced Gu Jiao Wu, she was relieved but didn’t expect Qiao Tan Yuan to be pregnant. Although Qiao Tan Yuan and Shen Cheng said Shen Cheng was the father, in her heart she knew Qiao Tan Yuan wouldn’t be with Shen Cheng when Qiao Tan Yuan still loved Gu Jiao Wu.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t hear what Qiao Tan Yuan and Mrs Qiao said. His eyes were focused on his daughter who stopped crying and was sleeping soundly in Mrs Qiao’s arms. Mrs Qiao was softly patting his daughter’s back and his daughter pouted her small red lips.
Mrs Qiao carefully laid her granddaughter on the baby bed and smiled lovingly. ‘What a little demoness. She’s exactly like her mum.’
Mrs Qiao remembered Qiao Tan Yuan cried and sulked unless someone familiar was holding Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Of course she’s exactly like me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She looked proudly at Xiao Bao. Xiao Bao knew who loved Xiao Bao before Xiao Bao was born. ‘My daughter knows she belongs to the Qiao Household. She doesn’t like outsiders.’
Gu Jiao Wu heard Qiao Tan Yuan emphasized outsiders and he frowned. Did Qiao Tan Yuan call him an outsider? Their daughter had half of his genes. He wasn’t an outsider, he was the father. He watched his little treasure sleep with her eyes closed. She wasn’t loveable, she was really loveable.
Gu Jiao Wu wanted to say he was the father of his loveable little treasure, but he heard Shen Cheng’s voice.
‘Tan Yuan, I brought food,’ Shen Cheng said.
Shen Cheng carried two bags of food for Qiao Tan Yuan into the room. He was surprised to see Gu Jiao Wu standing in front of Xiao Bao’s bed.
‘Big brother?’ Shen Cheng called.
What was Gu Jiao Wu doing in Qiao Tan Yuan’s hospital room? Shen Cheng looked at Qiao Tan Yuan, she only smiled sweetly at him.
‘Honey, your kind big brother came here to see your Xiao Bao,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Big brother brought many gifts for Xiao Bao too.’
Shen Cheng heard Qiao Tan Yuan emphasized kind big brother and he understood. He put the bags of food on the bedside table, sat on the bed and wrapped an arm around Qiao Tan Yuan’s shoulder.
‘Are you tired?’ Shen Cheng asked. ‘Was Xiao Bao good today?’
‘I’m not tired,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She smiled happily. ‘Xiao Bao is a good daughter. She’s obedient like me.’
‘It’s good you’re not tired,’ Shen Cheng said. He turned to look at Gu Jiao Wu. ‘Big brother, thank you for visiting Xiao Bao. I’m here now to take care of Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao.’
Gu Jiao Wu ignored Shen Cheng and Qiao Tan Yuan being lovey dovey in front of him. He didn’t want to leave his daughter.
‘Jiao Wu, thank you for visiting my granddaughter,’ Mrs Qiao said.
Gu Jiao Wu couldn’t be disrespectful toward Mrs Qiao and nodded his head.
Gu Jiao Wu walked to the door and stood still at the door when he heard Qiao Tan Yuan’s voice.
‘Shen Cheng, I think Xiao Bao won’t like those things on the sofa,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Can you throw them away? You won’t here before. When your big brother held Xiao Bao, she was scared and cried. So I don’t think she would like your big brother’s gifts.’
Shen Cheng thought it would be a waste to throw away the new clothes and toys on the sofa.
‘It’s a waste to throw the gifts away,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘I’ll put them in the hospital’s charity box.’
‘Thank you Shen Cheng,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You’re the best,’
Qiao Tan Yuan kissed Shen Cheng’s cheek in front of Mrs Qiao.
‘You’re so cheeky,’ Shen Cheng said.
‘I’m hungry,’ Qiao Tan Yun said. She looked at the food on the bedside table. ‘I want to eat the food you brought.’
‘Um,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘I brought you all your favorite dishes. I also hired a nurse maid to help you take care of Xiao Bao. It was last minute so she can’t come here until tomorrow.’
‘It’s OK,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘It’s the thought that counts. Xiao Bao is blessed to have a good father like you.’
‘Of course I’m good to Xiao Bao,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘Xiao Bao’s my daughter.’
‘Does that mean you don’t need to treat me well?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Of course I’m good to you too,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘Xiao Bao is my little princess and you’re my queen. Your Majesty, what do you want to eat first?’
Qiao Tan Yuan laughed. She didn’t look at Gu Jiao Wu and only joked with Shen Cheng.
Qiao Tan Yuan ate the food Shen Cheng brought. She was blessed to have Shen Cheng by her side.
‘Shen Cheng, I love you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said and kissed Shen Cheng’s cheek.
‘I love you too,’ Shen Cheng said.
Shen Cheng knew Qiao Tan Yuan and he were putting on an act, but he couldn’t help being lost in the act.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t stay to hear any more of the lovey dovey talk. He walked outside the room and closed the door like the people inside the room had nothing to do with him.
Outside the room, Gu Jiao Wu clenched his hands and frowned.
Qiao Tan Yuan stopped the lovey dovey act the moment Gu Jiao Wu left the room.
Qiao Tan Yuan felt ashamed of herself for using Shen Cheng as a buffer. But she didn’t want her parents to find out Gu Jiao Wu was Xiao Bao’s father. She looked at Mrs Qiao’s shocked face and she lost her appet.i.te.
‘Mum, now you know who the father is,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Shen Cheng is the father, not Gu Jiao Wu. Shen Cheng and I will be married soon.’
‘Tan Yuan…’ Mrs Qiao said.
Shen Cheng’s the father? If Mrs Qiao didn’t see her granddaughter’s face, she would have believed Shen Cheng was the father. But her granddaughter’s face looked exactly like Gu Jiao Wu’s face. Why was Qiao Tan Yuan putting on an act in front of her?
Shen Cheng could see Mrs Qiao didn’t believe he was Xiao Bao’s father.
‘Aunty, you don’t need to worry,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘In the future I’ll take good care of Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao.’
End of Chapter Twenty