Gu Jiao Wu watched Xiao Bao sleep.
Qiao Tan Yuan silently looked at Gu Jiao Wu watching Xiao Bao sleep. She never thought she would have Gu Jiao Wu’s daughter. She believed him when he said he would never sleep with her even if she was his wife. She had many former cla.s.smates who were married and had children. She used to envy them, because she wanted to have children with Gu Jiao Wu.
Qiao Tan Yuan remembered when she lived together with Gu Jiao Wu, she wore s.e.xy lingerie to entice Gu Jiao Wu. He told her if she was starving for a man, he wouldn’t care if she looked for a lover then they would argue and he would leave. It happened countless times before she accepted how much he hated her.
The Gu Jiao Wu in front of her was the same Gu Jiao Wu, he didn’t come to the hospital because he cared about her. He only came to hospital to see Xiao Bao.
Qiao Tan Yuan understood Gu Jiao Wu reserved his love for Chu Da and Xiao Bao, but he would never love her.
Gu Jiao Wu sensed Qiao Tan Yuan was awake. He turned around and looked at her. ‘You’re awake. Are you hungry?’
‘Where’s my mum?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan was certain Mrs Qiao wouldn’t let Gu Jiao Wu inside the room if she was asleep.
‘Your mum’s attending Tong Shang Wen’s birthday banquet,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Where’s the nurse maid?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘What are you doing here?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘You said you didn’t want to see me. You can leave.’
‘Qiao Tan Yuan,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu was busy at work for two days and he couldn’t see Xiao Bao. When he received the DNA results, he was happy his heart was right. Xiao Bao was his daughter. The DNA results were 99% positive he was the father.
‘She’s my daughter,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘She’s not your daughter,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu put the DNA results in front of Qiao Tan Yuan’s face.
‘Why did you lie to me?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, who gave you the right to perform a DNA test?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘She’s my daughter,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Why are you still denying the truth?’
‘Your daughter?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked and smiled mockingly.
Qiao Tan Yuan pointed at Xiao Bao. ‘Gu Jiao Wu, you claim she’s your daughter. What do you want to do about it?’
‘She’s my daughter,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘She belongs to the Gu Household.’
Gu Household? Qiao Tan Yuan thought it was a laughable notion.
‘What Gu Household?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Gu Jiao Wu, what right do you have to take Xiao Bao? If the Gu Household raises Xiao Bao, what happens when Xiao Bao grows up? She’ll ask you how she was born. What will you tell her? Will you tell her you slept with her mum when you were drugged? Will you tell her you were forced to be married to her mum for three years? Will you tell her after she was born you decided her fate?’
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t know why Gu Jiao Wu hated her, but wanted to force himself to act like a good man and raise the daughter of the woman he hated.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan…’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, you’ve forgotten but I haven’t,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Nine months ago at the hotel, what did you say to me? You said if I was pregnant, I should abort the baby. You never wanted Xiao Bao to be born. What right do you have to act like a good father in front of Xiao Bao? Will you tell Xiao Bao how much you hated her existence in her mum’s stomach?’
Gu Jiao Wu heard the conviction in Qiao Tan Yuan’s voice. Everything Qiao Tan Yuan said was true. He didn’t want Xiao Bao to know how he felt about Xiao Bao before she was born.
‘You don’t have the right to be Xiao Bao’s father,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘But I have the right to be Xiao Bao’s mother. I can proudly tell Xiao Bao I love her. I can tell her I waited a long time to become her mother. I can tell her I love her more than my own life. I can tell her I’ve always protected her from the moment she existed. I can tell her I want her to grow up like the happiest princess in the world.’
Although Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t have the strength to run around, her body was recovering after childbirth because Mrs Qiao and Shen Cheng brought nutritious meals to her every day.
Qiao Tan Yuan’s hair was messy and her gown was wrinkled. She didn’t look immaculate like her usual self. But Gu Jiao Wu was intimidated by the messy Qiao Tan Yuan who was being a protective mother hen guarding a chick.
‘You can’t deny she’s my daughter,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘You can’t deny you never wanted Xiao Bao,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t forget how Gu Jiao Wu treated her cruelly.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, can you honestly say before Xiao Bao was born, if I told you I was pregnant with your child that you wouldn’t have dragged me to the hospital and forced me to have an abortion?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Gu Jiao Wu, ask your conscience if you have the right to take Xiao Bao.’
Qiao Tan Yuan was tired and thirsty. She looked at the gla.s.s on the bedside table but it was empty. Gu Jiao Wu silently poured warm water into the gla.s.s and pa.s.sed her the gla.s.s of water. The warm water didn’t alleviate her cold dry throat.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, you can leave,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t want to love or hate Gu Jiao Wu, she wished he was a stranger. Then she could call security to escort him outside the hospital for disturbing patients.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t leave. He poured Qiao Tan Yuan another gla.s.s of warm water, sat on the chair and looked at the sleeping Xiao Bao.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, she’s my daughter,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
End of Chapter Twenty-Three