Happy Ending.
In Gu Jiao Wu’s car, Qiao Tan Yuan was beaming.
‘Jiao Wu, I loved you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Gu Jiao Wu hugged Qiao Tan Yuan and he kissed her forehead.
‘Jiao Wu, do you really want to be with me in the next lifetime?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Yes,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I want to with you in every lifetime.’
‘Why?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Because I love you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘In this lifetime I made you tired competing with another woman. In all our next lifetimes I don’t want you to be tired because of me again.’
‘I’m not tired anymore,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I waited for you to accept my love. It’s enough.’
Gu Jiao Wu kissed Qiao Tan Yuan’s lips gently. He owed Qiao Tan Yuan more than he owed Chu Da. He had made Qiao Tan Yuan suffer and wait for him for a long time. If her love for him wasn’t steadfast, he would be living in a void for the rest of his life.
‘Tan Yuan, I want to take you somewhere,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Where?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Gu Jiao Wu silently drove Qiao Tan Yuan to a familiar road side.
‘Jiao Wu, why did you take me here?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘I thought you wanted to take me to dinner.’
‘We can eat later,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. He pushed Qiao Tan Yuan’s chair down. ‘I want to eat you first.’
‘Jiao Wu…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu parked his car on the same side of the road like the first time he slept with her in his car.
‘Our first time together in my car was here,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I want you again here.’
‘Jiao Wu, I’m pregnant,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘I know,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
If Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t pregnant, Gu Jiao Wu wouldn’t need to be careful.
Qiao Tan Yuan closed her eyes, and she savored Gu Jiao Wu’s kiss. She thought he was crazier by the day, but she was happy to receive his heart.
Three months later, Qiao Tan Yuan considered the worms’ contribution to Gu Jiao Wu’s company so she didn’t throw them in prison. She fired all the worms. It was a warning to Gu Jiao Wu’s employees to show them who was in charge. If they wanted to keep their jobs at Gu Jiao Wu’s company then they should diligently perform their work duties.
At the hospital, Gu Jiao Wu took Qiao Tan Yuan to have an ultrasound. Du Lei Xin also took Gu Jiao Mai to have an ultrasound. Both Qiao Tan Yuan and Gu Jiao Mai were seven month pregnant. Except Gu Jiao Mai’s stomach was a lot bigger than Qiao Tan Yuan’s stomach, because Gu Jiao Mai was having twins. Everyone at the Du Household were overjoyed about Gu Jiao Mai’s good news. The Du elders wanted Gu Jiao Mai to take maternity leave, because they worried Gu Jiao Mai making weapons at work would affect the twins adversely. But Gu Jiao Mai refused, as long as Gu Jiao Mai and the twins were healthy, the Du elders didn’t force Gu Jiao Mai to take maternity leave.
Qiao Tan Yuan was envious Gu Jiao Mai and Tan Pan Ting got to have twins after being pregnant once. Whereas Qiao Tan Yuan had to give birth twice to have two children.
Du Lei Xin and Gu Jiao Mai didn’t ask the doctor the gender of their twins. They were happy their twins were healthy.
‘Big brother, big sister,’ Du Lei Xin said. ‘I’ll take Jiao Mai back to the Gu Mansion to eat dinner first. Jiao Mai and I will see big brother and big sister later at the Gu Mansion.’
‘OK,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Mrs Gu,’ a nursed called.
Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan followed the nurse into the room, and the nurse prepared Qiao Tan Yuan for an ultrasound. While they waited for the doctor to arrive, Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan talked about the Du Household’s twin news.
‘Tan Yuan, do you think we’re having twins too?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘Jiao Wu, twins don’t fall out of the sky,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Didn’t you say having Xiao Bao is enough?’
‘Tan Yuan, I’m just happy for Lei Xin and Jiao Mai,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Having another adorable child like Xiao Bao is a blessing. We don’t need to have twins.’
‘Jiao Wu, don’t forget this is our last child,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I don’t care if we’re having a boy or a girl, I’m not going to have another child after this one.’
‘Yes, yes,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
The doctor entered the room, performed an ultrasound for Qiao Tan Yuan, and showed the printed ultrasound photo to Gu Jiao Wu.
‘Mr Gu, this is yours and your wife’s baby,’ the doctor said. ‘Here is the baby’s head, arms and legs. The baby is healthy.’
Gu Jiao Wu looked at his and Qiao Tan Yuan’s baby. Their baby’s eyes were closed. Unlike Gu Ting Ding who looked like him, he thought their second child looked like Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Doctor, is the baby a boy or a girl?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘Mr Gu, are you aware about the hospital’s policy not to disclose if a baby is a boy or a girl before birth?’ the doctor asked. ‘What era are we living in now? It shouldn’t matter if a baby is a boy or a girl.’
Gu Jiao Wu inwardly fumed. He would love his and Qiao Tan Yuan’s child regardless if they were having a boy or a girl.
‘Doctor it’s alright,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘It doesn’t matter if the baby is a boy or a girl. Can we keep the photo?’
‘Yes,’ the doctor said.
The doctor gave the photo to Qiao Tan Yuan. She smiled at her baby’s little hand in their mouth.
‘Jiao Wu, our baby looks like a hungry kitten,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Mr and Mrs Gu, I hope you both understand in today’s society parents shouldn’t favour boys over girls,’ the doctor said.
‘Thank you doctor,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan got off the bed, and she walked outside with Gu Jiao Wu.
‘Jiao Wu, look how adorable our baby is,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘I can’t see anything,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Next time we’ll go to a different hospital for your check-up.’
Qiao Tan Yuan kissed Gu Jiao Wu’s cheek.
‘Jiao Wu, don’t be angry,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘What the doctor said was true. It doesn’t matter if our baby is a boy or a girl. What’s important is our baby is healthy.’
‘I’m not angry,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Tan Yuan, let me see our baby.’
‘Didn’t you say you can’t see anything?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. She hid the photo behind her back. ‘Then you don’t need to look.’
‘Tan Yuan, let me see,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu took the photo from Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand to take a closer look. Their baby’s small face was wrinkled and their baby’s body was too skinny.
‘Our baby is ugly,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan took back the photo.
‘Jiao Wu, you’re too much,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Xiao Bao is beautiful,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘But why is our second child this ugly?’
Gu Jiao Wu remembered clearly how beautiful Gu Ting Ding looked when she was born.
‘Jiao Wu, our second child is only seven months,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘When our second child is born at nine months of course our second child will be beautiful like Xiao Bao.’
‘Are you sure?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘Yes,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Qiao Tan Yuan saw Gu Jiao Wu took back the photo, and he put it in his pocket. She smiled, she knew Gu Jiao Wu would love their second child even if their second child wasn’t beautiful.
Gu Jiao Wu speculated whether his and Qiao Tan Yuan’s second child was a boy or a girl. He was looking forward to meeting, and holding their second child in his arms. Suddenly he worried their second child would be like Gu Ting Ding, and decide to come into the world in an elevator.
‘Tan Yuan, I don’t want you to work anymore,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘We’ll move back to the Gu Mansion. I don’t want your life to be at risk in a broken elevator again.’
‘Jiao Wu, you don’t have to worry,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Last time was an exception.’
‘Tan Yuan, we can’t control fate but we shouldn’t be complacent,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Jiao Wu, our baby is only seven months,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘It’s too soon to worry about where I’ll be giving birth.’
‘Tan Yuan, at least promise you won’t go out on your own,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘If you want to go anywhere, you have to take me with you.’
Qiao Tan Yuan shook her head in disbelief, and she walked to Gu Jiao Wu’s car. She didn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu could follow her everywhere.
‘Tan Yuan, promise me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Yes,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
Two and a half months later, Qiao Tan Yuan was wrong, Gu Jiao Wu followed her everywhere she went before she gave birth.
At the Gu Mansion, the heavily pregnant Gu Jiao Mai and Qiao Tan Yuan were eating dinner happily with everyone one moment, and the next moment the happy atmosphere turned into chaos. Gu Jiao Mai’s water broke then Qiao Tan Yuan’s water broke.
A while later, an ambulance rushed Gu Jiao Mai and Qiao Tan Yuan to the hospital.
Hours later, in Gu Jiao Mai’s delivery room, Du Lei Xin was elated to hold their baby boy and baby girl for the first time.
In Qiao Tan Yuan’s delivery room, the doctor saw the baby’s head coming out.
‘Mrs Gu, take a deep breath and push,’ the doctor instructed.
Gu Jiao Wu held Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand that was as sweaty as her forehead. She was in too much pain to smile.
‘Tan Yuan, if you’re in a lot of pain then relax,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Jiao Wu…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said and took a deep breath.
Qiao Tan Yuan was in a lot of pain. But she saw Gu Jiao Wu’s anxious look, and pushed. Unlike when she gave birth to Gu Ting Ding, Gu Jiao Wu was worried about her because he loved her instead of worrying about her out of pity.
‘Tan Yuan, you can bite my hand,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Mrs Gu, one more push,’ the doctor said.
Qiao Tan Yuan bit Gu Jiao Wu’s hand. She pushed, and another family member was added to the Gu Household.
Weeks later, Gu Jiao Wu resented his second child who wasn’t adorable like Gu Ting Ding, because his second child wanted to be with Qiao Tan Yuan everywhere, and he rarely got alone time with Qiao Tan Yuan. It was a good thing he had a vasectomy after his second child was born, it meant there was no chance he would impregnate Qiao Tan Yuan a third time. He was counting down the days until his second child was weaned off breast milk so he could kick his second child to the Gu Mansion. Afterward he planned to take Qiao Tan Yuan to the island for them to be alone together for a few months.
End of Chapter 161
Flashback scenes from Fei Yan Niao’s perspective about when he shot Cheng Yi, and how he schemed to take revenge on Gu Jiao Wu by forcing Gu Jiao Wu to choose between shooting Cheng Yi or saving Qiao Tan Yuan’s life.
End of Chapter 162
The writer left it up to the reader’s discretion to pick if Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan’s second child is a boy or a girl.
The End of The Reluctant Bride Book II.