The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 17

‘I promise no one will take you away,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan wouldn’t let Xiao Bao call another woman mother and no one could steal Xiao Bao including Gu Jiao Wu.

Shen Cheng returned to the room and put food on the bedside table.

‘Tan Yuan, I bought you congee,’ Shen Cheng said.

Shen Cheng sat on the chair in front of the bed and smiled at Qiao Tan Yuan who was looking protectively at Xiao Bao.

‘Did Xiao Bao learn to run while I was out?’ Shen Cheng teased. ‘Xiao Bao isn’t going to run away.’

‘Shen Cheng, I want to change hospitals,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘What?’ Shen Cheng asked. He was confused why Qiao Tan Yuan wanted to transfer to a different hospital. ‘Why?’

‘I’m scared… Gu Jiao Wu looks like he wants to steal Xiao Bao,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘No, big brother wouldn’t steal Xiao Bao,’ Shen Cheng said.

Shen Cheng thought Qiao Tan Yuan was just being overprotective of Xiao Bao.

‘He could steal Xiao Bao,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She had never seen Gu Jiao Wu smile like he did at Xiao Bao except when he was in front of Chu Da. ‘Before he was smiling at Xiao Bao. I was married to him for three years, he never once smiled at me during our marriage. I can feel he loves Xiao Bao, he could steal Xiao Bao.’

‘Tan Yuan,’ Shen Cheng called. He held Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand. ‘Relax. You’re worrying too much. Believe me, big brother won’t steal Xiao Bao.’

Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t feel at ease staying at the hospital. ‘Shen Cheng, I want to go home. Can you call my family to escort me and Xiao Bao home? Can we get married after I recover?’

‘OK,’ Shen Cheng agreed.

Shen Cheng didn’t know what else to do to calm Qiao Tan Yuan’s worried state.

Shen Cheng believed why people say a person in love was blind. He knew in Qiao Tan Yuan’s heart there was only Gu Jiao Wu and he was being a buffer to protect Xiao Bao’s birth secret. But he chose to blind and pretend he was in loving relationship with Qiao Tan Yuan.

‘Shen Cheng, thank you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan felt like a weakling who couldn’t chase away the shadows in her heart. Gu Jiao Wu was the biggest shadow in her heart. Gu Jiao Wu could do nothing and still make her anxious and suffer. She wanted to run far away with Xiao Bao.

‘Tan Yuan,’ Shen Cheng called. ‘Eat the bowl of congee.’

Shen Cheng watched Qiao Tan Yuan eat the bow of congee, but he could see she was still worried.

‘You don’t need to be scared of big brother,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘You and big brother are divorced.’

Shen Cheng wondered where the confident Qiao Tan Yuan disappeared to. In the past Qiao Tan Yuan could confidently sing live on TV.

‘I…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She put the bowl of congee on the bedside table. ‘Shen Cheng, am I a weakling?’

‘You’re not a weakling,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘You want to lie to yourself you don’t care about Gu Jiao Wu. But in your heart you know you still love Gu Jiao Wu deeply.’

‘I don’t love him…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I…’

‘Tan Yuan if you want to escape Gu Jiao Wu then you need to be stronger,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘Forget about him. Don’t think about him and don’t let him affect you.’

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t know what to say.

‘Tan Yuan, we’ll be married soon,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘I’ll be a loving father to Xiao Bao. I’ll give you and Xiao Bao a happy family. I’ll protect you and Xiao Bao and not let anyone hurt you and Xiao Bao. But I want you to be stronger. Forget Gu Jiao Wu exist and he won’t have the power to haunt you. Why are you doubting yourself? Do you believe you won’t do whatever it takes to make sure Gu Jiao Wu can’t steal Xiao Bao?’

‘No…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I won’t let anyone carry Xiao Bao away. I won’t give Gu Jiao Wu the opportunity to take Xiao Bao.’

‘If that’s true then you need to calm down,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘You need to believe Xiao Bao isn’t big brother’s daughter. Don’t worry about what he’s doing and raise a happy Xiao Bao.’

Shen Cheng looked at the sleeping Xiao Bao and smiled. ‘Honestly, you can say newborn babies look the same. Be confident you can protect Xiao Bao and don’t let big brother affect you.’

‘Um,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said and nodded. ‘I’m not going to be scared of him and I won’t let him steal Xiao Bao.’ She thought about her marriage with Gu Jiao Wu and felt determined. ‘I won’t let him hurt me anymore.’

Shen Cheng understood if Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t give Gu Jiao Wu the opportunity to make her suffer then Gu Jiao Wu had no power over her. Besides, they all grew up together and their families had good relations. He didn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu would want to steal Xiao Bao.

‘Tan Yuan, be strong and confident,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘Don’t give Gu Jiao Wu the opportunity to hurt you.’

‘Um,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan knew she was a blind fool in the past to give Gu Jiao Wu opportunities to hurt her. She was determined not to let Gu Jiao Wu hurt her anymore.

Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t just think about herself. She was a mother, she needed to be strong for Xiao Bao. She remembered the day Xiao Bao was conceived. Gu Jiao Wu told her how much he hated her and she should have an abortion if she was pregnant. If he hated her and didn’t want Xiao Bao to be born then he had no right to be Xiao Bao’s father.

‘Shen Cheng, believe me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I’ll be strong and confident. I won’t give anyone an opportunity to hurt me and Xiao Bao.’

‘That’s right,’ Shen Cheng said.

Shen Cheng knew it would be hard for Qiao Tan Yuan to forget Gu Jiao Wu completely. But if she took one step at a time, perhaps she could escape Gu Jiao Wu. He was willing to wait how long it would take for her to let Gu Jiao Wu go.

At Gu Jiao Wu’s office, Gu Jiao Wu put the investigation report on the table and looked at an a.s.sistant.

‘Why couldn’t you find any other news about her family background?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘I honestly couldn’t find any news about her having siblings,’ the a.s.sistant said.

Gu Jiao Wu suspected the a.s.sistant was hiding news from him.

‘It’s like someone powerful is protecting news about her,’ the a.s.sistant said. ‘I could only find out Li Lam went to college in the U.S. But I couldn’t find any childhood photos or news about her having siblings.’

‘U.S.?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

An unlikely possibility of who was protecting Li Lam’s ident.i.ty entered Gu Jiao Wu’s head.

‘You can leave,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘Yes Executive Gu,’ the a.s.sistant said. ‘Wait, I forgot to tell you one more news.’

The a.s.sistant informed Gu Jiao Wu news about Fei Yan Niao.

Gu Jiao Wu thought about what Fei Yan Niao wanted. Last time to rescue Tan Pan Ting, Gu Jiao Wen agreed to give Fei Yan Niao control over eastern districts. What more did Fei Yan Niao want?

‘For now, silently follow Fei Yan Niao’s movements,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘Yes, Executive Gu,’ the a.s.sistant said and left Gu Jiao Wu’s office.

Gu Jiao Wu glanced at the report on the table. Li Lam was twenty-two years old and a graduate of a U.S. college. Li Lam looked like a happy person in her graduation photo. If Li Lam was an only child then she lied about having an older twin sister. If Li Lam wasn’t Chu Da’s twin sister, was Li Lam a friend of Chu Da? It wasn’t possible. Chu Da graduated before Li Lam, and Chu Da was twenty-six years old. But how did Li Lam own an old photo of Chu Da?

Gu Jiao Wu didn’t know what Li Lam wanted. He still couldn’t find Chu Da after four years of looking for Chu Da. Why did Chu Da leave? Where did Chu Da go? What were Li Lam’s motives to create coincidental opportunities to meet him?

Gu Jiao Wu stood, walked to his car and drove to Li Lam’s work place to get answers out of Li Lam.

At the carpark in front of Li Lam’s work building, she acted surprised to see Gu Jiao Wu.

‘Gu Jiao Wu, thank you for helping me last time,’ Li Lam said. ‘I want to treat you a meal to say thank you.’

‘It’s nothing, I’m here to ask you about something else,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘Um,’ Li Lam said. She pointed at the cafe across the road. ‘We can sit at the cafe and chat.’

Gu Jiao Wu nodded. He didn’t wait for Li Lam to follow him and walked straight to the cafe.

Li Lam didn’t know how anyone could love someone like Gu Jiao Wu who wasn’t charming.

At the cafe, Li Lam ordered two drinks and congratulated Gu Jiao Wu.

‘I heard about your promotion,’ Li Lam said. ‘Congratulations.’

Gu Jiao Wu didn’t know how Li Lam knew about his new position that wasn’t publicly announced yet.

‘Thank you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said politely.

A waiter put two drinks on the table and left. Gu Jiao Wu sipped his drink and he glanced at the drink Li Lam was drinking. It was the same drink Chu Da loved to drink in the past, but Li Lam wasn’t Chu Da.

‘Last time you said you have an older twin sister,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

End of Chapter Seventeen