The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 3.1

‘Li Lam?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

Gu Jiao Wu looked closely at the person in front of him, clenched his hands and acted calm.

‘Yes, I’m Li Lam,’ Li Lam said. ‘This is my big sister, Li Da. Isn’t it funny, her nickname is Lam Lam but my nickname is Da Da.’

Gu Jiao Wu silently compared Li Lam’s face to the Da Da’s face in his memory. Although their faces were identical, their personalities were opposites.

‘I’m sorry, I talk too much,’ Li Lam said and smiled dazzlingly.

Gu Jiao Wu and Li Lam were the only pa.s.sengers left on the plane.

Gu Jiao Wu wasn’t affected by Li Lam’s smile. He carried his bag and walked off the plane without looking back at Li Lam.

Li Lam watched Gu Jiao Wu walked off the plane, but she was satisfied he reacted to Da Da’s photo.

The feigned sweet innocence on Li Lam’s face disappeared. Her eyes gleamed and she carried her bag off the plane.

Outside the airport, the Gu driver spotted Gu Jiao Wu and opened the pa.s.senger door.

‘Young master, Madam asked me to pick you up from the airport,’ the driver said.

An hour later, the driver parked in front of the Gu Mansion.

Inside the Gu Mansion, Gu Jiao Wu took off his clothes in his bedroom and as usual he checked pockets for loose items. He found a photo of Da Da with a hint of Li Lam’s fragrance. He compared their faces in his head again, gripped the photo and put it on the foot of the bed.

Gu Jiao Wu entered the bathroom and showered. While he was drying his body, he could smell a faint floral scent. He rarely stayed at the Gu Mansion. Qiao Tan Yuan bought all the items in the bathroom. He remembered she loved roses. But he was determined to look for aunty Zhang and ask aunty Zhang to get rid of all the items in the bathroom.

w.a.n.g Tu Ya walked into Gu Jiao Wu’s bedroom when he finished b.u.t.toning his shirt.

‘Jiao Wu, your home,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said happily. ‘Are you feeling jet lag? Do you want to take a rest?’

‘Mum, I’m not tired,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Gu Jiao Wu quickly picked up the photo of Da Da and hid it in a bedside table drawer.

w.a.n.g Tu Ya was too happy to see her son home, and didn’t notice the photo. She sat on a chair and looked closely at her son’s face.

‘Jiao Wu, this time are you staying for a week?’ w.a.n.g Ta Ya asked.

‘Yes mum,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘It’s Sunday tomorrow,’ w.a.n.g Ta Ya said. ‘You’re rarely home. Can you take me out tomorrow?’

‘Just taking you out?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘Of course just taking me out,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said.

w.a.n.g Tu Ya’s word wasn’t questioned at work, but she didn’t know how to deal with her son, Gu Jiao Wu. She didn’t know who he took after, he was stubborn since he was a boy. She wasn’t an interfering mother, but she and her son, Gu Jiao Wu weren’t close.

‘OK,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. But he regretted agreeing after he heard w.a.n.g Tu Ya sighed softly. ‘Mum, you promised I’m just taking you out.’

‘Of course, of course,’ w.a.n.g Tu Ya said and pointed outside the door. ‘You’re home in time for dinner. Come out when you’re ready.’

‘Yes mum,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

After w.a.n.g Tu Ya left, Gu Jiao Wu transferred the photo of Da Da into a drawer of the desk in his study room and locked the drawer.

At the hospital, Tan Pan Ting walked out of the ultra sound room. She looked at Gu Jiao Wen’s face, it was as shocked as her face. She pinched his hand to check if they were awake.

‘Jiao Wen, did you hear what the doctor said?’ Tan Pan Ting asked.

‘Um,’ Gu Jiao Wen said. He nodded his head and looked at the dazed Tan Pan Ting. ‘Did you hear too?’

‘Um,’ Tan Pan Ting said. She nodded her head, but she didn’t believe what she heard. ‘How can I be having twins? It’s too surreal.’

‘It’s not that farfetched, twins run in my family,’ Gu Jiao Wen said.

Tan Pan Ting laughed like a fool. ‘I’m in shock and happy too.’

‘Me too,’ Gu Jiao Wen said. ‘I think if your dad knows, he’ll be happy.’

‘Of course,’ Tan Pan Ting said and rubbed her stomach. ‘It’s surreal I’m having twins.’

‘No wonder why your stomach is this big,’ Gu Jiao Wen said.

‘That’s right,’ Tan Pan Ting said. She smiled, held Gu Jiao Wen’s hand and propped her head on his shoulder. ‘Husband, I’m really happy.’

‘Me too,’ Gu Jiao Wen said. ‘Pan Ting, thank you.’

‘Dummy,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘Did you hear the doctor said the twins are growing at a normal rate?’

‘Of course,’ Gu Jiao Wen said and walked outside the hospital with Tan Pan Ting.

Gu Jiao Wen didn’t doubt his children would be healthy.

‘Are you tired?’ Gu Jiao Wen asked. ‘Do you want to rest?’

‘You’re worrying too much,’ Tan Pan Ting said.

‘We can go home if you’re not tired,’ Gu Jiao Wen said.

‘Um,’ Tan Pan Ting said.

Tan Pan Ting followed Gu Jiao Wen to the carpark, and they saw a white Mercedes-Benz parked at the carpark.

Shen Cheng got out of the car and opened the pa.s.senger door.

Gu Jiao Wen and Tan Pan Ting realised Shen Cheng didn’t notice them standing behind the car. Shen Cheng was only looking at a woman getting out of the car. The woman tied her hair in a ponytail, she wore a white maternity dress and her stomach was big as Tan Pan Ting’s stomach.

‘Big sister?’ Tan Pan Ting asked.

Gu Jiao Wen pinched Tan Pan Ting’s hand, and she realised what she said.

Shen Cheng supported Qiao Tan Yuan to Gu Jiao Wen and Tan Pan Ting.

‘Big brother Wen, big sister Ting,’ Qiao Tan Yuan greeted.

‘Shen Cheng,’ Tan Pan Ting greeted.

It wasn’t the first time Tan Pan Ting saw Qiao Tan Yuan together with Shen Cheng, but she wasn’t used to seeing them together yet. She looked closer at Qiao Tan Yuan’s stomach, it was a little bigger than her stomach.

‘Tan Yuan,’ Tan Pan Ting corrected her greeting.

Qiao Tan Yuan looked at Tan Pan Ting’s stomach. She heard Tan Pan Ting was pregnant. But they haven’t seen each other for a long time.

‘Do you go for check-ups in the maternity ward at this hospital?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked Tan Pan Ting.

‘That’s right,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘I just had a check-up.’

Qiao Tan Yuan looked at the indifferent Gu Jiao Wen who didn’t say anything.

‘I need to go inside for my appointment,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said and pointed at the hospital.

‘Big brother Wen, we need to go before we’re late,’ Shen Cheng said.

Shen Cheng supported Qiao Tan Yuan’s back and led her into the hospital.

After Qiao Tan Yuan and Shen Cheng entered the hospital, Tan Pan Ting turned her head to face Gu Jiao Wen.

‘I heard big sister Qiao Tan Yuan was pregnant two months before me,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘At that time, were big sister and big brother Gu Jiao Wu divorced yet?’

‘I don’t know,’ Gu Jiao Wen said.

Gu Jiao Wu didn’t tell the family when he divorced Qiao Tan Yuan.

Tan Pan Ting saw the way Shen Cheng was protective of Qiao Tan Yuan, it was a loving sight. But she thought there was something missing between Shen Cheng and Qian Tan Yuan, and her intuition suspected why.

‘I think big brother Gu Jiao Wu is the father of big sister Qian Tan Yuan’s baby,’ Tan Pan Ting said.

Gu Jiao Wen frowned and gently hit Tan Pan Ting’s head. ‘There’s something wrong with your brain.’

Gu Jiao Wen knew Gu Jiao Wu hated Qiao Tan Yuan and Gu Jiao Wu never slept with Qiao Tan Yuan. It wasn’t possible for Gu Jiao Wu to be the father of Qiao Tan Yuan’s baby.

‘You’re hateful,’ Tan Pan Ting said even if Gu Jiao Wen didn’t hit her head hard. ‘Why not? I think it’s possible. Big sister Qiao Tan Yuan loves big brother Gu Jiao Wu. I don’t think she would be together with Shen Cheng that soon after divorcing big brother. That’s why I think big brother is the father of her baby. She’s only using Shen Cheng as a buffer to make others think big brother isn’t the father.’

Gu Jiao Wen thought Tan Pan Ting’s reasoning was off base. ‘Let’s go, it has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to worry about it.’

‘You’re no fun at all,’ Tan Pan Ting said.

Gu Jiao Wen led Tan Pan Ting to the car.

‘It’s not that I want to interfere in someone else’s business,’ Tan Pan Ting said. ‘I only wanted to state the possibilities. If big brother is the father of big sister’s baby then she’s carrying the Gu Household’s heir.’

Tan Pan Ting knew if she was right, her nephew or niece’s status in the Gu Household was higher than her twins’ status. Also she didn’t think the elders of the Gu Household would let go of their first grandchild. She turned around and looked at the hospital but she couldn’t see Shen Cheng or Qiao Tan Yuan.

A while later Gu Jiao Wen silently drove Tan Pan Ting home. She thought since Gu Jiao Wu hated Qiao Tan Yuan, perhaps Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t wait any longer for Gu Jiao Wu to have a change of heart, and Qiao Tan Yuan accepted Shen Cheng’s love.

After all, it would be tiring to love someone for a long time and not have that person reciprocate. Besides, the cold hearted Gu Jiao Wu wouldn’t let his child roam around outside the Gu Household. Gu Jiao Wu had been working in the south for a long period so perhaps Gu Jiao Wen was right, and Gu Jiao Wu wasn’t the father of Qian Tan Yuan’s baby.

End of Chapter Three (Part 1)