The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 89

Powder.

‘It’s not enough,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Gu Jiao Wu, you’re Xiao Bao’s father. But have you done anything to take care of Xiao Bao? You say you love me like you’re doing me a favor. If you make every decision for me then what’s the point of me being alive?’

Gu Jiao Wu didn’t want to see the look of resentment in Qiao Tan Yuan’s eyes. He kissed her, and bit her lips until her lips bled.

‘Is it that hard for you to believe me?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan’s silence gave Gu Jiao Wu the answer he didn’t want. He got out the bed, and stood in front of her.

‘Qiao Tan Yuan, it’s up to you to choose to believe me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘If you need time to think, I’ll give you time. But don’t think I’ll let you and Xiao Bao leave me.’

Gu Jiao Wu left, and Qiao Tan Yuan curled up on her bed. She touched her bleeding lips, and remembered the look in his eyes. If he was angry, he used to look at her with only anger. But before she saw heart break in his eyes. Impossible, he had a heart of stone and his heart wouldn’t break because of her.

Qiao Tan Yuan berated herself. Gu Jiao Wu threw her away like a used tissue, and she shouldn’t degrade herself again because he looked in her direction.

One week later, the Qiao family escorted Qiao Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao to the international airport.

‘Tan Yuan, Xiao Bao is still a baby,’ Mrs Qiao asked. ‘Must you, and Xiao Bao move so far away?’

In the last week, Mr and Mrs Qiao could see Gu Jiao Wu was sincere about being a family with Qiao Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao. But if Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t want to be with Gu Jiao Wu then they would support Qiao Tan Yuan’s decision.

‘Mum, it’s only a ten hour flight,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Tan Yuan…’ Mrs Qiao said.

Mr Qiao pulled Mrs Qiao’s shirt sleeve to signal her not to upset Qiao Tan Yuan.

Qiao Tan Yuan hugged her family.

‘Qiao Jie, you have to take good care of dad and mum while I’m not home,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Big sister, I’ll take good care of dad and mum,’ Qiao Jie said.

Qiao Tan Yuan nodded, and pushed Xiao Bao’s stroller loaned by the airport through the international departure gate.

Outside the gate, Mrs Qiao cried while Mr Qiao comforted her.

‘Mum, big sister and Xiao Bao isn’t disappearing forever,’ Qiao Jie said. ‘We can visit them in Denmark when we’re free.’

‘Um,’ Mr Qiao said. ‘Let’s go home.’

In the VIP room, Qiao Tan Yuan watched over Xiao Bao while Xiao Bao slept. She thought about everything that happened in the last week. Gu Jiao Wu visited her and Xiao Bao every day after work. He bought new toys for Xiao Bao to play with, and red roses for her. She didn’t accept his red roses, but he would leave them on her vanity table. If she was in the nursery, he would hold Xiao Bao until Xiao Bao cried. If she was in her bedroom, she would ignore him and he would sit on the sofa to watch her prepare for bed before driving home.

Near boarding time, airport security guards asked Qiao Tan Yuan to step outside the VIP room to check her carry-on bag.

‘Miss, we need to check your bag,’ the first guard said.

‘Why?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘We received a tip off there are illegal drugs in your bag,’ the second guard said.

‘I need to board soon and there are no drugs in my bag,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

The guards opened Qiao Tan Yuan’s bag, and pulled out boxes of baby formula milk.

‘What is this?’ the first guard asked.

‘It’s my daughter’s milk powder,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Don’t break the seal.’

The guards punctured the seals, and took a sample.

‘We need to run tests to check if you’re smuggling cocaine,’ the second guard said.

‘I’m not a drug smuggler,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Give me back my belongings. I need to board the plane with my daughter.’

‘Miss if this is cocaine then you’ll be boarding a prison cell,’ the first guard said.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t want to stand outside the VIP room arguing with guards, and let them run tests. She walked back to the VIP room, and panicked. Xiao Bao was missing.

‘Have you seen my daughter Xiao Bao?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked a clerk at the VIP counter.

‘No Miss,’ the clerk said.

‘How can you not see her?’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Her stroller was here in front of you.’

Qiao Tan Yuan searched everywhere for Xiao Bao around the VIP room. But there was no signs of Xiao Bao. She hated herself for being a negligent mother. It was her fault she lost Xiao Bao. She shouldn’t have left Xiao Bao alone in the VIP room. She was a bad mother.

A flight attendant instructed pa.s.sengers departing for Denmark to board the plane over the speaker phone. But Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t going to board any plane, because her life would be meaningless if she couldn’t find Xiao Bao.

After running around the international departure gate like a crazy person, Qiao Tan Yuan grabbed a flight attendant.

‘My daughter… my daughter…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said in a panicked voice. ‘Call the police. Someone kidnapped my daughter, my Xiao Bao.’

End of Chapter Eighty-Nine