The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 160

Closure.

Li Lam’s friend had asked her to babysit her friend’s son. She didn’t expect to bump into Qiao Tan Yuan. Her friend’s son was five years old. It was impossible for Chu Da to have children, but she wanted to make Qiao Tan Yuan’s life miserable by lying about her friends’ son being Chu Da’s son.

‘Mrs Gu, don’t act like you have a heart of an angel,’ Li Lam said. ‘If I told you this little boy is really my big sister and Gu Jiao Wu’s son, I don’t believe you will let Gu Jiao Wu acknowledge his son with another woman. You’re not someone who can accept Gu Jiao Wu raising his son with another woman either.’

‘Who said I’ll accept the little boy?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘I said I’ll make Gu Jiao Wu take responsibility. Miss Li, think carefully before you say this little boy is Gu Jiao Wu’s son. Gu Jiao Wu isn’t someone who would let his chid run around wild. I’m Gu Jiao Wu’s wife. If this little boy is Gu Jiao Wu’s son, the little boy has to call me mum. I’m a loving mum. But I can’t promise I’ll be a loving step-mum.’

‘Mrs Gu, how can you be such a cruel woman?’ Li Lam asked.

‘Yes, I’m a cruel woman,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Do you know how much Gu Jiao Wu love my cruelness?’

Qiao Tan Yuan believed the way she was smiling, she was suitable to be cast to play the role of an evil step-mum on a TV drama.

‘Gu Jiao Wu is a blind man,’ Li Lam said.

Li Lam couldn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu went from loving someone with a good heart like Chu Da to loving someone with a cruel heart like Qiao Tan Yuan. If Chu Da was dead, and she looked like Chu Da then Gu Jiao Wu made a mistake. Gu Jiao Wu should have chosen to be with her over Qiao Tan Yuan.

Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t tolerate Li Lam insulting Gu Jiao Wu. Before she could curse Li Lam, a familiar arm wrapped around her waist.

‘Miss Li, do you think I need you to speculate about my blindness?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘Gu Jiao Wu… don’t you know how cruel she…’ Li Lam said.

Li Lam didn’t know how much Gu Jiao Wu overheard her conversation with Qiao Tan Yuan.

‘Miss Li, if you continue to insult my wife then I’m not going to be courteous,’ Gu Jiao Wu threatened. ‘If you don’t want your father’s company to be destroyed, I suggest you stay away from me and my family. It shouldn’t be hard for you not to appear in front of me and my family again.’

Li Lam ran away embarrassed with her friend’s son. She accepted Gu Jiao Wu wouldn’t love her even if she had Chu Da’s face. When she saw a rubbish bin, she threw Chu Da’s necklace she still wore into the bin, because all her assumptions were wrong.

Behind Li Lam, Qiao Tan Yuan looked surprised to see Gu Jiao Wu.

‘Jiao Wu, what are you doing here?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘What do you think?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. He carried the bags Qiao Tan Yuan was holding. ‘You said you would go out for bit. But you were gone for half the day so I went everywhere to look for you.’

‘You found me now,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She hugged Gu Jiao Wu. ‘Jiao Wu, did you hear everything before?’

‘Guess,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘I don’t know,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘I heard from the part you said you’re a cruel step-mum and you want to bully another woman’s son,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Gu Jiao Wu squeezed Qiao Tan Yuan’s cheeks and he smiled.

‘It’s nothing unusual to be a cruel step-mum,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘It would be unusual for you to be a loving step-mum,’ Gu Jiao Wu teased. He caught Qiao Tan Yuan’s hand before her hand hit his chest. ‘Tan Yuan, how can you say you’ll make me acknowledge being the father of another woman’s son?’

Qiao Tan Yuan looked at Gu Jiao Wu confusedly.

‘Tan Yuan, you should have said even if the little boy is Gu Jiao Wu’s son, I won’t let the little boy into the Gu Household,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘If the woman demands you let the little boy in, you should say to the woman, you’ll turn the little boy into a servant and make the woman regret it for the rest of her life.’

‘Jiao Wu, you’re crazy,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You’re going to corrupt me.’

‘I don’t mind corrupting you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Then no other man would dare to dream about being with you.’

‘Go to hell,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Gu Jiao Wu’s sweet words made Qiao Tan Yuan smile like she was having a beautiful dream.

‘Tan Yuan, I’m serious,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Next time if another woman dares to dream about your husband, I don’t mind if you slap the woman, give her a beating and splash acid on her face.’

‘Jiao Wu!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Tell me you’re joking. Do you want me to turn into cruel woman with no redeeming traits?’

‘But you can’t do cruel deeds right now,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.  He rubbed Qiao Tan Yuan’s stomach. ‘Because you’re carrying our little treasure. While you’re pregnant, you should let me do cruel deeds for you.’

Gu Jiao Wu kissed Qiao Tan Yuan’s cheek.

‘Tan Yuan, you’re wrong about one thing,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘I love you not only for your cruelness because I love all of you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘You sweet talker,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan knew Gu Jiao Wu said the truth, and her heart bloomed.

Gu Jiao Wu supported Qiao Tan Yuan to his car.

‘Mrs Gu, what do you want to eat for dinner?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘Jiao Wu, I want to visit her,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Who…’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. He looked at Qiao Tan Yuan’s stomach, and he knew who she wanted to visit. ‘No need. Let’s go home.’

‘Jiao Wu, I have wronged her,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘It’s still early and it’s a warm day. Take me to visit her, and we can go home afterward.’

Gu Jiao Wu reluctantly drove Qiao Tan Yuan to the cemetery.

Later Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan stood in front of Chu Da’s tombstone. He looked indifferently at Chu Da’s smiling face. He had closure, and he no longer loved Chu Da even a bit.

Qiao Tan Yuan bowed in front of Chu Da’s tombstone.

‘Chu Da, I’m sorry,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan was sorry she provoked Chu Da to leave Gu Jiao Wu. If Chu Da didn’t leave, perhaps Chu Da would have asked Gu Jiao Wu to stay by Chu Da’s side before Chu Da died.

‘Chu Da, it was wrong of me to provoke you to leave,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘But I don’t regret it. Perhaps you truly loved Gu Jiao Wu, but I love Gu Jiao Wu as much as you did back then.’

Qiao Tan Yuan was grateful to be alive, and to have Gu Jiao Wu’s love.

‘In our next lifetime, I hope I can compete with you fairly,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I believe I won’t lose to you.’

‘Tan Yuan, have you said enough?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘Enough,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan wanted Chu Da to rest in peace knowing she and Gu Jiao Wu would live a happy life together for the rest of their lives.

‘Let’s go,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Gu Jiao Wu supported Qiao Tan Yuan back toward his car.

‘Jiao Wu, don’t you want to say anything to Chu Da before we leave?’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Nothing,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘But…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘No but,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan was surprised Gu Jiao Wu didn’t at least say he hoped Chu Da would rest in peace.

Suddenly Gu Jiao Wu turned around, and he looked directly at Chu Da’s photo.

‘Chu Da, if you feel I owe you in this lifetime,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Then in the next lifetime we’ll be brother and sister, and I’ll compensate you. I’ll be a good brother to you. But we can only be brother and sister, we can’t be lovers. I won’t give you the chance to compete with Tan Yuan, because in the next lifetime I’ll love and marry Tan Yuan again.’

End of Chapter 160

Chapter end