The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 54

In a car?

Gu Jiao Wu was a despicable AH! Qiao Tan Yuan saw car headlights on the busy road next to his black car. She was worried tourists in cars passing by saw her and Gu Jiao Wu being intimate with each other before, and took photos. She could picture the newspaper headlines in the morning, ‘Qiao’s company’s heiress Ms. Qiao banging her ex-husband on a public road.’

Qiao Tan Yuan wanted to crawl into a hole. Did Gu Jiao Wu think she was some woman he could use to satisfy himself at his convenience? He was too much. He should at least have the decency to take her to a hotel room, not impulsively ravish her in a car on a public road. What was she in his heart? Did he think she was a toy he could play with when he wanted to, and toss aside when he didn’t want to play with her anymore? Was that why he unrepentantly took liberties of her in his car?

Qiao Tan Yuan’s slap didn’t hurt Gu Jiao Wu. She had little energy left after he thoroughly ravished her.

Gu Jiao Wu was confused why Qiao Tan Yuan was angry at him. He remembered he made her orgasmed several times under his body before.

‘Are you angry?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘Are you joking?’ Qiao Tan Yuan.

Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t believe his intelligence was that low. Did her slap affect his brain?

‘Why are you angry?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘You were revelling in pleasure before.’

‘I…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan saw confusion on Gu Jiao Wu’s face, and didn’t know how to explain to him about his misconduct.

‘What pleasure?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Gu Jiao Wu, you have no finesse. If I don’t hit you then who do I hit?’

Qiao Tan Yuan remembered the night Xiao Bao was conceived. Gu Jiao Wu pounded her body throughout the night, and wouldn’t let go of her. In the morning, she couldn’t walk properly and her whole body ached.

Qiao Tan Yuan admitted Gu Jiao Wu pleasured her physically in the car before, but there was no pleasure in the void of her heart. She didn’t want to expose her vulnerabilities to him. He would only use it against her.

Gu Jiao Wu didn’t believe Qiao Tan Yuan felt no pleasure under his body. She pricked his masculine pride. No finesse? What man wanted to hear their woman tell them they had no finesse, and couldn’t pleasure their woman? A man would rather be poor and ugly than be labelled ‘unsatisfying’ by a woman, regardless whether the man loved her.

In contrast Qiao Tan Yuan loved one man half of her life, Gu Jiao Wu. She didn’t know about the consequences of her careless words.

Gu Jiao Wu and Qiao Tan Yuan talking to each was like two children fighting with each other in two different languages.

‘Gu Jiao Wu, you didn’t satisfy me at all,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You only know how to give me pain and discomfort. I hate you. In the future, you can’t touch me again.’

Gu Jiao Wu wasn’t a player. But he had enough experience in the intercourse department with women to judge his own physical prowess. Qiao Tan Yuan’s words only summoned one thought in his head.

Gu Jiao Wu pounced on Qiao Tan Yuan’s body again, and he didn’t allow any gaps between their bodies.

‘Gu Jiao Wu… what are you doing?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘Nothing…’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Gu Jiao Wu held Qiao Tan Yuan’s wrists together using one hand, and his other hand hurriedly undressed her.

‘If you’re not satisfied, I don’t mind pleasuring you again,’ Gu Jiao Wu whispered in Qiao Tan Yuan’s ear.

Qiao Tan Yuan stared in disbelief at the intense lust in Gu Jiao Wu’s eyes.

The warnings of Qiao Tan Yuan’s common sense was softer than the sounds of her racing heart.

Inside the cramped car, Qiao Tan Yuan could hear hers and Gu Jiao Wu gasping for air. Her body shook again under his hot solid body.

A long time later, Qiao Tan Yuan felt like she broke her back. She looked at Gu Jiao Wu, he looked energized and relaxed.

‘Are you satisfied yet?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t have energy to open her mouth.

Gu Jiao Wu wasn’t angry Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t admit the truth. His lips hovered over her ear, and whispered a promise.

‘If you’re not satisfied, I don’t mind another round with you,’ Gu Jiao Wu whispered. He grinned slyly. ‘We’ll have as many rounds together as it takes to satisfy you.’

Qiao Tan Yuan wished she had the strength to slap the grin off Gu Jiao Wu’s face. A drugged Gu Jiao Wu was nothing compared to a sober Gu Jiao Wu. She finally understood the real distance between a man and woman’s physical strength.

‘AH…’ Qiao Tan Yuan cursed softly.

Gu Jiao Wu’s hand moved below Qiao Tan Yuan’s waist.

‘What did you say?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan understood if she cursed Gu Jiao Wu again, she was doomed. She couldn’t overpower him, but she could turn her head away so she couldn’t see his hateful face. She looked outside the window and saw the brightly lit poles on the roads against the night sky.

Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t clearly see drivers passing by through the tinted windows of Gu Jiao Wu’s car, but it didn’t mean the drivers couldn’t see Gu Jiao Wu lying on top of her body.

Gu Jiao Wu sensed Qiao Tan Yuan was glaring at him. He was too satisfied to be angry. He dressed, helped her dressed and sat up.

A while later, Gu Jiao Wu drove Qiao Tan Yuan to a small town nearby.

Qiao Tan Yuan silently vowed she was going to keep her distance from Gu Jiao Wu after she returned to the Qiao Mansion.

‘Have you played enough?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Stop the car, and let me out!’

Gu Jiao Wu accelerated to Ling Hu’s home.

Gu Jiao Wu parked in front of Ling Hu’s home, Qiao Tan Yuan refused to get out of the car. He was in a good mood and refreshed. He opened the passenger door, and carried her into Ling Hu’s home.

A man opened the front door.

‘Young man, what at you doing here late at night?’ the man asked.

‘Is Ling Hu here?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘My friend injured her ankle.’

Ankle? Qiao Tan Yuan was overwhelmed by anger and pleasure, she forgot all about her injured ankle.

Gu Jiao Wu carried Qiao Tan Yuan into an inner courtyard, and put her down in front of a round table. Opposite them was a young man dressed in white clothes, and he wore a white bracelet.

Ling Hu patted Gu Jiao Wu’s shoulder.

‘Little fellow, what brings you here to see me?’ Ling Hu asked.

‘I wasn’t sure you were here,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Ling Hu laughed. ‘Then why did you stop by?’

‘My friend twisted her ankle,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t know why Gu Jiao Wu avoided saying her name in the young man’s home.

‘Friend?’ Ling Hu asked.

Ling Hu looked at Qiao Tan Yuan, and his eyes saw clearly who she was.

Ling Hu crouched in front of Qiao Tan Yuan.

‘Can you lift your leg for me to examine your ankle?’ Ling Hu asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan hesitated, and lifted her leg.

Ling Hu examined Qiao Tan Yuan’s ankle, and looked up at Gu Jiao Wu.

‘Her ankle is twisted a little,’ Ling Hu said. ‘I’ll massage her ankle to reduce the swelling, and she’ll recover quickly.’

‘I’m sorry for troubling you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘If you keep being courteous with me then I won’t consider you a friend,’ Ling Hu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan thought the young man was a handsome. But she didn’t think he was handsome when he massaged her ankle. At the start she felt pain then her ankle didn’t hurt anymore.

‘Thank you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Ling Hu smiled. ‘You don’t have to thank me. We’re fated to meet today. I don’t have anything to give you for our first meeting except this humble bracelet.’

Gu Jiao Wu was shocked to see Ling Hu wanted to give Qiao Tan Yuan the priceless white opal bracelet.

‘You don’t need to give me anything,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t close to Ling Hu, but he generously massaged her ankle. How could she accept a gift from Ling Hu? Besides, she didn’t want to wear a tacky white beaded bracelet found at every souvenir shop.

‘If you don’t accept my gift, it’ll offend me,’ Ling Hu said. He looked at Gu Jiao Wu. ‘If your friend doesn’t accept my gift, it means you don’t consider me as a friend.’

‘If he’s giving you a gift, you should take it,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan gave the two strange men a dirty look, and accepted the tacky bracelet.

‘Good, good,’ Ling Hu said. ‘You two should stay, and share a meal with me.’

‘Um,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan politely followed the two strange men to the dining table. She had a feeling Ling Hu knew she and Gu Jiao Wu didn’t have dinner before visiting Ling Hu. Ling Hu had prepared food enough for three people. The prepared food tasted delicious like a chef cooked the food. She happily ate, but she didn’t understand what language Gu Jiao Wu, and Ling Hu were speaking. It wasn’t German or Italian.

After dinner, Gu Jiao Wu drove Qiao Tan Yuan to the Qiao Mansion.

‘During dinner, what language were you speaking with Ling Hu?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

One of the reasons Qiao Tan Yuan used to learn different languages was to impress Gu Jiao Wu, like German and Danish.

‘Sanskrit,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Sanskrit? Qiao Tan Yuan looked suspiciously at Gu Jiao Wu. She couldn’t step any closer to Gu Jiao Wu even if she wanted to. She didn’t understand who he was. He had many secrets he didn’t want to share with her. Like the phone he used when they were trapped in the elevator.

Qiao Tan Yuan took off the white bracelet, and passed it to Gu Jiao Wu.

‘Can you return this to your friend,’ Qiao Tan Yuan. ‘I don’t want to accept something from a stranger.’

‘Are you naive or a dummy?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘What did you say?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan was too angry that she forgot she vowed not to let Gu Jiao Wu affect her moods anymore.

‘Do you know how priceless the bracelet is?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘Isn’t it a cheap bracelet?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘It’s a white opal bracelet,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan was shocked speechless.

‘He wore that bracelet for years,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘It’s his priceless treasure, and a charm to ward off evil.’

Gu Jiao Wu glanced at Qiao Tan Yuan’s shocked face. Ling Hu’s bracelet was sought after by many people. He was shocked too. He didn’t know why Ling Hu would generously give Qiao Tan Yuan a priceless bracelet after meeting her for the first time.

‘If I accept this priceless bracelet, do you think I should give him something in return?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘No, even if you came back to see him, you won’t see him,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘Why?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘He’s a nomad and rarely at home so you won’t see him next time you visit his home,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘How did you know he was home today?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘Luck,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan’s ankle injury was minor. But she was breast feeding Xiao Bao. Gu Jiao Wu wouldn’t be relieved unless he asked Ling Hu’s opinion. He didn’t want Qiao Tan Yuan to consume unsafe medicine that could adversely affect Xiao Bao.

‘Is he a monk?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘No,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘How did you meet him?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘Fate,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘Fate?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t force Gu Jiao Wu to tell her if he didn’t want to. She looked out the window, she was nearly home. Suddenly she missed Xiao Bao, and was anxious to see Xiao Bao. Was Xiao Bao hungry? Did Xiao Bao cry?

‘Can you drive faster?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

Gu Jiao Wu listened, and sped to the Qiao Mansion.

After Gu Jiao Wu parked in front of the Qiao Mansion, Qiao Tan Yuan jumped out of the car and walked inside. He frowned, he didn’t want her to put pressure on her injured ankle. He carried the shopping bags full of clothes and toys for Xiao Bao, and walked inside.

‘Tan Yuan, why are you back home this late?’ Mrs Qiao asked. ‘Xiao Bao was crying for you. I called your phone several times, but you didn’t pick up.’

‘Mum, I…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t hear her phone ring. She checked her phone, and saw more than ten miscalls.

‘Mum, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear the phone ring,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Aunty, it’s my fault,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I dragged Tan Yuan sightseeing, and drove her home late.’

‘Tan Yuan, go upstairs first,’ Mrs Qiao said. ‘Xiao Bao’s still awake. She’s waiting for you.’

‘Yes mum,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said and walked upstairs.

Gu Jiao Wu put the shopping bags on the sofa. Then walked toward the stairs, but Mrs Qiao stopped him.

‘Jiao Wu, I was wrong to suggest you should get back together with Tan Yuan,’ Mrs Qiao said. ‘I’ve accepted you hate Tan Yuan. It’s best if you two stay separated amicably.’

Gu Jiao Wu was surprised Mrs Qiao opposed him marrying Qiao Tan Yuan again.

‘I don’t hate Tan Yuan anymore…’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘It doesn’t matter how you feel toward Tan Yuan,’ Mrs Qiao said. ‘Tan Yuan doesn’t want to get back together with you. I hope you won’t come here to see Tan Yuan anymore. Can you let Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao live a peaceful life?’

‘Aunty, Tan Yuan and I have a daughter together,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘If Tan Yuan takes Xiao Bao overseas, how many times a year do you think you’ll get to see them? If Tan Yuan is living with me again, aunty can see Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao how often you want to. Isn’t that a better situation?’

Mrs Qiao knew how much effort it took Qiao Tan Yuan to let go of Gu Jiao Wu. She didn’t know what Gu Jiao Wu’s real intention was, but she knew she didn’t want Gu Jiao Wu to toy with Qiao Tan Yuan and hurt Qiao Tan Yuan again.

‘Aunty, Tan Yuan and I bought these clothes and toys for Xiao Bao,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Tan Yuan’s tired, and needs rest. Tomorrow I’ll come back to see Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao.’

Gu Jiao Wu thought Qiao Tan Yuan would want to fight with him if he walked upstairs so he wanted to give her time to calm down first before reasoning with her again.

End of Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter end