The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 101

Basket.

‘I lost sleep worrying about you,’ Mrs Qiao said. ‘The truth is I want you and Xiao to stay here. But if going to Denmark makes you happy then I won’t stop you.’

‘Mum, you don’t have to worry about me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I’m not going to Denmark anymore. I’m staying here with Xiao Bao.’

‘Tan Yuan… are you and Gu Jiao Wu…’ Mrs Qiao said.

‘Mum, there is nothing between him and me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I’m going upstairs to rest.’

Qiao Tan Yuan walked to her bedroom. She laid in bed feeling guilty for causing Shen Cheng’s car accident, and decided to visit Shen Cheng in the morning. She closed her eyes, Gu Jiao Wu wasn’t lying next to her. She wanted to forget Gu Jiao Wu, but her head wouldn’t listen. She thought about how Gu Jiao Wu held her tightly when he thought she drowned, and he said he loved her. It was a lie, Gu Jiao Wu loved Chu Da. She didn’t believe Li Lam wasn’t Chu Da, because no two people had the same face unless they were twins. Even if Li Lam wasn’t Chu Da, her intuition told her Li Lam was infatuated with Gu Jiao Wu. Since Gu Jiao Wu loved Chu Da, it wouldn’t take him long to move on with Li Lam. She made the right decision for herself, and she didn’t regret ending things with Gu Jiao Wu.

In the morning, Qiao Tan Yuan felt refreshed. She chose a cream turtleneck blouse, and white pants. She left the white coat Gu Jiao Wu bought for her on the sofa last night. The designer of the white coat was her favorite designer. Since it matched her outfit, she wore the white coat too.

After Qiao Tan Yuan breast fed Xiao Bao, she asked Mrs Chu to play with Xiao Bao while she visited Shen Cheng at the hospital. She bought a fruit basket for Shen Cheng on the way to hospital. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she realised she forgot to ask Mrs Qiao for Shen Cheng’s room number. She asked reception for Shen Cheng’s room number, and took the elevator to his room. Outside his room, she overheard his doctor say he hit his head, arm and leg. After the doctor left the room, she felt guiltier seeing his head bandaged, one arm and one leg in a cast.

Shen Cheng saw Qiao Tan Yuan enter his hospital room, and he tried to sit up on his own. She walked to the bed, and helped him sit up.

‘How are you?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘Why are you here?’ Shen Cheng asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan put the fruit basket on a table, and felt awkward seeing Shen Cheng again.

‘I heard you were in a car accident and I came to visit you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Thank you,’ Shen Cheng said.

Shen Cheng didn’t expect the day he returned home from overseas, Qiao Tan Yuan had gone overseas on a honeymoon with Gu Jiao Wu.

Qiao Tan Yuan put a pillow behind Shen Cheng’s back. He looked like a mummy, and it made her worry he was seriously injured.

‘Why did you drive carelessly?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘Do I look scary to you?’ Shen Cheng asked. ‘Don’t worry, the doctor wrapped me up as a precaution. My injuries are not as bad as they look.’

Qiao Tan Yuan sat on a chair next to the bed.

‘Who’s scary?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Have you eaten yet?’

‘Yes,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘Mum brought food for me before. She’ll come back later.’

‘Oh,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Do you want to eat fruits? I can peel fruits for you.’

‘No,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘I’m full.’

Qiao Tan Yuan nodded her head, and didn’t know what to say.

‘I should congratulate you,’ Shen Cheng said.

‘Congratulate me?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘You and big brother are back together,’ Shen Cheng said and forced himself to smile. ‘It’s a miracle big brother took you on a honeymoon.’

‘Not true,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Don’t believe my mum’s nonsense.’

‘Don’t you want to get back together with big brother?’ Shen Cheng asked.

‘I’m not back together with him,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Really?’ Shen Cheng asked.

Shen Cheng had spent months travelling around North America and Europe, but he couldn’t forget Qiao Tan Yuan. If he couldn’t forget her then he wanted to follow his heart even if she broke his heart again. He was devastated when Mrs Qiao told him that Qiao Tan Yuan and Gu Jiao Wu went on a honeymoon. He shouldn’t have driven home in a shocked state from the Qiao Mansion. He swerved to avoid hitting a car, but ended up hitting a light pole.

‘Yes,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘He and I are not fated to be together.’

‘But don’t you love big brother?’ Shen Cheng asked.

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

The door opened, Qiao Tan Yuan and Shen Cheng were surprised to see Gu Jiao Wu. They didn’t know how long Gu Jiao Wu was standing outside the door.

Gu Jiao Wu saw the fruit basket on the table and frowned. He put the fruit basket he was holding next to Qiao Tan Yuan’s fruit basket.

‘Today I heard you were in a car accident,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Are you OK?’

‘I’m OK,’ Shen Cheng said. ‘Big brother why are you here, and not at work?’

‘Today’s Sat.u.r.day,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Shen Cheng knocked his bandaged head.

‘Big brother, I hit my head lightly and it made me forget what day it is,’ Shen Cheng said.

‘Don’t hit your head,’ Qiao Tan Yuan chided. She pulled Shen Cheng’s hand away from his head. ‘Or you’ll turn yourself into a dummy.’

‘I’m OK,’ Shen Cheng said. He saw Qiao Tan Yuan’s worried face, smiled and held her hand. ‘My injuries are half healed since you came to visit me.’

‘Nonsense,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. Sometimes she felt Shen Cheng was a kid. ‘If you want to recover, you need to listen to your doctor.’

‘I only need you to visit me every day and I’ll recover faster,’ Shen Cheng said.

Qiao Tan Yuan nodded her head. She owed Shen Cheng a lot. The least she could do was visit him until he recovered.

Gu Jiao Wu fisted his hands. He couldn’t stand seeing Shen Cheng being close to Qiao Tan Yuan. He was about to open his mouth to interrupt them when Gu Jiao Wen walked into the room.

‘Big brother, you’re too much,’ Gu Jiao Wen said. ‘You made me find a parking on my own, and visited Shen Cheng before me.’

‘Big brother Jiao Wen,’ Shen Cheng greeted.

Gu Jiao Wen pointed at one of the fruit baskets.

‘I bought that fruit basket for you but big brother took the credit,’ Gu Jiao Wen said.

Gu Jiao Wu saw Gu Jiao Wen leave early in the morning, and he asked Gu Jiao Wen where Gu Jiao Wen was going. Gu Jiao Wen told him about Shen Cheng’s car accident. Then he went with Gu Jiao Wen to visit Shen Cheng at the hospital, and didn’t have time to buy a get well gift for Shen Cheng.

‘Big brother Jiao Wen, it’s enough for me to have you and big brother visit me,’ Shen Cheng said.

‘Why were you so careless?’ Gu Jiao Wen asked.

‘I was inattentive,’ Shen Cheng said and looked at Qiao Tan Yuan.

Qiao Tan Yuan was right. It was her fault Shen Cheng got into a car accident. She looked at him guiltily.

Everyone else, especially Gu Jiao Wu misunderstood Qiao Tan Yuan was looking lovingly at Shen Cheng.

End of Chapter 101