The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 15

‘DNA test?’ the a.s.sistant asked.

Gu Jiao Wu nodded. ‘Go and follow my instructions.’

The a.s.sistant left and Gu Jiao Wu wanted to leave too, but he looked at Qiao Tan Yuan’s face. She looked pained in her sleep and decided to stay. He sat on a chair next to her bed. Her cheeks had a little pink coloring and wasn’t as pale as in the delivery room.

‘Keep the baby…’ Qiao Tan Yuan mumbled in her sleep.

Gu Jiao Wu heard Qiao Tan Yuan’s weak voice. He realised he didn’t understand women, he especially didn’t understand Qiao Tan Yuan.

Gu Jiao Wu didn’t need a DNA test. He knew the small pink lump sleeping on the baby bed was his daughter. His daughter looked nothing like Shen Cheng. His daughter slept like him and looked like him except she had Qiao Tan Yuan’s red lips.

Qiao Tan Yuan gave birth to Gu Jiao Wu’s daughter. He didn’t understand the chaotic feelings in his heart. He should be angry because Qiao Tan Yuan deceived him. She didn’t take the pill and kept her pregnancy a secret from him. But he wasn’t angry. He could only remember how weak she looked on the delivery bed, how she held onto his hand and begged him to save their daughter.

The desperate look to save their daughter in Qiao Tan Yuan’s eyes had moved Gu Jiao Yuan’s heart. He didn’t understand why at the critical moment he couldn’t kill their daughter to save Qiao Tan Yuan. Instead he threatened Qiao Tan Yuan to try one last time to give birth to the daughter, luckily Qiao Tan Yuan and their daughter survived.

Gu Jiao Wu looked at Qiao Tan Yuan’s deep teeth mark on his hand. He wasn’t used to injuries like Gu Jiao Wen, but Qiao Tan Yuan’s deep bite didn’t hurt him. When he looked at the teeth mark on his hand, he would remember Qiao Tan Yuan unexpectedly begged him to save their daughter.

Gu Jiao Wu knew Qiao Tan Yuan loved him. He didn’t remember when the little Qiao Tan Yuan tied her hair in a ponytail and loved to follow behind him. Apart from being annoyed, he didn’t have any other feelings toward her following him around. She grew up spoiled by her family, she was arrogant and selfish. So he never acknowledged or wanted her troublesome love. If the past Qiao Tan Yuan gave birth to his daughter, he would have scolded her for deceiving him. But the Qiao Tan Yuan in delivery room was a different person.

Gu Jiao Wu only needed to look at Qiao Tan Yuan’s pale face and he couldn’t be angry. How could he be angry at someone holding his hand and begging him to save their daughter? His feelings confused him. He stood to leave, but suddenly Qiao Tan Yuan stirred on the bed and woke up.

Qiao Tan Yuan opened her eyes. She was scared to see Gu Jiao Wu still standing next to her bed and the vacant feeling in her stomach. She panicked and grabbed Gu Jiao Wu’s hand. ‘Where’s my baby?’

‘The baby is healthy,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Gu Jiao Wu was surprised how Qiao Tan Yuan found the strength to hold his hand tightly after having a painful childbirth. He pulled his hand out, stepped to the baby bed and carefully picked up their daughter. The small pink lump in his arms was soft and light. He wasn’t used to holding a fragile newborn baby and held their daughter awkwardly. Then he gently put their daughter on the bed next to Qiao Tan Yuan and took a step away from the bed.

Qiao Tan Yuan saw how Gu Jiao Wu couldn’t stand holding their baby and her heart hurt. He hated her and hated their baby. Her eyes stung and she wanted to cry. She looked down at their sleeping baby beside her on the bed. Their baby looked exactly like Gu Jiao Wu.

Qiao Tan Yuan’s eyes widened and she panicked. It made Gu Jiao Wu certain he was the father.

‘A baby girl,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. He looked gently at their daughter sleeping. ‘The doctor said she’s 3.6 kg and a healthy baby girl.’

‘Thank you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan believed Gu Jiao Wu could see their daughter looked exactly like him and she didn’t know how angry he was. She remembered how he didn’t want to hold their daughter. He hated her and hated their daughter. She pitied their daughter. Since their daughter was conceived to the moment their daughter was born, he hated their daughter.

‘The baby…’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘Gu Jiao Wu, thank you for taking me to the hospital,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Can you call Shen Cheng to let him know? You can leave straight after.’

Gu Jiao Wu was shocked. He didn’t expect Qiao Tan Yuan would ask him to leave. He didn’t know what to do, but she gave birth to his daughter yet her att.i.tude toward him was hate. He was the father. Why was she in a rush to get rid of him? Did she want to monopolise their daughter? That thought made his heart unhappy. He was about to say something, but her phone rang.

Qiao Tan Yuan looked for her phone. It was on a bedside table. She picked up her phone, it was Shen Cheng.

‘Tan Yuan, where are you?’ Shen Cheng asked. ‘I came to pick you up at work. But I couldn’t find you. Where are you?’

‘Shen Cheng, I’m at the hospital,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan glanced at Gu Jiao Wu, he stood there without any intentions of leaving.

‘The hospital?’ Shen Cheng asked. ‘What happened? Are you OK? Are you hurt anywhere?’

‘I’m OK,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She could feel Gu Jiao Wu’s glare like needles p.r.i.c.king. She forced herself to sound happy. ‘I gave birth to your daughter. You’re a father. Hurry and come here to see your daughter.’

‘Yes, yes, yes,’ Shen Cheng said happily. ‘I’ll be there immediately. What’s the hospital’s address?’

‘The address…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t know what the hospital’s address was. She looked around the hospital room and Gu Jiao Wu took the phone from her hand.

Shen Cheng was shocked to hear Gu Jiao Wu’s voice giving him the hospital’s address. But he thanked Gu Jiao Wu, hung up and quickly drove to the hospital.

Gu Jiao Wu put the phone on the bedside table and sat on the chair next to the bed.

‘I’m sorry I wasted your day,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You can leave.’

Gu Jiao Wu silently looked at Qiao Tan Yuan then he looked at the small pink lump sleeping next to Qiao Tan Yuan. He remembered about how warm his arms and hands felt holding their daughter. He couldn’t resist gently stroking their daughter’s pink cheek.

Their daughter’s soft pink cheek gave back the warm feeling in Gu Jiao Wu’s hand. He looked at their daughter’s loveable face. Their daughter could feel his fingers touching her cheek and disturbing her sleep. She creased her brows, moved her small face to the side and pouted her small red lips. Her loveable gestures made him smile.

Qiao Tan Yuan was shocked to see Gu Jiao Wu smile. Why was he smiling gently at their daughter if he hated their daughter? What did he want?

‘The doctor said you can breast feed the baby when you wake up,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan was frightened to hear Gu Jiao Wu’s words. She was still in pain after giving birth. How could she recover that fast to breast feed?

Qiao Tan Yuan hid her body pain. She looked at Gu Jiao Wu’s gentle face looking at their daughter and she realised she didn’t understand who Gu Jiao Wu was.

‘Gu Jiao Wu, are you sick?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan suspected Gu Jiao Wu’s brain must have lacked oxygen in the elevator and altered his behavior.

Gu Jiao Wu heard Qiao Tan Yuan’s insult, frowned and looked at her.

‘The baby looks exactly like me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. She played dumb and laughed. ‘You’re seeing things.’

Gu Jiao Wu saw Qiao Tan Yuan play dumb and his eyes narrowed. ‘The nurse said the baby looks exactly like me too.’

‘The nurse must have been mistaken,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t sit up to hide their daughter from Gu Jiao Wu.

‘Gu Jiao Wu, the baby is Shen Cheng and my daughter,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Don’t delude yourself thinking you’re the father.’

‘Delude myself?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘Are you still saying Shen Cheng is the father?’

‘Of course,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She couldn’t take back a shot arrow when cornered on a mountain peak. ‘Gu Jiao Wu, the baby is Shen Cheng and my daughter. You’re not the father. Shen Cheng and I will be marrying each other soon. As for you, you can leave.’

End of Chapter Fifteen