The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 91

Eat to live.

‘Were you really scared before?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

‘Go to h.e.l.l!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan aimed a kick at Gu Jiao Wu’s chest, he caught her leg, pulled her onto the sand and laid on top of her.

‘Let me go,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I don’t want to stay here. Let me go home.’

Gu Jiao Wu sat up, and pointed at the ocean.

‘Go ahead,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘If you swim in the right direction, you’ll reach the closest island.’

Qiao Tan Yuan sat up too, and stared at the deep wide ocean. She was worried what Gu Jiao Wu would do if he found out her plan to take Xiao Bao to Denmark. So she purposely chose to fly out on a week day.

‘Don’t you need to work?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

‘I took work leave,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘It made it convenient for me to follow you, and see if you dare run away.’

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

‘You can think what you like,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Except I plan to stay here for a week with you. What do you want to eat for dinner?’

‘I’m not eating,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t in a mood to eat, and sat still on the sand.

‘OK,’ Gu Jiao Wu said and walked back to the house.

Qiao Tan Yuan looked at the tropical landscape, and many thoughts ran through her head. Why did Gu Jiao Wu bring her here, and left Xiao Bao at the Gu Mansion? She suspected the guards who accused her of smuggling cocaine were helping Gu Jiao Wu distract her. How did she get on the island without travelling doc.u.ments? Who owned the island? Why did Gu Jiao Wu want to stay on the island alone with her?

After sunset, and Qiao Tan Yuan heard footsteps behind her.

‘Are you hungry?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘If you’re hungry, let’s eat dinner.’

‘I’m not eating,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan wouldn’t die if she skipped a meal. But if Gu Jiao Wu wouldn’t release her from the island, she couldn’t keep skipping meals. Her stomach rumbled. She stood, and followed Gu Jiao Wu back to the house.

The house was big enough for two people. There was the bedroom Qiao Tan Yuan was locked in before, a small kitchen, a dining room, a living room and a bathroom. She walked past the dining table of cooked food, and sat on the sofa in the living room.

‘Even if you’re angry, don’t starve your stomach,’ Gu Jiao Wu said from the dining table.

‘It’s my stomach and I’ll let it starve if I want to,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘The head of the closest island village took us here by boat from his island village,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘It took four hours by boat. I asked him to come get us in another six days.’

‘If you can contact him then you can ask him to come back tomorrow morning,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘He can take me back to his village, and I can fly home. Do you think I want to stay here, and eat your food?’

‘I can also ask him to come back in a month,’ Gu Jiao Wu threatened.

‘You’re crazy!’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You want me to stay here with you for a month? What about Xiao Bao?’

‘Xiao Bao is safe at the Gu Mansion,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Xiao Bao is under my mum’s protection. She also has aunty Chu, Tan Pan Ting and my grandpa to take care of her. They all have experience in taking care of babies.’

‘You… don’t you need to work?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘Aren’t you scared you’ll be fired if you stay here for a month?’

‘If I’m fired then I’m fired,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘It’s not a position I need.’

‘Gu Jiao Wu, are you sure you don’t have a brain clot?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

Gu Jiao Wu scooped rice into two bowls.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to eat?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan watched Gu Jiao Wu eat heartily. After sleeping for a day, her stomach was empty. The food aromas made her head split into two, one side persuaded her to eat and the other side persuaded her to starve so Gu Jiao Wu would be forced to take her home.

‘You don’t have to eat,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘But as long as you’re alive, I’m not taking you home before the boat arrives.’

‘You…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Do you want to starve to death and not see Xiao Bao again?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan’s head conjured up an image of a pitiful orphaned Xiao Bao, and she immediately walked to the dining table. She sat opposite Gu Jiao Wu, and picked up the bowl of rice he scooped for her. She looked at the three dishes on the table. A plate of omelette, fried fish and fried vegetables.

‘Did you cook this?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

Gu Jiao Wu didn’t answer. If he didn’t cook dinner, there was no one else on the island who could cook.

‘You know how to cook?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t see Gu Jiao Wu cooked once during their marriage.

‘Um,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I can cook simple dishes.’

Qiao Tan Yuan ate the vegetables first, it was delicious. She heard some people say simple dishes were the hardest to cook well. She didn’t even know how to cook one bad simple dish. She wanted to ask Gu Jiao Wu when he learnt to cook. But Du Lei Xin’s words popped into her head. Du Lei Xin was right, she didn’t understand Gu Jiao Wu deeply. Gu Jiao Wu said the same thing as Du Lei Xin, she and Gu Jiao Wu understood little about each other.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘If you don’t eat, the food will get cold.’

‘Um,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Qiao Tan Yuan ate her bowl of rice, and put the empty bowl down because she lost her appet.i.te.

‘Since I cooked, it’s only fair if you wash the dishes,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

End of Chapter Ninety-One