Four years ago, at Huang Zi Reserve Park.
Below a hill, a young man was kissing a young woman.
Qiao Tan Yuan pulled the young man away from the young woman.
‘Big brother Jiao Wu, how can you be with another girl?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan took no notice of the young woman’s shocked face, she only saw Gu Jiao Wu.
‘Big brother Jiao Wu, the person you should love is me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She showed Gu Jiao Wu her degree certificate. ‘I worked hard to be suitable to be with you. You can’t be with another girl.’
Gu Jiao Wu heard Qiao Tan Yuan’s emotional tone of voice, but he wasn’t pleased to see her. His former classmates and family members have told him about how she worked hard to rank first at school, enter the same college as him and was training at Qiao’s company.
Gu Jiao Wu rarely returned to the Gu Mansion. But when he was at the Gu Mansion, Wang Tu Ya would talk about Qiao Tan Yuan. He understood Wang Tu Ya’s intentions for him to marry someone who could support his career. But Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t the type of woman he liked. Qiao Tan Yuan was a clinger and he always rejected her feelings in the past.
Gu Jiao Wu thought Qiao Tan Yuan’s emotional outburst was one of her usual childish tantrums. She always had to get what she wanted and relied on her parents’ support.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t love Qiao Tan Yuan. He wrapped his arm around Chu Da and looked coldly at Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, it’s been many years but you still haven’t changed,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘The person I love is Chu Da. In the past I don’t love you, right now I don’t love you, and in the future I won’t love you.’
Qiao Tan Yuan finally looked at Chu Da. Chu Da was an average looking person. She admitted Chu Da’s long hair was clean, a natural face and looked like a decent person. But Chu Da’s red outfit was outdated.
‘Big brother Jiao Wu, do you really love this country bumpkin?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘A girl that has no appealing body or looks.’
‘Don’t be disrespectful,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. He disliked Qiao Tan Yuan’s poor attitude. ‘Her name is Chu Da. She is the woman I love. If you insult her again, I won’t be courteous toward you.’
‘Big brother…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. She put her certificate back in her bag. ‘You said you’ll love me. Why do you love someone else?’
‘I never said I’ll love you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan’s heart ached, Gu Jiao Wu looked lovingly at Chu Da while he looked coldly at her.
‘Let’s go,’ Gu Jiao Wu said to Chu Da.
‘Jiao Wu… who is she…’ Chu Da asked.
Chu Da didn’t know why she felt threatened by Qiao Tan Yuan. Qiao Tan Yuan was stylish and beautiful. Qiao Tan Yuan had naturally red lips and ebony eyebrows. Qiao Tan Yuan was articulate and had a loveable face. Did Qiao Tan Yuan really love Gu Jiao Wu?
‘Don’t pay attention to her,’ Gu Jiao Wu said and led Chu Da away from Qiao Tan Yuan.
Qiao Tan Yuan’s world darkened after she saw Gu Jiao Wu held another woman in his arms and walked away from her. Why did she persist for many years? Why did she study so hard? If Gu Jiao Wu was together with another woman then who was she to him? Her chest hurt and it was hard for her to breathe. She took out her phone and tried calling many people.
‘Why didn’t anyone tell me Gu Jiao Wu loved another person… why…’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
Qiao Tan Yuan bit her lips. There was no reception on the other end. She put the phone in her bag. The sunlight shone brightly on her, but she felt no warmth.
Qiao Tan Yuan clenched her hands and looked up at the sky. ‘I’ll never let go.’
Qiao Tan Yuan wasted years and energy to pursue Gu Jiao Wu, she wasn’t going to give up.
Qiao Tan Yuan spent time to investigate Chu Da’s background. Chu Da was a teacher at the small southern district Gu Jiao Wu was staying. Chu Da had the title of the prettiest teacher in the small southern district. What if Gu Jiao Wu decided to formally introduce Chu Da to his family and marry Chu Da?
Qiao Tan Yuan’s head spun crazily. She remembered how Gu Jiao Wu looked lovingly at Chu Da. She wasn’t going to let them marry each other, she had to get rid of Chu Da.
While Qiao Tan Yuan investigated Chu Da, Gu Jiao Wu drove Chu Da to the Gu Mansion to introduce her to his family and inform them of his intentions to marry her. But Wang Tu Ya was on a business trip and Gu Qi Jiang wasn’t home either so he drove Chu Da back to the southern district.
That weekend, Qiao Tan Yuan drove to the southern district to separate Chu Da from Gu Jiao Wu.
Chu Da was shocked to see Qiao Tan Yuan at her house.
‘Miss Chu, stay away from Gu Jiao Wu,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘You… I don’t understand…’ Chu Da said.
‘Don’t understand?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked. ‘In the future Jiao Wu will be the head of Gu’s company. What can you give him to support his career?’
‘I…’ Chu Da said.
Chu Da wanted to say Gu Jiao Wu loved her and he didn’t care about her poor background.
‘I investigated your background,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘You’re an orphan. The villagers in this small southern district raised you. To repay them, you promised you’ll live here your whole life. Have you thought if you live here, what is Jiao Wu supposed to do? Do you know how established and powerful Gu’s company is in the northern districts? Look at yourself. If Jiao Wu is with you, he’ll be a laughing stock.’
Chu Da bit her lips and didn’t know what to say.
‘Even if I’m a laughing stock, it has nothing to do with you,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t know how long Gu Jiao Wu was standing at the door.
‘Qiao Tan Yuan, you dare come here to insult Chu Da again?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘What right do you have to insult her?’
‘Jiao Wu?’ Chu Da asked.
Chu Da was hurt by Qiao Tan Yuan’s words. Chu Da’s eyes stung and she was on the verge of tears after seeing Gu Jiao Wu. It made his heart break to see Chu Da hurt.
Since Gu Jiao Wu met Chu Da in the southern district, he thought she was different to the rich families’ daughters in the city. Chu Da was simple and happy. Although she was an orphan, she was confident and independent. She relied on herself to pay for her college education, she worked and studied at the same time. She would give away all her money to help other people. He never met anyone like her before. It was love at first sight for him. He was determined to marry her and give her a happy family.
Earlier when he heard Qiao Tan Yuan insult the woman he love, it felt like Qiao Tan Yuan was insulting him.
‘Big brother Jiao Wu, I love you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘This girl isn’t suited to be with you. I’m the person who is suited to be with you.’
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t look at Qiao Tan Yuan, he stepped in front of Chu Da and hugged Chu Da.
‘Don’t be scared, I’m here,’ Gu Jiao Wu said to Chu Da.
‘Jiao Wu,’ Chu Da called and shook her head.
Chu Da wasn’t scared but she felt insecure. What Qiao Tan Yuan said was true, she wasn’t suitable to be with Gu Jiao Wu.
‘Jiao Wu, I…’ Chu Da said.
‘Don’t say anything,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu knew what Chu Da wanted to say. He turned around to look at Qiao Tan Yuan. ‘Qiao Tan Yuan, I’m warning you a second time, there won’t be a third time. I never loved you or toyed with your feelings. In the future, stay away from me.’
If Gu Jiao Wu wasn’t there protecting Chu Da, Qiao Tan Yuan would have slapped Chu Da’s cheeks hard enough to make Chu Da remember for a lifetime. She hated weak females like Chu Da. Didn’t Gu Jiao Wu say he hated girls who cry? Didn’t he say girls who cry are ugly? Why did he love Chu Da who was crying?
Qiao Tan Yuan thought Chu Da put a spell on Gu Jiao Wu to make him change. But she wasn’t going to give up on Gu Jiao Wu. She turned around and left. But in her heart she was determined to make Gu Jiao Wu belong to her.
On the anniversary day of dating Gu Jiao Wu a year, Chu Da decided to give her guarded virginity to Gu Jiao Wu. Even though she was insecure about not being suited to be with Gu Jiao Wu, they loved each other. They weren’t married, but he gave her a feeling of belonging in a happy family. That night, she cooked Gu Jiao Wu dinner and offered her heart and body to him. Gu Jiao Wu was a man, she was the woman he loved and planned to marry so he accepted her heart and body.
Since Chu Da and Gu Jiao Wu lived together, she thought it was the most beautiful period in her life. But lately she experienced regular pain on the lower region of her stomach. She didn’t want to worry Gu Jiao Wu so when he drove her to the city to introduce her to his family, she went to see a doctor at a hospital when he went to see his family and prepare them to meet her.
At the hospital, the doctor who examined Chu Da, informed her she had ovarian cancer and was at the final stage. After treatment, she would be infertile and could never be a mother.
Outside the hospital, Chu Da’s sky had fallen. She had ovarian cancer and couldn’t be a mother. Heavens, she loved children. After she lived with Gu Jiao Wu, she never thought she couldn’t have a child with him. She thought if they had a son, their son would look like Gu Jiao Wu and if they had a daughter, their daughter would look like her.
Chu Da didn’t know how she managed to return to the hotel. She entered the elevator in a daze and didn’t notice the people around her. She kept thinking about how Gu Jiao Wu would react after he found out she couldn’t give him the opportunity to be a father.
End of Chapter Six (Part 1)