Chapter 128 - 118: Goodbye! Gu Shaojun
Chapter 128: Chapter 118: Goodbye! Gu Shaojun
Less than half an hour after the two military district officials left, a jeep pulled up and stopped under the large banyan tree. Zheng Shaolian was thrilled to hear from Gu Shaojun that he would be the one to take Xiao Man home, so much so that he didn’t even want a driver. However, the soldier said their superior was worried that Zheng Shaolian, being a new recruit, wasn’t familiar with the area and wouldn’t be able to find his way back to the city, so he had to tag along!
Zheng Shaolian was indignant. ’Do I look like someone with no sense of direction?’
But the thought that he’d have plenty of opportunities to go see Xiao Man on his own in the future made him happy, and he cheerfully pulled Xiao Man into the jeep.
Seeing that Xiao Man wouldn’t even spare him a glance, Gu Shaozhen felt a pang of guilt and voluntarily acted as the manual labor, loading all their things into the vehicle.
Gu Shaojun wanted to say goodbye to Xiao Man, but Gu Shaozhen kept leaning against the car window, shamelessly chattering on and on. Xiao Man remained silent, her small face tense as she ignored him. Gu Shaojun frowned and pulled Gu Shaozhen away. "What did you do?"
Gu Shaozhen waved his hands. "Nothing, I didn’t do anything! Just now, Shaolian and I were arguing a bit, and she took his side. She got angry trying to defend him!"
Zheng Shaolian: ...
’You bastard! You’ve made a habit of using me as a scapegoat. It comes so naturally to you!’
Xiao Man thought, ’Gu Shaozhen, if you dare use the word "fiancée" to disgust me again, I’ll go and pair you up with that so-called fiancée myself!’
’In our past life, she didn’t marry Gu Shaojun, and she can forget about marrying him in this life too!’
’Gu Shaojun can marry anyone, but it absolutely will not be Tang Yaxuan!’
Xiao Man turned her head and looked out the window at the handsome, heroic young man, her eyes turning red.
’Goodbye, Gu Shaojun. In this new life, I am still me, but you... you might not be the same you from before.’
’In our last life, you kept me safe. In this life, I’ve given you back a healthy body. My wish is fulfilled!’
’With a healthy body and extraordinary merits, you will be like the bright moon and brilliant stars, rising slowly into the sky, so dazzling that people will only be able to look up in awe!’
’Just one year from now, you will serve the nation with loyalty, courage, and burning passion, achieving illustrious military honors. The country will bestow upon you the highest accolades, and the people will surround you with flowers and applause. Your future will be splendid and brilliant. You’ll be in your prime, a true hero in the making, while I... I’ll still be just a naive little girl.’
’You’ll be far beyond my reach. I’ll be proud of you, but I don’t want to use any other factors to sway or influence you. You lived a life of such pain and bitterness in our past life. In this one, you have the right and every reason to pursue the love you want and enjoy the happiness you deserve!’
’As for that Xuanxuan, please ignore her! Someone as wonderful as you can’t possibly waste your youth on her!’
’She’s not worth it!’
’She is someone I have a score to settle with!’
’In our past life and this one, she can be naive, childish, and ignorant. She can even openly fight for affection and love, and I wouldn’t say a word. But she clearly knew about my existence long ago yet deliberately kept it a secret. She didn’t say a thing until her own parents accidentally let it slip. Then, she feigned illness and acted spoiled to prevent me from getting close to my blood relatives. She colluded with her parents, plotting against me and exploiting me, trampling me underfoot just to secure their own wealthy and privileged life!’
’This is a debt I will make them repay!’
’They have their methods, and I have mine!’
’In my past life, I was foolish and too cowardly to take a hit. The abandonment and heartlessness of my own blood relatives completely destroyed my will, leaving me with no confidence at all. I kept saying I hated them and didn’t want to see them, and all of you believed it. But the truth is, I was simply too scared to face them!’
’It was clearly their fault, yet I was the one who insisted on shouldering that burden!’
’There’s probably no other fool like me in the world!’
’You told me countless times: be strong, be brave, don’t worry about others, don’t pay for the mistakes of others, follow your heart, and live the life you want... I remember.’
’Reborn in this life, I will grow up well, without a single scratch. My heart may not be strong enough yet, but I will gather the courage to stand up, if only to reveal the truth of what happened. It’s not because I want to return to their wealthy family—I couldn’t care less about that!’
’What’s done is done. Those who abandoned me, I will also abandon!’
’Goodbye, Gu Shaojun! I won’t bother you again.’
’From now on, I will properly care for Grandpa and Grandma, work hard to better myself, work hard to grow up, and... there are so many things waiting to be done!’
Gu Shaojun bent down, wanting to say something to Xiao Man through the window, but she turned her face to the other side.
And just at that moment, Zheng Shaolian, who had swapped seats with the driver Xiao Zhao, excitedly slammed on the gas, and the jeep shot forward!
Gu Shaojun: ...
’That kid really deserves a beating!’
’The little girl’s eyes were red and her face was pale. What on earth happened? Is it really a good idea to have Shaolian take her home? Can I even count on him?’
Gu Shaojun watched the jeep disappear around the corner, questioning a decision he had made for the first time.
Wei Zhenqing reminded them that it was getting late. The men got into their vehicles one after another, and the two cars accelerated as soon as they left the city outskirts, speeding toward the provincial city.
On the way there, Gu Shaojun and Gu Shaofeng had ridden together because they had things to discuss. For the return trip to the provincial city, Gu Shaofeng rode in the other car with his good friend Zhang Qingwan, while Wei Zhenqing and Gu Shaozhen switched to Gu Shaojun’s vehicle. Gu Shaojun asked Gu Shaozhen how he had provoked Xiao Man.
How could Gu Shaozhen dare to tell the truth? He couldn’t come up with an answer, but in his desperation, he remembered something and said to Gu Shaojun, "Bro, bro! I think you forgot—Xuanxuan asked you to grab a few things for her. You didn’t even go into the compound, did you?"
Gu Shaojun froze. It was true; he hadn’t remembered it at all.
’We’ve already come so far and we’re in a hurry. It’s impossible to turn back now. Oh well. Uncle Tang often returns to the provincial city anyway. I’ll just have him grab it.’
Following Xiao Man’s directions, Zheng Shaolian drove the jeep to Wancheng Hospital. Xiao Man asked them to wait for a moment, then got out and ran upstairs to the inpatient ward. Second Granny Qiu and Little Tiger’s mom, Wang Guihua, were still bickering back and forth. Xiao Man really had to hand it to the mother-and-daughter-in-law pair.
Xiao Ni was standing by the bed, holding on for support and nibbling on a steamed bun. Little Leopard, lying in bed, was awake. His eyes darted about, looking from one person to the next. When he saw Xiao Man run in, he immediately reached out a hand toward her and called out clearly, "Sister Xiao Man!"
Xiao Man squeezed his small hand. Seeing his condition, she figured he was mostly fine now. There was no need to use the spiritual spring water again.
Second Granny Qiu gave Xiao Man a light pat. "Where have you been all this time, you little rascal? You were gone for so long, my heart was in my throat! I was worried sick!"
Xiao Man smiled and said, "I went for a walk. I wanted to familiarize myself with the streets of Wancheng, but then I got lost. Luckily, I ran into some PLA soldiers. They’re really good people. They asked where I lived and are about to take me home!"
Second Granny Qiu was both startled and relieved. "See! I told you not to run off. You almost got lost and couldn’t find your way back, didn’t you?"
Xiao Man: ...
"They’re downstairs. We should hurry, we can’t keep them waiting for too long."
Second Granny Qiu quickly picked up Xiao Ni and followed Xiao Man downstairs to get in the car and head home.
When Wang Guihua heard that a PLA vehicle was taking them back to the village, she grew anxious and wanted to go back with them. But Second Granny Qiu berated her, telling her to stay put at the hospital and watch over Little Leopard for a few more days. She was to wait for Little Tiger’s dad to come pick the two of them up before returning.