Chapter 290 - 263: Confession (3)
Chapter 290: Chapter 263: Confession (3)
"I am in love. I’ve given my heart to a girl."
"Is it that Tang Manman?"
Gu Shaojun nodded. "Yes. The Gu and Tang Families have a marriage agreement, and Xiao Man and I are fiancés."
"How old is Tang Manman? She’s just a kid who doesn’t understand anything, but you’re already in your twenties!" Tears streamed down Jun Ran’s face. "Gu Shaojun, are you really going to honor that so-called childhood betrothal? It’s the eighties, the era of Reform and Opening-up! Everyone is looking forward, so why are you still bowing to those old-fashioned customs? Wake up!"
"I’m not bowing to anything. I’m doing this of my own free will! What I feel for her is love, just as you understand it!"
Gu Shaojun didn’t want to explain further. "Let’s leave it at that. You know my situation. I’m not single, so..."
"No! You can’t just brush me off like this! I won’t accept it! When you came back in October, at that party, you... you clearly liked me!" Jun Ran suddenly shrieked, then covered her mouth and broke into choked sobs.
Gu Shaojun’s expression turned cold. "Show me the proof. What did I say? What did I do?"
"So many girls were surrounding you, but you stayed by my side. You drank for me, you walked me home, and you even said I’d grown up, that the cute little angel had turned into an elegant beauty! Since you could see my good qualities, it must mean you like me! Maybe you just haven’t realized it yet. That’s okay, I can wait!"
Gu Shaojun’s eye twitched. ’Looks like I can’t just casually look after younger girls anymore, or praise them so freely. This is definitely a lesson learned! So what if her brother is my good friend? Someone else’s sister is still someone else’s. As long as her last name isn’t Gu and she isn’t my actual sister... this is so much trouble!’
"Jun Ran, you know full well that was a party. We were all in the same hall together. It’s more accurate to say we were all keeping each other company, not that I was specifically with you. I did drink for you and walk you home late at night, but that’s because you’d had a lot to drink. I was worried you’d get drunk and that it wasn’t safe for you to be out alone. If Jun Yang had been there, he would have done the same thing, right?"
"Please don’t use my brother as an excuse! Liking someone is just that, liking them! Love is sacred, there’s nothing wrong with it. Why are you so afraid to admit it?"
"Let me state this officially: I do not have feelings for you!"
"Do you dare to swear it?"
"It’s a baseless accusation. Why bother?"
"If you don’t like me, why were you so gentle with me? Why did you block Feng Zhisheng and stop him from getting close to me? You were obviously jealous of him! That night, I could feel your emotions!"
"If you think that’s me being gentle, then I’ll definitely have to change my ways! As for Feng Zhisheng, his father is a high-ranking official, and he’s spent time in the military. I know him better than you do. If you get involved with him, you’ll definitely regret it! As for my feelings, let me repeat myself..."
"Don’t say it! I’ll wait for you to come to your senses. One day, you’ll see your own heart’s true feelings! One year, two years, five years, ten years—I can wait!" Jun Ran cried out, then spun around and ran like a gust of wind down the long pathway toward the front courtyard.
Gu Shaojun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his head throbbing. ’She just ran off like that? Shouldn’t she hate me and swear never to see me again? Why is she still talking about waiting one, two, five, or ten years? Did I say something wrong again?’
Zhou Hui Lan walked over quickly. "Shaojun, what happened? Where’s Manman? How did you get Ranran mixed up in this?"
Gu Shaojun shook his head. "I didn’t do anything. We were just talking and she started crying. Mom, where were you just now? Why didn’t you come over sooner?"
"I was watching from over there. You usually don’t like to be disturbed when you’re talking to people!"
"...Sometimes, a little disturbance is necessary."
Gu Shaojun rubbed his temples, a headache forming. He started to head for the front hall to check on things, but after a moment’s thought, he turned and walked toward the small sitting room instead. ’I need to have a talk with Gu Shaoling! That girl is at Jun Ran’s beck and call, so what’s her attitude toward Xiao Man? Does she have any sense of who’s family and who’s an outsider? No wonder Shaofeng can’t stand her. Even I can’t resist the urge to teach her a lesson!’
Xiao Man and Zheng Shaolian reached the front courtyard. They only peeked inside from the side door of the main hall for a moment without going in directly. The hall was filled with guests, not just from the Tang family. They were all adults, with no children, and were even seated separately by gender, chatting and laughing as if at a tea party. It would be a bit awkward for the two of them to walk in, so they decided against it.
Besides, Grandma was sitting right next to Grandma Tang, and Grandpa was with Dad Tang. Neither of them looked uncomfortable or nervous, so that was good enough.
The two of them wandered around the courtyard for a bit before Zheng Shaolian suggested taking Xiao Man out to have some fun. Xiao Man agreed with a nod. Just as they reached the main gate, they heard a CLACK-CLACK-CLACK from behind them—the sound of leather heels rapidly striking the stone path. They turned to see Jun Ran, her shoulder-length hair a mess from running. Her eyes were red and soaked with tears, and even her nose was red.