Chapter 302 - 273: Doesn’t Belong to You
Chapter 302: Chapter 273: Doesn’t Belong to You
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Chen family, who were old friends, were hosting a banquet. They had formally invited Grandpa and Grandma. Grandpa Tang and Grandma Tang attended with Xiao Man and Hao Hao, and from the Gu family came Grandpa Gu, Granny Gu, Shaoling, and Shaoyu. Gu Shaojun and Shaoshan Shaojin had spent the previous night at the Tang Mansion. At ten o’clock, as Xiao Man and the others were getting ready to leave for the party, Gu Shaojun also headed out, but he drove toward the Kyoto Restaurant.
He and Xiao Man had a plan: he would stay at the Kyoto Restaurant for half an hour at most, then meet up with some friends for lunch. At two o’clock, he would wait for Xiao Man at the Chen family’s gate. If Grandpa and Grandma had also left by then, he could take the two elders out for a walk. If they didn’t come, he and Xiao Man would go off and have fun by themselves.
Xiao Man waved at Gu Shaojun and watched his car drive away. The Chen family’s home wasn’t far; she and her grandparents only had to walk a few hundred meters to get there.
Gu Shaojun walked into the lobby of the Kyoto Restaurant. It was ten-forty, twenty minutes before eleven, but Wu Xiaowen and Tang Yaxuan were already waiting for him.
Tang Yaxuan spotted Gu Shaojun instantly and let out a delighted shriek. She shot up from her seat, about to run to him, but Wu Xiaowen quickly held her back. "Make sure you’re not mistaken. Your Brother Shaojun is very punctual; he’s never early."
"It is him! It really is! We haven’t seen each other in so long, so it’s not strange for him to be early!" Tang Yaxuan’s voice trembled with excitement.
’How could she possibly mistake him? She’d known Brother Shaojun since she was seven. She had seen him in all kinds of outfits for every sort of occasion, and he was always dazzlingly, incomparably handsome. She could spot her Brother Shaojun in an instant, even on a street teeming with people, let alone in a hotel lobby with just a few others scattered about.’
Tang Yaxuan wrenched her hand free from Wu Xiaowen’s grasp and shot toward him like a bird in flight!
Wu Xiaowen finally spotted Gu Shaojun’s location and couldn’t help but chuckle. ’He changed his coat and looks like a completely different person. It’s amazing Xuanxuan recognized him so quickly. It just goes to show how much she truly cares about Shaojun.’
Seeing Tang Yaxuan rushing toward him, Gu Shaojun shifted his body slightly and extended a hand, skillfully catching and steadying her to prevent a public display of a passionate embrace. Wu Xiaowen followed behind them, smiling. "Shaojun, you’re here. Xuanxuan has been waiting for half an hour, you know. Look at this child. She was so excited about seeing her Brother Shaojun today that she couldn’t sleep a wink last night. And now that she’s seen you, look how happy she is!"
Tang Yaxuan clutched Gu Shaojun’s arm, pressing herself against him. Her eyes welled with tears and her gaze was intense as she choked out, "I missed you, Brother Shaojun... I missed you so, so much..."
Gu Shaojun first nodded to Wu Xiaowen, then gestured toward a nearby sofa. He looked down at Tang Yaxuan and said, "Let’s go sit down. We’re blocking people’s way standing here."
Tang Yaxuan obediently followed Gu Shaojun to the seating area, remembering to turn and call to Wu Xiaowen, "Mom, come join us!"
Wu Xiaowen smiled. "You two talk for a bit. I’ll go order you something to eat and drink, and I’ll take a look at the restaurant’s menu. Shaojun, is there anything you’d like to eat? The restaurant has a new master chef, and several of the signature dishes are excellent. Xuanxuan loves them; you should try some too."
Gu Shaojun said, "Aunt Wu, please just order whatever you two like. I have other business to attend to, so I can only stay for a moment. My friends are waiting for me at the Eastern Restaurant."
"That won’t do," Wu Xiaowen said, her fine brows furrowing. "You promised you’d have lunch with Xuanxuan. Shaojun, you can’t go back on your word. Look how heartbroken Xuanxuan is."
Tang Yaxuan’s face, which had been beaming just a moment ago at being able to sit next to her Brother Shaojun, instantly fell. She clutched his sleeve tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Brother Shaojun, please don’t go! We haven’t seen each other in so long! Xuanxuan really missed you, and I have so many things I want to tell you..."
Gu Shaojun glanced down at his sleeve and said flatly, "Xuanxuan, don’t wrinkle or stain my clothes. I still have to meet my friends."
"Brother Shaojun... COUGH! COUGH!" Tang Yaxuan began to choke on her sobs.
Wu Xiaowen quickly handed her a glass of water. "Quick, take a sip. Shaojun, please stop upsetting her. She just got over a severe cold and isn’t fully recovered. The moment she starts crying, she starts wheezing and coughing and can’t stop. It’s just heartbreaking to watch!"
"Aunt Wu, please sit." Gu Shaojun pried Tang Yaxuan’s hand from his sleeve. As he stood, he smoothly guided Wu Xiaowen toward her daughter, giving Tang Yaxuan her mother to lean on. He then moved to the opposite seat, putting the coffee table between himself and the mother-daughter pair.
"If it’s a severe cold, then I’d better take precautions. I’m heading back to my unit tomorrow, and I can’t risk getting sick."