Chapter 496 - 435: The Other Half
Chapter 496: Chapter 435: The Other Half
Heat rushed to her eyes. Xiao Man closed them, hiding her face in his broad embrace. ’I must be going crazy,’ she thought. ’Why am I bringing up my past life?’
In her past life, Gu Shaojun had genuinely cherished Tang Yaxuan. After he was disabled, he had resolutely broken off their engagement, allowing Tang Yaxuan to find happiness with someone of a higher station.
In this life, even if it was just a hypothetical, Xiao Man didn’t want him to let her go. And he had given her the answer she wanted.
But this was a bit cruel to Gu Shaojun. His past life had been miserable enough, and now she was forcing him to imagine such a tragic scenario. Xiao Man felt awful.
She said softly, "Brother Shaojun, I just want you to understand: I’ve taken all the promises you’ve made me to heart. I’m taking them all seriously, so you can’t go back on your word. From now on, we’re one. Neither of us can even think about getting rid of the other. If I become hideous, you have to accept it. If you become disabled, you’ll still be my other half. Don’t even think about pushing me away!"
Gu Shaojun was silent for a long moment. Suddenly, he took a deep breath, his voice gentle and laced with a smile. "I know, my other half!"
A certain anxiety in his heart was completely dispelled. Gu Shaojun relaxed and couldn’t help but tease Xiao Man. "You’ve accepted all my promises? Shouldn’t you give me a receipt?"
Xiao Man’s eyes curved into crescents. "Didn’t I already give you one? It was even stamped!"
"Xiao Man, let’s have an engagement ceremony, okay?"
"Didn’t we already talk about this? We said we’d get engaged in two years."
"But we’re already fiancés. Holding a ceremony would make it public, so there won’t be any misunderstandings."
"Misunderstand what?"
"That you’re still a single woman. Sun Yiming, for example. He doesn’t know we have a marriage agreement!"
"Sun Yiming? He... Oh, I get it!"
Xiao Man lifted her head from Gu Shaojun’s chest and pointed a finger at him, both exasperated and amused. "I knew there was something off about you today. Is it because of Sun Yiming?"
Gu Shaojun grabbed her slender finger and held it against his chest. He said justifiably, "Yes, it is because of him! The first time we met, my gut told me he has improper thoughts about you, and I won’t tolerate it! I’m going to find him later and make him understand: you’re my fiancée, and he’s not allowed to covet you!"
Xiao Man: "..."
’Do I smell something sour? Gu Shaojun, the great young master of the Gu family, is actually jealous?’
She cleared her throat and playfully patted his chest a couple of times. "Alright, let’s just talk about it and leave it at that. Don’t actually go looking for him; it’ll be embarrassing. Sun Yiming has known for a while that we have a marriage agreement. Otherwise... uh? Um, shouldn’t we be going downstairs?"
Gu Shaojun was unmoved, his handsome eyes as dark as ink. "Finish what you were saying. Otherwise, what? Our marriage agreement was passed down by our ancestors. Imperial Doctor Sun only met you a few years ago. He is your respected teacher, and we respect him. If he had any last wishes, we would do our best to fulfill them. But if he was thinking of a marriage alliance, he shouldn’t even bring it up!"
Having been with him across two lifetimes, Xiao Man might not have fully grasped the temperament of the young Gu Shaojun, but she was familiar with the middle-aged one. The dark clouds gathering in his eyes were a sign of an impending eruption of anger.
’Looks like he really can’t stand Sun Yiming.’
Xiao Man definitely couldn’t let him confront Sun Yiming. ’The guy is innocent, okay?’ Except for that one time when Sun Jingzu had asked Grandpa about it and then dropped the subject completely after learning about the Gu and Tang marriage agreement, Sun Yiming and Xiao Man were just friendly classmates. They were familiar with each other, but he had never said anything inappropriate.
Xiao Man puffed out her cheeks. "Who brought it up? The Sun Family has been an aristocratic family of medicine for hundreds of years. Their foundation and heritage are deep. Countless families want to form a marriage alliance with them. Would they really be interested in a little country girl? Plenty of ladies from high society are chasing after Sun Yiming and Sun Yinong, including foreign girls!"
"Is that so? That’s great, then. I was just worried he’d be interested in *my* little country girl!" Gu Shaojun pursed his lips and lightly poked Xiao Man’s puffed-out cheek with a finger.
"Relax, Mo Xiaoman isn’t some gold-inlaid jade silver ingot. How could I be in such high demand? Right now, you’re the only one tied to me by an engagement, so you’re the only one who’s with me and treats me so well without holding back. To be honest, when I’m out, no guys come up to hit on me, and no one’s pursuing me... Huh? It’s true! I’ve been in college for so long, and no one has ever pursued me!"
As Xiao Man spoke, she was suddenly horrified by a realization: ’Am I a failure as a girl? I’m not bad-looking. I’ve got fair skin, a pretty face, and long legs, but still, no one is pursuing me!’
But Gu Shaojun was amused by the little girl’s dazed and adorable expression. He burst out laughing happily. "Silly girl, when you look in the mirror, don’t you see the two words ’Gu Shaojun’ written on your forehead? You’re already spoken for. Who would pursue you when they have no chance?"
"..."
Gu Shaojun had been worried and tormented before, truly because he lacked confidence. After all, he and Xiao Man had been separated for two whole years. If Xiao Man’s heart had changed, he really wouldn’t have been able to bear it.
Fortunately, his little girl was still his, and she loved him with all her heart!
Gu Shaojun led Xiao Man downstairs, feeling refreshed and in high spirits. His mood couldn’t have been better. When he saw Sun Yiming again, his smile even held a bit more sincerity.
He hadn’t expected, however, that in the half hour or so he and Xiao Man had spent upstairs, another guest had arrived. It was someone from the Bai family: Bai Junfan.
Bai Junfan had been seated next to Gu Shaofeng. Gu Shaojun was sitting diagonally across from Bai Junfan. Upon suddenly seeing Bai Junfan, Gu Shaojun thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
He had been back in the country for two months. While he didn’t know all the details of what was happening in Beijing, he was aware of the major events. Tang Qingyun and Wu Xiaowen had divorced, and the reason was that Wu Xiaowen had been fooling around with Bai Lihua, cuckolding Tang Qingyun! Gu Shaojun was shocked and thought Wu Xiaowen was utterly foolish and disgusting. And the Bai family—what gave them the nerve to face the Tang Family?
Even the Gu family was ashamed to be associated with the Bai Family!
Gu Shaojun already disliked Bai Junfan. They had been forced to interact for work, both abroad and in the border patrol’s special operations team, but it had been strictly professional. After learning about the affair between Wu Xiaowen and Bai Lihua, he had become a complete block of ice toward Bai Junfan. Their relationship was purely that of a superior and subordinate; aside from giving orders, he wouldn’t waste a single word.