Chapter 499 - 437: Returning the Letter
Chapter 499: Chapter 437: Returning the Letter
Gu Shaofeng and Bai Junfan sat side by side, but not a single word was exchanged between them. He’d never had a good impression of Bai Junfan, and besides, he already had plans to leave Beijing for H Province at six that afternoon. The thought of the person he was about to meet made him antsy, and with his mind occupied, his face was as cold as ice. He didn’t even spare Bai Junfan a sideways glance, as if he didn’t recognize the man at all.
Although Bai Junfan had made a name for himself in the circle of rich heirs over the past two years, he had left Beijing at a young age and hadn’t fully reacclimated since his return, so he didn’t know many people. Aside from the Gu family cousins at his table, the other young masters were all unfamiliar faces to him. They only spoke and joked with the Gu brothers. Gu the Third, Gu Shaozheng, was a master at creating a lively atmosphere, and the group was so boisterous they didn’t even bother asking who Bai Junfan was. Bai Junfan felt distinctly isolated.
Halfway through the meal, the juniors from the farther tables started bringing their glasses over to toast the elders. Bai Junfan went as well, and he never came back. Pretending to have run into some friends he hit it off with, he found himself a seat at another table.
No one went to ask him to return, and aside from Gu Shaojun, nobody paid Bai Junfan any particular mind.
Gu Shaojun had a good idea of Bai Junfan’s intentions for coming today. Two years ago, Bai Junfan had run off to Ping County, confessed his feelings to Xiao Man, and even sent her a letter. Xiao Man had made it clear back then that she wasn’t interested and insisted on handling it herself. Now, with the messy entanglement between Bai Lihua and Wu Xiaowen, and Tang Qingyun’s resolute divorce from Wu Xiaowen, it was easy to imagine how the Tang family and Xiao Man felt about the Bai family. ’If Bai Junfan still dares to harbor any notions,’ Gu Shaojun thought, ’you’d really have to admire his nerve.’
Over at the women’s tables, Xiao Man had the misfortune of sharing a table with Bai Yifen and Bai Yifang. The two sisters spared no effort to cozy up to Xiao Man, acting as if they were incredibly close friends. Zhou Hui Lan reminded her that guests were guests and told Xiao Man to just tolerate it, as it wouldn’t be right to be too cold with everyone watching. Xiao Man responded with a placid expression, though inside, she was thoroughly annoyed. ’This is exasperating,’ she thought.
Grandma Tang said to Xiao Man, "If you don’t want to deal with the Bai family, just give them the cold shoulder. Mrs. Ai is pregnant, so it’s not convenient for her, and you have Mrs. Gu and your Third Aunt to play hostess. We didn’t want to welcome them in the first place, but they insisted on trailing in behind other guests. That’s the problem with your grandpa—he’s always so concerned about saving face and the ’bigger picture.’ Always saying things like, ’We don’t need to be so ruthless,’ and ’show some respect for old times’ sake,’ going on about what Old Bai did for the country back in the day. And then there’s their eldest son, Bai Junfan’s father who passed away years ago, who was supposedly a real, accomplished soldier. Bai Junfan made a point of only bringing his two sisters to pay New Year’s respects today, to show that they represent the main branch of their family and have nothing to do with Bai Lihua... Pah! Why am I even bringing him up? Anyway, your grandpa is just too long-winded. Forget it! It’s the New Year, a time for peace and celebration. Publicly humiliating them really wouldn’t be good. So just let them be. With so many guests, we can just pretend we don’t see the three of them mixed in the crowd!"
Listening to her grandmother, Xiao Man could only hum in agreement.
The Bai family was certainly cunning. Mr. Bai supposedly had "a slight cold" and couldn’t go out, sending only Bai Junfan and his sisters to the Tang family to pay their respects. Even Bai Qingyue hadn’t come. Furthermore, the three siblings had arrived so late, they must have scouted ahead and learned that the Tang family was hosting a banquet, figuring the hosts would be unlikely to slam the door in their faces.
Since they had the gall to show up, why would they be content to just be invisible? The Bai sisters might be wary of Grandma Tang, but they had no qualms about endlessly pestering Xiao Man. ’Who knows where they got the idea that Xiao Man was meek and easy to talk to?’
After the banquet dispersed, the guests were free to mingle. Nearly all the women followed Grandma Tang to the conservatory in the backyard to admire the various species of orchids that she and Grandpa Tang so meticulously cultivated.
Some of the men also went to admire the flowers. The rest either sat inside drinking tea and chatting or went out to stroll around the grounds. While known as the old Tang Mansion, it was actually a solidly built, European-style villa that had been converted from a traditional courtyard home during the Republican era. The backyard still retained a few quaint, antique-style buildings, along with rockeries and pavilions. The front yard, however, was almost entirely Western in its architectural style. A straight, granite-paved main drive led to a simple yet elegant plaza, complete with a fountain and exquisite angel statues. It was all quite a sight to behold.
Xiao Man didn’t go to the conservatory. Seizing the opportunity, she slipped upstairs and dug out the unopened letter Bai Junfan had mailed her two years ago. She then went back down, found him, and led him over to the fountain in the courtyard, where she handed the letter right back to him.
"I never opened the letter, so I don’t know what it says. But I remember what you said to me two years ago. You didn’t give me a chance to turn you down then, so I’m doing it now. Bai Junfan, I don’t like you, and I can’t accept your feelings!"
It was as if a basin of cold water had been dumped over Bai Junfan’s head. The warm smile on his slightly flushed face vanished, and his complexion instantly turned a sickly pale.
He had spotted Xiao Man from a distance earlier. As he’d expected, she hadn’t disappointed him. It was true that a girl’s appearance changes as she grows; she had blossomed into a breathtaking beauty with an exceptional air about her. He had been about to go speak with her but was stopped by two young men he had just met. The three of them were standing and talking by the living room’s French doors when Xiao Man suddenly walked over and called his name. Bai Junfan’s heart had sped up, and seeing the envious looks from the two young men, he’d felt a surge of smug satisfaction. He had eagerly followed her outside, only to be met with this outcome a few minutes later.
"Manman, is it because of Shaojun?" Bai Junfan asked after a moment of silence, his lips pursed.
Xiao Man tucked the envelope he refused to take back into the pocket of his open suit jacket. "This is my decision," she said, looking him in the eye. "Even if there were no Gu Shaojun, I still wouldn’t like you. It’s a matter of chemistry between people. From the moment I first saw you, I knew we were not the same kind of person."
"Manman, why lie to yourself?" Out of the corner of his eye, Bai Junfan saw Gu Shaojun appear on the veranda and start walking quickly toward them. He took the letter and, with a flick of his long fingers, tucked it into the inner pocket of his suit. He smiled, his tone confident and smooth. "Perhaps you were too young back then to understand your own heart. I spent three days with you in Ping County, I had the key to your dorm, and I cooked for all of you every day. Didn’t you all say you liked me very much?"
Xiao Man was momentarily at a loss for words. ’It’s all the fault of those two boy-crazy fools, Guan Ailan and Mo Shuiling!’ she fumed internally. ’Aside from Zheng Shaolian, they gave a warm welcome to anyone who showed up, claiming they "liked" all of them! The way they saw it, you get to look at a handsome guy *and* get free meals—you’d have to be an idiot not to "like" that!’
She felt a slight weight on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Gu Shaojun’s arm around her and a sweet smile immediately bloomed on her face. "Shaojun!"
Gu Shaojun feigned a nonchalant "Mm," but inwardly he was ecstatic. ’This girl is such a tease! Calling my name in that enchanting tone at a time like this!’
’Doesn’t she know how long I’ve wanted to shed that "big brother" title? I want nothing more than to be her husband, to hear her call my name so sweetly.’
Bai Junfan watched their gazes lock and linger, as if they had exchanged a thousand unspoken words in that single moment. A bitter feeling welled up inside him, and his expression turned grim.