Cinderella Innocent and Boss Charming - Chapter 172

Chapter 172 Am I Late for That?
Gu Nianbin was still in a daze when some others came out of the door. It was his parents and younger sister, as well as Xia Deren and his wife, and Xia Nanze. Gu Shanshan, who was walking in the front, smiled complacently at Fang Yaru. “Mom, did I say that elder brother would be surprised? Look at his dumbfounded appearance. He hasn’t come to himself yet!”

“Don’t say that about your brother during the Spring Festival.” Fang Yaru patted Gu Shanshan. Then she smiled at Gu Nianbin and continued, “Are you startled? Shanshan insisted on giving you a surprise. So, she didn’t let us tell you in advance. She has been waiting for this surprise for a long time. Before you came, I asked her to give you a phone call and urge you to come quickly, but she didn’t agree. She was afraid that it would make you get suspicious!”

“Nianbin, we have not celebrated New Year’s Eve in your home for many years. As Xiaowan has come back this year, we will have a jolly time together as before.” Xia Deren smiled while patting Gu Nianbin’s shoulder. And he continued, “Xiaowan was afraid that you would not come back due to the bad weather. But I believed that you would, even if it were to rain more heavily. We Chinese people pay particular attention to this occasion. So in any case, you would come back. She and Shanshan were both worried about you anxiously.”

Xia Xiaowan cast a reproachful glance at her father. “It’s a long way. What’s more, it’s raining and snowing. I’m surely worried!”

What she said made everyone laugh, as what she meant was self-evident.

Xia Nanze also came over to greet Gu Nianbin, “Long time no see, you look good. The Gu group is definitely having a good harvest again this year!”

Gu Nianbin smiled faintly, “The Xia Group’s performance has been pretty good as well in the past two years after you took over it!”

Hearing this, Xia Deren smiled and said to Gu Guangxian, “Old Gu, we have to admit that we’re old. The world now belongs to them young people. We should let them give a try. As the poem says, the pupil outdoes the master. They will definitely do better than us. I think the Gu Group has developed quite well under Nianbin’s leadership these past few years. He even won the project of the ecological park. Now, City G is no longer in the era when the Jiang Group is the only best.”

Gu Guangxian nodded, “Yes, we are old now. Let them have a try. My Nianbin is not bad, and your Nanze is not bad either. Both of them are excellent!”

Gu Shanshan held Gu Nianbin’s arm and swayed it, “Brother, isn’t it a pleasant surprise to see Xiaowan?”

Ever since everyone came in, Gu Nianbin had never looked at Xia Xiaowan again. At this moment, as Gu Shanshan teased him, it seemed that a secret in his heart had been exposed and he was ashamed into anger. He glanced at her angrily and said, “No one can compete with you in the world. You poke your nose into everything.”

Gu Shanshan shouted, “Mom, see, brother is shy!”

Fang Yaru said, “You are asking for his scolding yourself. Come, let’s not get in the way here anymore. We should go and see if the dishes are ready. Everyone is here, it’s time for dinner.”

Hearing these words, all the others in the room left, leaving only Gu Nianbin and Xia Xiaowan behind.

“Brother Nianbin,” Xia Xiaowan slowly approached him, “you look unhappy. Could it be that you don’t want to see me?”

“How could that be? I’m glad you’re back,” Gu Nianbin said.

“Really?” Xia Xiaowan repeatedly swept her gaze over at his face as if she was examining him.

“Yes.” Gu Nianbin nodded seriously.

Xia Xiaowan lowered her head and fell silent for a moment before raising her head again. To his surprise, her eyes ran with tears and she choked down her sobs, “Brother Nianbin, I miss you so much.”

Gu Nianbin held out his hand and wanted to wipe the tears from her eyes. However, Xia Xiaowan directly threw herself into his arms, biting her lips and with her shoulders trembling. Gu Nianbin raised his hand in mid-air and hesitated for a moment. Then, he finally hugged her and comforted her warmly as before, “Don’t cry. It’s inappropriate to cry during the Spring Festival. You must have suffered a lot from being alone abroad these years. Don’t leave since you’ve come back now.”

“Enh,” Xia Xiaowan nodded in his arms, “I have decided to stay. Brother Nianbin, I’ve figured it out.”

“What?”

Xia Xiaowan seemed to be a little shy. She paused for a while before saying, “We have a five-year agreement you set. Am I late for that?”

Gu Nianbin’s body trembled slightly. His hand around her waist slowly fell down. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Shanshan answered from behind the bead door curtain, “You’re surely not late. It hasn’t been five years. My brother has been looking forward to this day for a long time.”

Xia Xiaowan was shy. She raised her head from Gu Nianbin’s arms and said angrily, “Ah, why are you peeking at us?”

Gu Shanshan lifted the curtain and walked in. She said smilingly, “There is no need to peek. I know you will surely be crying on each other’s shoulder and talking about how you miss the other.”

“You! You’re as annoying as before!” Xia Xiaowan wiped her eyes and ran towards her, “What nonsense! I’m going to teach you a lesson!”

Gu Shanshan ran towards the dining hall with laughter and shouted, “Auntie Xia, save me! Auntie Xia, save me!”

Gu Nianbin followed them slowly. Looking at the two laughing and playing together in front of him, it was as if he had returned to the old days. At that time, he truly liked Xia Xiaowan. As long as she was nearby, his heart would be in peace. But now, it was different. When he held her, he felt that she could no longer reach the softest part of his heart. It was as if he was holding an old friend, a younger sister. Their friendship that had lasted since childhood was still there, but the affection had changed. Because he was different now. There was only one person in his heart now—that silly, single-minded Du Xiaoxian.

Around the dining table sat nine people, including four from the Gu family, another four from the Xia family, and Xiao Bonian. It was typically festive when so many people gathered together, especially when Gu Shanshan was here. As a trained professional TV host herself, her ability to make atmosphere cheerful was really amazing. Everyone listened to her chirping sound. From time to time, there were bursts of laughter. Everyone raised their wine glasses to drink, and even Gu Guangxian was allowed to have a small glass of fruit wine. The lively occasion was exactly the same as before.

Because of Xia Xiaowan, the two families had not visited each other as usual in these years. The parents of the Xia family felt that their daughter failed Gu Nianbin, so they did not have the nerve to pay visit to the Gu family. They were also afraid that Gu Nianbin would feel sad when he saw them. Therefore, it seemed that they wanted to compensate such loss in the past few years through this gathering. With Gu Shanshan mobilizing the atmosphere, it was quite lively. As they exchanged toasts with each other constantly, Gu Nianbin also drank a lot unknowingly, and his face glowed with redness.

Xia Xiaowan scooped up a bowl of soup quickly and gave it to him, “Brother Nianbin, you should drink less, otherwise you will get drunk. Come and drink this bowl of soup!”

The others stared at the bowl of soup simultaneously with eight pairs of eyes. Gu Nianbin had no choice but to take the soup. Xia Nanze shouted, “Xiaowan, I also drank a bit too much. Why didn’t you give me the soup? I’m your brother!”

Mrs. Xia glanced at him reproachfully, “If you are having green eyes, find yourself a wife. You are already at the age of thirty, why don’t you care about your own happiness at all?”

“Nianbin is older than me. Auntie Gu doesn’t feel anxious. Mom, why are you so anxious about me?”

“Nianbin’s marriage has been cast in stone. What about yours? I don’t even see any sign of you dating anyone. How could I not be anxious about you?”

“Ah, I’m the same.” Fang Yaru smiled and said, “Who says I’m not anxious? That’s not the case. Now that Xiaowan is back, we should discuss and choose an auspicious day for their marriage after the Spring Festival.”

Mrs. Xia nodded, “They are not young anymore. So, their marriage cannot be delayed any further.”

Although Gu Nianbin drank a little too much and felt a little dizzy, he understood clearly that his mother was deliberately pushing him by saying that. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Guangxian suddenly began to cough. And he coughed more and more fiercely, which startled everyone. Fang Yaru hurriedly patted him on the back. Xiao Bonian quickly brought a cup of water for him to clear the throat.

Xia Deren said, “Old Gu, you should pay attention to your health. Is it because of that glass of wine? Maybe you shouldn’t drink it.”

“No,” Fang Yaru gently stroked her husband’s back, “he is so happy today that he gets a little excited. The doctor said that to convalesce from the illness, he should keep a serene mood, and must not get excited or stimulated. Now we have to talk to him with great care, for fear of making him unhappy!”

Gu Guangxian’s cough finally stopped and he drank two mouthfuls of water. Then he glanced at Fang Yaru and said, “Is that the case? With great care? Why have I never felt it? Your voice is still as loud as before, isn’t it?”

That made everyone laugh.

Thanks to this episode, Gu Nianbin had no choice but to swallow back what he wanted to say. He understood what his parents meant. Having Xia Xiaowan as his wife was the best choice for the Gu family. The two families of Gu and Xia had been getting along for many years, knowing each other through and through. Moreover, the Xia family had strong financial resources. If the Gu family fell into trouble, the Xia family would be their strongest backing. His parents had known Xia Xiaowan since she was a child. Her beauty, figure, and education were all first-class. Furthermore, everyone knew that he had waited for Xia Xiaowan for many years. It would truly be to everyone’s satisfaction if they got married in the end.

If it had been a few months ago, he would have definitely felt that this was the best thing to do. He had been waiting for Xia Xiaowan for so many years. However, Du Xiaoxian’s appearance in his life made him realize why he could not make something genuine come of it. It turned out that his fate had been decided by Heaven. He had been destined to be together with Du Xiaoxian, not Xia Xiaowan. Du Xiaoxian was truly the one he had waited for in his life!

At first, He wanted to make things clear while everyone was here. But if he said it in front of them, it would certainly embarrass the Xia family and his parents. Then, there would be no room for making it up. His father would probably vomit blood from anger. Just now, his mother’s hint was already exceptionally clear. So, he could not do this during Spring Festival. He could only explain the matter to Xia Xiaowan later. As long as Xia Xiaowan gave up, things would be easy to handle.

Du Huayue took out his cellphone and checked the time. “It’s nine o’clock. Why hasn’t your brother Gu returned yet?” he said.

Du Xiaoxian was holding the fireworks in each hand and shaking them with joy. She quickly spun in circles and looked at the flowing blue sparks, laughing. “What’s the rush? It’s still early!”

Du Huayue said, “I won’t be able to go back by taxi if it’s going to take him longer before coming back. It’s New Year’s Eve, I’m afraid there won’t be many taxies available.”

“Don’t worry. There are a lot of rooms here. Don’t go back if it’s too late.”

“It’s getting late. Why don’t you give him a call? Maybe he really doesn’t come back.”

“Alright, wait after I finish these two fireworks, I’ll call him.”

There was no moonlight shedding light on this snowy night. The sky was so dark that it seemed as if it was going to collapse. The beautiful blue sparks were distinctively bright in the dark night. Du Huayue stood aside. Looking at Du Xiaoxian surrounded by the two beams of blue light, he was lost in thought. He used to think that she was cowardly, a little girl who needed his protection. But now, that little girl was laughing heartily. Her big eyes were sparkling. It was as if all the stars in the sky had fallen into her eyes. As the blue light shone, her face glowed with sparkling light and became exceptionally beautiful. Suddenly, he had a feeling of being stunned. He had known her since childhood. But, at this moment, her brilliant appearance was truly strange to him.

When he was a child, he thought that Du Xiaoxian’s mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. Up until now, he had never seen anyone who was more beautiful than her mother. If he had to name one, then it would be Du Xiaoxian who was right in front of him now. She and her mother were like two fairies, so beautiful that no one dared to look directly at them. No wonder Gu Nianbin liked her!