Cinderella Innocent and Boss Charming - Chapter 180

Chapter 180 Shotgun Marriage
Shen Li and Jiang Kaiwei were talking cheerfully beside the wall when bursts of laughter suddenly arose from not far away. Shen Li turned around to look over before pushing Jiang Kaiwei. “Hey, Xia Xiaowan is back.”

However, Jiang Kaiwei did not look over. He said indifferently, “Okay. What does it have to do with me?”

“How come it has nothing to do with you? In those years…” Shen Li was radiant with delight and about to talk something with excitement. But he stopped in mid-sentence when seeing Jiang Kaiwei glared at him with chilling eyes. He then whispered after looking over again, “Why is Gu Nianbin together with her again? Where’s Du Xiaoxian? Could it be that he put the alternative girl aside as soon as his true soulmate returned? No way, is Gu Nianbin that kind of person?”

“What kind of person do you think he is?” Jiang Kaiwei scoffed.

“Anyway, he’s not a heartless one,” Shen Li shook off the ashes of his cigarette. “However, the return of Xia Xiaowan will make things interesting. Gu Nianbin is man who takes relationships seriously. So, he will definitely not shut Xia Xiaowan out. He will probably take both of her and Du Xiaoxian and enjoy such luck in love!”

Jiang Kaiwei didn’t utter a word. He took a last puff of his cigarette before heavily stubbing out its butt in the ashtray.

Shen Li continued, “Hey, let’s go over and greet her. After all, she is our old acquaintance.”

Jiang Kaiwei glared at him, “I won’t do that. It’s not like that you don’t know I dislike her the most.”

“That’s in the past. Maybe she has already changed,” said Shen Li. “She’s together with Gu Nianbin now and won’t bother you anymore. What are you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid?” Jiang Kaiwei snorted coldly. “If you want to go, do it yourself. I’m in no mood to do so.”

Shen Li just gave a glance at Jiang Kaiwei and then really walked away. He opened his arms and said while approaching Xia Xiaowan, “Xiaowan, when did you come back?”

Seeing that it was him, Xia Xiaowan released her grip on Gu Nianbin’s arm and walked over to hug him intimately. “Shen Li, long time no see.”

Shao Boqing was surprised with his eyes wide open. He shouted, “When did you have such a good relationship with Old Shen? No way, I must hug you too.”

“Behave yourself,” Shen Li smiled and said. “Nina is watching you from behind that door. Do you want to make her unhappy before your wedding ceremony?”

An old acquaintance aside said jealously, “Young Master Shao dares not to do that anymore. He is now like the Monkey King who has no way to escape from his jail at Buddha’s Mount of Five Fingers!”

These words led everyone to burst into laughter, which was also heard by Nina in the lounge. She asked Zhou Ting to see what was going on outside. Zhou Ting quietly opened the door a little bit and looked out through the crack. What she saw made her shocked a lot. She hurriedly looked out again carefully for another while before quickly closing the door.

Nina couldn’t help but feel strange. She asked, “What’s wrong? Is it Shao Boqing…”

“It’s not Manager Shao,” Zhou Ting was a little frightened and said while patting her chest in shock, “it’s my boss.”

“President Gu? What happened to him?”

Zhou Ting walked over and sat down. “How come I feel that the girl holding his arm looks like Xia Xiaowan?”

“Is that so?” Nina was shocked too. Neither she nor Zhou Ting knew Xia Xiaowan, but both of them had seen the photo of her.

Nina also went over and looked out through the crack of the door. It was indeed as Zhou Ting said. It looked like the girl knew both Shao Boqing and Shen Li well. She held Gu Nianbin’s arm and looked very intimate with him. Other than Du Xiaoxian, Nina never saw any other girls who were allowed to hold his arm in this way. Her appearance was so similar with Xia Xiaowan in the photo. Nina believed that she must be the Xia Xiaowan in legend.

Did President Gu want…

Could it be that he really wanted to dump Du Xiaoxian and go back to the embrace of his first love? Nina was suddenly mute with this thought. She and Zhou Ting looked at each other with consternation.

After a long while, Nina sighed slightly, “Poor Xiaoxian.”

However, Zhou Ting was still confident in her boss. She said, “It may not necessarily be what we think. My boss likes Xiaoxian so much that he won’t dump her.”

But Nina said while shaking her head, “This is not the same thing. He likes her, that’s all. There are always people in this city who have a beautiful dream of becoming Cinderella. But that is just a dream which cannot be taken seriously. President Gu may keep Du Xiaoxian as his lover. But the one who really has the luck to put on the crystal shoes is Xia Xiaowan.”

Zhou Ting suddenly laughed. “Aren’t you yourself a Cinderella who is about to marry into a rich and wealthy family?”

Nina stroked her belly and said, “I am just taken seriously for being pregnant. If it weren’t for that I’m pregnant, Shao Boqing and I would probably have a hard path to go as well. His mother now treasures this child so much that she even won’t let me stand at the door, for fearing that it may tire me and her grandson out.”

“Madam Shao will even be happier when you give birth to a chubby little guy.” Zhou Ting sighed sincerely and said, “You will be happy for the rest of your life.”

“Don’t worry, I will take care of you.” Nina held Zhou Ting’s hands and said, “We are close friends. When the time comes, I will ask Shao Boqing to introduce you to a good man. Then you’ll be happy too.”

“Alright, I’ll count my happiness on you,” said Zhou Ting with a smile. She couldn’t help but frown when thinking of Du Xiaoxian. The little girl had suffered so much hardship. When she finally saw an end of the suffering, something unexpected happened again all of a sudden. Why was Xia Xiaowan back? Her path to happiness was really strewn with difficulties…

After a long while of waiting, the wedding ceremony finally began. As the melodious wedding march played, Nina held her father’s arm and walked towards the stage slowly. Her wedding dress was a work of the famous Italian fashion designer RD. The tailored waist section was cleverly designed to conceal her bulged belly. And the laced chest part outlined her slander figure. The white dress yarns, one layer piled on top of another, resembled snowflakes and swayed like waves hitting the shore. On the surface were countless diamonds. The Larger ones were rhinestones while the smaller ones were natural diamonds. As the giant crystal lamps shone, they produced flowing light and color, making everyone gasp in amazement. On both sides of the red carpet, a line of handsome men and beautiful women in uniform continuously threw rose petals at the bride. The rose petals flew everywhere like a rain of beautiful flower petals, landing on the bride’s head, on her veil and dress.

Although the wedding dress was ingeniously designed, there were always sharp-eyed ones who could see the clue. Most of old acquaintances knew Nina. They were shocked seeing that she was the bride. Having vaguely figured out that there must be something unusual, they all turned their gazes to the belly of the bride. Then, with somewhat complicated expressions, they started to whisper to each other. All of a sudden, a burst of noises arose.

Their voices were not loud. However, Nina still heard some of what they said as she went past them.

“No wonder the wedding is so sudden. It turns out that it’s a shotgun marriage.”

“Exactly. It’s said that Young Master Shao never pursues a familiar woman. But in fact, they keep their relationship in secret so well that no one ever notices it.”

“Nina is indeed a person of ability. Although Young Master Shao is dissolute, she is tolerant about him, and she even personally prepared his dating with other girls. Previously, Shao Boqing and I had a candlelight dinner. She was the one who arranged it.”

“She also ordered flowers for me. However, it is just because she is tolerant about him that she can succeed in the end. Her waiting pays off!”

“Let’s just watch. No one can say for sure what will happen in the future.”

“Haha, don’t talk about it so jealously!”

“…”

Hearing what they said, Nina’s mouth curved into a grin. They were indeed jealous. In the past, she didn’t dare to imagine. But, from today onwards, she would be aggressive towards any women who tried to win the affection of her husband, no matter who they were. She would like to see who dared to steal her man.

Nina was tough in nature. However, it was her wedding after all. It was not true if she said she wasn’t excited. Looking at the man who was staring at her affectionately on the stage, her eyes turned slightly red with tears flickering within her eye sockets. To her, such a scene was almost impossible to dream of in the past. She had only experienced it in her dreams, and she never expected that it would come true!

Just as what she had said, there were always people in the city who had a beautiful dream of becoming Cinderella every day. But only her dream came true. She married a young master from a wealthy family. And most importantly, she married the one she liked!

Step by step, she walked towards him. They looked at each other through the veil. Their eyes were filled with deep emotions. They only wished that they could just watch each other like this till the end of the world, until the sea ran dry and the rocks crumbled…

When Nina stopped before him, Shao Boqing was still staring at his bride so infatuatedly that he completely forgot to take her hands. Fortunately, Nina reacted quickly and took the initiative to reach out to grab his hands.

This petty move led everyone under the stage to burst into another wave of laughter. The ceremony was made as simple as possible, for fearing that it would make Nina tired. So, what it required was just that the couple vowed to each other, exchanged their rings, and then the groom kissed the bride.

Seeing the groom kissed the bride in affection, Zhou Ting was moved to tears as the bridesmaid. Shen Li, the bridesman, held her hand and whispered, “Don’t need to envy them. You will be the bride of the next wedding as long as you catch the bridal bouquet later.”

Zhou Ting tried to shake his hand off. She muttered angrily, “Stop the nonsense.”

However, Shen Li didn’t loosen his grip. He said. “They are watching us. Don’t move. We’re a pair today.”

Zhou Ting found it funny. She said, “Who says that bridesmaids and bridesmen must hold hands?”

Shen Li raised his eyebrows. “Is there no such rule? I remember that in the previous wedding, I saw the bridesmen and the bridesmaids were holding each other’s hands.”

“That’s because they were a couple of lovers.”

“Is that so?” Shen Li smiled and said, “Then let’s make a couple too.”

“Screw you,” Zhou Ting said. “You and Shao Boqing are the same type. Who’d want to be a couple of lovers with you?”

“Now that Shao Boqing has already turned over a new leaf, how can’t I do the same?” Shen Li looked sideways at her, “Don’t view me in old ways!”

“Stop holding my hands. The ceremony is completed. I’m going down to have a big meal.” Zhou Ting tried to shake his hand off again. But as they were still on the stage, she couldn’t act too obviously. And she could only drag Shen Li off the stage.

When they got down from the stage, Shen Li pulled her aside and said seriously, “Let me ask you something.”

“What is it? Just say it, I’m really hungry.”

“Have your boss and Xia Xiaowan been together now? Has he dumped Du Xiaoxian?”

Zhou Ting was already annoyed by the matter. Hearing his question, she got somewhat angry and said, “Says who? My boss is not that kind of person.”

“Then what does your boss mean?” Shen Li asked, “Does he want to take both of them?”

Zhou Ting glanced at him and asked with a serious expression on her face, “Why do you care so much about this? Does it have anything to do with you? Why haven’t I noticed before that you are so gossipy?”

Seeing that Zhou Ting was going to lose her temper, Shen Li raised his hands and gave up. “Alright, don’t be angry. Just forget what I asked, okay?”

Zhou Ting snorted and turned around to leave. She just took a few steps before seeing Fang Yaru was waving at her. Fang Yaru said, “Secretary Zhou, come here. I have kept a seat for you.”

Zhou Ting quickly walked over with a smile. She said, “Thank you, Madam.”

“You’re welcome. Hurry up and sit down. You must be tired.” Fang Yaru smiled at her. Then, she turned to Gu Guangxian and said, “We don’t have to worry about Nianbin anymore. Look how well he and Xiaowan are getting along with each other!”

Hearing what she said, Zhou Ting pretended to turn her head inadvertently. She saw that Gu Nianbin and Xia Xiaowan were talking while lowering their heads. She did not know what they were talking about. She noticed that Xia Xiaowan covered her mouth and chuckled softly, whose gaze was somewhat shy as if they were newly-in-love lovers. Zhou Ting’s heart sank unexpectedly. It was as if she had suddenly missed a step when she was walking. She was extremely flustered…

The wedding ceremony was open to all media. The Shao family not only gave journalists red packets, but also specially added a few more tables to provide them with a big meal. Naturally, the news of Shao Boqing’s wedding was on the front page of the newspapers the next day. With clear and exquisite photographs and large paragraphs of text, the wedding was simply described as a grand ceremony that attracted the attention of everyone. What was more, the bride came from an ordinary family and was just a secretary. So, her marriage with the handsome and wealthy Young Master Shao became an inspirational story for many ordinary girls who had a dream of becoming someone like her.

The wedding was highlighted for not only the eye-catching groom, but also the wealthy and noble guests present. They were either rich or powerful and had a strong family background. The photos showed the image of Gu Nianbin, Jiang Kaiwei, Shen Li, Xia Nanze and some others. What interested the journalists the most was that the usually low-profile president of the Gu Group brought a beauty with him. The two were almost inseparable in these photos. Xia Xiaowan was a famous young lady in the city. In addition, there were nosy ones who wantonly exaggerated what they saw. The journalists were the most sensitive to this kind of secret news. They knew that it would definitely cause a great sensation if they reported it. So, they deliberately added the news to the report that President Gu and his first love were present in the wedding. In fact, there had long been a rumor saying that President Gu was so devoted to his first love that he had remained abstinent for more than ten years for her. That was why Gu Nianbin had become the first choice of mate for many girls in G City. There may be many handsome young masters, but handsome young masters who had so deep affection towards a woman for so long were really rare.

Therefore, everyone thought that Gu Nianbin’s long waiting had been paid off. He and the one he loved finally were together.

Shao Boqing’s wedding had already broken the hearts of many fujoshi girls, while Gu Nianbin’s happy reunion with his first love even made girls sigh endlessly. As soon as the news was published on newspapers, almost everyone in G City knew that President Gu and his first love ended up in happiness after the five-year long waiting.

Only Du Xiaoxian did not know what happened. She was not used to reading newspapers, nor did she like to surf the Internet. So, although the news was made into a media spectacle, she did not know it at all.

The first person who called her was Cheng Mingchi. Once he got through, he asked, “Xiaoxian, are you alright?”

Du Xiaoxian was puzzled. She said, “I’m fine. Is something wrong?”

Hearing what she said, Cheng Mingchi knew that Du Xiaoxian was still kept in the dark. He thought that it was better not to tell her what happened at this moment. So he said with hesitation, “Nothing. It’s just that I haven’t called you for a long time. I want to know if you are doing well now.”

Du Xiaoxian was bored of having nothing to do and just wanted to talk to someone. So she said, “I’m fine. How about you? Are you doing well in Brother Ling’s company?”

Last time, Ling Yun kept his promise to let Cheng Mingchi go, but Cheng Mingchi did not leave in the end. He went to work at Ling Yun’s company, which was a normal trading company. Cheng Mingchi was very interested in doing business. In addition, he gradually realized that it was indeed a lawful industry, so he stayed at ease and became handy with it.

“I’m doing fine, too. Brother Ling has treated me well. He told me that I can work my way through college. I’ve been admitted to a university and the new semester will start in a few days,” he said.

Du Xiaoxian said happily, “You have a good academic record. It’s great that you can continue your study. When you graduate from a good university, you’ll definitely find a good job.”

“I will definitely go to university. When I graduate, I will work at Brother Ling’s company,” Cheng Mingchi said. “Brother Ling is a good man. In the past, I blamed him wrongly.”

“I told you that he was a good man,” Du Xiaoxian was even happier to hear what Cheng Mingchi said. She continued, “You will certainly have a bright future if you work hard for him.”

“Xiaoxian, President Gu…” Cheng Mingchi was still a little worried and asked hesitantly, “Are you and President Gu getting along well too?”

Du Xiaoxian’s mind was so simple that she didn’t understand at all what he implied. She said, “We’re doing well too.”

Cheng Mingchi fell silent on the other end of the phone for a while. Then he said, “That’s good. I have nothing else to say. I’ll call you later.”

When Du Xiaoxian was about to hang up after saying “okay,” Cheng Mingchi stopped her. He said, “Xiaoxian, if something happens to you, you must tell me. I can help you.” He paused for a moment and seemed to be aware that what he said was a bit out of a sudden. So he explained, “Don’t think too much. I just feel that you’ve helped me so much. If there’s anything I can help you with in the future, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“OK, thank you, Cheng Mingchi!” Du Xiaoxian got a little touched. This was what friends would do. There would be always friends who were willing to lend a helping hand to her whenever she was in trouble. In the past, she was not aware of the presence of friendship since she didn’t have it. But now, she had friends. Zhou Ting, Nina, Cheng Mingchi, and Wang Qian were all her friends and were sincere ones to her. When Wang Qian knew her past, she did not look down on her at all. Instead, she treated her even better. Wang Qian often talked vexations with her on the phone and sent her snacks from the supermarket of her family. Zhou Ting often came to accompany her and did so no longer under Gu Nianbin’s instructions. She took her to Nina’s place and cooked delicious food for her. With them, Du Xiaoxian could always laugh out loud easily. They all treated her so well. Of course, the one who treated her best was Gu Nianbin. When she thought of her young master, Du Xiaoxian couldn’t help but laugh. She picked up her cellphone and called him again.

However, no one answered her call for a long time. Du Xiaoxian didn’t mind. She thought that Gu Nianbin must be at work. She shouldn’t disturb him. Just as she was about to hang up, someone picked up the call. It was a girl’s voice, which was pleasant to hear. The girl said, “Hello, who is that looking for?”

Du Xiaoxian recognized that it wasn’t Zhou Ting’s voice. She was stunned for a moment before asking, “Well, is Gu… Is President Gu there?”

The girl on the other end of the phone laughed. She said, “You must be Du Xiaoxian, right? Nianbin went to a meeting and left his cellphone at the office. If you need him urgently, I can bring the phone to him at the conference room.”

“No, no, there’s nothing urgent.” Realizing that the girl knew her, Du Xiaoxian asked carefully, “May I know whom am I speaking to?”

“I’m Xia Xiaowan. We’ve met each other before.”

It turned out to be Xia Xiaowan. Du Xiaoxian suddenly panicked and said, “Xia, Miss Xia, it’s nothing. I’ll hang up.”

After hanging up the phone, Du Xiaoxian was aware that her hands were trembling and her heart pounding. She became inexplicably flustered.

How come Xia Xiaowan was in Gu Nianbin’s office? Normally, Zhou Ting would not allow anyone else to come into his office when Gu Nianbin was absent.

No, it was Xia Xiaowan, not someone else. Gu Nianbin would allow Xia Xiaowan to stay in his office, just like how he did with her.

But he obviously said that he had made it clear to Xia Xiaowan.

Everything had been made clear. But they were still friends, so Xia Xiaowan could stay in his office. This was normal. She shouldn’t think too much about it. She shouldn’t suspect Gu Nianbin like this. He treated her so well and liked her so much. There was no one in the world who treated her so well as him, so she couldn’t suspect him like this!

Du Xiaoxian was in extreme chaos and felt as if there were two different voices at war in her heart. There was no one beside her. She did not know whom she could talk to. Her mind was in a mess. She wanted to stop thinking nonsense, but ended up in failure. She fell on bed in annoyance and covered her head with the quilt.

Since Fang Yaru and Gu Guangxian had returned, she and Gu Nianbin moved out again. Instead of returning to the original apartment, they moved into a small duplex apartment that Gu Nianbin had just bought. The environment was good and it was convenient to live in. They had just moved in and there were a lot of things to tidy up, but she didn’t have the slightest bit of mood now.

Like Du Xiaoxian, Zhou Ting was also annoyed by what Xia Xiaowan did. She had walked to the door of the office and turned back several times. The boss’s office was usually not open to anyone else. But the elegant Xia Xiaowan stood in front of her and greeted her politely. She opened the door herself and entered with a light smile as if it was her own office. It could not be more natural. Secretary Zhou, who had seen all kinds of scenes, failed to stop her for a moment because of hesitancy. But when Xia Xiaowan went in, it would be a little difficult to invite her out.

Given the reception rules, she had to deliver tea for Xia Xiaowan and told her that the president was attending a meeting. She also suggested that she could deliver what she wanted to say on her behalf to the president. However, Xia Xiaowan didn’t seem to care about it. She sat on Gu Nianbin’s big office chair and smiled gently at her. She said, “It’s fine. I can wait for him. Get to your work. Don’t worry about me.”

Zhou Ting’s first thought at the moment was that Xia Xiaowan was not a person who could be easily dealt with and that Du Xiaoxian was in trouble. But there was nothing she could do except saying “OK” and coming out.

At the wedding yesterday, everyone saw Xia Xiaowan and Gu Nianbin went around as a couple. If Xia Xiaowan would really become the wife of her boss in the future, Zhou Ting couldn’t afford to offend her. She really didn’t know what the boss thought. She didn’t dare to ask Gu Nianbin. Shao Boqing had the guts to ask him, but he went on his honeymoon. Zhou Ting felt that she was starting to feel confused again. What Xia Xiaowan did worried her even more than what Xia Manyin did. Xia Manyin had her misgivings when scheming. She only dared to bluff and tried to plot against Du Xiaoxian behind Gu Nianbin’s back. However, Xia Xiaowan made no secret of her intimacy with Gu Nianbin, which clearly showed that she wanted to build up the momentum to replace Du Xiaoxian.

Zhou Ting had been watching Gu Nianbin and Du Xiaoxian go steady with each other. No matter what happened, she hoped that they could be together in the end. Then, it would not be in vain that she had expended all her effort on escorting them all the way to the current relationship. Originally, she thought that after Xia Manyin, Du Xiaoxian would be able to see an end of her hardships, but she didn’t expect that the real tribulation was yet to come.

Before Zhou Ting could figure it out, Xia Xiaowan walked out of the door and said, “He’ll probably be busy on the first day of work. I won’t wait for him. Just tell him I was here.”

Zhou Ting nodded and said “okay.” Xia Xiaowan took out a red packet from her bag and gave it to her. She said. “Here is a red packet for your first day at work. I wish you all the best this year.”

“Thank you!” Zhou Ting naturally smiled and said, “Thank you, Miss Xia.”

“You’re welcome. Brother Nianbin is a fastidious person. It’s not easy for you to work for him for so long. Do your best.”

“I will,” Zhou Ting said with a smile as she watched Xia Xiaowan leave. Her brows instantly wrinkled. What Xia Xiaowan said and did was totally what the wife of her boss would do! Looking at the big red packet in her hand, Zhou Ting suddenly felt it was difficult for her to take it. She opened the packet to took out the banknotes and put them into her wallet. Then, she threw the empty packet in the drawer where there was another one that Gu Nianbin gave her in the morning. But in terms of the amount, Xia Xiaowan’s packet contained more money. Normally, people who weren’t married didn’t need to give red packets. Gu Nianbin was her boss, so it was nothing abnormal that he gave his subordinate extra bonus. But what did Xia Xiaowan mean by giving her a red packet?

Zhou Ting sighed and slowly sat down. She muttered to herself, “The world is going to be in chaos.” After Xia Manyin left, Xia Xiaowan came. It looked like that Du Xiaoxian had to fight against those who surnamed Xia in her lifetime!

Gu Nianbin suddenly walked in and asked her, “Was anyone looking for me?”

“Yes,” Zhou Ting immediately bounced up and said, “Miss Xia came. She waited for you for a while before leaving.”

“Did she say why she came here?”

“No.”

Gu Nianbin nodded and walked a few steps ahead before turning around to ask, “What did you just say about the chaos in the world?”

Zhou Ting was at a loss for words. She didn’t believe that her boss had such a good hearing… How could he hear such a low voice?

She hurriedly mumbled while shaking her head, “No, I mean World War II. Recently, there are so many documentaries of World War II on TV.”

Gu Nianbin gave a glance at her before going straight into his office and didn’t ask any more questions.

Zhou Ting covered her chest with her hands and heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like that the boss had an appointment with Xia Xiaowan. He just came back to see her halfway through his meeting. This… She shook her head and sighed while slowly sitting down.