Cinderella Innocent and Boss Charming - Chapter 206
Chapter 206 The Valentine’s Day Without a Lover
“Xiaowan,” Gu Nianbin stared at her with a determined look in his eyes. “I asked you out because I have something to say.” Xia Xiaowan was a little flustered. She took a mouthful of tea and calmed herself down. “Brother Nianbin, what do you want to say?”
“I’m sorry about that night,” Gu Nianbin said slowly. “But that doesn’t change anything, do you know what I mean?”
The smile on Xia Xiaowan’s face disappeared completely. She had actually guessed something like, but she didn’t expect Gu Nianbin to be so straightforward.
“Brother Nianbin, I don’t understand what you mean.” She didn’t want to pretend anymore, so she decided to have her cards on the table today.
Gu Nianbin was slightly surprised. He lowered his eyes and flicked the ashes. “Xiaowan, as you said, we’re both adults. What happened that night was purely an accident. I don’t think there’s a need to take it to heart.”
“You don’t want to be responsible for me?”
“Do you need me to be responsible for you?” Xia Xiaowan was silent for a moment and then said, “Yes.”
If Gu Nianbin was just a little surprised a moment ago, he was a little shocked now. He looked up at her, his gaze filled with scrutiny. For some reason, Xia Xiaowan felt a little guilty and avoided Gu Nianbin’s gaze by drinking tea.
Gu Nianbin watched her and remained silent. Xia Xiaowan held the teacup and remained silent as well. The atmosphere was a little dull for a moment.
Someone knocked on the door politely three times before pausing for a moment and pushing the door open. It was the waiter who came to serve the dishes. He took the dishes out from the cart one by one and placed them on the table. As he did that, he spoke the names of the dishes accordingly.
After serving the dishes, the waiter said, “Please enjoy your meal.” Then, he respectfully walked out of the room. This was a high-end restaurant. The waiters were well-trained and knew that the atmosphere was not right. Naturally, they would quickly leave under such circumstances.
“Let’s eat,” said Gu Nianbin. He picked up the chopsticks first and took a piece of fish to Xia Xiaowan’s bowl. “I remember you like this.”
Xia Xiaowan smiled and looked at the piece of fish meat. “Brother Nianbin, you remember it wrongly. The last thing I like to eat is fish.”
Her smile was actually very good-looking. The corners of her mouth were gently raised. Her smile was like a crescent moon, bringing out a gentle radiance, quiet and elegant. In the past, Gu Nianbin liked to see her smile the most. But now, when he saw her smile again, it revealed a different meaning. It was as if she was mocking others and being mean.
Shao Boqing was right. Xia Xiaowan had changed. She was not the same Xia Xiaowan as before.
He ate as if nothing had happened with his expression relaxing. “You know very well that I don’t love you anymore. Do you feel happy living with a man who doesn’t love you?”
“It’s for me to judge whether I’m happy or not.” Xia Xiaowan sounded as if she was feeling wronged and acting rashly with someone.
Gu Nianbin became more and more casual, “Xiaowan, you’ve changed.”
“Of course,” said Xia Xiaowan excitedly. “Everyone will change. Haven’t you changed? Brother Nianbin, the one who has changed the most is you. It was you who set the five-year agreement. But you broke it. You kept saying that you would wait for me, but you changed your mind!” At the end of her sentence, her voice rose, like a sharp nail piercing straight into Gu Nianbin’s heart.
Gu Nianbin was silent. He would always owe her that.
“I said that I can compensate you. As long as you make a request, I will try my best to satisfy you.” Gu Nianbin said sincerely, “Xiaowan, we shouldn’t be hostile to each other, and we shouldn’t hurt each other. I don’t love you, if I still marry you, that’ll be unfair to you. That’ll be hurting you. You should be with a man who loves you, let him cherish you, protect you, and love you wholeheartedly. Only then will you be happy.”
“No, Brother Nianbin, you still love me,” Xia Xiaowan stared stubbornly into his eyes. “You’ve always loved me. It’s just you were driven by a feeling of freshness, so you had feelings for Du Xiaoxian. But what is she? She’s just a maid. She has no family background, no education, no temperament, and she doesn’t know anything. How can she be worthy of you?”
“Shut up!” Gu Nianbin felt something jump twice on his temples, and he couldn’t resist the anger. “You don’t have the qualification to say anything about her!”
Xia Xiaowan’s face instantly turned pale to the extreme as if all her blood had been flowing back in her vessels. Her gaze carried a hatred. From childhood until now, Gu Nianbin had never said anything reproachful to her, but he had just scolded her for Du Xiaoxian!
She sneered, “Brother Nianbin, why are you defending her like this? She has already left and doesn’t want you anymore. Why are you still thinking about her?”
“How did you know she was gone?” Gu Nianbin was reminded of something.
“I just made a guess,” Xia Xiaowan sneered again. “You’re staying at a hotel. So hasn’t she left?”
Gu Nianbin picked up the cigarette case on the table and shook out a cigarette to put it in his mouth. The silver lighter made a sound with a small flame appearing. He frowned slightly and lit up the cigarette. He smoked and breathed out the smoke slowly, like sighing. “Xiaowan, I hope you can calm down and be sensible. In fact, you know that we won’t be happy together, right?”
Xia Xiaowan was a little impatient. “I’ve told you, I know if I’m happy or not.”
“But I’m not happy.” Gu Nianbin also lost his patience. “If we got married, we would be a couple who complain about and hate each other. We would hurt each other and ultimately lose on both sides. So why do you want that? Why would you be so stubborn since we could avoid it?”
“Marrying me will lead to an unhappy couple, but marrying Du Xiaoxian will lead to happiness?” Xia Xiaowan said unkindly, “I really don’t understand, what’s so good about that little maid? Brother Nianbin, you and Du Xiaoxian are two people from two different worlds. Uncle and aunt won’t allow you to marry a maid. The Gu Board of Directors won’t let you become a joke in G City. In the end, you still have to find a girl with the same family background to marry. Brother Nianbin, aren’t I the most suitable person to marry compared to those women?”
“Stop it, Xiaowan.” Gu Nianbin’s gaze was like lightning as if it could pierce through her body and reach into the deepest depths of her heart. “You’re too extreme. I know you don’t love me. You’ve never loved me. You just feel tired and want to find someone to rely on. And I’m the best candidate, right? Just like before, you obviously didn’t love me, but you always followed me and gave me hope. Actually, because you didn’t get love from Jiang Kaiwei, you wanted to seek comfort from me. I always knew about that, but I didn’t reveal it. I hoped that one day, you would finally see me. But I was wrong. After meeting Du Xiaoxian, I understood that I didn’t love you. I only liked you. I thought I loved you, that’s why I kept my heart closed all these years and kept a distance from any woman until I met Du Xiaoxian. She has taught me what love is. Xiaowan, if you really loved someone, you would know that no matter what he did to you, no matter how far he was from you, he was in your heart. He was indelible and unforgettable as if he was engraved in your heart, forever!”
“What? Now that Du Xiaoxian’s gone,” Xia Xiaowan sneered, “you’re waiting for her for another five years?”
“No, I can’t bear to be separated from her for a second. How can I endure another five years?” Gu Nianbin said with a gentle gaze, “I love her. No matter what she did, I still love her. Nobody can change that.”
“But she’s gone. She doesn’t want you anymore, fool!” Xia Xiaowan was on the verge of crying!
“Yes, I became a fool when I met her,” Gu Nianbin smiled helplessly. “In front of her, I can abandon my pride and abandon everything. I can get her back even though she’s gone, and if she doesn’t want me, I’ll beg her until she agrees!”
“You!” Xia Xiaowan collapsed. “What is this? You’re not the Brother Nianbin I recognized!”
“When you went abroad five years ago, Nanze asked me to chase after you. He said that you were sad and needed someone to comfort you. If I went, you would definitely be with me. But I refused because I thought that was availing myself of the opportunity to get in. But when Du Xiaoxian left, I would go find her. No matter what method I need to use, I would find her.”
“Is she that important to you?”
“Very important. She is like my breath. Without her, I will die!”
“You’re simply unreasonable!” Xia Xiaowan couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up in a rush before leaving angrily with her small bag.
The conversation with Xia Xiaowan finally broke up in displeasure. This was the first time Gu Nianbin had fallen out with Xia Xiaowan. He felt very calm in his heart. He threw away the cigarette butt and picked up his chopsticks to eat slowly.
Everything had changed. Xia Xiaowan had changed. He had also changed. Only Du Xiaoxian had not changed. She was still so timid and cowardly. She was still considerate of him only. That was why she was frightened by Gu Shanshan and left him.
After Gu Nianbin finished his meal, he was suddenly in the mood to have a walk alone. The streets were exceptionally lively today. There were electronic fireworks projected on the building opposite, blooming in one large cloak after another silently. It was like a rain of gold and silver. Before it dissipated, orange, red, blue, green, and purple dazzling streaks of light flashed past. Many people stopped to watch and exclaimed softly. The crowd was in an uproar. Gu Nianbin was squeezed into the crowd and could not move, so he had no choice but to stop and watch as well.
Beside him stood a young man and woman. The girl said, “How beautiful!”
The boy said, “Do you like it? Wait until that day, I will let off fireworks for you alone.”
The girl deliberately asked, “What day?”
The boy was a little embarrassed, “The day of the proposal!”
The girl raised her face and the two of them kissed each other sweetly.
Gu Nianbin glanced over at them, but he felt only pain in his heart. If his Xian’er was here with him, they could also walk the streets hand in hand, watch fireworks together, and kiss in the crowd, displaying their love without any scruples like all other men and women in love.
He finally squeezed through and walked alone in the night. Suddenly, a little girl called him, “Sir, buy a rose for your girlfriend. It’s Valentine’s Day!”
He paused and suddenly came to a realization. No wonder there were so many people. So it was Valentine’s Day!
He gave the girl one hundred-yuan note, but only took one rose, the most brilliant one. The little girl who sold the flowers kindly reminded him, “Sir, you can take a half-bloomed one, which can be kept in the bottle for a few days.”
He smiled and shook his head. He took the fully-blooming rose and left. If the rose represented love, he wanted his love flower to bloom brightly!
An old song The Valentine’s Day Without a Lover was played in a shop by the roadside.
The Valentine’s Day without a lover
I feel a little lonely
For the one I once loved
Yearning is still in my heart
The Valentine’s Day without a lover
I received an unexpected card of comfort
Presumably the heart of love has found
It wants me to open the gate of memories
Happy Valentine’s Day Happy Valentine’s Day
I only hear sad music
Happy Valentine’s Day Happy Valentine’s Day
I cut the melancholy hair gently
…
He hadn’t heard this song in years, but he had an impression of it. While he was still in college, on one Valentine’s Day, all his roommates were out for fun. He was alone and suddenly had an impulse to sing. So he sat on the bed with his guitar and sang this song. Before the song was finished, it suddenly became noisy downstairs. He thought that something bad had happened. And he walked to the balcony to see that there were a lot of people down there. Seeing him come out, the crowd’s shouts became rhythmic, “Gu Nianbin, we will spend Valentine’s Day with you!”
He was an arrogant man who had been accustomed to keeping a distance from others, but that night, he was a little touched and did not say a word. He went back to the room and took out his guitar, then stood on the balcony and sang the song again. The applause from below was thunderous, and the boarding guard did not come out to stop them. On that Valentine’s Day night, he stood on the balcony singing one song after another. The people below looked at him with fascination. Cheers, screams, and whistles rose and fell one after another in all directions…
It was one of the most genuine times in his entire schooldays that he exposed his sincere emotions, and it was on Valentine’s Day without a lover. Most importantly, he didn’t think of Xia Xiaowan that night.
