Cinderella Innocent and Boss Charming - Chapter 358

Chapter 358 Leave Everything to Me

When Xia Xiaowan heard that Du Xiaoxian had returned, she really wanted to go and see her at the Gu family’s residence. However, when she recalled what she had done in the past, she felt too embarrassed to see her.

Gu Niannian’s birthday party was an opportunity for her. She provided the venue with whatever they needed for free, shipping flowers and food by air. She wished that she could provide everything. Gu Guangxian disagreed and said that this was the Gu family’s matter, so he could not let her pay for it. He wanted Gu Nianbin to settle the accounts properly. However, she refused to accept any money except for the venue fee. Only then did Gu Nianbin give up.

In fact, spending money was the most she could contribute to this banquet. Compared to the suffering that Du Xiaoxian and Gu Nianbin suffered over the past few years, Xia Xiaowan really felt that it would not be too much even if she and Jiang Kaiwei kneeled and apologized before Du Xiaoxian.

“Niannian is really cute!” Xia Xiaowan looked at Du Xiaoxian and smiled.

Du Xiaoxian was not someone who held grudges, so she smiled back. “Yes, she’s a little angel!”

“Xiaoxian, I’m really happy that you could come back,” Xia Xiaowan apologized sincerely. “I’m sorry. I did so many hurtful things to you in the past. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have suffered outside with your child. It’s all my fault. I don’t know how to make it up to you. I’m relieved to see that you and Nianbin are doing well today. Xiaoxian, can you forgive me?”

“I forgot all about it. Why are you keeping these in your heart?” Du Xiaoxian stuffed a big shrimp into her mouth, causing her cheeks to puff up. She laughed, saying, “Everyone has their own fate. Maybe now that I experienced such a calamity in life, things will get better in the future.”

“Xiaoxian, you’re such a good person.” Xia Xiaowan sighed with emotion. “If I had been as nice as you, everything afterward would never have happened. Fortunately, you didn’t listen to my bad idea. Otherwise, Brother Nianbin would have hated me for the rest of his life.”

Du Xiaoxian looked at Gu Nianbin from afar. He was holding a glass of wine and chatting cheerfully with a few men. At that moment, he was the man she remembered. He was elegant, well-spoken, and charming. He could be real and straightforward with outsiders, so why couldn’t he be like that with her?

Swallowing the shrimp, she said softly, “Gu Nianbin hates me.”

Hearing her words, Xia Xiaowan was stunned. It took a moment before she understood. She did not know that there was a problem between Gu Nianbin and Du Xiaoxian. When she came, she saw them standing outside and looking very intimate. Why did Du Xiaoxian say that?

“No way, Brother Nianbin loves you so much.” Xia Xiaowan comforted her. “Maybe it’s because you’ve been apart for too long, so he doesn’t know how to act around you. In fact, he’s very soft-hearted. When I was a little girl, I would try to be cute if I offended him. Then everything would blow over. He’s very tolerant, especially to the people he likes.” As she said this, Xia Xiaowan suddenly stopped. She felt that these words sounded awkward, so she quickly explained, “The person he likes the most is you. Really, I’ve never seen him love any other woman like this.”

“That was before. Now…” Du Xiaoxian sighed faintly. “He hates me. Actually, I don’t blame him. After all, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have left him.”

“It’s actually my fault.” Xia Xiaowan was guilty. “Xiaoxian, just tell me if there’s anything you need my help with. I’ll always be indebted to you for the rest of my life.”

“Thank you.” Du Xiaoxian heaved a sigh of relief and braced herself. “You’ve helped so much with Niannian’s banquet. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Xia Xiaowan smiled and said, “Xiaoxian, let me be Niannian’s godmother! I really like her!”

“Sure,” Du Xiaoxian readily agreed. “Of course, I’d love it if another person doted on Niannian!”

Xia Xiaowan was excited. “That’s great. I have a godson, and now I have a goddaughter too. It’s perfect.”

Du Xiaoxian found it strange. “I heard that you and Jiang Kaiwei are married. Why don’t you want a child of your own?”

The smile on Xia Xiaowan’s face gradually faded. After a while, she said, “Maybe the two of us have committed too many sins and we’re now being punished for it, so…” She lowered her voice but soon smiled brightly. “It’s okay. It’s the same as having a godson and a goddaughter. Today is Niannian’s birthday. Let’s not talk about this.”

Du Xiaoxian saw that Xia Xiaowan looked a little strange, so she didn’t ask too much. She picked up another slice of cake and ate it. She gobbled up the cake. Maybe she ate a little too fast, so she choked a little. She patted her chest softly and breathed slowly.

A glass of orange juice was handed to her. She looked up and saw Lu Haochen smiling at her. “I saw you eating non-stop without having even a single sip of water. It would be strange if you didn’t choke.”

Du Xiaoxian smiled gratefully and quickly took a sip of orange juice. The juice cleared the food stuck in her throat, and she felt much more comfortable after that.

Xia Xiaowan did not recognize Lu Haochen, but she could sense that he seemed to have special feelings for Du Xiaoxian. She stared at him and asked, “You look a little unfamiliar, sir. Are you a friend of Xiaoxian’s?”

“Yes, he’s my friend, Lu Haochen. He’s from Yawan.” Du Xiaoxian introduced them to each other. “This is Xia Xiaowan.”

“Ah, so you’re Miss Xia. It’s nice to see you in person after hearing so much about you!” Lu Haochen chuckled, but there seemed to be an implicit meaning behind his laughter.

Xia Xiaowan raised an eyebrow. “What? You’ve heard of me, Mr. Lu?”

“Naturally, I’ve heard of the young lady of Xia Corporation from G City.” Lu Haochen didn’t want to talk more. He smiled and said, “Can I have a few words with Xiaoxian alone?”

Before Xia Xiaowan could say anything, someone answered for her, “Sorry, Xiaoxian and I need to dance the opening dance.”

Xia Xiaowan turned around and saw that Gu Nianbin had arrived at some point. With a smile on his face, he reached his hand out toward Du Xiaoxian.

Du Xiaoxian silently put down the plate in her hand and placed her hand in Gu Nianbin’s. No matter how terrible the reality was, they had to appear as a perfectly happy family tonight.

Gu Nianbin suddenly raised his hand to wipe the cream from the corner of her mouth and said in a gentle voice, “Look at you. You’re already a mother, yet you’re still so much like a child!”

This time, even Xia Xiaowan could see that something was wrong. Gu Nianbin used to dote on Du Xiaoxian, but he would not deliberately show his affection in public like this. It was probably done specially for Lu Haochen. He seemed to be a very strong love rival!

Men were always so childish in front of their love rivals. Whether it was Jiang Kaiwei who had always been childish or the mature and steady Gu Nianbin, they would do outrageous things when they were blinded by jealousy!

Du Xiaoxian initially had a smile on her face, but her smile gradually faded because of Gu Nianbin’s behaviors. However, she had to force herself to focus and go along with Gu Nianbin in this act. It was really uncomfortable! She did not have Gu Nianbin’s acting skills. She felt like this was torture!

“Smile,” Gu Nianbin whispered in her ear, “Everyone is looking at us!”

Du Xiaoxian suddenly stopped in her tracks. “Can I leave?” She looked up at Gu Nianbin. “You’re here. It should be enough that you, your father, and your mother are here. I’m not that important.”

“Do you really think that you’re not important?” he asked while staring at her.

Du Xiaoxian bit her lip and finally said, “I can’t pretend, nor can I force myself to smile.”

“So you can’t smile because you’re with me?” Gu Nianbin’s voice was cold. “But you can laugh when you’re with Lu Haochen?”

“You know that’s not the case!” Du Xiaoxian shouted without a care for the world. However, her voice disappeared abruptly since he kissed her lips. The kiss was not as passionate as before. He soon let go of her as if he only did that to stop her shouting.

Almost everyone saw this scene, and some clapped. This was followed by more applause, and there were even some wolf whistles.

Du Xiaoxian blushed and lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. Gu Nianbin smiled and said in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid. Leave everything to me.”

Du Xiaoxian suddenly looked up. In the past, whenever she was nervous and frightened, he would always comfort her like this. She would feel at ease whenever she heard him say the words.

His expression was serious. “I’ll let you rest after this dance.”

Du Xiaoxian held his hand and let out a soft sigh. He should be telling the truth, right?

The emcee spoke on the stage, “Everyone has just witnessed the love between Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu!”

The audience laughed kindly, and everyone applauded once again.

“Next, I would like to invite Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu to dance the opening dance.”

Du Xiaoxian was shocked when she heard the emcee’s words. He was addressing her as Mrs. Gu? She was clearly not Mrs. Gu. Gu Nianbin had always been against it. He would not…

She sneaked a glance at Gu Nianbin. He looked calm and did not fly into a rage after she was addressed as Mrs. Gu.

Probably because her gaze was filled with doubt, Gu Nianbin explained to her, “Let’s go along with it for Niannian’s sake.”

They were doing everything for the sake of their child tonight. Du Xiaoxian finally smiled and followed him onto the dance floor.

It was Gu Nianbin who taught her how to dance, so she never forgot.

He was always brooding over the fact that her first dance was with Shen Li, so during that period of time, he would teach her how to dance whenever he was free. He would put on the music and teach her with her hands in his. Just like Shen Li, he would let her step on his feet and spin her around. There were times when they were serious, but most of the time, they were having fun. They would often dance until the two of them were too tired to continue. Their breathing would rise and fall while the melodious music played in the background…

Such a beautiful scene could not be casually recalled, because it would make one hallucinate. Du Xiaoxian suddenly realized that the man was gently kissing her cheek. It was very, very soft. His lips were warm, and when he kissed her cold face, there was a trace of warmth. Even her heart warmed up. She raised her face and smiled. Whether it was an illusion or not, please let her indulge for a while more.

The number of people on the dance floor gradually increased. They were no longer the focus of the audience. The lights dimmed, and there were people all around them but they only had eyes for each other. The man lowered his head again and kissed her lips. He was still as gentle as before, brushing her lips like a feather. It was slightly ticklish. His breath enveloped her. It was familiar and warm. She thought she heard him sigh, but she might have imagined it. She let go of his hand and hugged his waist. She stood on the dance floor swaying, full of romance…