Cinderella Innocent and Boss Charming - Chapter 83

Chapter 83 She Didn’t Let the Light On
Du Xiaoxian lay on the empty bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was almost twelve o’clock, and Gu Nianbin hadn’t returned yet. Then, was he planning not to return tonight? He didn’t make a phone call either. She wanted to call him, but she didn’t dare. She was afraid of hearing what she didn’t want to hear.

She didn’t know what was wrong with Gu Nianbin. He was like a different person overnight. Was he too tired at work? Or… he didn’t like her anymore?

The wind poured in through half of the window, causing the curtains of the gauze to whirl in the room. In the darkness, the curtains were like a huge flying butterfly. As the curtains fluttered, the bright light and dark shadows mixed with each other. Outside was the cold moonlight.

Du Xiaoxian got out of bed with her shoes on and pulled the curtains aside, then the moon appeared in midair. The autumn moon was exceptionally bright, large and round, like a large jade plate. The sky was greenish gray, floating with faint white light. Outside was brighter than inside. As the night wind blew over, Du Xiaoxian couldn’t help but tremble and hug herself tightly. She was still in Gu Nianbin’s short-sleeved T-shirt. The wide cuffs bulged in the wind and goosebumps rose on her arms.

From time to time, cars passed by on the road with scarlet tail lights as they moved away. The tall street lights stood there silently, like the guardians of the city. In the distance, the neon lights on the tall building were flashing quietly. Red, yellow, green, blue, and purple, all the colors were constantly changing. The night was gorgeous, but it was like a silent world, making people feel desolate. She rarely stood here alone, and every time she did, there would be Gu Nianbin’s warm embrace behind her. He whispered into her ears, chuckled, and pointed at the buildings and lights in the distance… Sometimes he would kiss her neck and earlobes, making her itch, and then the two of them would laugh and play, and the room would be filled with laughter.

Du Xiaoxian closed the window and the curtains. Then she lay back in bed. She closed her eyes and tried her best to sleep, but two lines of tears slowly fell from the corners of her eyes…

When Gu Nianbin returned home, he was surprised to see Xia Xiaowan. She sat in the hall and was chatting with Fang Yaru. Seeing that Gu Nianbin had returned, she smiled and greeted him. Then she stood up and said, “Auntie, I still have something to do. I have to go first. If the medicine works for you, I’ll bring you some more next time.”

Fang Yaru said, “It’s almost time for dinner. How about having dinner with us before you go?”

“No, I have an appointment,” Xia Xiaowan said, “I was just passing by so I brought you some medicine.”

“Xiaowan, thank you so much.” Hearing her say this, Fang Yaru could not insist and said to Gu Nianbin, “See Xiaowan off for me.”

“Don’t bother, don’t bother.” Xia Xiaowan hurriedly waved her hand and walked towards the door in a panic.

Gu Nianbin hesitated for a moment and then followed her out. He went down the stairs, and Xia Xiaowan had already arrived at the side of her car. She opened the door and was about to get in. He called her. Xia Xiaowan turned to look at him and smiled. “I’m leaving first. You can go in.”

Gu Nianbin said, “Why are you leaving the moment I come back? Are you avoiding me?”

“No, no, what are you thinking about,” Xia Xiaowan said, “I really have an appointment. I brought some medicine to Auntie by the way.” After a pause, she lowered her voice and continued, “Besides, I was afraid that you would misunderstand. It really had nothing to do with you that I came here. I didn’t know you were coming back today.”

Gu Nianbin frowned. “Why did you say that? I didn’t misunderstand anything. What’s done is done. You don’t need to avoid me like this.”

Xia Xiaowan heaved a sigh of relief and said, “You are so open-minded. It’s I who have thought too much. You know, although I’m thick-skinned, I still don’t want to cause any misunderstanding between you and me.”

“No,” Gu Nianbin finally smiled, “thank you for coming to visit my mother.”

Xia Xiaowan also smiled. “You’re welcome. Auntie and I have quite a lot in common. I’m leaving first.” With that, she waved her hand and got into the car. Then, she popped out her head and waved to him after the car was started. Then, she took a big turn and drove towards the gate.

Gu Nianbin turned around and went up the stairs. Seeing Fang Yaru standing at the door, he asked, “Where’s Dad?”

“Upstairs. His heart hurts a little lately. The doctor said that he should stay in bed and rest more.”

Gu Nianbin said, “I’m going to see him.”

After entering the hall, he asked, “What medicine did Xia Xiaowan bring you?”

Fang Yaru sighed and said, “I have always feeling back pain recently. Probably something is wrong with my lumbar spine again. Xiaowan heard me talk about this last time and she kept it in her mind. She asked someone to get some medicine from abroad and said that it was effective for back pain. She let me try.”

Gu Nianbin felt a little guilty and said, “I’m sorry, Mom, I’ve been busy with work recently, and I haven’t taken the time to come back to see you and Dad. I…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Fang Yaru patted her son’s arm. “These are old problems. It doesn’t matter. You can concentrate on your work. Don’t worry about us. We have Old Xiao take care of us at home. You can rest assured. Besides, your father and I can eat and sleep normally. It doesn’t matter.”

As the mother and son spoke, they arrived upstairs. Gu Guangxian was very happy to see his son coming home. He patted the edge of the bed and asked him to sit down. “I heard that the province is bidding for an ecological garden recently. Do you have any plans?”

“We are preparing our bidding documents. This time, eighteen companies are bidding. The competition is very fierce.”

“Um,” Gu Guangxian nodded, “competition is good. Who is in charge of this case?”

“Boqing recommended Nianjing. I think he’s capable, so I let him take full responsibility.”

Gu Guangxian smiled and said, “That child has been obedient since he was young. He is different from his elder brother. In the future, you can let him help with the company’s affairs more.”

“I know,” Gu Nianbin said, “the company has a lot of affairs to deal with. If he could help me, it would be easier for me.”

“Nianbin,” Gu Guangxian looked at his son with satisfaction and smiled, “I’m very relieved that you think so. Although you are the leader of Gu Group, it is not your own. It is our Gu family’s property. One tree does not make a forest, and many hands make light work. You are my only son and have no biological brothers. Since Nianjing can help, you should treat him as your biological brother. At any time, you should trust your own family more than outsiders.”

Gu Nianbin nodded. “Dad, you don’t have to worry. I know that. I hope you can take good care of yourself, that is my blessing.” After a pause, he continued, “What about this, when you feel better, you and Mom move to the ancestral mansion to live. The scenery there is beautiful, the air is fresh, and it’s quiet. You two can rest there for a while. I’ll let Doctor Liang go with you.”

Fang Yaru nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking about. If we weren’t worried about you, your Dad and I would go to the ancestral mansion long ago.”

“Mom, you should worry about Dad’s health first. You’re having a back pain and it takes a lot of effort for you to go upstairs and downstairs. The ancestral mansion is all bungalows, so it’s convenient for you to live.”

“Alright, when your Dad is better, we’ll go there to live. You don’t go back often anyway. We’ll leave one servant here to watch the house and bring the rest with us.”

“OK, I’ll make arrangements then.” Gu Nianbin looked at his father who was with a sickly face and felt a burst of guilt in his heart. The company was busy, but he had put all his attention on Du Xiaoxian. His parents were sick, but he, as a son, did not know. He was truly unfilial!

When he thought of Du Xiaoxian, his mood became even more depressed. Fang Yaru saw that he was very tired and said, “Let’s go down to have dinner. You should go to bed early after dinner.”

Gu Nianbin nodded and helped his father up from the bed. He slowly helped his father downstairs.

After dinner, Gu Nianbin did not leave. He stayed to drink tea and chat with his parents. Until nine o’clock, his parents went upstairs, and he was still sitting in the hall in a daze. Xiao Bonian walked over and called him, “Young Master, can I get you another cup of tea?”

Gu Nianbin was in a daze. When Xiao Bonian called, he raised his head in confusion, as if he did not understand what Xiao Bonian meant.

Xiao Bonian said again, “Young Master, the tea is cold. I’ll make you another cup.”

“No,” Gu Nianbin stood up and walked out. The wind outside was so strong that his eyes narrowed. Fallen leaves danced everywhere. Under the faint moonlight, the leaves were like a swarm of large moths that only moved at night.

Gu Nianbin went down the stairs and walked towards his own car. Little Ding hurriedly opened the car door, but Gu Nianbin did not get in. He said, “I’m not leaving tonight. You can go pick her up to school tomorrow morning, and I’ll drive to the company myself.”

Although Little Ding was very surprised, he didn’t dare to ask anything. He stood respectfully and said yes.

Gu Nianbin turned around and returned to the house. He slowly walked up the stairs by the wall. He wanted to sleep in his own room tonight.

Pushing open the door, everything in the room was as usual, and everything was placed in their fixed positions. Ever since he came back to get some things last time, he hadn’t come in. The photo of Xia Xiaowan was still on the table. Looking at her familiar face, Gu Nianbin seemed melancholy and uneasy. He opened the drawer and put the photo in. He walked to the bedroom and put the photo frame on the bedside table into the drawer as well. Then he stood by the window and lit a cigarette.

He could not remember which night it was back then. He stood here and saw Du Xiaoxian, and saw her clear and ethereal eyes. From then on, her eyes were firmly engraved in his heart. Later on, they got to know each other, and he stood here every morning, watching her clean. He watched her concentrated expression, and the light in her eyes when she straightened up occasionally. Sometimes she would look up at him, her face flushed red, as if she had done something wrong, or she would run away silently.

Gu Nianbin sighed. He really missed her at that time. He missed her pure and shy smile.

He didn’t smoke much of the cigarette between his fingers. The gray ashes gradually grew longer and finally fell to the ground. It was quiet, but it seemed to startle Gu Nianbin. He threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray and took a tissue to clean the ashes on the ground. Then he walked to the bathroom to take a shower.

The sprinkler sprayed out countless sparkling strands of water, falling upon him. It felt like it was hurting or itchy. Gu Nianbin closed his eyes and quietly stood under the shower head, letting the water wash him. The water was cold, but not as cold as his heart. It was as if his blood had frozen, bringing with it an unbearable pain. He liked her so much that he had used his entire life to love her. She was like a piece of white paper, and he painted her with rich colors. But now… was he going to lose her?

Gu Nianbin suddenly opened his eyes and turned off the water. He took the bath towel and dried himself up. He flipped through a set of clothes in the cloakroom and put them on, then rushed downstairs. He did not call Little Ding but drove out of the garage himself.

He drove very fast all the way, with water dripping from his hair into his neck. Then, the water slowly flowed into his clothes coldly. He didn’t feel anything and drove the car as if it were going to fly. Finally, he saw his apartment, and the window—it was dark.

Du Xiaoxian—actually, she didn’t really think he would come back, so she didn’t let the light on.

Gu Nianbin parked his car by the side of the road. He put his hand on his heart and gasped. He was feeling such a pain in his heart. He was going to die of pain. What should he do?