Chapter 169: I Want a Divorce (7)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
No rush, easy does it.
She had plenty of time anyway.
A smirk formed on Sun Weiwei’s lips as she drove off alone.
Major news had been breaking out and being reported on tabloids and entertainment news of late.
News concerning the few major wealthy families of the country were making the headlines for days, causing the frivolous news about celebrities to pale in comparison.
Although Bai Ranran had already passed on, the tabloids and media reporters were still bent on uncovering the history of her romance with Ye Xiaotian.
It went on continuously for days and only came to an end when Ye Xiaotian proceeded to issue a warning to the media companies.
After being hospitalized for ten days, An Xiaoning could finally get out of bed and was free to move about. Although she could move about with ease, the doctor had advised her against strenuous activity. All the same, she still had to continue to rest for a period of time before she could completely recover.
She had initially planned to settle the divorce proceedings with Jin Qingyan the day after. However, it also happened to be the day of Jin Qingyue and Shi Shaochuan’s wedding.
Thus, she dismissed the idea and decided to wait until their wedding was over.
Gu Beicheng paid An Xiaoning a visit at the hospital, bringing along her favorite food. At the sight of his arrival, she sat up straight and said, grinning from ear to ear, “That must be something delicious.”
“Of course. I only ever bring you food that’s tasty. Quick, have it while it’s hot,” he answered, handing her a pair of chopsticks.
An Xiaoning nodded and began digging in.
“Let’s take a walk after you’re finished eating, so as to aid digestion.”
“Sure.” After some consideration, she continued, “I’d like to get discharged tomorrow.”
“But the doctor said you should stay for a few more days.”
“Nah, I want to go home,” An Xiaoning refuted.
“Well, if you prefer staying at home, just go ahead then,” Gu Beicheng agreed.
After a moment of silence, she asked, “Beicheng… aren’t you curious about why Jin Qingyan stopped showing up here the past few days?”
“He hasn’t been coming? I just assumed I didn’t bump into him. In fact, I was rather surprised at how strangely coincidental it was that I managed to miss him every time I was here.” Noticing a change in her expression, Gu Beicheng questioned, “What happened between you two?”
“I initiated it,” An Xiaoning answered, handing him the divorce agreement.
“A divorce?” he gasped in shock upon reading the content of the agreement.
An Xiaoning remained silent and continued eating.
Gu Beicheng began to feel vexed as he continued to peruse the rest of the content. “You’re so money-minded, yet you actually decided to leave the marriage without taking any property or alimony, out of your own accord? Why did you do that? You must’ve been blinded by love and marriage,” he chided.
Instead of taking offense, An Xiaoning said with a smile, “Money can always be made again. Besides, I already have more than enough to last me a lifetime now. I might even get to make more in the future, so there’s no need to make myself out to be so greedy.”
“Why?”
“Because I can no longer treat him and his family like my own, with genuine sincerity. I don’t blame him though, I probably would’ve done the same. If you were put in his spot, you probably would’ve too…” An Xiaoning explained.
Before she could even finish her sentence, Gu Beicheng eagerly answered, “No, if I were in his position, I would’ve chosen you without a doubt.”
“What if you had to choose between me and your parents?”
“I’d definitely choose you if you were my wife and if I truly loved you. Father and Mother may be upset to have an unfilial son, but you’d definitely be elated to know that you have a great husband who puts you first. Then, you’ll be more than willing to spend the rest of your life with me.”
“Mother is going to kill you if she finds out about what you said,” An Xiaoning teased, letting out a chuckle.
“She won’t. I’ll stay firm on my answer even if she’s here,” Gu Beicheng said earnestly, for he was in a different position from Jin Qingyan and he knew how important An Xiaoning was to the Gu family. Thus, should he ever be faced with such a dilemma, he would definitely pick her, as long as she was his wife!
In fact, he was certain that his family would share similar sentiments as him.
An Xiaoning was also well aware that they would choose to save her, only because she played a crucial role in keeping their family safe. Thus, she did not respond much, other than with a faint smile.
“You know, I’m really glad you’re getting a divorce. Because then, I’ll stand a chance to marry you and make you my precious, beloved wife,” Gu Beicheng said candidly, with no intentions to hide his feelings at all.
An Xiaoning was taken aback by his sudden confession and began poking him with the other end of the chopstick. “You’re so mean, taking advantage right after I had gotten a divorce,” she chided jokingly.
“I’ve already had such intentions in mind, way before you were divorced.”
Trying to play it off as a joke, An Xiaoning said smilingly, “I don’t think you’d want to marry a woman who’s twice divorced. Neither do I think I’ll be courageous enough to get married for the third time. I was referring to my own place when I mentioned that I’d like to go home, earlier. It’s a mansion on Dongpo Road, which I’ve bought a while ago.”
“You’ve prepared yourself long ago, I see,” said Gu Beicheng, who seemed to be in high spirits after hearing the piece of good news.
“One must always prepare themselves for the worst and have a backup plan in hand. I have more important things to do once I’m fully recovered. I’m going to take up wrestling and attend vigorous training sessions at exercise boot camps. It’s time I learn how to defend myself in times of danger,” said An Xiaoning, having already come up with a well-thought-out plan.
“You have a detailed plan and a clear goal in your head, continuing to enjoy life after suffering a great disappointment. That’s great,” Gu Beicheng complimented her. Noticing that she was almost done eating, he bent forward to pick her shoes up, in a bid to help her put them on.
“It’s alright, I can wear them myself.”
“Your wound is going to act up again if you bend forward to squat down. Be good, listen to me,” he insisted.
“Thank you, Brother,” she said in a sweet voice.
“What a rare occasion it is, for you to call me ‘Brother’,” he said with a chuckle while helping her put on her shoes.
They then proceeded to go out for a walk after putting down the crockery on the table.
However, they did not stray too far from the hospital but instead strolled around the sidewalk behind, where there was a larger crowd.
“Do you still remember the first time we met?” he asked.
“Of course I do. Frankly speaking, my first impression of you was average. In fact… how should I put it… I didn’t feel anything at all,” she said candidly.
“Oh… that’s unfair, you left a deep impression on me,” he said smilingly.
Standing firm to the ground while placing his hands on her shoulders, he stared deeply into her eyes and said, “I guess you could say that you were just like a strong magnet, the very first time I laid my eyes upon you, whereas I was akin to a piece of metal, strongly attracted to you, even from afar. The more I get to know you, the more surprised I get, finding out something new about your personality each time. You’re very different from other girls, that’s what I like very much about you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled An Xiaoning into his arms, startling her. She was completely stunned beyond words by his sudden confession, and the shock robbed her of her senses.
At this very moment, a figure was standing straight and tall by the window of the hospital ward, gazing down at the pair embracing each other with a pair of icy cold eyes. He then dumped the food he was holding into the trash bin and left.
An Xiaoning returned to her ward while Gu Beicheng instructed the bodyguards at the door to stay vigilant before leaving.
An Xiaoning picked up the lunchbox in a bid to dispose of the remaining leftovers, only to see the bag of food which had been thrown into the bin a few moments ago. She picked it up and realized that it was still piping hot.
Moreover, there were more than just a few types of dishes.
She turned to the bodyguards at the door to ask if she’d had a visitor, to which they answered frankly, “It was Young Sir who came by.”
An Xiaoning then closed the door and slowly walked towards the window. She realized that the sidewalk where she had taken a stroll with Gu Beicheng earlier could be seen clearly from the position she was standing at.