Normally, an afternoon nap would not last this long. Perhaps because she felt so at ease lying on a bed that still carried Gu Shao’s scent, she slept longer than usual.
But when Gu Shao lay down beside her, Su Su still woke up.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and turned to look at him. Puffing her cheeks, she said angrily, “Take your hand away.” Yet she looked more like she was acting cute than truly angry.
Looking at her soft, youthful face, still slightly chubby like a child’s, Gu Shao could not resist tapping her cheek after withdrawing his hand. “Alright, I’ve taken it away.”
Su Su kicked at him under the blanket. “Get down. Don’t come occupy my bed.”
So now that she was here, it had become her bed. Gu Shao said nothing. He lifted the blanket and got off the bed. Though he was usually easygoing, he became attentive around Su Su. As soon as he got up, he tucked the blanket around her carefully. The air conditioning in the room was a bit strong, and he did not want her to feel uncomfortable.
“I’ll have someone bring you a set of clothes,” Gu Shao said, picking up his phone to make the call.
Su Su, feeling a bit embarrassed in real life, muttered softly, “I told you to let me leave, but you insisted on that. Now you’re asking someone to bring clothes. Won’t people know what happened?”
Gu Shao turned to look at her. “But if I don’t have someone bring clothes, how are you going to leave?”
Su Su was speechless. That was not the point at all.
“Even before they arrive, I can’t just lie here the whole time. Is there anything I can wear temporarily?”
Wrapped in a bedsheet while he stood beside the bed felt very awkward…
If their positions were reversed, she would not mind at all.
Gu Shao walked over and opened the wardrobe. “There are no women’s clothes here. If you don’t mind, you can make do with mine for now.”
He took out a shirt and placed it on the bed.
Su Su focused on the words “no women’s clothes here” and secretly smiled.
Gu Shao searched through the wardrobe, then turned back a little awkwardly. “These shirts have already been worn, I haven’t had the chance to replace them yet, so…”
Before he could finish, Su Su cut him off. “So what if you’ve worn them? What, do you have a cleanliness obsession? Afraid I’ll dirty them?”
“Of course not.”
He did not mind at all. In fact, he had long imagined what it would be like to see Su Su wearing his shirt, but had never had the chance. Now that the opportunity had come, he worried she might mind instead.
Su Su was not particular. She unbuttoned the top two buttons, slipped it on over her head, then fastened them again.
With too many buttons fastened, the collar felt tight, so she left one undone.
They stared at each other for a moment. Gu Shao knew what she was thinking and shook his head. “There really isn’t anything else.”
Su Su looked down at the length of the shirt. It was long enough to reach her thighs, which meant it would cover what needed to be covered.
After a bit of mental preparation, she decided it was fine. It was not as if they had not seen each other before, and this at least covered something.
She got out of bed.
The oversized shirt made her look even more petite, her shoulders half-exposed, her dark hair falling loosely, giving her a quiet yet alluring appearance.
Gu Shao froze for a moment, his usually steady heartbeat quickening.
Everyone has their ultimate image of the person they love. Perhaps it is her profile by the window, her graceful figure in the kitchen, or her peaceful sleeping face.
For Gu Shao, this moment was the most striking. That soft, tempting body wrapped in his shirt, as if declaring that she belonged to him alone, softened his heart completely.
Seeing him stunned, Su Su suddenly felt playful. She quickly lifted the hem of the shirt and dropped it again, shouting, “Only smart people can see it!”
Gu Shao snapped out of it, just as a knock sounded at the door.
“Wait a moment,” he called out.
He quickly tucked Su Su back into the blanket, making sure she was covered, before going to open the door. It was his assistant delivering clothes.
He took the clothes through the door and placed them on the bed. “Change first. I’ll go take care of something outside, then we’ll head home.”
“Okay.”
…
After changing, Su Su stepped out just as a WeChat video call came in.
She answered and held up the phone toward Gu Shao. “It’s Mom.”
On the screen, her mother was feeding Zaizai. Seeing his adorable face, Gu Shao could not help smiling. “Mom, was Zaizai well-behaved today?”
Hearing his father’s voice, Zaizai pushed the bowl aside and leaned closer to the screen. “Daddy, Daddy.”
Su Su’s mother smiled. “He’s been very good, much better than his mother. Come here, sit down and eat.” Then she said into the video, “Better behaved than you. I asked you to deliver food, and you disappeared for half a day. Aren’t you going to take care of your son and daughter?”
Su Su shot Gu Shao a glare. He touched his nose awkwardly and said nothing.
“Mom, we’re coming back soon.”
“I called to ask whether you and Gu Shao are coming back to eat. If you’re eating out, I won’t prepare your portion.”
“We’re coming home.”
Gu Shao added, “Yes, we’ll be back to eat.”
They had been married for three years, and only recently had things started to feel different. Gu Shao wanted time alone with Su Su, but he was also a father of two. With his busy schedule, he rarely spent time with the children, so on days like this, it was better to go home early.
“Alright, I’ll hang up then,” her mother said after getting her answer.
Su Su protested, “Mom, Zaizai called Daddy just now. Let him call Mommy before you hang up.”
Her mother sighed. “Zaizai, say Mommy.”
But Zaizai focused on eating again, refusing to say anything. While Gu Shao was organizing things, Su Su teased him through the screen, not yet satisfied, when the call suddenly ended.
“Hm?”
Gu Shao caught the change in her tone and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I think I just saw Dad.”
“What?”
“My dad. I saw him in the video.”
Gu Shao did not take it seriously. “You must have seen wrong. Didn’t your parents divorce? Why would he suddenly go there?”
“How could I see wrong? Would you mistake your own father? Come on, let’s hurry back and take a look.”
…
Their home was not far from Gu Shao’s company, about a thirty-minute drive.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Su Su suddenly thought again about Fan Jing’an going to see Gu Shao earlier.
“That’s strange. Did Dad really run into trouble? He sent Fan Jing’an over this morning, and now he personally went to Mom this afternoon. He didn’t even come when Wanwan had her full-month celebration.”
Gu Shao shook his head. “Fan Jing’an has already left your father’s company.”
“What? No way.” Su Su’s tone carried a hint of sarcasm. “When Dad let her enter Nabei to gain experience, didn’t everyone say she was going to take over the Su Group? Would she just leave like that?”
Stepchildren also have inheritance rights. It was not hard to understand why her father would train Fan Jing’an, especially after learning that Fan Jing’an’s mother was the woman he had wanted to marry in his youth but never did.
Old lovers lingering, rekindling feelings, reminiscing about the past, it was only natural that he would want to give her everything good.
Especially when Fan Jing’an and her mother had been in such difficult circumstances back then, how could her sentimental father not feel for them?
The original Su Su, childish in temperament, had only been angry about losing her father’s love. But the current Su Su felt sorry for her mother, even though that gentle woman had only been her mother for a short time.
“MK is in S City. If Fan Jing’an moved here, what about her daughter?”
Fan Jing’an was a year older than Su Su and had married earlier, but because Su Su had become pregnant before marriage, their children were born in the same year. That meant Zaizai and her daughter were the same age. What was her daughter’s name again? Fan… Fan Siyu?
Gu Zai, Gu Wan, Fan Siyu.
Hm? Why did those names sound so familiar?
It was understandable that Fan Jing’an’s daughter had her surname. Two months ago, she had divorced her ex-husband, and custody went to her, so she changed her daughter’s surname as well.
A bad thought suddenly crossed Su Su’s mind. Narrowing her eyes, she said, “If Dad came to ask Mom to help take care of Fan Jing’an and her daughter, then I won’t acknowledge him anymore.”
In her memory, Fan Jing’an used to dress plainly with a canvas bag, completely different from the designer brands she wore today. If her father wanted to support her, that was his business, but they would not help take care of that woman.
And besides, Gu Zai, Gu Wan, Fan Siyu, why did those names keep sounding so familiar?
Seeing her frown, Gu Shao gently rubbed the hand resting on her lap. “Don’t worry. Your father shouldn’t be that kind of person.”
Su Su shook her head. It was not entirely about her parents. It felt like something was breaking through in her mind, yet she could not quite grasp it.